Crashes, Archives, and Secrets with Leslie Kean
Investigative journalist Leslie Kean joins Peter Skafish on the Sol Forum for an in-depth conversation on how today’s UAP “disclosure era” was built over decades of quiet work in government, media, and civil society. Kean traces a path from the French COMETA report and early coverage in the Boston Globe to years of engagement with foreign UAP offices, John Podesta’s FOIA push, and a landmark lawsuit against NASA over the Kecksburg crash case, and more.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:39 From the 2017 New York Times scoop to the 2025 House UAP hearing
3:00 Why there are so few trustworthy UFO photos and videos
7:11 Have insiders shown Leslie secret UAP imagery?
9:04 The COMETA report and how France pulled her into UFO journalism
15:34 United States denial vs foreign government openness on UAP
19:05 Inside Chile’s official UAP office and how it worked
22:50 John Podesta, FOIA reform, and trying to wake up Washington
24:49 Sci-Fi Channel, NASA, and choosing Kecksburg for a FOIA test case
34:00 Briefings at the Center for American Progress and a visit to the Obama White House
40:08 Why Kecksburg looks like a true crash retrieval: witnesses, object, and missing files
56:26 Ruling out Soviet satellites and conventional space junk
59:19 Meeting David Grusch and deciding to break his story in print
1:03:10 Why she trusted Grusch: IG findings, corroboration, and DOPSR review
1:08:22 The Wilson memo, Will Miller, and early signs of hidden UAP programs
1:11:07 When Leslie became convinced that deep UAP secrecy was real
1:12:58 FOIA documents that quietly acknowledged “classic” UFO cases
1:15:01 The Bolender memo and why UFO reporting never really stopped
1:16:32 Harry Reid, ATIP/AASWAP, and efforts to access alleged crash materials
1:26:04 How Harry Reid unlocked the 2017 New York Times story
1:28:19 Why deep, slow investigative work still matters in the UAP media storm
1:35:28 Future work: experiencers, consciousness, and a play about disclosure
1:40:01 Closing remarks, Sol Foundation membership, and the Italy symposium
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/q8Y3uDBB24k?si=aAjP0EoOTgu0Nny9