The Man Who Shaped UFO Skepticism | Donald Menzel Explained (Part 1)

In Part 2, the conversation moves from history into consequences.Andy and Ryan examine how UFO skepticism evolved from scientific caution into something far more strategic. They explore radar interference theories, early claims of recovered craft, and whether figures like Donald Menzel knowingly participated in long-term counterintelligence efforts.The discussion expands into modern UFO debates, including skepticism versus debunking, the treatment of eyewitness testimony, belief systems, and why the burden of proof in UFO research remains uniquely high.This episode asks a difficult question: if skepticism was shaped by intelligence needs decades ago, are we still arguing inside rules that were set long before we knew they existed?Check out Ryan's work - https://unquestionably.substack.com/Patreon offer - https://www.patreon.com/thatufopodcast?coupon=4B0B8🔥 Support the show & get bonus content:🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast📲 Connect with the show:Twitter: @UFOUAPAMFacebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO PodcastYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcastEmail: [email protected] links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapamOfficial Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps!Thanks for listening,Andy

In this breaking news update, Andy covers a series of major developments shaping the UFO and UAP conversation as 2026 begins.The episode opens with the surprise appearance of a new book listing from Luis Elizondo. Titled Reckoning: The Unspoken Truth about UFOs and the Urgency of Now, the book has quietly appeared on publisher and retail sites with an expected 2026 release. Andy reads and analyses the full publisher blurb, discusses timing, positioning, and why this release matters coming from a former Pentagon insider.Attention then turns to David Grusch and his recent high-profile interview on The Megyn Kelly Show. Andy breaks down Grusch’s comments on crash retrievals, legacy programs, misinformation campaigns, deep-state dynamics, and why Grusch appearing publicly now may be significant.The episode also covers:Congressional frustration over denied oversightClaims involving former intelligence leadershipOnline tensions within the disclosure communityThe CIA’s “neither confirm nor deny” response regarding the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua / AtlasReactions from Avi Loeb, ahead of Andy’s upcoming interview with himReflections on Chris Bledsoe’s appearance on American AlchemyUpdates on potential upcoming press events and documentariesA wide-ranging but grounded look at what’s happening, why it matters, and what may come next.Patreon offer - https://www.patreon.com/thatufopodcast?coupon=4B0B8🔥 Support the show & get bonus content:🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast📲 Connect with the show:Twitter: @UFOUAPAMFacebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO PodcastYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcastEmail: [email protected] links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapamOfficial Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps!Thanks for listening,Andy

You can order my book here - https://geni.us/AtlasOfUFOsUFO skepticism didn’t begin with social media or YouTube debunkers.In Part 1 of this conversation, Andy is joined by researcher and writer Ryan Purkey to explore the early life and career of Donald H. Menzel, a Harvard astronomer, naval intelligence officer, and one of the most influential figures in shaping how UFOs would be publicly dismissed.This episode traces Menzel’s rise through academia, his World War II work in cryptography and radar, and how those skills placed him at the heart of Cold War intelligence at the exact moment UFOs entered the public consciousness.From early crash recovery timelines to the foundations of organised skepticism, Part 1 sets the historical groundwork for understanding why the UFO topic looks the way it does today.Check out Ryan's work - https://unquestionably.substack.com/Patreon offer - https://www.patreon.com/thatufopodcast?coupon=4B0B8🔥 Support the show & get bonus content:🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast📲 Connect with the show:Twitter: @UFOUAPAMFacebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO PodcastYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcastEmail: [email protected] links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapamOfficial Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps!Thanks for listening,Andy

Order my new book: https://geni.us/AtlasOfUFOsIn this special Ask Me Anything episode, Andy kicks off 2026 by answering listener questions from across the UFO community and reflecting on where the phenomenon stands after a turbulent 2025.Topics include disclosure fatigue, whistleblowers, underwater UFOs, public readiness, media responsibility, AI, citizen disclosure, and whether governments still control the narrative. Andy also looks ahead to what could genuinely move the needle in 2026, including upcoming hearings, whistleblower claims, major documentaries, and shifting public attitudes.This episode explores belief, skepticism, frustration, curiosity, and the uncomfortable reality that disclosure may not look the way anyone expects.Stay tuned for bonus content if you're a paid memberPatreon offer  - https://www.patreon.com/thatufopodcast?coupon=4B0B8🔥 Support the show & get bonus content:🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast📲 Connect with the show:Twitter: @UFOUAPAMFacebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO PodcastYouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcastEmail: [email protected] links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapamOfficial Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps!Thanks for listening,Andy

Documentary filmmaker James Fox returns to That UFO Podcast to discuss new revelations surrounding Moment of Contact and the Varginha UFO case. From alleged crash retrievals and live beings to missing videos and military involvement, James explains why this case may be the most important of them all. Catch M.o.C here - https://geni.us/MOC_NewRevelations 🔥 Support the show & get bonus content: Andy’s book Atlas of UFOs explores some of the most famous and compelling cases from around the world. 👉 https://geni.us/AtlasOfUFOs 🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join 🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast 🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397 🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ 🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast 📲 Connect with the show: Twitter: @UFOUAPAM Facebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO Podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast Email: [email protected] All links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapam Official Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com 👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps! Thanks for listening, Andy

Order my new book: https://geni.us/AtlasOfUFOs In this special end-of-year review, Andy is joined by Dan from What It Means to Be Human to look back at the biggest UFO and UAP stories of 2025 and ask what, if anything, actually moved the conversation forward. They discuss Skywatcher and its unfulfilled promises, the year of the whistleblower with figures like Matthew Brown and Dylan Borland, congressional hearings and why they may be losing impact, and the growing divide between entertainment and evidence in the UFO space. The conversation also covers the scientific work on transient objects in historic astronomical data, the release of The Age of Disclosure documentary, Hollywood’s influence on the topic, and why many in the community feel stuck in a holding pattern. Finally, Andy and Dan look ahead to 2026 with predictions on legislation, underwater UAPs, future hearings, and whether disclosure as people imagine it is ever really coming. This is part one of the 2025 review, with listener questions and additional discussion coming in a follow-up episode. Check out Dan's work - https://www.tobehumanshow.com/ 🔥 Support the show & get bonus content: 🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join 🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast 🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397 🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ 🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast 📲 Connect with the show: Twitter: @UFOUAPAM Facebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO Podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast Email: [email protected] All links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapam Official Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com 👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps! Thanks for listening, Andy

In this bonus review episode, Andy steps slightly outside the usual UFO comfort zone to review the documentary American Sasquatch: Man, Myth or Monster?, a film that explores the Bigfoot phenomenon through eyewitness testimony, physical evidence, DNA claims, and high strangeness theories. Produced by Lab Nine Films and featuring familiar names from the wider UFO and paranormal world, the documentary raises questions that will sound very familiar to UAP researchers. Is Sasquatch a flesh and blood creature? A misidentified relic of human ancestry? Or something far stranger, possibly connected to portals, consciousness, and UFO activity? Andy breaks down the documentary’s structure, pacing, credibility, and claims, comparing its approach to how UFO evidence is often presented. Topics include: The Patterson Gimlin footage and later visual evidence Eyewitness encounters and recurring sensory details Footprints, DNA analysis, and contamination debates Portal and interdimensional theories Skinwalker Ranch, NIDS, and paranormal overlap Why Bigfoot and UFO sightings so often appear together The episode also features extensive listener feedback, with thoughts ranging from firm belief to outright skepticism, and everything in between. Is American Sasquatch convincing? Does it go too far? Or does it mirror the same unresolved questions we face in UFO research? 🎧 Available now as a bonus episode Check out the documentary on Amazon Prime Video 🔥 Support the show & get bonus content: 🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join 🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast 🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397 🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ 🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast 📲 Connect with the show: Twitter: @UFOUAPAM Facebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO Podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast Email: [email protected] All links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapam Official Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com 👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps! Thanks for listening, Andy

Order my new book: https://geni.us/AtlasOfUFOs A UFO news update covering Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, Skywatcher, congressional comments, Jay Stratton’s upcoming book, and key developments shaping the conversation heading into 2026. 🔥 Support the show & get bonus content: 🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join 🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast 🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397 🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ 🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast 📲 Connect with the show: Twitter: @UFOUAPAM Facebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO Podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast Email: [email protected] All links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapam Official Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com 👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps! Thanks for listening, Andy

Order my new book: https://geni.us/AtlasOfUFOs Engineering technologists Chad Wanless and Dave Palachik join Andy to discuss UAP observables, warp-drive physics, experiencer perspectives, and why the evidence may have been hidden in plain sight. Check out their work - https://true-experiences.ca/ 🔥 Support the show & get bonus content: 🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join 🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast 🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397 🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ 🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast 📲 Connect with the show: Twitter: @UFOUAPAM Facebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO Podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast Email: [email protected] All links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapam Official Website: https://ThatUFOPodcast.com 👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review, it really helps! Thanks for listening, Andy

Science journalist Becky Ferreira joins Andy to discuss aliens, UAP, disclosure, and humanity’s obsession with life beyond Earth. From government secrecy to scientific skepticism, this episode explores what we really know — and what we don’t. 📘 First Contact is available now from all good bookstores 🔥 Support the show & get bonus content: 🛸 YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHw9Lru3EcpRQyM7AI5TlmA/join 🛸 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast 🛸 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-ufo-podcast/id1511121397 🛸 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wnXUAQ3vwdsX1BoyaEvjZ 🛸 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ThatUFOPodcast 📲 Connect with the show: Twitter: @UFOUAPAM Facebook, Instagram & YouTube: That UFO Podcast YouTube: YouTube.com/c/ThatUFOPodcast Email: [email protected] All links: https://linktr.ee/ufouapam Official Website: ThatUFOPodcast.com 👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, like & leave a review — it really helps! Thanks for listening, Andy