Lunch with Jacques: In the Presence of a Luminary
It All Connects! By Lisa Puzo Strickland, PhD
February 2026
Last month, I had the honor of breaking bread with Jacques Vallée and his lovely wife, Flamine, at their Bay area home, accompanied by our mutual friend, Dyan Dalton, Principal Executive Assistant to Stanford Professor and UAP expert, Garry Nolan.
To say the afternoon was out of this world is an understatement.
Lunch was homecooked and presented on a stunning antique table amidst several surrounding bookshelves replete with hundreds of publications such as widely cited, scientific papers and a treasured 1917 first edition of Experiments in Psychical Research at Leland Stanford Junior University.
And then, there was the coveted view of the Golden Gate Bridge - all on a perfectly crisp January day, bright with sun, and lit with an aligned purpose.
I devoured it all, and in doing so, solidified my esteem for our hosts and the entirety of the UAP community.
. . .
Many know Vallée for his extraordinary accomplishments across and beyond the UAP field - contributions that include conducting UAP research in the 1960’s for Project Bluebook with his dear friend and colleague, the late J. Allen Hynek, during which time he co-developed the first computerized map of Mars for NASA.
Vallée also worked on the precursor to the internet, ARPANET, and has written over thirty groundbreaking books, many of which are devoted to the UFO topic.
One of those books, Trinity: The Best Kept Secret, has been thoroughly updated with new witness testimony regarding the three close encounter cases of Trinity and Socorro, both in New Mexico, and Valensole in southeastern France.
And soon to be released, as Jacques enthusiastically shared with us over lunch, is the seventh and final volume of his Forbidden Science series slated for publication on Amazon and featuring previously unreleased investigative material.
Jacques humbly and consistently shares his achievements with fellow researchers, notwithstanding his own enduring influence and his stature alongside Hynek as mentor to the UAP movement.
Case in point, when Jacques and I later discussed this article, he noted, “No one person has been single-handedly responsible for today’s breakthrough,” a sentiment that indicates the collaborative posture he has maintained during his decades-long pursuit of the true nature of reality.
A similar posture has been emanated by many of today’s leading voices within UAP circles, thus resulting in an inclusive, welcoming environment for the curious to enter.
1966: J. Allen Hynek (l) with Jacques Vallée (r) at Corralitos Observatory in New Mexico.
Unsurprisingly, there was never a quiet gap or dull moment during our nearly 3-hour gathering.
We listened to Jacques anchor each thought in empirical evidence and historical context while he shared detailed accounts of Gorbachev and the Soviet Union, an Australian parapsychological study on plants, and a compelling story centered on a letter marked “Secret”.
His breadth of expertise cemented the importance of considering research that normally stands independent from the UAP field as being pertinent to the current dialogue.
Today, throughout podcasts, publications, and conferences, we see UAP experts and enthusiasts alike follow this same protocol of incorporating findings from other disciplines to form a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomena.
Because we need to.
In fact, over the years Vallée has not only emphasized humanity’s right to know with whom we share our existence, but also the necessity to know because, as he states in his co-authored book, The Edge of Reality, “The study of UFO’s is an opportunity to move toward a new reality, a means of increasing the borders of our awareness … (to) another science and another knowledge.”
Furthermore, Vallée believes that fact-checked UAP research should not be withheld for personal or organizational advantage, but rather shared for all to benefit, as are medical and scientific discoveries.
Psychologist and researcher, Anne Roe, who once wrote, “Nothing in science has any value to society if it is not communicated,” would have concurred.
. . .
As our time together concluded, the erudite Vallée once again illustrated his synergistic mindset by highlighting the power of the human spirit for its ability to forge ideas into formidable institutions.
His thoughts reinforce the importance of inspired insight, rigorous research, and unwavering integrity - attributes that remain evident, yet warrant greater emphasis.
January 2026: Jacques Vallée appearing via video at a Washington DC press conference for the revised James Fox documentary.
Two weeks after our lunch, Vallée kicked off a Washington, D.C. press conference for the new documentary, Moment of Contact: The New Revelation of Alien Encounters. The film is a revision of the original 2022 version and now features additional witness testimony for the Virginha, Brazil UAP incident allegedly involving living biologics.
From a 30-foot video display in the National Press Club, Vallée informed the audience that “The Virginha incident of 1996 in Brazil, researched and documented by (filmmaker) James Fox, fits within cases already known in scientific and medical records, many of which have remained classified” and “presents exceptional new knowledge beyond what was already known,” such as “the professional description of the anatomical and behavioral features of the (then) live creature.”
Vallée punctuated his speech with an appeal to authorities to relax classification restrictions for the promotion of high-level research and the “open exchange” of pertinent findings, a measure he argued is essential to “yield a better understanding of the current issues.”
Jacques Vallée is inarguably a luminary.
And the UAP field continues to benefit from his elegance and expertise.
As grateful as I was to listen and learn on that notable January day, I was equally compelled to contribute more fully to what many would agree to be one of the most significant fields of study for humankind.
Sources :
Image: Jacques Vallée, www.jacquesvallee.net
Book: Experiments in Psychical Research at Leland Stanford Junior University, c. 1917, Stanford University.
Book: Vallée, Jacques, Trinity: The Best Kept Secret, Lulu Press, Inc., 2021. Available on Amazon.
Book: Vallée, Jacques, Forbidden Science 7. Available soon on Amazon.
Image: Actor Francois Truffaut, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Image: From video feed of Jacques Vallee at Washington DC press conference, National Press Club, Jan 20, 2026.
Quotes: Jacques Vallee, National Press Club, Jan 20, 2026.
Quote: Jacques Vallee, The Edge of Reality, c. Orig. 1975, Edition 2023, MUFON, page. 213.
Quote: Anne Roe, Making of a Scientist, 1953.
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Lisa Puzo Strickland holds a PhD in Philosophy and Parapsychology. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Hollywood Disclosure Alliance.
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