The Program Documentary

James Fox’s upcoming documentary The Program builds upon the momentum from his previous works like The Phenomenon and Moment of Contact. This film focuses on whistleblowers, congressional hearings, and the U.S. government’s investigation into UFOs, or UAPs, as they’re now officially called.

The trailer kicks off by referencing the groundbreaking 2017 New York Times article, which exposed a secret U.S. government program to investigate UFOs. From there, James Fox looks into more recent developments, including statements from government officials, military personnel, and whistleblowers. Notably, some claim direct knowledge of UFO crash retrieval programs and non-human biologics associated with these incidents.

The trailer features high-profile names like former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Christopher Mellon and Stanford’s Dr. Gary Nolan. Both discuss how UFOs have been observed with inexplicable flight characteristics and how these phenomena are no longer dismissed as conspiracy but are subject to congressional inquiry. One of the whistleblowers, David Grusch claims, under oath, that the U.S. government is in possession of non-human spacecraft and their pilots’ remains.

Fox’s documentary also introduces a mysterious figure referred to as “Military X,” a key whistleblower who may offer firsthand testimony about reverse-engineering and UFO crash retrievals, but only if granted amnesty. The film promises to deliver further revelations on these covert programs and poses deeper questions about what’s still being hidden from the public.

The Program is set to add fuel to the ongoing push for government transparency on UFOs and their implications for humanity, while highlighting the real risks faced by those brave enough to speak out​.

James Fox is a well-known filmmaker in the realm of UFO documentaries, with a reputation for highlighting government involvement in UFO phenomena and extraterrestrial encounters. His films The Phenomenon (2020) and Moment of Contact (2022) share a common theme of revealing concealed truths about UFO sightings, military incidents, and NHI. These films underscore Fox’s dedication to showcasing firsthand witness accounts and investigating how official bodies have handled—or mishandled—these events.

The Phenomenon (2020) broke new ground by tracing the history of UFO encounters, dating back to the 1940s. Featuring interviews with key figures such as Christopher Mellon, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and Senator Harry Reid, the documentary provided strong evidence supporting the existence of UAPs. Mellon and Reid expressed concerns over the secrecy surrounding government investigations, adding credibility to the documentary’s argument for increased transparency. This film played a critical role in drawing public attention to the issue and pressuring the government to disclose more about its UFO research.

In Moment of Contact (2022), Fox focused on the 1996 Varginha incident in Brazil, where witnesses claimed to have seen a UFO crash and encountered strange, humanoid beings. The documentary featured testimonies from Brazilian military personnel, local residents, and UFO researchers, who described the beings as having oily skin and unnatural appearances. Fox noted that this project was one of the most intense he had ever worked on, not only because of the chilling nature of the testimonies but also due to threats from military officials, underscoring the ongoing secrecy surrounding the incident.

These two films set the stage for Fox’s latest project, The Program, by establishing his credibility and access to insiders willing to testify about UFO phenomena. Fox’s work consistently reflects his determination to uncover and share the truth about NHI encounters, as evidenced by the testimonies of military whistleblowers and other insiders​.

In an interview with Jesse Michels, filmmaker James C. Fox discusses his long journey as a UFO documentarian and the broader significance of the UFO phenomenon. Jesse Michels begins by expressing his admiration for Fox, calling him the most important UFO documentarian of all time, referencing his other work on films like Out of the Blue (2003) and I Know What I Saw (2014). Fox reflects on his nearly three decades of work, explaining how his interest in UFOs led him to create six to seven documentaries, including Moment of Contact and a director’s cut of Out of the Blue. He shares the difficulties of being one of the few people, especially early in his career, who took UFOs seriously. Fox recounts that people often doubted his belief in UFOs, but he would ask them to consider how significant the story would be if UFOs were real. For Fox, the reality of UFOs has profound implications for science, religion, and human existence, and is a story too big to be ignored.

Fox touches on how UFOs could even reinforce religion rather than undermine it, noting that many biblical stories might become more credible in light of contact. For Fox, the phenomenon could re-enchant the world, offering a new sense of wonder about humanity’s place in the cosmos. He mentions his interview with theologian Ted Peters from Berkeley, who argued that there’s room for both religion and the acceptance of extraterrestrial life within a broader vision of creation. Fox emphasizes that the fear many people have about UFOs being demonic or malevolent is misplaced, urging openness to what the phenomenon represents.

Michels adds that ancient cultures might have perceived UFOs as divine objects, comparing it to how indigenous peoples once viewed European explorers as otherworldly. Fox agrees and highlights how this phenomenon could help bridge differences between people, trivializing our human conflicts by revealing a larger reality.

Fox’s path to becoming a UFO documentarian took him to conferences and led him to meet military personnel with firsthand knowledge of UFO encounters. The UFO stigma was part of a broader disinformation campaign, rooted in the 1953 Robertson Panel, which systematically downplayed and ridiculed UFO reports. This approach made UFO sightings and encounters with unexplained phenomena a laughingstock. Fox explains that this ridicule tactic was so effective it became ingrained in how society and media approached UFOs, a lasting impact that still lingers today.

Fox goes on to describe how the U.S. government had a dual approach to UFOs. While publicly, the Air Force’s Project Blue Book was largely a sham, dismissing credible UFO sightings with simple explanations, there was a parallel, highly funded, secret investigation carried out by top scientists. Fox refers to a classified document that revealed this parallel effort, which involved eminent scientists and a much larger budget, hidden from the public and most government officials. He also mentions a document from Australia by Harry Turner, which details how the CIA’s Office of Scientific Intelligence split off to study real UFO cases, while the Air Force engaged in disinformation.

Harry Turner’s 1971 Australian Joint Intelligence memo primarily explored the U.S. government’s clandestine activities concerning UFOs and advanced propulsion technologies. Turner, a physicist and intelligence officer, stated that the United States had been investigating unidentified flying objects and their flight methods, focusing particularly on propulsion systems that far surpassed the capabilities of conventional aircraft. His memo highlighted that the CIA and USAF had initiated programs aimed at developing antigravity technology, suggesting that these efforts were driven by a fear of Soviet advancements in the same field.

Michels and Fox explore how even renowned scientists like Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Teller, and Freeman Dyson might have been involved in UFO research. Oppenheimer, in particular, was rumored to have been part of a UFO crash retrieval team. Fox discusses a theory that Oppenheimer’s public downfall, which was framed as being due to his socialist sympathies, might have had more to do with his involvement in UFOs. Gordon Gray, who led the proceedings against Oppenheimer, was allegedly linked to the secretive Majestic 12, a group formed to oversee UFO secrecy. This web of secrecy and disinformation surrounding UFOs has long confounded researchers like Fox.

Fox also discusses the challenges of tackling the more complex aspects of UFO encounters, including cases involving telepathic communication between witnesses and beings. He shares a particularly striking case from Ruwa, Zimbabwe, in 1994, where schoolchildren reported both seeing a UFO and receiving telepathic messages from its occupants. Although Fox was nervous about including this case in his film The Phenomenon, fearing that Senator Harry Reid, a key interviewee, would withdraw from the project, he chose to present the evidence carefully, always keeping in mind the skeptics in the audience.

Fox recounts a conversation with a former airline pilot who struggled to articulate the psychic nature of his encounter with a UFO. Fox explains that these psychic elements, such as telepathic communication and foreboding visions of environmental collapse, are a recurring theme in many UFO reports, dating back to the 1940s and possibly earlier.

Fox discusses how similar UFO encounters have been reported by military personnel, drawing comparisons to the famous case involving Colonel Charles Hall and the so-called “tall whites,” extraterrestrials purportedly seen at Area 51. Fox recounts another case involving footage of a landing at Holloman Air Force Base in the 1960s. In this instance, he describes how three flying saucers were filmed arriving at the base, with two of them flying off and one descending in a seemingly troubled state before landing. Beings, described as having Egyptian-like features with large eyes and minimal facial features, reportedly emerged from the craft. Fox recounts speaking to Alan Sandler, who saw the footage and described the beings as having vertical slit eyes and communication devices. Fox believes the Holloman incident.

Fox continues by detailing the Varginha, Brazil UFO incident of 1996, a case he initially dismissed as too fantastical to be true. However, after investigating it over a 12-year period, Fox became convinced that something extraordinary had occurred. In this incident, residents reported seeing strange creatures after a UFO allegedly crashed. One of the most shocking parts of the case involved a military officer, Carlos de Souza, who reportedly came into direct contact with one of the beings. Souza later died, reportedly from exposure to an unknown substance the being emitted, a detail corroborated by other witnesses who described a sulfur-like smell lingering in the area after the encounter. Fox admits that, initially, the idea of extraterrestrials walking around a town in broad daylight seemed impossible, but his extensive research convinced him of the incident’s authenticity.

Fox emphasizes the complexity of investigating UFO phenomena, where witnesses often fear coming forward, and tangible evidence is hard to obtain. He stresses that even with these challenges, the sheer consistency and credibility of witnesses—ranging from military officers to civilians—cannot be ignored. Fox reflects on how difficult it was to convince some witnesses to go on camera and share their experiences, as many felt they had nothing to gain and much to lose. Nonetheless, Fox remains optimistic that as more people come forward, more evidence will emerge to substantiate these extraordinary claims.

Fox recounts his emotional reaction to watching David Grusch’s testimony under oath, where he detailed a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval program. This testimony aligned with Fox’s own research over the past 30 years, validating much of what he had uncovered. Fox shares how personal this journey has been for him, describing the ridicule he faced throughout his career, from social settings to professional circles, for investigating UFOs.

The interview concludes with a story about Fox’s attempts to interview Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. Aldrin had reportedly shared UFO encounters with both his sister and close friends, describing a disc-shaped craft he chased while piloting a jet and another unidentified object that followed the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Despite agreeing to meet Fox for an interview in Monte Carlo, Aldrin ultimately canceled at the last minute, citing concerns that speaking publicly about UFOs could harm his efforts to secure funding for a rocket initiative.

Fox touches on his experience with another prominent figure, Edgar Mitchell, the Apollo 14 astronaut who became a well-known advocate for UFO disclosure and consciousness research. Fox recalls how persistent he was in getting Mitchell to agree to an interview, with Mitchell eventually telling him that the only reason he agreed was that “you just wouldn’t go away.” This persistence paid off, and Fox later formed a relationship with Mitchell, though he also recounts how Mitchell’s files became the source of controversy after his death, particularly regarding the infamous Wilson Memo.

The Wilson Memo is a document that allegedly details a conversation between Dr. Eric Davis and Admiral Thomas J. Wilson about the existence of secretive UFO crash retrieval and reverse-engineering programs. Fox discusses the complexity and significance of this memo, noting that it has become a central piece of evidence for those investigating UFO crash retrievals. According to the memo, Admiral Wilson discovered a special access program (SAP) that was reverse-engineering extraterrestrial craft but was denied oversight or access to the details of the program. Wilson expressed frustration that a government contractor, working outside of traditional government oversight, was in control of these operations.

Fox mentions his own efforts to secure significant UFO footage, particularly from Chuck Clark, a military watchdog who has claimed to possess compelling footage of a UFO. Despite repeated attempts to obtain the footage, including Logan Paul’s own efforts, Clark has refused to release it. Fox recounts how this footage has degraded over time and how frustrating it has been to lose out on potentially vital evidence.

Throughout the interview, both Fox and Michels stress the slow but undeniable progress toward UFO disclosure. They acknowledge the challenges, including media skepticism and government resistance, but express optimism that significant revelations about UFOs and extraterrestrial life may come within the next decade.