Ben Rich

BACKGROUND: Second Director of Lockheed Skunk Works (1975–1991). Successor to Kelly Johnson. Developed the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk Stealth, F-22 Raptor. Referred to as the 'Father of the Stealth Fighter-Bomber.' Died January 1995 of cancer. VERIFIED STATEMENTS: (1) 'ET home' joke (since 1983, dozens of lectures): Black disc as the final slide + 'We just received a contract to take ET home.' — Originated as a reaction to Spielberg's ET film. (2) ESP response (UCLA 1993, Jan Harzan/MUFON present): 'How does ESP work? All points in space and time are connected? That's how it works.' (3) Letter to John Andrews (1986): 'I'm a believer in both categories [man-made + ET UFOs]. I feel everything is possible.' (4) 'We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects and it would take an Act of God to ever get them out.' (Source disputed.) EXTRATERRESTRIAL SURVIVOR: Transmitted via Bill McDonald: 'There are two types of UFOs — the ones we build and the ones that are not from here.' 'We had outside help in understanding the technology.' Not verified through primary sources — but consistently reported by multiple independent sources. SPIELBERG CONNECTION: The 'ET home' joke originated precisely in 1983 following Spielberg's ET blockbuster. Rich deliberately used Spielberg's cultural fingerprint — whether as a joke or a coded message remains disputed. Rich was aware of the impact of his words. JIM GOODALL PHONE QUOTE (ca. Dec 28, 1994, ~1 week before death): 'Jim, we have things out in the desert that are 50 years beyond what you can comprehend. If you've seen it in Star Wars or Star Trek, we've been there, done that, or decided it wasn't worth the effort.' (Source: Jim Goodall, aerospace author, direct account; confirmed by Steven Greer as witness.) STEVEN GREER CONNECTION: Greer reports that his friend Jim Goodall received this phone call directly. Greer cites it in multiple lectures as one of the strongest insider testimonies. DAYTON 1993 LECTURE (WPAFB): 'The Air Force has just given us a contract to take ET back home.' (Slide: black disc, audience: military engineers, confirmed by multiple attendees.)