John B Alexander
Colonel John B. Alexander is a retired U.S. Army officer who served in special operations and intelligence roles, becoming a prominent figure in government-affiliated UAP research during the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for spearheading the classified "Advanced Theoretical Physics Working Group" and authoring UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies, and Realities. Alexander was one of several individuals privy to Philip J. Corso's original manuscript Dawn of a New Age before Corso's death in 1998 and has provided both critical analysis and partial corroboration of Corso's testimony.
| Role | Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.); UAP researcher; author; advanced human technology researcher |
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Advanced Theoretical Physics Conference
From 1982 to 1983, Alexander reported directly to Albert Stubblebine at US Army INSCOM. He spearheaded the Advanced Theoretical Physics Working Group, which held a classified conference at a secure BDM International facility in McLean, Virginia on May 20–25, 1985. Notes from the conference were released by attendee Oke Shannon, formerly a manager for special projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and reveal that the group discussed multiple aspects of UFOs, including legacy programs and a major engineering project under Bobby Ray Inman. The conference used Department of Energy security controls.
The Advanced Theoretical Physics Conference is considered one of the most significant documented gatherings of senior intelligence and defense figures explicitly discussing UFO programs, establishing a direct link between Army INSCOM leadership, BDM International, Los Alamos, and UAP program knowledge.
Analysis of Corso's Testimony
Alexander remarked on sensational details featured in The Day After Roswell that were completely absent from Corso's original manuscript, confirming that co-author Bill Burns inserted creative liberties and fabricated material into the published version. This included scenes such as Corso allegedly intimidating a CIA director and detailed descriptions of events Corso did not witness.
In his book UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies, and Realities, Alexander documented that the Army's U.S. Army Foreign Technology Division under Arthur Trudeau was indeed formed as Corso stated, but then "disappeared shortly after his retirement." Alexander confirmed: "It was learned that the Army foreign technology division was formed as Corso stated and then disappeared shortly after his retirement" — lending credibility to the institutional existence of the division while noting the lack of public documentation.
Alexander was also one of the individuals Corso told about his claimed 1957-1958 telepathic encounter with non-human intelligence at White Sands Missile Range, where a being allegedly communicated "A new world if you can take it" in exchange for Corso lowering radar coverage to allow a disabled craft to escape.
Criticism of Technology Claims
Despite acknowledging some aspects of Corso's testimony, Alexander has been critical of specific technology seeding claims. He had particular issues with Corso's assertions regarding Passive Night Vision Technology, stating that the genealogy of infrared and night vision technology can all be accounted for through conventional development. Alexander stated he spoke to Dr. Lou Cameron, director of the night vision laboratory at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, who flatly denied that an eye lens from a non-human intelligence aided in passive night vision breakthroughs.
Alexander also raised concerns about fiber optics and integrated circuit development claims, noting that researchers well-versed in computer science, such as Jacques Vallee, found Corso's assertions regarding integrated circuitry were not documented facts.
Assessment of Corso's Consistency
Despite his criticisms, Alexander and others including Vallee maintained that Corso's story never wavered across multiple tellings — details were never altered, added, or subtracted. Corso reportedly sounded like "a tape recorder" where you could rewind and fast-forward to parts of his disclosures and always hear the same details with no variation. This consistency suggests either remarkable truthfulness or a carefully constructed and memorized narrative.
Correspondence with Ben Rich
Alexander wrote to Lockheed Skunk Works director Ben Rich on July 10, 1986, proposing two categories of UFOs and seeking Rich's thoughts on the matter. This correspondence is documented as part of Alexander's broader engagement with senior defense and aerospace figures on UAP-related topics.