Podcast about the The Flying Saucers are Real can be accessed above. This episode was part of several podcasts generated with Google NotebookLM and is the product of AI.

This podcast is about The Flying Saucers are Real by Donald E. Keyhoe which is a fascinating and controversial investigation into the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the early 1950s. Keyhoe, a former military intelligence officer, presents a collection of sightings, interviews, and official reports, meticulously constructing a compelling case for the existence of extraterrestrial spacecraft. Through his analysis of these encounters, Keyhoe argues that the United States government is actively engaged in a cover-up, attempting to downplay and discredit evidence of extraterrestrial activity in order to maintain national security. He scrutinizes official denials, inconsistencies in official statements, and the deliberate attempts to explain away these occurrences as mundane phenomena. The author skillfully weaves together a mosaic of evidence and speculation, inviting the reader to engage in a critical examination of the government’s pronouncements and the potential implications of extraterrestrial life.

[Tammy]

Ever looked up at the night sky and just thought, like, man, what if we’re not alone? I know I have.

[Joe]

Yeah, who hasn’t? It’s a question that’s fascinated people for centuries.

[Tammy]

Totally. And today, we’re diving deep into that mystery, exploring the world of flying saucers. Should be interesting.

It definitely will be. We’re going old school for this one. Cracking open a book from 1950 called The Flying Saucers Are Real.

[Joe]

Oh, wow. 1950. That’s like right when this whole UFO craze was taking off.

[Tammy]

Right. It was written by Donald E. Kehoe.

[Joe]

Kehoe? Wasn’t he some kind of military guy?

[Tammy]

Yeah, he was a Marine Corps aviator, but he was also an investigative journalist.

[Joe]

Interesting combo. So he wasn’t just some, like, armchair enthusiast.

[Tammy]

No, not at all. Kehoe went all in, interviewing witnesses, digging into official reports, really trying to get to the bottom of this whole flying saucer business.

[Joe]

Kind of amazing when you think about it. Back then, talking about UFOs, it wasn’t exactly, you know, mainstream.

[Tammy]

Totally. People probably thought you were a little… out there.

[Joe]

Exactly. But Kehoe approached it like any good journalist would, following the evidence wherever it led him.

[Tammy]

And that evidence, or at least the stories, really seemed to take off in 1947. You ever heard of Kenneth Arnold?

[Joe]

Vaguely. It’s like ringing a bell.

[Tammy]

So Arnold was a pilot, and he’s flying near Mount Rainier one day when he sees these nine unusual objects moving really strangely. He said they were moving like saucers skipping over water.

[Joe]

Ah, so that’s where that term comes from. Flying saucer.

[Tammy]

Bingo. And that’s how it all began. Arnold’s sighting sparked a wave of similar reports all over the world.

It seemed everyone was seeing saucers in the sky.

[Joe]

It’s funny how one person’s observation can just ignite a whole phenomenon.

[Tammy]

It’s true. But what’s even more interesting is how the government reacted.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah. They got involved pretty quickly, didn’t they?

[Tammy]

Oh, absolutely. At first, they tried to dismiss it all. You know, weather balloons, mass hysteria, that sort of thing.

[Joe]

Right, right. But then they launched Project Saucer to investigate these sightings.

[Tammy]

And the Air Force, even in their own report, while they tried to explain away most of the flying saucer sightings…

[Joe]

As what? Like swamp gas?

[Tammy]

Huh. Well, they like to say ice crystals or weather balloons, but even they had to admit that there were a bunch of cases they couldn’t explain.

[Joe]

See, that’s what always gets me. If they were so sure it was all nonsense, why bother with the explanations? Why not just say, we looked into it; it’s nothing.

Case closed.

[Tammy]

Exactly. Kehoe picked up on that, too. He points out all these contradictions and inconsistencies in the official explanations.

It’s like they were more worried about covering something up than getting to the truth about flying saucers.

[Joe]

Sounds a little like a conspiracy theory, doesn’t it?

[Tammy]

Maybe. But Kehoe uses some pretty compelling examples. Like, there’s the tragic story of Captain Mantell.

[Joe]

Mantell. Remind me.

[Tammy]

He was a pilot, and he crashed his plane while chasing a UFO.

[Joe]

Oh, right, right. I think I remember reading about that. Wasn’t it the Air Force’s explanation that he was chasing Venus?

[Tammy]

Yeah, they said he was chasing Venus.

[Joe]

Venus? Seriously.

[Tammy]

That’s what they said. But Kehoe talked to astronomers and other pilots who said, there’s just no way. Venus wouldn’t have been visible like that.

And even if it was, it wouldn’t have looked anything like what Mantell was describing.

[Joe]

So what was he chasing, then?

[Tammy]

That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? And it’s not the only case where the Air Force’s explanation just doesn’t hold water.

[Joe]

Hmm. It sounds like they were hiding something. But what?

[Tammy]

So the Air Force seems to be hiding something. But what are they hiding? This leads us to Kehoe’s most intriguing proposition.

[Joe]

Which is?

[Tammy]

Could these flying saucers be from, well, somewhere else?

[Joe]

You mean?

[Tammy]

Extraterrestrial aliens.

[Joe]

Wow. OK, I have to admit, that’s a pretty big leap.

[Tammy]

It sounds crazy, right?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Tammy]

But in the book, Kehoe connects these sightings with major events in human history, almost like someone or something is watching us.

[Joe]

Watching us.

[Tammy]

Yeah, like they’re keeping tabs on humanity’s progress and maybe getting a little closer whenever we reach a new milestone. Kehoe points to the spike in flying saucer sightings after World War II as evidence.

[Joe]

Because of the war.

[Tammy]

Well, specifically after the atomic bomb tests. It’s a bit unsettling to think about, isn’t it? Like, maybe our foray into the atomic age attracted some unwanted attention.

[Joe]

I mean, if I were a super advanced alien observing another civilization, I’d probably want to keep an eye on the ones who figured out how to blow things up real good. Just saying.

[Tammy]

Exactly. But here’s the thing. Kehoe’s research goes back even further.

He found reports of strange objects in the sky long before the invention of airplanes. Like, we’re talking centuries ago.

[Joe]

Really? So this wasn’t just some Cold War paranoia?

[Tammy]

Apparently not. People have been seeing these things for a long, long time. Kehoe even talks about this guy, Nicholas Roich.

[Joe]

Never heard of him.

[Tammy]

He was a Russian artist and explorer. Back in the 1920s, he was traveling through the Himalayas. And he documented a sighting of this silvery, disk-shaped object.

[Joe]

In the Himalayas?

[Tammy]

Yep, right there in his journals. And that’s not the only one. Kehoe found all sorts of stories like that from all over the world.

[Joe]

So what are we supposed to make of all this? Are you saying you believe in alien visitors?

[Tammy]

I don’t know what to believe, honestly. But I do think there’s something to be said for the sheer volume of these reports and the fact that they go back so far.

[Joe]

OK, let’s say, just for argument’s sake, that Kehoe is right. That these flying saucers are alien spacecraft. Why all the secrecy?

If they’re here, why not just make contact?

[Tammy]

It’s the question everyone asks, right? If they’re real, why haven’t they landed on the White House lawn? What’s the big secret?

[Joe]

Yeah, it’s a good question. And Kehoe grapples with it in the book.

[Tammy]

So what’s his take?

[Joe]

He asks us to imagine we’re the ones with the spaceships. We’re about to meet a less advanced civilization. Would we just show up and be like, hey, we’re from Earth?

[Tammy]

Probably not the best strategy.

[Joe]

Right, like I’d want to do some recon first; see what’s what. Make sure they’re not hostile. Exactly, and figure out how to communicate without freaking everyone out.

[Tammy]

That makes sense. So maybe they’re just being cautious.

[Joe]

Could be. Or, and Kehoe throws this out there, maybe there are other things we haven’t even thought of.

[Tammy]

Like what?

[Joe]

Well, he talks about the possibility that, like, maybe their atmosphere is totally different, or their way of communicating is just too alien for us to grasp.

[Tammy]

So it’s not that they don’t want to talk to us. It’s that they can’t.

[Joe]

Maybe, or maybe, and this one’s kind of out there, he suggests their lifespan could be completely different from ours.

[Tammy]

Like they live for hundreds of years.

[Joe]

Or thousands, even. Imagine trying to have a conversation with a being that thinks in those timescales. Be like…

[Tammy]

Like talking to a tree.

[Joe]

Yeah, something like that. It’s hard to even wrap your head around.

[Tammy]

Definitely. It makes all our problems seem pretty insignificant.

[Joe]

Right. But Kehoe also brings up another possibility, one that’s not quite as fun to think about.

[Tammy]

Let me guess. It has to do with us.

[Joe]

Bingo. He suggests that maybe, just maybe, they’ve been watching us, seeing all the wars, the pollution.

[Tammy]

The general chaos of humanity.

[Joe]

And maybe they’re not so impressed.

[Tammy]

You think maybe we’re like the embarrassing relative that everyone avoids at family gatherings?

[Joe]

Ah, I wouldn’t go that far. But you have to admit, we haven’t exactly been on our best behavior lately.

[Tammy]

True enough. So what’s the verdict, then? Are flying saucers real?

Are we being visited by aliens? I have to say, after this deep dive, I’m not sure what to think.

[Joe]

Honestly, me neither. But I think that’s the point, isn’t it? It’s not about finding definitive answers.

It’s about asking the big questions, even if they make us a little uncomfortable, and even if the answers remain elusive.

[Tammy]

Well said. Maybe the real question isn’t whether they’re out there, but what we’ll do if they ever decide to say hello.

[Joe]

Exactly.

[Tammy]

Thanks for joining us for this deep dive. Until next time, keep looking up.