Retired US Air Force Colonel Claims Extensive Documentation Exists for 1996 Brazil UFO Incident
A decorated former US Air Force fighter pilot has publicly stated that there is likely a substantial paper trail of military documentation that would prove one of the most notorious alleged UFO encounters of the past thirty years actually took place. Colonel Fred Claussen, a twice-awarded recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, made these assertions during a press conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
The Alleged Varginha Incident and Lasting Claims
The event in question is the so-called Varginha incident in Brazil, which reportedly began on January 13, 1996. Local accounts describe a cigar-shaped unidentified flying object crash-landing near the city, followed by sightings of bizarre creatures. These beings were said to walk on two legs but possessed oily brown skin and large, red eyes. Notably, three young women claimed to have discovered one of these entities hiding behind a wall.
Despite widespread reports that Brazilian authorities captured at least two of these non-human beings, a narrative persists that the US Air Force subsequently confiscated all wreckage, alien bodies, and any survivors, initiating an alleged cover-up that has endured for three decades. The US military has consistently denied recovering any physical evidence of UFOs or extraterrestrial life and has not confirmed any such recovery operation in Brazil.
A Veteran's Analysis of Military Procedure
Colonel Claussen, speaking at an event organised by investigative filmmaker James Fox, challenged this official stance. "If true, I am certain that 30 to 40 Americans had direct knowledge of this flight and its purpose," he declared. He elaborated that even highly classified missions involve numerous personnel and generate orders, creating a verifiable documentary record.
Claussen, referring to the case as the "Brazilian Roswell," provided a detailed breakdown of how such a recovery mission would have been executed. He explained that any operation would likely have originated within Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, where senior officers would have received the initial order to dispatch a cargo aircraft to Brazil.
"An international flight plan to Brazil is required even if the mission is classified. Paper trail," Claussen emphasised. From there, he stated, a specific Air Mobility Wing at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina would have been tasked. This would involve preparing a C-17 aircraft, selecting a crew, and issuing detailed mission orders—a process engaging dozens of individuals including pilots, loadmasters, schedulers, and commanders.
Witness Testimonies and a Fatal Consequence
The press conference also featured testimonies from Brazilian witnesses, including Carlos de Souza. De Souza recounted finding strange, lightweight metal debris at the alleged farm crash site, only to be ordered away by soldiers at gunpoint. He later claimed to have been threatened by unidentified men in suits warning him to stay silent.
A particularly tragic element of the story involves Brazilian police officer Marco Eli Chereze. Reports state he captured one of the beings bare-handed, suffering a scratch in the process. Chereze subsequently developed a severe infection and died weeks later. Dr. Armando Monteiro, a forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy, revealed at the conference that a rare, aggressive bacterium was found in the wound—a microbe some doctors speculated could have been of non-terrestrial origin. Officially, however, his death was attributed to a known Earth bacterium.
A Call for Transparency and Whistleblowers
Claussen, alongside researchers and witnesses, concluded by directly appealing to any US Air Force personnel involved in the alleged 1996 mission. "We know this mission happened, and you know it, too. Come forward. The time is now," the former pilot urged, asserting his conviction that proof of the Varginha UFO crash and recovery still exists within military archives and the memories of those who served.
