UFO sightings are one of those things on which there are very different views. Some people firmly believe in the existence of UFOs, others think that the whole idea is ridiculous and whoever believes in it is crazy. A large third group has views somewhere between the two poles. It seems logical that there must be another life in the infinite universe that is at least as intelligent and advanced as we are, and that has discovered space travel. Yet no one has ever given conclusive evidence of this.

Jimmy Carter - 39th President of the United States

President Carter's experience

Many reported "sightings" and "kidnapping" reports come from less than credible sources - but not all. One of those reports came from Jimmy Carter before he became President of the United States. Boredom Therapy has published an article on President Carter's experience. It happened in 1969 on his way to a lecture at the local Lion's Club in Leary, North Georgia. He did not report the incident at the time, but in 1973, when he was already governor of Georgia, he was approached by the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City for an opinion.

The Carter family business (part of Carter's Boyhood Farm) in Plains, Georgia

Remembering the event, he said someone had alerted him to an object in the sky. So he looked up and saw a glowing object that seemed to fly at him and stop over the pine trees. Reportedly, a green light appeared first, then this strange object began to change color, first to blue, then to red, and finally back to white, and then flew back to the sky. He described that the light was brighter and brighter before it disappeared and did not appear to have a core. He said it was a rather strange experience.

Alleged flying saucer, seen in 1952 over Passaic, New Jersey

President Carter was one of about 20 witnesses who claimed that before he flew away, the object hovered over the trees for about 10 or 12 minutes. Needless to say, it was almost impossible to prove what he witnessed that night, but the event nevertheless left a lasting impression. When Carter ran for president in 1976, he even said he would allow people wishing to report a sighting of a UFO to do so, and any information gathered would then be shared with professionals and the general public.

President Jimmy Carter and Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, USN (far right) aboard the USS Los Angeles in 1977

I will never make fun of people who have seen UFOs

Carter reportedly said: "One thing is for sure, I will never make fun of people who say they have seen unidentified objects (UFOs) in the sky. If I become president, I will make available to the public and scientists all the information about UFO sightings that this country has. ”He also said that he was sure of the existence of UFOs, because he saw one himself. When he became newly elected president, he approached CIA Director George HW Bush to ask him what the organization knew about aliens. Bush declined to answer the question, so Carter stepped back and later said there was no government concealment of UFO information.

Official portrait of George HW Bush, former President of the United States.

Over time, President Carter downplayed these early statements and withdrew his comments regarding the disclosure of UFO information. He said that the publication of documents of this kind could have implications for national security issues.

Leaflet from the campaign from the presidential primaries of the Democratic Party

Inside Edition brings an interview with the former president from 2007, in which he points out that the object he saw was, after all, "unidentifiable" and that he did not believe that aliens were visiting our planet.

What has changed?

This conversation seems to be an interesting departure from the loud and public attitude of the former president, which raises the question: What has changed? How did he get from such certainty to denying the very possibility of the existence of extraterrestrial visitors? It could be something as simple as that time suppressed the immediate impression of that experience and more rational thinking prevailed.

Maybe he had just decided that he had been tired of being in the public eye and in the press for decades.

However, AgentZero from Area51.org has its own theory about this. He wrote that during Carter's meeting with Bush on the subject, Bush initially refused to say anything, but Carter insisted. Later, Carter was apparently seen in the Oval Office, holding his head and shedding tears, but never revealing what he had learned from the CIA.

So now we have something to think about…

Tip from Sueneé Universe

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Don Miguel Ruiz: The Four Agreements - The Road to Personal Freedom (illustrated)