December 15, 1984🇷🇺Program

Gorbachev Glasnost and Perestroika Speech: Soviet Reform Begins

In December 1984, Mikhail Gorbachev, not yet Secretary General of the Soviet Communist Party, delivers a major speech introducing two new concepts to the Party: glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). This marks the beginning of reforms that would ultimately lead to greater transparency in Soviet society, including the eventual release of previously classified UFO files and military encounter reports. Within a few years, his reforms spiral out of control, leading to the dissolution of the Soviet Union itself.

Date
December 15, 1984
Location
Moscow, Russia🇷🇺
Type
Program
Country
🇷🇺 Russia
Map

Background

1. In December 1984, Mikhail Gorbachev delivered a major speech introducing the concepts of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) to the Soviet Communist Party. This marked the beginning of reforms within the Soviet Union. Simultaneously, a significant event occurred in ufology with the arrival of a mysterious envelope containing undeveloped film.

The Incident On December 11, 1984, a manila envelope arrived at the home of television producer Jaime Shandera in Burbank, California. Shandera was a research partner of William Moore. The envelope had no return address, was postmarked Albuquerque, and dated December 8, 1984.

Inside were two more envelopes and a roll of undeveloped 35 mm film. When developed, the film revealed seven pages. The first page was a cover sheet stamped “Top Secret/Majic Eyes Only” entitled “Briefing Document: Operation Majestic 12 Prepared for President-Elect Dwight Eisenhower: (Eyes Only).” It was dated November 18, 1952.

The second page gave a brief description of “Operation Majestic-12.” Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter (designated as MJ-1) was listed as the briefing officer. Majestic 12 was described as a “Top Secret Research and Development/Intelligence operation responsible directly and only to the President of the United States,” and “was established by special classified executive order of President Truman on 24 September, 1947, upon recommendation by Dr. Vannevar Bush and Secretary James Forrestal.” The page then listed the 12 original members, including:
* Adm. Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter
* Dr. Vannevar Bush
* Secy. James V. Forrestal
* Gen

Investigation The source text does not provide information on an official investigation into the origin or authenticity of the documents. The text does mention that the date format on the documents (18 November, 1952) would later become a major issue of contention among researchers.

Significance The arrival of the "Majestic 12" documents is a highly significant event in ufology. The documents purported to reveal the existence of a top-secret group responsible for managing information about UFOs. The documents' claims, if true, would represent a major government cover-up. The authenticity of the documents has been debated extensively within the UFO research community, with the date format being one point of contention.

Connections