A rocket scientist who directed a top-secret investigation into UFOs has spoken about the bizarre things his colleagues claimed to have witnessed.
Dr James Lacatski, an intelligence analyst previously with the Defense Intelligence Agency, revealed that during his time investigating UFOs, many witnesses recalled paranormal experiences after seeing the objects.
‘We realized that people who openly say “I observed a UFO up close,” maybe on the ground that they always seemed to have a paranormal connection in some ways, if you gently push them,’ Lacatski told investigative journalist George Knapp in a recent interview with local CBS affiliate KLAS.
Lacatski directed the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, a top-secret initiative under the DIA in the 2000s.
He recalled that many officials with the AAWSAP experienced a ‘hitchhiker effect’ where they seemed to come into contact with paranormal phenomena long after they left the program’s home base in Nevada.
Lacatski said that at least five highly experienced intelligence officers saw balls of light, shadowy figures, and even creepy creatures.
One investigator was plagued by mysterious orbs when he returned to his home on the East Coast, and even saw what he described as a wolf-like creature that walked on two legs, according to Lacatski.
‘I mean, what, did it get on a train or a plane to come to Washington?’ Lacatski questioned.
Dr James Lacatski was speaking out about the experiences of his colleagues at the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program
Journalist George Knapp (pictured) met Dr James Lacatski in 2018 and began reporting on the work at AAWSAP
Lacatski said that team members at AAWSAP began experiencing bizarre paranormal activity, including seeing mysterious orbs and creatures (Pictured: Clips of UFOs captured by an investigation by the History Channel)
‘It left deep scratch marks on the tree it was resting against; there was physical evidence.’
The AAWSAP launched in 2008 after officials at DIA became intrigued by reported paranormal experiences and UFO sightings in the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah.
They determined that Bigelow Ranch, owned by Las Vegas aerospace titan Robert Bigelow, was a site of bizarre activity.
‘I could see from my organization the threat potential, and we were uncovering many of the things you were observing, you know, strange creatures,’ Lacatski told KLAS.
‘I mean, think of inducing what might be called delusions by some people into an enemy force. We wanted to learn what can be weaponized here,’ he continued.
Lacatski put together a team approved by DIA with his colleague Jay Stratton. Late Nevada Senator Harry Reid helped secure the funding for the project.
Bigelow also became an integral part of the initiative, with his company becoming the program’s contractor.
The mission started as an investigation into UFO technology, but officials were also examining potential health impacts on witnesses who reported seeing UFOs.
Lacatski said the investigators reported seeing unexplainable things after coming into contact with UFOs
The team was based at Bigelow Ranch and was approved by the Defense Intelligence Agency
The health impacts included psychological effects, and the AAWSAP started to observe a wide range of shocking, seemingly paranormal instances that witnesses to UFOs began having.
Lacatski said that multiple witnesses reported experiencing ‘hitchhiker events,’ where individuals seemed to take the experiences with them after seeing the UFO.
He added that the individuals who reported these bizarre events included the Las Vegas manager for AAWSAP Dr Colm Kelleher, physicist Dr Eric Davis, Stratton, several security workers, and Robert Bigelow himself.
The AAWSAP existed for only about two years before funding was paused. Lacatski told KLAS in November that Reid was worried about his reelection race in 2010 and was concerned that his involvement in the project would impact his chances of winning.
Reid also confided to Lacatski that there was a ‘spy’ in his Washington office leaking information to help his opponent win, according to Lacatski’s account to KLAS.
Reid ended up securing a victory but lost his seat as Senate majority leader, and the program eventually fizzled out.
Late Senator Harry Reid (pictured) reportedly funded the project but it fizzled out after he lost his spot as Senate Majority Leader
KLAS reporter Knapp had covered AAWSAP during its existence and met Lacatski in 2018 at a meeting arranged by Reid.
The government has not officially released any documents related to the program, but Lacatski has authored several books on the topic, including Skinwalkers at the Pentagon, co-authored with Knapp.
Lacatski released another book on his own in September, titled: Inside the US Government Covert UFO Program: New Insights, which revealed multiple paranormal phenomena the AAWSAP team experienced.
The Daily Mail reached out to DIA for comment on the AAWSAP’s findings.