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[Alex]

Originally Posted by bewitched

Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969, makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles.

Not quite. The regulation (which was removed 20 years ago) did not make any such contact illegal. It also didn't mention extraterrestrials. Specifically it dealt with manned and unmanned NASA spacecraft returning from space.

If a civilian came into close contact with such a vehicle they were subject to quarantine. This is because in the early days of space travel there were real concerns about the possibility of bringing back non-terrestrial biological contamination that could be harmful. It is no coincidence that The Andromeda Strain was also written around this time.