The fear is of illegal and potentially lethal retribution in practice no matter what the law says. From the UFO crash at Roswell onward, witnesses and their families were often threatened with death if they talked.
“From the UFO crash at Roswell onward, witnesses and their families were often threatened with death if they talked.”
Hogwash. Jesse Marcel Sr. and Jesse Marcel Jr. (who happened to be a long-time member of this forum) talked about it for years and never mentioned any threats.