Governor Fife Symington

Governor

In 1997, then-Arizona Governor Fife Symington initially responded to the widespread Phoenix Lights sightings with a humorous press conference where he presented his chief of staff dressed in an alien costume to dismiss public concerns.

Symington's Initial Response

In June 1997, Symington held a press gag featuring an aide in a Martian suit, claiming this was the "guilty party" behind the lights to stop public hysteria.
He rationalized the mockery by stating the state was on the brink of panic and he wanted to bring levity to the situation.
Later Admission

Ten years later, in 2007, Symington publicly admitted he was a witness to the incident and that his earlier jokes were a strategic ploy.
He described seeing a massive, silent, delta-shaped craft that he felt was "otherworldly" and stated he had kept quiet about his personal encounter to avoid panicking the populace.
Symington, a former Air Force captain and pilot, insisted the object was too large and symmetrical to be military flares, which were offered as the official explanation for the lights.