Congressman Merrill Cook, (R) Utah was one of six committee members at the 2013 Washington DC-based Citizen Hearing on ET/UFO Disclosure. Although skeptical at first, Cook was impressed with the testimony presented and it made him rethink the UFO phenomenon and government secrecy. Cook was born in Philadelphia and raised in Salt Lake City, the son of scientist Melvin A. Cook, who pioneered the development of slurry explosives. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1969 and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1971. He was elected to Congress in 1996 and served two terms representing the 2nd District of Utah. He held seats on the U.S. House Banking Committee, Financial Institutions Subcommittee, and Capital Markets Subcommittee for four years, dealing with the highest levels of the American financial, investment and banking industries.