Nick Pope died yesterday afternoon, according to multiple reports. He had been diagnosed with Stage 4 oesophageal cancer. His wife, Professor Elizabeth Weiss, said in a social media tribute that she was lucky to have met and married him, describing him as a wonderful husband she loved dearly. The exact cause of death beyond the cancer diagnosis has not been disclosed.
Pope was widely known as the 'real life Fox Mulder', a reference to the fictional FBI agent from The X-Files television series. He joined the Ministry of Defence in 1985. His office, designated SEC(AS)2a, was popularly called the 'UFO desk'. According to Metro - Main, filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee described how Pope was being called the UK’s real-life Fox Mulder during the height of The X-Files' popularity, noting it was amazing to learn Britain had its own X-Files.
Dig This Real were keen for me, being a fellow Brit, to talk to someone who was being called the UK’s real-life Fox Mulder! The X-Files TV series was massive at the time and it was amazing to learn that we here in the UK had our own X-Files.
The UFO desk supported the Royal Air Force and operated a phone hotline for reporting strange aerial sightings. Pope received approximately 1,200 calls about UFO sightings during his tenure. According to Metro - Main, he described that almost all calls came from people who were utterly sincere in their belief, adding that people were less likely to hoax the MoD, probably because they were worried about the men in black.
Pope developed a systematic approach to analyzing these reports. According to Metro - Main, he described finding that about 80% of UFO sightings were misidentifications, 15% had insufficient data, and 5% were unknown. He emphasized that the 5% unknown cases did not mean extraterrestrial, but that possibility was not ruled out. The specific cases that fell into this unexplained category have never been publicly detailed, nor have any ongoing investigations into them been confirmed.
He always had time for those interested in the subject, no matter at what level, and that is a sign of a great man.
He offered specific explanations for many sightings, stating that most UFO sightings were Chinese paper lanterns. However, he maintained a broader philosophical perspective on the implications of genuine unexplained phenomena. According to Metro - Main, Pope described that if just one UFO case was of something not of this Earth, it would impact everything including politics, religion, science, and the economy. The details of what he called the 'tall tales of little green men' or other specific unexplained sightings he encountered remain unclear, as does the precise impact his work had on official government policy regarding UFOs.
The UFO community has reacted with an outpouring of tributes. Those who knew him described Pope as being at the forefront of UFOlogy. John Greenewald, creator of The Black Vault, called him a 'truth seeker' in a social media post, adding that he was so knowledgeable and one of the very few he could call upon for trusted advice. According to Metro - Main, Mark Christopher Lee described Pope as always having time for those interested in the subject, no matter at what level, calling that a sign of a great man.
He was so knowledgeable. One of the very few I could call upon for trusted advice.
Almost all of them came from people who were utterly sincere in their belief. People are less likely to hoax the MoD, probably because they were worried about the men in black.
In the end, we found about 80% or so of these sightings were misidentifications, 15% had insufficient data and 5% were unknown. That 5% doesn’t mean extraterrestrial, but as I always remind people, neither did we rule that out. It means unknown, no more, no less.
If just a single one of those cases was of something not of this Earth, it would impact everything – politics, religion, science, the economy and just about everything.