Jimmy Carter’s promise to reveal the truth about UFOs was one of the most eagerly anticipated aspects of his presidency. A deeply religious man, Carter’s personal encounter with a UFO in 1969 had left him with a sense of curiosity about the phenomenon. During his 1976 campaign for the U.S. presidency, he pledged to release any and all information about UFOs that the U.S. government possessed. It seemed like a breath of fresh air, particularly for those who believed that the government had been withholding crucial information on extraterrestrial life for decades. But Carter’s presidency did not deliver the full transparency that many had hoped for, and rumors soon surfaced that something had happened behind the scenes to prevent it.

To understand why Carter never fulfilled his promise, it’s essential to examine the structure of secrecy surrounding UFOs within the U.S. government, especially in the post-Kennedy era. Since the early 1960s, reports of UFOs have been under the strict control of intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA. This concentration of information and power within the intelligence community left even presidents with limited access to full disclosure. While many people believed that the President, as the highest authority in the country, would have access to all classified information, this was not the case. The story goes that the CIA operated under a strict “need-to-know” basis when it came to UFO-related material, and merely being curious—even if you were the President—was not enough to gain access.

Carter’s own interest in UFOs was likely seen by the intelligence community as mere curiosity rather than a critical need for information. However, as time went on, the pressure mounted on Carter to deliver on his campaign promise. Eventually, the CIA arranged for a briefing, and Carter was told what previous presidents had learned. The content of that briefing, which was later corroborated by several witnesses, was not what Carter had anticipated. Instead of a simple explanation of UFO sightings or technological mysteries, Carter was confronted with information that, according to the reports, would shake him to his core.

As the story goes, Carter was briefed on the history of extraterrestrial involvement in human affairs. This was not limited to UFO sightings or unexplained phenomena, but something much deeper. The briefing included a disturbing narrative that major world religions, including Christianity, had been influenced by extraterrestrial beings who had been experimenting on humanity for millennia. The information presented to Carter suggested that these beings had manipulated humanity’s development, both spiritually and technologically, as part of their ongoing experiments.

For someone like Carter, a devout Christian, this revelation would have been devastating. Carter’s faith was a central part of his life, and the idea that Christianity, along with other religions, was not the product of divine revelation but rather the result of extraterrestrial influence, would have deeply unsettled him. The emotional toll this information took on Carter was evident. According to those present during the briefing, the President broke down in tears. He was reportedly seen placing his head in his hands and weeping, overwhelmed by the weight of what he had just learned. The briefing left him visibly disturbed, and in the days that followed, his behavior reflected the impact of this revelation.