❓WHAT HAPPENED: Harvard physicist Avi Loeb has revealed that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) will “neither confirm nor deny” records related to the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, and that the possible existence of records is currently classified.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Avi Loeb, NASA, the CIA, and ufologist John Greenewald Jr.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The object made its closest approach to Mars and Jupiter in October, with further studies planned during its approach to Jupiter in March.
💬KEY QUOTE: “That this information is treated as sensitive enough to be classified by the CIA is surprising, given that NASA officials stated decisively at a press conference on November 19, 2025, that 3I/ATLAS is definitely a comet of natural origin.” – Avi Loeb
🎯IMPACT: Loeb’s claims have sparked debates over government transparency, national security, and the possibility of alien technology.
Harvard physicist Avi Loeb has revealed that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) will “neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of records” related to the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS—which he posits could be an alien probe or even “mothership.” According to Loeb, the CIA response stems from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by ufologist John Greenewald Jr., which sought “any assessments, reports, or communications maintained by the Central Intelligence Agency referencing 3I/ATLAS.” Notably, the CIA in its response stated that the very existence or non-existence of such records is currently classified.
“That this information is treated as sensitive enough to be classified by the CIA is surprising, given that NASA officials stated decisively at a press conference on November 19, 2025, that 3I/ATLAS is definitely a comet of natural origin,” Loeb writes, adding: “If this conclusion was clear all along to everyone within government and academia—as NASA officials presented the case, then why would the CIA treat the possible existence of records dealing with a natural comet as sensitive enough to be classified?”
While Loeb still acknowledges that 3I/ATLAS is most likely a comet, he does detail a number of anomalous observations regarding the object that could indicate its actually technological in origin. “The anomalous features include the existence of a prominent anti-tail jet directed at the Sun both before and after perihelion, the geometric alignment to within 8 degrees between the rotation axis of 3I/ATLAS at large distances and the sunward direction, the alignment to within 5 degrees of the orbital plane of 3I/ATLAS with the ecliptic plane, as well as the prominence of nickel relative to iron in the gas that 3I/ATLAS sheds—reminiscent of industrially-produced nickel alloys,” Loeb states.
The Harvard physicist believes that the CIA response is likely due to the agency’s wish to “verify that 3I/ATLAS is not a black swan event, posing a potential threat to society even as a comet.” Meanwhile, he contends that government officials likely encouraged NASA to support the most likely scientific view of the nature of 3I/ATLAS being a comet. He also states that it appears that 3I/ATLAS is the first astronomical object that U.S. intelligence officials have classified under national security.
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