What happened in this episode?
AJ of The Why Files interviews exopolitics writer Dr Michael Salla, who recounts his earlier career in peace and conflict research in East Timor, Sri Lanka and Kosovo, including being detained by Indonesian authorities while attempting to contact guerrilla leaders. He describes his turn towards UFO-related research after watching Steven Greer’s 2001 National Press Club event, saying his background in fieldwork helped him judge witness credibility.
Salla alleges American University initially permitted his UFO interest as long as it did not bring “dispute” to the institution, but later threatened him over a Washington Post profile and ultimately ended the programme he was running. He also claims mainstream journals refused to consider his work on “exopolitics”.
The conversation moves into contested UFO history and disclosure narratives. Salla attributes President Eisenhower’s 1954 disappearance to a covert transfer to Edwards Air Force Base, citing testimony he says came from an Air Force medic, and he outlines further alleged meetings at Holloman AFB. He advances a series of broader claims: a purported UN initiative on UFOs linked to Grenada’s Sir Eric Gairy; allegations that covert factions within the US state are in conflict over disclosure; and accounts involving a source called “JP”, who Salla says was drawn into military-linked operations after reporting encounters and imagery.
Salla argues Space Force’s creation represents de facto disclosure and suggests internal resistance included formal restrictions on discussion inside the Air Force, though the episode does not provide documentary proof. The host repeatedly signals scepticism about several claims while noting some elements—such as the UN decision Salla references—appear documentable.
