Watergate, the JFK assassination and a UFO secret at the center of it all | Reality Check episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 18, 2026 · 1H 32M

Watergate, the JFK assassination and a UFO secret at the center of it all | Reality Check

from Reality Check with Ross Coulthart · host Ross Coulthart

Jonathan Caplan KC, a veteran British barrister and King’s Counsel, joins Ross Coulthart this week for "Reality Check" to discuss Caplan's new book Not For Disclosure, the culmination of 50 years investigating the UAP mystery. Applying the same evidentiary standards he used in court, Caplan explains why he believes the phenomenon deserves serious attention.Ross asks what Britain may quietly know about UAPs, which UK cases are most credible, and what to make of persistent claims involving British special forces and crash retrievals. The conversation also explores Prince Philip’s interest in UFOs, reports of UFO-curious British nobility, and the mysterious figure Air Marshal Sir Peter Horsley called “Mr. Janus.”A major focus is the controversial Majestic 12 documents. Caplan explains why he considers key papers authentic, addresses claims they were forged, and examines documents tied to Timothy Cooper, Ryan Wood, White Sands, Richard Drain, and the 1953 effort to debunk the subject.The discussion then turns to allegations involving President John F. Kennedy, Howard Hunt, Watergate, and the so-called Lancer document. Finally, Caplan and Coulthart tackle the biggest question of all: if nonhuman intelligence is interacting with Earth, what exactly is it—and are we ready to know?JONATHAN CAPLAN'S BOOK, "NOT FOR DISCLOSURE":Blackwell's (free hardback shipping for US customers, hardback available June 11): https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Not-for-Disclosure-by-Jonathan-Caplan/9781529979961Amazon UK (ships hardback to the US, delivery charged, hardback available June 11): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Disclosure-UFOS-Worlds-Secret/dp/152997996X/Amazon US (audiobook and ebook available June 11, hardback available August 18): https://www.amazon.com/Not-Disclosure-Jonathan-Caplan/dp/152997996X/CREDITSHost: Ross CoulthartExecutive Producer: Andy GipsonEditorial Producer: Meagan MedickSegment Producer: Christine JenkinsonAssociate Producer: Will TomasiResearch Producer: Rob JonesEditor: Anthony DiasioCHAPTERS:00 Intro2:06 What Pulled a Fraud Barrister Into the UFO Question3:44 What Britain's Establishment Knows, and the UK Case Worth Your Attention5:50 British Special Forces, Crash Retrieval, and the Goodwood Aerodrome Video7:28 Prince Philip's Quiet Interest, and a Long Line of UFO-Curious Nobility9:45 The Mr. Janus Story, an Air Marshal's Strangest Encounter12:28 A Senior RAF Officer's Portal Story, and Forrestal's Meeting With Tizard16:20 The MJ12 Documents, and Why Caplan Thinks They're Real21:13 Were the Documents Forged by James Jesus Angleton?23:28 Corroborating the Papers, a Fraud Investigator's Standard of Proof28:35 Tim Cooper's Originals and the New Documents Ryan Wood Recovered33:43 The Blair House Document, and Politicians as "Temporary Employees"36:00 A Craft Forced Down at White Sands, and the Mantell Case37:42 The Richard Drain Letter, and the 1953 Decision to Debunk41:19 Why These Papers Are Hard to Fake, and How They Surfaced46:55 The Holloman "Advanced Contact" Meeting With a Nordic Being49:19 JFK, UFOs, and Howard Hunt's Lawyer Douglas Caddy54:18 Was Watergate Really About Hiding UFO Secrets?58:11 The US and Russia's Agreement to Deconflict Over UAP59:28 The Lancer Document, Pulled From a Burning Fireplace1:03:28 Do the Documents Tie JFK's Death to UFOs?1:05:14 Frank Sturgis, the Grassy Knoll, and a Confession Never Chased Down1:07:51 Marilyn Monroe, Dorothy Kilgallen, and a Leaked Wiretap1:11:19 A Cancer at the Heart of the Mystery, and the CIA's Air Warfare Branch1:13:46 Chris Sharp's UK Office of Global Access, Does Caplan Buy It?1:17:58 An Astronaut Sent to Russia for a Retrieval, and What Clinton Knew1:17:59 Uri Geller, Haim Eshed, and the Contacts Caplan Is Still Chasing1:21:41 Is a Non-Human Intelligence Here, and Keel's Cryptoterrestrials1:26:00 Why Disclosure Won't Come From Trump1:27:09 The Condign Report, Sentient Plasmoids, and Whether We're Ready

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Watergate, the JFK assassination and a UFO secret at the center of it all | Reality Check

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