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367 have had personal experience in reacting to such events; they may remember what has happened previously. Officials and politicians are least well prepared for events that are unfamiliar and that seem unlikely to occur. Contact with extraterrestrial intelligence is an excellent example. Because there is as yet no confirmed evidence, most government and politi- cal leaders do not regard the issue as one deserving their attention. The ew who think about it may fear that they will be ridiculed if they discuss preparations for contact. If government officials or politicians are informed that an extraterres- rial civilization has been detected, the first thing they will want to know is whether the detection has been confirmed. No government or political eader will want to risk the embarrassment of making public statements about a detection that turns out to be false. In some cases, this confirma- ion can be done within a day; in others, the nature of the detection might be ambiguous and confirmation might take longer. Officials and politicians will be wise to say “let’s wait until we’re sure.” The next policy question is: What should the government say to the public, and when? Reporters and others will ask officials not only what hey know but also what they plan to do. Many media people think that he credibility of government announcements on this subject would be low, implying a need for careful preparation. Who should speak for the government? Who is in charge of the issue? Should the executive branch try to maintain exclusive control? How soon should they consult with lawmakers and political party leaders? Legislators might take action on their own, passing laws that direct the way that contact should be handled. Should foreign governments be fully informed from the beginning? Should they be invited to join postcontact processes? The longer-term policy issues concerning contact with ETI will depend on the scenario of detection. In a remote detection, one issue will be whether to send a communication to the detected civilization. To many people, the answer seems obvious. Of course we should! Some attempts already have been made. However, questions remain. Do the extraterrestrials know that we exist? If they do not know of our existence, should we call attention to ourselves? Is there any possible danger in adver- tising our location? If we do decide to send a message, should Humankind speak with one voice or with many? What should the message say? Is there some information that we should withhold? Who should decide? have to. The second long-term issue is whether releasing information from extra- terrestrials would threaten human cultures. The type and degree of impact will depend on the nature and comprehensibility of the signal or artifact. A message that is rich in information will have a far greater impact than Preparing Governments for Contact Governments have not yet addressed these questions. They may