The truth isn’t out there yet, after all, and this time we haven’t made contact. Amid the excitement sparked on social media in the United States and Canada over the past few days by the downing of three unidentified flying objectsThe White House officially went public this Monday the 13th to rule out the possibility of extraterrestrial activity being involved in the Pentagonconducted operations.
“There is no evidence of extraterrestrial activity or extraterrestrial activity in these recent operations,” said spokeswoman Karine Jean Pierre, who used the press conference to joke about the suspicions that have been populating social media since Sunday. “We want to make that clear to people because we’ve seen a lot of questions about it.”
However, the spokeswoman took the opportunity to joke about the situation, saying she’s a big fan of films in the genre, like ET, an ’80s classic directed by Steven Spielberg.
After identifying and shooting down a Chineseorigin balloon in its airspace last week, the US government has expanded surveillance of aircraft across North America. At least three UFOs were shot down in Alaska, Canada and the Great Lakes region of Michigan between Friday and Sunday.
The proximity and uniqueness of these operations, coupled with a statement from the official Chinese press that a UFO had been shot down on the country’s east coast, prompted dozens of netizens to consider the possibility of visitors from other planets passing through the atmosphere . The octagonal shape of the object shot down in Michigan also made many netizens talk about visitors from other planets.
A Pentagon briefing on Sunday added to the excitement surrounding the issue. When asked by the NYT if it was possible to rule out an alleged extraterrestrial threat, Norad Commander General Glenn told Herck, “I cannot rule out any hypothesis.” It was the password to increase the chills. The fact that the press conference took place during the Superbowl, which the Kansas Chiefs won, only fueled conspiracy theories.
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On Monday, it was up to the White House spokeswoman to put an end to the dispute. At least for now.
Pentagon Headquarters, Washington: The investigation must determine the origin of the UFO. Photo: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, file
The object investigations continue
However, some doubts remain. So far, the Pentagon knows the three objects shot down between Friday and Sunday flew lower than the Chinese balloon shot down earlier this month. Two of them were smaller balloons, according to Senate Democratic Chairman Chuck Schurmer. They were shot down in Alaska and Canada. The third, shot down at Lake Huron, Michigan, was octagonal and cabled but carried no payload.
The three objects flew at very low speeds, likely carried by the wind, but the Pentagon still doesn’t know how they stayed aloft. The US government has also been wary of attributing these last three items to the Chinese government or any other geopolitical rival.
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On the Chinese side in the dispute over espionage in the stratosphere The country’s State Department said Monday the 13th that Washington has sent at least 10 unauthorized balloons to its territory since 2022.
The US government denies the Chinese claims. But the exchange of accusations began last week when the US shot down the first balloon, claiming it was a Chinese spy device. Beijing admitted the object came from the country but said it was a civilian device./NYT