The public should be able to transparently scrutinize the government’s alleged alien encounters through government openness on a level that this country has not yet seen.

A joke of a Facebook event to storm Area 51 to reveal the true nature of government secrecy in the Nevada desert reignited a debate regarding the knowledge of the existence of extraterrestrials and their alleged aircraft.

After over a million RSVPs, the idea to storm Area 51 became a meme but also prompted an official statement from an Air Force spokesperson warning the public and those intending to breach the security of Area 51 of the danger of such actions.

The need to have a declassified look at whether the government has proof of alien life has been debated for decades. Many past sitting U.S. presidents, along with past and present presidential candidates, have publicly stated their intention to declassify UFO intelligence. This desired outcome has never come to fruition.

Citizens rightfully question whether government secret-keeping promotes or endangers the public’s safety. Allowing the public at large to evaluate claims of extraterrestrial encounters while maintaining the military secrecy needed for national security can and should be a possibility.

A survey conducted by livescience.com showed that one-third of Americans believe in UFOs and a NatGeo survey revealed that 79% of people believe the government is withholding UFO intelligence from the public.

The fact that no one, not even any U.S. president, has ever come through with the promise to declassify UFO intelligence leads some to believe that national security may be at stake. The New York Times reported that between 2007 and 2012, $22 million was spent on investigating UFOs by the Defense Department. Anything discovered will not be released publicly.

It’s time for the powers that be to declare publicly what is known. Satiating the public’s curiosity for the truth promotes a greater trust of the government and an ability to collectively study this mysterious phenomenon.