COMETA
| COMETA | |
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Full name | Comité d’études approfondies |
| Type | Private association (not a government body) |
| Members | Mostly former auditors of IHEDN: retired generals, admirals, engineers, a former CNES director |
| Key work | Les OVNI et la défense (1999) |
| Status | Inactive |
| Defunct | |
COMETA was an association of mostly retired French senior military officers, engineers and officials, many of them former auditors of the Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN), including General Denis Letty and former CNES director André Lebeau (who contributed). It was not an official government body.[1]
The 1999 report
In July 1999 COMETA published UFOs and Defense: What Should We Prepare For? in the magazine VSD. Drawing heavily on GEIPAN/SEPRA case files, it concluded that a small share of cases were unexplained, that the extraterrestrial hypothesis was the most likely explanation for them, and that France should prepare politically and militarily. Copies were sent to President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.[1]
PURSUE Release 01 revealed that NASA kept a copy of the report in its files, alongside a letter from Carol Rosin.[2]
Assessment
The French government never endorsed the report, and critics said its case selection was one-sided. It remains one of the most-cited documents by people arguing that senior officials take the extraterrestrial hypothesis seriously.
See also
Further reading
- COMETA (1999). Les OVNI et la défense: À quoi doit-on se préparer? (French) (Amazon)
References
- ^ COMETA (1999). Les OVNI et la défense: À quoi doit-on se préparer? VSD hors-série.
- ^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Release 01.