By Adela Suliman and Paul Goldman - NBC News
A former Israeli space security chief has come as a surprise by saying that
Earthlings have been in contact with aliens
from a "galactic federation."
"Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have asked not to publish that they are here, humanity is not ready yet," Haim Eshed, former head of the space directorate of the Israel Defense Ministry, told the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot.
The Hebrew interview was published on Friday and gained more visibility after the Jerusalem Post published some excerpts in English on Tuesday.
Eshed, a respected professor and retired general, said aliens are also curious about humanity and seeking to understand "the structure of the universe."
[China tested humans to create biologically enhanced 'super soldiers', according to US intelligence reports]
He also
said that interspecies cooperation agreements have been signed
, including an "underground base deep in Mars" where there are American astronauts and alien representatives.
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"There is an agreement between the United States government and the aliens. They signed a contract with us to do experiments here," he said.
Eshed
added that outgoing President Donald Trump was aware of the existence of the aliens
and had been "on the verge of revealing" the information, but was asked not to do so to avoid "mass hysteria."
"They have been waiting until today for humanity to develop and reach a stage where we understand, in general, what space and spacecraft are," Eshed said, referring to the "galactic federation."
The Space Force is the first new branch of the Air Force since 1947, and has around 20 members deployed to Qatar.
The White House, the Defense Department and Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News, the sister network of Noticias Telemundo.
Eshed's ideas are explained in more detail in Hagar Yanai's "The Universe Beyond the Horizon: Conversations with Professor Haim Eshed", published in November.
Eshed, who oversaw the launch of numerous Israeli satellites into space, said she
decided to
speak up now because attitudes are changing
and people seem more receptive.
"If what I am saying today had occurred to me five years ago, I would have been hospitalized," he told Yediot.
"Today they are already speaking in a different way. I have nothing to lose. I received my degrees and awards, I am respected in universities abroad."
[Trump says the US is making a new "super duper" missile 17 times faster]
In May, when presented with the official flag of the Space Force, a newly created military branch, Trump said: "Space will be the future, both in terms of defense and offense ... we are now the leaders in space." .
The focus of the
Space Force
, along with a Space Command, will be in space as a military domain for the United States, preserving satellites and communications, and focusing on geopolitics from a new terrain.
The comment immediately sparked jokes and theories online.
At least half a dozen Twitter accounts have been created claiming to be representatives on Earth of the "phalactic federation."
Other users have requested preferential treatment and meetings with the group.
