My question to the great Russian politician was an unusual one for a statesman - it concerned certain public statements by Ronald Reagan about the possibility of "an alien threat [to the Earth] from outside this world "coming from "another planet," which would eventually help all people recognize the common bond which "unites all the members of humanity." (Speeches at a high school in Maryland on December 4, 1985, and before of the General Assembly of the United Nations during the Forty-second Session on September 21, 1987.) During my question, ex-premier Gorbachev interrupted me and, referring to Reagan, said, "Among other things he once talked about it with me as well."

On June 23, 2006 ex-Soviet premier Michail Sergeyevich Gorbachev held a press conference for a large gathering of national and local reporters on the first day of an international seminar entitled "Media between Citizens and Power" at the congress centre of the Venice Province on San Servolo Island in the Venetian Lagoon. The international seminar (June 23 and 24, 2006) was supported by the Venice Province and by the World Political Forum founded by Gorbachev.

On that occasion I was the correspondent for the Gruppo Editoriale Olimpia, Italian publisher of the magazines Tecnologia & Difesa and UFO Notiziario, and I was able to question Mr. Gorbachev. My question to the great Russian politician was an unusual one for a statesman - it concerned certain public statements by Ronald Reagan about the possibility of "an alien threat [to the Earth] from outside this world "coming from "another planet," which would eventually help all people recognize the common bond which "unites all the members of humanity." (Speeches at a high school in Maryland on December 4, 1985, and before of the General Assembly of the United Nations during the Forty-second Session on September 21, 1987.) During my question, ex-premier Gorbachev interrupted me and, referring to Reagan, said, "Among other things he once talked about it with me as well." Immediately I replied, "In Geneva, in 1985," without denial from Gorbachev. I ended my questioning by referring to the baffling statements made in September, 2005 by Paul Hellyer, ex-Canadian Minister of Defense, at Toronto University. Hellyer talked about the possibility of an imminent "intergalactic war" for which the United States of America was preparing in secret. (See the article by Maurizio Molinari for the Italian newspaper La Stampa, November 26, 2005, page 10).

Although Gorbachev's answer was, "We are looking at a range of hypotheses," and he concentrated on "the more serious" cometary and asteroidal threat of the so-called NEOs (against which we could use a "reduced armament of nuclear defense" kept only for that purpose), his recent confirmation of a particular moment in the discussion with Reagan is remarkable.

But why did Reagan talk to Gorbachev in private about an alien threat from other species? We were still waiting for a precise answer and some weeks ago we unexpectedly got further details on the Genevan summit which took place in November, 1985. On October 29, 2006, Fabio Fazio, an Italian presenter of RAI TRE (one of the State channels in Italy), had Gorbachev as a guest on his evening show.

The interview with the famous statesman lasted half an hour. At the end, with a bit of embarrassament, Fabio Fazio asked him about his discussions with Reagan during the 1980s, with reference to UFOs. The Italian host explained to Gorbachev that someone (perhaps some spectator at home, I suppose) had written him a question about that. Keeping in mind my question already put to the former Soviet premier on the same subject, Gorbachev once again had an opportunity to answer more thoughtfully, and, moreover, this question was less specific than mine, therefore more manageable.

From Channel RAI TRE, show Che Tempo Che Fa, 10-29-2006, with simultaneous translation from Russian into Italian by a female voice-over. The following transcription is my translation into English:

[...]

The ex-Soviet premier recalled that moment with seriousness:

Gorbachev: It was the first meeting and our conversations were very difficult ... particularly because our conversation began with him calling me 'a very stubborn Bolshevik' and me calling him a 'dinosaur.'

Fazio [smiling]: Kind. Nice...

[laughter and applause from the audience]

Gorbachev: But in a couple of days we went a long way. So much so that we got to a conclusive document where there was written that we, the Presidents, believed that nuclear warfare was not acceptable because there could be no winners.

Fazio: The end of the Cold War, practically.

Gorbachev: Almost. No! It still needs a little time. As regards the dialogue, at that time it was a very difficult dialogue because we could not totally meet each other halfway. And I remember during a walk by the villa garden where we met, President Reagan stopped and said, 'But, listen to me, President Gorbachev. If we were attacked from Space, would we come together? Would we unite?' - I answered him, 'I do not know what you think about it but I propose to come together, that we join forces.' [...] [applause from the audience]

The recent Gorbachev recollection is really meaningful and confirms what Zecharia Sitchin, the well-known Russian historian living in New York, wrote in his essay "Genesis Revisited," (1991) chapter 13: "The new era of understanding, trust and co-operation was also born because there was an alien threat to all the nations of the Earth."

And maybe it does still exist.