U.S.

Congressional Staffers Sharon Kim, Alex Brandt, Alex

Dinos, and Corinne Bass

R EC O M M EN D ATIO N S FO R
A LIEN C O N TA C T

Presentation O utline
Alien Encounter on Earth
History of U.S. Alien Contact
Friend or Foe
First Contact
Proposed Plan
Military Response

Alien Discovery in Space

Spectrum of Scenarios
Initial Assessment
Friendly
Hostile
Proposed Plan

Effects of an Alien Encounter

Mass Panic
Economic
Religious
Political

Alien Encounter on Earth

Alien Contact in U .S.

Roswell Incident, July 1947
Strange metal debris discovered in the New Mexico

desert, humanoid alien bodies recovered from a second

site
After investigation, the Army said the debris was from a
downed balloon
1970s: New witness testimony suggested government
cover-up
1994 & 1997: Air Force releases 2 reports explaining the
incident
Government cover-up is superficially plausible (Davies)
But what do we do if aliens really come to Earth?

http://www.cufos.org/airforce.htm

Friend or Foe?
If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as

when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which

didnt turn out very well for the Native AmericansSuch
advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to
conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach.
-Stephen Hawking

Aliens might:
Look and behave like us
Have evolved in a Darwinian fashion, competing for resources
Be artificially intelligent or synthetic

Is there reason to be optimistic?

Aliens might have advanced past the

point of violence
Opportunities for exchange of
knowledge/technology

Friendly Encounters in Pop

Culture

H ostile Encounters in Pop

Culture

First Contact
Well know of an E.T.

presence before it even

enters Earths
atmosphere
SETI Institute uses radio
telescopes to sweep
space for any alien
signals
Post-Detection Taskgroup
Stipulate the procedure

immediately following first

contact
Notify authorities (U.S.
government, UN, etc.)

First Contact
Depending on the scale,

wed like to estimate the

aliens landing site(s)
A single landing site for

one small craft might be

easily contained or
investigated
Projected landings at
every major city on Earth
would automatically be
deemed a threat

Do not immediately

attack, but presume

theyre dangerous

Proposed plan CO PU O S
1. Conduct consultations open to all interested States on what

to say
2. UN General Assembly should ultimately decide
3. Messages should be on behalf of all Humankind
4. Should have a long-term institutional framework for

communications
5. No communication to ETI should be sent by any State until

appropriate international consultations have taken place.

6. States should draw on the expertise of scientists, scholars,

and others with relevant knowledge

http://www.setileague.org/iaaseti/reply.htm

Proposed Plan
Does the alien life form pose an

immediate threat to humanity?

Have our peoples initial actions posed a
threat to alien life that could trigger
conflict?
Self-preserving measures should be
taken first if either of these questions
ring true:
Evacuate civilians near the alien threat
If attack is in the US, prepare emergency

military response team

If attack is outside the US, retreat military
occupancy to major cities and prepare to
aide allies if need be

Important to note that a global military

plan of action will most likely be

necessary to overcome a large scale
invasion

M ilitary Response
U.S. Air Force is the

most equipped to
handle an alien threat
Most powerful gun in
the world might be our
best land option:
http://natgeotv.com/uk/al

ien-invasion/videos/mostpowerful-gun-in-the

Nuclear weapons

should only be used as

an absolutely last resort

Spectrum ofPossible Scenarios for

Encountering Alien Life in Space

Evidence of
past life
found on
another
planet

Radio
signal

Satellite or
probe

Fleet of
ships

Full-blown
Earth-like
civilization on
another
planet

Hostile Alien Encounters in Space:

While our search for life on other planets
continues, we must address the
possibilities of what we might encounter.
As Ridley
Scott's Alien
franchise
considers, an
unprepared
encounter
with hostile
alien life
could be
fatal.

Proposed Plan of Interaction:

Step 1: Attempt Contact

Even if the first interaction is hostile, an
attempt at contact should be made. If
communication is possible, then there is a
chance of peaceful negotiation.
The nation's top computer programmers,
linguists, translators, and psychologists
should be employed in the attempt at
communication. Keep in mind that an alien
species may have different sensory organs
than humans, so communication might not be
auditory/visual.

What Do They Want?

Step 2: Positive Negotiation
If communication is possible, the aliens'
reason for attack/desired outcome should
be discussed.
- If information is desired, we should
proceed with caution and agree to trade
scientific knowledge.
- If resources are desired, we should
proceed with caution and discuss the
possibilities of trade. If an advantageous
trade can be made, we could improve the
safety of our planet/quality of life

Step 2a: Negative Negotiation

- If
colonization is
desired, we
should decline
and proceed to
step 3.
- If slavery is
desired, we
should decline
and proceed to
step 3.

Step 3: Counter-Attack
If communication is possible but peaceful
negotiation is not, we should inform the
opposing force that we intend to defend
our planet and its occupants by whatever
means necessary. If a surrender is not
offered, we should attack.
- If the offending party is a fleet far from
its home planet, we should eliminate the
immediate threat and research the
possibility of a future second fleet.
- If the offending party is near its home
planet, we should attempt to research the
planet/species as a whole.

Step 4: If Communication is Not Possible

If the alien species is unable/unwilling to
communicate and continues to attack, we
should launch a counter-attack
Counter-Attack: A committee should be
formed - not just military leaders but also
biologists, behaviorists, psychologists,
astrophysicists - anyone that could help us
understand.

Considerations:
Even if direct communication is
not possible, we may be able to
gather information that could
gain us an advantage. We should
aim to detect:
- Where they came from
- How they communicate
- Physical weaknesses
- Social
organization/leadership
- Weaponry
- Transportation/energy
sources used

InitialAssessm ent ofFriendly Aliens

Initial assessment must be that they are

hostilewe proceed with caution.

Deliver some sort of generic, pre-recorded
message/sound waves/morse code and wait
for a response
Regardless of the response, we must decide if
its worth it to take a chance and see how the
first man-alien interaction pans out.

InitialAssessm ent ofFriendly Aliens

Space explorers should be

required to sign some type of

document stating whether or
not they would agree to
approach intelligent life forms
if the chance came up during a
mission.
There will definitely be many
enthusiastic volunteers for first
contact after sighting.
Assuming aliens are friendly
after initial contact, we
proceed to negotiate with their
kind.
If they are interested in
working with us, we follow
through with one of the
following plans...

Proposed Plan
Plan 1: Integration
Take a few aliens back to

our planet and integrate

them into Earth life without
the public knowing.
Negotiate an agreement
with the aliens to further
integrate if mission is
successful
Otherwise, return them to
homeworld
If we come to an agreement
with the aliens, we then take
several careful measures to
inform the public.

Proposed Plan
Plan 2: Prior Public

Knowledge
Return after the alien
sighting without any of the
new life forms
Inform the public that there
exists intelligent life in
other parts of the universe
We would take further
action depending on the
decision/agreement we
created with national
security and the
government.

Plan 3: Post Public

Knowledge

Same as plan 2 except our

government takes action

Proposed Plan
Plan 4: Test and Return
Friendly life forms are
benevolent and agree to some
tests and interviews (if
possible)
Perform on Earth or in space
depending on technology
Important to maintain peaceful
relationship despite findings
We analyze the results and
findings and determine if there
are any other measures we
may need to take or what we
can do in the future regarding
this newly found alien life.

Things to N ote

We can never be absolutely

positive of whether any alien
encounters will be friendly

Do benefits (potentially
beneficial relationship with the
aliens) outweigh the costs
(deceit that may potentially
result in harmful interaction)?

Difficult to prove aliens are

friendly to public because of
portrayal in the media
Better off keeping the public
uninformed for some time

In this case only the U.S. would

know of Extra Terrestrial life,
should other countries
government agencies be
informed?

Friendly interaction can prove to be very productive for the

country and even the world.

If aliens are able to mold themselves into our society, they

can be a part of the work force and be beneficial to the
economy.

They can also help us advance in space exploration and

many other aspects of society.

Not to mention they can give us hints about what else is out
there in the universe.

Eff
ects ofan Alien Encounter

M ass Panic
Initial shock will

likely be
replaced by a
united front
Examples:
Pearl Harbor
9/11

Humanity

possesses
survival instinct

M ass Panic
In situations like a nuclear emergency, the

FBI is put in charge of public health, safety,

and information; how they will manage an
alien threat is anybodys guess
An official response should be made as
soon as possible to prepare citizens and
avoid mass panic/media frenzy
Give the public enough information to ensure

their safety, but not cause rioting and hysteria

What you dont want the public to see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czy4RjcrpFM

Econom ic Eff
ects
Paul Krugman, an

economics professor at
Princeton, thinks another
world war or alien invasion
might actually be good for
the economy:
Initially, huge negative shock
GDP will then grow by an

unprecedented quantity as
the entire world gears for war
World War II and the Great
Depression on a worldwide
scale
Unemployment falls and
inflation take a backseat to
economic growth

W hat about religion?

Christianity most challenged by the concept of ET beings

But a survey of 1,135 people of several faiths showed that

alien life wouldnt disrupt their core beliefs
Contact with extraterrestrial intelligence will expand
the existing religious vision
-Ted Peters, Lutheran theologian

Popes astronomer: "Any entityno matter how many

tentacles it hashas a soul." Would he baptize an alien?
"Only if they asked.

Davies (2010) believes any theology with an insistence on

human uniqueness is doomed, but religion is adaptable

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/10/earth-close-encounter-aliens-extraterrestrials
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/sep/17/pope-astronomer-bap
tise-aliens

PoliticalD ecisions for the

W orld

Problem: Delayed information release would result in distrust

between nations and independent action.

Solution: Policies before contact requiring public sharing of

information about detection and establishing one point of
contact for the aliens.

Problem: Managing extreme political and religious reactions

against alien cultural influences.

Solution: Policies and law enforcement to limit the effects of

extreme behavior

Problem: Who speaks for the Earth, and what should we say?

Solution: Use a preferred channel to help establish greater

mutual confidence and prevent sending mixed signals. The
U.N., as the most universal intergovernmental organization,
would determine what to say

http://www.setileague.org/iaaseti/decision.pdf

O ther U nconsidered
Possibilities
Aliens already

present or were once

present on our planet
Underground monolith
Alien ship buried

under ice

Aliens threaten to

destroy Earth without

even landing
Need for missile

defenses in space?

Q uestions?