President Jimmy Carter’s UFO Probe – What If

Crashing at the Intersection of Improbability Avenue and What-If?
Street

Former President James Earl Carter has passed away (1924-2024), destined to be remembered as much for his administration’s troubled policies as for his charitable pursuits and legendary efforts in building homes with Habitat for Humanity for four decades as a former Chief Executive. After the press began reporting about Carter’s alleged UFO sighting prior to his election, rumors began to swirl about a potential new UFO study being initiated by the Carter White House, once he claimed the Oval Office.

By Robert Barrow The UFO Chronicles 1-1-2025

However, throughout Carter’s only term no publicly displayed UFO project came
about, though some interesting UFO documentation did emerge in publications
released via Congress.

In recent years my comments relating to Democrats have not been kind, but
during Carter’s era, pretty much my last time fully respecting a Democrat
President, his integrity, honesty and faith inspired me.

Also inspiring — and inspired — was former Democrat congressional
representative James Hanley, a funeral director by trade (and refreshingly,
for something different, not the almost obligatory attorney known to haunt
Congress in great quantities). Throughout much of the 1960s and seventies, as
he served eight terms as a congressman, his office had been the recipient of
my numerous letters regarding the need for a comprehensive UFO investigation.

Rep.James M. Hanley

Knowing of my interest and then expressed desire to assist the Carter
administration, should a hopefully open UFO project be initiated, Hanley went
full-blown congressional recommendation on my behalf. Picking up the mail on
the day when his and the Carter transition team’s letters arrived was simply
incredible for me.

Of course, no such public project surfaced, and as some suspected while others
new, the government was already and always aware of the UFO phenomenon, though
the scientific approach needed an injection of people and equipment calculated
to learn, if possible, the intricacies of this enigma.

What role might I have played, had a project come about? Well, armed with only
a liberal college education with a major in communication arts — and in no
way in possession of extensive scientific credentials — I believe I would
have been content just to sweep the floor, empty trash baskets and maintain an
awareness of what key staff members were thinking and doing.

Decades later, UFO research has become acceptable, even urgent (particularly
in regard to near-approaches by “UAP” to conventional aircraft), bolstered by
confessed government interest. In this respect, I’m happy to know that the UFO
has at last achieved scientific respectability — really the only goal most
researchers and investigators ever desired from the start. As for Congressman
Hanley, I remain impressed to this day how he refused to let what surely must
have involved ridicule from his colleagues drive him away from a legitimate
scientific mystery and an enthusiastic constituent.