Jimmy Carter

James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924; American), 39th U.S. President (1977-1981) and former Georgia governor, reported a UFO sighting on January 6, 1969, near Leary, Georgia, while attending a Lions Club event. He described a self-luminous green object, brighter than the moon, visible for 10 minutes to about 10 witnesses, filing official reports with the International UFO Bureau and NICAP on September 18, 1973. As an Annapolis-trained nuclear engineer and amateur astronomer, Carter ruled out Venus or aircraft, though skeptics like ufologists Robert Sheaffer and Allan Hendry identified it as Venus. During his 1976 campaign, he pledged to declassify all UFO documents if elected, citing his sighting as proof of their existence. In office, he backed away, invoking national security concerns; reports claim CIA denied access to files. Carter later denied extraterrestrial beliefs, government cover-ups, or CIA withholding info, stating no aliens visited Earth.