“There was or is a control group buried within CIA counterintelligence or a part of CIA counterintelligence that has operational control over UFO”
Larry Holcombe, The Presidents and UFOs
Title: The Presidents and UFOs: A Secret History from FDR to Obama
Author: Larry Holcombe
Genres: Non-fiction, History, Science, Conspiracy, Politics
Length: 9 hrs, 39 mins (Audiobook)
Published: March 17th, 2015
My Rating: ★★★★¼
Read: 1/25/2023 – 1/26/2023
Review:
I saw the author of this book featured on an episode of Ancient Aliens and bought this book immediately. Of all areas of ufology, government involvement fascinates me the most.
The book focuses mainly on 20th-century UFO sightings and the presidents’ responses to the UFO situation in general. There was a lot of emphasis on Nixon’s and Reagan’s terms as well as Project Blue Book. It appears to be very well-researched overall and is an interesting topic.
A side note: I was impressed to see that this book mentions Dorothy Kilgallen as well as the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death/connection to the JFK assassination case. I’d never heard anything about her thoughts on UFOs and the like, so it was interesting to make that connection as well. Not many people seem to remember her despite being one of the top journalists in America for decades.
Likes & Dislikes:
What I liked:
- I have to say it twice. The mention of Dorothy Kilgallen. It saddens me how forgotten she has become. She covered so many important topics in the mid-20th Century.
- The differences in reactions from the presidents. I wish, however, the book had also included some of the earlier ones.
- The research was presented in a plausible way.
What I didn’t like:
- A bit scattered and went off-topic here and there. As much as I enjoy reading about the JFK assassination, I don’t see how the topic of UFOs had any involvement.
Afterthoughts:
The narrator of the audiobook did a great job and seemed to be into the topic.