Washington DC: UFO Experts Brief Foreign Press Corps (1987)

On June 25, 1987, the United States Foreign Press Center hosted an unprecedented on-the-record session examining four decades of global UFO reports. The event brought together four prominent figures in UFO research to address an assembly of international correspondents. Dr. Bruce S. Maccabee, a physicist employed by the U.S. Navy and serving as chairman of the Fund for U.F.O. Research, led the presentation alongside Mr. Lawrence Koss, documentary producer Jamie Shandera, and renowned abduction investigator Budd Hopkins.

Hopkins, already widely recognized for his bestselling books "Missing Time" and "Intruders," contributed his expertise on alleged alien abduction phenomena. The panelists collectively analyzed various sightings from different countries and discussed the broader implications of the phenomenon. Their presentations aimed to provide journalists with factual context regarding unexplained aerial incidents that had accumulated over forty years.

The briefing attracted substantial attention from the foreign press corps, indicating significant international interest in American UFO research during the late Cold War period. Notable attendees included Stanton Friedman, a nuclear physicist and prominent UFO investigator who participated as an audience member rather than a speaker. The entire proceeding was recorded on film by the National Archives, preserving this moment of official engagement between the U.S. government venue and civilian UFO researchers. The Black Vault subsequently obtained and published this archival footage for historical preservation, documenting an important instance of quasi-official disclosure efforts during the 1980s.