Why do you think the aliens decided to
interact with the government, rather
than directly with the people?
==============
MAYNARD: Over the years many statements
have been written (fiction and/or
nonfiction) concerning the best approach
to this delicate subject, and I tend to
agree with many of those statements. It
is apparent that our species has been
controlled to the large part by the
government and media. Whereas the "Star
Trek Prime Directive", is probably the
most famous statement, and most agree
could be the most likely scenario.
However, as beings being observed for at
least the last several thousand years,
give or take a millennia, it will
probably be less of a surprise to us in
this day and age than previously
thought; "Details at 11".
Yet, the factors with which we govern
ourselves do not exactly bring out the
best part of us. Therefore, if I were
an alien studying this planet and its
societies, I might be a little
apprehensive about charging into the
open and announcing my presence. I would
probably contact one, two, or more of
the major governments and work with
them, and when the time was right, make
a joint announcement and let history
take its course. Still, regardless of
what one might say, once governmental
contact was made and working
arrangements had been ongoing, any
announcement is not timely and may also
be unproductive. That is, until it is
apparent that disclosure is necessary.
In these instances, the amount of the
populace's knowledge is a big factor in
determining the proper time to make the
announcement.
The other side of that coin might be
that contact was made millennia ago, and
through design, it was decided that an
alien presence would be
counter-productive to our planetary
society growth. In that case,
nondisclosure might be the best
scenario. Then again, if the contact had
a positive reception and disclosure had
been made, interaction might be a common
factor in our society, and would no more
be thought of than what you think of
your neighbor. Some believe, as well
--as I do-- that we might have had an
even better planetary society, had
acknowledgement of contact occurred
positively and openly from the
beginning. Primarily, you have to
remember that contact is a two-way
street, both parties have to be in
agreement with the action to achieve the
best results.