Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs is a 2024 nonfiction book by Luis Elizondo. The book charts Elizondo’s career in the Pentagon, specifically focusing on his quest to bring the deeply classified UFO (or UAP) investigations to public light. Elizondo alleges that the United States government has retrieved biological remains and technology from nonhuman origins, though his claims have been disputed by government sources. The book featured on the New York Times Best Seller list.

This guide refers to the 2024 Bonnifer Books edition.

Summary

Luis Elizondo is a former Pentagon worker who left his job in 2017, and he claims that his purpose in doing so was to reveal the existence of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) to the public. Elizondo claims that UAP, also known to many as UFOs (unidentified flying objects), have been appearing on Earth since at least the middle of the 20th century. These UAP, according to Elizondo, use technology that is far beyond the capability of humanity. Elizondo believes that UAP are not only real but also represent a clear threat to the United States. Thus, the public needs to know about them.

Elizondo begins his book with a description of his military career. He worked for many years in the military intelligence services and spent time in the Middle East, among other places. When he returned to the US and settled into a desk job, he was approached for a possible role in the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). Though he did not know what the group’s mission was, he was intrigued. His friend hinted that Elizondo’s history with unconventional military programs—he once participated in a Cold War-era program to spy on the Soviet Union via mental telepathy—made him an ideal fit. When Elizondo accepted, he was introduced to the main purpose of the AATIP: to investigate UAP. Elizondo met the other team members, and, over time, he was introduced to substantial evidence of UAP activity. This activity was not limited to the United States, as Elizondo sat through a presentation about a major UAP incident in Colares, Brazil. Despite his initial skepticism, Elizondo was gradually convinced that UAP are real. Furthermore, he came to believe that world governments have been covering up their existence even though they could be a threat.

Elizondo has lived a complicated life. His father was a Cuban revolutionary and later political prisoner. He never gave up his fight against Fidel Castro and trained his son in many paramilitary techniques. He and Elizondo’s mother had a combustive but loving marriage, though it ended in divorce. Elisondo describes his anger as a youngster. He was bullied often, and he was deeply affected by his parents’ divorce. In high school, he found solace in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, a program that helped him channel his anger into more productive, military-style training. He later decided to join the Army because of this positive experience. Elizondo trained as a counterintelligence agent. He served abroad, leaving his young, pregnant wife, Jennifer, at home. During this time in the Army, Elisondo was recruited into the Stargate program. He was one of many soldiers trained in remote viewing, which sought to train soldiers to telepathically spy on adversaries through their minds. Elisondo praises this program and laments that it was shut down. However, this foray into the paranormal primed him for UAP research.

Elisondo familiarized himself with the long history of UAP evidence that has been collected by the military. Elizondo claims that most of this evidence has been covered up, particularly by the Legacy Program, a mysterious collaboration between military officials and private contractors who obtain alien technology and reverse engineer it for human consumption. Elizondo quickly discovered that the Legacy Program worked hard to shut down any UAP research within the American military. Similarly, religious figures in the military fight back against any UAP research, as it poses theological questions that do not suit their agenda. Elizondo paints a conspiratorial picture in which he and his team were fighting against these secret conspiracies within the United States government.

Elizondo provides evidence of UAP incidents from past decades. These incidents are reported in America and other countries. Witnesses report seeing bright orbs or cigar-shaped objects that seem to move at incredible speeds in a manner incongruent with human technology. Sometimes, witnesses report health issues following their encounters. In particular, the data collected during an incident near the USS Nimitz in 2004 is the gold standard of UAP evidence, though little of it has reached the public. Many UAP incidents are near nuclear-powered infrastructure or machines, as well as large bodies of water, suggesting that UAP could pose a threat to US national security.

Despite his best efforts, Elizondo could not convince his superiors to take the threat of UAP seriously. There is a stigma surrounding UAP/UFOs that causes many people to prioritize their careers over what could be a very real threat to national security. All Elizondo’s efforts to bring this issue to attention were dismissed. Growing increasingly concerned about this existential threat, Elizondo tried to reach the Secretary of Defense. When this proved impossible, he and his team developed other plans. Ultimately, he decided that he had to come forward with this information and share it with the public, even though it was classified. He knew that this would mean the end of his career. Elizondo struggled with this decision and how it would impact his family. He felt that he had no choice, however, but to come forward with what he knew.

With the help of private individuals with an interest in UAP—including Tom DeLonge, the former Blink-182 member and founder of To the Stars Academy—Elizondo spoke to the national media. In 2017, he resigned from the Pentagon. Later that year, the story broke. Video evidence of UAP encounters was posted on the New York Times website, and Elizondo became convinced that he made the right decision. Though he was sure that he did the right thing, he and his family were struggling financially. With Pentagon insiders mounting a campaign to ruin his reputation, he searched for any means to pay the bills during the pandemic. Eventually, he and his team enjoyed success. Their story reached politicians, who wrote laws to protect future whistleblowers who wanted to speak about UAP. A slew of such whistleblowers came forward, generating even more interest. Elizondo and others testified in public hearings about the threat posed by UAP. By 2023, Elizondo praises the historic success of the UAP movement. Nevertheless, there are still many obstacles to overcome, and Elizondo calls on the reader to spread the message. He wants his readers to spread the truth about UAP with everyone they know.