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Peter Gersten

Researcher

Type

Researcher

Peter Gersten (born 1942) is an American attorney known as the 'UFO lawyer' for his pioneering legal work in UFO-related litigation and freedom of information advocacy. He represented UFO claimants including Betty Cash and Vickie Landrum, and served as former director of Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS). In 1977, Gersten filed the first FOIA lawsuit against the CIA on behalf of Ground Saucer Watch, resulting in the release of nearly 900 UFO documents in 1979. He subsequently sued the NSA in 1980 and filed additional legal actions through CAUS seeking classified UFO information. Gersten's career included work as a criminal defense attorney in Brooklyn and Arizona. In retirement, he has volunteered as a hiking docent in Sedona, Arizona.

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Timeline

(11)

1978

Jan 1978Participated in

CAUS Founded: Citizens Against UFO Secrecy Begin FOIA Campaign

Dec 1978Participated in

CIA Releases 900 Pages of UFO Documents Under FOIA Lawsuit

1979

Oct 1979Participated in

NSA FOIA Exemption: Federal Court Rules NSA Records Too Sensitive for Any Scrutiny

1980

Nov 1980Participated in

NSA UFO FOIA Lawsuit Dismissed: Top Secret Affidavit

Dec 1980Participated in

Cash-Landrum Incident: Diamond UFO with Military Helicopters

Dec 1980Participated in

Cash-Landrum Incident

1982

Mar 1982Participated in

Supreme Court Denies CAUS v. NSA: 135 UFO Documents Remain Classified

1983

Jan 1983Participated in

Doty Meets Gersten and Moore: MJ-12, Crash Retrievals, Alien Agreement

1984

Jul 1984Participated in

Hudson Valley: July 12 Mass Sighting — 5,000 Witnesses, Police Ordered to Stonewall

Aug 1984Participated in

NSA Agent Contacts Hudson Valley Researchers, Phone Taps Detected

Aug 1984Participated in

Hudson Valley UFO Conference: 1,500 Attend in Brewster