Leslie Kean

So it was not a topic that was totally foreign to me but she surprised me by telling me that the government was very much in the UFO business and not only that but Lou Elizondo had submitted a letter of resignation to Jim Mattis, Defense Secretary, because he was so ticked off at the opposition he was getting. So there were a lot of elements to the story that were really of high interest.

So I took it to Dean Baquet, and to his credit, He jumped on it pretty quickly. He put us together with an editor for the Washington Bureau. We laid it out. We had everything on the record, which is something we can talk about. I mean, we were very insistent on, you know, the Times standards are very high. I don't have to tell you that for getting especially a story like this into the paper.

So I took it to Dean Baquet, and to his credit, He jumped on it pretty quickly. He put us together with an editor for the Washington Bureau. We laid it out. We had everything on the record, which is something we can talk about. I mean, we were very insistent on, you know, the Times standards are very high. I don't have to tell you that for getting especially a story like this into the paper.

So I took it to Dean Baquet, and to his credit, He jumped on it pretty quickly. He put us together with an editor for the Washington Bureau. We laid it out. We had everything on the record, which is something we can talk about. I mean, we were very insistent on, you know, the Times standards are very high. I don't have to tell you that for getting especially a story like this into the paper.

So we had it all on the record, named sources, no unnamed sources. And they put us together with Helene Cooper in the Washington Bureau, which was a big plus because she knew the Pentagon. Not that they would say anything, but at least we knew who to go to. So to answer your question more directly, it was not as difficult as you might think. Yes, the times had been very hostile traditionally.

So we had it all on the record, named sources, no unnamed sources. And they put us together with Helene Cooper in the Washington Bureau, which was a big plus because she knew the Pentagon. Not that they would say anything, but at least we knew who to go to. So to answer your question more directly, it was not as difficult as you might think. Yes, the times had been very hostile traditionally.

So we had it all on the record, named sources, no unnamed sources. And they put us together with Helene Cooper in the Washington Bureau, which was a big plus because she knew the Pentagon. Not that they would say anything, but at least we knew who to go to. So to answer your question more directly, it was not as difficult as you might think. Yes, the times had been very hostile traditionally.

to the whole UFO subject, with some notable exceptions. But this story sailed through and got on the front page on a Sunday. You couldn't ask for better play than that.

to the whole UFO subject, with some notable exceptions. But this story sailed through and got on the front page on a Sunday. You couldn't ask for better play than that.

to the whole UFO subject, with some notable exceptions. But this story sailed through and got on the front page on a Sunday. You couldn't ask for better play than that.

Well, maybe it's a good thing we didn't know all that stuff. You're right. But I got to tell you, when you look at the story, it really was very tightly written and constrained. We did not have a lot of space. So a lot of stuff that we knew for example, about retrievals and things like that, never made it into that story.

Well, maybe it's a good thing we didn't know all that stuff. You're right. But I got to tell you, when you look at the story, it really was very tightly written and constrained. We did not have a lot of space. So a lot of stuff that we knew for example, about retrievals and things like that, never made it into that story.

Well, maybe it's a good thing we didn't know all that stuff. You're right. But I got to tell you, when you look at the story, it really was very tightly written and constrained. We did not have a lot of space. So a lot of stuff that we knew for example, about retrievals and things like that, never made it into that story.

Not that we would have gone there necessarily, but we had to keep really a narrow focus. And with every story we did then and since for The Times and others, we left out a lot of stuff, some by design, but mostly because of space constraints. So maybe The Times did us a favor by confining us into a fairly narrow space. you

Not that we would have gone there necessarily, but we had to keep really a narrow focus. And with every story we did then and since for The Times and others, we left out a lot of stuff, some by design, but mostly because of space constraints. So maybe The Times did us a favor by confining us into a fairly narrow space. you

Not that we would have gone there necessarily, but we had to keep really a narrow focus. And with every story we did then and since for The Times and others, we left out a lot of stuff, some by design, but mostly because of space constraints. So maybe The Times did us a favor by confining us into a fairly narrow space. you

Well, we learned so much since, it's kind of hard to remember what we knew then. But, you know, as a journalist, you're always – I got to tell you, I got some advice from a colleague years ago when I got – this is a little sideline, but I got put on the –

Well, we learned so much since, it's kind of hard to remember what we knew then. But, you know, as a journalist, you're always – I got to tell you, I got some advice from a colleague years ago when I got – this is a little sideline, but I got put on the –

Well, we learned so much since, it's kind of hard to remember what we knew then. But, you know, as a journalist, you're always – I got to tell you, I got some advice from a colleague years ago when I got – this is a little sideline, but I got put on the –

media beat briefly when the media guy was going on vacation and it happened to come right at the time of a job action against the New York Times. So this thing drops into my lap. I'm the New York, I'm the media reporter when the Times is basically on strike. And how do you handle that kind of news about your employer? So this guy gave me a bit of advice.