Don’t Expect Big Surprises in the Government’s Alien Files

Aliens have invaded the news again. Last month, two US presidents weighed in on the topic in rapid succession, managing to make a public that was already obsessed with extraterrestrials even more so.

First, Barack Obama sparked a furor by saying aliens are “real” during a podcast lightning round. He later clarified that he simply meant this in the sense that it’s very likely that there is life somewhere in the vast universe, but the accidental media frenzy seemed to inspire President Donald Trump to announce in a Truth Social post that his administration would “begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).”

The whole episode is yet more proof that aliens are a rare focus of fascination shared by people across myriad backgrounds.

“Whenever a high-ranking official ...