Inexplicable lights in the night sky. Mysterious men in black. Flying saucers. For decades, these images and ideas have intrigued and frightened us in equal measure. While humanity has always been curious about the universe and the possibility of life amongst the stars, the mid-20th century saw a sudden explosion in claims of UFO sightings and “evidence” of alien visitors.

Did an alien spacecraft land in Roswell, New Mexico, in the 1940s? Did locals really witness UFOs flying over Washington, DC, in the 1950s? Did a man from Albuquerque uncover an alien plot for world domination in the 1980s? Or were these events something a bit more mundane than otherworldly visitations? How much of our modern fascination with UFO sightings and extraterrestrial life is the result of something a little closer to home? In the 10 lectures of UFOs and the Cold War, Professor Richard Spence explores some of the most (in)famous UFO incidents in the United States, examining clues and tracing threads that connect many of these events to Cold War paranoia and government manipulation.

Throughout these lectures, you’ll uncover conspiracies, unearth international secrets, and come face-to-face with the chilling realities of psychological warfare at the height of the Cold War. Without dismissing the possibility of extraterrestrial life, Professor Spence reveals the ways political tensions fueled the UFO craze that swept post-war America and continues to captivate our imaginations today.