For 60 years space aliens have left their mark on the Hollywood box-office in some of the most popular movies of all time, from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), E.T: The Extraterrestrial (1982) and Independence Day (1996), to the highly lucrative Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). Particularly noteworthy is the Transformers franchise (2007-), which to date has tapped the rich vein of UFO mythology to the tune of $1.5 billion. The most interesting aspects of the Transformers films, however, are evident not so much in celluloid form as they are behind the scenes – in a production process built around the close relationship between Hollywood, the United States military and a variety of government agencies. While the dryer details of the “military-industrial-entertainment complex” have been relatively well documented, the curious tale of government involvement in Hollywood’s UFO movies represents a forgotten chapter in the history of American cinema.

In a statement made on May 7th, former State Representative from New Hampshire and State Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs committee member, Henry W. McElroy Jr. went on the record with some startling claims about documents he saw during his tenure.

McElroy claims to have seen documents referring to knowledge of "benevolent" extraterrestrial visitation within the US and the possibility of setting up a meeting with President Eisenhower.

All of these claims are as yet unverified, but make for interesting listening / reading nonetheless.  In the words of Nick Pope, "Interesting if True."