In Praise of the National Press Club
Capitol Disclosure By Stephen Bassett
January 2026
The National Press Club began in 1908 when a Washington Times reporter Graham Nichol and colleague James Hay decided reporters needed a private club for the righteous purposes of drinking, poker and gossip. Thirty-two fellow newspapermen donated $10 each and the National Press Club was born in the F Street Parlor of the Willard Hotel.
In just two months, it had grown enough to move to larger space above a Jewelry store at 1205 F. Street, NW. There the Club attracted celebrities (including Buffalo Bill) and politicians (including presidents).
With further expansion, the club moved several more times until it decided to build its own 14-story building at 14th and F Streets (Newspaper Row) with the Club at the top. The building would be filled with press offices and bureaus and called the National Press Building. It opened in December of 1927. Notably it was located two blocks from the White House.
The NPB underwent two major renovations, one in 1980 and a spectacular renovation in 2018-2019.
For a more robust history of the National Press Club visit this NPC page.
So, you might ask why this historical vignette about the National Press Club in The WOW! Signal? This is why. The National Press Club in the National Press Building has held more UAP/UFO/Disclosure/Exopolitical related press conferences than any other venue on the face of the Earth.
Furthermore, the Club and its staff have always treated the subject matter with respect and as legitimate news. To my knowledge the NPC has never turned down a substantive request to host a press conference in our genre. Here are many:
July 7, 1988 - Richard C. Hoagland held a notable press conference to present his findings regarding the "Face on Mars" and the Cydonia region of Mars.
March 21,1996 - Richard C. Hoagland held a major press conference to expand his claims beyond Mars to include evidence of artificial structures on the Moon.
April 4, 2001 - Richard C. Hoagland and his organization, The Enterprise Mission, held a press conference titled "Mars: The Truth at Last."
May 9, 2001 - The Disclosure Project event, organized by Dr. Steven Greer, featured over twenty military, intelligence, and government witnesses presenting evidence of extraterrestrial life and technology, demanding congressional hearings. The webcast set a record for the National Press Club at the time with 250,000 people waiting online.
October 22, 2002 - Coalition for Freedom of Information (CFI) held a significant press conference to launch a major initiative focused on government transparency regarding unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). It was led by John Podesta and Leslie Kean.
April 19, 2004 – Press conference following the first X-Conference produced by Paradigm Research Group.
April 24, 2005 - Press conference following the second X-Conference produced by Paradigm Research Group.
September 18,2007 - Press conference following the third X-Conference produced by Paradigm Research Group.
October 30, 2007 – A high-profile press conference was held to announce findings by the Coalition for Freedom of Information (CFI) and investigative journalist Leslie Kean.
November 12, 2007 - An international panel of former pilots and government officials from seven countries gathered to call for the U.S. government to reopen official UFO investigations, citing safety and national security concerns.
April 21, 2008 - Press conference following the fourth X-Conference produced by Paradigm Research Group.
April 20, 2009 - Press conference following the fifth X-Conference produced by Paradigm Research Group.
May 10, 2010 - Press conference following the sixth X-Conference produced by Paradigm Research Group.
September 27, 2010 - A press conference hosted by researcher Robert Hastings and former ICBM launch officer Captain Robert Salas brought together six former U.S. Air Force personnel who shared testimony about alleged UFO encounters at nuclear weapons sites during the Cold War, including instances where missiles were reportedly disabled.
May 6, 2013 – a press conference was held after the "Citizen Hearing on Disclosure," a "mock" congressional hearing where various UFO witnesses provided testimony to a panel of former members of Congress over several days to push for an official government hearing.
October 19, 2021 - UAP and Nuclear Weapons Witness Testimonies. Capt. Robert Salas organized this press conference to present new evidence and call for further congressional investigation into ICBM shutdowns in the presence of UAP.
June 12, 2023 - Dr. Steven Greer returned to host another "UFO/UAP Disclosure Press Conference," featuring live whistleblower testimony aimed at exposing an alleged illegal secret government and the true state of UFO/UAP disclosure.
January 20, 2026 - Investigative filmmaker James Fox is scheduled to host another landmark UAP press conference, featuring first-hand witnesses and medical experts to present new evidence and call for expanded whistleblower protections.
Are you surprised that so many press conferences on the matter of a technologically advanced non-human presence in our solar system were held over so many years two blocks from the White House?
If so, that’s ok. Your government has worked very hard to keep you from being surprised.
This is just one reminder of how so many have worked so hard for so long to bring us to the point where Disclosure from a U.S. President could happen tomorrow.
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Stephen Bassett is the Founder of the Paradigm Research Group and the Executive Director of The Hollywood Disclosure Alliance
To Contact Stephen Bassett: