Sen. Harry Reid — interview with George Knapp (Mystery Wire), Apr 27, 2021
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/H304ZTKqhjE
- Extraction: youtube_transcript.py (timestamps), 2026-05-28
- Significance: Later Reid interview. Primary for reid-aatip-architect.
[00:00:04.480] uh i want to know how you’re feeling how [00:00:06.160] you doing [00:00:06.879] you know you you recall i’m feeling very [00:00:09.840] well [00:00:10.160] i uh still go undergoing treatment which [00:00:13.679] i probably will for a [00:00:14.880] long time but uh on the day i [00:00:18.800] go to l.a every wednesday for my [00:00:20.640] treatment from dr [00:00:21.840] sunshine and uh when they [00:00:24.880] give me the chemo it makes me sick for a [00:00:26.640] few days [00:00:28.000] uh but they don’t give it to me every [00:00:29.519] week so [00:00:31.039] frankly i’m doing quite well i’m able to [00:00:33.920] four or five days a week i [00:00:35.280] exercise quite hard walk outside [00:00:38.320] um i have to use my cane but i still [00:00:41.840] could [00:00:42.879] fairly mobile so i’m doing okay [00:00:47.920] georgie you always remember i told you [00:00:50.480] this before [00:00:51.360] you play the cards you’re dealt [00:00:54.960] i remember there was a uh in particular [00:00:57.280] a media [00:00:58.399] person who uh predicted dire [00:01:00.960] consequences for you [00:01:02.480] it must be nice to kind of stick them in [00:01:04.239] the eye and still be around [00:01:06.159] that was several years ago now yeah yeah [00:01:09.119] he interviewed me [00:01:10.159] new york times i i know they’re during [00:01:12.560] 2020 [00:01:13.520] that a lot of people were coming to see [00:01:15.520] you for political advice [00:01:17.600] all the presidential candidates made a [00:01:19.439] stop bent your ear [00:01:21.680] do you still have a role like that with [00:01:23.520] the democratic party are you uh someone [00:01:26.320] whose advice they seek out [00:01:30.960] well they i i have the good fortune of [00:01:33.439] being able to talk to [00:01:36.079] my friends in washington um [00:01:40.240] i’m in touch with the biden folks quite [00:01:43.360] often [00:01:44.560] steve roshetti or ron claim uh i haven’t [00:01:47.759] talked to the president for [00:01:49.680] oh it’s probably been at least six weeks [00:01:52.000] but i stay in touch with them [00:01:53.680] and you say do they seek my advice [00:01:57.840] well sometimes i give them my advice [00:01:59.920] they’re not seeking [00:02:03.360] uh i was wondering about joe biden has [00:02:05.280] been a friend of yours for a long time [00:02:06.799] you were a majority leader [00:02:08.000] when he was in the senate and um you [00:02:10.160] know he sort of [00:02:11.280] took uh took your guidance i mean he [00:02:13.680] followed your lead on [00:02:14.800] a lot of things i wonder if you’ve [00:02:16.959] thought about whether [00:02:18.400] he is ready to hear about the topic [00:02:21.440] we’re going to discuss today the one [00:02:22.959] we’ve talked about for so long [00:02:24.560] or does he have too much else on his [00:02:26.239] plate [00:02:27.680] you know joe biden is uh [00:02:31.920] just a really a fine guy just [00:02:35.680] somebody that you’re comfortable with he [00:02:38.959] has had some tough times in his life you [00:02:40.879] know when he was a [00:02:42.720] boy he stammered he could couldn’t talk [00:02:46.400] and uh as a teenager he had a lot of [00:02:50.640] people who made fun of him and he became [00:02:53.920] known as shoe leather [00:02:55.519] he got so many fights that he was as [00:02:57.760] tough as shoe ever [00:02:59.280] so joe biden in addition to losing his [00:03:02.480] wife and daughter after being elected [00:03:04.000] to the senate had his his boy had [00:03:07.040] brain cancer and died so he’s been [00:03:08.879] through a great deal [00:03:10.319] and he’s a person i admire [00:03:13.599] and he is doing a good job as president [00:03:17.920] he’s [00:03:19.680] going big on almost everything he does [00:03:21.680] which we haven’t had that in a long time [00:03:25.040] do you uh anticipate him getting a [00:03:27.519] briefing on the [00:03:28.879] ufo uap topic at some point or is it too [00:03:31.680] early in his presidency [00:03:32.959] i think it’s a little early but i have [00:03:34.640] no problem [00:03:36.239] talking to a shetty or claim and telling [00:03:38.959] them that he should get a briefing [00:03:40.560] because [00:03:41.280] i don’t want him to be embarrassed at a [00:03:43.519] press conference or something [00:03:45.040] and he said no i don’t know anything [00:03:46.239] about that i think he should at least [00:03:48.080] have the ability to say i’ve [00:03:49.599] been briefed on the subject and i have [00:03:50.959] no opinion or whatever he wants to say [00:03:53.040] but yes i think that the the [00:03:56.480] topic of ufos it’s not going away [00:04:00.000] it’s becoming more pronounced for a lot [00:04:03.040] of different reasons so he can’t [00:04:05.120] ignore the subject even if he wanted to [00:04:08.000] you know this wave of media coverage [00:04:10.080] we’ve been part of it but there’s [00:04:11.439] stories [00:04:12.239] everywhere on the subject matter on [00:04:14.720] major news organizations who would never [00:04:16.959] give at the time of day for [00:04:18.479] a long time do you have uh pride in how [00:04:21.040] it’s developed because of the [00:04:22.320] the key role that you played in this [00:04:23.840] happening i don’t [00:04:25.600] like to be proud of things that sounds [00:04:28.400] arrogant [00:04:29.360] but i have no doubt that one of the [00:04:32.240] things that i feel [00:04:33.759] comfortable with and glad i worked on is [00:04:36.960] this ufo thing [00:04:38.639] it was something that um had been [00:04:41.360] ignored [00:04:42.800] and my staff told me to stay the hell [00:04:46.639] away from [00:04:47.440] this it’s not going to do you any good [00:04:49.680] but it was something that to me [00:04:51.120] that stirred my curiosity and i’ve [00:04:54.639] i’ve i have so much enjoyed uh [00:04:58.240] learning more about something that [00:05:00.400] people really care about [00:05:02.479] and i have to say that [00:05:05.840] as a result of the money that i got with [00:05:09.360] the help of senator stevens in in a way [00:05:11.840] some 22 million dollars of federal money [00:05:14.800] we were able to [00:05:16.240] prove that not a dozen people [00:05:19.280] seen these ufos not a hundred [00:05:22.720] but thousands so yes i feel good that i [00:05:27.440] laid that out so it cannot be ignored [00:05:29.759] anymore [00:05:30.960] you know what i worry about there’s so [00:05:32.560] much news on this [00:05:34.000] i mean there was a news conference this [00:05:35.840] week with lou elizondo new york times [00:05:38.240] washington post nbc news they’re all [00:05:40.320] there there are stories [00:05:42.000] everywhere i worry about ufo overkill [00:05:45.280] whether it’s too much and people get [00:05:46.880] sick of reading about it [00:05:48.000] are you able to keep up with it all i [00:05:50.639] don’t know if i keep up with it all [00:05:52.639] but uh i keep up with it i think that [00:05:56.400] lou has been done an excellent job uh [00:05:59.680] in spite of all the naysayers who [00:06:03.199] say he never worked for the government [00:06:04.639] and he’s just a total [00:06:06.400] phony lou has always kept us cool [00:06:09.680] and uh i think it’s added a great deal [00:06:12.319] to the conversation [00:06:14.319] i i learned that you have written sort [00:06:17.039] of an op-ed piece for the new york times [00:06:19.039] i i don’t know if we are [00:06:20.800] can talk about it now or when it’s going [00:06:22.400] to be out but what did you want to say [00:06:24.319] what do you want to say in the new york [00:06:25.680] times well i’ve said it already [00:06:28.479] they have it it’s up to them when [00:06:29.759] they’re gonna when they’re gonna run it [00:06:32.720] basically what i’ve done is indicated [00:06:35.039] that [00:06:36.400] i’ve been involved in this i told him [00:06:38.880] how i got involved in it [00:06:40.880] and that uh it’s something that [00:06:44.080] can’t be ignored and i’m happy that [00:06:46.479] we’re making progress [00:06:48.000] the federal government no longer [00:06:50.639] including people at the pentagon no [00:06:52.240] longer [00:06:53.599] criticize or harass [00:06:57.120] or stop promotions of people who report [00:07:00.000] these occurrences [00:07:01.120] in fact they have done just the opposite [00:07:04.400] in recent months [00:07:05.599] they now tell their pilots those and [00:07:08.560] they [00:07:09.680] see uh to report these unusual [00:07:12.960] circumstances and [00:07:14.560] i appreciated the honesty of the [00:07:16.560] pentagon [00:07:17.680] because when asked what were these [00:07:20.639] things they say we don’t know [00:07:24.080] rather than try to say they were [00:07:25.199] balloons from some kind of a [00:07:27.599] weather experiment they said we don’t [00:07:30.000] know [00:07:30.960] and that’s honest that’s because [00:07:34.880] after i’ve covered this for 30 years i [00:07:37.120] am [00:07:38.000] astonished by the change in the attitude [00:07:41.120] of the media [00:07:42.160] and congress about the legitimacy of [00:07:44.720] this issue the [00:07:45.599] uap task force was created by congress [00:07:48.720] last year [00:07:49.599] they’re they’re due to present a report [00:07:52.000] to congress by june [00:07:53.840] give me your take on that because it [00:07:55.440] seems to me that that is your baby [00:07:57.199] whether you want to take credit for it [00:07:58.800] or not it’s a direct outgrowth of your [00:08:00.479] programs [00:08:01.599] i don’t see how we can [00:08:05.759] lose anything by this report i hope it’s [00:08:09.759] substantial i hope they don’t run from [00:08:12.080] the subject [00:08:13.360] but you know we have senator warner from [00:08:15.680] virginia a very conservative democrat [00:08:18.080] who is speaking out on this we have [00:08:21.120] marco rubio from florida who by the way [00:08:23.520] was raised in las vegas [00:08:25.039] who’s speaking out on this issue so i [00:08:27.440] think that the conversation is good [00:08:29.599] and the other thing that i think is [00:08:30.960] important is that [00:08:35.839] we now have better equipment pilots from [00:08:39.120] the airplanes with their cell phones [00:08:41.039] taking some dramatic pictures [00:08:45.120] the idea that marco rubio and mark [00:08:47.519] warner [00:08:48.959] on the intelligence committee could [00:08:50.480] agree enough to [00:08:52.240] authorize this task force is sort of [00:08:55.040] astonishing in itself and that the [00:08:57.120] republicans and democrats can agree on [00:08:59.200] anything [00:09:00.800] agree yeah washington is not we [00:09:04.800] many times we look at washington as a [00:09:07.760] tribal society [00:09:09.440] and so to have rubio and warren working [00:09:12.560] to get werner working together on this [00:09:14.320] is [00:09:14.959] really remarkable i’m proud of both of [00:09:17.600] them [00:09:18.640] you know warner well i mean you worked [00:09:20.640] with him for a long time uh [00:09:22.640] i don’t know if this is a private matter [00:09:24.560] but are you able to call him and talk to [00:09:26.800] him about the issue yes i [00:09:28.160] yes i have the opportunity to do that [00:09:32.080] and [00:09:32.720] i’m gonna talk to him not until next [00:09:34.480] week though [00:09:36.560] you know the idea of a uap task force [00:09:39.600] sounds like an interim uh project [00:09:42.160] they’ve ran into some roadblocks [00:09:44.480] from agencies that don’t want to give up [00:09:46.320] the information you ran into that [00:09:48.320] yourself when you tried to [00:09:50.080] turn atip into a special access program [00:09:53.680] you know you would have to be a [00:09:55.200] contortionist to be able to [00:09:58.080] withstand all of the different uh [00:10:00.640] obstacles like [00:10:01.680] placing your it’s uh remarkable that [00:10:07.279] they are preventing the american public [00:10:09.680] from knowing more [00:10:11.680] what do you suppose the reason is is it [00:10:13.519] a multitude of reasons why they would [00:10:15.360] still resist coughing up [00:10:16.959] the keepers of the secrets why they’d [00:10:18.640] still want to keep them secret [00:10:22.480] i think it’s uh you have to understand [00:10:25.519] in government [00:10:26.640] if it hasn’t been done before we’re not [00:10:28.240] going to do it and i think that’s the [00:10:29.680] biggest problem right there [00:10:31.279] that that it has it’s been a [00:10:35.360] subject that is uh [00:10:39.839] tabooed oh that’s the right word but [00:10:42.240] they it’s a [00:10:44.320] topic that people don’t want to talk [00:10:46.399] about [00:10:47.360] and government does their best to keep [00:10:50.560] the public from being [00:10:53.279] advised as what’s going on and i think [00:10:55.519] that’s improper [00:10:58.079] i found a video clip from november 1989 [00:11:01.839] where a brown-haired george knapp is [00:11:04.160] talking to a young harry reid [00:11:06.240] about ufos in a live interview you were [00:11:09.440] already out way out in front on that but [00:11:11.680] could you imagine [00:11:13.680] all these years later where it would [00:11:15.440] lead and how much change would take [00:11:17.440] place [00:11:18.000] uh regarding this topic george i blame [00:11:20.640] you [00:11:21.120] totally for all the time i’ve had to [00:11:23.360] spend on the subject [00:11:24.720] but it’s but it is because of you that i [00:11:28.399] first was uh directed to look into this [00:11:32.720] uh and i can still remember the meeting [00:11:35.680] i walked into a big conference room and [00:11:38.240] there were lots of academics and [00:11:40.720] interested people in a few [00:11:42.079] oddballs but it was uh stimulating to me [00:11:46.240] and the subject is still very very [00:11:48.399] interesting to me [00:11:49.600] i think that it’s a [00:11:55.360] a subject that um [00:11:58.720] if a person’s curious you need to look [00:12:01.040] into it [00:12:02.000] uh you know there are books written now [00:12:04.959] about um [00:12:06.399] the subject i read the one by uh [00:12:12.000] what sex uh avi loeb the harvard [00:12:15.680] astronomer yeah [00:12:19.040] he’s a astral physicist from harvard [00:12:22.480] and it’s interesting book he bases that [00:12:24.320] whole book on one [00:12:26.880] uh message that he believes came from [00:12:29.360] outer space [00:12:30.880] very very interesting and uh [00:12:34.399] there are others that are done good work [00:12:37.279] on this leslie keenan new york times has [00:12:39.440] done [00:12:40.000] remarkably good work on this on other [00:12:42.240] subjects [00:12:43.200] so it’s a area that is a [00:12:48.160] of interest to the american public uh [00:12:52.399] and you know it’s a you can [00:12:55.760] be someone who is uh [00:12:59.519] kind of a person who thinks some kind of [00:13:02.639] a [00:13:05.680] enter worlds conspiracy is taking place [00:13:08.720] or you can listen to the people who are [00:13:10.240] trying to do everything they can [00:13:12.399] about science whichever field you’re in [00:13:16.720] uh more power to you i think it’s good [00:13:19.519] i’m glad [00:13:20.079] to read both and listen to both the [00:13:24.000] views of course we’ve been able to do [00:13:27.279] some stories and [00:13:28.399] share with the public some really [00:13:29.839] interesting images it seems like [00:13:31.920] the visitors the people flying this [00:13:34.480] technology [00:13:35.360] have picked up the pace they’ve made [00:13:37.519] very dramatic demonstrations [00:13:39.279] that says hey look at us we’re here [00:13:41.440] three photos how do you like how do you [00:13:43.120] like the [00:13:44.160] pyramids floating around well i want to [00:13:46.240] ask you what did you think about that [00:13:47.680] they [00:13:48.079] go right into the ocean and they don’t [00:13:49.839] there’s nothing there [00:13:51.839] what did you think when you saw that [00:13:53.199] flying pyramid video the first time [00:13:58.240] i just thought to myself oh this is [00:14:00.639] something new [00:14:02.399] yeah i mean it almost looks preposterous [00:14:06.320] and then how outrageous it’s certainly [00:14:08.000] not aerodynamic that design goes right [00:14:10.720] and they go right into the ocean [00:14:14.560] let’s say the uh science comes up with [00:14:17.839] pieces of material that’s not from here [00:14:20.320] or a craft [00:14:21.519] or a being or something irrefutable that [00:14:25.519] demonstrates that this is somebody else [00:14:27.760] it’s from somewhere else how do you [00:14:29.600] think the american public will react can [00:14:31.519] we handle it [00:14:32.959] i don’t know how the public will react [00:14:35.519] but i think as long as we [00:14:37.199] understand that [00:14:40.880] we need to make sure that we are [00:14:43.199] scientifically [00:14:44.000] driven that uh we’re gonna be okay [00:14:47.839] and if it’s coming from places we don’t [00:14:50.320] understand that’s still okay [00:14:52.079] as long as we understand that there is [00:14:54.320] stuff coming from other places [00:14:56.720] i i have no i have no problem whatsoever [00:14:59.519] with that [00:15:01.360] you know we’ve seen these uh reports and [00:15:03.600] documents that we’ve obtained and photos [00:15:06.160] uh and information from the navy about [00:15:09.519] these drones that they call them drones [00:15:11.839] as sort of a generic term [00:15:13.680] buzzing their ships and they don’t know [00:15:15.440] where they came from they can’t track [00:15:17.040] them [00:15:17.680] they’re coming in swarms swarms like [00:15:20.320] bees like [00:15:21.440] uh insects so many of them [00:15:25.279] i mean we have to assume and we have to [00:15:27.760] at least keep our minds open to where [00:15:29.440] they’re from [00:15:30.399] the idea that china has made advances in [00:15:33.199] their drone technology [00:15:35.120] i don’t know if it’s scarier that it’s [00:15:36.720] an unknown or if it’s scarier that our [00:15:39.279] adversaries [00:15:40.000] have made great strides in technology [00:15:42.560] and always remember [00:15:44.959] russia the former soviet union is run by [00:15:48.560] a man [00:15:49.519] who ran the kgb they had as many as 30 [00:15:53.600] 000 agents at one time kpg kgb [00:15:56.720] agents so russia’s involved in this [00:16:00.639] no question about it [00:16:03.680] the uap task force uh is going to give [00:16:06.160] its report to congress and maybe do a [00:16:08.079] follow-up report [00:16:09.759] but that a lot of people think that’s [00:16:12.000] not enough do you [00:16:14.079] feel that there should be support for a [00:16:16.480] more permanent [00:16:17.920] study of this some kind of an [00:16:19.440] organization like what you started a [00:16:21.519] long time ago [00:16:22.560] that has an ongoing responsibility for [00:16:24.639] figuring this out [00:16:26.079] yes the federal government spends [00:16:28.480] trillions of dollars [00:16:29.680] every year and i believe that there [00:16:32.320] should be an ongoing [00:16:37.360] entity within the pentagon would be the [00:16:39.680] best place for it [00:16:41.120] whose sole job is to stay on top of the [00:16:44.480] issue of [00:16:45.680] ufos a long time ago when we had a [00:16:50.000] conversation after that new york times [00:16:51.839] story came out [00:16:52.959] you were sort of surprised by your phone [00:16:55.600] ringing off the hook with calls from [00:16:57.279] your colleagues [00:16:58.560] uh who were unaware that this had gone [00:17:00.639] on and were really interested [00:17:02.320] now it’s expanded further the media is [00:17:04.559] covering it congress is willing to [00:17:06.160] investigate [00:17:07.120] the military is cooperating um i know [00:17:10.400] that you were not [00:17:11.280] entirely comfortable with the idea in [00:17:13.360] the beginning that this would be part of [00:17:14.880] your legacy [00:17:15.679] but it is it is part of your legacy [00:17:17.600] georgia i believe that [00:17:20.000] one of the uh [00:17:23.600] entities that we don’t give enough [00:17:25.280] credit [00:17:27.120] in general is the press [00:17:30.240] the press is the reason that we are [00:17:32.320] where we are [00:17:33.280] in regard to ufos the press when i got [00:17:36.160] that call from helene cooper at the new [00:17:38.000] york times [00:17:39.360] um i [00:17:42.640] told her that if you want to talk about [00:17:44.160] little green men i’m not going to talk [00:17:45.600] to you [00:17:46.160] but if you want to talk about science i [00:17:48.240] will talk to you [00:17:49.520] that was the beginning of learning more [00:17:52.480] about the subject [00:17:54.000] the press we don’t give the press credit [00:17:57.039] for [00:17:57.520] much of what takes place in our country [00:17:59.760] the press is a [00:18:01.520] donald trump and others have called it [00:18:04.160] you know [00:18:05.039] fake news and all that kind of stuff but [00:18:07.200] we as american [00:18:09.120] american society are so much better off [00:18:12.240] because the strength of the press in [00:18:14.320] america today [00:18:15.440] and anything that goes in hurting the [00:18:18.720] press [00:18:19.440] is something that is not good for our [00:18:20.880] country during the time i was [00:18:23.679] in politics i had the help kicked out of [00:18:27.520] me lots [00:18:28.000] of times by the press but i never ever [00:18:31.440] ever denigrated the press [00:18:34.480] because i do believe that america is as [00:18:38.240] good a country as it is because of [00:18:40.160] freedom of the press [00:18:42.799] you have said many times that look i [00:18:45.200] want to separate this [00:18:47.200] investigation from the idea of little [00:18:49.679] green men [00:18:50.400] because you have to you have to keep it [00:18:52.240] straight and narrow you can’t assume [00:18:54.000] that these are aliens from another [00:18:56.160] dimension or from other planets [00:18:58.480] but the fact is that we don’t know yet [00:19:00.640] and um you [00:19:02.080] the idea of little green men is [00:19:03.600] something that you’re at least open to [00:19:06.240] down the road i’m open to anything that [00:19:10.000] uh is enlightening to the american [00:19:13.520] people [00:19:14.400] i think that if you are [00:19:17.760] fixed in saying that uh [00:19:21.760] there’s nothing that none of this [00:19:25.120] that lil brice about coming from [00:19:28.320] someplace else is valid you’re making a [00:19:30.880] mistake [00:19:31.840] because you better just say let’s wait [00:19:34.799] and see [00:19:35.520] and that’s what i’m doing i’m waiting [00:19:37.520] and looking and saying [00:19:38.880] and i’m not cutting anything off [00:19:42.080] well senator i i’d like to say thank you [00:19:44.480] uh from [00:19:45.520] the whole world for your work in kicking [00:19:48.160] this off [00:19:48.799] and all the changes that have been [00:19:50.559] wrought since you [00:19:52.000] initiated that first program and study i [00:19:54.799] mean this is your baby whether you like [00:19:56.400] it or not [00:19:57.360] well you know um as i said my [00:20:01.600] staff press told me stay the hell away [00:20:04.159] from it [00:20:05.280] uh but it [00:20:08.559] it didn’t hurt me i you know i can here [00:20:10.240] in vegas i’ll go into an elevator or [00:20:12.720] someone will see me are you harry reid [00:20:14.240] yes thank you very much and they’ll use [00:20:16.640] you say for your work on flying saucers [00:20:19.120] so people are aware that we’ve been [00:20:21.280] doing things on the subject [00:20:23.039] of interest to the american people i’m [00:20:25.200] going to continue doing that [00:20:28.080] and i’m not going to be [00:20:31.760] repressed by people saying why the hell [00:20:33.760] would you spend your [00:20:34.799] time on something important i think this [00:20:37.200] is important [00:20:39.280] last question what if it’s never [00:20:41.520] resolved what if we never get an answer [00:20:43.520] to it we still have to try i guess but i [00:20:45.600] mean this is this mystery [00:20:47.120] never never is a long time yeah so i [00:20:50.240] don’t accept that [00:20:52.159] senator reid always great to talk to you [00:20:53.600] glad you’re feeling well