Somewhere in the Skies - Inside the Basement Office with Steven Greenstreet and Nick Pope

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Starting point is 00:00:29 Plus, unlimited plans started $35. month. Now that's a deal that doesn't stay. Explore GoogleFi Wireless plans today. Plus taxes and government fees. GoogleFi Wireless is not subject to data traffic deprioritization during times of high network usage. This is Somewhere in the Skies with Ryan Sprague. All right. So this is pretty surreal for me. This is Ryan Sprag from somewhere in the skies. And I am reporting on location in the basement office. That's right. I am inside the basement office with Stephen Green. Main Street and Nick Pope. So you guys know what that means. I think we're getting a little bit more of the basement office. So guys, thank you. Thank you for having me here and thank you for doing this today.

Starting point is 00:01:40 It's awesome meeting you. I'm so glad this happened. It's crazy. I know. We see each other on all these TV shows or podcasts and listen to you. But then you see each other in the flesh and you're like, whoa, it's real. Yeah. It's actually real. Yeah. And this set is exactly what I envisioned my aspiring basement to look like. Yeah, how does it feel to be back in the basement office? It feels good. I mean, it's been a long time. It's been a while.

Starting point is 00:02:09 So it was surreal, you know, being back. And I've changed as a person. The person I was when I was last in the basement office is a different person than the person who's sitting here now. And so I look at it differently. It's charming and it represents a part of me that's evolving. Right. Well, let's talk about that.

Starting point is 00:02:28 for just a minute if you don't mind, man. So for anyone who follows hashtag UFO Twitter or is, you know, into this community like we are, you dropped off of Twitter. Like the one place a lot of us got our news from you, from a lot of other people. And everyone was like, oh, what happened? So of course, the conspiracies start mounting when no one has the true answer. So I got to ask, why did you decide to leave us for a little bit? And what made you want to come back? Well, I think the is twofold. One, I was like, I found myself on Twitter a lot, on Twitter a lot. And that happens when you get more and more followers and you're engaged in more conversations. You're always checking Twitter and going back to Twitter and replying on Twitter and thinking of the next tweet and things

Starting point is 00:03:14 like that. And I had a show to prepare. I had basement office season three where I was going to be tackling topics. I had no idea about. I had no kind of like education on some of these topics. and I wanted to be up to snuff. I wanted to be educated and researched. And I found Twitter to be distracting. You know, like I had books to read. I had files to go through. And part of the reason I nuked my Twitter was like, okay,

Starting point is 00:03:39 for the next three to four weeks, I'm just going to full on read and prepare for season three. I've been there. Like, there's been so many times where I just want to leave social media and do research. And I think that's kind of the most responsible thing. you can do. Otherwise, you're just going to be influenced by everything you see coming in. You'll get distracted by the arguments going on. So, no, I truly respect that. Well, let's, I guess, what you guys are willing to share, since Nick is here, season three, is there anything you can tease to us about what

Starting point is 00:04:15 we can expect with season three of the basement office? Well, let me jump in. And I'm not, I think we need to be careful. Absolutely. I don't think we should unpack. any spoilers, but I think what I would start by saying is that, my goodness, since season two wrapped, an awful lot of things have happened, events, and also, in parallel with those new events, old events have been reappraised, re-evaluated, we are perhaps looking through a different lens. So I think season three was called for and it's very

Starting point is 00:04:58 timely that we do this. And I'm going to obviously defer to Stephen on how much he wants to reveal, but people can, I think, look ahead to some surprising twists and turns and some

Starting point is 00:05:14 material that shall we say might not make everyone happy bunnies. Happy bunnies. I think one of the cool things that happened during shooting season three was like Nick and I got kind of feisty. And that was awesome. When we kind of like, we upped our energy and we really, there are some cool moments where we were both passionately going after something. And that was something that we really haven't seen.

Starting point is 00:05:41 We've seen a few times, but it was more jocular, I think, in the former seasons. And so we get into it this season and it's awesome. And just in general, I would say this season is about like, what I did. It's a metaphor for my journey of the last year, which is instead of waiting for the next breadcrum like all UFO Twitter is, you get the breadcrum and you hold on to it,

Starting point is 00:06:02 you're like, oh, precious the breadcum. And then the next breadcrum jumps, you know, drops and you run over to it. Oh, the next breadcrum. I actually about faced, and I turned around and I looked at the entire trail of crumbs that have dropped for the last few years. And I said, I'm going that way. I'm going to slowly walk

Starting point is 00:06:18 backwards and follow all the crumbs back to the source, turn around, and see if I end up in the same place. And that's what season three is about. I love that. You're like almost reverse engineering in a sense or walking in rewind. And I think Stevens on a journey here. Right.

Starting point is 00:06:36 And has been on one, is still on one. A journey to try and make sense of this amazing phenomenon with an 80-year backstory, all sorts of twists and turns, and a real wilderness. of mirrors where often things are not what they seem. And my role, I think, has always been, I guess, to offer a bit of insider perspective as someone who sat within government looking at this topic, not professing to have all the answers, not saying to Stephen, oh, this is the absolute truth. But as we've seen in basement office, and we'll see much more of in season three, helping Stephen contextualize some of this,

Starting point is 00:07:21 helping Stephen find a way to his own truth and his own interpretation of where we are with this topic. Spoiler alert, there will be drones. That was my next question, man. A lot of people on UFO Twitter wanted to know, will you be talking about drones and their place in this entire mystery? I mean, it's the biggest nuisance

Starting point is 00:07:47 a UFO researcher could ask for in terms of if they believe this is something non-human or whatnot. But let's be completely honest. 99% of what we look at in the skies probably could be explained conventionally some way, somehow. But yeah, will you be tackling drones this season? Drones are fascinating. Drones are rad. Drones are awesome. It's my current late obsession as of late.

Starting point is 00:08:14 And so, of course, that has, that is bled over into season three. And I think I've dug up some pretty incredible stuff, you know, stuff not many people have heard about. Well, Nick, you mentioned government. And I want to get us up to current day right now. I mean, what was it a few days ago? The amendment in the National Defense Bill was passed. We're getting some of what Senator Gillibrand and Marco Rubio and a lot of these politicians asked for from the U.S. government.

Starting point is 00:08:45 And then we also have the Pentagon, the Department of Defense, wanting to create their own group to look into this. So we almost have dueling UFO programs, group, studies going on, which is crazy to think about in moving into 2022, that this is where we're at and what has happened in the past few years. So I'd love to get your insight first, Nick. What do you make of the AOI MSG versus ASRO or whatever it is?

Starting point is 00:09:13 is now, what do you make of all this stuff going on within the American government? There is certainly a bit of a dogfight going on over this. I mean, clearly when Senator Gillibrand, Gillibrand, Gillibrand, Jilliebrand, Gilly Brand, you know, I'm a Brit. I can get away with mispronunciations and people say, anyway, her amendment subsequently endorsed and, you know, became the Gillibrand, Rubio Amendment. this was absolutely groundbreaking. It would have taken the study of UFOs within government to the next level,

Starting point is 00:09:54 a level we certainly haven't seen before. Much closer integration between the military and the intelligence community, a proper joined-up response, much more accountability. And into her amendment, of course, was this proposal of, of effectively a sort of oversight committee with organizations like the Galileo project run by Professor Avi Loeb out of Harvard, being able to nominate people to sit on it, the scientific coalition for uphology and such. Like, sadly, that's the one big thing that didn't survive the negotiations. And when I say the negotiations, of course, what happened was then after the Jilly Brown Amendment, the Pentagon, came out with its own basic announcement saying this is what we are going to do, A-O-I-M-S-G. And I think there was some gamesmanship here. I think what they were doing was saying, look, she's getting support for this amendment, but if we can show that we're already gripping this,

Starting point is 00:11:02 maybe, you know, we can walk it back a little. And so there's some negotiation, but it's very good news. although the only sad thing, as I say, is the oversight committee didn't make the final cut. Pretty much everything else important did. So we are going to get this much more joined up response. We are going to get more oversight and accountability. And we are going to get at least an annual public report on what's going on. So that's a very long answer. I apologize for that.

Starting point is 00:11:38 The short version is this. Congress is gripping this, and they are going to make sure that the military and the intelligence community take it seriously and give us some answers. Or give them some answers. Of course, that's the $64,000 question is Congress, you know, the various committees, they will get some answers. The public, not so much, but we will wait and see. Any thoughts on that, Stephen? Are we going to see anything, the public? What do you think? Well, I think first and foremost, and especially in my research for season three, there's a problem. There's an issue.

Starting point is 00:12:19 No matter what you think it is, there is an issue. There's a safety issue with unidentified, unauthorized objects. The number of near misses are way too much. Hell, one is way too much. And there have been dozens and dozens and dozens. We are in the middle of an absolutely infuriated. unacceptable policy when it comes to unidentified objects in the sky. Something's got to change.

Starting point is 00:12:44 So I see all of this stuff as greatly positive. While I disagree on what will be found and what will be discovered, we need to discover it. You said this place was steps from the water. We just haven't found the steps yet. How much did we save? Enough. Enough to get lost. Or you could book a stay with Hilton.

Starting point is 00:13:08 Welcome to your ocean front room. Just steps from the water. The Hilton sale is on now. Book on Hilton.com or the Hilton app and save up to 20% to get the stay you expected. When you want savings, not surprises. It matters where you stay. Hilton, for the stay. What's up guys, Ryan Sprague here, and I'm just dropping in to remind you about our Patreon campaign. Somewhere in the Skies is always free to consume, but it's not free to create.

Starting point is 00:13:38 So if you want to help the show on a monthly basis, we have tons of rewards for you in return, including shoutouts on the show and website, bonus content and episodes, and free merge. Want to be my guest or pick a topic for the show? You can do that too. So if you'd like to learn more and to help support the show, visit patreon.com slash somewhere skies. Thank you and keep looking up. Nick, on a personal level, there was recently some news that the Calvin incident was going

Starting point is 00:14:14 to remain classified for measurable more decades in the MOD. And a lot of people wanted to know where do you stand now, having experienced and been a part of the investigation of this photo, this event. Are we any closer to knowing what happened there within government or in the public will we ever know what happened with the Calvin incident? Possibly not. I've seen various euthologists speculate and there are all sorts of theories doing the rounds but the bottom line is this these six photos of this diamond-shaped object taken in Scotland in 1990 were looked at at the time by the Ministry of Defence and we were not able to identify the craft. What happened then was obviously lots of different people in the department had.

Starting point is 00:15:12 copies of these photos. And we had, for example, a poster-sized enlargement of the best one on our office wall in Secretary at Heerstaff 2A, Room 8245, MOD Main Building. And it was there for a couple of years. One day, my head of division took it down because he had convinced himself that it could only be some sort of secret prototype, hypersonic, maybe US, spike. plane and therefore not the sort of thing that we should have on the office wall. Years later, the MOD started a program to declassify and release the files. And people were saying, oh, great, we'll get to see the Calvine photos. And no, the photos and certainly the enlargement seem to have disappeared. So what we have left is basically a very,

Starting point is 00:16:12 poor image of photocopy, low resolution. I did work on a recreation of it with a graphic artist in LA for a TV show and we produced something which was really, really good. So now, when you read about this, the image that the media use is virtually spot on. And that's not just me saying so. A number of MOD colleagues who either worked in that office or who worked in the division and saw it on our wall have said, I think, you know, not least on my various social media feeds when they see that photo. Oh yeah, that's it. You got it. You nailed it. The story about what's being kept secret isn't quite what it seems. There has been talk that, you know, the The photos will be, they've been sort of reclassified, still got them.

Starting point is 00:17:12 They're in the files. The file won't be released until about 2072 or 2076, something like that. That's not quite what the story is. The story is that the identity of the photographers is being withheld. And those sorts of personal details, other personal details of emotional details of MOD officials, including intelligence officials who were involved in the investigation. That's in the original hard copy photo file of this, the case file. That is what is not going to be released. So it's not even a fact, you're going to get to that date in the far future. You won't suddenly find,

Starting point is 00:17:56 oh, there are the photos. They'll either turn up or they won't. Now, I'll tell you where I think they are, or at least where some copies of them are. in the A-TIP and ORSAT files, because one of the things that did happen with this is that it was sent to CIA and various other US agencies. So I wouldn't be surprised, given the amount of leaking that has gone on with a number of photos, videos, documents and such like, I would not be surprised if the Calvin photos turned up in the United States and, not the United Kingdom. You heard it here first. That's right. Someone in the sky's exclusive. Stories like that is why Nick is definitely going to stay the co-host of the basement office. That's awesome. I love that. Well, right now, I am staring into the eyes of a wolf on the background here at the basement office. So kind of wrapping things up here, guys. I know you've been filming

Starting point is 00:18:57 all day. So thank you for being so gracious with your time. But I got to ask, this new book came out, Skinwalkers at the Pentagon, we are now learning again that maybe some of the mainstream media got things wrong at the very beginning in 2017. And we're learning that this ATIP program was working on pennies while, you know, this bigger program happening at Skinwalker Ranch was the actual program to get the somewhat $22 million. So I got to ask, what do you guys think of everything going on with Skinwalker Ranch. Will it play a role in this unraveling of truths or disclosures in 2022? And yeah, what do you make of all that?

Starting point is 00:19:44 Anyone who wants to take that? I, uh, the answer is yes. I love it. The answer is yes to all of the above. And it does play a major role. And, you know, that, funny enough, that book came out in the, towards the end of my journey. My journey where I had turned around, like I said previously, and I was following the breadcrumbs backwards. What was the first breadcrumb? What was the first domino? Who pushed it? Who

Starting point is 00:20:15 dropped it? How did it end up there? That was my interest. How did we get to where we are, to where the Gillibrand Amendment exists? You know, that is just another domino. Let's go back to the beginning and let's look at this fresh again and you know I think right on cue skin walkers at the pentagon came out you know because that that's something that happened a while ago details we hadn't heard about and you can take one change one detail about an object and it can look completely different you can remove one thing from something and it can take on a whole new picture and I think that's the theme of this season Nick anything to add about Skin Rockers at the Pentagon?

Starting point is 00:21:01 It's a fascinating book. It's an important book. And clearly there are, I'll say this politely, rival narratives at play. So a very short answer from me to this, following my previous rather lengthy ones, things are murky, and things are not necessarily what they appear to be.

Starting point is 00:21:26 Welcome to Uphology. Well, last question. guys. Any last words from you guys about what's to come in 2022, whether with the basement office or just the UFO conversation overall? What do you want to leave our listeners looking forward to, I guess, moving forward here? I think one of the messages I would leave with is one that I've delivered a few times the last few months, which is question everything. It's okay to question everything. Be worried if you're comfortable.

Starting point is 00:22:05 Be worried if you trust someone. In something like this where it is obvious that the intelligence community has had played a role, a strong role for decades, and we should never feel comfortable that we know what's going on or that we're being led in the right direction. And I want to challenge people.

Starting point is 00:22:27 I have challenge people. I have challenged people and I may lose every single fan of the basement office. I am risking that by doing season three. And I'm willing to do that because I think it's important. I think it's important that people stay wary of what's going on. And I will share one analogy that I share in season three. If you are a boat in the ocean on a destination to say the truth, and that boat is just one degree.

Starting point is 00:22:59 One degree off course, after many days and years. It's going to be so far away from its original destination. It won't even see it in the horizon. And I guess this season of basement office, I'm readjusting the boat. Any last words, Nick? Well, I think as Stephen said, there has been, how shall I put this, some dramatic tension between us. in this season three that maybe wasn't there certainly to this extent in seasons one or season two.

Starting point is 00:23:34 And I think in one sense, it would be a very boring world if everyone agreed with each other all the time. And what you will not necessarily see in season three is Stephen and I nodding and agreeing on absolutely everything. There are some differences. but what I would leave your listeners with is this. Wherever we end up with this, with season three of the basement office, but with the wider story that is now unfolding, expect the unexpected,

Starting point is 00:24:12 don't be afraid to say at any point, if the data are pointing that way, I was wrong. You know, it's okay to change your mind about something. thing. And wherever we end up, we are living in exciting times and there have been developments on this topic, which I think four years ago would have been inconceivable. And people say, is there more to come? Well, the best indication of what's going to happen in the future is what's happened in the recent past. So yes, I confidently predict there is more to come.

Starting point is 00:24:52 is an understatement. I'm excited, guys. When and where, if you can share, will we be able to see the basement office season three? That may be classified. That may be classified, Nick. Classified for now. Yeah. Stephen Green Street, Nick Pope, thank you so much for your time today, and for allowing me into the basement office. I feel like I'm part of the club now. Yeah. You're welcome. That was good to talk to you. Somewhere in the Skies is produced by Third Kind Productions, in association with the Entertainment One Podcast Network. Enjoy more ways to save at Ralph's, like low prices in every aisle.

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Somewhere in the Skies - Inside the Basement Office with Steven Greenstreet and Nick Pope

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