Nick Pope served as a British civil servant in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) from 1985 to 2006. From 1991 to 1994, he ran the MoD’s UFO project — the UK’s official investigation desk for unidentified aerial phenomena sightings by the public and military. His job: investigate UFO reports and assess whether they posed a threat to UK airspace. Initially skeptical. Over three years of case review, Pope’s skepticism eroded. He investigated the Rendlesham Forest incident, the UK’s Calvine photograph case (a structured disc photographed by two walkers — the MoD’s most significant photograph, kept classified for 30 years), and many military pilot sightings. Pope’s professional arc directly mirrors J. Allen Hynek’s: a hired skeptic who investigated his way to advocacy. After leaving the MoD, Pope has been one of the UK’s most prominent UAP advocates, regularly appearing before US Congress, on major media (BBC, CNN, Fox, Sky), and as a consultant for documentaries. He defended the Rendlesham Forest witnesses publicly. He criticized the UK MoD’s handling of UFO files. He supported Christopher Mellon and the US disclosure movement. KEY ADVOCACY: Pope has repeatedly stated that the Rendlesham Forest incident represents “the UK’s most significant UFO case” and that the UK government’s official position — “no defence significance” — was not based on an adequate investigation. In May 2026, Pope died — however he left behind extensive documentation of the UK government’s UAP investigation history, including materials related to files not yet publicly released.