In a recent episode of the Psicoactivo Podcast, Matthew Roberts, a former naval cryptologist, offered a rare, candid account of his involvement with the now-famous Gimbal UFO footage and his subsequent personal encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). Roberts, who served aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, recounted his experience during the ship’s pre-deployment “workups”—intensive air defense exercises that unexpectedly led to the capture of the Gimbal video, one of the most widely circulated pieces of military UAP evidence.
Roberts described his role aboard the Roosevelt as one that kept him largely removed from direct contact with pilots, working instead in a secure compartmented information facility (SCIF) as part of the ship’s cryptology team. He recalled the moment a colleague, who was more closely connected to the air wing, brought the Gimbal footage to his attention. “Hey, check this out,” the colleague said, pulling up the video on Roberts’ computer. The footage, featuring pilots’ incredulous reactions to a rotating object moving against strong winds, quickly became an object of fascination among the crew.
The Gimbal incident was not isolated. Roberts noted that alerts were being launched on several consecutive nights, even after the official end of air defense exercises—a detail that highlights the sustained nature of the encounters. Although the footage viewed on the ship included the Gimbal and Go Fast videos, Roberts alluded to additional material that has not been released to the public. “I would just sit there watching these videos obsessively,” he said, describing the deep emotional impact the footage had on him, which he did not immediately understand.
The emotional toll was further underscored during a shipboard meeting, when Roberts overheard two pilots discussing the UFO sightings. Rather than engage, he felt a powerful urge to avoid the conversation, experiencing what he described as a disturbing sense that the phenomenon was somehow “there for me” and that exposure could be personally damaging. “I had this feeling that washed over me…that someone was going to find out and that would be bad for me,” Roberts recalled. He admitted that at the time, these emotions seemed irrational, but with hindsight, they gained new significance as he reflected on subsequent events in his life.
Roberts’ experience with UAP did not end with his time on the Roosevelt. After transferring to the Office of Naval Intelligence, he reported further personal encounters with the phenomenon, which he later chronicled in his book “Initiated.” The podcast host drew parallels between Roberts’ story and that of Kevin Day, another military witness from the USS Princeton’s “Tic Tac” incident, both of whom described an unusual sensitivity or intuition toward UAP after prolonged exposure to related material. Roberts agreed, suggesting that his repeated, obsessive viewing of the footage may have altered his awareness, making him more attuned to what he calls “the phenomenon.”
These firsthand accounts from military personnel like Roberts contribute to a growing body of testimony surrounding UAP encounters, adding depth and nuance to a subject often shrouded in secrecy. As the conversation around UAP disclosure continues, such personal experiences provide valuable insight into the psychological and emotional dimensions of these unexplained events within the armed forces.
