Hollywood, The CIA & UFOs: The History Beyond Spielberg

June 20, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 1996, at a premiere party for the NBC series Dark Skies—a show whose pilot suggested JFK was killed because he was about to tell the truth about UFOs—co-creator Bryce Zabel threw a stranger out of his house. Minutes later, that same man was found talking to Zabel's partner, Brent Friedman, in the backyard. The man introduced himself as J.C. and said he was from the Office of Naval Intelligence. He told the two Hollywood writers they had gotten a lot right in their show, but also a lot wrong. Then he offered them a deal: access to classified information in exchange for influence over their scripts. They declined. But the encounter set off decades of high strangeness, synchronicity, and a trail that leads from a childhood disclosure on a Virginia veranda to the present-day efforts of whistleblower David Grusch to get a former Reagan administration official under oath.

The Disclosure on the Veranda

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Party Crasher & The Postcard** - Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman recount the night of the Dark Skies premiere party, where an uninvited man named "J.C." crashed the event and claimed they "got a lot right" about UFOs.
2 (08:00) **The Faustian Bargain: Access for Influence** - J.C. explains the proposed deal: the ONI would provide classified information for a "slow drip disclosure" program, in exchange for the writers incorporating specific ideas into the show.
3 (17:45) **Brent's Disclosure: The John Harrington Story** - Brent recounts his childhood neighbor, John Harrington, who later became Undersecretary of the Navy and Secretary of Energy, and who disclosed the reality of aliens to him in 1981.
4 (33:16) **The Grush Connection & Harrington's Credibility** - David Grush's recent attempts to contact John Harrington for testimony to the House Oversight Committee lend significant credibility to Brent's 1981 disclosure story.
5 (44:12) **The Second Meeting: The Vial & The Cemetery** - J.C. returns with a superior ("the Captain") for a second meeting, offering a Faustian bargain for influence over the show's narrative.
6 (64:48) **The Spielberg Connection & The Men in Black Threat** - Bryce reveals that director Tobe Hooper told him Steven Spielberg was approached by Naval Intelligence after *Jaws* and took a deal, receiving information for *Close Encounters* and *E.T.*
7 (84:24) **The Spielberg Web: Taken, LMNO, & Disclosure Day** - The conversation explores the deep, decades-long connection between Spielberg and the UFO topic, from *Taken* to the unreleased video game *LMNO* to the film *Disclosure Day*.

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Show Notes

Our American Alchemists this week are Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman. Check out their podcast Sound, Light and Frequency https://soundlightfrequency.com/

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For decades, U.S. intelligence (namely, the CIA and Office of Naval Intelligence) has been quietly shaping what Hollywood tells the public about UFOs, hiding truths in plain sight. Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman, creators of the 1996 NBC alien-themed series Dark Skies, say a man claiming to be Naval Intelligence showed up at their own premiere party already knowing what was in their unaired pilot, and offered them a trade: classified access for guidance on their future scripts. Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist Director Tobe Hooper told Brent that Steven Spielberg got the same offer after Jaws, took the deal, and went on to make Close Encounters and E.T.. Separately, Brent Friedman says his family friend John Herrington who later became Secretary of Energy (Head of the entire Department of Energy) told him privately after a few drinks that aliens are real and he’s seen them. Official attempts have been made to get Herrington (now 87) to testify about these claims, but he’s ignored them. Friedman himself also reports of having had an encounter with a “Nordic” alien being. This was one of the wildest episodes we’ve ever filmed. Live now.

-------------------------- Support Our Other Projects Below! Grab Your American Alchemy Merch Here ➤ https://www.americanalchemymerch.com/ Join The American Alchemy Magazine Here ➤ https://americanalchemymagazine.substack.com/ Subscribe To Our Clips Channel (10 Minute Highlights!) ➤ https://www.youtube.com/@UC8ZKTXN9trt5dhixz6b6l6w -------------------------- JOIN OUR WHOP (Early/Ad Free Episodes) ➤ https://whop.com/jessemichels Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/jessemichelsofficial TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@itsjessemichels X ➤ https://twitter.com/AlchemyAmerican Spotify ➤ https://tinyurl.com/jessemichelsspotify Clips Channel ➤ https://www.youtube.com/@JesseMichelsClips Apply For Jobs ➤ [email protected] Sponsor Inquiries ➤ [email protected] Media Inquiries ➤ [email protected] Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 3:04 - Meet Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman 5:01 - The Dark Skies Premiere Party 6:45 - The Mystery Man "JC" 10:18 - Office of Naval Intelligence Deal 12:26 - Sound, Light and Frequency 14:32 - The "We Are Watching You" Postcard