Are Aliens being hidden from public? White House says No

By Anne K Walters Nov 9, 2011, 2:06 GMT

Washington - There are no X-Files.

The White House has 'no evidence' of alien lifeforms, despite persistent conspiracy theories that have long flourished and fed a mass of science fiction and popular culture.

'The US government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race,' wrote Phil Larson from the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy.

'In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public's eye.'

The unusual letter came in response to two online petitions demanding the government acknowledge 'the long withheld knowledge of government interactions with extraterrestrial beings.'

Together the petitions have garnered more than 17,000 signatures - and the Barack Obama administration has committed itself to respond to all petitions with more than 5,000 signatures as part of its open government initiative - no matter how bizarre such petitions may be.

But the government response is unlikely to silence those who allege a mass government conspiracy and flock to Roswell, New Mexico, where tales of a crashed UFO have long drawn devotees of such theories.

Indeed, the Paradigm Research Group, which advocates for disclosure of aliens and stood behind the petition drive, dubbed the White House response 'unacceptable' and vowed to begin yet another petition in a bid for a more satisfactory response.

They claim hundreds of people have had contact with extraterrestrial lifeforms and the government is engaged in a massive cover-up operation.

'The people have a right to know. The people can handle the truth,' their petition reads.

But the cuddly ET of the 1982 movie of the same name, the wise-cracking ALF from the 1980s sitcom, Spock of Star Trek and the dangerous creature from the film Alien must all remain figments of our collective imagination - for now.

The White House acknowledged ongoing efforts to find life elsewhere in the universe if it exists.

A project called SETI engages in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence by listening to radio signals from outer space. The Kepler telescope is also employed in the hunt for Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars.

'Many scientists and mathematicians have looked with a statistical mindset at the question of whether life likely exists beyond Earth; and have come to the conclusion that the odds are pretty high that somewhere among the trillions and trillions of stars in the universe there is a planet other than ours that is home to life,' Larson wrote.

That said, the odds of finding such life are extremely small.

'But that's all statistics and speculation. The fact is we have no credible evidence of extraterrestrial presence here on Earth,' he concluded.

In the meantime, fans of alien lifeforms will just have to turn to the movies or television to get their fix, or they can always start an online petition.