This weeks guest, Nick Pope, used to run the British Government's UFO project at the Ministry of Defence. Initially sceptical, his research and investigation into the UFO phenomenon and access to formerly classified government files on the subject soon convinced him that the phenomenon raised important defence and national security issues, especially when the witnesses were military pilots or where UFOs were tracked on radar. Nick also looked into other mysteries such as alien abductions, crop circles and ghosts. He now continues his research in a private capacity and is recognised as a leading authority on UFOs and the unexplained. He does extensive media work, lectures all around the world and has acted as consultant on numerous television documentaries. Background music this week comes in the shape of Four Tet. Featured Song this week is 'No Tech!' by Unwound Check out Nick Pope on the web here and the National Archives UFO documents here

On Wednesday, May 14th, Britain's Ministry of Defense released all UFO-related files between the years of 1978 and 1987 to the national archives.  The remaining files from the 1950s and more recent history are scheduled to be made public over the next few years.  These documents of purported UFOs contain witness accounts and the government's reactions to the sightings, which are reported primarily as different colored hovering or traveling lights.  In almost each report, the lights are said to have descended quickly, landed, and then vanished.  Though some citizens claimed these sightings to had extraterrestrial significance, some even mentioned having contact with aliens, the staff of the Ministry of Defense took more concern in assuring that they were not earthly foreign spies, rather.  Special interest was paid during the Cold War when Soviet aircrafts were suspected. Nick Pope gained access to the files two days earlier:   The UK National Archives have released a series of videos and podcasts here