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Luis Elizondo, Former Pentagon Official, Points to Cold War and Foreign Policy as Reasons for Brazil’s Silence on Operation Prato
The Brazilian Air Force’s investigation into unidentified flying objects, conducted in the late 1970s, has returned to the spotlight. In an interview with CNN, former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo commented on the reasons that may have led Brazil to conceal the conclusions of Operation Prato, an action carried out between 1977 and 1978 on the island of Colares, in the state of Pará.
What Luis Elizondo Says About the UFO Case in Pará
Luis Elizondo headed the U.S. Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). In his newly released book in Brazil, “Imminent — The Behind-the-Scenes of the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs,” he details how he followed the behind-the-scenes of the Brazilian mission.
According to him, geopolitical issues from the Cold War influenced the military government’s decision to not publicize the incidents recorded in Marajó.
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For Elizondo, Brazil avoided disclosing the investigations for fear that the UFOs were, in fact, secret technologies from countries such as the United States or the Soviet Union.
“Perhaps one of these technologies was an American secret technology that crashed or a crashed Russian secret technology,” the former official told CNN.
Additionally, he stated that Brazil would have exercised caution to avoid damaging diplomatic relations with other nations. “Brazil also wants to be very careful not to compromise or jeopardize the relations it maintains with other countries,” he added.
The Mysterious Operation Prato
Operation Prato was initiated by the FAB after several reports from residents of the island of Colares. They claimed to have been hit by lights coming from the sky. Some victims exhibited physical effects after the alleged encounters with the objects. These episodes became known as the “chupa-chupa” case.
Even with the large number of reports, the operation ended with no official conclusions. For years, the documents remained classified.
Only in recent decades has the material been discussed again, including in cultural productions such as the Netflix series Alien Investigation and the Operation Prato podcast from Globoplay.
International Recognition and New Discussions
In his interview with CNN, Elizondo emphasized that the growing recognition by other countries of so-called unidentified aerial phenomena may encourage Brazil to resume the debate.
“Now that other countries are speaking out […] and admitting that this is real, I think it will make it much easier in the future for Brazil to have this conversation, even among its own citizens,” he stated.
Elizondo has become one of the leading voices in the world on the topic. He claims to have faced barriers within the U.S. Department of Defense, including resistance from groups linked to religion and the aerospace industry.
His efforts were crucial for the U.S. Congress to formally begin monitoring investigations into UFOs.
Today, part of the budget of the U.S. Department of Defense is already allocated for this purpose.
With information from Olhar Digital.
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