21 Jul 10 @ 10:41am by Rob Bates

US “astro-political activist” Stephen Bassett made his case for ending the “truth embargo” on UFOs at Paddington RSL last week, but some of the most interesting revelations came from his audience.

About 100 people paid $30 to attend the seminar, which laid out claims of a worldwide cover-up that began in 1947.

At least two in the crowd said they had seen UFOs.

“I saw a UFO when I was about 14 years old and I’ve never forgotten it,” one attendee, who asked to be called Henry, said. “It was this long, silver cigar-shaped thing in the sky. It was broad daylight and it was there for a long time.”

However, Henry said he had no idea whether the object was extraterrestrial and didn’t want to speculate.

Another so-called “contactee” Ty Bosco, insisted what he saw “wasn’t from this planet” and “wasn’t made by humans”.

“It was just a pure white light that moved very smoothly, right over the top of us,” Mr Bosco said. “But there was probably no reason to fear UFOs because if they were going to do away with us, why didn’t they do it a long time ago?”

Another spectator, Manfred Abraham, was less optimistic.

“I believe aliens exist, they have been here all along and they’re living among us,” he said. “You would never know if you'd met oneand like humans I think there are good and bad ones.”

Mr Abraham said we would have no chance if push came to shove with our intergalactic neighbours, because their technology was “far superior”.

Mr Bosco agreed that UFO pilots were more advanced than humans and conceded there could be something sinister behind their visits.

“We’re part of the master program - what the damn program is we don’t know. It could be terrible news. Who knows?”