Organisations

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the United States' domestic security and law-enforcement agency, which has repeatedly intersected with UFO and UAP matters, from the 1950 Guy Hottel memo to cattle mutilation investigations and modern task forces.

N/A · Washington, D.C. · United States (federal crimes within the continental United States)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the United States’ principal domestic security and law-enforcement agency, responsible for handling federal crimes within the continental United States.¹ Across more than seven decades it has surfaced repeatedly in accounts of Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) research, sometimes as an investigating authority, sometimes as a source of records, and sometimes as the subject of allegations of secrecy or obstruction.

The Bureau’s best-known document in the field is the 1950 memo written by Guy Hottel, then head of its Washington DC field office.² The 1950 Guy Hottel Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) memo is described as the most controversial and most popular file in the FBI’s archive.³ The Bureau’s own website states that the Hottel report was never confirmed or investigated, and that the memo does not prove the existence of aliens.⁴ The FBI also investigated the 1964 Lonnie Zamora UAP encounter at Socorro, New Mexico.⁵ Author David Marler said that for decades the United States Air Force (USAF), the FBI and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) maintained an official policy of denying, dispelling and debunking the UFO subject.⁶

A separate strand of the Bureau’s involvement concerns the cattle mutilations phenomenon. Colorado Senator Floyd K. Haskell said he had discussed the mutilations with FBI Director Clarence Kelley and his chief assistant.⁷ The Bureau concluded it had no jurisdiction to enter the case in the absence of evidence of interstate movement,⁸ though it and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms were nonetheless pulled into the 1975 occult mutilation investigation.⁹ The 1980 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cattle mutilation investigation conceded that some cases could not be prosaically explained, while concluding without evidence that most resulted from natural predation.¹⁰ A separate 100-agent FBI investigation, demanded by three US State Attorneys-General, failed to solve the mystery.¹¹ The Bureau told an interviewer researching a book that there are 10,000 unsolved cattle mutilation cases across the United States.¹² It is a matter of public record, observed by police, FBI agents and local veterinarians, that thousands of physical evidence reports of suspicious mutilations have continued across a wide swathe of the country for decades.¹³ The FBI has also, along with some UAP researchers, dismissed the Majestic-12 documents as an elaborate hoax,¹⁴ and Ross Coulthart said the provenance of those documents is officially disputed by the FBI and the US military.¹⁵

The Bureau features prominently in the account of Luis Elizondo, who said FBI agents visited ranchers in the Roswell, New Mexico region door-to-door to threaten that anyone who spoke about the 1947 Roswell Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) crash would be killed,¹⁶ and that Edgar Mitchell’s family was among the Roswell families threatened by the FBI after the crash.¹⁷ Elizondo also said the CIA and FBI have sometimes posted unclassified UAP documents on their websites for the public to search for and download.¹⁸ He described leading classified investigations worldwide with partners including the FBI, the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security,¹⁹ and said that he and Jay Stratton worked their network of friends in the US military branches, FBI, CIA and the Department of Energy.²⁰ Stratton handpicked members for a new UAP task force from agencies including the FBI, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), NASA and the FAA.²¹ Separately, as part of Task Force Dagger, Elizondo met FBI Director Robert Mueller in Kandahar, Afghanistan,²² where the task force worked with the FBI and other US organisations to locate terrorist cells operating in Afghanistan.²³

Christopher K. Mellon said that thousands of lives lost in the September 11 attacks might have been spared had the CIA and FBI shared information,²⁴ and separately said that the NRO, CIA, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, FBI and National Security Agency (NSA) appeared to hold important UAP data they were not sharing with each other.²⁵ Elizondo said witnesses to a 2013 orb sighting at White Sands Missile Range included an FBI special agent assigned to the Albuquerque Field Office.²⁶ David Charles Grusch has said it is wrong that Congress lacked oversight of UAP matters comparable to the 1970s Church Committee investigations into the CIA, NSA and FBI.²⁷ In the parapsychology sphere, Ed Dames and his organisation have used Remote Viewing (RV) in operations, including searching for FBI fugitives,²⁸ and Dames said he supports the US Marshals Service with remote-viewing information because they make use of it, whereas the FBI discards it.²⁹ Governance of Avi Loeb’s science advisory council includes representatives from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the White House, the FBI and the intelligence community.³⁰

References (30)

The FBI is responsible for handling federal crimes within the continental United States.
“The FBI is responsible for handling federal crimes within the continental US.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch20:1704-1778 View the source record →
Guy Hottel headed the FBI's Washington DC field office when he wrote the 1950 memo.
“The report, from Guy Hottel, the then head of the FBI's Washington DC field office”
In Plain Sight ch8:4509-4585 View the source record →
The Hottel memo remains the most controversial and popular file in the FBI's archive, according to In Plain Sight.
“remains the most controversial, and the most popular, file in the FBI's archive”
In Plain Sight ch8:4593-4665 View the source record →
The FBI's website states the Hottel report was never confirmed or investigated and does not prove the existence of aliens.
“the FBI, no doubt jaded by flying saucer conspiracists seizing on the memo, asserts that the Hottel report was never confirmed or investigated, and that the memo does not prove the existence of aliens”
In Plain Sight ch8:4711-4905 View the source record →
The FBI investigated the 1964 Lonnie Zamora UAP encounter at Socorro, New Mexico.
“The Zamora case attracted a plethora of investigators. Local law enforcement, of course. The FBI. The US Army. The Air Force.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch12:22897-23016 View the source record →
David Marler said the USAF, FBI and CIA maintained an official policy of denying, dispelling and debunking the UFO subject.
“Well, for decades, the Air Force, FBI, CIA, all the official agencies had a policy of denial. Deny the subject, dispel the subject, debunk the subject.”
The UFO Phenomenon | Full Documentary 2021 | 7NEWS Spotlight 00:06:01.6-00:06:13.7
Colorado Senator Floyd K. Haskell said he had discussed the cattle mutilations with FBI Director Clarence Kelley.
“In a news release dated Sept. 18, 1975, the senior Senator from Colorado, Floyd K. Haskell, disclosed that he had discussed the matter with FBI director Clarence Kelley and his chief assistant.”
Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults ch12:23258-23441
The FBI concluded it had no jurisdiction to enter the cattle mutilation case absent evidence of interstate movement.
“the FBI concluded it had no jurisdiction to enter the case, because there was no evidence of interstate movement”
Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults ch12:23461-23565
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms were pulled into the 1975 occult mutilation investigation.
“dozens of law enforcement agencies in many states, as well as such federal agencies as the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms of the Treasury Department, had been pulled into the investigation”
Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults ch12:32370-32567
The 1980 FBI investigation conceded some cattle mutilation cases could not be prosaically explained, while concluding without evidence that most were natural predation.
“An FBI investigation had conceded in 1980 that there were mutilation cases that could not be prosaically explained, concluding, without any evidence, that the mutilations were predominantly the result of natural predation.”
In Plain Sight ch15:6125-6337 View the source record →
A 100-agent FBI investigation into suspected human involvement, demanded by three US State Attorneys-General, failed to solve the mystery.
“A massive 100 agent FBI investigation into suspected human involvement, demanded by three US State Attorneys-General, failed to solve the mystery.”
In Plain Sight ch15:7652-7790 View the source record →
The FBI told an interviewer there are 10,000 unsolved cattle mutilation cases across the United States.
“The reality is it's real because the United States FBI, when I was doing my book research, they told me that there are 10,000 unsolved cattle mutilation cases across the United States, across a swathe of the United States.”
The UFO Phenomenon | Full Documentary 2021 | 7NEWS Spotlight 01:15:50.9-01:16:08.1
It is a matter of public record, observed by police, FBI agents and local veterinarians, that thousands of physical evidence reports of cattle mutilations have continued for decades.
“It is a matter of public record, observed by police, FBI agents and local veterinarians, that there have continued to be thousands of physical evidence reports of what witnesses say are clearly suspicious cattle mutilations across a huge swathe of the US for decades.”
In Plain Sight ch15:3493-3752 View the source record →
The FBI and some UAP researchers have dismissed the Majestic-12 documents as an elaborate hoax.
“However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and even some UAP researchers have dismissed the documents as an elaborate hoax.”
In Plain Sight ch14:15850-15976 View the source record →
Ross Coulthart said the provenance of the Majestic 12 documents is officially disputed by the FBI and the US military.
“the provenance of which is still, of course, disputed officially by the FBI and the US military.”
Watergate, the JFK assassination and a UFO secret at the center of it all | Reality Check 00:17:02.4-00:17:07.5
Luis Elizondo said FBI agents visited ranchers near Roswell door-to-door to threaten that anyone who spoke about the crash would be killed.
“FBI agents visited ranchers in the region, going door-to-door to deliver the threatening message: if you speak about the crashes, you will be killed.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch12:8596-8738 View the source record →
Luis Elizondo said Edgar Mitchell's family was among the Roswell families threatened by the FBI after the 1947 crash.
“He once confided to Hal and Eric that his family was among the Roswell families who were threatened by the FBI after the famous Roswell crashes.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch12:8451-8587 View the source record →
The CIA and FBI have sometimes posted unclassified UAP documents on their websites for public search and download, Luis Elizondo said.
“The CIA and FBI sometimes slapped them up on their websites, for the whole world to search for and download.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch12:20721-20820 View the source record →
Luis Elizondo led classified investigations worldwide with partners including the FBI, CIA and the Department of Homeland Security.
“I led classified investigations worldwide with partners that included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch9:719-912 View the source record →
Jay Stratton and Luis Elizondo worked their network of friends in the US military branches, FBI, CIA and the Department of Energy.
“Meanwhile, Jay and I worked our network of friends in the military branches, FBI, CIA, and even the Department of Energy.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch31:4434-4548 View the source record →
Jay Stratton handpicked members for the new UAP task force from agencies including the FBI, National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and FAA.
“So Jay started putting that together, handpicking his members/reps from all the intelligence agencies and civilian-led agencies, from the FBI to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to NASA to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch31:4914-5148 View the source record →
As part of Task Force Dagger, Elizondo met FBI Director Robert Mueller in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
“With FBI Director Robert Mueller in Kandahar. As part of Task Force Dagger, the FBI was one of many US organizations we worked with to locate terrorist cells operating in the area.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch37:1206-1381 View the source record →
Task Force Dagger worked with the FBI and other US organisations to locate terrorist cells operating in Afghanistan.
“As part of Task Force Dagger, the FBI was one of many US organizations we worked with to locate terrorist cells operating in the area.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch37:1252-1381 View the source record →
Christopher K. Mellon said thousands of lives lost in the September 11 attacks might have been spared had the CIA and FBI shared information.
“On September 11, 2001, America suffered the loss of thousands of lives that might have been spared if the CIA and FBI had only been willing to share information.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch6:14322-14471 View the source record →
Christopher K. Mellon said the NRO, CIA, NGA, FBI and NSA appeared to hold important UAP data they were not sharing with each other.
“Meanwhile, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA) also appeared to have important UAP data they were not sharing.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch6:17564-17844 View the source record →
Witnesses to the 2013 White Sands orb sighting included an FBI special agent assigned to the Albuquerque Field Office, Elizondo said.
“These witnesses included scientists, security personnel, and an FBI special agent assigned to the Albuquerque Field Office.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch20:474-590 View the source record →
David Grusch considers it wrong that Congress lacked oversight of UAP matters comparable to the 1970s Church Committee investigations into the CIA, NSA and FBI.
“seeing what Congress was not being told and not having appropriate insight akin to the Church Committee committees of the 1970s and not having insight on the CIA, NSA, and FBI's activities. I just thought it was wrong that this was allowed to go unchecked for so many years.”
David Grusch: The Whistleblower Who Told Congress We're Not Alone 00:03:57.3-00:04:15.0
Ed Dames and his organisation use remote viewing in operations, including searching for FBI fugitives.
“The rest of the time we actually use remote viewing in operations. ... Looking for, for instance, FBI fugitives.”
How The CIA Spent Millions On Psychic Spies - PROJECT: STARGATE (Documentary 1 of 3) 00:30:48.7-00:30:51.7
Ed Dames said he supports the US Marshals Service with remote-viewing information because they use it, whereas the FBI discards it.
“I support the U.S. Marshals mainly because they support me. They actually use my information where the FBI just throws it away.”
How The CIA Spent Millions On Psychic Spies - PROJECT: STARGATE (Documentary 1 of 3) 00:30:58.8-00:31:08.3
Governance of Avi Loeb's science advisory council includes representatives from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the White House, the FBI and the intelligence community.
“There is a governing board that includes representatives from ODNI, from the White House, from the FBI, from the intelligence community. And so those representatives have access, of course, to all the classified material.”
Episode 73: Science vs. Secrecy 00:21:38.5-00:21:53.6

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

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