Also, lots of high ranking people have visited the poles.

Exactly (that's John Kerry w/ us Air Force)! I'm not claiming to know exactly what's up, I prolly never will, but somethings up! I'm not saying anything is definitive, but I am saying somethings off. Only high ranking ppl or approved and vetted scientists are allowed on the poles (besides military). There's even no-fly zones around the poles, and even then, you have to be an approved military aircraft. Even if it'll cut the flight and make it cheaper and shorter.

Then there's things like this, which are lil tidbits shared with the public that fly under the mainstream radar:

https://phys.org/news/2017-09-antarctic-caves-harbour-secret-life.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41202929.amp

https://www.science.org/content/article/bone-eating-worms-found-antarctic-waters

https://exopolitics.org/navy-seal-reveals-secret-mission-to-ancient-buried-structure-in-antarctica/