Michael Gold, who once served as NASA’s associate administrator for space policy and partnerships, says the agency he worked for didn’t orchestrate cover-ups of unidentified anomalous phenomena — but it did help cement a culture of ridicule that discouraged serious inquiry.
In an interview with Reality Check, Gold described the academic and professional pressure that still surrounds the topic. “In academia, the stigma is so strong that if you even look at this issue, there is a knee-jerk and automatic reaction against you — threatening your career, threatening your credibility,” he said.
A Shift in Attitude
Gold noted that public and government attitudes toward UFOs weren’t always dismissive. “In the ‘40s, early ‘50s, it was very different than it was today,” he recalled. “There was no mockery. It was treated as potentially real phenomena … then there was this pivot.”
That pivot, he suggested, may have been deliberately cultivated by parts of the U.S. government decades ago. While he doesn’t believe NASA intentionally blocked scientists from asking questions, he said some federal entities may have “developed” a taboo mindset that eventually permeated the scientific community.
From NASA to Private Review
Gold served on NASA’s independent UAP study team, which issued recommendations for further investigation. Now he’s part of a private-sector committee assembled by the Disclosure Foundation, tasked with combing through NASA archival materials and flagging items that warrant deeper scrutiny.
He acknowledged the limits of his current role. “I can’t force NASA to collaborate or not collaborate,” Gold said. “What we will do is talk about the information that is missing and what should be looked at.”
The committee plans to push the agency to release additional evidence when it’s not publicly available, though Gold conceded he lacks the authority to compel cooperation.
National Security Implications
Gold emphasized that the UAP question is not merely academic. “We cannot afford to fall behind our geopolitical adversaries in this,” he warned. “We cannot allow a lack of imagination to turn into a lack of freedom.”
The former NASA official’s comments come amid broader debates about government transparency and secrecy. In a similar vein, a federal judge recently ordered the Justice Department to release unredacted Epstein files in a journalist’s lawsuit, highlighting ongoing tensions over classified or withheld information.
Gold’s remarks also resonate with other whistleblower accounts. For instance, an ex-CDC official recently blasted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for causing “irreparable harm” to public health trust, underscoring how institutional stigma can shape policy and public perception.
As the Disclosure Foundation’s review proceeds, Gold’s team hopes to chip away at the stigma he says NASA helped sustain — and to ensure the U.S. doesn’t miss critical intelligence because of a reluctance to look.
