Future President Jimmy Carter files a report with the National Committee for the Investigation of Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) on September 18, 1973, claiming that he saw an unidentified flying object (UFO) in October 1969.
During the 1976 presidential campaign, Democratic challenger Carter expressed his belief that he had seen a UFO. He described the wait outside for a Lion’s Club reunion in Leary, Georgia, to begin with around 7:30 p.m. when he spotted what he called “the dullest thing I’ve ever seen.” ” in the sky. Carter, along with 10 to 12 other people who witnessed the same event, described the object as “very bright. [with] the changing colors and roughly the size of the moon. Carter reported that “the object hovered about 30 degrees above the horizon and moved toward the earth and moved away before disappearing into the distance.” He later told a reporter that after the experience, he vowed to never again ridicule anyone who claimed to have seen a UFO.
During the 1976 presidential campaign, Carter promised that, if elected president, he would encourage the government to make “all information” about UFOs available to the public and to scientists. After winning the presidency, however, Carter reneged on that commitment, saying that the release of certain information could have “defense implications” and pose a threat to national security.
CHECK: UFO sightings taken seriously by the US government
