On May 4, 1988, President Ronald Reagan makes yet another reference to an alien threat in a public address, this time when asked about the most important need in international relations. 'I've often wondered,' he says, 'if all of us in the world discovered that we were threatened by a power from outer space, from another planet. Wouldn't we all of a sudden find that we didn't have any differences between us at all, we were all human beings, citizens of the world, and wouldn't we come together to fight that particular threat?' This is at least his third such public statement (after September 1987 UN address and February 1987 comments). In early June, Reagan meets Gorbachev in Moscow; when Gorbachev asks what SDI is for if all nuclear weapons are eliminated, Reagan replies: 'It will be there just in case.'
Background
EVENT TITLE: Reagan Repeats Alien Threat Theme: 'Wouldn't We Come Together?'
EVENT DATE: 1988-05-04
EVENT TYPE: disclosure
1. On May 4, 1988, President Ronald Reagan made a public reference to a potential alien threat during an address concerning international relations. He posed the question of whether global unity would emerge if humanity faced a common extraterrestrial adversary. This was not the first time Reagan had publicly alluded to such a scenario.
The Incident
* On May 4, 1988, President Reagan, when asked about the most important need in international relations, stated he had often wondered if the world would unite if faced with a threat from an outside power.
* The exact context of the address and the specific question that prompted Reagan's comment are not detailed in the provided source.
* The statement is framed as a hypothetical scenario regarding a potential unifying force for humanity.
Investigation
* The source text does not mention any formal investigation into Reagan's statement.
* The statement appears to have been made in a public forum, suggesting it was intended as a point of reflection rather than a declaration of imminent danger.
* There is no indication of any official government action or inquiry resulting from the President's remarks.
Significance
* Reagan's comment is significant because it reflects a recurring theme in his public statements regarding the potential for an external threat to unite humanity.
* It adds to the body of evidence suggesting Reagan's interest in, or concern about, the possibility of extraterrestrial contact and its implications for global politics.
* The statement is part of a broader pattern of remarks by Reagan on the subject of alien threats, which have been interpreted by some as veiled attempts at disclosure or as expressions of genuine concern.
* UFO researcher Grant Cameron analyzes the modern American Presidency in relation to UFOs, suggesting a continued interest in the topic at high levels of government.
* Reagan had a genuine UFO sighting as Governor of California in 1974.
* Reagan and his pilot Bull Paynter both made statements; although neither supplied a specific date, the event probably occurred during the summer.
* Looking out the window of a Cessna Citation between 9 and 10 p.m., Reagan saw a bright white light zigzagging across the sky.
* He asked Paynter if he had ever seen anything like it. Paynter had not. “Let’s follow it!,” said Reagan, which they did for several minutes.
* Then, according to Reagan, “to our utter amazement, it went straight up into the heavens. When I got off the plane I told Nancy all about it . . . And we read up on the long history of UFOs.”
* Indeed, a week later Reagan sat next to Norman Miller of the Wall Street Journal while on another flight, and told him about the sighting with great animation and enthusiasm.
* “Governor,” Millar asked, “are you telling me that you saw a UFO?” As Miller later recalled the situation, Reagan realized that he was talking to a reporter. “This look crossed his face,” said Miller.