Inside The Black Vault: The Government's UFO Secrets Revealed

by John Greenewald Jr.

The evidence in this book may not ultimately give you the “smoking gun” you are looking for on your journey, but I guarantee it will give you a box of bullets when you find it.In 1996, John Greenewald, Jr. began researching the secret inner workings of the U.S. Government at the age of fifteen. He targeted such agencies as the CIA, FBI, Pentagon, Air Force, Army, Navy, NSA, DIA, and countless others.Greenewald utilized the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to gain access to more than two million pages of documents. This archive includes information relating to UFOs, the JFK Assassination, chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, and top secret aircraft. He took the millions of pages, and over the course of more than two decades, has built an archive known around the world, as The Black Vault.Inside The Black The Government’s UFO Secrets Revealed takes you on a journey within the secret world of unidentified aerial phenomenon that has plagued the military since at least the 1940s. Declassified records prove that the UFO topic is one of the most highly classified and most elusive subjects the U.S. Government has ever dealt with. Each chapter explores various agencies and their documents, and Greenewald breaks down the meaning of why some of the most important documents are relevant to proving a massive cover-up.Along with declassified documents, Greenewald outlines the struggle it took him to get them. No other topic has proven so difficult, in more than 8,000 FOIA requests that he has filed. He explores why that might be and meets skeptics and debunkers head on, outlining why some of their more prominent rebuttals for it all cannot be true.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 8, 2019

About the author

Starting at the age of 15, John Greenewald, Jr. was struck with a curiosity that led off a lifelong journey. First researching the UFO phenomenon, Greenewald began utilizing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to hammer the United States Government for answers, and he targeted every government agency to get them.

As he waited for answers on this niche of the paranormal, he then branched off to investigate nearly every government secret imaginable. He was a sophomore in high school when he first started his trek in 1996, and he archived all of his research on a website that became known around the world as The Black Vault. Today, he has amassed well more than 2,000,000 pages of declassified records.

His efforts throughout decades of research have been responsible for getting hundreds of thousands of pages that have never seen the light of day into the public domain. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs throughout the world and is frequently sourced in various news articles and stories for his archive and his discoveries.

Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been interested and a believer in UFOs since I was about 12 or 13 years old, when I and my family all saw a "flying saucer". I have always felt that the government knows more then the have ever told us. This is why I decided to read this book. The writer, John Greenewald, Jr. has been researching this topic since he was a young kid, and has accumulated thousands of pages from the government thru the Freedom Of Information Act. This book confirmed my belief of a coverup, which is still going on. For anybody interested in the topic of UFOs, I suggest you read the well written and organized book.

This review shows that I read a Kindle addition, but I read and own a paperback addition, which Goodreads does not show. I tried to add it, but was not able to.

[GeneralTHC · Rating 2 out of 5]

A generous 2 stars

Extraterrestrial life? I'd bet on it. The universe is just too big. There's just too much out there. Why would life only arise here? It wouldn't. THAT would be amazing.

But overall this wasn't a good read. Dude starts out like he's the epitome of reason. He's gonna use nothing but sound logic and evidence that everyone would agree is such. He readily concedes there's a lot of BS surrounding UFO claims. So, I'm like, hell yeah, I'm in. Just exactly what I want. And then he starts talking about Roswell and tells a lot of UFO stories and whatnot, many I'm sure you've heard of. And that's cool, as it's fodder for the late nights and campfire tales and such. But by the end of the book he's ridiculing the most elite scientists in the world for not believing his BS. He trots out the old, "Science has been wrong" canard. Yes, science has been wrong. And who proved that? Scientists, that's who. It's how science advances.

All in all, I'd put the dude right smack in the middle of the quack category. Avoid.

[Libby Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK soooooo this book ,is overall extremely, disappointing.

First the author, talks about it like he’s a reasonable, sane person. who’s actually going to present, good information. then, near the end of the book, he just starts spiraling, quite literally, in some cases.

In the first nine chapters or so.he goes ,from being more levelheaded. to almost tell the US government to fuck off.



In some ways, this feels, like a measuring contest.



At the work going on, John greenewald JR, becomes more hostile, or condescending. To those who do not want to automatically believe all of the evidence is exactly the way He states that is.



Yes there, are some people, that are “skeptics” that will never believe anything. regardless, of what it is whether it be extraterrestrial lif, the Roswell crash, or COVID-19.

Some people, refuse to believe, anything, and everything because they don’t want to.
I get the real sense, from the final chapter, of the author isn’t talking about those people really.
It seems more, than he’s talking about people that are actually skeptica.l about all of this being, accurately recorded, by people that are exceedingly bias in their opinion.
What, I’m saying is that the actual, copies of documents presented, in the book. get less and less, as you get further into it and more and more redacted.

Obviously on the part reduction it’s not his doing. 

However. he does have a tendency to heavily speculate. on documents we have 2 to 3 words, of like really. One can’t discern anything, from that that’s not enough information.


If you don’t have, all or most of the information you can’t make a fear or full judge of a situation.

basically, once this author hits chapter 10. all he’s doing, is beating his chest. Proving. that he’s so good and there’s, there’s a heavy level of arrogance in the entire book.

This is exceedingly, exceedingly bias.
i’m researching, a ton of stuff about UFO’S. for a project, I’m working on and a lot of this information,

This book is one of the most bias non-quack pieces, I have read.

It’s interesting, but also kind of terrifying.  because, once he starts getting going, in his more heavily leaving personal opinions. he can’t seem, to see the forest for the trees.

 I wouldn’t recommend, this book for people, that are actively doing research.  It  would, be the better investment of your time to file for the papers yourself.

[Carol Zaback · Rating 5 out of 5]

Credible and fascinating study of decades-old mysteries regarding UFOs.

Wherever one is on the UFO belief-disbelief curve, Greenewald brings an updated study of the subject . It is time the military stops hiding the vast information on the subject so intelligent people can form opinions based on records that should be open to the public. It should be out right to formulate opinions based on years of study and observations.

[Andrew Worthington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and detailed story about a dedicated man who spent 20 years chasing records pertaining to UFOs in the US and around the world, well worth the read for people interested in UFOs and secrecy of the US government.

[Eric Wojciechowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having followed John Greenewald’s work for many years, I was thrilled to get into his book, INSIDE THE BLACK VAULT. And I have to say, it doesn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for a primer on what UFO docs Greenewald has in his archives, this is it. INSIDE covers Greenewald's personal pursuit of government documents on several UFO cases, UFOs over nuclear bases, the hits and misses of Project Blue Book and much more.

What the present volume does is lay out official United States government documents Greenewald managed to wrangle through the Freedom of Information Act (and Canada’s equivalent) to make the case that something “alien”, a phenomenon, is in the air. I use the quotes because Greenewald uses the quotes. I’m skeptical there’s a phenomenon at all but If there is a genuine phenomenon, Greenewald used the word “alien” simply to mean some other intelligence we humans aren’t grasping or understanding at the present. More on that later.

The present volume begins with a brief look at Roswell. The point of the chapter is not to make the case that an alien craft crashed in New Mexico but to show the government’s public answer is wanting. The first answer came in 1995 where the government report on the subject claimed that what crashed was a then classified project, Project Mogul – a balloon equipped with a listening device to detect when the Soviets detonated their first nuclear bomb. Then in 1997, the government brought out a second report claiming the alien bodies some claimed to have seen were probably test dummies the Air Force used to test in high altitudes. Greenewald notes two major problems here.

The first is that we don’t have all the communications from 1947 when the crash happened. A search of records shows that some RAAF activities and communications were destroyed, particularly administrative records from March 1945 through December 1949 and RAAF outgoing messages from October 1946 to December 1949. If these records are gone, why and who authorized it? And since we don’t have them, do we really have the whole picture? These are good questions.

Regarding the alien bodies and the government’s conclusion they were anthropomorphic test dummies, Greenewald backs Stanton Friedman’s observation that said dummies were used years after the Roswell crash and could not have been the cause of the sightings. Fair enough. But where I’m willing to give ground to the government’s conclusion considering that memory is very faulty and test dummies found in the desert, even years after Roswell, could have been confused as being found during the time of the Roswell crash by witnesses recalling details decades later. It’s a possibility.

INSIDE moves on to showing the government took the stance right from the beginning, back in 1947, of providing a mundane explanation as quickly as possible even if such explanations had to be shoehorned in. Greenewald calls this the “company line”. However, away from the public, the military was very concerned with the flying disc problem. And any UFO report that was considered a matter of national security didn’t go into Blue Book. It went elsewhere. Where exactly, we don’t know.

Then, in 1969, after the Condon Committee wrapped up its findings and concluded there was no reason to continue analyzing UFO reports, no national security threat or benefit to furthering scientific understanding, the government closed Blue Book and officially stopped collecting UFO reports. But it didn’t. Greenewald shows the government didn’t quit collecting and analyzing UFO reports after 1969. In fact, Greenewald demonstrates quite convincingly that Blue Book may have been a public relations stunt simply set up to squash the public fears of unknown things in the sky. And, I might add, to provide cover for government secret aircraft (like the U2, which Blue Book investigators did indeed provide other explanations when sightings of the U2 were reported in order to retain the secrecy).

Documents of UFO reports after 1969 Greenewald obtained show that the NSA, CIA and other government agencies were indeed filing reports of sightings. Most alarming are the sightings of UFOs over nuclear facilities which is protected airspace of the highest order. Why the government would say UFOs weren’t security threats after several reports like this is a mystery. Perhaps that was just the public presentation to squash fears. At any rate, continuing to investigate sightings, especially in controlled airspace, is justified. Why close something like Blue Book? Maybe here’s an explanation as to why.

It's probable the Air Force et al decided there was no need for an independent agency or organization to investigate all UFO reports. Maybe it was found to be good enough for each agency (CIA, FBI, NSA, military, etc) to do their own in-house investigations if said report came from said house. And then they could courtesy copy other agencies if there was a need to know. In fact, Greenewald presents several UFO documents showing cross-agency contact did in indeed occur.

Greenewald’s favorite report (and one of mine as well) is the 1976 report over Iran airspace that messed with military pilots attempting to intercept it. I’ll let you, dear reader, read it for yourself either in this book or elsewhere, freely available at the quickest google search. On the surface, this is one of the most amazing UFO encounters suggesting an “alien” intelligence is indeed with us. But again, I’ll remain on the fence, awaiting further information. Until then, I’m afraid I’ll have to default to “I don’t know”.

As noted above, Greenewald wraps up the book with his conclustion that taking all things into consideration, he’s convinced something “alien” is interacting with us. As I noted above, this is where I differ and needs a little more explaining.

First, before you dive in to this book thinking government documents prove the case of “aliens” among us, the spoiler is that the government doesn’t have the answer. The best case documents Greenewald discusses shows the government either explained the sighting with precise stretching of credibility or the case remains unknown. It’s up to the reader of said documents to decide if they want to conclude an alien presence or, like in my case, just say “I don’t know”.

Second thing to take into consideration when reviewing UFO reports is to ensure what’s reported actually happened. As an example, if we read a UFO report that at night time, a triangular shaped craft passed overhead with three lights, one at each point of the triangle, the first question that should be asked is if it was really a triangular shaped, flying wing type craft or if in the dark, it only looked like such a thing. It could have been a very normal aircraft, a passenger plane for instance, that in the dark only looked like a triangle due to its light placement. Alternatively, it’s always possible the entire report is a hoax.

The speed of the UFO is rather amazing in some reports Greenewald discusses. If such an aircraft was really going faster than anything known to exist on earth, that could provide some verification we’re dealing with an alien visitor. But there’s two assumptions in the sentence I just wrote – that the UFO was an aircraft and the reported speed was accurate. Perhaps the UFO wasn’t an aircraft at all and the speed was incorrect. In other words, maybe what's in the report didn't really happen.

My point is not to say such reports are always wrong or misleading. My point is to note that just because it’s a government report doesn’t mean it’s not subject to common human error. Government employees are people too.

Taken as a whole, it's true a lot of reports generated gives the impression something amazing is flying around in the skies. But it's possible a lot of reports are not related at all. While one may be a hoax, the other may be a misidentification, another a flock of birds, another an experimental aircraft, another a temperature inversion, etc. In other words, the only phenomenon is that all these cases are of something unidentified in the sky but not of the same substance.

At any rate, Greenewald demonstrates beyond dispute that some UFO reports are taken seriously by government agencies despite them saying otherwise since 1969. Seriously enough to generate a report and blackout sections when the public asks to see them. Why the blackouts? My guess is mainly due to methods and means that could threaten national security if exposed. Not necessarily on the UFO itself. In other words, how the UFO was spotted, observed and followed and by what means may be the reason for the blackouts. But until the marker is lifted, we don’t really know.

INSIDE THE BLACKVAULT is an excellent primer to Greenewald’s vast research, collection and archives worth adding to your UFO library. You may disagree with Greenewald’s opinions and conclusions regarding the documents but the documents alone are of high value and deserve attention. Afterwards, jump on over to theBlackvault.com to review more that couldn’t fit in this book. Greenewald deserves all the credit for his hard work over the decades building the Black Vault. It's a valuable resource in this field of UFO rearch.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: inside the Black Vault

Author: John Greenewald Jr.

Pages: 152

Genre: Nonfiction Adult

Rowman & Littlefield

book synopsis

The evidence in this book may not ultimately give you the "smoking gun" you are looking for on your journey, but I guarantee it will give you a box of bullets when you find it. In 1996, John Greenewald, Jr. began researching the secret inner workings of the U.S. Government at the age of fifteen. He targeted such agencies as the CIA, FBI, Pentagon, Air Force, Army, Navy, NSA, DIA, and countless others. Greenewald utilized the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to gain access to more than two million pages of documents. This archive includes information relating to UFOs, the JFK Assassination, chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, and top secret aircraft. He took the millions of pages, and over the course of more than two decades, has built an archive known around the world, as The Black Vault. Inside The Black Vault: The Government's UFO Secrets Revealed takes you on a journey within the secret world of unidentified aerial phenomenon that has plagued the military since at least the 1940s. Declassified records prove that the UFO topic is one of the most highly classified and most elusive subjects the U.S. Government has ever dealt with. Each chapter explores various agencies and their documents, and Greenewald breaks down the meaning of why some of the most important documents are relevant to proving a massive cover-up. Along with declassified documents, Greenewald outlines the struggle it took him to get them. No other topic has proven so difficult, in more than 8,000 FOIA requests that he has filed. He explores why that might be and meets skeptics and debunkers head on, outlining why some of their more prominent rebuttals for it all cannot be true.


My thoughts

rating: 4

Would I recommend it: yes but only to people who like reading stuff like this

Would I read anything else by this author : maybe

While reading this you start to wounder if there could be any true to what his talking about, and though out the book you get to see black and white photos of the papers he was able to get . He makes you question what you know about the secret inner works of the Government. As well as about parts of history that we all have read about. It gets you thinking and rethinking about what you know or think you know about the U.S.Government and what else could they be keeping from us , Its like the tv show X-Flies . With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

[Steve Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is inconceivable that people believe that we are the only living beings in this universe. John's book should at least give these people a glimmer of belief. Unfortunately our Government will lie, John is showing reality.
Great Book.
Steve

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

by John Greenewald Jr. is a fascinating and comprehensive account of how the author tried to uncover the evidence the government held about UFOs and their investigations. It is a very detailed account of the struggles he went through to gather his information and interpret and review the documents. He documents the cover ups and stone walling he found and what makes it more interesting is that he started his search as a high school teenager. This book does not give us any answers regarding UFOs but in uncovering the secrets and cover up leads us to conclude that there is likely something there that is worth all this effort and that the government knows more than they are prepared to admit. With having filed over 8,000 freedom of information requests, the author has shown his commitment and interest in the subject. Very well written and extensively researched. The ebook was better than the audio as a lot of the documents were reproduced.

[Ben 3.0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling read that delves into the world of government secrets and UFOs. Greenewald, who has spent over 20 years researching and investigating government secrets, provides a comprehensive overview of his journey to uncover the truth.

The book is divided into two parts, with the first part providing background information on the author's research and the government's efforts to classify and suppress information. The second part focuses on specific cases involving UFO sightings, government cover-ups, and secret military programs.

One of the strengths of this book is its accessibility. Even for those unfamiliar with the topic, Greenewald's writing style is easy to follow, and he does an excellent job of explaining complex concepts without losing the reader. Additionally, the book is well-researched, and Greenewald provides ample evidence to support his claims.

Overall, "Inside the Black Vault" is a fascinating read for anyone interested in UFOs, government secrets, or conspiracy theories. While some of the material may be controversial, Greenewald presents his findings in a straightforward and balanced manner, leaving readers to draw their conclusA fascinating reions.

[Ubernoodle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book chock full of interesting and fascinating information brought down by one of the most thoroughly annoying authorial voices I have ever experienced. When Greenewald isn't being snide he's being confrontational, and tends to repeat himself or go off on tangents including spending many pages complaining about a joke UFO tweet from the CIA. Greenewald also embodies many of the worst cliches of ufologists, such as multiple unironic uses of the phrase "that's what they want you to believe." Greenewald also throws around a lot of speculation despite claiming the book to be so fact based and thorough that (and I quote) "you cannot debunk it."

The parts of the book that are unbearably dry are actually the best because none of Greenewald's unlikable personality show through. Stay for the info, but don't be afraid to skip ahead some when the author decides to beat his chest for the thousandth time because he knows how a FOIA request works.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't believe in aliens but i do believe in UFO's. This book is about UFO's and the most powerful government institutions spending so much time, energy, and money on a supposedly ridiculous subject. The thousands of declassified documents all imply they took this phenomenon seriously. Makes you wonder about the classified ones.

If you want to wade through all the UFO quackery and get a sober/rational perspective this is the book.

I didn't know what to expect but at the end of it i am convinced of their existence. Not aliens but UFO's. If you want to read about aliens you gotta look elsewhere.

5/5

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the topic and have followed the author's podcast, which led me to his book, hoping there would be more in it than what he shares on his podcast. Unfortunately, there is not. I am most definitely grateful to the author, and that there are people like Mr. Greenwald, that are go-getters and seekers of the truth. Furthermore, that they disseminate that truth to the public and like-minded individuals such as myself. Thank you Mr. Greenwald, although I would not recommend this book to the average person because it is not very entertaining. I would definitely recommend it to skeptics and people not first in the subject that are just being introduced for the first time.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me a while to read. I simply couldn’t get into it as much as I’d like. Some parts were interesting, with stories and the authors opinions but other parts were quite repetitive. I’m very interested in UFOs after I believe I saw one in 2009 and have been keen to explore the phenomenon further. The author clearly knows his stuff and has spent a significant amount of time on this book to compile parts of his research. He now has a podcast with more up to date information on. Let’s hope the truth is one day recovered…

[Mike Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

This book dives into and presents solid evidence of a coverup by the Armed Forces. It a fascinating read that leaves it up to you to draw your own conclusions. You should definitely keep an open mind as you explore this very controversial subject. Are we the only one in this universe? What about other universes. When are highly trained pilots see it on there radar and witness sighting. How can we possibly deny them what they saw. So if this subject interests you pickup a copy and enjoy the journey of exploring the UFO topic!

[Jack Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have watched Mr. Greenewald’s journey since he was a teen, he is a passionate investigator; this book is a snapshot, an abstract of what he has accomplished. 98,000 documents released through Foia and other sources. We go with him, he is a well crafted writer, pulls us along to an inevitable conclusion. Worth your time, to take the ride.

[Tony Cook]

Reads like a textbook

Your have to be really passionate about up research to get through this one. If you are passionate and don't mind reading text book material it's really intereating

[Alan McCleaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and well documented using files obtained through the Freedom Of Information Act, this is a persuasive case that the US Govt and military knows far more about the UFO phenomenon than many would believe, and that this fact is being hidden from the public at the highest levels.

[Jordan Mcculloch · Rating 1 out of 5]

8,000 FOIA requests around the UFO subject was what interested me. But it feels like the claims he makes with the evidence leans more towards the conspiracy side of things. I would have enjoyed less opinion and WAYYYY more documentation regarding each specific claim. Not my fav.

[Esha Nas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sure, it proves that the US kept thinking about UFOs post Blue Book. That's about it.

[Matthew Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the content was interesting, but I felt like the language was a bit arrogant and the book gets repetitive after awhile.

[Franca Gargiulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are missing the X Files, this is a wonderful read! A bit dense with the FOIA information which can take much attention to follow but a very good history lesson.

[Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren’t many people in the UFO field whose work I respect. This author is one. His persnickety mind and cutting logic are highly admirable.

[Nujood AlMulla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t quite make up my mind about whether I enjoyed this book or I didn’t or whether I constitute as a debunker or not. What I can say confidently however is that I was very inspired by the relentless research and investigatory spirit that the author has presented through the book. If I were to describe it to someone, I would say that it is a guide on how to attain, review and collate complicated governmental documents and present them to the general public. However, I did have some issues with the content as the author often presents speculative arguments as raw solid evidence together with the fact that at some points there is a very strong subjective conspiracy theory echo within the narrative. It was a fun and definitely interesting read that I would recommend as a motivational piece for any passionate researcher, especially those who are interested in the unfamiliar as the author’s data collection journey is wonderfully elaborated.

[Peter Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't give this book five stars for one reason - I want more. I wish this book was four times longer. I'm sure the information the author has gleaned from the FOIA requests he presents in the book is only the tip of the iceberg; I'd like to see what else he's sitting on. The author gets a little preachy in the last chapter trying to defend his belief in the ETH, but that doesn't detract from the rest of what he's presented. This book is a must have for any UFO library. I can't wait for a sequel.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. The author laid out the information in a manner that allowed the reader to form their own opinion.

[Joe Macko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing reading about the total UFO cover up!

[Judy Daggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a UFO buff since i was a little kid. I have had many UFO sightings so here are a few things I can say about Inside The Black Vault. John Greenewald has put in years of research and collecting more than two million pages of nearly every government secret you can think of. After reading John's book there are 3 things I know for sure. There are still UFOs being reported almost everyday. The government is still lying to the people about UFOs. And thirdly the UFOs are a threat to our planet and the government doesn't want you to know. I hope after reading Inside The Black Vault that you have had your eyes and mind opened and pass this book onto any UFO or non UFO friend.This book has been my favorite of the year - you can't argue with facts!