THEREPUBLICOP MU OCCLUDED PATS ee Friday Night Smackdown Puen+ Kite E The essence of what he says he found is that aliens are here, they've been here for a while (he’s cagey about how long), and we have sev- eral of their ships, which we keep stashed away in secret hangars whose locations he claims to know.OCCLUDED FACTS CH Exclusive Interview with UFO Whistleblower Dave Grusch REVEALS BLACK PROJECTS, SAPs, NHls. Are top Hollywood executives aliens? by WALTER KIRN One unsettling way to spend other up, an art in which aweedin our RepublicofOc- Grusch, an Afghan war vet, cluded Facts is to drive toa seems well-practiced. When small mountain town inCol- my hands move, his eyes orado, ditch your phone be- move. He has a planted way causeit getsnosignal (andis of standing that seems like it a spying device in any case) might provide the basis for a and speak for hour after solid karate kick. | trippy hour about aliens and their weird craft with aman who purports to know some- thing of their history, a his- tory he says our leaders lie about, out of fear, arrogance, and greed. Dave Grusch, age 36, is a former intelligence agent, Bir Force officer, and brief er of presidents on spooky matters, many related to satellites and space, known only to our military elite. He's a six-foot-six pylon of a guy with close-cropped hair and an open, unshaven face that goes pink in the sun but doesn't quite tan, I meet him on a warm alpine morn- ee Aa ing in a hotel parking lot, the very definition of neu- I agree in the parking lot {yal ground. Standing beside to conceal the name of Gru: ‘wis spotless now Ford truck, chs hometown Thougs ‘hich he plane to trade in lately Become a none Degauae theta how he ure, tthe UEO wnt a mens ety who buys one Sx" testifying Im front ot ts another, with Congress about the natione custom high-pertormunce aileged astral secrete and modifications —we venture appearing on podcagte ane some small talkandsizecach ‘Continued on page 8 CWIFTIRS WEAREALLUBER DRIVERSNOW other property titles and ex: clusions on land use necessar- | ra was gone, ily impede some people's abil- | the town wz employed to practice place for | Some pe a long time now were already | empty Before we began sitting in | the the little metal cells we call | cattlemen cars, we were sittingin slightly larger ones called railway car ing coincidence (but maybe there'spheld last August, is that decades of hiding and studying these wonders for purposes of developing high- tech weapons — a cloaked endeavor he calls “The Pro- a ‘gnostic’ streak in certain he says he’s been gram" — has massively cor- initiates. "We are the gate- a lot. Intimidation rupted US officialdom and keepers, they think.’ There ings. Threats. its corporateinstrumentsin are also people of fundamen- electronics and aerospace, talist religious views who ‘me soon after we met. “I'm who operate without proper regard the matter with spiri- carrying now.” He lifted the oversight and have resorted tual horror and would rather hem of his worn red t-shirt to criminal misdeeds, in- it never see the light of day: andshowed mea black9mm cluding murder, he's said, to “Obviously there are some sidearm tucked outlaw-style _ shield their work. who are going to think these into the waistband of his After an hour of checking Non-Human. Intelligences hiking shorts. each other out, Grusch and are extensions of demonic Grusch’s troubles, andhis I climb into his truck and _principalitier strange path to national ce- head for anearby mountain _For lunch, we zoom off to lebrity, began several years trail. “I like to drive fast,” a toy-like tourist village of agowithanassignmentfrom he says, and he does so, pro- art gallleries and ice cream asuperior in the intel world tected by a slick new radar shops. Given the peculiar to poke around inside the detector mounted inthe cab. morning I've had, the stroll- government andtrytolearn The son of a Pittsburgh ing visitors eating waffle whatever there was to learn Lincoln Mercury salesman cones seem childlike and about so-called Non-Human and the first person in his pitiful. They appear not to Intelligences (NHIs) andthe family to go to college (he know that they dwell in- incredible vessels they're studied physics at Pitts- side a puzzle world, where thought to pilot.Grusch was burgh University), the UFO recently retired spies with thorough, wary ofbeingmis- whistleblower grew up in heads full of paradigm-de- Jed. The investigation took lean, uncertain circum- stroying secrets and loaded four years. stances. There was a bank- sidearms in their pants are “I already had a map be- ruptcy, food stamps, church lurking beside them, only cause of the stuff I'd done assistance. It bred a fascina- steps away. Or is Grusch ly” ing to me as part of some ‘vast government psy-op, de- signed to break our minds and render us helpless to The essence of what he says ®>-c"enguss, he found is that aliens are —sw-ois imei! ‘here, they've been here for — fsscvce-stac*** ‘awhile (he’s cagey about = ~cisss rer, how long), and we have S@V- istry icovingahae ching. which WE Sts sna for denne eral of their ships, W Sch ine oats 1 running ue Ww th Gi t keep stashed away im SECPEL vie rixcrren mepiece My Ae a eee eee nT moment} used it t tal healt! while liy fell inte and muThe essence of what he says he found is that aliens are here, they've been here for awhile (he’s cagey about how long), and we have sev- ‘eral of their ships, which we ‘keep stashed away in secret /hangars whose locations he claims to know. in my career. I knew where the skeletons were and what doors to knock on. You bump into one thing and think you've found it, but it’s only one slice. I would see one fac- t of the prism, but I wasn't able to look down on all the vertices. There was alot ofde- ception, a lot of lies, and some reverse interrogation.” In the end, Grusch com: piled forty interviews, some nm people he'd worked with in the past but hadn't suspect ed held pieces of the puzzle, The essence of what he says he found is that aliens are here, they've been here for a while (he's cagey about how long), | and we have several of their | ships, which we keep stashed | away in secret hangars whose | locations he claims to know, | We also have “biologics,” | meaning bodies, whose char- AGteriatics Grusch ‘tent free that these come'tn autre shapes and sizes. Finally, no learned that these belnge ma not be friendly. gS mi tion with distant worlds. “Throughout the chaos of my childhood, I gravitated toward Star Trek and mili- tary stuff,” he tells me. “I had a fascination with astron- omy. I had a telescope as a teenager, observing Saturn and various star clusters. I used to work at the Buhl Ob- servatory in college. I used to give night sky tours to the public. And T-used to help. produce planetarium shows,” Once out on the trail, sur- rounded by granite peaks which Grusch loves to climb as a “masochistic hobby,” I press him for details on The Program. It's a frustrating interrogation, He swings be- tween a boyish eagerness to share the secrets of the cos- "We are not alone!” “Maybe we're like chimpan- zees to them" — and rec “The Washington Post is attacking me," he says, Tread the pieceonmy own phone aswe eat. It's mostly a media story, throwing shade on the upstart News Nation cable channel for devoting so much time to NHIs after running its first big inter- view with Grusch. The piece accuses the channel, heaven forbid, of chasing ratings. Irked by the article's insin- uation that he is colluding in a grift, Grusch reverts to demolishing his pizza. Lat- er, outside, he takes a phone call from a congressional aide and walks for ten min- utes in circles around a Park, furrowing his brow and nodding. It's a scene from a paranoid thriller, fun to watch. We spend the afternoon together chatting beside a bubbling mountain stream. He clues me in about the me- is too incompetent or leaky to hold back the truth ae NHis. By burying pieces ‘The Program inside already existing “Black Projects" and “SAPs" (Special Access Pro- grams), the enterprise has been erased from de even the view of many working on it, who can't see the galaxy for the stars and planets. But surely, I say, our presidents must know, and our CIA direc- tors and their ilk. "Not neces- sarily,” he says. I ask him to name the person who knows be winnt Gob nP eee ‘made out to combat vets level of trau witeral of their ships, aye which we keep stashed away in Secret hangars whose locations he claims to know. | in my career. I knew where the skeletons were and what | doors to knock on. You bump into one thing and think you've found it, but it’s only | one slice. I would see one fac- | et of the prism, but I wasn't | able to look down on all the vertices. There wasa lot of de- ception, alot of lies, and some ‘reverse interrogation.” In the end, Grusch com- } piled forty interviews, some | tom people he'd worked with in the past but hadn't suspect- ed held pieces of the puzzle. The essence of what he says he found is that aliens are here, they've been here for a while (he's cagey about how long), and we have several of their | ships, which we keep stashed away in secret hangars whose | locations he claims to know. We also have “biologics,” | meaning bodies, whose char- | acteristics Grusch isn't free | to specify though he hints | that these come in different shapes and sizes. Finally, he learned that these beings may not be friendly. “Indifferent to us at best,” he says. He also suggests they belong to groups or species which may, in some cases, dislike each other, Grusch predicts that much more will be revealed soon, within a year, he hopes, but. such forecasts are common onthe UFO scene. (It’s not just aliens who supposedly warp time, it's the humans who dis- cuss them.) But the process may be speeding up: Grusch says he is working behind the scenes on legislation that should allow him, and oth- tion with distant worlds, “Throughout the chaos of my childhood, I gravitated toward Star Trek and mili- tary stuff,” he tells me. “I had a fascination with astron- omy. I had a telescope as a teenager, observing Saturn and various star clusters. I used to work at the Buhl Ob- servatory in college. I used togivenight sky tours to the public. And Dvused. to ‘help. produce planetarium shows.” Once out on the trail, sur- rounded by granite peaks which Grusch loves to climb as a “masochistic hobby,” I press him for details on The Program. It's a frustrating interrogation. He swings be- tween a boyish eagerness to share the secrets of the cos- mos — “We are not alone!” “Maybe we're like chimpan- zees to them” — and reces- sive, disciplined discretion. At times, he falls silent in answer to my questions, but. his silence reads in differ- ent ways. When I ask him, for example, if the “beings” have been with us since an- cient times, he gazes off at a mountain in the distance in manner I find enigmatic: ly affirming, Se nainallt Sse “There is no reason whya “There is no reason why a BO atic A Bi boa ay channel | 80 much time to NHIs after — Tunning its first big inter- view with Grusch. The piece accuses the channel, heaven forbid, of chasing treater Irked by the article's insin uation that he is colluding in a grift, Grusch reverts t0 demolishing his visza. ele itside, he take: hone : Gilt froma congressional of his ide and walks forten min- He: ites in circles around @ ofthe park, Sonia Bie Bt cident nodding. It’s say fom» parenola) east be fun to watch. a e We spend the afternoon comba together chatting beside a bubbling mountain stream. For He clues me in about the me- to hold back the t NHiIs. By burying pieces of ‘The Program inside already existing “Black Projects” and “SAPs” (Special Access Pro- grams), the ente: has: ‘been erased from view, even the view of many working on it, who can't see the galaxy hum for the stars and planets. But me, surely, I say, our ic indi must know, and our CIA diree tors and their ilk. “Not nece sarily,” he says. I ask him to. name the person who kn: the most out of everyone who _ at least knows, >,lone and a rs, in Post is says. on my own. 'smostly a ving shade ws Nation ¢ devoting NHIs after big inter- The piece el, heaven g ratings. Je's insin- colluding reverts to pizza. Lat es a phone gressional ten min- around a his brow sa scene | thriller, afternoon beside a in stream. put the me- ry sectecy, 2g common, overnment 3t or leaky ruth about pieces of de already njects” and cess Pro- prise has view, even vorking on the galaxy lanets. But presidents r CIA direc- “Not neces- ask him to who knows eryone who rething. ess, off the dable figure eth century 's not among cipated. “I'm reminds me. tyle of inter- ing ay world,” he soon arises: le in The In- da difficult moment in Grusch’s life, and used it to question his men- tal health, Several years ago, while living in Virginia, he fell into an alcoholic funk and muttered about com- mitting suicide. He was then held for 72 hours in a dry- ing-out facility. The reporter found police records of the incident after being tipped off, Grusch believes, by one of his bureaucratic foes. He now offers me his side ofthe story. The drunken in- cident in fact occurred, he says. But he insists it wasn’t as discrediting as the writer made out to be. Like so many combat vets, he lives with a level of trauma, he explains. For a while, he treated it with booze, Strong spirits have always had a bad effect, on him,acting on his syst almost like “opiates,” a jem he says is common in his lineage. He sought treat- ment after the event and feels he's put his low period behind him. I hear in his up- beat tone a plaintive note, one I know from my own struggles with addiction, This is surely a flawed human being here before me, a suffering child of our indifferent universe. We are all flawed beings. But I'm convinced that his tales of his investigations with- in the universe of secrets, which surely does exist, is not merely an act. Earli- er, recalling Afghanistan, where he identified targets for fiery death, he averred that his new mission — wak- ing our no-longer lonesome species to the folly of seek: ing “feudalistic dominance” — feels redemptive, morally restorative. Though it does seem that battle excited him, too, “At heart, I'm an opera- tor," he told me after con- fessing to feeling a bit awk: ward wearing a suit to his congressional _ interview. He gripped an imaginary weapon and swept its barrel through the air as though clearing an enemy position. His favorite allies in his wartime years? “The Ger- mans and the Brits” They got the job done. “And the Mongolians.” Toughest guys he knew, We part for a couple of hours before dinner. I re- treat to my motel cabin, lie down, and drift. Paranoia creeps in, possibly a man- FINALLY, HE LEARNED THAT. FRIENDLY. ‘INDIFFERENT TO US AT BEST,’ HE SAYS. ifestation of what Grusch calls ‘ontological shock,’ which is when new thoughts and old thoughts can't be reconciled. Do I trust his fantastic tale? Not sure. Do I trust the familiar, legacy tales? Not sure. Not as much as 1did yesterday. ‘What I trust more than ever, strangely, is Hollywood. During our long and winding conversation, Grusch shared with me certain private no- tions about the NHI phenom- enon — the creatures may be telepathic; they may use forms of high-tech camou- flage; their ships may exist in dimensions beyond our four; We're joined at dinne Jessica, Grusch's wife ¢1 en years, a former Air nurse from Akron, Ohio 3 served in Afghanistan her- self. She's quietly humor: | ous, polite, possessed of per- fect posture, and stoically tough-minded in a way that reminds me of my late moth- er, also a nurse from the Ake | ron area. I find her presence balancing andcalming. 5 / _ 1 sense this, youngycq ple has faced. some no challenges, not least hesbents evolution from a lethe dier-spy a wild, disruptive truth definitely been a jo says Jessica. One th dinner is Grusch’s autistic’ and acknow having trouble with niceties such as "re bering people's birth He shoots his ful glance and e a forgiving one. Wh time for dessert, the} demur counting, calories, American but then they relent, naughty, and order c ‘After dinner Iwatcl to their house 0 beneath the stars, complete my. Grusch 5: man who won't = turn back, @