I was pretty frustrated when I left the International UFO Museum in Roswell, New Mexico (after I checked out Monument Valley, before I went to San Antonio and did the Riverwalk).

This wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the experience – quite the opposite. It did an awfully nice job of stirring thoughts and questions about the infamous events that occurred in 1947.

Confession before we continue: I am a sort of an alien nerd. I’ve read a bunch of books on the subject of their existence, from Ancient Alien to Hollow Earth theories.

Perhaps nerd isn’t the right word – I’m only trying to learn the truth. In the past, people had too little information. Now, it seems we have too much that is unreliable. It’s rare to find any information on the subject that isn’t contradicted by the other side (sort of like attempting to follow an American election, if you will).

You know: Side A says this, Side B says that, and then we move on to the next thing without an answer, sides still drawn. Granted, the study of history is a little different in that some answers simply take decades or centuries to realize, but you get my point: The large grain of salt you must swallow along with every piece of new information begins to scratch the throat after a while.

The museum in Roswell did a great job of not being hokie or touristy – it simply presented information via newspaper clippings, recordings, photos, official government documents, and other historical records. It was more of a walk-through educational center than it was a museum.

I appreciated that, especially given that such flair would serve as a turnoff to many people who currently discount the entire concept of extraterrestrials visiting earth as ridiculous. Probably the most memorable information I took away from the museum is the potential explanations for the common question: If the Crash of 1947 really happened, why would the government waste all the time and money covering it up?

A few theories I read at the museum (reproduced word for word below):

1. You can’t tell your friends without telling your enemies – the technology recovered from the craft was instantly marked as Top Secret.

2. From a political viewpoint, younger members of society, especially those who grew up with the space program, would push for a new view of ourselves. Instead of thinking… Americans, Canadians, Peruvians, French, or Chinese, they would start to think of themselves as earthlings… As idyllic as this sounds, I know of no government that wants its citizens to owe their primary allegiance to the planet instead of the nation. The biggest fear of anybody in power is losing that power.

3. Religious groups would be disturbed by any announcement that humans are not alone, (they) might have a problem with the theological impacts of extraterrestrial life.

4. The government may know things about the aliens that are truly terrible. Since (the government) knows more than the public does, they must make the choices for us “ignorant” beings.

5. There might be economic discombobulation brought about by even the mildest announcement of the most peaceful alien visitations… New methods of energy production, ground transport, air transport, communications… which of the old manufacturers would build the new systems, and which would fade into oblivion?

Interesting, eh? It certainly gets the mind swirling, wondering if it’s really plausible that so many citizen witnesses and government officials would mistake an aircraft for a weather balloon and make up stories of small bodies.

Either way, who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory? The information is out there – go have fun.