UFOs and the Cold War

by Richard B. Spence, The Great Courses

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.

Audible Audio

Published October 22, 2026

About the author

Dr. Richard “Rick” Spence received his PhD in History from the University of California Santa Barbara in 1981. He has taught at the University of Idaho since 1986 where currently he is a tenured full Professor of History. He specializes in Russian, intelligence and military history, and his course offerings include Modern Espionage, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, History of Secret Societies and the Occult in History.

Dr. Spence’s published works include Boris Savinkov: Renegade on the Left (East European Monographs/Columbia Univ. Press, 1991), Trust No One: The Secret World of Sidney Reilly (Feral House, 2002) and Secret Agent 666: Aleister Crowley, British Intelligence and the Occult (Feral House, 2008). He is also the author of numerous articles in Revolutionary Russia, Intelligence and National Security, International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence, The Historian, New Dawn and other publications. He has served as a commentator/consultant for the History Channel and the International Spy Museum and was a key consultant-interviewee for the Russian Cultural Foundation’s 2007 documentary film, “Leon Trotsky: The Secret of World Revolution,” and its subsequent “Trap for the Tsar.”

Reviews

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been interested in the UFO phenomenon since my early school days and it is a breath of fresh air to read a book that looks at the issue from the purely political perspective of the United States engaged in the Cold War. Spence examines many of the significant events in the history of UFO sightings and reporting and looks at the government role in both promoting and suppressing them. He also looks at the roots of modern mythology, such as the men-in-black. And most fascinating of all, he turns his eye to the larger-than-life personalities that helped to get UFOs front and center in the American mind. It’s an enjoyable narrative.

[Matthew · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

There are some interesting anecdotes here about how the Cold War influenced UFO lore. However, I found that there was too much fitting of facts to the thesis rather than the thesis to the facts.

[Bryce Nicely · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting listen for sure. Very much not about UFOs, except for a handful of lectures, and much more cold war espionage.