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Harry Reid

U.S. Senate Majority Leader who secretly funded the Pentagon's UFO investigation program (AATIP) and spent decades advocating for UAP transparency, stating the topic "keeps me up at night."

FieldDetails
Full NameHarry Mason Reid
BornDecember 2, 1939
DiedDecember 28, 2024
RoleU.S. Senator (Nevada, 1987–2017), Senate Majority Leader (2007–2015)
PartyDemocrat
Key ActionFounded AATIP — Pentagon's secret UFO investigation program ($22M)
Evidence RatingWELL-DOCUMENTED

Background​

Harry Reid served as a U.S. Senator from Nevada for 30 years and was Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015 — one of the most powerful positions in the U.S. government. His involvement with UAP research is among the most well-documented cases of a senior government official taking the phenomenon seriously.

How Reid Became Involved with UFOs​

Reid's interest in UFOs began in the 1990s through conversations with Robert Bigelow, a billionaire aerospace entrepreneur who was investigating paranormal activity at Utah's Skinwalker Ranch. Bigelow's findings convinced Reid that the government needed to take the phenomenon seriously.

Reid stated he saw "classified" things at Area 51 that "fascinated" him, though he never publicly disclosed what specifically he saw.

Creating AATIP​

In 2007, Reid partnered with Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI) to secretly funnel $22 million into the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) through the Defense Intelligence Agency. The program:

  • Ran from 2007 to 2012 (officially; may have continued informally)
  • Was managed by Luis Elizondo at the Pentagon
  • Investigated military encounters with UAPs
  • Produced the now-famous Navy UAP videos (Gimbal, GoFast, FLIR1/Tic Tac)
  • Was kept secret from most of Congress and the public until a 2017 New York Times exposé

Reid stated: "I'm glad I got this thing going. I'm glad the Pentagon is finally releasing this footage, but it only scratches the surface of research and materials available."

Key Quotes​

"I'm not embarrassed or ashamed or sorry I got this thing going. I've done something that no one has done before." — Harry Reid, on creating AATIP

"The U.S. needs to take a serious, scientific look at this and any potential national security implications. The American people deserve to be informed." — Harry Reid, via Twitter, 2020

Reid told CNN in 2020: "I'm glad the Pentagon is finally releasing this footage, but it only scratches the surface of research and materials available."

Emotional Impact​

Reid described the UAP issue as something that "keeps me up at night." In multiple interviews before his death, he expressed frustration that more information was not being shared with the public and that the military was stonewalling legitimate inquiry.

Legacy​

Reid's creation of AATIP led directly to:

  • The 2017 New York Times exposé that brought UAPs into mainstream discourse
  • The release of Navy UAP videos
  • The creation of the UAP Task Force and later AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office)
  • The 2022 and 2023 congressional UAP hearings
  • David Grusch's whistleblower testimony

Reid is widely credited as the single most important government official in modern UAP disclosure history.

The Counterargument​

  • Critics argued that $22 million in taxpayer funds was wasted on investigating UFOs
  • Some questioned whether Reid's relationship with Robert Bigelow (whose company received AATIP contracts) represented a conflict of interest
  • Skeptics maintain that the Navy videos have prosaic explanations (sensor artifacts, birds, drones)
  • Reid never claimed to have seen aliens himself — his position was that the phenomenon deserved serious investigation
  • John Herrington — Reagan cabinet member who reportedly cried after UFO briefings
  • Jimmy Carter — President who reportedly sobbed after UFO briefing
  • Robert Bigelow — Billionaire who first interested Reid in UFO research

See Also​

  • UAP Pillar — Part of the consciousness research pillar on government officials and UAP disclosure

Sources​

This information was built by Grok and Claude AI research.