Nick Pope

Nick Pope (born 1965) is a British journalist, author, and former civil servant who worked for the Ministry of Defence for 21 years from 1985 to 2006. Recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on unexplained phenomena and UAPs, he has authored multiple books including "Open Skies, Closed Minds" and "Encounter in Rendlesham Forest." He regularly contributes to major publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC outlets, and serves as a frequent media commentator and television personality, having appeared on programs such as Ancient Aliens, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live. Additionally, he has lectured internationally at venues including Oxford University and the Royal Albert Hall.

From 1991 to 1994, Pope headed the MoD's UFO desk, investigating UFO sightings to assess their defence significance. In Leslie Kean's book, he provides detailed insight into his work at the MoD UFO desk. His investigation methodology involved interviewing witnesses, correlating sightings with known aerial activity, checking with the Royal Greenwich Observatory for astronomical explanations, liaising with RAF Fylingdales Ballistic Missile Early Warning System for space-tracking radar data, and working with MoD specialists to analyze photographs and video. Through this work, he found that about 80% of sightings were misidentifications, 15% had insufficient data, and approximately 5% defied conventional explanation.

Pope made significant contributions to UFO research and declassification efforts during and after his MoD tenure. He conducted a pioneering cold case review of the Rendlesham Forest incident, discovering critical failures in the original investigation, including the failure to cordon the landing site, the absence of metal detector searches or soil samples, and date errors in the Halt memo that caused the MoD to check radar tapes for the wrong days. He also discovered that RAF radar operator Nigel Kerr at RAF Watton had detected an anomalous return directly over the base during the incident, though no official report was filed. Pope briefed Lord Hill-Norton, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, on UFOs and helped draft material for his parliamentary questions, and he was instrumental in getting Project Condign commissioned. Later, he worked as a consultant for the National Archives on the declassification of MoD UFO files beginning in 2008.

Pope is regarded as a key figure in bringing UAP topics to mainstream attention through his expertise and public engagements.