Mirage Men (Project Book Club)
Need To Know
Bryce Zabel
4.7 • 548 Ratings
🗓️ 3 November 2025
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Bryce Zabel and Chrissy Newton dive into Mirage Men, a provocative and unsettling exploration of how UFO mythology has been manipulated and, at times, manufactured by intelligence agencies. The discussion centers on the book's central thesis — that much of what we think we know about UFOs may have been deliberately seeded by government operatives to cover up classified projects or sow disinformation. Names like Richard Doty and Paul Bennewitz are examined as case studies in psychological operations, raising questions about just how much of the UFO lore is organic versus orchestrated.
Weaponized Myth or Truth in Disguise?
The episode unpacks the troubling implications for researchers and experiencers alike. The book suggests that belief in non-human intelligence may have been stoked as part of long-running counterintelligence campaigns, leaving a trail of confusion and paranoia in their wake. The conversation also explores how this manipulation might have impacted the broader UFO community — creating divisions, muddying waters, and casting long shadows over genuine phenomena. The hosts balance skepticism with open-mindedness, probing whether Mirage Men reveals deception, deeper truths, or perhaps both.
The Relevance for Today's Disclosure Landscape
The episode closes by drawing sharp parallels between the events in Mirage Men and today's disclosure efforts. With recent whistleblower testimony and government acknowledgments, listeners are asked to consider: are we witnessing a long-delayed truth, or just the latest evolution of the same game of informational misdirection? The book, and this conversation, ultimately leave listeners with a haunting but essential question — who benefits from what we believe, and why? This episode is a must-listen for anyone trying to untangle the web of fact, fiction, and psychological warfare at the heart of the UFO narrative.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Project Book Club, where UFOs and UAP have close encounters with morning coffee. |
| 0:08.3 | Grab a fresh mug and enjoy our steaming hot takes on this month's book that deals with anomalous phenomena. |
| 0:15.6 | Brand new, classic, and often controversial. |
| 0:19.2 | We talk about the ideas and we read between the lines. Now here's |
| 0:24.1 | Bryce Sable in Hollywood and Chrissy Newton in Toronto. Welcome back to Project Book Club, which I almost |
| 0:31.7 | said Project Blue Book, right? Well, you did before we got started, so we're off to the races here. Yeah. |
| 0:38.3 | This is my third time doing an intro. But Bryce, it's so good to see you. I know that we are a little |
| 0:45.1 | bit off and are releasing our dates because we had to push it back a week. So I have to say I missed |
| 0:51.0 | both you and Tyler a lot. We missed you. I mean, you know, you kind of get in a rhythm |
| 0:56.7 | on these things and you, you know, it's like you're visiting with friends and it's good. I like it. |
| 1:01.8 | Anyway, it's good to see you. Are you in Toronto right now? I am. Yeah, I'm in my studio, |
| 1:06.1 | but you are not in California. Where are you? I am in California, but I'm not, I live in Los Angeles, |
| 1:13.1 | not there right now. I'm in San Francisco where I have to tell you, you know, you think about, |
| 1:18.3 | remember, you know, Mark Twain, well, I think he famously said something about the coldest winter, |
| 1:24.6 | the coldest summary ever experience was a winter in San Francisco. So, you know, |
| 1:29.6 | you tend to think San Francisco is going to have some tough weather. It's beautiful right now. It's like 73 |
| 1:34.7 | degrees, perfect skies. It's just fantastic. So I'm going to stay here a while. But yeah. And besides |
| 1:41.3 | which, when do you do a podcast, it's like have Mike will travel, right? |
| 1:45.4 | Mm-hmm. I know that feeling we've done. I've done a podcast when I've been on the road with you as well. |
| 1:50.3 | But I'll say one thing. San Francisco, the first time I ever went is when I went to Seoul last year. |
| 1:58.3 | Not the Seoul just actually just happened in Italy this year, |
| 2:01.2 | but the first time I ever went. And I remember getting off the plane and I was like, I was actually |
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