Dr. Steven Greer

Steven M. Greer was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and is an American ufologist and retired physician known for his efforts to promote government transparency regarding unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrial intelligence. Greer is the founder of the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CSETI) and the Disclosure Project, both of which aim to investigate and publicize alleged classified information about UFOs.

Greer’s interest in unidentified aerial phenomena began in childhood. He has claimed to have witnessed a UFO at close range at the age of eight and another sighting at 18. In the early 1970s, he was trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation and served as the director of a meditation organization.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Appalachian State University in 1982, followed by a Doctor of Medicine degree from the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in 1987. Greer obtained his Virginia medical license in 1989 and worked as an emergency room physician until retiring from medicine in 1998 to focus on his ufology work full time.

In 1990, Greer founded CSETI with the mission of establishing diplomatic contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. He introduced the concept of "close encounters of the fifth kind," defined as human-initiated communication with extraterrestrial life. The organization claims to have thousands of reports of UFO sightings by pilots and physical traces of landings. CSETI also employs so-called Rapid Mobilization Investigative Teams to quickly reach alleged UFO landing sites and has developed a protocol involving meditation for initiating contact.

Greer expanded his efforts in 1993 by founding The Disclosure Project, which advocates for the declassification of government files on UFOs and advanced energy technologies. The project seeks to offer amnesty to whistleblowers willing to violate national security oaths in order to reveal what they claim is hidden knowledge. In 2001, Greer held a widely publicized press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., presenting testimony from 20 retired military, aviation and intelligence officials.

He has been a frequent media figure on the topic, appearing in television specials such as "The UFO Coverup?" and producing several documentaries. His 2013 film "Sirius," co-produced and directed by Amardeep Kaleka, explored his theories about extraterrestrial life and featured interviews with former government and military officials. It also included the controversial Atacama skeleton, which was later confirmed through genetic analysis to be of human origin.

Greer followed up with "Unacknowledged" in 2017, a crowdfunded documentary directed by Michael Mazzola and narrated by Giancarlo Esposito. It achieved international popularity on digital platforms upon release. In 2020, "Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind: Contact Has Begun," also directed by Mazzola, was released. Though the film drew criticism for its speculative narrative and conspiratorial tone, it continued to draw attention to Greer’s long-running efforts to expose alleged government cover-ups surrounding extraterrestrial encounters. Another documentary, "Battle for Disclosure" was released in 2024.

Throughout his career, Greer has remained a polarizing figure in the world of ufology. While some view him as a pioneering advocate for truth and disclosure, others question the credibility of his claims. Nevertheless, his impact on public discourse around UFOs and government transparency has been significant and enduring.