Form C3-1. Advisory Letter to a Client Considering Disclosure of UAP Information

PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL ATTORNEY-CLIENT COMMUNICATION

[Date]

[Client]

Re: Your options for disclosing information about unidentified anomalous phenomena

Dear [Client]:

You asked how you can share what you know about UAP-related programs without exposing yourself to prosecution, loss of your clearance, or other penalties. This letter summarizes my advice. It is based only on the unclassified information you have given me. Please do not tell me, or anyone else outside an authorized channel, any classified information.

1. What you must not do. Do not disclose classified information to journalists, authors, podcasters, filmmakers, researchers, family, friends, or on social media, and do not post or give interviews about your former duties without prepublication review. Unauthorized disclosure of national defense information is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. §793 and related statutes, punishable by up to ten years in prison per count. Good intentions are not a defense, and courts have upheld convictions of officials who gave information to the press. Do not keep classified documents, notes, photographs, or media at home or on personal devices; doing so is itself a crime under 18 U.S.C. §1924 and §793(e). If you have any such material, tell me in general terms (not its content) and I will help you return it through security channels.

2. The protected channel. Congress created a mechanism at the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) for authorized reporting of UAP events and programs, including programs involving material retrieval, analysis, and reverse engineering. 50 U.S.C. §3373b. A disclosure through that mechanism: - is not subject to your nondisclosure agreements; - is deemed to comply with classification rules; and - “is not a violation of section 798 of title 18, or other provision of law relating to the disclosure of information.” Federal and contractor officials are prohibited from retaliating against you for it. I recommend that you use this channel, and I will arrange it in writing with AARO before you disclose anything (see enclosed draft letter). [Where counsel shares the site’s working premise:] I do not recommend relying on AARO to act on what you tell it. AARO’s public statements on these subjects have been disputed by witnesses whose accounts they addressed, and we should assume that what you tell AARO may reach the program you are reporting on. We will use the AARO channel for the legal protection it gives, tell AARO no more than that protection requires, and make the full disclosure at the same time to an inspector general (paragraph 4).

3. PURSUE. [If DoW-connected:] The Department of War has announced a waiver that lets current and former Department personnel and contractors communicate UAP information to PURSUE representatives without breach-of-agreement penalties under their NDAs and SAP agreements. The announcement addresses only civil and administrative enforcement, so I recommend using it alongside the AARO channel.

4. Inspectors general and Congress. If you believe the programs involved violations of law (for example, concealment from Congress or misuse of funds), you may also report through [inspector general / ICIG urgent-concern process], which can transmit your concerns to the intelligence committees. Do not contact individual members of Congress or staff with classified information outside those procedures.

5. Your clearance and employment. Retaliation against you for a protected disclosure is unlawful, but remedies for clearance actions are mostly administrative and courts rarely review clearance decisions. Please keep a dated record of every disclosure and every adverse action, and tell me promptly about any change in your access, duties, or evaluations so we can file within the deadlines.

6. Past conduct. Before you testify to Congress, a commission, or investigators about what you did in any program, we need to assess whether any of that conduct could expose you to liability, and whether to seek a proffer agreement or immunity. Please do not agree to any interview or testimony without speaking to me first.

7. Public statements. If you want to speak publicly about anything related to your former duties, including on UAP generally, we will first submit what you intend to say for prepublication review.

8. Next steps. [List: sign engagement; return any material; send AARO letter; schedule secure meeting; calendar reprisal deadlines.]

Please call me with any questions.

Sincerely, [Counsel]

Enclosures: Draft letter to AARO (Form C1-1); summary of disclosure routes (below)

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Enclosure: Summary of disclosure routes