Monday, September 23, 2019

NSA Denies FOIA Request Pertaining to BAASS and NIDS

National Security Agency, Fort Meade, MD
The National Security Agency fully denied an FOIA request for records pertaining to Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies and the National Institute for Discovery Science. The Agency advised it is "our standard response to all requests where we reasonably believe acquisition records are being sought on a contract or contract related activity." In a letter dated Sep. 14, 2019, the NSA Initial Denial Authority wrote in part:
This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of 10 September 2019... for "...copies of all contracts undertaken with and funding provided to Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) and/or the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS). Requested are all reports resulting from contracts granted, project objectives, project budgets, and all related files and information pertaining to relationships between NSA and either BAASS or NIDS. Date range: For NIDS docs would be 1995 to 2004. For BAASS docs would be 1999 to present."... 
Your request has been reviewed by this Agency as required by the FOIA, and is being fully denied in accordance with Executive Order 13526, as set forth in Subparagraphs (e) and (g) of Section 1.4. This request is denied because disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause damage (at minimum) to the national security, per Executive Order 13526, Section 1.2. Any responsive material that may exist would be deemed currently and properly protected; therefore, exempt from disclosure pursuant to the first exemption of the FOIA (5 U.S.C. Section 552(b)(1)).
In addition, this Agency is authorized by various statutes to protect certain information concerning its activities. Accordingly, your request is also denied pursuant to the third exemption of the FOIA, which provides for the withholding of information specifically protected from disclosure by statute. The specific statute applicable in this case is Section 6, Public Law 86-36 (50 U.S. Code 3605). No portion of any responsive material is reasonably segregable. 
Please be advised that due to security concerns, this is our standard response to all requests where we reasonably believe acquisition records are being sought on a contract or contract related activity.

Rumors have long circulated about the relationships between controversial philanthropist Robert Bigelow and intelligence agencies. The revelations of his involvement in the AATIP, and BAASS acting as a conduit to secretly provide funds from the Defense Intelligence Agency to the Mutual UFO Network, certainly added fuel to the fire.

Robert Bigelow
Relationships between Bigelow and figures such as non-lethal weapons expert and former NIDS employee Col. John Alexander, and veils of secrecy surrounding work conducted at the now fabled Skinwalker Ranch, have been questioned. Various incidents added to the speculation, including a 2012 interview with "Chip," a man who claimed to be formerly employed at the ranch and stated he saw a copy of a contract between Bigelow interests and the NSA.

Perhaps no circumstances have called the motives of Bigelow and his colorful staff into question, however, as much as their perpetual lack of either willingness or ability to follow through on claims. Bigelow's band of scientists and researchers are notorious for making huge statements and insinuations while failing to provide adequate supporting evidence. 

Just days ago, a Twitter account for Bigelow Aerospace posted a video clip of what appears to be dust or debris commonly mistaken for "orbs", implying the footage had some type of significance. To the best of my knowledge, the company has yet to clarify any details of the situation or film. 

Writers and filmmakers have added to the confusion, frequently representing Bigelow-related research as indicative of the paranormal, but, as is the case with his personnel, tend to be short on substance when asked for citations. Jeremy Corbell particularly claimed a DIA involvement at Skinwalker Ranch, but did not respond to a request for clarification. An FOIA request submitted to the DIA resulted in a response that the Agency had no documents pertaining to contracts with or funding provided to NIDS, the Bigelow corporation attributed with conducting research at Skinwalker.

Several FOIA requests remain pending with the DIA and other agencies pertaining to the AATIP.

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Related and recommended:

DIA Withheld AAWSAP Contract Awarded to BAASS in 2011 FOIA Response

DIA: No Docs on NIDS

UFO-Pentagon Story Reflects Fundamental Problems

The Carpenter Affair: For the Record

16 comments:

  1. Re the stunning footage from Bigelow aerospace...could their account have been hacked?
    When they said "Our small contribution" they are not wrong...in regards to all their supposed research..anywhere..thats the only footage I have seen before from them..the rest must be top secret sarc/

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  2. It's reasonable to question why, if all of the NIDS/BAASS research is so top secret, are so many people so frequently babbling about it.

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  3. UFOs are also ‘secret’ papers flying thru the air > and those guys (from CI and OFI ) can fold paper like nothing u’ve ever seen - it’s an Unidentified Flying Object from ‘another dimension’ > a simple 2D piece of paper folded in ways u can’t imagine ….

    remember the box of ‘paper phenomena’ from Roswell at Supreme Intelligence Headquarters from the former agent turned ‘author’ -what’s his name …. no longer ‘identified’ by me ….

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    1. "...a simple 2D piece of paper folded in ways u can’t imagine..."

      Calabi-Yau manifolds anyone?

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    2. Adam - Wish it were that simple - lol

      btw ‘is it just ‘fake news’ or official ““Information Warfare”” ??

      Gradisher is in my backyard (so to speak ) and spoke with local paper
      in article about UFO history in Hampton Roads (Naval Base Norfolk Va)
      worth checking out >“Hampton Roads' long, strange history with UFOs - The Virginian-Pilot”>By KATHERINE HAFNER….

      "For quite some time, and especially within the past few years, there's been an increase of observed incursions into our training areas, especially off of the Virginia capes" down to Florida, Gradisher said. "These sightings have occurred on a quite frequent basis."

      "We don't know what's out there. It could be (drones from) Walmart. …”

      “The objects flew up to 30,000 feet in the air at sometimes hypersonic speeds ….”, wow, how much are those Walmart drones ?

      —>from other sources >
      Joe Gradisher, a spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare

      Joseph Gradisher, a spokesperson for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare

      Mighty subtle manipulation going on here - one day Gradisher is a regular “Joe” - next he’s a Joseph - sometimes he’s spokesman and sometimes a spokesperson > that’s what “Information Warefare” is all about !! Before u know it u don’t know what or who said what to whom !

      So when the heck r we gonna charge Elizondo with National Security Crimes ….need some “information phenomena” to take my mind off the coming debates

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    3. Well stated, mouseonmoon. Seems to be a nice little "trick" they have going on there. Unfortunately, so few people seem to possess the critical eye needed to see it.

      This also reminds of the Paul Bennewitz case. When he presented his data to the Air Force, they released notes from the meeting referring him as "Dr. Paul Bennewitz". Bennewitz was brilliant, but he lacked a doctorate. Perhaps this was just a simple error on the part of the AF or perhaps it was like the little "trick" you discuss above. FYI, I've reviewed some relevant news articles from Albuquerque during the early 80s and none of them make the same mistake when mentioning him. Perhaps that is relevant or perhaps not.


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    4. Adam,
      I think it’s ‘disinformation’ ‘down to the ’t’ ….every little bit helps (in the ‘confusion’) - smoke at every turn …just like ‘Col. R. Dotty’ crossing every ’t’ so that the reporters ( and foreign agents ) get it right (-:

      I wonder if anyone has been returning to these ‘cases’ from 30 to 50 years ago and comparing the results with new FOI requests ?

      Can we do a search on searches that have already been done ?

      Doty was AFOSI= Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
      (I’m mighty surprised he isn’t working for ’To the Stars

      Curious that his father and uncle were both Colonels in the Air Force
      and both with 7602nd Air Intelligence Group. Rick retired as Master Sergeant.

      Is he allowed to use FOIA?
      Can he find SERPO now ? Maybe only Dottty knows ?

      Did the ‘Chief of’ ever write anything about ‘UFOS’ or ‘ufos’ ? would there be a difference ? Do we know if the ‘Chief’ told the ‘Deputy Chief’ to say ‘THAT’ but definitely never say ‘this’ !

      re Bennewitz and Howe - Doty says he has regrets but he was following orders … the nature of the job was to ‘disinform’ the ‘investigators’.

      But it sure seems like this guy is guilty of something !

      Now two ‘insiders’ are revealing ‘top secret’ stuff and the gov don’t give a hoot ?



      4 Doty info see “Exempt from Disclosure”
      Bigalow is a different can of worms

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    5. Mouseonmoon,

      According to Vallee, Doty was directly reporting to a Colonel Hennessey who at the time was in charge of the Low Observable Aircrat program. This gels with what Greg Valdez wrote in his book about the advanced camoflauge system in use around the Dulce area.

      There have also been rumors that Doty was really a CIA or NSA agent posing as AFOSI, but the evidence I've reviewed doesn't really support it. His connections to Blue Book through his family probably just gave him an aspect of plausability that figured in him being tapped for the operation.

      There is much more to the story of course, but it is interesting that he continues to push the ET angle in interviews (especially since Valdez's book came out).

      Bigelow is indeed a different -and more powerful - case study.

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    6. for the record - we have the example of Joseph Bryan III -
      from Princeton (and Reserve Officers' Training Corps - held a commission as a second lieutenant and then lieutenant in the field artillery for several years after graduation.) to newspapers ( owned by uncle) …on to an associate editor of the Saturday Evening Post then Jan 1942 ….it gets confusing …

      “He served in all three branches of the U.S. military: first as a lieutenant in the field artillery of the army following his graduation from Princeton … then in the navy during World War II (1939–1945) as a lieutenant commander assigned to naval air combat intelligence in the Pacific, and later as a lieutenant colonel in the air force. He also worked for the Central Intelligence Agency from the late 1940s until 1953. “

      If you check out his bio’s it’s usually lacking the fact that he was also on NICAP Board ….

      Info from Richard Hall and others …
      He’s also called a “psychological warfare specialist “.
      (He was also editor of humor magazine at Princeton and voted ‘wittiest man in his class’.)

      So who knows - he writes a lot (books and mags) but never writes about ufos ? and he’s with NICAP and ….

      and some will say that he’s positive about UFOs = ET and that’s ‘good’ .

      Same problem with ‘Elzi and Biglow’ IMHO

      Intelligence has no ‘borders’.

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    7. NICAP was an interesting organization. Well before my time, but I have read a little about them, including the blatant CIA connections. To add to the boondoggle here, Roscoe Hillenkoetter (former head of CIA and NICAP board member) was a roommate of Donald Keyhoe before the war. And the organization was actually founded by T. Townsend Brown, who thought Flying Saucers were based on technology "stolen" from his own research. He was ousted within a year....


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    8. Hillenkoetter - I think I mentioned this before, asked Bruce Maccabee about him and he said the man is simply a mystery- that was awhile ago so maybe something has been revealed since but I’m clueless.
      I wonder if the Air Force would tell the Navy that they were driving around on the ‘dark side of the Moon’?
      anyway, we know the gov can’t keep a secret so ‘the truth’ must be kept in ‘private hands’ - safety first !

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    9. You did mention that about Hillenkoetter, thanks! :-) And I haven't read anything negative about him either. Certainly compared to the other two individuals you discussed he seems clean. Keyhoe personally invited him to NICAP, so it most likely wasn't a CIA front at the start. Emphasis needed: "at the start" :-)

      "I wonder if the Air Force would tell the Navy that they were driving around on the ‘dark side of the Moon’?"

      I hear you. Personally, I'm more into driving around listening to the Dark Side of the Moon. Good album!

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  4. The link between the DIA's involvement at Skinwalker Ranch was clarified in the original article that came out about AATIP. Why would anyone go to Corbell to verify this? Lou Elizondo made this point when the story first broke. for more info go to www.skinwalkerranch.org

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    1. Publishing assertions absent adequate supporting documentation is not clarification. Inferences and speculation do not a fact make.

      Perhaps the DIA will eventually release documents establishing funding paths, project objectives, methodologies, means of measuring progress, and related issues specifically taking place at Skinwalker, but, to the best of my knowledge, that is not yet the case.

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  5. the DIA side was and is still under a special access program, BAASS however was not granted this classification, however their direct working relation with the DIA via the AAWSAP program makes the information sensative.

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  6. You might find this of interest, RyanS.

    http://ufotrail.blogspot.com/2019/08/dia-withheld-aawsap-contract-awarded-to.html

    Several more FOIA requests pending.

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