The Most Famous & Influential UFO Whistleblowers Of All Time

Major Jesse Marcel was the intelligence officer who first examined debris from the alleged UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. At the time, the U.S. Army stated it was a weather balloon, a story Marcel helped promote. Decades later, in 1978, he changed his account, claiming the material was not of earthly origin and that a cover-up had taken place. His claims reignited UFO interest in Roswell, fuelling decades of conspiracy theories.

However, official investigations in the 1990s concluded that the debris was from Project Mogul, a classified balloon programme designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests. No physical evidence supporting Marcel's claims has ever emerged, and sceptics point out that his whistleblowing came 30 years after the incident, without corroboration.

NASA astronaut Gordon Cooper was an outspoken believer in UFO, claiming he had seen and heard multiple accounts of unexplained craft. He recounted a 1957 incident at Edwards Air Force Base where a film crew allegedly captured footage of a UFO landing before the film was sent to Washington and never seen again. Cooper also testified at a United Nations panel in 1978, stating the U.S. government was concealing UFO evidence.

Despite his credentials, Cooper's claims were met with scepticism. NASA did not support his assertions, and no verified evidence has ever surfaced. Critics argue that his belief in UFOs stemmed from anecdotal reports rather than hard proof, highlighting how even respected figures can become convinced of conspiracy theories.

Bob Lazar rose to fame in 1989, claiming he worked at a secret facility called "S-4" near Area 51, where he was involved in reverse-engineering alien spacecraft. He described nine flying saucers stored in hangars and an exotic propulsion system powered by "Element 115." His revelations helped turn Area 51 into a focal point of UFO lore.

However, Lazar's credibility has been widely questioned. Investigations found no records of his alleged education at MIT or Caltech, and his employment history at Area 51 remains unverified. He has never produced physical evidence of the alien technology he described, leading many UFO researchers to dismiss his story as fabricated. Officially, the U.S. Air Force denies any alien involvement at Area 51, stating it is used for classified aircraft testing.

Steven Greer, a former emergency physician, founded the Disclosure Project, which in 2001 gathered retired military and intelligence officials to publicly testify about UFO cover-ups. He has since claimed governments have recovered alien craft and that advanced energy technologies are being suppressed. Greer also promotes "CE-5" protocols, which he says enable human-initiated contact with extraterrestrials.

Greer's claims are widely dismissed by scientists and defence experts due to a lack of evidence. His documentaries, including Unacknowledged, have been criticised for sensationalism, with some reviewers calling them "conspiracy propaganda." While he remains a prominent UFO activist, critics argue he blends unverifiable whistleblower testimonies with speculative theories.

Luis Elizondo, a former counterintelligence officer, led the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), which studied UFOs. In 2017, he went public, claiming the government was withholding UAP evidence. He was instrumental in releasing three U.S. Navy videos showing unidentified craft moving in ways that defied known physics.

The Pentagon has given mixed responses to Elizondo's claims, at times downplaying his role in AATIP and denying any evidence of extraterrestrial activity. While his disclosures helped bring government UFO research into mainstream discussion, sceptics argue he has provided no proof of alien involvement beyond the released videos.

Paul Hellyer, Canada's Minister of National Defence in the 1960s, became one of the highest-ranking ex-officials to endorse UFO conspiracy theories. In 2005, he declared that UFOs were real and that governments were covering up evidence. He later claimed multiple alien species were visiting Earth and that their technology could solve global problems if disclosed.

Despite his high rank, Hellyer never had direct access to UFO files during his time in office. His claims, largely based on second-hand sources and personal belief, were not supported by official evidence. Canadian media often treated him as a conspiracy theorist rather than a credible whistleblower, with critics pointing out his lack of direct involvement in classified UFO programmes.

Jake Barber, a former U.S. Air Force helicopter pilot, recently claimed involvement in secret UFO retrieval operations. In 2024, he alleged he had helped recover craft of unknown origin, including an egg-shaped object with no visible propulsion system. He also released a night vision video of a supposed retrieval, but it was widely criticised as inconclusive.

Barber's claims remain unverified, and his references to "psionics" - alleged psychic interactions with UFOs - have further undermined his credibility. While some fellow military veterans back his story, no official confirmation has surfaced, and sceptics view his account as another unproven addition to UFO folklore.

David Grusch, a former Air Force intelligence officer, made headlines in 2023 by claiming the U.S. government had been retrieving and reverse-engineering "non-human" spacecraft for decades. He testified to Congress that authorities possessed crashed alien vehicles and biological remains.

However, Grusch has not presented physical evidence or declassified documents to support his claims, citing security restrictions. NASA and the Pentagon denied his accusations, stating no such recovery programmes exist. Critics argue his testimony, while dramatic, remains unverified and lacks the extraordinary proof needed to support such assertions.