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UFOsforthe21stCenturyMind

AFreshGuidetoanAncientMystery

RichardM.Dolan

RichardDolanPress

RichardDolanPressRochester,NewYork14619USA

Copyright©2014byRichardM.DolanAll rights reserved.No part of this bookmay be used or reproduced in anymannerwhatsoeverwithoutwritten permissionexceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembodiedincriticalarticlesorreviews.

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Dolan,RichardMichaelUFOsforthe21stCenturyMind:AFreshGuidetoanAncientMystery/byRichardM.Dolan

486p.cm.Includesbibliographyandindex.ISBN978-14952916091.UnidentifiedFlyingObjects2.History.I.Dolan,RichardM.II.Title

FirstpublishedintheUnitedStatesbyRichardDolanPressFirstPrinting:January2014CoverconceptandillustrationbyMichelleMontanyCoverdesignbyMarkBrabanthttp://hoveringobject.comBackcoverphotoofauthor©byMichelleMontanyAll photographs and illustrations in this bookwere reproducedwith the kind permission of their owners, or else are in thepublicdomain.ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

http://richarddolanpress.com

TothecountlessUFOresearchersofthepastwhomadethisresearchpossible,andtothetruthseekersoftodayandtomorrow.

Contents

Acknowledgments

ForewordbyGeorgeNoory

Introduction

Chapter1.WhatAreUFOs?WhatareUFOs?GettingTechnicalAndYet...WhatCanUFOsBe?UFOsandtheProblemofScienceWhoDecidesWhatisProof?Implications:WhatifTheyareReal?

PoliticalImplicationsEconomicImplicationsReligiousImplicationsScientificImplicationsCulturalImplicationsGlobalImplications

Chapter2.TheoriesofAncientVisitationOurJourneytoUnderstandthePastAncientImagesALostCivilization?PyramidsOtherStructures,InexplicableandExplicableFlyingTrinketsAncientWritings:VimanasAncientWritings:EgyptAncientWritings:TheBibleAncientAstronautsTheAnnunakiMoreAncientStoriesCharlesFortSummary

Chapter3.IntoModernity:Airships,FooFighters,andFlyingSaucers,1896to1969TheAirshipsAftertheAirshipsWorldWarTwoGhostRockets1947BelgianCongoMines1952andWashington,DCAerialEncountersandAirSpaceViolationsEncounterswithBeingsAbductionsOperationDominic:UFOCrashinthePacificTheCrescendoofthe1960sMinotAFBMalmstromAFBShagHarborMutilationsandMore

Chapter4.UFOSecrecyandThoseWhoFoughtItTheEarlyCover-Up1947:TheDamBreaks1948:EstimatingtheSituationTheCaseofJamesForrestalUnknownObjectsOverSensitiveAirspaceTheCrisisof1952ChallengingtheAirForceMoreSightingsandANewCrisisTheCondonCommitteeTheEndofanEra

Chapter5.DiggingDeeper—TheBreakawayCivilizationUFOCrash:RoswellUFOCrash:AztecUFOCrash:KingmanUFOCrash:BrazilUFOCrash:LasVegasUFOCrash:KecksburgUFOCrash:BoliviaOtherCrashesStringfield’sLeaksGoingDeeperStill:TheSarbacher-WalkerSagaBodies,Technology,andArea51GermanTechnologyTheRequirementsofSecrecyTheBreakawayCivilizationPayingForItAll

Chapter6.HighStrangeness—UFOsfrom1970to1990TheDelphosUFOof1971TheWaveof1973:TwoInterestingCasesHighStrangenessinSpainTheStrangeYearof1975IntruderAlertASphereovertheCanariesIncidentoverTehranAroundtheWorldDuringtheLate1970sEnterthe1980sTheHudsonValleySightingsAroundtheWorldandinSpaceGulfBreezeArea51SovietUFOsTrianglesoverBelgiumSummary

Chapter7.UFOs,1991tothePresentTheBeginningoftheVideoEraUFOsthatWeren’tTheTetherIncidentTerrorintheAirEncounterswith“Them”TheKhouryIncidentTheKellyCahillCaseSchoolchildreninZimbabweAnEntityinVarginha,BrazilTheWashingtonElkCaseWhoAreTheseBeings?TheSpectacularYukonSightingThePhoenixLightsTrianglesUFOsinthe21stCenturyUFOOverO’HareAirportAndOverStephenville,TexasNorthernCanadianMilitaryEncounter

TheTurkishUFOVideosHowDeepDoesThisGo?

Chapter8.ContactandAbductionWheretheRubberMeetstheRoadContactvs.AbductionAlienAbductions:BirthofanIdeaTheHillAbductionCaseTheHerbSchirmerAbductionTheCharlesMoodyAbductionFireIntheSky:TravisWaltonTheAndreassonAffairEnterBuddHopkinsIntotheDarknessAlienImplantsJohnMackTheOtherSideofContactAdamskiandthe1950sTelepathicContact:TheAffaCaseTowardsAssessingtheClaims

Chapter9.TheGrowthofUfologyFromtheAshesoftheCondonCommitteeAmericanUfology:TheBigFourScientificUfologyIntelligenceCommunityPenetrationEnteringtheWeirdPsychosocialExplanationsFOIAandtheCrashRetrievalSyndromeTheIntelligenceEmpireStrikesBack:TheEarly1980sTheEveoftheInternetandtheStateofUfologyTheFirstBulletinBoardsOutCometheLeaksBobLazarandArea51RumorsofDisclosureAround1990TheWebandtheFirstWaveofResearch21stCentury:ExplosionYouTubeandFacebookTheDeclineofProfessionalJournalismWhistleblowers,RealandAllegedIncreaseofSightingsTheNeedforProperInvestigationsTheModernArmchairResearcherThePhilosophicalDivideUfology’sFutureUfology:GettingPersonal

Chapter10.WhoAreThey?WhatDoTheyWant?TheProblemofHumanPerceptionSo.Who.Are.They?TheGraysHuman-LookingAliensOtherTypesofBeingsChanneledBeings

NewAgeAliensAWordonCropCirclesGettingtotheBottomLine

Chapter11.WeirdScience:Propulsion,Energy,Spacetime,andConsciousnessTheRadicalScienceofUFOsPropulsionElectrograviticsEnergySpacetimeMiguelAlcubierreDimensionsandStringsTimeEntanglement,Consciousness,andthe“Others”LivingwithUncertaintyConsciousnessEntanglementConnectingtoUfology

Chapter12.IntotheFuture,IntoOurselvesHumanity'sTrajectoryWhatCanCauseDisclosure?WhatHappensAfterDisclosure?EnergyACulturalRevolutionScienceandtheScientistsComputingandTechnologyGeopoliticsTheFutureTheLongViewHumanity’sDestiny

Conclusion

AbouttheAuthor

AlsobyRichardDolanPress

Endnotes

Acknowledgments Writingthisbookhasbeenanadventureforme,andtherehavebeenanumberofpeoplewho have helpedmewith their encouragement, insights, research support, andmanuscript

review. I would like to thank my friend Kelly Weary, who in 2011 invited me to prepare anIntroduction to Ufology course for the online International Metaphysical University. ThetwelvelecturesIcreatedforthatprogramformedthefoundationforthisbook,andKellywasthere throughout the creation of that lecture series, providing encouragement and muchhelpfulconversationthroughout. MikeClelland,RaceHobbes,ChaseKloetzke,SamMaranto,PeterRobbins, andJenniferStein.Theyareallmytrustedfriends,confidants,andprofessionalcolleagues.InadditiontothemanystimulatingconversationsIhavehadwitheachofthemaboutallmattersufological,theywerecarefulreadersofthismanuscript,whetherinfullorpart,oftenprovidinghelpfulideasforinclusioninthisbook. The late James Allen. During the summer of 2013, James and I had several longconversationsaboutthescienceofUFOpropulsionandrelatedmatters.Duringthattime,inaddition to the valuable research tips he provided,we developed a genuine friendship.Hisunexpecteddeathlaterthatyearwasheartbreakingtome,andIshallmisshim. MyRochester friends, JasonMombert andChuckHarrison,who listened tome sooftendiscussingtheprogressofthisbook,andwhoprovidedmuchneededcompanionshipduringatumultuousyear. Dr.Hal Puthoff, of the Institute forAdvancedStudy atAustin,who read thismanuscriptcarefullyand,asalways,providedmewithinvaluablecommentary.CatherineAustinFitts,whocarefullyreadoverkeypassagesconcerningblackbudgetandfinancialcorruption issues,andofferedseveral important suggestionswhich I incorporatedintothetext.GeorgeNoory,hostofCoasttoCoastAM,whograciouslyofferedtowritetheForewordtothisbook,andforwhichIwillalwaysbethankful.IalsoappreciatethesupportofGeorge’sproducer,mygoodfriendTomDanheiser. Iwasvery fortunate to have a numberof careful editors andproofreaders of this book.ForemostamongthesewereHollyKennedy,AnneMeisingset,Dr.JoeBuchman,andDebraDalock.ItisimpossibletooverstatehowmuchIowethesepeople.Eachofthemlookedovermymanuscript carefully, eachof themprovidedunique insights, commentary, suggestions,andcorrections.Inparticular,IoweaspecialthankstoJoeandDebbie,whoduringthefinalstages of themanuscript attended their task with a near fanatical attention to detail and anunerring eye for the interests of the reader. Their impeccable proofreading, fact-checking,andconsultationmadethisameasurablybetterbook.Finally,myfriend,MichelleMontany.Morethananyoneelse,shewasthereformeduringthis entire project. Her dedicated friendship, to say nothing of her insightful commentary,were of greater help to me than any author has a right to expect. On top of all that, sheconceivedofthisbook’scoverillustration,andthenpainstakinglycreatedit.It'sthebestcoverIcouldhaveimagined.No—betterthanIcouldhaveimagined.Thankyou,Michelle.IdoubtIcaneverexpresstoyouthefullextentofmygratitude. Beyond thesepeople, there are countlessotherswhohavegivenme their friendship andadvice. I cannever list all of them, there are simply toomany. Iwant all of them toknow,however,thattheyhavemyundyingthanks.

Despite thesubstantialhelpandsupport Ihave receivedfromsuchwonderful friends,alllimitations,oversights,anderrorsofthisbookaremyresponsibilityalone.

RichardM.DolanRochester,NewYorkJanuary2014

ForewordbyGeorgeNoory

IwillneverforgettheexcitementIfeltasaboywhenreadingabookgiventomebymymother:WeAreNotAlone,byWalterSullivan,thegreatsciencewriterfortheNewYorkTimes.Whataneye-openingbookitwasformetolearnSullivan'stheoriesabouthowtheuniversewasteemingwithlife,abouthowhumanitywasprobablyjustonetinypartofthevastoceanofactivitythatfilledourcosmos.Notlongafterthat,IreadanarticleinLookmagazineaboutthefamousUFOabductees,BettyandBarneyHill.Afterthat,Iwashooked.AllIwantedtodowas go into broadcasting and interview experts on these fascinating subjects and learneverythingIcouldpossiblylearnaboutthegreatmysteriesofourworld.SotherehasneverbeenaquestioninmymindthatUFOsarereal,thattheymeansomethingimportant, and that their existence means that other intelligent beings are interested inhumanityandthisbeautifulplanetweliveon.Throughoutthemanypathsofmylife,Ineverlostthatinterest,thatcuriosity.IkeptitduringmyyearsasExecutiveProduceratWJBK-TVinDetroit,andalsoduringmyyearsintheU.S.NavalReserve.In1996,Ibeganhostingthelatenightprogram,Nighthawk,onKTRSradioinSt.Louis,andwasabletofulfillmydreamoftalkingtoknowledgeablepeopleaboutideasandpossibilitiesthatexistattheouteredgesofourreality. Sincethen,ashostofCoasttoCoastAM, Ihavebeenincrediblyfortunatetobepartofagrowingfamilyofover500affiliatesaroundtheworldthatbringsthebestofthebestfromsomany subjects to millions of listeners every night. Having the opportunity to talk to suchamazingguestshasbeenaneducationforme.Wediscussandanalyzejustabouteverythingthatmattersinourworldtoday,whetherit'scurrentevents,consumerrights,economics,newtechnologies, cutting-edge physics, mysteries in space, spirituality, prophecies,consciousness,conspiracies,ortheNewWorldOrder.Andofcourse,UFOs,asubjectthatcontinuestofascinateme.However,inafieldthatissocomplexandmysterious,it'seasytofeellikeyouarelostinamaze.Inthefirstplace,thereare simply so many aspects to it. Not only are there thousands upon thousands of UFOsightingsofthepast,butmorebafflingsightingshappeneveryday.Thenthereareclaimsof

alien abduction and even implants,without a doubt one of themost intriguing parts of thephenomenon.Beyond this, there are countless scientific questions connected to the subject,whether you are interested in antigravity, or space travel, ormultiple dimensions, or timetravel.It'sallriveting,butthereissimplysomuchtodigest. But UFOs can be challenging for another reason. That's because there is a lot of badinformation out theremixed inwith the good research.You know there is something veryimportant going on, but you can't always feel confident that you are getting reliableinformation. That isone reason IhavealwaysappreciatedRichardDolan. I firstmetRichard in2001when he was my guest on KTRS. Right away, I could see that he was someone who wasdestinedtomakeanimpressionin thefieldofUFOresearch.Over theyears,hehasbeenafrequentguestofmineonCoasttoCoastAM,atrueno-nonsenseresearcherandauthorwhoprobes the government's relationship to UFOs: what it knows, what it's hiding. He alwayscomes to the tablewithengagingconversationand thoughtful insightsonUFOs,cover-ups,andtheimportantmatterofDisclosure—thatis,iforwhenthegovernmentrevealsthetruthaboutUFOs.ThethingthatcomesthroughtimeandagainaboutRichardis thathedoeshishomework and is one of themost committed people I know in the field. I consider him abulldoginsearchofthetruth,someonewhowon'tstopuntilhereacheshisdestination.Inourinterviews,wehavediscussedthethemesofhispreviousbooks,histwovolumesofhistory,UFOsandtheNationalSecurityState,probablythemostcomprehensiveandreliableguides to themodern history ofUFOs. That is howwe all got to know him. Then he didsomethingquitedifferent:hepeeredintothefuturebywritingA.D.AfterDisclosure,lookingaheadataworldinwhichUFOsecrecyweretoend.Somanyquestionscometomind.CanDisclosure ever really happen? How might it change our world? What happens to ourpolitics, economy, and society? Will we ever have genuine contact with extraterrestrials?Richardtookonthesequestionsandhelpedtoopenupanentirenewareaofstudyfortherestofus. Nowhe has done somethingnewonce againwith this book,UFOs for the 21stCenturyMind.Inafieldthatcanbesoconfusing,socomplex,hehastakenhismanyyearsofthinkingaboutUFOsandwrittenacompletelyfreshoverviewof theentiresubject.WhileIreadthisbook,itbecameobvioustomethatsomethinglikethishasbeenlongoverdue. Many of the topics in here are ones I've discussedwith him previously: the history, thepolitics,thecover-up,Disclosure.Allofthesearehandledwiththeinsight,depthofresearch,and passion for truth that I have come to expect from him.Even so,much in here is new,including several incredibleUFO sightings that have never appeared anywhere else, alongwithadeepanalysisofjusthowtheUFOcover-uphasdamagedthecivillibertiesofpeoplearoundtheworld. But what jumps out about this book is that it is covers so much more even than this,everything from ancient aliens, to abduction, to channeling, and thoughts on who or whattheseotherbeingsmightbe.There isalsoa lotoffresh thinkingabout justwhatUFOsare.Afterall,howdoweseparategenuineUFOencountersfromsightingsofmoderndronesandotheroff-the-shelvetechnologiesusedbyordinarypeople?OneofthemostfascinatingpartsofthisbookarethemanywaysthatUFOschallengeour

scientific paradigms. From something as simple as propulsion technology (how do theseobjects travel the way they do?) to space-time, to dimensions, entanglement, andconsciousness—all of these are handled clearly and evenly by Richard, doing justice todifficultsubjectsinawaythatissimplyriveting. This is an ambitiouswork that truly ties themany different aspects of theUFO subjecttogether.It'sraretofindsomethinglikethis,especiallyconsideringthecareandthoroughnessthatwentintoit.Weareatatimeinhistorywheneachandeveryoneofushasgottostandupandfightfortruththebestwaywecan.Becauseifwedon't,thosepeoplewhohavetheirownagendaonthisplanet are going towin.We need reliable information thatmakes sense of ourworld, thatenergizes us to keep going and fight on the side of the angels.Wewill need courage andpersistence,butwithtruthonourside,Ibelievewewillwinintheend.

GeorgeNooryLosAngeles,CaliforniaJanuary2014

Introduction As longaswehavehadeyes,wehaveobserved inexplicablewonders in theskies, in theoceans,andallaroundus.Finally,duringthelastfewgenerations,wehavesatupandnoticed.Nowwefacethemostimpenetrableofmysteries.Itisnotmerelythatunidentifiedflyingobjectshavebeentraversingourworld.Northattheydothingsthataresupposedtobeimpossible.Northattheylookunlikeanyknownaircraft,orthattheyseemtoviolatetheprinciplesofaerodynamics.Allofthishasbeenandistrue,andallofitiscertainlyaproblem.Buttheproblemgoesdeeper.Afteralltheseyears,westilldon’tknowwhopreciselyisoperatingtheseobjects.Wemayhaveideas,butinfactwedon’tknow.Morepuzzlingstillisthelogicoftheirbehavior.Whybuzzouraircraft?Whyplaycatandmousegames?Whythebizarre (apparent) interactionswith people around theworld?We are dealingwith an unknownphenomenon that behavesinexplicably,andapparentlydoesnotwanttorevealitselftous.Itiseasyforapersontogothroughlifewithoutthinkingaboutanyofthis.Wehaveotherpriorities, and the official powers of our society dismiss the topic. Evenmost of the anti-establishment,alternativeresearchersknowthistopicisathirdrail:touchitatyourperil.It’snot froma lackofcuriosity. I’vespokenwithmanyof these researchers.Mostof themarefascinatedbyUFOsbutfeartheridicule.Youcanonlyfightsomanybattles—whywearyetanother albatross that only makes your life more difficult? It is hard enough to researchthings likegovernmentspying,financialcorruption,9/11conspiracies,chemtrails,ormany

otherimportantsubjectsthatrequireourattention.Formypart,IhavespentthelasttwentyyearsresearchingUFOs.Inthattime,Ihavefoundthat thisphenomenonintersectswithmanyof theabovesubjects. Infact, Iwouldgofurtherand say that a proper study of UFOs is a revolutionary experience. It shatters old beliefsystemsandforcesustolookatourworldinacompletelynewway.Everythingisaffected:history, politics, economics, science, religion, culture, and our ultimate vision ofwho andwhatweareashumanbeings.Yet,lookingbackonthehistoryofUFOresearch,itturnsoutthatsurprisinglylittleworkhasbeendonetodescribethebigpicture.Therehavebeenmanygoodbookswritten,forsure.Many have focused on key sightings that have defied our understanding. Others havediscussedmilitaryandgovernmentpolicyonUFOs.Severalhavefocusedonabductionsandotherformsofcontactwiththeseotherbeings.Othersstillhavedescribeddifferentscientificaspects of the phenomenon. There are also a smaller number of books that deal with thechallengesofinvestigatingUFOs,certainlyanimportanttopic.Onlythesmallesthandfulhaveevertriedtobeanythinglikeacomprehensiveguide,andnonehavereallypulleditoff.Talkaboutagapingholeinthefield.Evenworse,muchoftheearlierthinkingonthesubjectfeelsantiquated.UpuntilroughlytheendoftheColdWar,thatisaround1990orso,thefieldwasstillsomethingofanoldboysclub.Alotofgoodworkwasdonebut,ingeneral,lesswasknownorappreciatedaboutthephenomenonitself.Archivalresearchwasrudimentary,aswasoverallhistoricalknowledge.Therewasscant familiaritywithworldwidesightings, littleappreciationofabductionsuntilnearly 1980, and a number of sciences connected to UFOs were a complete mystery—propulsiontechnologybeingoneobviousexampleofmany. Culturalbeliefsofearlierdecadesdidn’thelp,either.Political insightswerenaive,withastrongdoseofold-fashionedpatriotismandtrustingovernment,andabeliefthatgovernmentsecrets could not be kept for very long. Scientific attitudeswere equally conservative. Thedominantapproachwas“nutsandbolts”ufology,ratherlikeVictorianmaterialismthatdenied(orignored)thetrulystrangesciencesofquantummechanics,entanglement,andnon-locality,allofwhichnowseemrelevanttoUFOs.Sincethe1990s,however,thefieldhasexploded.Manymorepeoplefromaroundtheworldarenowengagedinit,withagreaterdiversityofbeliefsandphilosophies.Ufologyisnowawide-open ball game, replete with generational divides, cultural wars, new ideas, newarguments,and littleagreementas topriorities.This trendstrengthenedafter9/11,aneventthat radicalized many people around the world into permanent suspicion against globalpoliticalelites,andcertainlyagainsttheU.S.nationalsecuritystate. Thepeople aredifferent, the attitudes aredifferent, and so is our technology,whichhasburied us in data. Prior to the 1990s, simply getting access to good UFO reports was aproblem that nearly every researcher faced. Today, we can sift through more than tenthousandrawreportsthatarefiledonlineeveryyearinNorthAmericaalone.AddedtothisoverabundancearehundredsofnewUFOvideospostedeachyeartoYouTube.Andthenthereare thousandsmore stories and rumors that comeourwayvia social networking sites likeFacebookandTwitter.Inotherwords,ufologyissplinteredandoverwhelmed.Whatweneedisanup-to-dateassessmentofwhereweareinthisincrediblefield.ThatiswhyIwrotethisbook.ThisisacomprehensiveoverviewoftheUFOphenomenonforpeople

ofthe21stcentury. It offers up-to-date information and analysis relating to the full history of UFOs, fromancienttimestoourownera.Thisaloneisanincrediblyrichaspectofthephenomenon,andthesheerquantityofgoodreports isastonishing.Trying tomakesenseof itall leadsus towonder if humanity has been someone’s pet project for quite some time.However, it alsoappearsthatactivityhasbeenheatingupconsiderablyforthepastseveraldecades.Doesthismeanweareonthebrinkofsomethingbig?Thereismuchmorethanhistoryforustoconsider,however.Thereareimportantpoliticalissues,suchastherelationshipoftheU.S.governmentandmilitary/intelligencecommunitytoUFOs.Thatis,thecover-up.Inanalyzingthis,wefindthatUFOsposeaseriousproblemtothatcommunity,onethatitsmembersmaynotbehandlingaswellastheywouldlike.ItalsostronglyappearsthatatleastsomeoftheUFOspeopleareseeingaremadebyusasopposedtothem.Moreover,wefindthatthesuppressionofopen,publicinformationaboutUFOshascreatedseriousdistortionsinourpoliticalcultureandoureconomics.Akeyfactorherehasbeen the creation of an expansive national security apparatus and black-budget society, aportionofwhichwascreatedtohidetheUFOreality.Thisapparatushastakenovermuchofwhat remains of traditional republican institutions around the world, certainly within theUnitedStates. But there ismore to a full understandingofUFOs thanhistory andpolitics.The subjectraises importantphilosophical and investigative issues, includinghowordinaryobjects andeventsmightfoolus,andhowtheydifferfrom“trueUFOs.”Moreover,inanageofGoogle,Facebook,andYoutube,wheninformationpracticallyoverwhelmsus,wemightwanttoknowhow to separate fact from fiction, and legitimate issues from fear-mongering or fantasy-peddling.Thenthereareissuespertainingtoscienceandtechnology.Totheextentthattheseobjectsarecraft,howdotheyoperate?Howmightinterstellartravelbepossible?Howisitthatthesebeings often seem to have a mind-to-mind communication with us?What does that meanabouthumanconsciousness?WhatcanastudyofUFOsteachusaboutphysics,dimensions,andthestructureofourreality?Normustweforgetthebeingsbehindthephenomenon,whoeverandwhatevertheyare.InunderstandingUFOs,itiscrucialthatweassessthehistoryandclaimsofcontact,thatwetryto understand the nature of that contact, and perhaps puzzle out just who andwhat we aredealingwith.Thereisagreatdealofinformationfromindividualswhoappeartohavehadinteractionswithsomeofthesebeings,asincredibleasthatmaysound. Finally, to understand the UFO phenomenon with a fresh perspective, we ought to trypeeringintothefuture.Thatincludeswhathasbecomeapervasivetopicinthefield:whetherornottherewillbe,orcanbe,anykindoftrue“Disclosure”oftheUFOreality.Thatis,anofficial recognition, one that includes government and all the associated institutions thatdominateourworld.Because thiscanonlybespeculativeby itsverynature,weneed tobecareful in forming our judgments.Yet, thematter is important enough that it demands ourattention, since we are fools if we assume that tomorrow will be the same as today. Ourcivilization is rapidly changing, andwith it our once-solid beliefs ofwhat is possible andwhatisnot.ItseemslikelythatDisclosure,whetherbydesign,accident,ornecessity,willbetheultimaterevolutionaryexperience.

Any subject that provokes somanyprofound ideas and can takeus to somanyamazingdestinationsisworthyofourtimeandconsideration.Butweshouldnotexpecteasyanswers.Ifirst entered the field of ufology after having studied history formanyyears, in particularU.S.diplomacyandmodernEurope.When I initiallybecame intriguedbyUFOsduring theearly1990s,IthoughtImightbeabletotakeadetourofafewmonthstofindoutonceandforall if therewasanythingtoit. Idiscoveredthat therewasindeedsomethingtoit,andIhavespent the last twenty years exploring a field that has never once released its grip on me.Severaltimes,ithaspromptedmetoreevaluatetheworldandmyplaceinit.RecallinTheMatrix,whenMorpheusoffersNeothechoiceofaredpillorbluepill.Thebluepill allowshim to return tohisordinary conventionalworld,while the redpill offershimtruth.Ifonlyitweresoeasy:onesimpleredpillandallisrevealed.Inreality,wemusttake red pills on a regular basis, since the illusions of our world are inmany layers.Werealizesomethingnew,somethingimportant,andthatgivesusclarityforalittlewhile.Soonwenoticeotherodditiesanddiscrepancies,andwe realizeweneed togo further.Andso itgoes. Ufology offers a perfect example of such complexity. I started out years ago with onesimplequestion. ItwasnotareUFOsreal?orarealiensreal? Iwanted toknowsomethingevenmore basic:wereUFOs ever important to theU.S. national security community? Onesimplequestionwithonesimpleanswer(yes).However,thatsimpleanswerledtocountlessmorequestions.IstilldonothavealltheanswersIamlookingfor,andprobablyneverwill.But that is no reason for despair, for this is a subject inwhich it can truly be said that thejourneyisthereward.Inowinviteyoutotakethatjourneywithme.

Chapter1WhatAreUFOs?

In the twentyyears Ihave studiedUFOs, Ihavebeen smackedaround,kickeddown,andwrestled to the ground by some of the most amazing and perplexing mysteries you canimagine.That’sbeensatisfyingenough,butwhathasmadeitevenbetter isknowingthatsomanypeople liketolookdowntheirnosesat this topic.Afterall,UFOsaresupposedtobesomething for fanciful minds. Of course, that certainly isn’t the case, but that feeling ofstudyingsomethingalmost,shallwesayforbidden,makesthissubjectfascinatingandnaughtyatthesametime.Whatcanbebetterthanthat?Makenomistake,itisabizarrephenomenon.ItisworthrememberingthatmostreportsofUFOsareexplainableinprosaicterms.Still,itisalsotruethat,nomatterhowhardeventhebestanalyststry,certainreportsdefyaneasyexplanation.Someofthesethingsappeartobesomebody’s technology, doing things that are supposed to be impossible. To whom they

belongisoneofthemagicquestions.ButfirstIthinkitwillbehelpfultoexaminewhatconstitutesevidenceandproofwhenwetalkaboutUFOs.This is trickier thanyoumight think.WhatexactlywouldconstituteproofthatUFOsarerealand,insomeway,alien? Assuming there is reasonable evidence to support the belief that someUFOs are indeed“alien,” or something “not us” (which ismy position), we can contemplate another trickyissue. That is,who andwhat they are, or, more realistically, who andwhat theymight be.Thereareseveralinterestingpossibilities.Then,Iwouldliketoopenadiscussionthatwillrecurthroughoutthisbook.ThisconcernsthemanypotentialimplicationsoftheUFOphenomenonitself,especiallyastheyrelatetoourglobalculturesandsocialorganization.Afterall,whatwouldhappentoworldpoliticsifthePresident of theUnitedStateswere to state officially thatUFOs are real?Howwould suchknowledgeaffectoureconomics,religion,spiritualbeliefs,science,andculture?Whatwouldhappeniftherewereeveropencontactbetweenusand…them?TheUFOphenomenonisnotsimplyafun,diversionarytopic.Itisnotsomethingtodabblewithduringmomentsofboredom.Itismind-bendingandreality-shattering.

WhatareUFOs?Whereveryoutravel,nomatterthecountryorculture,youwouldbehard-pressedtofindsomeonewhohasnotheardofUFOs.Thetermisrecognizedaroundtheworld.Itis,infact,aworldwidebrand. Thereisagoodreasonforthis.Allyouneedtodoisaskaroundabit,andyouwillfindmanypeoplewiththeirownUFOstory.Oftenitistheirownpersonalsighting,andsometimesmultiplesightings.Sometimesitconcernsadramaticstorytoldtothembyafamilymember,oftenwithnooneelseintheroom.Everynowandthen,amilitaryretiree,perhapsafather,mother,uncle,orgrandparentwillwhispersuchanaccount.Thosestories,too,areoutthere,manyofthem.Considerthefollowingscenario.Youareoutsideonalargefrontlawnafteranicedinner,relaxingwithfiveofyourfriends,alladultsandprofessionals.Itisaround7p.m.,towardtheendofabeautifulspringday.Thesky is still light, and you are all enjoying the picturesque scene.Then, to everyone’s greatsurprise,anenormous,roundcraftapproachesfromthehorizon.Itismovingslowly,perhapsthirty or fortymiles per hour.White lights are visible at its outer edges and it is rotatingslowly in a counter-clockwise direction.What is truly astonishing, however, is the object’simmensesize.Yourbestestimateisthatitisperhapsonethousandfeetwide,morethanthreefootballfields.Unfortunately, thesunlightmakesithardtonoticemostofthedetailsofthisgargantuanobject.Then,asitappearsoveryou,itstops.Perhapsitnoticedyou,youwonder. Fromhere,yourexperiencebecomesevenmoreincredible,moreimpossible.Youwatch,dumbfounded, as this giant in the sky splits into four smaller, wedge-shaped, craft. Youwonder,how can this be?Then, almost instantaneously, the four objects zoom away to theNorth, South, East, and West. Almost as baffling is the silence, because throughout thisamazingencounter,noonehasheardasoundcomingfromthisaerialdisplay.Theeventissoshockingtoyouandyourfriendsthat,formanyyearsafter,noneofyoueverspeakaboutit,

notevenamongyourselves. This event occurred in the town ofHydes,Maryland, onMay 15, 1976.Not until 1999,however—twentythreeyearslater—wasitwasreportedanywhere,inthiscasetotheNationalUFOReportingCenter,ontheWeb.Thistypeofsightingisextraordinary,inexplicable,andutterlycommonplace.UFOreportsincludemany examples of craft that are silent, divide into smaller segments, and zip awaynoiselessly at amazing speeds. These seemingly impossible reports come not only fromordinarypeople,butalsofrommilitarypersonnel,andlikethosefromthemilitary,silenceisusually the rule for civilianswhen it comes toUFO reports.Military personnel have theirsecrecy protocols, of course, but trauma and fear of ridicule usually servewell enough tokeepmostpeoplequiet. However you try to interpret the phenomenon, every indication points to the number ofUFO witnesses reaching not into the thousands, but well into the millions. Whether youconsider UFOs to be nonsense or of great importance, people are seeing things that areaffecting them deeply. Because there are no institutional structures for them to report ordiscusswhattheysee,theyoftenkeepsilent,andtrytoforgetoronlysecretlycherishoneofthemostincredibleexperiencesoftheirlives.

GettingTechnicalWhenwethinkofUFOsthenaturalinstinctistoconnectthemwithextraterrestrials.Thatis,beingsfromanotherpartoftheuniversewhohavecomeheretoEarth.Therearesomegoodreasonsforthis,whichwewillexploreinashortwhile.But,ifyouwanttogettechnical(andwhodoesn’twanttogettechnical)allUFOmeansis“unidentifiedflyingobject.”Thatcouldbejustaboutanything.SomepeoplearesurprisedtolearnthataboutninetypercentofallUFOreportscanbeandhavebeenexplained.TheformerHarvardastronomer,DonaldMenzel,oncecompiledaListofThingsMistakenforUFOs,andit isquite thorough.[1]MenzelclaimedtobelievethatnoUFOwaseveranaliencraft,andinfactwastheworld’sleadingdebunkerduringthe1950sand1960s.Whilehecertainlyhadhisbiases,hislistremainsrelevant,aslongaswedosomeupdatingforourownera. Menzel divided the causes ofUFO sightings into different categories:MaterialObjects,Immaterial Objects, Astronomical, Physiological, Psychological, Photographic Records,Radar, Hoaxes, and various combinations of these.Within each category he made furtherdistinctions. Among “Material Objects,” for instance, he included meteors, re-enteringsatellites, rocket launchings, blimps, balloons, aircraft and aircraft lights, clouds, contrails,militarytestcraftorexperiments,magnesiumflares,migratingbirds,paperanddebris,kites,leaves, insect swarms, fireworks, dust devils, elevated streetlights, window reflections, orlightsfromcars,beacons,andlighthouses.Thesewerejustafewofthem.Certainly,someoftheitemsarefar-fetched.WeareentitledtowonderhowmanypeoplewouldbedumbenoughtomistakeaninsectswarmforaUFO.Still,itdoeshappenthatpeoplecanbefooledbymanythings.Itcanhappentoanyone,anditcouldhappentoyou. Today, there are other items we can add to Menzel’s List of Material Objects. Most

important, it seems,are themany, increasinglysophisticated,objects thatpeopleareputtinginto the air. Starting with the military contribution, more and more craft of greatsophisticationareflyingabout,afewofwhich(suchasNorthropGrumman’sX-47drone),looklikeaclassicflyingsaucerwhenseenfromcertainperspectives.Somedroneshaveanabilitytohoverforverylongperiodsoftime,andmanydonotlookanythinglikeordinaryaircraft. But it is not just the military technology that causes false UFO reports. OrdinarypeoplearebetterablethanevertosetaloftobjectsthatmaylooklikeUFOs,butareanythingfromcandle-litChineselanternstoremotely-controlledcraftwithLEDlightsorothervideoeffects attached to them. Appearances can be deceiving, although there are still no knowncasesofhumancreatedcraftthatcaninstantlyacceleratefromahoveringposition,especiallywithoutasound.So,ifyouwitnesssomethinglikethat,youmightwanttomakeanoteofit.

TheU.S.Navy’sX-47B,builtbyNorthropGrumman,apilotlessdronewiththesizeandperformanceofmanypilotedfighteraircraft.

ForMenzelmaterialobjectswereonlyonecauseofUFOreports,butothercauseswerenon-material.Theseincludedatmosphericphenomenasuchastheauroraborealis,noctilucentclouds (that is, very high clouds that sometimes shine brightly at twilight) and otherphenomena such as sundogs, moondogs, paraselene (a reflection of ice crystals in cloudsunderthemoonlight),reflectionsfromfogandmist,andmore.

Thenthereareastronomicalcauses.ThePlanetVenusmaybetheclichégo-toexplanationforUFOdebunkers,butitbecameoneforareason:it isquitebrightandhasfooledpeoplefor years into thinking theywere seeing an unknown craft. BesidesVenus, there are otherastronomical causesofUFOsightings: artificial satellites, comets, Jupiter andMars (whichcanbequitebrightinthenightskyattimes)and,incredibly,theMoon.Starshavedeceivedpeople.Earth’satmospherecanplaytrickswithoureyes.Whenslow-moving clouds enter the mix, it can seem as though a star is changing color and dartingaroundthesky.Isawthiseffectmyself,ratherdramatically.Beneathaclearanddarkdesertsky,Inoticedalightthatseemedtobejumpingtodifferentpoints.OnlywhenIpositionedavideo recorder on the roof ofmy car (to prevent camera shake), did I see that it was notmoving in the least.A subsequent checkwithastronomysoftwareproved that it hadbeenabrightstar.Asthatexampleshows,sometimeswearedeceivednotsomuchbytheobjectsthemselvesas by our own senses. Our bodies are instruments, and instruments can make mistakes. Ithappenstoeveryone—weseethingsthatsimplyarenotthere.Forthis,too,Menzelcompiledalist(whichheclearlyenjoyeddoing).Forexample,herealizedthatanybrightsource,suchas theSun, theMoon, street lights,headlights, the flashofacamera,ormanyother things,createsan“after-image.”Ifyouarenotthinkingconsciouslyofit,suchafter-imagescanfoolyouintothinkingyouareseeingstrangelightsinthesky.Otherproblemscansimplycomefrompooreyesight,reflectionsfromeyeglasses,andsoon.Andnotsimplytheeyes.Ourverymindscancreatetheillusionofsomethingbeingtherethatisnot.Thiscansimplybeamatterofpoororincompleteobservation,preconceivedideasabout theobject itself, or a genuinepsychological disturbance.Tobe sure,mistakesof thehumanmindhavecausedtheirshareofUFOreports. Technologycanalso lie.Weare inundatedwithphotographsofUFOsthatarenotUFOs.EveninMenzel'sday,picturescouldlie,whetherfrominternalcamerareflectionstodefectsduring the photo development process to crude fakery. Today, we have PhotoShop,AfterEffects,andmanyothersoftwarepackagesforimageandvideoediting.Indeed,itisstillpossible forexperts toanalyzedigital evidence forauthenticity,but it canbeverydifficult,andmeanwhilewearedrowninginafloodofsuchevidenceandclaims.Photosandvideosmust therefore be of limited value as evidence. No matter how genuine they may be, thehundredsofUFOphotographsandvideosthatappeareachyearwillnotbeconsideredstrongevidencewithoutsomethingelsetosupportthem.Forstarters,somethinglikecorroboratingwitnesstestimony,withmultiplewitnessesbeingmuchbetterthanone. Then we have radar, which is certainly a reliable and important tool for managing airtraffic. Even so, radar instrumentation can be subject to illusions and effects, such asanomalousrefraction,scattering,ghost images,multiplereflections,andmore.Granted, theprofessionalsinthefieldareusuallyfamiliarenoughwiththeseeffectsthattheydonotposegreatproblems,butradarisnotinfallible. Finally, let us not forget that there are always peoplewho enjoy a good prank.When itcomestoanyallegedUFOsighting,wemustalwaysconsiderthepossibilityofahoax.Ithashappenedmanytimes.

AndYet…

Still,whenwereviewthethousandsuponthousandsofUFOreportsthathavebeenfiled,webegintoseesomething.Afterrunningthemthroughthebestfilterswecan,afterconsideringall prosaic explanations, there have always been a certain number that remain trulyinexplicable.Differentsourceshavegivendifferentfiguresforthepercentageofthetrulyinexplicable.Somehavearguedfivepercentorevenlower;othershavegonehigherthantwentypercent.Generally speaking, ten percent appears to be the most typical, and is probably the mostrealistic.Weshouldrememberthatsomedatabases,suchastheoldProjectBlueBook,runbytheU.S.AirForceduringthe1950sand1960s,attimesusedquestionableandevendishonestmethods to “solve” some of their cases. TheAir Forcewasmore concernedwith solvingUFOcasespoliticallythaninanyscientificsense.UFOshadtobeputtosleep,atleastasfarasthepublicwasconcerned.Thismeantthatanyexplanation,includingthemostridiculous,could be used to explain otherwise inexplicable cases. As a result, Blue Book’s finalpercentageofunsolvedcases(sixpercent),isalmostcertainlyunderestimated.Forthepastfewdecades,thelargestdatabaseofinvestigatedUFOreportsisprobablythatoftheMutualUFONetwork.MUFON’sdatabaseincludesmanythousandsofreports,andtheorganizationgenerallyarrivesatanunsolvedpercentageofroughlytenpercent.[2]Therehasalwaysbeenaremainder,aresidue,ofUFOcases,thatareofsuchdetail,backedbycrediblewitnessesand instrumentation, that thereseems tobeno reasonableexplanationforthem.ThesearethetrueUFOs,theheartofthemystery. This is where the real debate takes place. How do we interpret these cases? Someinvestigators have concluded: “it's real and someone is here.”Others remain confident thatthereareexplanationsforthesecasesthatmayprovetobescientificallyinteresting,butwhicharenotevidenceofalienvisitation.Buteventhisonlytakesusintotheshallowwaters.Fromhere,mattersgettrickierstill.MostUFOskepticsdoconcedethattherearesomereportsofextraordinaryaerialobjectsthatwemightcallUFOs,butthatisnoreasontoassumethesearealien.Thereare,afterall,many deeply secret black budget technologies and projects, and not all of them evenAmerican. Especially today, in a world that now has a few drones that look like flyingsaucers,itmightseemthatanyso-calledUFOisprobablysomethingmanufacturedonEarth.Ofcourse,whenwetalkaboutUFOs—trueUFOs[3]—wethinkofaliens.Therealquestionis,aretheretrueUFOs?Arewe,theinhabitantsofPlanetEarth,beingvisitedbybeingsthatarefromsomeotherplace? Rather thantryingtoanswerthatquestiondefinitively, letuseaseintoit.Asweshallsee,thereismuchtoconsider,bothproandcon. Having thought about this problem for twenty years, my personal suggestion is that,whateverpositionyouthereadermayhave,bepreparedtomodifyit.ThereismuchmoreofinterestaboutUFOsthansimplyansweringthequestion,“dotheyreallyexist,ornot?”Thedepthandnuanceofthephenomenonisbeyondthatofmostotherfieldsofstudy.

WhatCanUFOsBe?Onewaytostartwouldbetoask,whatmightUFOsbe?Theanswerturnsouttobe:manythings.

During the 1960s a remarkable student of this subject, a scientist andwriter named IvanSanderson, explored that very question, and even developed a six-page outline of thepossibilities.[4] Thus, UFOs could be inanimate or animate. If inanimate, they might benatural or artificial, each possibility with several subsets. If animate, they could also benaturalorartificial.Ifnatural,theymightbesolid(likemeteorites),non-solid(gaseous,asinclouds), or non-material (energy packets, as in bolides). If artificial, they could be self-containeditems(suchasartificialsatellites),transports(likefreighters),manneddevices(likeairplanes),auxiliarydevices(likespaceprobes),ormissiles(likebulletsandICBMs). But Sandersonwas nothing if not imaginative.UFOsmight also be alive, he postulated.After all,whynot? If so, just aswith inanimate objects, theymight be natural or artificial.Natural animate objects could include life-forms indigenous to space, or indigenous toatmospheres, or to solid bodies.Artificial life forms could be natural life forms thatweredomesticatedoraltered,geneticallycreatedlife-forms,orbiochemicallycreatedlife-forms. Sandersonpointedout thatnaturalUFOs (hecalled themUnexplainedAerialObjects,orUAOs)areoflittleinteresttoourinvestigation.Naturalphenomena(suchasmeteors,unusualclouds, ball lightning, temperature inversions,mirages, or swamp gas)may be interestingscientifically,butnotespeciallytothoseofuslookingfortrueUFOs. The second category of inanimate objects, however—those classified as artificial—aremuch more interesting, and closer to our idea of true UFOs. The very idea of unknownobjects beingmanufacturedmeans that some life-formwas involved in creating them.Weknowthatsomeoftheseunknownobjectsovertheyearshavebeenmanufacturedbyourownblack-budget programs using technologies that were well ahead of those available in thecommercialworld.ButcouldsomeUFOsbemanufactured technologymadebyOthers? InSanderson’sview,theanswerwasobvious:ofcourse!ButSandersonwentbeyondtheseconventionalnotions.MoreintriguingstillareUFOsthatmaybeanimate.Thatis,alive.WenormallydonotthinkofUFOslikethat,buttheideahasarisen from time to timeover theyears.Sanderson,abiologistby training,gave it seriousconsideration.“Life,andespecially intelligent life,”hewrote,“is, to themechanisticworld,anoddity;insomewaysananachronism,andinmanywaysapest.”Forhimitwasobviousthat the universe, with a potentially infinite level of complexity and variety, could easilyproducelifeformsthatwouldstaggerourimaginations.So,yes,heargued,itwasentirelypossiblethatUFOswereliving,intelligentlifeforms,or(toputitanotherway)intelligentmachines,bothorganicandinorganic.Thatis,withbloodorwithcircuits.Sandersonwasnothingifnotaheadofhistime.Considerthispassagehewroteinthemid-1960s:

Theveryideaofananimatedmachineorofamechanicalanimalisimpossibletoconceivebytheaverageperson.Whentheaveragepersonisaskedtocontemplate‘life,’heimmediatelythinksofananimal….Thevarietyoflife-formsfoundevenonthis,ourown,tiny,insignificantplanetissogreatthatmerecontemplationofsomeofthemisalmostmorethanabiologistcanstand.Whatformslifecouldtakeelsewhereisquitebeyondthegraspofourmaterialistoutlook,becausetheirvarietyisprobablyinfinite.

Sanderson is engaging because he opens ourminds to possibilities wemight normallydiscount,notbecauseoflogic,butsimplybecausemostofushadnotyetthoughtofthem.

UFOsandtheProblemofScience

Consideringthepossibilitiesisfascinating,butUFOsareahardnuttocrack.Wenaturallywant thatmagicbulletwecallproof to resolve,beyondanydoubt, that theyare real and tolearnwhattheyare.Proofistheeternalufologicalquest.Butwhatisit?Whatwouldconstituteproof? This is a harder problem than most people think. If you saw a large, spherical objectdescendsilently,hover,andinstantlyacceleratetotheedgeofthehorizonwithinasecondortwo,youwouldprobablybeconvincedthat,yes,youjustsawarealUFO.Buthowwouldyouconvinceothersofthisfact?Howcouldyouproveit?ConsidersometrickyissuesregardingUFOsandthescientificmethod. In the first place, a genuine scientific investigation demands repeatability, either ofobservation or result. There are also certain assumptions connected with the scientificmethod.Oneisthatthescientisthassomeformofcontroloverthephenomenonunderstudy,andthatitwillperforminsomewaythatisconsistentorcanbepredicted.However,whatifUFOswereunderthecontrolofanotherintelligence,onemoreadvancedthan our own? If therewere a superior intelligence operating on Earth, wemight wonderwhether science,aswepractice it, canbeofmuchhelp.Whatproofof themwould appear,exceptastheymightdesire?Thatischallengingenough.Butsupposealsothatwearedealingwithanimportantnationalsecurityissue?Naturally,Iwillbereturningtothisidealaterinthisbook,butfornowletussupposethatthisisso.Inthatcase,thisvexingscientificproblemwouldfurtherbehamperedby secrecy protocols, censorship, and even disinformation from agencies charged withprotectingwhatwouldarguablybethemostimportantsecretintheworld. Those would be formidable obstacles, but there are others. Consider how science isconducted today. It is easy forus to slip intooutdated ideasabout science.Manyofus staystucktotheidealswelearnedinouryouth.Meanwhile,realityracesahead.Science,weweretaughtinschool,isthebastionandfoundationofintellectualfreedominthe world. It is an independent search for truth, and the destroyer of social and religiousmyths. Buthowindependentisscience,really?Inwhoseinterest is itpracticedtoday?Thisisnoidle question, for gone are the days of scientists following their intellectual passions in asearch for truth.Oneof the pioneers in environmental science, JamesLovelock, put it thisway:

Nearlyall scientistsareemployedbysome largeorganization,suchasagovernmentaldepartment,auniversity,oramultinationalcompany.Onlyrarelyaretheyfreetoexpresstheirscienceasapersonalview.Theymaythinkthattheyarefree,butinrealitytheyare,nearlyallofthem,employees;theyhavetradedfreedomofthoughtforgoodworkingconditions,asteadyincome,tenure,andapension.[5]

The observation is so obvious, and yet we sometimes forget it too easily. In fairness,scienceisanexpensivebusiness.Todoitwell,youneedmoney,whichmeanssponsorship.Andwhensomeoneelse ispaying thebills, theymake the rules.Feware thescientistswhoreceive a blank check to do their work.Andwhowrites the checks? Inmost nations, it isusuallyeitherprivateindustryoragovernmentdefenseagency.CertainlythisissointheU.S.,where, since theSecondWorldWar, themilitary has been the largest sponsor of scientificresearch. But if themilitary and intelligence communities have had a strong interest in the UFO

phenomenon,anddeeplyclassifiedthesubject,wewouldcertainlyhaveasituationinwhichgovernment public funds for UFO research would be absent, but in which black budget,classifieddollarswouldflowmorefreely.This,ofcourse,hasbeentheclaimamongseveralresearchers, including myself.[6] If there is no public funding for scientific research onUFOs, thenfewifanyscientistswillgive itanyconsideration.Theywouldhavenothing togain and everything to lose for their efforts. The result is widespread ignorance by mostscientists of even the basics of the UFO phenomenon. Those who study outside the blackworldgenerallyusetheirownpersonalfundsanddosoprivatelyandquietly.Overlappingtheworldofsciencearethecollegesanduniversities,wherethesituationisthesame.FromaUFOresearcher ’sperspective,itwouldbegreatifresearchcouldbeconductedintheuniversities.Unfortunately,thesubjectisalmostwhollyoff-limitsthere.Liketheworldofscience,theacademicworldisanintellectualbureaucracywithanestablishedhierarchy.Ayoung graduate student with an interest in UFOs can not safely explore it within thatenvironment except, perhaps, as a debunker. Even finding a qualified research supervisorwouldbedaunting,sinceacycleofignorancehasbeenlongestablished.Asaresult,mostofthe contributions to our understandingofUFOshave come fromoutside the academic andscientificcommunities,atleastwithintheUnitedStates.Letusstripawayourillusions.Ateverylevel,fromthebottomup,intellectualfreedomisachimerainourworldofso-callededucation.Acenturyago,BertrandRussellcommentedonpublic schools as conformity factories (“What's thedifferencebetweenabright, inquisitivefive-year-old,andadull,stupidnineteen-year-old?FourteenyearsoftheBritisheducationalsystem.”)Today,AmericaneducatorJohnTaylorGattospeakseloquentlyaboutthisproblem.

I'venoticedafascinatingphenomenoninmythirtyyearsofteaching:schoolsandschoolingareincreasinglyirrelevanttothegreatenterprisesoftheplanet.Noonebelievesanymorethatscientistsaretrainedinscienceclassesorpoliticiansincivics classes or poets in English classes. The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obeyorders.[7]

Allofwhichistosay:donotexpectbreakthroughsinUFOstudiestocomefromtheformaleducationalsystem.Havingsaidthat,Ihavesometimeswondered,ifUFOsweretobestudiedwithin higher education, howwould it even be done?Where? There is no simple answer.CertainlytheDepartmentofHistoryisonelogicalplace.Clearly,however,thereismoretothe study ofUFOs than history.Analysis ofUFOdata can take one into far ranging areas,fromtheliberalartsintothehardestofhardsciences.Itwouldbeinterestingtospeculatehowufologywouldbestructuredwithinauniversitysetting:woulditbeconsideredasubsetofoneoftheestablishedfieldsofstudy,orwoulditreceiveitsowndepartmentandfunding? Takingall this intoaccount,wecangetasenseofhowdifficult itcouldbe toestablishaformalscientificstudyoftheUFOphenomenon,somethingthatwouldbemorethanalow-budgeteffortbyinterestedamateurs.Yet,evenconsideringthestarklimitationsimposedbyhavingessentiallynomoneytoworkwith,ufologistshaveobtainedreasonableprooffortherealityofagenuinephenomenon:ofanintelligentsomething thathasbeenoperating in theskies,oceans,and lowerorbitofourworld.Somethingthatisnotsupposedtoexist,butdoes.Inotherwords,althoughwemayfindourselvesoutmatchedbywhat seems tobea superior intelligence,our scientific toolshaveenabledusto'capture'it,sotospeak.Moreonthislater.

WhoDecidesWhatisProof?ThereisanothermattertobeconsideredregardingscienceandUFOs:whodecideswhatisproof?Theproblemseemslikeascientificone,butuponcloseranalysisweseeitisalmostentirelypolitical.Clearly,itisofgreatimportance.EvenontopicslesscontroversialthanUFOs,thecourtofscience can be slow-moving, confusing, messy, and unsatisfying. Egos and argumentspervade.Consider the arguments over suchpolitically charged issues as climate changeorgenetically modified foods. Scientists line up on either side of a huge divide, hurlingconflictingdataandaccusationsattheotherside.Meanwhile,peoplelookonandwonderhowtomakeuptheirownminds,andwhetherpublicpoliciesrelatingtotheseissuesareintheirinterest. Regarding UFOs, the combination of its bizarre complexity and the national securityobfuscation enveloping it havemade the problemknottier still. In the first place, officiallyspeaking,thereisnotrueUFOphenomenon,thebiggesthurdletoanintelligent,opendebate.Butstill,wefeelinstinctively,theremustbeafinalarbiter,ajudgetolaythegaveldownanddecide. In the past, one such arbiter was the so-called Condon Committee, an Air Forcesponsored scientific study based out of the University of Colorado, which in early 1969released its conclusion that UFOs were not a problem worthy of further scientific effort.Exceptthataswestudytheworkingsofthatcommittee,wefinditwasanintenselypoliticalsituation,andoneinwhichtheconclusionwasforegonefromthebeginning,allforpoliticalreasons.[8] Inanerainwhichthescientificestablishmenthasworkedsocloselyforsolongwiththemilitary and intelligence community, in which government funding dominates everyimportant researchdecision, inwhich theheadsofkeyscientificgovernmentorganizationshaveclosepersonalrelationshipswiththeheadsofpoliticalandmilitaryinstitutions,howcanthepoliticalbeextractedfromthescientific?Theansweris:itcannot.

Implications:WhatifTheyareReal? IfUFOsarereal, in thesensethat theyare(a) trulyunexplained,(b) theproductofsomeform of non-human intelligence, and (c) the product of an advanced, technological, non-human intelligence that does not come from “here,” then clearly we are talking aboutsomething with tremendous implications for our civilization. Implications that becomepracticallyendless.Implicationsthatbecome,inaword,revolutionary.Inthefirstplace,letusask,whoaretheyandwhatdotheywant?Somuchdependsontheanswer to this.Unfortunately,evenafterall theseyears, there isnoclearagreementamongseriousresearchers. Thereappeartobebeingswehavecometocall“Grays.”Shortinstaturewithverylargeheads,blackwrap-aroundeyes, thinbodiesandears,and tinynosesandmouths.Theyhavebecomeubiquitousinourculture,replacing“littlegreenmen”asthedominantformofalieninthepopularmind. But the Grays are more than a pop culture meme. Decades of study have led manyresearchers to conclude that these beings abduct humans in the dead of night and performvariousproceduresonthem.Theseprocedures,asoftenrecountedbyallegedabductees,seemto be geared toward some sort of breeding and genetic manipulation program. In other

words,theGraysmaybecreatingaracethatissomesortofhybridbetweenhumanandGray.IfweeverproveopenlythattheGraysandtheseactivitiesarereal,thepublicreactionwouldbeoverwhelming.Therehavealsobeenreportsandclaimsofencounterswithbeingsdecidedlylessattractiveeventhan theGrays.Theseareofbeingsdescribedasreptilianandeven insect-like. Ifsuchclaimsaretobebelieved,someofthesecreaturesmaynotbeespeciallypleasant,andsomemay be hostile. If they are real, and if they too are responsible for some of the UFOphenomenon,aworldwidepaniccouldeasilyfollow.Whatmightthesebeingswant?Aretheytrulyvisitors,orhavetheybeenhereforalongwhile?Thereisalsothepossibilitythatsomeofthesebeingsarehuman,oratleastlooklikeus.Nodoubtthiswouldbeeasiertocopewithpsychologically,inparticularsincemanyofthemaredescribed rather like Scandinavian supermodels. Of course, learning that a race of super-intelligent Nordic supermodels are here on Earth, perhaps even secretly ruling the world,mightgivetherestofusaseriousinferioritycomplex. Over theyears, Ihaveformedtheopinionthatallof these typesandmoremightwellbereal.Ofcourse,untilImeetandtouchonemyself,Icanneverbecertain.Yet,itmaysimplycome down to bioengineering. Skeptical scientists have emphasized the improbability ofaliensfromanotherworldlookinghumanoid,reptoid,orinsectoid.Afterall,thoselifeformsevolvedhereonEarth.Shouldn’tweexpectlifeelsewheretobeabitmoreunusual?Theanswertothisisyes,butwithaqualifier.Thequalifieristhatanylifeabletoreachourworld,andwantingsomehowtointeractwithit,wouldfacethebasicproblemofbiologicalhostility. Not so much from humanity, although we might be an annoyance. Rather, theproblemwouldcomefromEarth’smicrobes,gravity,atmosphere,solarradiation,andsoon.WeevolvedonEarth;presumably,theydidnot.Yet,iftheywanttointeractwithEarthinsomedirectway,howbetterthanviageneticmanipulationofnativelifeforms?Orevenbreedingandenhancingtheirownhumans,possiblyoverthousandsofyears?Thereareotherpossibilitiesofwhattheseotherbeingsmightbe.Noneareeasytoknowforcertain,probablyeveninafutureworldinwhichtheUFOsecretisout.Afterall,whataboutthemanagersoftheUFOsecret?Inalllikelihood,theyfindelementsofthisphenomenonjustaspuzzlingastherestofus.Arewedealingwithbeingsthataresomehowinterdimensional,whateverthatreallymeans?Ortimetravelers?Alosthumancivilizationthatsomehowbrokeawayfromtherestofhumanitymillenniaago?Knowingwhotheyarewillbeveryimportant,butinessenceeverythingwillcomedowntohow we judge their intentions. Are they benevolent, benign, or hostile? And how will weknowtheseintentions?Willtheybeopenandhonestordeceptive?Willhumanityevenbeabletoknoworagree?

PoliticalImplications NomatterwhoorwhatisbehindtheUFOphenomenon,itcarriesimportantimplications.Wecanstartwithpolitics.Ifweweretolearn,officiallyspeaking,thatUFOsare“real,”thenthepowers-that-behadbetter hope they convince the world that there has never been any recent past importantinteractionwiththem.CertainlynoretrievalsofcrashedUFOs.Thatalonewouldprovetherehasbeenadeepcover-up,onefilledwithlayeruponlayeroflies.

Yet,evenwithoutarevelationthatweacquiredanyoftheirtechnology,thedisclosureofthisrealitywouldbeapoliticalnightmaretohandle.Coulditbethattherehasbeenalongstandingknowledgeofthisphenomenon,butnorealinteraction?Nocommunication?Noretrievaloftechnologyorbodies?Intheory,itiscertainlypossible,although,asIwillarguelaterinthisbook,itseemsmuchmorelikelythatrealaliencrafthavebeenrecovered.Andtheclaimhasbeen made repeatedly that there is also communication going on, between us and them.Indeed,IencounteredonesuchclaimmyselffromasourcethatIconsidercredible.Forthemoment,simplyaskyourself:whatifthecrashofarealaliencraftnearRoswellin1947, or something like it, happened? What if an alien craft was recovered by the U.S.military.IfyouwerethePresidentatthetimeandwerebriefedonthis,whatwouldyoudo?

PresidentHarryTrumanwithSecretary ofDefense JamesForrestal in 1948. IfRoswell “happened,” these twomenwouldhavebeenwellaware.

Youmightthinktheworldoughttoknowaboutsomethingsoimportantandprofound.Butthen youmight think again. Certainly, your advisors would remind you of the dangers ofdisclosingthisfact.Howseveremightbethepublicpanic?Whoaretheseotherbeings?Do

wehaveanythingtoworryabout?Whatcanwelearnfromthetechnologywehaverecovered,andhowdowekeepitfromourenemies?Otherquestionswouldarisealmostimmediately:howtocreateoperationstolistenforanddecipheraliencommunications,toretrievefuturedownedvehicles,toaccommodateanyliveordeadbeings.Itwouldbequicklyobviousthatallofthesewouldrequiretheutmostsecrecy,atleastforawhile. EvenCongress could not be told, or else the secret obviouslywould not last long. Butkeeping Congress in the dark would require the creation of otherwise illegal secretappropriations.Inotherwords,blackbudgets.IfUFOsarereal, theywouldhavebeenakeyfoundation of America’s black budget. It would be absolutely necessary to do an end-runaround the Constitution (which tasks Congress, not the Executive Branch, with bothappropriatingand then reviewingallgovernmentexpenditures) inorder to fundaprogramthatwoulddealwiththepresenceofOthersonPlanetEarth.Oncesuchasecretsystemisinplace,itwouldinevitablygrow.Itwouldbecomenecessarytomanagekeyinstitutionstokeepthemcompliant.Youwouldneedtostartwiththeacademic,scientific, journalistic,andpolitical institutions,developingrelationshipswithkeymembersof those groups who would then serve as watchdogs, keeping the rest of the pack in linewheneversomeonestrayedtoofarintotheUFOtopic.Anyandalltoolswouldbenecessary,startingwithridiculeandcensure,continuingontothelossofone’scareer,orworse.IfUFOsarereal,andespeciallyiftheyhavebeenrecovered,thenthistypeofdevelopmentwouldbelikely.Throughtheyearsanddecadesandgenerations,suchalong-lastingcover-upwould create a strongdiscrepancybetweenwhatwemight callofficial truth and theactualtruth.Allsocietieshavesuchadiscrepancytoonedegreeoranother.ButyearafteryearofUFOdenialwouldcontributetoadiscrepancyofmassivesize.Afterall,whenthemostawe-inspiring and dramatic fact of one’s lifetime becomes off-limits to genuine political orscientificdiscussion,whensecretbudgetsaresetasidetodealwiththatreality,thenwhatwehaveisalossofthefoundationofourfreedomsandfailureofthedemocraticsystem.Withtheforegoinginmind,askyourself:whatwouldbethepoliticalupshotifUFOsecrecyweretoend?Wewillreturntothisthemeinmuchgreaterdetaillaterinthisbook.

EconomicImplicationsTheeconomicramificationsoftheUFOphenomenonarejustasdramaticasthepolitical.Wemight start by asking howmuchmoneymayhave gone into theUFO secret.After all,whetherthepolicyisjustifiedornot,whetheritisrightorwrong,thereiseverylikelihoodthatithascosttaxpayersaprettypenny,allwithouttheirknowledgeorconsent.Alsorelevantis whether anyone has been illegally profiting from this secret. We can assume thatsomewheretheanswerisyes.Letuswindbacktheclocktothebeginningofthecover-up.Somepartofourmilitaryhasjustrecoveredtechnologythatdidnotcomefromourcivilizationorourworld.Obviously,thistechnologyneedstobestudied.Therefore,atsomepoint,itneedstobepassedontothosegroupswithinprivateindustrythatarebestsuitedtostudyandhopefullyreplicateit.Itshouldgowithoutsayingthatallofthisneedstobeundertightlycontrolledconditions. Inwhichcase,wemayask,howlongbeforesomecleverscientistor teamdevelopsnewideasbasedonwhathasbeenstudied?IsitpossiblethatsecretUFOtechnologyhasspurred

advances in solid state electronics, fiber optics, high tensile fibers, integrated circuits, andothertechnologies?IsitpossiblethatacquiredUFOshavecontributedtothedevelopmentofhumantechnologyandeconomicgrowthsincethe1940sand1950s?Intheory,itappearstobequitepossible,assumingofcoursethatUFOsarerealandwehaveacquiredsomeoftheirtechnology.ThereisanothereconomicfactortoconsiderrelatingtoUFOs.WhateverfueltheseobjectsusetomovefromPointAtoPointB, it iscertainlynotpetroleum.Anythingthatcanhoversilently,thenaccelerateinstantlyatultra-highspeedisclearlyusingsomethingbetterthanoilas itsmain sourceof energy.Certainly, ordinarypeoplewould appreciatehavingaccess tothisincrediblesourceofenergy,especiallyif itburnedcleanly.Ifsuchanamazingfuelandtechnologybecamepublicknowledge,itwouldquicklyreplaceoil,coalandnaturalgasastheworld’smainsourcesofenergy.Thiswouldseemtobeawonderfulthing.Replacingoilisoneofhumanity’smostcoveteddreams. By now, everyone understands that the long-term future of our species, and ourworld,cannotincludeoilasourmainsourceofenergy.ItpolluteshorriblyandharmslifeonEarth. A better, cleaner,more abundant source of energywould surely bemore desirable,except from thepointofviewof thosepeoplewhoown theoil industry, someof themostpowerfulpeopleintheworld.Forgenerations,theyhavemonetizedoil.WhatifthesourceofenergybehindUFOsisimpossibletocentralize,andthereforehardertoexploitformoney?Asidefromthat,oilisthefoundationofourworld.Evenunderthemostidealconditions,transitioningoutofanoil-dominatedworldwouldhaveavolatileeffectontheglobalstockmarket and economic system. After all, most of the value of any consumer product isdeterminedbytheamountofenergythatwentintomakingandtransportingit.Generally,thatmeansoil.Therefore,ifwesaynothingelse,wecanconcludethattheUFOphenomenonposesathreattotheestablishedeconomicorder:specificallytothosewealthiestpeopleandgroupsthatownthe greatest shares in the petroleum industry, and in general to the financial markets thatwouldbeshakenbytheendoftheoilera.

ReligiousImplicationsWhatwouldtheadmissionofaUFOrealitydotoreligion?Woulditmeananythingatall? The answer is yes, it would certainly mean something. Of course, the world has manydifferentreligions,soeverythingwoulddependonwhichonewemean.Still,totheextentthatanyreligiondealswiththecreationoftheworld,thecreationofmankind,andtotheextenttowhichpeopletodaycontinuetobelieveinversionsofthoseaccounts,theUFOphenomenonhas profound implications. This will be especially evident after we review the history ofancientUFOs, or “ancient aliens,” in the next chapter.Because, if it appears that they havebeenwithus fora long time,manypeoplewill inevitablywonder if theywere thegodsofancienttimes,orevenGodhimself?Itdoesn’ttakeanexcessofimaginationtoseethingsinthiswaywhenreviewingtheHebrewScriptures,forinstance.Timeandagain,theGodoftheIsraelitesdirectlyintervenedtosavetheday,andhadaverypersonal relationshipwithMoses.Otherpartsof thatcollectionarealsosuggestiveofaliensandtheirtechnology.ThevisionofEzekielcomestomind,inwhichtheprophetbeheldawondrousapparitionofangelsinaflamingchariotinthesky.Whenyou

considertheideasofthevariousancientalientheorists,wenaturallyaskwhetherbeingsfromelsewherebecameourso-calledgodsandwereinstrumentalincreatinghumanreligions.Forpracticing Christians, probably the most sensitive question would be: was Christ anextraterrestrial?Whatwoulditmeanifhehadbeen?Evenifaliensweretoannouncethemselvestomorrowandmakesuchaclaim,peoplewouldstillhavetodecidewhetherornottobelievethem.Theycouldbelying,afterall.Ultimately,arrivingat soundanswers to suchmatters,andunderstandingour long-termrelationship totheseotherbeings,mayturnouttobeimpossible. Regarding those people and groups that presumablymaintain secrecy over UFOs, theywouldsurelybeconcernedwithhowreligiousbelieverswouldrespondtothenewsthatUFOsand aliens are real.Religions are unlikely to collapse in the aftermath ofDisclosure, as issometimessupposed.Deeply religiouspeopleareunlikelysimply toabandon their lifelongconvictions.Instead,wemightexpectthemtointerpretthenewrealitythroughtheirreligiousperspective.AnevangelicalChristianwill interpretanalienpresenceverydifferently thanaBuddhistorWiccanorNewAgebeliever.Ofcourse,theendofUFOsecrecywouldcertainlyinitiatepowerfullong-termchangesintheworld’smajorreligions.WhilesuchchangemaynotcomefromthosewhoareofadultagewhenDisclosure occurs, itwill come from their children andgrandchildren,whowilllookattheworldverydifferently.Undoubtedly,thiswillincludeanewspirituality.

ScientificImplications Beyondthenewtechnologies thatmayquietlyhavecomefromthesuccessfulanalysisofrecoveredUFOs,itispossiblethatevenmorefundamentalscientificbreakthroughshavebeenmade,allwithintheclandestineworldchargedwithstudyingthem.Returningtothematterofpetroleum,andthecertaintythatUFOsdonotuseit,wearefacedwithanewrealitythatportendsawesomepossibilitiesforthefutureofourenergyparadigm.Scientistshavelongspeculatedaboutanenergyholygrail,thatis,somethingalongthelinesoffreeenergy.IsthiswhatpowersUFOs?Ifso,whatwoulditbe? Scientists todayhaveseveralcandidates, includingcontrollednuclearfusion,coldfusion,and the exotic but real Zero PointEnergy (ZPE). These are energy sources that, if tapped,would transform our world overnight. What is the likelihood that one or more of thesesourcesofenergyareunderstoodbyscientistswhoarestudyingUFOswithin theclassifiedworld? Consider other fields, like computing, biotechnology, materials science, or even morearcanesubjectssuchastheoreticalphysics.Itmaywellbethatinallofthesefields,andothers,breakthroughs have been made within the classified world. After all, if we consider thatclassified science is sometimes decades ahead of public science, howmuch further aheadwould a classified program be, considering that it had access to technology thatwas eonsahead of our own? The open literature on artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, andquantumcomputingalreadydiscussesnearfuturetechnologiesinwaysthatseemmagical.Isitpossiblethatelementsoftheclassifiedscientificcommunityhavealreadyachievedsomeofthosebreakthroughs? The scientific implications of UFOs hardly end here. As we shall see in the chaptersdescribingmanyfascinatingUFOcases,therearereasonstobelievethattheseobjects,orthe

beingsinsidethem,somehowmanipulatespace-timereality.Inotherwords,UFOsrepresentmorethanmerelyincredibletechnology,butaradicallynewunderstandingofspaceandtimeitself. Imaginewhat ourworldwouldbe like if humanity learnedhow tomaster space andtime.Couldwetravel,StarTrek-like,throughtheuniverseatwarpspeed?Couldwesomehowtravelthroughtimeorintootherdimensionsorreality?Therearemanyimportantquestionsnaggingatourscientificcommunitytoday.Areanyofthembetterunderstoodwithintheclassifiedworldinwaysthathavenotyetreachedthepublicrealm?Keepingscientificsecretsofthismagnitudeisnotimpossibleand,asIwillarguelaterinthisbook,hashappenedforalongtime.Inourworldtoday,thereareimportantunresolvedquestions concerning such subjects as the origin of life, genetic manipulation, disease,biological evolution, memory, consciousness, gravity, and other fundamentals about theuniverse itself. As astonishing as this may at first seem, a true understanding of the UFOphenomenonalmostcertainlyhassomethingtoteachusabouteachofthesequestions.

CulturalImplicationsUFOsandETshavehadanenormousimpactonourpopularculture.Manyofthehighestgrossing movies of all time have dealt explicitly with space travel and extraterrestrials.Disney paidGeorgeLucas $4 billion dollars for the rights to theStarWars franchise.Buttheir influenceviatelevisionhasprobablybeenevengreater.CananyonetrulycalculatetheeffectoftheStarTrekfranchiseonworldculture?Itisafairguessthatwhenpeoplearoundtheworldenvisionthefutureofthehumanrace,manywillthinkalongthelineslaiddownbythat pioneering television show: interstellar travel, meeting with alien races, becomingmembers of some sort of galactic federation, and continuing on the great journey ofdiscovery.Ofcourse,onemightrespondthatmostofthesemoviesandtelevisionshowswerenot truly related toUFOs,which is true in a narrow sense.Yet, theUFOphenomenonwaswithout question the major spark behindmany, if not most, of them.Whenever the U.S.S.Enterpriseseparatesits“saucersection”fromtherestofthevessel,wecanthankUFOsfortheinspiration.Apartfrompopularentertainment,however,UFOshavehadotherinfluencesonourculture,mostly as a result of the cover-up.Most of these influences have been negative. For ifweassumethatUFOsarereal,andtherehasbeenacover-up,thenitwouldbeacover-upthathaspermeatedoursocietyatnearlyeverylevel.Itwouldmeanthatamajortruthinourworldhasbeen suppressed,which in turn has damaged thewillingness and ability ofmany people toinvestigateandseetruthwhenitdoesappear.Afterall,ifsomeoneisusedtotakingthewordoftheestablishedauthoritiesonaparticularsubject,evenwhenthefactsdonotagree,itcancauseadisconnectordiscrepancybetweenwhatonethinksrealityis,andwhatitreallyis. The cover-up, however, may have produced one silver lining.We like to think of ourspeciesasabletohandletheopenacknowledgmentofUFOsandotherbeings,butwhatifwereally cannot, at least notwithout a serious crisis?Thismight especially be the case ifweweretolearnthatthereissomeunpleasantnesstothepresenceoftheseOthers. If that isso,thenwemightconcludethatthecover-uphaspreservedhumanculturetosomeextent,ratherthanallowingittodisintegratewithinpanic.Idonotpersonallysubscribetothisbelief,butitisworthconsideration.AssubstantialastheculturalimpactofUFOshasbeenonourworldsofar,itislikelytobe

dwarfedbytheendofthesecrecythatenvelopsit.ThishasbeensomethingIhavereflectedonfor some time.What I see is something no less than a replay of the 1960s, a decadewhenanythingandeverythingseemedpossible,whenpeopledevelopedapowerfuldistrustoftheirgovernment,whentheyexploredanarrayofalternativerealities.Thistime,however,suchatransformationwilloccurwithinthesocialandtechnologicalframeworksofthe21stcentury.Awildrideindeed.Becausethemajorfact,sittingfrontrowandcenter,willbethechallenge,whetherbenign,benevolentorhostile,posedbytherealityofhighlyadvancedotherbeingshereamongusonPlanetEarth.

GlobalImplicationsWhenwetrytolookfurtheraheadintothepost-Disclosureworld,whichisthethemeofthisbook’s finalchapter,wearriveat the likelihoodofpolitical revolution.Whetherornot thisultimatelywillbesomethingpositiveformankindisnotsomethingIwouldcaretopredict.Ifprior revolutions are our guide, the post-Disclosure Revolution will probably usher indevelopments both beneficial and malign. Clearly, though, a major alteration of humanpoliticswill be necessaryon a global scale.Thiswill be notmerely in order to copewiththeseotherbeings,whoever theyareandwhatever theywant,but also todealwith thenewtechnologies that undoubtedly will arise in the aftermath. Quite probably, too, from thedemandslaiddownbythepeoplethemselvesforanewand,itistobehoped,moreopenandtransparentpoliticalsystem.Disclosuremaybethesignaltolaydownanopenformofglobalfascism,butitdoesnothavetobethatway.Intheverylongrun,afterDisclosure,humanityandourhomePlanetEarthwilllookverydifferent than they do today. After all, we are already on an incredible trajectory. Thedisclosureofanextraterrestrial realitywouldonlyhasten thebestof that.Forbetteror forworse,endingtheBigSecretwillputusonthefasttrack.

Chapter2TheoriesofAncientVisitation

Wehavehadtheabilitytowriteandrecordourhistoryforjustover6,000years.Onlyinthelasttwohundredhaveweeventriedtounderstandourancientpastwithanythingapproachingsophistication.Amere two centuries ago, the sciences of geology and archeologywere intheir infancy.One hundred and fifty years ago,wewere just beginning our excavations ofearlyhumanhabitations,justasCharlesDarwinshockedtheworldwithatheorythatlifewaspartof adynamic, ever-changing survivalof the fittestprocesswhichhe termedevolution.Evenacenturyago,ourknowledgeofancientcultureswasnegligiblecomparedwithwhatwe

knowtoday.Ourknowledgeofourdeeppasthascometousveryrecently.WestillhavelargeholesinthatknowledgeandIsuspectthat,insideoneoftheseholes,residetheancientgods.

OurJourneytoUnderstandthePast Wehavespiritualbeliefs today,butnot like theancients.Thousandsofyearsago,peopleconfronted forces well beyond their control and understanding: hence the gods. Duringancienttimes,itwasuniversallyheldthathumancivilizationwasagiftofthegods.Whetherin Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, Greece, Scandinavia, Britain, India, China, Africa, theAmericasorelsewhere,mostpeoplebelievedthegodsbroughtthemthetoolsofcivilization—agriculture,writing,medicine—everythingworthhaving.Whenthemonotheisticreligionsbecamedominant,thegodsbecameaGod,butthebeatcontinued.Then,startingaroundthe15thcentury,arevolutioninthoughtsweptfirstthroughEurope,andthenworldwide.FromCopernicus,whoseastronomyplacedtheSunandnottheEarthatthecenterofoursolarsystem,toGalileoandhisexperimentswithgravity(andhisdiscoveryofJupiter'smoons),toIsaacNewtonwhopresentedthelawsofphysics,totheideaofEarthno longer as thousands of years old, but millions and then billions, to the concepts ofDarwinianevolution,genetics,relativity,andquantummechanics.Stepbystep,eachofthesedevelopments,andmanyothers,brokedowntheoldparadigmofbeliefinthegodsorGod.Thenewideawhichtookformwaspowerful,anditcontinuestodominateourcivilizationtoday:thateverythingcanbeunderstoodrationally,scientifically.Theancientbeliefscametobeseenasquaintrelicsofanignoranttime.Now,despitesomegapshereandthere,mankindhas things pretty well understood, or so we tell ourselves. We see the natural world aspowerful,butwithinourintellectualgrasp.Thesameappliestoourunderstandingofthepast.Weseeitaswhollynatural,human-based,sensible.Godsneednotapply.Yet,withinthatcomfortableworldview,puzzlesremain.Oneistheincrediblyrapidpaceofhumanevolution.WeunderstandtheEarthtoberoughly4.5billionyearsold.Complexlifestartedaround600millionyearsago.Thedinosaursexistedfromaround230millionyearsagoto65millionyearsago,andit is fairlyeasy to tracktheirdevelopmentover those165million years. Considering the fairly limited changes over such a long period of time,evolutionwasanexcruciatinglyslowprocess. That is the norm: slow change overmillions of years. Consider the shark, so perfectlyadapted to its environment that it has barely changedovermillions of years.Or the horse,whose evolution is so beautifully depicted inNewYorkCity'sMuseumofNaturalHistory.Overaperiodof60millionyears, thehorseevolved froma small, cat-sizedcreaturewithordinaryfeetthatlivedinadenseforest,tothelargemajesticcreatureoftheopenplains,nowwith hooves that are perfectly adapted to its new environment. Or the whale. Once a landcreaturethatlivedatthewater ’sedge,ittookmillionsuponmillionsofyearstoevolveintothelargestmammaleverseen,breathingairbutswimmingtothedepthsoftheoceans.Nowconsiderhomosapiens.Bycomparison,wehaveevolvedinnotimeatall.Onlyfourmillion years ago the distant ancestors of humanity,australopithecus afarensis, walked theplainsofeasternAfrica.Theylookedmorelikechimpanzeesthanhumanbeings.Amereonemillionyearsagohomoerectusappeared.Thiswasaradicaldeparturefromaustralopithecus.Erectuscertainlylookedandactedmorelikeus,buthewasnotarecognizablehumanbeing. In fact, according to standard evolutionary theory, it took less thanonemillionyears to

evolve fromsomethingnotus into something recognizable as us. To bemore precise, thecurrentestimateisthatourspeciesisamere200,000yearsold,perhapsalittlebitolder.SuchamazingevolutionaryspeedfindsnoparallelanywhereelseonEarth.Anaturalquestionis,why so fast? Certainly, there may be a credible naturalistic explanation, but it is notunreasonabletowonder. Wasour rapidevolutioncausedbyakindofpositive feedback loopstemming fromourincreasingly complex brains, behaviors, and discoveries, inwhich one development led toanother,thentoanother,andsoon?Ordidwereceiveevolutionaryhelp,tweakedbysomemoreadvancedspecies?Andisthatthesourceofourbeliefinthegods?

AncientImages Letus takeacloser lookat thesepossiblegods.WemaystartbyaskingwhetherancientUFOstoriescanshedanylightonthematter.HowlonghavepeopleseenUFOs?Ifwearebeingvisited,whendiditbegin?Ifthegodsofancient times were real, were they extraterrestrial, or did they come from some otherdimension,timeorreality?Thesearedifficultquestions,perhapsimpossibletoanswer,butthefirstofthemisatleastwithinourgrasp.ForitsurelydoesappearthatpeoplehavebeenrecordingUFOsthroughoutthecourseofourhistory.TheearliestbitsofevidencemaywellbeinEuropeancavepaintings,whichrepresentsomeof the earliest examples of human art in existence. In particular, the French cave of PechMerleportraysseveralobjects thatbearmore thanapassing resemblance to flyingsaucersmoving among the local wildlife. The painting is roughly 19,000 or 20,000 years old.Interpretingsuchimagesisalwaysatrickybusiness,butsomeancienthumanartistdidindeeddepictsomethingthatlookslikeahat-shapedUFOflyingabovetheanimals.

Thereareseveralhat-shapedimagesinthesecaves.Theimageaboveissometimescalled“the banner.” But, of course, howwould cave dwelling humans have a banner? Below theobjectisapersonwhoappearstohavemanylinesgoingthroughhim,perhapsspears.Inalllikelihood,wewillneverknowthefullmeaningofthisimage.Isthebanneranearlydrawingofanaliencraft?[9]

CaveartfromPechMerledepictingoddstructures.

Some of the most eerily compelling pieces of suggestive ancient artwork are the cavepaintings of Kimberley, Australia. These were created 5,000 years ago by the nativeaborigines, and they depict entities which they called the Wandjina, or sky beings. In theaboriginaltradition,thesebeingswerepartofthebeginningofcreationandhadgreatpowersovernature.OneofthemevenbecametheMilkyWay.WhenlookingatthehauntingimagesoftheWandjina,itiseasytothinkofgrayaliens:oversizedheads,nohair,largeblackeyes,noears,nomouth,andpurewhiteskin.UntilthemoderneraofUFOsanddepictionsofETbeings,scholarshadnopointofreferencefortheWandjina,nowaytounderstandwhythesenative Australians would create God beings so radically different in appearance fromthemselves.

TherearemanysuchancientpaintingsonrocksandincavesaroundtheworldthatdepictwhatlooklikeETbeings.InthenorthernItalianregionofLombardy,thereisarockpaintingdating to theCopper age, between5,000and7,000years ago. It depicts apparentpriestsorGodfigures.Eachofthemhaswhatappearstobeahalo,exceptthatthesehaloslookrathermorelikehelmets,withstraightlinesextendingoutfromthem. There are also interesting petroglyphs inNorthAmerica, themost spectacular being inUtah.These are also quite ancient, around3,000 years old.One of them, inUtah’sBarrierCanyon, depicts a number of tall beings without arms, standing ominously. One of these,larger than therest, looksverymuch like the imagesfromKimberley,Australia.TherearesimilarlysuggestivebeingspaintedonrocksinUtah’sSegoCanyon. Unfortunately, these ancient people lackedwritten languages tomore precisely describewhat they were depicting. Certainly, these ancient artists may have been trying to paintsomething other than extraterrestrials.But they do appear to have been depicting powerfulbeings of some sort. Scholars vaguely interpret some of these as being “priest” figures.Perhaps. Regardless, the images are arresting. At the very least, they are suggestive thatancient peoples perceived beings that were powerful and godlike and different fromthemselves.Fromwheredidsuchanideaarise?

ALostCivilization? Evenwithin the relatively shortperiodof the last ten thousand to twenty thousandyears,theremaywellbeenoughgaps inourknowledge tohave includeda lost,highlyadvanced,human civilization. Sometimesmixed inwith the idea of a lost civilization is the thesis ofancient astronauts, that is, extraterrestrials.Mainstream scholars have long dismissed suchideasasheresyorevenlunacy.Yet, thecaseforsomethinglikea lostcivilization,althoughnotasstrongasproponentsargue, isalsonotasweakas themainstreamargumentsdepict.Proponents point to a number of seemingly inexplicable oddities to support the idea of anadvanced,lostcivilization.

AboriginalrockpaintingsinKimberley,Australia,roughly5,000yearsold.Someargumentsarestrongerthanothers.OnethatfailstopersuadecentersaroundthePiriReismap,saidtobeacopyofamapfromtheLibraryatConstantinople,whichwaspillagedand looted in1204during the infamousFourthCrusade.Asarguedby several researchers,mostnotablyGrahamHancockinhisbestseller,FingerprintsoftheGods,themapappearstodepict the coastline of Antarctica centuries before its discovery by European explorers in1820.Notonly this,but ithasbeenargued that itdepictsAntarctica’snatural coastlineas itactuallyappearsbeneaththemassivelayersofice.WhenHancockpublishedhisbookin1995,

contemporary science argued that the ice sheet coveringAntarcticawas at least 14millionyearsold(anumberthathassincebeenrevisedto34millionyears).Therefore,ifweacceptthemapasanaccuratedepictionoftheunencumberedAntarcticcoast,itwouldmeanthatthecontinentwasice-freeduringthemuchmorerecentpast.Hancockputthefigureatnotmorethanaround10,500B.C.E.ThetheoryhedrewupontoexplainthesuddenclimaticshiftwasderivedfromCharlesHapgood,anAmericancollegeprofessorwhodevelopeda theoryofEarthCrustalDisplacement.Hapgood’sideawasthattheearth’scrust,whichisessentiallylikeathinlayerofskin,cansuddenlyslipandcreatenewlocationsforthepoles.Theweightofpolarice,hesuggested,wasoneofthecausesfortheseshifts.

Theideahasnoidentifiablesupportamongprofessionalgeologists,whofavortheconceptof plate tectonics as away to explain themovement of landmasses (which, theymaintain,occursmuchmoreslowly).Inaddition,therehavebeenmanycoresamplestakenofAntarcticice, the oldest of which is believed to be 530,000 years old.[10] Other core samples haveshownafullydevelopedicecapduringtheentireperiodbetween40,000to6,000yearsago,that is, during thedevelopmentof the earliest human settlements. In addition, scholarswhohaveexaminedthePiriReismappointoutmanyinaccuraciesonthemapitself,nomatterhowoneinterpretsit.Ofcourse,onemightalwaysaskwhyanyextremesoutherncontinentwouldbe on a map so old, a perfectly reasonable question. The answer is that such a continent(calledTerraAustralis)hadbeenwidelyspeculatedtoexistforseveralreasons.Onewasfromtheideathatsomethingwasneededto“balance”thelandmassesinthenorth,anotherfromtheobserved presence of icebergs in the more extreme southern areas.[11] With such strongrefutationscomingfromcontemporaryresearchandscholarship,thereseemstobenoroomforalostcivilizationinthehistoryofAntarctica. But this is not to refute the idea of either a lost civilization or a long-standingextraterrestrialpresence inourworld.Thereareenoughmysteries fromourdistantpast tomakereasonablemindswonder.

PyramidsInadditiontorockandcavepaintings,therearearcheologicalstructuresleftbehindbytheancients, some of which still defy our common sense. Foremost among thesemust be theGreatPyramidofGiza.ProfessionalEgyptologistsdismissclaimsthattheGreatPyramidisanythingotherthanapharaoh'stomb,builtbyhumanlaborandingenuity.Andyet,studyingtheastonishingengineering,massivesize,andmathematicalperfectionof that structure,weareforcedtoask,howisitpossiblethatsuchprofessionalscouldformopinionsthatflyinthefaceoftheobvious? It isnotsimplythefactthat2.3millionblocksofstonewereusedtobuildapyramidthatcoversmorethan13acresofland.Afterall,afewmodernengineershaveclaimedthatthey,too, could create such a massive structure, given enough time and money. But it is theprecisionof thepyramid that is so astonishing. It is easy to forget that it originallyhadanoutercasingofwhitelimestoneblocks,perfectlypolishedandfitted.Forthousandsofyears,the structure looked like a brilliant, white, gleaming beacon, unlike any other structure inexistence.Itrequiredanearthquaketoshakethelimestoneblocksloose,afterwhichthelocalinhabitants removedmostof them tobuild thecityofCairo.A fewof thoseblocks remain

today.Theyaverageamassivesixteentonseach,yetthefinejointsarenothickerthanapieceofpaper.Theoverallprecisionofthisstructureisbreathtaking.Thisenormousobject,750feetlongateachbase,issituatedpreciselyalongthefourcardinalpoints:North,South,East,West.Theratio of its circumference to its original height equals the value ofpi: 3.14, something notsupposed to have been known for more than another millennium. Also, the geographicalpositionofthegreatpyramidmaywellbethemostsignificantofanystructureintheworld.StudentshavepointedoutthatitispositionednearlyexactlyatthelatitudeandlongitudelinesthatcontainmorelandandlessseathananyothersonEarth.Thus,itcantrulybesaidthattheGreatPyramidisatthegeographicalcenteroftheEarth.Fromthisfactalone,itwouldseemthatthebuildersoftheGreatPyramidknewagreatdealaboutthegeographyofourplanet. TheGreatPyramidcontainssomanymoreincrediblefacts,but it isenoughheretostatethat a detailed study of it yields even more questions. Yet, for whatever odd reasons,professional Egyptologists continually ignore them. One thing is clear: prior to the 20thCentury,therewasnootherhumancivilizationthatcouldhaveevenconsideredreplicatingit.Thisopens thequestionofwhether therehasbeenmuchgreaterknowledge somewhereonPlanetEarth,knowledgethathasbeenlost,eitheroriginatingfromextraterrestrialsorfromalostadvancedhumancivilization.Eitherway,itisagenuinemystery.Themysterydoesnotendthere.EveryoneknowssomethingaboutotherpyramidsinEgyptandCentralAmerica.However,inrecentyears,wehavecometorecognizetheexistenceofancientpyramidsthroughouttheworld.Thenumberofthemisstaggering.CentralAmericaalone is said to have more than one thousand pyramids, most of which have never beenproperly investigated.China is nowunderstood to havemany ancient pyramids, over threehundredsofar.AmassivepyramidinBosniaiscurrentlybeinginvestigated.Formanyyears,it hadnotbeen recognizedas such,but simplyas ageometrical-looking largehill thathadbeenterraformedbyearlierinhabitants.However,since2005,investigatorshavedescribeditasamassivepyramidalconstructionwithitsowntunnelcomplex.SimilardebateshavebeenoccurringregardingpyramidstructuresinItaly,Slovenia,Australia,Indonesia,theU.S.stateofOhio,andelsewhere.[12] It is fascinating and exciting to ponder the likelihood of a relationship among all thesestructures,assumingwecandefinitivelyagreethattheyareinfactactualpyramids.Wedonotyet appear to be at that point, but of course the research is just beginning. Yet, there aretheories trying to tie them together.Most intriguing is that the ancient pyramids and othermegalithicsitesarelaidoutinagrid,notaccordingtoourcurrentunderstandingofagrid,butone inwhich thepatternsarebaseduponnaturalEarthenergies.Furtherclaimsare thatthese ancient structures were positioned in a kind of web that tapped into a source ofinexhaustibleenergy.[13]The claim certainly feels outlandish, and is supported by nothingthataprofessionalscientistwouldconsidervalidevidence.Yet,wedoseemtohaveancientpyramidsdottingourplanet,anditisreasonabletowonderifthereisaconnection.Ifthereis,whatcanitbe?Beforemovingonfromthepyramids,wecantouchonthedebateovertheSphinx,situatedwiththethreegreatpyramidsatGiza.Itbecameanissueduringtheearly1990s,whenRobertM. Schoch, Ph.D., a geologist and associate professor of Natural Science at BostonUniversity,notedthattheSphinxdisplayederosionpatternsthatwerenotconsistentwiththe

patternscausedbywindandsand,butratherbywater.However,therehadnotbeensignificantrainfallinthatareaformanythousandsofyears.Moreover,hepointedoutthatduringmostoftherecordedhistoryoftheSphinx,ithadbeenburiedundersand,oftenuptheneck.Insuchastate,itwouldbeexposedtonoweatherelementsatall.Sohowdidtheerosiontakeplace?BasedonwhatisknownofweatherpatternsinnorthernEgyptthroughthemillennia,Schochdated the monument to between 7,000 and 5,000 BCE, long before the dawn of Egyptiancivilization,duringaperiodwhen thenorthernSaharawasnotadesert,andreceivedmuchmorerainfall.AdditionalworkbyJohnAnthonyWest,whoanalyzedthearcheo-astronomicalaspects of the Sphinx, supported Schoch and pushed the date even further back. Thus, thefundamentalchronologyofancientcivilizationhadbeenchallenged. The academic world dismissed this argument as nothing more than crackpot ravings.SeveralgeologistsdisputedSchoch’sanalysis,claiming that theerosionpatternsare indeedthoseofwindandsand.Moreover,asEgyptologistsargued,buildingtheSphinxin7,000BCEorearlierwasimpossible.Evenaslateas3,000BCE,peoplewerelivingessentiallyinmudhuts;theycouldhardlyhavecreatedamonumentontheorderoftheSphinxseveralmillenniaprior.Thencameoneofthemostimportantarcheologicaldiscoveriesofalltime:GobekliTepe.ThisisaremotelocationatthetopofamountainridgeinsoutheasternTurkeywhichincludesmassive stones that have been definitively dated to no less than 9,000 BCE. The site iselaborate and includes beautifully carved stonework that staggered experts who had longmaintained that such sophistication was impossible for people at such an early stage ofdevelopment. Its constructionpredates all the important developments ofwhatwe associatewithcivilization:pottery,metallurgy,theinventionofwritingandthewheel,evenagricultureandanimalhusbandry.Itimpliesorganizationofanadvancedorderthatwasnotsupposedtobepossible.Humansociety,afterall,wasstillatahunter-gathererstage,notfarming,notinlargecommunities,anddefinitelynot supposed tocreatesomething like this.GobekliTepeshowsthattherewasamuchmoresophisticatedpresenceonEartharound10,000BCEthanexpertshadeverthoughtpossible.Thisisnotspeculation,butunarguablefact.IfGobekliTepecouldexistatthatearlydate,thenwhynottheSphinx?Indeed,whynottheGreatPyramid,andwhynotsomeoftheotherpyramidsdottingtheglobe?Theonlyproblemwithacceptingsuchaconclusionis that itwouldforceus torevise long-heldbeliefsonthedevelopment of human civilization. It would mean that there was a much more advancedhumancivilizationatthatearlydate,acivilizationwhichsomehowdisappearedorwentintoremission.Maywecallthisalostcivilization?Beforewegetlostinthistheory,asintriguingasitsounds,weshouldremindourselvesthatthere are no other signs of advanced civilization from much before 4,000 BCE. In otherwords, no wheel, nor any evidence of written language. Yet, clearly, we can at leastacknowledge that scholars have greatly underestimated the activity on Planet Earth circa7,000-11,000BCE.Somethingveryinterestingwasgoingon.

OtherStructures,InexplicableandExplicable Thereareotherimpressiveancientsitesthatcauseustowonder.Mostof thesehaveonlybeenstudiedinrelativelyrecentyears,andwestillhavemuchtolearn.Realistically,mostofthemareprobablynotevidenceofeitherancientastronautsorlostcivilizations.

Onewhichhas receivedmuch recent attention,primarilybecauseof the television show,AncientAliens,isPumapunku,locatednearthetownofTiwanakuonthehighBolivianplainsin the Andes. The Incas once believed this area was where the world was created. Smallwonder, considering themagnificent stonework found there. The site is a terraced earthenmoundwithmanymegalithicblocks.Mostunusualare the largenumberofprecisionsmallholesandothershapesthathavebeendrilledorcutintothem.

AnexampleoftheprecisionstoneworkatPumapunko.

Evenso,thereismuchdisagreementoverthecrucialmatterofwhenthesitewasbuilt,aswellaswhetherornotancientpeopleswerecapableofthekindofprecisionexhibitedthere.Proponents of an ancient astronaut theory sometimes have claimed the site to be 12,000 to17,000yearsold,farearlierthananyknownadvancedhumancivilization.Ithasbeenclaimedthat the stones therearepredominantlygranite,andesite,anddiorite,all exceptionallyhard.Fromtheperspectiveofmainstreamscholarship,however,thereisnorealcontroversy.First,thedatingofthesite,basedonextensiveanalysisofrelevantorganicsamples,placeitsageatroughly 500 CE. The reason given for the much earlier dating appears to have been amisinterpretationofapieceofsculptedartwork,whichsomebelievedtobeatypeofelephant.If so, this surelywouldbe interesting, sinceelephantsonly existed in theAmericas’distantpast.Mostscholarsbelievethattheimageisoftwostylizedcondors. Regarding thestonework itself, it isunquestionably impressive.However, thehugestonestructures are not of granite, but sandstone, which is decidedly easier to work. Even so,scholars concede they do not know how the heavy lifting and beautiful masonry wereaccomplished.Thatisnottosaytheybelievethelocalinhabitantswereincapableofdoingit.Brian Dunning, writing in his Skeptoid blog, pointed out that there are other equallyimpressive examples of stonemasonry around the ancient world, including the Parthenon,Persepolis, and more. He concluded, “it is unnecessary to invoke aliens to explain thestructures.”[14]Perhapstherealquestioniswhetherornotthestoneworkshowssignsofmachining,asthishasbeen theclaim. Indeed,manyof the largepiecesare identicalandmadewith incredibleprecision. It is not enough for mainstream scholars simply to throw up their hands andexclaim“wedon’tknow,”regardingstoneworkthatlooksasthoughitwasmachined.Butwasitreally?Thatisthequestionandwedonothaveafirmanswer. There are other examples of ancient stonework that have probably received an overly-enthusiastic reception fromancientastronaut theorists.Onewouldbe thehundredsof largestonespheresfoundinCentralAmerica,mostlyCostaRicabutalsoGuatemalaandVeraCruz.Theyareperfectlyshaped,orverynearlyso,andaslargeaseightfeetindiameter.Thereareno comparable examples of such large stone balls found anywhere else. The people whoallegedlyshapedthemarenotknowntohavehadanythingmorethancrudetools,andwouldhavehadtotransportthemfromfairlydistantsources.Still,manyresearchersdonotbelievethesetobeevidenceofextraterrestrialsoranythingelse equally unconventional. John W. Hoopes, for example, argues that the balls wereprobablymade inamannersimilar to thatofmanyancientpolishedstoneaxesandstatues.One would begin with a roundish boulder, then work it into a spherical shape through acombination of controlled fracturing, pecking, grinding, rapid temperature changes, morepecking and hammering, then polishing. All of this can be done without metal tools oradvancedmachinery.Certainly,thequalityofworkmanshipisexceptional,butnotobviouslybeyondtheingenuityandskillofancientpeople.[15] Still, thereareancient ruins thatboggle themind.Onemustbe thecolossal stonescutatBaalbek,Lebanon.Most of the ruins there areRoman, but the site also contains enormousmegalithswhicharebelievedtobe2,000yearsolder thantheRomanruins.Theydonotfitwith any known culture. The cutting and fitting of these stones, someweighingmore than

1,500tons,wasdonewithperfection,despitebeingthelargestcutstonesintheworld(some68x14x14feet).To thisday, there isnoreasonableexplanationofwhocutandpreparedthese stones, orwas able to transport them roughly fiftymiles from their origin, or placethemontopofeachothersoperfectly,soearlyinthehistoryofourcivilization.[16]

FlyingTrinkets Aside from huge structures, there are other artifacts and depictions that are curious,includingafewofwhatseemtobeancientflyingcraft.Whilesuchevidenceisnotdirectlysuggestiveofextraterrestrialinfluence,itremainsinterestingenoughforustowonderaboutwhatismissinginourknowledgeoftheancientworld. Oneof thesewasanobject found in1898, ina tombatSaqqara,Egypt,andwasdated toaround 200 BC. It has the head of a bird, but otherwise looks like a glider or airplane.However, because it was found before there were any airplanes, it was described as a“woodenbirdmodel”andstored in thebasementof theCairoMuseum.Anumberofyearslater, people began to realize its importance, so theEgyptiangovernment created a specialcommitteeofscientiststostudyit.Thentheylabeleditas(drumroll,please)amodelairplane!Ithasthesameproportionsofawhatisknownasa“pusherglider,”withcurvedwingsthatslopedownwardslightly,givingtheplanemaximumliftwithoutdetractingfromspeed. Wemightwonder, then, how someonemore than2,000years agodevised amodel of aflyingdevicewithsuchadvancedfeatures,requiringsuchknowledgeofaerodynamics.Wasthissimplyaluckyfluke? The most famous model of an ancient flying craft comes from South America. It is abeautiful pre-Columbian gold trinketmore than 1,000 years old. To anyonewith commonsense, it looks like a delta wing aircraft. Archaeologists, however, call it a “zoomorphicobject,”meaning that it is animal-shaped.Butwhat animal could this represent? It doesnotresembleabat,noraninsect,noranyotherkindofflyingcreatureonecanimagine.Itlookslikeanaircraft.Muchstudyandinvestigationhavebeendoneonthislittletrinket.Sufficetosaythatitflies,aswasdemonstratedonanepisodeofAncientAliens.Areplicamodelofitwasbuilt,withthesimpleadditionofapropeller.Itflewperfectly.Anotherluckyfluke?

APre-Columbianartifact.Areplicaofit(withanaddedpropeller)flew.

Withallancientartifactsandruins,aswitheverythingelseinlife,weshouldrefrainfromjumpingtoconclusions,constantlyseekoutallsidestoaquestion,anddoourbest toformreasonable hypotheses (which must always be amenable to revision, following newinformation).Otherwise,wespendourlivesdoingnothingmorethanfillingintheblanksofwhatwethinkwealreadyknow.Havingofferedthisdisclaimer,wemustconcludethatthereare archeological mysteries which not only beg explanation, but which lead us toward aradicalrevisionofourancientpast.

AncientWritings:Vimanas Archeologycan tellus agreatdeal,but readingancientwritings is stillmore satisfying.Sure enough, there are a number of ancientwritings that are believed to be suggestive of

UFOs and extraterrestrial encounters. Let us start with some ancient writings that havereceivedrecentattention:thevimanas. Muchhasbeenwrittenaboutvimanas,especiallyon theweb.Onecaneasilybecomelostamidthesites,althoughitsoonbecomesevidentthatmostofthemsimplycopyeachothers’statements. It is obvious that precious few sites that discuss vimanas have any originalresearch.ThewordvimanaisSanskrit,andhashadmanymeaningsovertheyears:thepalaceofanemperor or a god, a temple, a chariot, or a vehicle. Today, it means aircraft. In Sanskritliterature,vimanasarementionedinthepoeticepicsknownastheVedas.TherearenumberofVedas, including theRig Veda, which does not mention vimanas, but does have a passagedealing with golden colored birds that fly up to heaven. This has sometimes been (veryloosely)translatedtoimplyavesselthatjumpsintospace.However,vimanasarementionedintheRamayana,anotherVedaepicwhichdatesfromthefourthorfifthcentury,B.C.Inonepassage,avimanaisdescribedasa“chariotthatresemblesthesun...thataerialandexcellentchariotgoingeverywhereatwill….thatchariotresemblingabrightcloudinthesky….andthekinggotin,andtheexcellentchariot…roseupintothehigheratmosphere.”[17] Anothervimana isdescribed in theMahabharata, another ancient text.Here,onevimanameasures twelve cubits in circumference,with four strongwheels. This seems quite small,roughly 20 to 25 feet in circumference, or about seven feet in diameter. Still, there havecertainlybeenreportsofflyingsaucersofthatsize.[18] Unfortunately,mostofwhatwehearregardingvimanasisconnectedtosomethingthat isnotancient,butentirelymodern.ThatistheVaimanikaShastra.Somesourceshaveclaimeditis an ancient Hindumanuscript, but this claim is spurious. Every single scholarly opinionagreesthatitisanearly20thcenturySanskrittextonaeronautics.Infact,Itwasclaimedtobeobtainedbychanneling.Thereis,infact,noevidenceofitsexistencepriorto1952,whenthetextitselfwasfirstrevealed,andwearetolditwasdictatedbetween1918and1923.Itisfromthis text that somany readers hear of themany allegedly technical features of the ancientvimanas.For instance, theclaimthat therewere“31essentialparts”of thevehiclesand“16materials” fromwhich theywere constructed, and so on.The text gives a great amount ofdetail,itistrue,butitisa20thcenturycreation. Indeed,anumberofstudiesofthetechnicalillustrationsmakeitclearthatthevimanasasdescribedintheVaimanikaShastraarenotevenairworthy.Oneaviationengineerstudiedthetechnicalillustrations,concludingthevimanaswere“absurdlyunaerodynamic.”Headdedthat“they look like brutalist wedding cakes, with minarets, huge ornithopter wings and dinkypropellers.Inotherwords,theylookliketypicalearly20thcenturyfantasyflyingmachineswithanIndiantwist.”[19]ThefantasiesfromtheVaimanikaShastraaside,thevimanasoftheancienttextsdotransportthegodsthroughtheheavens.However,beforewehaveanythingdefinitivetosayaboutthem,seriousandcarefulworkneedstobedoneonthistopic.Wedeservebetterthanwildclaimswhichareuncertainatbestandfictitiousatworst. Speaking ofwild, fictitious claims, this is a good place to lay to rest the claim that theMahabharatahasapassagethatdescribesnucleardevastation.Theancienttextmostcertainlydoes not, althoughmore recent ancient astronaut theorists have taken liberties in claiming

otherwise.Itisunfortunatethatthisclaimhascontinuedfornearlyfiftyyears,whenitisclearthatnoonemakingithasbeenaVedicscholar,norevenbotheredtoprovideasoundcitationoftheoriginal text. The Mahabharata, after all, is ten times longer than the Iliad and Odysseycombined. It has roughly100,000verses,many longprosepassages, andabout1.8millionwords.Whoamong students ofUFOshas read any significant portionof that, or even canreadtheSanskrit?Nevertheless,withinthatmassivetext,wearetoldthereisadescriptionofancientaerialwarfareinvolvingnuclearweapons.Hereisthekeypassage:

Gurkha,flyingaswiftandpowerfulvimana,hurledasingleprojectilechargedwithallthepoweroftheUniverse.Anincandescentcolumnofsmokeandflame,asbrightastenthousandsuns,roseinallitssplendor.

Itwasanunknownweapon,andironthunderbolt,agiganticmessengerofdeath,whichreducedtoashestheentireraceoftheVrishnisandAndhakas.

Thecorpsesweresoburnedastobeunrecognizable.Theirhairandnailsfellout.Potterybrokewithoutanyapparentcause,andthebirdsturnedwhite.

…Afterafewhours,allfoodstuffswereinfected……toescapefromthisfire,thesoldiersthrewthemselvesinstreamstowashthemselvesandalltheirequipment.

Thepassageappearsinseveralbooksandmanywebsites.But,asresearcherJasonColovitoclearly shows, this translation bears hardly any relationship to the original sanskrit. Thistranslation derives from earlier (misleading) translations, primarily one by Louis Pauwelsand Jacques Bergier in their book,Morning of the Magicians, from 1960. The originalsanskritsaysnothingatallaboutnuclearbombs.Colovitosumsupthesituationwell:

PauwelsandBergierseemtohaveintentionallymistranslatedSanskritsentencesintoFrenchtocreateafalseimpression,butwerehonestenoughtoallowthatthesentencesweren'trelatedtoeachotherandtoleaveinsomebafflingdetails... .[others]andtheirfollowersarecontenttomangleabadEnglishtranslationofaFrenchmistranslationofaSanskritoriginalwithout ever checking theoriginal sourcematerial.Texts areconflated, separate incidents combined intoone,andnocontextisconsideredoranalyzed.Detailsthatdonotsupport[their]ideasareeliminatedwithnoindicationthatthey were dropped.Mistranslations are purposely created and copied uncritically. Then they are changed at will tosupporttheauthor’sviewsandrepeatedendlesslyasrevealedtruth.[20]

Thequotationhasbeen repeated endlessly fromwebsite towebsite, copied andpasted atwill,withnothoughttocheckingfororiginalcitations.Wecandobetter.

AncientWritings:EgyptBeyondtherealmofmythologiesandothersacredtexts,theancientworldhasleftuswithseveralinterestingUFOaccounts.Callingthemreportsisgoingtoofar,buttheyarecertainlyinterestingstories.

The earliest of these, if legitimate, is from the annals of Thutmose III of Egypt’s 18thDynasty,who reigned3,500years ago.Thisdocument is knownas theTulliPapyrus, afterAlbertoTulli, a director of theEgyptian section of theVaticanmuseum,who found it in aCairoantiqueshopin1933.[21]However,thepricewastoohigh,soacopywasmadeofthetext, which was then recopied, this time replacing the original hieratic script with morecommonhieroglyphic.Years later, an ItalianPrincenamedBorisdeRachewiltz claimed tohavefoundtheoriginalpapyrus,“untranslatedandunpublished,”amongthepaperswhichhadbeenleftbythedeceasedTulli.HedescribedhisfindtotheForteanDoubtmagazinein1953,andstatedthatthenotedEgyptologist,ÉtienneDriotonoftheEgyptianMuseuminCairo,hadretranscribed it from the original hieratic script into hieroglyphics.DeRachewiltz claimedthatthepapyrusformedpartofthelibraryofThutmosisIII.Althoughnothinginthedocumentreferstoapharaohbyname,thisisnotuncommon.[22]Furthercomplicatingmattersisthatthedocument’slocationiscurrentlyunknown,sothatno scholarly analysis can be performed on it; and, while the credentials of the associatedindividuals are not under dispute, there is always the possibility that the accuracy of thetranslationscanbedisputed.Itispossiblethattheoriginalpapyruswasaccidentallydestroyed;ifso,wemayneverbeabletoprovetheauthenticityofthiscompellingstory. More serious is the allegation in 2006, by Egyptologist Franco Brussino, that theTulliPapyrus is a forgery, prepared from fragments of nine different papyruses described in a1927bookbyEgyptologistSirAlanGardiner.[23]However,anotherEgyptologist,R.CedricLeonard,arguesstronglyagainst thisconclusion.Theforgerywouldhavebeenmadeyearsbeforetheworldknewof“flyingsaucers,”andindeednomotivationcanbeseenforit.Moretothepoint,thedocumentsBrussinoclaimedwereusedinthisallegedforgeryshow“obvioustextual differences”with several long phrases in theTully papyrus. “In regard to the shortphrases,”Leonardcontinued,“Ihavenodoubt that Icould locate identicalshortphrasesbylooking in Budge's hieroglyphic text of theBook of theDead.Would that prove that TullicribbedthetextinquestionfromBudge'sbook?”[24]HereisthetranslationofR.CedricLeonard.

Intheyear22,ofthethirdmonthofwinter,sixthhouroftheday[...]amongthescribesoftheHouseofLifeitwasfoundthatastrangeFieryDiskwascominginthesky.Ithadnohead.Thebreathofitsmouthemittedafoulodor.Itsbodywas one rod in length and one rod inwidth. It had no voice. It came towardHisMajesty's house. Their heartbecameconfusedthroughit,andtheyfellupontheirbellies.They[went]totheking,toreportit.HisMajesty[orderedthat]thescrolls[located]intheHouseofLifebeconsulted.HisMajestymeditatedonalltheseeventswhichwerenowgoingon.Afterseveraldayshadpassed,theybecamemorenumerousintheskythanever.Theyshinedintheskymorethanthebrightnessofthesun,andextendedtothelimitsofthefoursupportsofheaven[...]PowerfulwasthepositionoftheFieryDisks. The army of the King looked on, with HisMajesty in their midst. It was after the eveningmeal when the Disksascendedevenhigherintheskytothesouth.Fishandothervolatilesraineddownfromthesky:amarvelneverbeforeknownsincethefoundationofthecountry.AndHisMajestycausedincensetobebroughttoappeasetheheartofAmun-Re,thegodoftheTwoLands.Anditwas[ordered]thattheevent[berecordedfor]HisMajestyintheAnnalsoftheHouseofLife[toberemembered]forever.

An interesting aspect to this story, incidentally, is that Thutmose III, along with hisstepmotherandaunt,Hatshepsut,initiatedoneofthemostgloriousperiodsofancientEgypt.ThutmoseIIIextendedEgypt’sempiretothegreatestextentinitshistory.Infact,thatdynasty—the 18th—is the most famous of all. In addition to Thutmose III and Hatshepsut (who

becameoneofthefewfemalePharaohsinEgyptianhistory),itincludedAkhenaten,(knownasthe“hereticpharaoh”whoinstitutedthefirstknowninstanceofmonotheisminhistory)hisqueenNefertiti,andhissonTutankhamun(KingTut).

AncientWritings:TheBible Inthe1950s,awriternamedMorrisJessupwroteaninterestingbookcalledUFOsin theBible. Thiswas the first true attempt to interpret theBiblewith a connection toUFOs andextraterrestrials. Jessup wrote about unusual elements within the Book of Exodus, duringwhichMoses ledhispeopleoutofEgypt.Overandoverduringthat time,powersfromtheskyinteractedwiththem,sometimesdroppingplaguesfromsomekindofaerialconveyances,sometimeskeepingthemalivewith“mannafromheaven.”Someofthesepassagesarequiteinteresting.Exodus3:2reads,“andtheangeloftheLordappeareduntohiminaflameoffireoutofthemidstofaBush:andhelookedandbeholdtheBushburnedwithfire,andtheBushwasnotconsumed.”InExodus4:3,“hecastit(hisrod)upontheground,anditbecameaserpent;andMosesfledbeforeit.”OrExodus13:21:“AndtheLordwentbeforethembydayinapillarofcloud...andbynightinapillaroffire.”InJessup’sopinion,thisseemslike“anintelligentlyguidedUFO.” There are enough passages in Exodus that suggest an extraterrestrial connection, thatExoduscertainlywarrantsafreshre-readfrominterestedstudents.AdecadeafterJessup,ErichvonDanikenfolloweduponthislineofthought.InChariotsoftheGods?, vonDaniken offered an interesting interpretation of Ezekiel’s vision,which heinterpreted as a detailed description of a landing spacecraft with angels in the likeness ofhumans.HereisthemostrelevantpassagefromEzekiel:

AsIlookedatthelivingcreatures,Isawawheelupontheearthbesidethelivingcreatures,oneforeachofthefourofthem…likethegleamingofachrysolite,andthefourhadthesamelikenessbeingasitwereawheelwithinawheel…[containing]rimsand…spokes,andtherimswerefullofeyesroundabout....Thelivingcreatureswereineachwheel.[25]

AfascinatingsidelighttothisisthataformerNASAscientistnamedJosefBlumrich,whohadthoughtvonDaniken’sinterpretationtoberidiculous,setouttodesignacraftbasedonthe passage in Ezekiel. Blumrich analyzed six different translations of the Bible inconjunctionwithhisexperienceinengineering. In a book he wrote in 1970s, The Spaceships of Ezekiel, Blumrich presented technicalspecificationsofthespacecraftthat,heargued,fitEzekiel'sdescriptionperfectly.Ofcourse,we should remember that Ezekiel presumably was describing something well beyond hisexperienceforhis timeof2,500yearsago. Ifhedidseeadescendingspacecraft,hewouldhavelackedthelanguageortechnologicalunderstandingtodescribeitinanywayotherthanhedid.Ezekiel'sdescriptionseemsrathervaguetobetakenasanactualcraft.Thenagain,whywoulditbeimpossibleforancientpeopletohaveseengenuineUFOs?Andifso,whywouldweexpectthemtodescribesuchphenomenathesameaswewouldtoday?

AncientAstronautsItwasvonDanikenwhoputancientastronautsintothepublicspotlight.Beforehim,theidea

hadbarelyregisteredanywhere,butbytheearly1970s,itwaseverywhere.Thethesiswasthatthe technologies and religions of many ancient civilizations were bequeathed by ancientastronauts,whowerewelcomedasgods.VonDaniken’sinterpretationoftheBiblewasonlyasmallpartofhiseffort. Wemay admire the audacity of such a grand interpretation—itwas the 1960s, after all.Enoughsaid.However, nothing in the book is scientific, precious little of it plausible.VonDanikenarguedthatanumberofthestructuresandartifactsoftheancientworldwerehighlyadvancedtechnology,explainableonlybyextraterrestrials.Veryprominentinhisbookwerestructures likeStonehenge, theEgyptianpyramids, thehugeheadsonEaster Island,and theNazcalinesinPeru,thelastofwhichheexplainedaslandingstripsforanancientairfield.Allof these, he argued, were connected to the presence of extraterrestrials. While the GreatPyramidclearlyconstitutesagenuinemysteryinmanyimportantrespects,mostoftheseothermonumentsandartifactsdonotrequireunconventionalexplanations.VonDanikenalsodiscussedthePiriReismap,describedearlier,andpresentedtheimage,now famous, of the tomb of theMayan ruler Pakal, which he interpreted as depicting anastronaut in his spaceship. Again, this is interesting, perhaps suggestive. Most scholars,however,havenoprobleminterpretingthis inconventionalMayanterms,andit iscertainlynotproofofancientastronauts.

Mayanartifacts.StatuettefromruinsatTikal(l)andanillustrationofthelidofthetomboftherulerPakal(r).

VonDanikenhas been ridiculed and attackedbymainstream scholars, and they certainlyhave picked apart his claims that the Easter Island statues, Stonehenge, theNazca lines, orothermonumentswerebuiltasaresultofhumancontactwithextraterrestrials.However,despitehisuncriticalenthusiasmforanyandallapparentancientmysteries,afewof von Daniken’s claims may have landed somewhat closer to their mark. For instance,althoughhisaccountoftheGreatPyramidisfarfromthebest,hedidbringattentiontosomeoftheodditiesandmysteriesofthatstructure.Andtrythoughwemighttodenyit,someoftheancientpetroglyphsthatappearedinhisbookdoindeedlooklikepeoplewearingspacesuits.

TheAnnunakiLetusreviewanotherfigurewhoseimpactonthediscussionoverouroriginsequalsthatofvonDaniken:ZechariahSitchin. SitchinspentmuchofhislifestudyingancientSumerianclaytablets,whichistheearliestform of human writing. This includes cuneiform and ancient cylinder seals, and notsurprisingly is understood by only a handful of scholars around the world. In addition toincluding information about ordinary things such as commercial transactions and the like,some of the tablets tell stories about “the gods” of Sumer. In general, scholars haveinterpreted theseas theyhave interpretedall storiesofgods fromotherancientcultures:asmythstoldbypeopleasawayofmakingsenseoftheirworld. Sitchin, who did not undertake formal university study of these ancient tablets and wasentirelyself-taught,arguedotherwise.Startingin1976,hebeganpublishingaseriesofbooksarguingthat thestories toldbytheSumerianswerequitespecificanddetailed,andthat theyappearedtobedescribing,moreorlessaccurately,whatreallyhappened.Andwhatdidthesetablets say? According to Sitchin, they said that the ancient Sumerian gods, called theAnnunaki,were an extraterrestrial racewho came toEarth about 450,000 years ago. Theirplanet was known as Marduk or Nibiru. This planet, according to the tablets, followed ahighlyelongated,elliptical,orbitinEarth'ssolarsystem,makingonetransitaroundtheSunevery3,600years. TheAnnunaki originally came toEarth looking forminerals, arguedSitchin, especiallygold,which they found inamine inAfrica.Theseso-calledgods,hesaid,wereessentiallyrankandfileworkersofacolonialexpeditionfromNibirutoEarth,undertakenduringoneoftheperiodswhenNibiru’sorbittookitcloseenoughtoEarth.Sitchinwrotethatoneofthem,namedEnki, suggested the creation of a better class ofworker by genetically engineeringman tomine for thegold. InotherwordsHomoErectuswas crossedwith geneticmaterialfromtheAnunnakitocreatemodernHomoSapiens.TheAnunnakialsotaughthumansthemeansofcivilization,althoughpresumablythiswashundredsofthousandsofyearslater.SitchinarguedthattheSumeriansevenknewthattheSunwasthecenterofoursolarsystem,(afactunknownbyourowncivilizationuntilCopernicus)andthatall theplanetswereknowntothem,includingNibiru.ThereisaSumeriancylinderseal, known asVA243, that seems to depict the Sun surrounded by twelve smaller circles,(oneofwhichisdifficulttodiscern)presumablyplanets.Inthesamecylinder,aseatedfigure,seeminglyakingofsomekind,issignificantlylargerinsizethanthetwomenfacinghim.InSitchin’sopinion,thisKingwasoftheAnnunaki,whowere“muchbigger,atleastbyathird

…thantheaveragehumanbeing.Theyweregiants.”[26]Sitchinexpandedonthisthesisoverthecourseofmanybooks,incorporatingtheBible,forinstance,whenstatingthattheAnunnakiweretheNephilimasdepictedinGenesis.WhentheAnunnaki returned after thousands of years, they found Earth females attractive. As it iswritteninGenesis:

The sons of God saw that the daughters ofmenwere beautiful, and theymarried any of them they chose. . . . TheNephilimwereontheearthinthosedays—andalsoafterward—whenthesonsofGodwenttothedaughtersofmenandhadchildrenbythem.Theyweretheheroesofold,menofrenown.[27]

That is, the descendants of the Anunnaki continued to live on, until the Great FloodapparentlywipedeveryoneoutexceptforNoahandhisdescendants.Sitchin’sscenarioisfascinating,andhehasmanyfollowers,butprofessionalSumerianandHebrew scholars arenot among them.Hisdetractors have argued that his translation skillswerespottyandhisdocumentationpoor.Akeycriticismisthatotherscholarshavenowaytoknow what the original tablets actually show, because Sitchin provided few references orcitations toenable themto lookup the tablet.Certainly, thescientificdifficultiesofaplanetlike aNibiru supporting life ought to be evident.Aplanet that far out from the sun, vastlymoredistantthanNeptuneorPluto,yetsupportinglife?Ofcourse,onemightdefendSitchinonthebasisthatthisisonlywhatthetabletsthemselvessay,butsimplybecausetheSumeriansmayhaverecordedsuchathingdoesnotmakeitautomaticallytrue.Sitchin’sinterpretationoftheimageonVA243hasalsobeenroundlycriticized.ScholarspointoutthathundredsofSumerianastronomicalsealsandcalendarshavebeendecodedandrecorded, and the total count of planets on each seal has always been five. That is, theSumeriansknewoffiveplanetsonly,nottwelveasSitchinasserted(thenineplanets,plustheSun, theMoon, and Nibiru—the Twelfth Planet). It is true that seal VA 243 has a sun-likeimage,plus twelvecirclesaround it.Ofcourse, it iseasy to think it looks like theSun,butapparently that symbol has no resemblance to the many other documented Sumerian sunsymbols. According to researcher Michael Heiser, the Sun image on that seal is not theSumeriansymbolforthesun.Itisonlyastar,asarethesurroundingcircles.Infact,scholarshavetranslatedthissealasamessagefromanoblemantoaservantreadingsimply,“youarehisservant.”[28]

SumeriancylindersealVA243.Notethesun-likeimageattheupperleft.

SimilarobjectionsareevidentregardingSitchin’sinterpretationofhowthehumanracewasengineered.Asmentionedearlier,therapidityofhumanevolutionisatruemarvel.Onemighteasily wonder if we were engineered in some way, but it is difficult to get a goodunderstandingofSitchin’stimeline.HewrotethattheAnnunakiarrived450,000yearsago.Asfarasthemostcurrentsciencetellsus,thisismorethan200,000yearsbeforetheappearanceof the earliest anatomically modern human beings, whose remains have been found inEthiopia,notSouthernAfrica(whereSitchinsaidhumanitywascreated).Doesthismeanthatit took themseveralhundred thousandyearsbeforecreatinganatomicallymodernhumans?Whythelongdelay?DoesthismeanthatsuchhumansminedforgoldinsouthernAfricafor100,000yearsorevenmore?Noneof this reallymakessense.Sitchin’s scenario,whichheformulatedduringthe1970s,simplydoesnotfitwiththeincreasinglycomplexunderstandingscientistshavedevelopedconcerninghumanorigins.AnargumentsupportingSitchin’sthesishascomefromMichaelTellingerandJohanHeine,haveexploredancientstonecircleformationsintheircountrythathasledthemtoarguethatanadvancedcivilizationexistedat the southern tipofAfricamore than200,000years ago,and that they were mining gold. These formations, Tellinger argues, housed advancedtechnologythatwasdesignedtocreatetunnelstoreachthegolddepositsbelowtheEarth. The formations are certainly interesting. The stones are usually a few meters high,

sometimes in complex arrangements, almost weblike. Traditional academic arguments thattheyarecattleenclosuresseemsabsurd,giventheirstructure,andthefactthatmanyhavenoopenings.[29]Skepticsabound,andoneofmanyproblemshasbeentofindawaytodatetheruinsinsuchaway thatconvincesoutsiders.Another is tomakeapersuasivecaseabout theiruse,whileanotherstillistofindevidenceofsophisticatedhumansettlementsinSouthAfricadatingbackthroughthoseyears.Thepresentationis intriguing,but theclaimsaregenerallyrecent.Thetask is to take the argument beyond speculation and incorporate corroborative evidence.GiventheproblemswithSitchin’swork,itdoesnothelpthatitisusedastheinspirationandsource. It isnotapriori impossible thathumanitycouldhavebeenengineeredas thepropertyofsome extraterrestrial race, and Sitchin did create a fascinating interpretation of humanorigins. Still, the evidence he marshalled from the Sumerian and Biblical texts has beenproblematic.Forthisthesistowork,betterargumentsneedtocomefromelsewhere. Havingsaid that,wewouldbe rash todismissallpossibilities that theancientgodswerenothingmore thanmythical figures. For instance, there has been a great deal of research(mostofwhichisoutsidetheacademicmainstream)onancienttraditionsandscripturesfromthedifferentcontinentsthatdescribeGodfiguresinsuchawaythatcertainlygiveonepause.Considerthemanystoriesofserpentbeingswithsuperhumanpowers.InIndia,forinstance,theywereknownastheNaga.AccordingtooneVedictradition,theserpentNagainstructedhumanityinknowledgeofgoodandevil.Itisinterestinghowtheserpentisseenasasymbolofwisdomorknowledgeacrossmanyculturaltraditions.CulturessuchastheScandinavian,Slavic,Hebrew,Tibetan,Hopi,andWestAfricanalldepictserpentgodspossessingesotericwisdom. There are also occasional ancient depictions of deities that look decidedly reptilian. Inparticular are some well-known early Sumerian lizard-headed figurines from the fifthmillenniumB.C.,fromwhatisknownastheUbaidperiod,foundintheMesopotamiancityofUr. Are these actually the Anunnaki, as some ancient astronaut theorists argue? Such aconclusion seems unwarranted. After all, why would the Anunnaki be reptilian, when,according toSitchin, theycreatedmankind in their image?Infact, the femalefigureshownhere,commonlydescribedonthewebasanAnunnakigod,isactuallynursingachild.Inalllikelihoodweareseeingastylizedformofart,thefullinterpretationofwhichwemayneverfullygrasp.TherehasalsobeendiscussionoverthebeingsknownastheElohim.ThewordisHebrew,andonevalidwaytotranslateitisShiningOnes.Anumberofresearchers,includingRichardL.Thompson,authorofAlienIdentities, believe that “thesebeings createdmodernhumansfromearlierhumanformsbygeneticmanipulation.Alongtheselines,someofthesebeings,calledWatchers,matedwithhumans.This,however,wasconsideredacrimebytheShiningOnes.”IfyoureadthewordElohiminthismanner,thenYahwehwasoneoftheShiningOnes,but not the only one. Not all scholars accept the plural nature of Elohim. Indeed,MichaelHeiser analyzed all instances in theBible inwhich theGodof Israel is theelohim, and theverbsaresingular.[30]Thereis,however,thesuggestivepassageinGenesiswhichstates“thesonsofGods(beneha-elohim)sawthedaughtersofmenthattheywerefair.”[31]Insummary,wemustconcludethatthestoriesandmythsleftfromtheancientpastgenerally

do not stand up to scrutiny when we consider them as evidence for the idea of ancientextraterrestrialcontact.But,thatdoesnotnecessarilymeantherearenoreasonstospeculateaboutan“ancientalien”connectiontohumanity.Thereremainsomeintriguingpossibilities.Unfortunately,wemaynevergettoapointwherewecanacquireenoughevidencetosettlethematter.

MoreAncientStories During the last two millennia, interesting UFO-related events have continued to occur.Having already discussed the famous sighting of the prophet Ezekiel, let us move on toanother famous apparition, that of the Emperor Constantine during the period of ancientRome.According to legend,whileConstantinemarchedwithhisarmyamidaRomanCivilWar,helookeduptothesky.HighabovehimhesawtheearlyChristiansymbol,twoGreekletters: chi (X) and rho (P). These are the first two letters in the name of Christ.Accompanying these two symbols,we are told,wereGreekwords in the skymeaning “bythis, be victorious.”We are told thatConstantine did not understand the apparition, but thefollowingnighthedreamedthatChristexplainedtohimthatheshouldusethesignagainsthisenemies.ThatbecamethemilitarystandardusedbyConstantine,andhesoonwoncontroloftheRomanEmpire. Toput itmildly, such an account cannot be taken seriouslyby scholars.Who really canimagine not merely two Greek letters in the sky, but a complete phrase? And who canenvisionChristcomingtoConstantineinadream,persuadinghimtouseaChristiansymbolfor victory in war? Of course, it was Constantine's dream, not ours, and the man was aGeneral. Perhaps there is a speck of truth somewhere in that story, some sort of strangeapparitionintheskyonthatday.Theancientworldhasotherstorieslikethis.AninthcenturyLatinmanuscript,calledLibercontrainsulamvulgiopinionem,containsapassagewhich,athousandyearslater,inspiredthetitleofoneofufology’smostoriginalbooks:PassporttoMagonia,byJacquesVallée.Inthisdocument, theArchbishopofLyonscomplainedaboutapersistentbeliefamong theFrenchpeasantry regarding a “certain region called Magonia from whence come ships in theclouds.” According to the belief, the occupants of these vessels would “carry back to thatregionthosefruitsoftheearthwhicharedestroyedbyhailandtempests;thesailorspayingrewards to the storm wizards and themselves receiving corn and other produce.” TheArchbishopeven said threemenandawomanwhohadclaimed tohave“fallen from thesesameships”hadbeenstonedtodeath,aneventhepersonallyhadwitnessed. Anevenmoreinterestingstorycomesdowntousfrom13thcenturyEngland.Intheyear1211, Gervase of Tilbury, a chronicler of historical events and curiosities, recorded thisbizarrestory:

TherehappenedintheboroughofCloera,oneSunday,whilethepeoplewereatMass,amarvel.Inthistownisachurchdedicated toSt.Kinarus. Itbefell thatananchorwasdroppedfromthesky,witharopeattached to it,andoneof theflukescaughtinthearchabovethechurchdoor.Thepeoplerushedoutofthechurchandsawintheskyashipwithmenonboard,floatingbeforetheanchorcable,andtheysawamanleapoverboardandjumpdowntotheanchor,asiftoreleaseit.Helookedasifhewereswimminginwater.Thefolkrushedupandtriedtoseizehim;buttheBishopforbadethepeopletoholdtheman,foritmightkillhim,hesaid.Themanwasfreed,andhurrieduptotheship,wherethecrewcuttheropeandtheshipsailedoutofsight.Buttheanchorisinthechurch,andhasbeenthereeversince,asatestimony.

ThistaleislikenootherBritishlegendorsupernaturaltradition.Inthewordsoffolklorist

KatharineBriggs, it is “one of those strange, unmotivated and therefore rather convincingtalesthatarescatteredthroughtheearlychronicles.”Evenso,Gervasewroteaboutanumberofbizarre“marvels.”Apparently,theseincludedghosts,lamia,fairycreatures,“thephoenixarising from the flames,” “womenwith boars’ tusks andmenwith eight feet and eyes.” Inshort,thisisnotnecessarilyasourcethatinspiresconfidence.[32] Another fascinatingevent,one thathas receivedmuchattentiononUFO-relatedwebsites,took place at dawn on April 14, 1561, over the town of Nuremberg, Germany. On thatmorning,peoplenotedthattheskyseemedfilledwith“cylindricalobjects.”Emergingfromtheseobjectsweredisksandglobescoloredred,black,orange,andblue.Crossesandtubesresembling cannon barrels also appeared. Then, the objects “began to fight one another.”Afteraboutanhourofbattle,theyseemedtocatchfireandfelltoEarth,wheretheyturnedtosteam.Thewitnesses took thisdisplayasadivinewarningandweredeeplyaffected.Afewyearslater,anartistnamedHansGlasercreatedawoodcutofit.

WoodcutdepictionofanaerialdisplayoverNuremburg,1561.

Commentatorshaveoccasionallyattributedthatspectacletotheeffectsofasundogoverthecity.Onesupposesthatanyonecansayanything,sinceeveryonewhosawtheapparitionhasbeen dead for five centuries. It seems, however, that this description is quite specific, andmanyoftheeffectsdonotresembleasundog.Unfortunately,weencounterthisproblemwithall ancientUFO stories.They are fascinating, but noneof themwere subjected to anythingmorethanacursorydescription.Nothinglikeproperinvestigationsandreportsweredone,inwhichmultiplewitnesseswereinterviewed,measurementstaken,andsoon. Such is also the casewith a fascinating andbaffling story froma century later. In someways,thisdeservestobecalledthefirsttrue,modernUFOreport,exceptthat,onceagain,itreceivedno investigation.Evenso, itwaswrittenupasareport toahigherauthority, fromwhomitwashopedsomesortofanswerwouldcome.Ofcourse,giventhecircumstancesoftheevent,noactioncouldpossiblyhavebeentaken,andthereisnoevidencethatanyanswerevercame.TheeventtookplaceinRussia,inthetownofRoboziero,onAugust15,1663.Russiaatthattimewastheverydefinitionofabackwaterarea.Utterlyremote,effectivelycutofffromtherestoftheworld,withnoindustrializationwhatsoever.Thecasecametolightaroundtheyear1800,when a researcher in the St.CyrilMonastery discovered a letter to aBishop from aconcernedpriest.Thepriestwasrelatingastorythathadbeentoldtohimbyavillager.Accordingtothepriest,peoplewhowereinchurchatthetimeheardagreatsoundintheheavens.Theycameoutsideand lookedabove.Theysaw“a largeballof fire[come]downoverRoboziero,arriving fromtheclearestpartof thecloudlessheavens... itmoved towardthelakepassingoverthechurch.” This is surely interesting.The size of the object appears to have been fairly substantial,perhapsbetween100feetand150feet in length.Tworaysof lightextendedfromit, then itleft. But then, less than an hour later, it returned, coming to within 1,500 feet when itdisappeared. Andthen,“to thegreat terrorofall thosewhowatchedit,” itcamebackfora third time,remainingoverthevillageforanhourandahalf.Accordingtothepriest,fishermenintheirboatonanearbylakewereburnedbytheheat.Thewatersofthelakewerefullyilluminateddowntoitsbottomdepthofthirtyfeet,andthefishswamawaytotheshore.Thewateralsoseemedtobecoveredwithrustunderthereddishlightoftheobject. If such a storywere to be told today,wewould certainly find it interesting, butwithoutcorroboration, not much more could be done with it. Of course, we might suppose thisseventeenthcenturyvillagerwaspullingthelegofhislocalpriest.Weknownothingaboutthepriesthimself, orwhetherornot itmighthavebeenconsidered fun to tell a tall tale to thevillagepriest.However,mosthistoriansofmedievalRussiawouldconsiderthisveryunlikely.Priestsheldpositionsofgreatpowerintraditionalvillages.Toputitmildly,Russianvillagerswouldneverhaveconsideredsuchathing.WhatwehaveinsteadisafascinatingearlyUFOreport,onewhich,incidentally,isreminiscentoftheaccountfromtheeraofThutmoseIIIinancientEgypt.Theobject,asdescribedbythepriest,movedwith toomuchdeliberationforthistohavebeenanaturalphenomenon.WewouldseemtobedealingwitheitherahoaxoragenuineUFOtypeofevent,centuriesbeforetheworldeverheardofflyingsaucers.Duringthe18thcentury,thetrickleofstrangestoriescontinued.Someoftheseundoubtedlyare meteoric events, or even ball lightning (which, incidentally, is an unexplained

phenomenon to thisday).OtherspresumablycouldbeOnewassaid tohavehappenedoverthe Isle ofManonFebruary15, 1716.As reported that year inTheBostonNewsLetter “...therewasaStrangeAppearanceofShipsintheAir,whichengagedeachotherforabouthalfan hour; when a Cloud of Divers Colours covered and prevented any further sight ofthem.”[33]OneofthemoreinterestingonesisfromWestminster,England,fromDecember16,1742.The phenomenonwaswitnessed by a highly educatedmanwhowrote of his sighting in ajournalcalledPhilosophicalTransactions.

IsawalightarisefrombehindtheTreesandHouses...whichItookatfirstforalargeSky-Rocket;butwhenithadrisento theHeight of about 20Degrees, it took aMotionnearlyparallel to theHorizon, butwaved in thismanner [inhisdrawingoftheobject,hedrewawavyline].ItsMotionwassoveryslow,thatIhaditabovehalfaMinuteinView,andthereforeTimeenoughtocontemplateitsAppearancefully…

Hisdrawingoftheobjectmadeitappearsomewhatacorn-shaped,withalongstraightflamecomingoutof itasitmovedacrossthesky.Needlesstosay, therewasnothingin1742thatcouldhaveexplainedthissighting.[34]

CharlesFort By the 19th century, the trickle ofUFO events became a small but steady flow. It is notnecessarilythattherewasmoreactivity,butsimplythatwebecamebetteratrecordingthem.Inthisregard,thecontributionofCharlesFortisofkeyimportance.Fortwasthefirstpersoninmodernhistorytolookattheanomaliesofourpastwithafresheye,understandingtheseanomaliesas,atleastinpart,theresultofanintelligencebeyondourcivilization. Fort lived through the turn of the 20th century, spending years at theNewYork PublicLibrary,doggedlysiftingthrougholdnewspaperreports,collectingmanybizarrestoriesthat,onthefaceofit,simplymadenosense.Forinstance,allsortsofthingsfallingoutofthesky:frogsandfish,bothlivinganddead,stones,andevenblocksofice.Healsocollectedanarrayofastronomicaloddities.Someofthesearecertainlyintriguing.One report was from 1799, describing a “luminous spot seen moving across the disk ofMercury.”[35]Another,fromNovember,1821,wasfromtheProceedingsoftheLondonRoyalSociety,concerningunusualbrightspotsontheMoon.Yetanotherreport,fromthejournal,PhilosophicalTransactions, in 1847, concerned a very oddmoving light.According to thewriter, “it looked like a star passing over the Moon which, on the next moment'sconsiderationIknewtobeimpossible.”Headded,“itwasafixed,steadylightuponthedarkpartoftheMoon.”[36]AnotherastronomicaloddityfoundbyFortwasrecordedinthe1894issueoftheAstrophysicalJournalabout“alightreflectingbody,orabrightspotnearMarsseenNovember25,1894,byProf.PickeringandothersattheLowellObservatory,aboveanunilluminatedpartofMars....”[37] Onemight try to argue that the astronomers of the 18th and 19th centurieswere not aspreciseorcapableasastronomerstoday.But,infact,theirequipmentwasuptothejob,andtheywerecertainlycapableobservers.Fortcollectedmorethanastronomicaloddities.Indeed,hecollectedmanyofwhatwecanonlycallUFOsightings.Sincetheyarepredominantlyfromthe19thandearly20thcentury,weareclearlynottalkingabout“ancientaliens.”Evenso,theyarestillearlyenoughthattheydonotmakesense in termsofsecretorclassified technologyexplanations.Moreover, they

reinforcetheideaofUFOsassomethingthatgoesbackbeforeourmodernera. For instance,Fort recorded a number of interestingocean-basedUFO sightings.Oneofthem,from1845,Isespeciallyintriguing.IttookplaceintheMediterraneanSea,notfarfromSicilyandMalta.The latitudeand longitudeweregivenwithprecisionby theCaptain,whodescribedthreeluminousbodiesrisingupfromtheseaabouthalfamilefromtheship.Theobjectswerevisiblefor10minutes.AMaltanewspaperreportedtheevent:OnJune18th,at9h30mp.m.,thebrigVictoria,fromNewcastletoMalta,inlat.36°40'56”,long.13°44'36”,wasbecalmed,withnoappearanceofbadweather,whenhertopgallantandroyalmastssuddenlywentoverthesideasifcarriedawaybyasquall.Twohoursitblewveryhard from the east, and whilst all hands were aloft reefing topsails, it suddenly fell calmagain, and they felt an overpowering heat and stench of sulphur. At this moment threeluminousbodiesissuedfromthesea,abouthalfamilefromthevessel,andremainedvisiblefortenminutes(itisnotsaidwhatbecameofthem).Soonafteritbegantoblowhardagain,andthevesselgotintoacurrentofcoldfreshair.Thesulphurconnectionisintriguing,sincemanyUFOaccountshavebeenconnectedtothesmellofsulphur,asareaccountsofso-calledballlightning.ThelatterissometimesusedasanexplanationforUFOsightings.Thisisironic,sincethereisnoadequateunderstandingorexplanationforballlightningitself.Unfortunately,wehavenothingmoreonthiseventfrom1845.[38]Anotherinterestingocean-basedUFOreportcamefromMarch22,1870,fromF.W.Banner,captainofashipnamedTheLadyoftheLake.Ashewroteinhisship’slog,thisoccurredjustnorth of the equator in theAtlanticOcean, almost dead center betweenSouthAmerica andAfrica.Forone thousandmiles inanydirection, there isnothingbutwater.Onthatday, thesailorsof the ship sawa remarkableobject, somewhat resembling a cloud, but not exactly.This object was circular and divided into four parts. According to the Captain, it had a“central dividing shaft beginning at the center of the circle and extending far outward, andthencurvingbackward.”Inotherwords, itwasacircularobjectwithsomethingthatlookedlike a hook. The object started from a point south-southeast, about 20 degrees above thehorizon,toapointnortheastoftheship,about80degreesabovethehorizon.Itwaslightgrayin color, andmuch lower than the clouds. According to the sailors, it traveled against thewind.Theywatcheditforthirtyminutes,whenitfinallywaslostintheeveningdarkness.[39]Saveasmall,devoted,following,Fortreceivedlittleattentionformostofhislife.Suchisthepricetopayforbeingsofaraheadofyourowntime.ItwasnotuntilfifteenyearsafterhisdeaththatthemodernUFOagewasbornin1947,withthesightingof“flyingsaucers”bythepilotKennethArnold.Itwasonlythen,inthefollowingyears,thatmanyothersbegantolookattheearlierperiodofhumanhistoryinadifferentlight.

Summary When we think about early UFOs, we ought to shed many of the arguments that arecurrentlyusedtojustifythem.Toomanycollapseunderscrutiny,toomanyhaverelieduponsloppy translations of ancient texts, or even spurious texts. Too many others have madeunwarranted interpretations of ancient artwork.And all toomany commentators have donelittlemorethantrustfullycopyandpasteinformationfromonewebsitetoanother,withouttheslightestbothertoinvestigateclaims.Asaresult,manyargumentshavebeenmadewithpoor

evidence,speculationhastakenonthestatusof“provenfact” in themindof thepublic,andhyperbolehasinfestedtheentiresubject.Responsibleinvestigatorsareobligatedtodomore.Asweworktounderstandthisdifficulttopic,wemusttakecaretodrawconclusionsthatarewarrantedbytheevidence,andtoknowwheretodrawtheline.Thereisnothingwrongwithexperiencinguncertainty.Havingsaidthat,thereissomereasonforthehyperegardingancientUFOs.Whenlookingatthebigpicturewithanopenmind,wecanseetherearereasonstothinkthattheyhavebeenhereforaverylongtime.Theevidencewehavemayneverbeenoughtomakeitacertainty,butevennowthereisenoughtopersuadeareasonablemindthathighlyadvancedbeingsmaywell have been interacting with Planet Earth and its inhabitants, including humanity, formillennia.Inotherwords,weseemtohaveaholeinourhistory.

Chapter3IntoModernity:Airships,FooFighters,andFlyingSaucers,1896to1969

Evenbeforetheterm“flyingsaucer”becameaglobalcatchphrasein1947,unknownandunexplained aerial objects had become surprisingly common. As early as the turn of thetwentieth century, the phenomenon had become a genuine mystery, even if no one quiterealizeditatthetime.Ofcourse,thetwentiethcenturywasthecenturyofhumanaviation.Itisnaturalthat,oncepeopletooktotheair,somecontraptionswouldgenuinelymystifyonlookersbackthen,justas they do today. Even so, by the year 1900 there were reports of things seen in the sky,sometimes on the ground, and sometimes in the waters of this great Earth, which baffledpeoplethenandafewofwhichbaffleustoday.AgoodUFOstorycanbeabitlikeagoodghoststory.Bothareinexplicableandincredible;both challenge our beliefs and can make us uncomfortable. Yet, simply because we aregenerallytaughtthatneitherphenomenareallyexists,therewillalwaysbepeoplewhofollowtheirownmind,whohaveaninnatecuriosityabouttheirworld.Forsuchpeople,storiesliketheonesthatfollowcanbefascinating,evenexhilarating.

TheAirships Manypeoplethinkof1947asthestartingpointoftheUFOstory.Thisisunderstandable,since that waswhen the phenomenon truly entered popular awareness. But as the previouschapterhasshown,unknownaerialphenomenawerebeingseenlongbeforethen.Yet,sightingsweresporadicandhardlyofmuchpublicnotice.Thatis,untiltheendofthenineteenthcentury. In1896, save forbirds,occasionalballoons, anda fewearlygliders, the skiesofPlanet

Earthwereclear.Onrareoccasions,onecouldseeanexperimentalairship,essentiallyearlyblimps.But thesewere few indeed, andnearly all of themwere inEurope.Theywere alsoprimitive. The range of these airships did not exceed five or tenmiles. They had terriblesteering andwereprone to crashes anddeaths.Not until 1900,when the firstZeppelinwaslaunched, did the golden age of airships begin, and that was across the Atlantic Ocean inEurope.AllofwhichmakestheAmericanairshipsightingsfrom1896to1897thefirsttruewaveofUFOsightingsinthemodernworld.Tothisday,theyremainagenuinemystery.Over1,500newspaper articles discussed them.They flewwith intenselybright searchlights, sometimesveryhighup,sometimeslow,occasionallylightinganareaasthoughitweredaylight.Amidthe fuss, people sometimes claimed tomeet (the entirely human) occupants of these ships,whounfortunatelynever seemed to give awaymuchvaluable information.For sixmonths,peopleclaimedtoseethem.Then,justassuddenly,theairshipsweregone.[40]Traditionally,thestorybeganinSacramento,CaliforniaonNovember17,1896,althoughlaterresearchhasshownthatsporadicsightingsofvagueaerialphenomenahadbeenreportedup and down the U.S. west coast in the previous months.[41] Newspapers reported thathundredsofpeoplesawalightpassoverthecity,like“anelectricarclamppropelledbysomemysterious force.”[42] It traveled so low to the ground that it took evasive action as itapproachedbuildings andhills, andpeople claimed tohearvoices coming from it.Then itflew away. We are told that it returned to Sacramento three days later, and then on thefollowing day (November 21), it was seen over nearby Oakland. In this case, we have anartist's illustrationshowinga largeairship,perhaps200feet long,withpowerfulheadlightsshining down. It is worth remembering that the source of power needed for an intenselybright searchlight at that time would have been extremely heavy, and definitely was not apracticalitemcarriedbyairshipsbackthen.Theairship,orsomething,returnedtoSacramentoonNovember25.Peoplereportedseeingabrightlightcirclingthecityat“highspeed,”whateverthatwouldhavebeen.Wearetoldthatmanyobservers,includinghigh-rankingstateofficials,sawit,andtheywereconvinceditwasnotanastronomicalbody.Whatwasit?Wedonotknow.Someoftheseairshipsightingswereobvioushoaxes,andAmericanjournalismatthetimedid enjoy the occasional tongue-in-cheek story. Oneman, for instance, claimed that whiledrivinghisbuggy through thecountryside,hehappenedacrossa landedmetallicspacecraftroughly150feetlong.Threeslenderseven-foottallbeingsapproachedhimwhile“makingastrangewarblingnoise.”Theytriedtoforcehimintotheirship,butwerenotstrongenough,so they simply flew off in their ship. This is the firstmodern claim of an attempted alienabduction.Itisalsoanamusingyarn.[43] Another witness said the group he met claimed to be from the lost tribe of Israel. Yetanother group of airship pilots allegedly claimed to be going off to fight Spain (thiswasshortlybeforetheSpanish-AmericanWar).OnewitnesssaidanairshiplandedonhispastureinRockland,Texas.Oneofthepilots,anordinaryman,askedforlubricatingoil,chisels,andbluestone.Thenhepaidforthem,presumablywithvalidcurrency.Whenthewitnesstriedtoinspecttheairship,anotheroccupantstoppedhim,althoughhepromisedtoreturntotakehimforaride.Theairshipthentookoff“likeashotoutofagun.”[44]Incidentally,bluestonehasahighsilicacontentthatcangenerateelectricityunderpressure;onecutsitbysoakingitin

waterandstrikingitwithachisel. TwoofthemostdramaticairshipcasesoccurredinChicago,Illinois,andAurora,Texas.Chicago'seventtookplaceonApril9,1897.Thelocalnewspaperreportedthatthousandsofpeoplesawbright,intense,lightscirclingthecitythatnight.Noonewassureifthiswasatrueairship,butitseemedtobesomesortoffloatingobject“milesabovetheearth.”Afewpeopleclaimedtoseetwocigar-shapedobjectsjoinedtogetherandwithgreatwings.Fromtimetotimeitwasilluminatedbytheraysoftwogiantsearchlights.[45]

SketchofamysteryairshipseenoverSanFransicso,November19,1896.

However, the townofAurora,Texas takes theprize for themost dramatic airship story.Early in themorningofApril17,accordingtoastoryin theDallasMorningNews,oneoftheseairshipscrashed intoa localwindmill.Theoccupant,whowasdeclared tobe“notaninhabitantofthisworld,”wasdeadandmangled.Thewreckagewassaidtobeamixtureofsilverandaluminum,andwassaidtohaveweighedseveraltons.Whateverhappenedtoitwasnevermentioned,other thanthat localsdescendeduponitandpresumablyscavengedall thepieces.Someofitwasallegedlydumpedintoanearbywell.[46]

The deceasedoccupant had been carrying “papers”whichwere indecipherable and,a laRoswell,writteninsomeunknownhieroglyphic.Thedeadalienhadevenbeenburiedinthetowncemetery,according to thearticle.An interestingaddendumto this story is that,yearslater in1973, investigatorswiththeMutualUFONetwork(MUFON)discoveredtheallegedstonemarkerusedinthisburial.Theirmetaldetectorsindicatedthatsomethingunusualmighthavebeenburiedthere,buttheywerenotallowedtodig.Afewyearslater,whentheyreturnedtotryagain,theheadstonewasgone,aswaswhatevermetallicmateriallaybeneathit. Therehasbeenagreatdealwrittenabout theAuroracase,bothproandcon,aswith theairship mystery itself. Unfortunately, throughout the period of airship sightings, noinvestigatorisknowntohaveperformedatrueinvestigationoranalysis.Morerecently, thetelevisionshowUFOHuntersairedanepisodeinwhichinvestigatorswereallowedtounsealthewellwhereitwasbelievedtheremainsofthewreckagehadbeendeposited.Watertakenfrom the well tested normal, except for large amounts of aluminum. Although the wellcontainedno apparentwreckage, itwas stated that largepiecesofmetal hadbeen removedfrom the well by a past owner of the property. The investigation also refuted earlierstatements from an elderly resident in 1979, that the property in question never had awindmill.On the contrary, theUFOHunters investigation found the remains of awindmillbase near the well site. Does thismean that what happened at Aurora was a genuineUFOevent?Wearestillfarfromanyconfirmation.[47] Manypeopleat the timesuspected theairshipswereanewAmerican invention.Somanyinquiries reached the inventorThomasEdison thathemadeapublic statementdenyinganyconnection to the airships. Recently, there have been claims that there were Americaninventorswhoweredevelopingstate-of-the-artairshipsatthetime.Ithasbeensuggestedthatanunknowninventorwithfinancialbackingwasresponsible.Onesupposesthatthiscouldbepossible, and it does seem that therewerea fewprototypeairshipsbeing flownaround theMidwestinthemid-andlate1890s.[48]Yet,theairshipsof1896and1897wereatleasttenyearsaheadoftherestoftheworld.Thatmay not sound likemuch, but it is of great importance. The entirematter comes down towhetherornotonecreditsthenewspaperaccounts,sincetheperformancecapabilitiesoftheseairshipswerevastly superior thaneven theZeppelinsof a fewyears later.That takes somedoing ifwe are considering a clandestinehumanagency.Howcould theseprototypeshaveremainedsecrettothisday?Itisalsohelpfultorecallthatmanyofthesightingsweremerelypresumedtobeairships.Anumberofthemwereofunusuallightsinthenightsky,verymuchlikeUFOreportsoftoday.Anumberofthemtrulycouldhavebeenanything,butthatsurelydoesnotmakethemaliencraft. In considering the airships, is it possible that we are dealing with some extraordinaryagency? Could it be that some group, whether from “here” or not, allowed themselves toappearinamore-or-lessconventionalmannersoasnottoterrifywitnesses?Perhaps,too,toinspire them toward new developments in aviation? Could the airships have been ademonstrationbyanextraterrestrialagencyfor thepurposeofsparkinghuman innovation?Orsimplyaconfusioncausedbyavarietyoffactors,includingmisidentification,hoaxes,andhysteria?Questionsandmorequestions.Fewanswers.

AftertheAirshipsItwasonceassumedthatUFOswerenotseenbetweentheairshipsightingsof1897andthe1940s. In reality, unexplained sightings, while much less reported than today, continuedthroughtheearlydecadesofthetwentiethcentury.Somewereextraordinary.OnesuchcaseoccurredatseaonFebruary28,1904whencrewmembersaboardtheUSSSupply, a Navy ship 400 miles southwest of San Francisco saw three large, red, glowingobjectsinaclosetriangleformation.Fortwominutes,theobjectswereseenpassingbeneaththe clouds at about amile in altitude.They approached the ship, levelled off, then climbedbackthroughthecloudsandoutofsight.Theship’sCommander,LieutenantFrankSchofield,who later became an Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Battle Fleet,appears to have been one of thewitnesses. The eventwas reported in theNew York Times,whichdescribedthelargestoftheobjects[describedas“meteors”inthearticle]ashavinganapparentareaofsixsunsandbeingegg-shaped,withthesharperendforward.Theothertwoobjectswereround.[49]In1908and1909,thereweresomeoddaerialeventsinNewEngland,severalinDecember1909. Mostly these were very bright lights, either circling in the sky or moving across.Airplaneswere still not common at all, so it remains strange. Still,we have to be careful.Duringthefollowingmonth,forinstance,similarsightingsoccurredintheAmericanSouth.For several days in January, 1910, therewere airship sightings inChattanooga,Tennessee.Thousandsofpeoplerushedoutoftheirhomesinbroaddaylighttoseeahuge,white,cigar-shapedobject,plainlyinview,flyingaroundabovethecity.Thiswentonforseveraldaysinarow, until the so-called airshipwas captured. Itwas a 15 foot-longhome-madeballoon setaloftasaprank.[50] Oneofmost interestingsightingsof theearly twentiethcenturyoccurred innortheasternTibetonAugust5, 1927.Thepersonwho recorded itwas an artist andphilosophernamedNicholasRoerich,whowas leadinga trek in theHimalayas. Inhisdiary,hedescribedhowmembersofhispartywereobservingalargeblackeagleinthesky,whensomeonenoticedsomethingmoreinterestingfarabovethebird.Roerichwrote:

Weall saw, in the direction north to south, something big and shiny reflecting sun, like a huge ovalmoving at greatspeed.Crossingourcampthisthingchangedinitsdirectionfromsouthtosouthwest,andwesawhowitdisappearedinthe intensebluesky.Weevenhad time to takeour fieldglassesandsawquitedistinctly theoval formwith theshinysurface,onesideofwhichwasbrilliantfromthesun.

ThiswouldappeartobeaverysolidUFOincident.Afterall,whatsilvery,oval,hugeobjectcould fly through northeastern Tibet in 1927? Still, no case is immune from attempts atconventional explanation. In this instance, some researchers believe they found the answer.Amazingly, it turnsout thatRoerich's groupwerenot theonly explorers traveling throughChinaandTibetatthattime.ASwedishexpeditionwasalsointhegeneralregionand,believeitornot,theylaunchedseveralweatherballoonsataroundthistime.Wedonothaveprecisedates,unfortunately,butsomeappeartohavebeenlaunchedinAugust,1927,themonthofthesighting.[51]CouldoneoftheseballoonshavebeenwhatRoerich'sgroupsaw?Itwouldseemlogicaltoconcludeyes,especiallywhenrecallingthatweatherballoonswerequiterareandcouldwellhavefooledanobserver.Ontheotherhand,thereisreasontodoubttheballoonexplanation.ThemainproblemisthattheSwedishgroupwasnevercloserthan400milestoRoerich's

party, and the balloons were not larger than four feet in diameter; many were smaller.Realistically, foranyof thoseballoons tohavebeenvisible toRoerich'sgroup, theywouldhadtohavebeen launchedmuchcloser.Oneresearcherpointedout that,even if launchedamere onemile away, itwould have been nearly impossible to see such a balloonwith thenakedeye.Considerhowinsignificantathree-orfour-footballoonwouldhaveappearedatadistanceofeventwoorthreemiles.Yet,Roerichdescribedtheobjectashuge,brilliant,andoval-shaped. The clincher, however, is that 400miles appears to be beyond the rangeofany weatherballoon.Mostnever travelmore than100miles fromtheirpointoforiginbeforebursting,althoughthejetstreammightenablesometotravelaround150milesinafewcases.[52]Allofwhichleavesuswithagenuinemystery.Still,therearethosewhofindextraordinaryexplanationsdistasteful.Onesupposesthatsuchpeoplecould,ifpressedtothewall,arguethata small balloon miraculously traveled more than 400 miles to be seen by a completelyseparateexpedition.Astretch,obviously,butwhatelse is there?Unless,of course, itwasagenuinealiencraft. Nodoubt thereweremanyother startling sightings from the1920sand1930swhicharenowlost tousforever.Peopleessentiallyhadnowaytoreportsuchthings.However,someyears agowhile visiting the Canadian National Archives in Ottawa, I came across severalextraordinary reports. These were sightings that ordinary people reported to theirgovernment,hopingthatsomehowitwouldbeof interest. Infact, theCanadiangovernmentdid nothing with these reports, but they are archived for anyone to read. A few of themdescribeeventsthattookplaceasfarbackasfarasthe1930s.Onewassubmittedintheearly1980sbyanelderlymanwhodescribedhisexperienceintheNorthwestTerritoriesin1936.Thisisaremotearea,nearlyaslargeasAlaska,inhabitedbyvery few people.His exact location,Aylmer Lake,was especially remote. This iswithin alargeregionknownastheBarrenGrounds,atundrazoneintheCanadianArcticwheretreesdonotgrowandwhere, to thisday,nobody lives.Thewriterwas25yearsoldat the time,employedbythegovernmentinaerialmappingoperations.Hewrote:

At the time of the sighting, I was standing on the float of my aircraft performing a before-flight inspection when Ihappened toglance skywardanddetected thevehicle inquestion, completely stationary.How long ithadbeen thereandforwhateverreasonIhavenoidea.Atthetimetheskywasazureblue,completelyclearofallcumulusandcirrusclouds(C.A.V.U.),makingitvirtuallyimpossibletodeterminetheheightoftheobjectinquestion.In trying todescribe thisvehicle, Icanonlysay that itwas themostmagnificentconfigurationofanairshiponecouldimagine.Iwouldsayitwasverylarge,butthiswoulddependontheheight,whichasstatedcouldnotbedetermined.

Hethendescribedsomesalientfeaturesoftheobject,includingalightaluminumcolorbutnoshine,anellipticalshape,andnoportholes.Theobjectwasstationaryforamoment,thenitrotated.Hecontinued:

Fromanorth/southstationarypositionitturnedeastinamoment.Theturningwashardlydetectabletotheeye.Aftertheturn,ittookoffatafantasticspeedgoingeast.Fromthetimeoftakeoffuntilitvanishedwasamatterofmoments.

Headdedthatitmadenocontrailwhenitdeparted.Thewriterattachedhisservicerecordinordertoconfirmhisidentity.[53]Trulyanamazingstory.IncredibletechnologyinoneofthemostremoteregionsonEarth.

WorldWarTwo

ItwasduringtheSecondWorldWarthatUFOreportsbecamemorecommon.Ofcourse,thismakesperfectsense.Itwasonlyduringthe1940sthatlargenumbersofpeoplebegantoflyintheskies.Abovethecloudswithperfectvisibility,therewerenowmanymorechancestoseewhatwasupthere.Radarwasanothernewdevelopment,enablingelectronicdetectionofaerialobjects.Thus,ourabilitytosensetheworldaroundusincreaseddramatically.Sureenough,peoplebegantonoticemanymorestrangethingsintheskies.Thesestrangeobjectswere eventually given a name: foo fighters. Even today, researchers disagree onwhat theywere.Butthereisnoquestiontheyremainthegreatestmysteryofthewar.ThefirstimportantUFOsightingofthewarwassosignificantthatithasitsownname:theBattleofLosAngeles.ThishappenedearlyinthemorningofFebruary25,1942,amerethreemonthsafterPearlHarbor.TheU.S.wasinaheightenedstateofalertregardingtheJapanesethreat.Infact,Japanesesubmarineswereoff theU.S.coastat thetime,andtherehadbeenaminormilitaryengagement just a fewdaysbefore.Then, at around2a.m.onFebruary25,several radars detected an unidentified target over the ocean, about 120mileswest of LosAngeles. Within minutes, anti-aircraft batteries were on alert, ready for action. A smallnumberoffighterplaneswereonthegroundbutalsoready.Thetargetwastrackedonradartowithinafewmilesofthecoast.At2:21a.m.,acityblackoutwasordered. This iswhen things became a bit confusing. In the first place, the radar target vanished.Next,personnelstartedreportingenemyplanes.Onecolonelthoughthesawabouttwenty-fiveplanes over Los Angeles. Shortly after 3:00 a.m., anti-aircraft batteries opened fire. Some1,430 rounds were fired into the sky—not over the ocean, but right over the city. Threecitizens actually died from the shelling, and threemore fromheart attacks attributed to theshelling. A great deal of property damage was also inflicted. This is not surprising,consideringthatroughlyninetonsofordnancehadbeenfiredintotheair.Oddly,nodebrisoftheobject(orobjects)waseverknowntohavebeenrecovered.Sowhatwasintheskythatnight? Army Chief of Staff George Marshall wrote to President Roosevelt that, “unidentifiedairplanes,otherthanAmericanArmyorNavyplanes,wereprobablyoverLosAngeles.”But,in fact, these could not have been Japanese planes. The only possible source for any suchplaneswouldhavebeenanaircraft carrier, andnonewerenearby. In all the recordsof thewar,nothingevenhintsofJapaneseplanesflyingoverLosAngelesatanytime.Ifnotenemymilitaryaircraft,couldtheyhavebeencommercialaircraft?Thequestionisafairone,but,onceagain, there isnoevidencesuggestinganythingof thesort.CommercialaircraftwerecertainlynotcominginoverthePacificat3:00a.m.Moreover,nocommercialaircraftwouldhavewithstoodtheartillerybarrage;theywouldhavebeenshotoutofthesky. Navy Secretary FrankKnox suggested itwas all a bigmistake caused by “war nerves.”Nothingflewoverthecity,hesaid.ThatstatementearnedhimaheapofscornfromtheLosAngelesmedia,andevensomeoftheareamilitary.Couldouroldfriends,balloons,havebeenbehindthis? Infact,meteorologicalballoonswere in the thickof theaction thatnight.Theymayevenhavetriggeredtheshellingitself.Becausewindconditionsaffectedthetrajectoryofashell,regimentsoftenreleasedballoonstodeterminehowthewindwasblowing.At3:00a.m.,whenallofLosAngeleswasinastateofred-alert,whensearchlightswereonandanti-aircraftgunnerswere ready to fire, twoof theseballoonswere set aloft, eachone

withacandleinsidetoimproveitsvisibility.Sincethebarragealsostartedat3:00a.m.,itisreasonable to conclude that the balloons triggered it. In fact, this is what some historiansconclude: the excitement of that night stemmed from a faulty radar reading, balloons, andinexperienced,nervousgunners.Onthefaceofit,thisseemsreasonable.Itmayevenbetrue.Theonlyproblemisthatmostoftheeyewitnessaccountsdonotsupportit.Inthefirstplace,severalwitnessesstatedthattheysawanywherefromfifteentotwenty-fiveobjectsinthesky.Thereweretwoballoonsinthesky,possiblyafewothersthatremainunaccountedfor,butcertainlynotfifteen.Additionally,peoplewerereportingobjectsintheskyfifteenminutesbeforethefirstballoonwaslaunched. Many witnesses also maintained that the objects were unaffected by the shelling. Onewitness, an experienced Navy observer, counted nine silver-colored planes through high-qualitybinoculars.Hesaidtheypassedfromonebatteryofsearchlightstoanother,allwhileunderheavyfirefromthegunsbelow. There is also a photograph from that night, a truly remarkable image. The small lightsscatteredaroundthesearchlightsareexplodingshells,visuallyinterestingbutnotunusual.Itis theobject in the centerof the searchlights that somebelieve is agenuine extraterrestrialcraft.Dr.BruceMaccabee,anexpertinphotographicanalysis,believedtheobjecttoberoughly100feetormoreindiameter.Ifcorrect,thiswouldbeaproblemfortheballoontheory,sincetheballoonslaunchedwereamerefourfeetindiameter.Ultimately,whilewecannotentirelyruleoutaconventionalexplanationsuchasballoons,thereisreasontoconsiderthattheobjectsoverLosAngelesweregenuineUFOs.Indeed,whynot?Theballoonexplanationpresentsenoughproblemstomakeareasonablemindwonder. If thesewereUFOs fromsomeagencynotofourownsocietyor civilization,wemightnaturallyaskwhatweretheoperatorsofthosecrafttryingtodo?Weretheyconductingatestofsomesort?Didtheymakeamistake?Weretheyjoyriding?Unfortunately,whenreflectingonthesepossibleanswers,theUFOexplanationfeelsequallydissatisfying.Thisisakeyproblemoftheentirephenomenon.NotonlyistheapparentUFOtechnology well beyond contemporary human capabilities, but whatever motivates theiroperatorsremainsamystery.Theysimplyrefusetomakesensetous.[54]SomuchfortheBattleofLosAngeles.Itsinterestingthatthenextday,onFebruary26,1942,afascinatingUFOsightingissaidtohavetakenplaceintheTimorSea,northofAustralia,bythecrewoftheCruiserTrompoftheRoyalNetherlandsNavy.Yearslater,amannamedWilliamMethorst,claimingtohavebeenon the ship, wrote that a large metallic-looking disk flew toward the ship at “tremendousspeed.”Itcircledhighaboveforthreetofourhours,andfinallyflewoffatanestimatedspeedofmorethan3,000mph.Diditreallyhappen?AustralianresearcherKeithBasterfieldtriedtoconfirmtheaccount.HediscoveredthattheTromphadindeedbeenintheTimorSea,althoughafewdayspriortothedateof theallegedencounter.ByFebruary26, itwasmovingdown thewestern sideofAustralia,probablynearthecoast.Ofcourse,thisishardlyaproblem,sincepeoplecaneasilymisremembercertaindetails,especiallydates.Unfortunately,noonehasyetconfirmedthatamannamedMethorstwasontheTrompatthattime.Ifthatcaneverbeconfirmed,wewould

have a stronger case, although, once again, a skeptic can fall back to the argument that,ultimately,thestoryisjustoneperson’sallegation.Still,itcouldwellbethatthestoryistrue.[55]ThereareanumberofUFOstoriesfromthewar,eitherconfirmedinmilitaryrecordsorobtainedthroughwitnessinterviews.U.S.marinesergeantStephenJ.BricknersaidinAugust1942whileontheislandofTulagi,justwestofGuadalcanal,thathesawahugeformationofover150objects, faster thanJapaneseplanes,withnowingsor tails,wobblingslightly,anddroppingnobombs.Hecalled it “themostawe-inspiringandyet frighteningspectacle I’veeverseeninmylife.”[56] In1944and1945reportsofUFOscameinfromAlliedpilotsoverEurope,soondubbed“foo fighters” in the press. A typical account came from B-17 pilot Charles Odom on adaylight raid over Germany. He said that objects “the size of basketballs” approached hisaircraft towithin three hundred feet, then almost seemedmagnetized to the formation andflew alongside. After a while, they peeled off and left. In other reports, such objects shotstraightupintotheair.[57]TheNewYorkTimessuggestedthefoofighterswerenewGermanweapons.Eventoday,onehears the claims that these were a type of German technology. The Germans were indeedworking on novel and advanced concepts in science and aviation at this time, includingobjects such as the Horton brothers’ flying wing, that were shaped somewhat like flyingsaucers.Other,moreextremetypesofcraft,havebeenallegedbuttheirexistencerestsuponassertions that have not led to hard evidence. It comes down to whether or not what theGermans had was operational, and whether their creations had capabilities comparable tothosedescribed in these reports. It is alsoworthaskingabout thePacific sightings.Did theGermans send their experimental revolutionary aircraft to theopposite sideof theEarth tohelptheJapanese,especiallywhentheyweredesperatelytryingtostayalivethemselves?[58]Whileweareaskingsuchquestions,wemightwonderwhythefoofightersdidn’tattacktheAllied planes? Explaining the foo fighters as German technology does make sense on acertainlevel,butinotherwaysitdoesnot(moreonthisinthenextchapter).Incidentally,weknow that U.S. and British intelligence both investigated the foo fighters.What we do notknowaretheirformalconclusions.Asofthiswriting,thathasremainedclassifiedforsevendecades. One of the last good UFO reports ofWorldWar II is theDelarof case. Years later, aradiomannamedRobertCrawford reporteda sightinghehadwith fourteenothercrewmenaboardtheU.S.attacktransportship,Delarof,duringthesummerof1945.TheshipwasonitswaybacktoSeattle,attheedgeoftheAlaskanAleutianIslandsnearthetownofAdak.Thisisin the very northern Pacific, almost exactly halfway between North America and Asia. Ataroundsunset in theopensea,anobjectappearedoutof thewateraboutonemile fromtheship.Itwasdarkagainstthesunset,circularinshape,perhapstwohundredfeetindiameter.Itflewalmoststraightup,thenmadeaturnandcircledtheshiptwoorthreetimes.Thenitflewaway and disappeared, leaving flashes of light in its wake. Yet another story of a craftemerging from thewater.Crawford told this to several researchers, including atmosphericphysicistDr.JamesE.McDonaldof theUniversityofArizona.Thecase looksgood. If thisevent actually happened,wewould be hard-pressed to explain this as technology fromourcivilization.[59]

Photograph of an object over LosAngeles, earlymorning hours of February 25, 1942. The smallwhite dots are artillerybursts.

GhostRocketsWiththeendofsomethingasviolentandall-encompassingastheSecondWorldWar,onemightsupposethatUFOsightingswouldcease.Infact,theyescalated.Duringthespringandsummerof1946,unknownobjectswereseentraversingScandinavia,primarily Sweden. Thesewere soon dubbed “ghost rockets.”Unlike the sporadic sightingsthathadoccurredduringtheWorldWarII,oreventheflurryofsightingsfromtheairshiperaof 1896-97, sightings now reached into the hundreds. Not only that, but the reportedmaneuverabilityofthese“things”wasextraordinary.Severalwereobserveddescendingverylow or even landing. By the summer, things had became serious enough to warrant anunofficialvisit toSwedenbytwoAmericangenerals.Bythe latesummer, theghostrocketswerebeingreportedelsewhereinEurope,mostprominentlyFranceandGreece.TheColdWarwasbeginningandtensionsbetweentheU.S.andSovietUnionwerealreadyhigh. Some analysts wondered if the Soviets, perhaps with their own group of capturedGermanscientists,weresendingrocketsoverEuropeinsomeactofintimidation.Ofcourse,

todoso,theywouldhavehadtohavetripledtherangeoftheGermanV2rocketswithinlessthanayear,somethingforwhichtherehasneverbeenanyevidence.Today,itisclearthattheSovietUnionwasnotbehindtheghostrocketmystery.Yearslater,theGreekphysicistPaulSantorinimadeafascinatingstatementonthematterofthe ghost rockets. Santorini had been involved in the Manhattan Project, and returned toGreeceafterthewar.Whentheghostrocketswereseenoverhiscountry,hewaschargedwithleading a group of scientists to determine what they were. Speaking in 1967 to a privateresearcher,Santorinisaid thathis teamconcludedtheghostrocketswereneitherSovietnorrockets. At that point, the Greek government, after conferring with an unnamed foreigngovernment(presumablytheU.S.),endedtheinvestigation.Tothisdaythereisnoofficialanswertothemysteryoftheghostrockets.However,afterfiftyyears, theconclusionof theSwedishAir IntelligenceService finallybecameknown. Itreads:

...somereliableandfullytechnicallyqualifiedpeoplehavereachedtheconclusionthat‘thesephenomenaareobviouslytheresultofahightechnicalskillwhichcannotbecreditedtoanypresentlyknowncultureonearth.’Theyarethereforeassuming that these objects originate from some previously unknown or unidentified technology, possibly outside theearth.

Itwouldhavebeennicetohavemadethatconclusionpublicin1946.Orwouldit?[60]

1947Thencame1947.Thiswaswhenmattersreallybecameinteresting.Aswehaveseen,therewasnoshortageofunexplainedaerialactivityintheyearsbefore,butitwasthesightingbyprivatepilotKennethArnold,onJune24,1947,thatmadeinternationalheadlinesandcreateda new global awareness. Arnold was flying near the Cascade Mountains in the state ofWashington,when he saw a formation of nine bright, very fast objectsmoving along in acolumn. He was startled because he saw no tail on them, and initially thought they wereexperimental jets. What struck him, though, was their speed. He decided to estimate theirspeed between twomountain peaks that he knewwere fiftymiles apart. They covered thisdistance in less than twominutes,whichhecalculated tobeanastonishing1,700mph.Thatseemedtoofast,sohereworkedhisnumbers,allowingforallpossibleerrors,arrivingatthestillamazingspeedof1,200mph.In1947,noflyingcraftcouldreachmuchmorethanhalfthatspeed. When he landed, there were reporters nearby. Arnold told them all about his sighting,describingthemovementoftheobjects“likespeedboatsonroughwater”or“likeasaucerwouldifyouskippeditacrosswater.”Thephrase“flyingsaucer”wasborn. Notonly that, but sowas amania.For thenext severalweeks,people around theUnitedStates reported seeing flying saucers. Many of these were mistaken sightings of aircraft,balloons,andGodknowswhatelse.Notsurprisingly,therewerehoaxesfrompeoplewantingto poke fun at it all. A number of reports, however, appear to be legitimate. Severalweremilitary reports with multiple witnesses. A good example is the series of sightings fromMurocArmyAirfield in theCaliforniadesert,onJuly8,1947 (later renamedEdwardsAirForce Base). That day, there were four separate sightings of a highly unusual object thatmaneuveredinwaysthatdefiedexplanation.Thebigeventof1947wasthecrashofsomethingintheNewMexicodesert,notfarfrom

theRoswellArmyAirField.TheRoswell storyhasbeenstudiedanddebatedendlessly.OnJuly8,thelocalnewspaperreportedthatRoswellArmyAirFieldhadannouncedthe“captureofaflyingsaucer.”Thestorymadethenewswires,andthetownwasbesiegedwithinquiriesfromaroundtheworld.Then,withinhours,theArmymadeasecondannouncement,thistimesayingthatwhathadcrashedhadsimplybeenaweatherballoon.Formorethanthirtyyears,peoplesimplyforgotaboutRoswell.Thenin1978,bysheerluck,UFOresearcherStantonFriedmanmettheretiredLieutenantColonel JesseMarcel, who had been at the crash site.Marcel told Friedman thatwhat hadcrashedtherewasnoweatherballoonbut,inhisopinion,wastechnologynotfromourworld.Through the 1980s and 1990s, and into the 21st century, investigators have reopened theRoswell case, finding other witnesses and familymembers of deceasedwitnesses. A goodargument has been made that the Roswell crash was indeed something exotic. Could thissomethingbeextraterrestrial?Inmyownview,Iwouldsaytheanswerisyes.Manywitnesseshavecomeforwardwithexplicitstatementsthatsupportthestoryinonewayoranother.WeshallreturntothisingreaterdetailinChapter5. Fromthispointonward,unknowncraftweremoreorlessbeingreportedwithregularitywithin theU.S.military. JustamonthafterRoswell somethingextraordinarywas seenoverHarmonField, anAmerican base on the island ofGuam in thePacific.This case is not aswell-knownas itought tobe.Areportabout itwassent toArmyintelligenceand6thArmyheadquarters. It stated that three U.S. soldiers saw two “unidentified flying objects” on themorning of August 14, 1947. The objects were “small, crescent shaped and traveling at aspeedtwicethatofafighterplane.”ThiswasroughlythespeedKennethArnoldcalculatedforhisflyingsaucerstwomonthsearlier.Thereportstatedthattheobjectspassedoverthefieldinazig-zagmotionat roughly1,200feetaltitude,which is fairly low.They thenwentwestanddisappearedintoclouds.Shortlyafterward,oneofobjectsemergedfromthecloudsandproceededwest.Nothing else is known of the case. Suffice to say that zigzaggingwas notthen,andisnottoday,partofthecapabilitiesofanyknownhumancreatedaircraft.[61]SomeofthebestUFOreportsofthisperiodareconnectedwiththeU.S.military.Fromtheendof1948andwell into1949,aphenomenonknownas theGreenFireballswasseenandtrackedoverLosAlamosLaboratoriesinNewMexico,themaincenterofnucleartechnologyin the world. These “fireballs” traveled low, horizontally, and silently. Within classifiedmeetings, leading scientists and military officers discussed the phenomenon. To this day,morethansixtyyearslater,westilldonothaveagoodexplanation.Itmustbeaddedthattheman who studied them the most carefully, Dr. Lincoln LaPaz, a meteor expert from theUniversity of NewMexico, came away convinced they were artificial—not meteors—andperhapsoneofthekeystothewholeUFOphenomenon.[62]TheArmyrecordedUFOsoverandoveragain.AJanuary1949memofromKirtlandAFB,inAlbuquerquespokeofaUFObeingreportedbyaround30peopleandestimated,“atleast100totalsightings”atthebase.

ClassifiedmemopertainingtoUFOsseenatKirtlandAFB,1949.

During the summer of 1950, amemo fromHanfordAtomicEnergyCommission in theState of Washington—another nuclear connection—also mentioned multiple sightings ofunknown “round” objects over the plant. Intriguingly, it mentioned failed interceptionattemptsbyAirForcejets. Uptothispoint,therehadbeenahandfulofphotographstakenofallegedUFOs.Buttwopictures takenonMay11,1950surpassedanythingup to thatpoint, aswell asmostphotossince. These were taken in McMinnville, Oregon, by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Trent, a farming

couplewhosawaclassic flyingsaucerover their land in theearlyevening.They took twoclearphotographsofit.Overtheyears,skepticsmadeseveralattemptstoprovethephotoswereahoax.Thisistheonly viablemethod to debunk them, as there is no otherway to interpret themas anythingotherthanimagesofa“flyingsaucer.”Severalcomputerenhancementtests,however,provedconclusively that theobjectwasnot amodel suspendedon a string—theonly evident hoaxpossibility.EveryonewhoknewtheTrentsjudgedthemasgood,honestpeople.Totheendoftheirlivesinthe1990s,theystoodbytheirstory,andthephotographsremainamajorpieceofUFOevidence.[63]

ThesecondofthetwoTrentphotographs,withtheobjectenlargedininset.

BelgianCongoMinesThenumberofseriousmilitaryandgovernmentUFOrecordswehaveisquiteimpressive.OneisaCIAreportfrom1952,releasedyearslaterviatheU.S.FreedomofInformationAct(FOIA). It is a reprint of a news account of two craft over a uraniummine in theBelgian

Congo.Thereportdescribed“twofierydisks”overtheuraniumminesinthesouthernpartofthe country. They were said to glide in “elegant curves and changed their positionsmanytimes.”Afterhoveringinonespot,theytookoffinazigzagmotiontothenortheast.Peopleheardahissingandbuzzingsound.Thesightinglasted10to12minutes.Thereportcontinued:

Commander Pierre of the small Elizabethville airfield immediately set out in pursuitwith a fighter plane.On his firstapproachhecamewithin120metersofthedisks...Thediskstraveledinapreciseflightmaneuver…thedisksoftenshotdown towithin20metersof the tree tops...Pierrehad togiveuppursuitafter15minutessincebothdisks,witha loudwhistling sound which he heard despite the noise of his own plane, disappeared in a straight line toward LakeTanganyika.Heestimatedtheirspeedat1500kilometersperhour...Pierreisregardedasadependableandzealousflyer.

There is no other information on this case, but for sure, in addition to incredibleperformance characteristics,we are seeingmuch interest by theUFO operators in nucleartechnology.

1952andWashington,DC 1952wasacriticallyimportantyearforUFOs.WithintheU.S.andthroughouttheworld,thereweremanyperplexingsightings.This includedseveralweekends ina rowofbafflingobjectsovertheCapitolinWashington,D.C.Tothisday,theseeventsremainunexplainedinanyconventionalsense. Thereareanumberofstatementsfromair trafficcontrollersandpilotsregardingvisualandradarcontactduringthenightsofJuly19-20,andJuly26-27.AccordingtoHarryBarnes,theseniorairtrafficcontrollerduringthefirstweekend,themovementsoftheUFOs“werecompletelyradicalcomparedtothoseofordinaryaircraft….Forsixhours,therewereatleasttenunidentifiableobjectsmovingaboveWashington.Theywerenotordinaryaircraft.”[64]Iwasfortunatetointerviewthelastsurvivingairtrafficcontrollerwhoworkedduringthoseweekends.HowardCocklinwas90yearsoldwhenIspokewithhimin2008.His testimonyclearly supported what others had also said, namely that there were visual and radarunidentifiedstrackedbytrafficcontrollersandpilotsthatnight.Hebelievedtheywerenotofourcivilization.Twomonthsafterourinterview,hepassedaway.[65] Air Force interceptors were sent, but never with success. On the second weekend, oneinterceptormaderadarandvisualcontact—thepilotsawseveralglowingobjects,butnoonecould catch them.TheAir Force told the nation that all the confusionwas caused by falseradar returns and unusual weather. Suffice to say, many disbelieved that assessment,particularlyintheclassifiedworld,butmoreonthatinthenextchapter.

AerialEncountersandAirSpaceViolations Fascinating UFO cases continued throughout the 1950s, many of which were militaryencounters.OnememodiscussesablackcoloredUFOoverOakRidge,Tennessee,anotherkeyatomicfacility,inAugust,1953.Accordingtothedocument:

Nosoundwasheard.Theobjectfleweastatatremendousspeedforwhatappearedtobethreemileswhereitstopped.Theobjectwasthenjoinedbytwomoreofthesesameobjects.Aformationsimilartoaspread‘V‘wasformed,andtheobjects,atatremendousspeed,flewinaneastwarddirection.

Thisisyetanotherreportthatdescribesexceptionalperformancethatwasnotsupposedtobepossible.

Quiteafewreportsdescribeintrusionsofsensitiveairspace,suchasonefromAugust,1954(with theheading“Emergency”)whichoriginatedfromtheflightservicecenteratMaxwellAir Force Base in Alabama. This was sent to the Commander of Air Defense Command(ADC)inColorado.Thereportdescribesa“strange,stationaryobject,variableinbrilliance”whichmovedrapidly,andthenreturnedtoitsoriginalposition.Thebasesentahelicoptertoinvestigate.Thepilot’sassessment:“definitelynotastar.”Personnel inmilitaryandciviliantowerswatchedthisobject,astheobjectdimmed,glowedredalittlebit,thendisappeared.Couldithavebeenastar?Thepersonnelinvolvedatthetimecertainlywonderedthesamething.Theyconcluded,however,thatitwasnot.Accordingtothereport:“...pilotofhelicopterwishedtostressfactthattheobjectwasofasaucer-likenature,wasstationaryat2000ft.,andwouldbegladtobecalledupontoverifyanystatementandactaswitness.”Thisreportwassent to the CIA, the NSA, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and each of the military services.Apparentlyanumberofpeoplethoughtitwasimportant.Severalofthemilitaryencountersnotonlyinvolvedvisualconfirmation,butsimultaneousradartracking.OneisdescribedinaCIAdocumentdatedJuly12,1955,anextraordinarycasethatlastedafull49minutesoverNewfoundland,Canada.AnothersuchcaseoccurredonJuly17,1957.Thisinvolvedthesix-mancrewofanAirForceRB-47electronicwarfareaircraft.For800miles,while this aircraft flewover the southeasternU.S., itwasaccompaniedbyacraft that showed incredible maneuverability and speed. At one point the object simplystoppedsuddenly inmidair as theplane flewpast it; at anotherpoint, it easilypulledaway,even though the plane had accelerated to its top speed. At yet another time, it blinked outsimultaneously, both visually and on radar, and then reappeared. All instruments werefunctioning perfectly. Needless to say, the experienced crew was very uneasy about theirescort.After800milesofthis,theUFOdisappearedoverOklahomaCity.

EncounterswithBeingsTheU.S.militarydidnothaveamonopolyoninterestingUFOencountersduringthe1950s.Peoplefromaroundtheworldwereexperiencingandreportingsuchimpossibilities.Duringthefallof1954,fromSeptemberthroughDecember,somethingstrangewasbeingreportedthroughoutmuchoftheworld.ItstartedinFranceandItaly,thenspreadtoBritain,Germany,andotherEuropeancountries.ReportsthensprangoutoftheMiddleEast,andthefocuseventuallyshiftedtoSouthAmerica,primarilyVenezuelaandBrazil. Quitesimply,peoplewereclaiming tohaveencounterswithsmallhumanoidbeingswhohadlandedinstrangecraft.Thiswasnotthefirsttimepeoplehadmadesuchclaims,butitwasthefirsttimesomanywerereportedwithinsuchashortperiodoftime.Thenumberofcaseswasunmatchedforalmosttwentyyears.OneofthefirstsuchreportscamefromQuarouble,France,neartheBelgianborder,ontheeveningofSeptember10,1954.Ataround10:30p.m.,MariusDewildeheardhisdogsbarkingoutsideanddecidedtoseewhatwasgoingon.Onthenearbyrailroadtrackonlytwentyfeetaway,hesawadarkmass.Whenheheardfootsteps,heturnedhisflashlightonthepath,wherehe saw two very short beings (between three and four feet tall) wearing what he called“diver ’ssuits.”Heapproachedtowithinameresixfeet,whenabrilliantlightcamefromtheobjecton the tracks.Thisblindedandparalyzedhim.The twocreatures thenmovedtowardtheobject.When thebeam lightwent out,Dewilde continued to approach the track, but the

objectwasnowrising,givingoffa“thickdarksteam”andalowwhistlingsound.Itglowedred,thenitflewaway.Onthewoodenrailroadtieswerefoundfiveimprints;latercalculationswerethatathirty-tonweightwouldhavebeennecessarytoproducethem.Odditiescontinuedto occur in the immediate aftermath of the incident.One ofDewilde’s dogs died just threedays after the event, and he began suffering from respiratory problems.Meanwhile, itwasclaimed that three cows in nearby farms were found dead, with subsequent examinationrevealingthattheirbloodhadbeencompletelyremoved.[66]

MariusDewildedescribinghisencounter.

Another case from the region, this time in Flanders,Belgium, occurred on the night ofSeptember26.Amanwasreturningtothevillageonhisbicyclewhenhesawasaucer-shapedobject in a field. He approached and hid in some bushes. He saw two small menwearing

helmetsandcarrying instrumentsofsomesort.They tooksomethingfromtheground,andthenoneoftheinstrumentsemittedaflashoflight.Atthispoint,hesawascreeninwhichaface appeared to speak to him, although he could not hear anything. The instruments thenwere dismantled by the littlemen and reloaded into the object. They then had an animatedconversationbetweenthem,sometimespointingtowardsthewitness.Afraid,thewitnessshuthiseyesandwasunabletomove.Whenhereopenedhiseyes,hesawoneofthelittlebeingsenteringthecraft.Assoonasitrose,heranout,butwasstruckbyabeamoflightanddidnotseethecraftleave.Afantasticstory,tobesure.Notallthesereportsconsistedofsmallbeings.Somewereofverytallbeings,andothersofperfectlyhuman-lookingbeings.One,fromsouth-centralFranceonOctober4,typifiesthis.Aman, regarded as trustworthy by the locals, saw a round flying object, about the size of asmall truck, land in his field.A door slid open and two “normal”men in brown coverallscameout.They looked likeEuropeans and shookhandswith thewitness.Then they asked,“Paris?North?”Theshockedwitnesscouldnotevenanswer.Thetwostrangerspettedhisdogandflewaway.Thestoryisreminiscentofsomeoftheairshipencountersfromyearsbefore.It also seem odd, from a 21st century perspective, that such travelers would lack basicnavigational tools (GPS, anyone?) to such a degree that they would ask someone fordirections to Paris.Here, again,we see one of the core features of theUFOphenomenon:reliablepeoplereportingeventsthatsmackoftheabsurd. Thereweremanyof these reports.The easiest thing to do is ignore them.But there arehundredsofthemfrom1954,fromwitnesseswhoweredeemedtobesincereatthetimetheywereinterviewed,oftenbypolice. Incidentally,eventheU.S.AirForcehadat leastoneofficialreportofaUFO“occupant”during this period. The incident occurred in theAzores Islands on September 21, 1954.Aguardat theSantaMariaAirport reporteda ten-footwide,metallicblueobjectwithaclearglassorplasticnose.Itmadeahummingsound,hovered,andlandedverticallyaboutfiftyfeetfromthewitness.Anormal-sizedblondmanemergedfromtheobject,spokeinanunknownlanguage,andpattedthewitnessontheshoulder.Thestrangeblondmanreturnedtothecraft,attachedaharness,pressedabutton,andascendedvertically.Thetotalencounterlastedthreeminutes.This incidentwas listed in the filesofProjectBlueBook, theAirForce’sofficialUFOoffice,notasahoax,butasanunknown![67] Throughout the remainder of the 1950s, there were many alleged encounters withextraterrestrials. Many of these took the form of direct contact and communication fromseeminglybenevolentextraterrestrialvisitors,sometimesreferredtoas“thespacebrothers.”Theseclaimsareadistinctphenomenonaltogether,andthe“contactees”willbediscussedinalaterchapter. There isat leastonemoreencounterfromthe1950s thatdeservesmention.Thiswasnotpartofthe1954sightings,buttookplaceoveraseriesofencountersonJune26and27,1959,intheremoteregionofPapua,NewGuinea.Itinvolvedmultiplesightingsofahoveringcraft,withmuchmutualwavingandapparentgoodwillexchanged.ThemainwitnesswasReverendWilliamBoothGill,arespectedmanontheisland,knownasscrupulouslyhonestanddecent.Ataround6:45p.m.,Gillandthirty-eightotherwitnessessawashiningobjecthoveringintheair,quitelow,amerethreeorfourhundredfeetaway.The objectwas circular and had legs under it. Shining directly above it was a bright blue

beamoflight.Everyonesawfourfiguresonwhatappearedtobeadeck.Itwasaboutforty-fiveminutesaftersunset,andtheskywasbecomingdark,althoughvisibilityremainedgood.Thevisitorsreturnedthenextday,thistimeataround6p.m.,whichwasjustatsunsetandthereforeperfectlylight.Onceagain,FatherGillandmanyotherssawfourfiguresontopofthe ship. This time, two nearby smaller craftwere also visible.According to FatherGill’sdetailedaccountoftheincident(an11-pagesinglespacedreportsignedbyover25witnesses):

...twoofthefiguresseemedtobedoingsomethingnearthecenterofthedeck.Theywereoccasionallybendingoverandraisingtheirarmsasthoughadjustingorsettingupsomethingnotvisible.Onefigureseemedtobestanding,lookingdownatus.

At thispoint,FatherGillwaved to the figures.Toeveryone’s surprise, thebeingswavedback.Ateacheramongthewitnessesthenraisedbothofherarmsandwaved,andtwoofthefiguresdidthesame.Themutualwavingwentonforsometime.Whenitbecamedark,FatherGillusedaflashlighttomakeaseriesofmovementstowardthecraft,andthecrafteventuallymadeseveralwaveringmotionsbackandforth.

Adrawing(l)oftheencounterbyFatherGillandthelocalpopulationinPapua,NewGuinea.FatherWilliamBoothGill(r).

TheReverendNormanE.G.Cruttwell(notpresent)whoinvestigatedtheeventwrote:. . . the facts of this sighting and the waving by the men and the responses to the [flashlight] signals are fullycorroboratedby...manyoftheotherwitnessesinpersonalinterviewwithmyself.

CruttwellalsoreportedthatbetweenJune26and28, therewereseveralUFOsightingsatnearbyGiwa,Baniara,andSideia.UFOresearcherJ.AllenHynekalsointerviewedGillsome15yearslater,findinghimtobewhollycredible. SkepticsDonaldMenzelandPhilipKlasswrotedebunkingpiecesonthesighting.MenzeldidnotimpugnGill’sintegrity,buttheorizedthatthewholeencounterwasanopticalillusionof the planetVenus caused byGill’s bad eyesight. Themalleable nativesmerelywanted toimpress“theirGreatWhiteLeader”whohada“god-like”statuswiththem.Klass,forhispart,didimpugnGill’scharacter,claimingthattheReverendinventedorimaginedtheencounterinorder topleaseCruttwell.Considering the incrediblenatureof thesighting, it is interesting

thatthesewerethemostdamagingargumentsskepticswereabletooffer.[68]

AbductionsEvenduringthe1950s,therewasmorethanjustsightingsofbeings;therewerealsoclaimsof alien abduction.Thiswill be explored in greater detail inChapter 8, but it is helpful tomentionheresomeofthebetterknowncasesoftheera. The first well-known UFO abduction case involved a young Brazilian farmer namedAntonioVillas-Boas,wholivednearSaoPaulo.BoashadanapparentabductionexperienceonthenightofOctober15,1957.Hegaveadetaileddescriptionoftheinsideofthecraftanditsoccupants: theywore tight,whiteclothingwitha lighton theirbelt,white shoeswithnoheels,largegloves,andopaquehelmetswithaslitattheleveloftheeyes.Heclaimedtohavebeenstrippednakedandgivenamedicalexaminwhichoneofthebeingsspreadaliquidoverhisskin.Hewasthenledtoanotherroom,wheretheytooksomebloodfromhischin, thenlefthimalone.Anunpleasantodorcausedhimtovomit. Eventually,analienfemaleenteredtheroom,entirelynaked.Shewasattractivebutseemsverymuchlikelaterdescriptionsofahuman-alienhybrid:shehadhairthatwasnearlywhite,large slanted blue eyes, an ordinary nose, small but ordinary ears, high cheekbones, and apointedchin.Theyhadsex,but thiswasnofantasyoutofStarTrek.Boas later saidhewas“uncontrollably” excited, despite beingphysically repelledby the experience.Hewonderedwhether the liquid that had been spread over him had contributed to this.When the sexualexperiencewasover,thewomanlostinterestandlefttheroom.Justbeforesheleft,sheturnedtohim,pointedtoherbelly,thenpointedtothesouthernsky.Boas’scaseistricky.Heonlydiscussedhisexperienceonrareoccasionsandlaterbecameapracticing attorney. Everyone who interviewed him found him to be believable, and hemaintainedhis storyuntilhisdeath in1992.Ayear later, a skepticalwriterargued thecasewasaprobablefabrication,andthatitseemedtobebasedonaBrazilianperiodicalthathadacomparablestorypublishedinNovember1957.InsupportofBoas’scase,hewasexaminedshortlyaftertheeventbyDr.OlavoFontesoftheNationalSchoolofMedicineofBrazil.Hissymptoms included pain throughout the body, nausea, headaches, loss of appetite, burningsensationsintheeyes,andlesionsontheskinwithslightbruising,allofwhichcontinuedformonths.FontesconcludedthatBoashadbeenexposedtoalargedoseofradiationfromsomesource and was suffering from mild radiation sickness. Of course, even though it wouldcertainly be unusual for a Brazilian farmer to become exposed to such high levels ofradiation,itisnotproofhegotitfromanalienspacecraft.Butitwouldseemthatsomethingunusualhappenedtohim.[69]CertainlyoneofthemostfamousabductionstoriesisthatofBettyandBarneyHill.Afteravacation, the couple was driving toward their home in New Hampshire on the night ofSeptember19,1961,whentheyhadaUFOsighting.Afterarrivinghome,theywerepuzzledtorealizetheyhadlosttwohoursoftime. Two years later, they were hypnotically regressed by one of the nation’s leadingpsychiatrists,Dr.BenjaminSimon.Throughouttheextendedprocesstheyunderwentseparatesessions, and for nearly all of that time Simon ensured that they did not consciouslyremember their experiences. These sessions were intense. Both remembered being takenaboardacraftbyhumanoidentitiesthatphysicallyexaminedthem.Thisinvolvedscrapingoff

someskin,cuttingoffbitsofhair,andexaminingtheirearsandthroats.InBarney'scase, italsoincludedextractinghissemenandtheinsertionofarectalprobe.InBetty's,itincludedtheinsertionof a longneedle into her navel.There is little question that theHills experiencedsomethingrealanddramatic.MorewillbesaidonthiscaseinChapter8.[70]

OperationDominic:UFOCrashinthePacific. The following account came to me personally and was prepared following a detailedinterviewwith thewitness in2013,whose careerwith theU.S.Navy spanned from1960 to1980.Itinvolvestheattentionofextraordinary,unknowncraftinthevicinityofhigh-altitudeU.S.nucleartestsinthePacificOceanduringtheearly1960s,andwhatappearstobethecrashofaUFO—andafailedattempttoretrieveit.Duringthe1960s,thewitness(namedDavid)completedtoursofdutywithanumberofU.S.Naval vessels, one of which included theUSSFinch, a destroyer escort. In 1962, recentlypromoted to Seaman, he was aboard the Finch when the vessel participated in OperationDominic,aseriesofhigh-altitudenucleardetonationsoverthePacific.Alittleappreciatedfactofmodernhistoryisthat,from1945untilthelate1990s,theworldexperienced over 2,000 nuclear explosions. The bulk of these occurred in a few generalregions:theU.S.NevadaTestSite,SovietCentralAsia,andthePacificOcean.Theamountofdamage caused by these detonations has seldom been acknowledged or studied in detail,particularlyinthecontextoftheenvironmentalandatmosphericproblemscurrentlyplaguingtheplanet.[71] Followinganintensebarrageofnucleartestsinthelate1950s, theU.S.andSovietUnionagreed to a tacitmoratorium on testing in 1958,which lasted until the Soviets broke it inSeptember 1961.By early 1962, theAmericanswere again detonating nukes at theNevadaTestSite,andinAprilofthatyearresumedtestsoverthePacificOceanaspartofOperationDominic. FromApril until the endofOctober, 36 nuclearweaponswere detonated at highaltitudes over the ocean. Most of these bombs were dropped from B-52 bombers, but anumberwere launchedbyground-andsubmarine-basedmissiles.DuringOctober, the finalfivedetonationsoftheprogramwerebasedoutofJohnstonIslandAtoll,aboutfivehundredmilessouthwestoftheHawaiianIslands.Thesedetonationstookplaceataltitudesashighas160,000feet—morethandoubletheceilingoftheultra-highflyingU-2spyplane.[72]Thesecond-to-lastexerciseofOperationDominictookplaceonOctober26,1962at9:59a.m.[73]ThisdetonationappearstohavecausedthecrashofaUFO. Aboard the Finch, Seaman David was unaware that a missile had even been launched.Shortlyafter,however, the loudspeakercarried thevoiceof theCaptain,orderingeveryoneotherthanafewessentialpersonnelbelowdeck.There,themenwaited,preparingfordamagecontrol.Afterfifteenminutes,anofficerselectedaboutadozensailors, includingDavid, tomanthestarboardsideoftheship.Wearingjackets,gloves,andprotectiveclothingagainstthevirtual wall of sea spray, they were ordered to look forward toward the horizon. Noconversationwasallowed.Aftersometime,theofficerinchargeorderedthementolooktendegreesoffthestarboardbow.“Loandbehold,”saidDavid,

...whatappearedinthesky—whatIsaw—wasahugecigarshapedobjectcomingtowardusattendegreesandabout15-20degreesoffthehorizon.Itlookedlikeitwastwofootballfieldsinlength.Itappearedtohavesomekindofblue

glowatthesternasitwasmovingpastusatamoderaterate.Myjudgmentisthatithadtobetravelingatleast400mph.Whenitreacheddirectlyinfrontofus,itpickedupspeed.Itjustwentfromtheretogone.

Aninterestingaspectofthissightingisthattheobjectmovedhorizontallyfairlyclosetothewater.Davidalsonoticedwhathe thoughtmighthavebeenawispof smoke in theobject'swake. Thatconstitutedhisentireobservation.ButDavid learnedabitmore later thatdaywhilecross-trainingwiththeship'sradartechnicians.Everyone,itseems,wastalkingabouttheUFOtheyhadtracked.Ithadbeenahugeobjectwithasignificantheatsignature.Moreover, theysaid, it had descended into the ocean. Pilots of several aircraft saw it enter the water, andseveralshipswerecurrentlyenroutetoitsposition.Nobodyknewforsure,butitwasguessedthat thehighaltitudedetonationhadcaused theproblem.Clearly,since thiswasascheduleddetonation, itwasnotanintentionalattackonabogey.Theobject justhappenedtobethere.[74] Davidwas soon debriefed about the incident by a security officerwho had boarded theFinchatPearlHarbor.Hewasordered to signanagreement forbiddinghim todiscuss theincidentwithanyonefortwentyyears. Thiscrashof thisunknownobjectoccurredinthecontextofanumberofUFOandUSOencounters that had accompanied Operation Dominic. Indeed, such stories are commonamongU.S.Navypersonnel,ifonlyaninvestigatortakesthetimetolearnofthem.Morethanonceduring1962,membersoftheFinchobservedstrangeobjectsaboveandbelowtheship.Theobjectsbelowtheshipsometimesinspiredrealfear.Thesemightberecordedbysonar,or they might be seen visually. In the case of the latter, the sighting usually involved aluminous, fluorescent effect in thewater.This is commonlygivenoffbydolphins,whales,and other kinds of ocean life, but there were times when the fluorescence was simplyenormous—fartoolargeevenforwhales.Sometimesitcameperilouslyclosetotheship.Onone occasion, theFinch nearly capsized from an intense swell which David believed wascausedwasaUSO(theeventcaused theCaptain tobreakhis legandbe transferredoff theship).“Iwouldsay75-80percentofall thesebogeyswerelogged,”hestated.“Ifyoucouldgetaccesstotheselogsyouwouldhaveagoldmine.”ButitisinrelationtotheUFOstrackedhighabovethatthecrashofOctober26becomesevenmoresignificant.ForoneofthecommonthingsthatradarpersonnelnoticedduringthecourseofOperationDominic,especiallyshortlybeforescheduledtests,werelargenumbersof “bogeys” in the upper atmosphere. Nobody knew what these ultra-high altitude objectswere,buttheyinevitablydisappearedfromtheradarscopemomentsbeforedetonation.TheobjectthatcrashedonOctober26,1962appearstohavebeenunlucky. For years after, David remained bewildered by his experience. Then, in 1976, hemet aseniorNavydiverwhilewhilestationedatGuantanamoBay,Cuba.Overmanydrinks,thetwotradedstories.Amazingly,thedivertoldDavidofanexperiencehehadinlateOctober1962,inthePacificOcean.HehadbeenpartofofaTopSecretsalvagemissiontopullaUFOoutofthe ocean floor! In fact, he was the first man in, volunteering to go alone for an initialreconnaissance of the situation. Wearing the traditional diving bell helmets and gear, theintrepiddiverwentdownbelowthesurfaceof thewater.Atfirst,hesawnothingunusual—untilherealizedhewasstandingonanenormousobject.Loosinghisfooting,hesliddowntheobjecttotheoceanfloor.Atthispoint,hetoldhisastonishedlistener,hewasabletosee

part of it, even inside it. It was like a gigantic sponge, he said, with organic-lookingcompartments. He touched it, and his hand went through. Now in terror, the Navy diveradmitted of losing bladder control. He was soon brought back to his ship, barely able torecountwhathehadseen.Thatwastheendofhismission.Later,however,hediverlearnedfromanothermemberof thediving team thatwhen they attempted a salvage the followingday,theobjectwasnolongerthere.Somehow,ithadleft. David told the diver that he too hadwitnessed part of thatUFO event, and the twometprivately a fewdays later at the diver's home.They compared notes, discovering that eachsuffered fromsimilarnightmaresofbeings (orhands)coming into theirbedroom.Shortlyafter this meeting, however, the diver was dead—a freak accident from a faulty electricalconduitwhileintheshower.Ihavebeenunabletoconfirmeveryelementofthisstory,whichincludesevenmoredetailthan I have recounted here. However, all of the technical elements related by DavidconcerningOperationDominic, including several arcanedetails, turnedout tobepreciselycorrect upon investigation. Moreover, his complete lack of hesitation and fluidity ofexplanation, alongwith hiswillingness to answermymyriad questions, giveme reason tobelievehisaccountisgenuine.LikeallUFOcrashretrievalstories,thisonewillbenefitfromadditional research, something I hope to undertake in the future. Perhaps other researcherswillconsiderdoingthesame.Iftrue,theUFOencounterinthePacificpointstoastronginterestbytheoperatorsoftheseobjectsinhumannucleartechnology.Obviously,therearemanyreasonswhythisshouldbeso. If they have any kind of interest in this world, the detonation of some 2,000 powerfulnuclear bombs over a fifty-year period would be certainly command their attention.Moreover, the fact that these high-altitude blasts discharged powerful electromagneticradiationwouldbeamatterofconcern.Suchblastscausedretinaldamageandblackoutsonthe ground, and electromagnetic storms in the upper atmosphere. This alone could wellexplainthepresenceofsomanybogeysduringthestratospherictestsofOperationDominic.

TheCrescendoofthe1960s The 1960s brought other intriguing sightings of so-called humanoid beings (or, asresearcherswerestillcallingthem,UFOoccupants).Oneof these,concerningNewMexicopolice sergeant Lonnie Zamora, is nearly as well known as the Hill case. During the lateafternoonofApril24,1964,ZamorawasintheprocessofpullingoveraspeedingvehicleinthetownofSocorro.Thenheheardaroarfromoutsidehispolicecar,andsawwhatlookedlike a “flame in the sky.”He thought that a nearby dynamite shackmust have exploded soZamoragaveupthechaseanddrovepartofthewayupahill, inthedirectionoftheflame.Closer to the top,hegotoutofhiscarandwalkedthefinalpart.At the top,hesawashinyobjectinthedistance.Hisinitialthoughtwasthatacarhadoverturned.Hewalkedtowardit,andsawwhatlookedliketwochildrenwearingwhitecoveralls.ButthenLonnieZamoragotacloserlook.Henoticedtheobjectwasrestingonfourlegs,and the “children”were examiningor repairing the craft.Theydid not immediately noticehim.Whentheydid,however,theyhurriedbackintotheobject.Zamorabecamefrightened.Hestartedrunningback.Withinmoments,theobjectbegantoroar, a flame appearedon its underside, and it ascended slowly into the sky.Now,Zamora

couldseethatitwasovalinshape,andverysmooth.Althoughhesawnowindowsordoors,hedidnoticeaninsigniainredlettering.Heranaftertheobjectasitcontinuedtoriseintheairandacceleratetowardthesouthwest.Zamorawassoshockedthatheaskedtoseeapriestbeforereleasinghisreporttotheauthorities.Quitesimply,hebelievedhehadseenanaliencraft.Withinhours,ArmyIntelligenceandtheFBIwereatthesite.Moreinvestigatorsarrivedinthefollowingdays.Theynoticeddeeplandingmarksleftbythelegsofthecraft,aswellasacharredareawhere ithad takenoff.For thenextweek,Zamorawas interviewedconstantly.Everyonewasimpressedbyhishonesty,hispuzzlement,andhisdetailedreport. ProjectBlueBookwas theAirForce's office to investigateUFO reports. Publicly,BlueBookdebunkedandevenridiculedZamora'sstory.However,ina1966classifiedarticle,theheadofBlueBook,MajorHectorQuintanilla,wrotesomethingdifferent:

ThereisnodoubtthatLonnieZamorasawanobjectwhichleftquiteanimpressiononhim.Thereisnoquestionabouthisreliability...Heispuzzledbywhathesawandfrankly,soarewe.[75]

Thisstatementsoundslikeanendorsement.Despitevariousattemptstoexplainthecaseinconventionalterms,whetherasthetestingofaclassifiedcraftoraprank,thecasehasstoodthetestoftime.LonnieZamorasawsomethingextraordinary.Whatwasit?[76]Throughthemid-1960s,therewasagradualcrescendoofUFOreports.OnJuly1,1965,inthesouthofFrance,aratherstrangeencounteroccurred,somewhatlikeZamora's,whichwasalso reminiscentof the1954sightings.FarmerMauriceMasse,of thevillageofValensole,heardastrangenoiseoutsidehishomeearlyonemorning.Hesawanegg-shapedobject inhislavenderfield,onlyonehundredfeetaway.Itsatonacentralpivotwithsixlegs,wasabouttwenty feet long, and had a door showing two seats back to back.Nearbywere two smallbeings, thesizeofchildren.Theyhad largebaldheadsand tinymouths,butnormalhumaneyes and hands.They seemed to be examining one of his plants.When they sawhim, theyaimedasmalldeviceathimwhichparalyzedhim.Meanwhile,theyspokebetweenthemselvesingargling-typesounds,andMasseactuallywonderediftheyweremakingfunofhim.Soon,theyenteredtheircraftthroughaslidingdoor,anditquicklytookoffataforty-fivedegreeangle,makingawhistlingsoundasitleft.Foranothertwentyminutesafterward,Massewasparalyzed.Holeswereleftinthegroundbytheobject,andquiteafewpeopleexaminedthem.MassehimselfwasaformerResistancefighterduringtheSecondWorldWar,andthepolicewhoinvestigatedthiscaseregardedhimasreliable.Anotherinterestingwater-basedUFOsightingoccurredonJuly6,1965.CrewmembersoftheNorwegiantankership,Jawesta,sawaUFO.TheshipwasintheNorthAtlantic,onroutefromVenezuelatotheCanaryIslands,aboutathousandmileswestoftheAfricancoastline.Inall directions, for thousands upon thousands of square miles, the ship was surrounded byocean.Alook-out insistedthatsomethingappearedtocomeupfromundertheseaandthenchangecoursetoapproachtheship.TheFirstOfficerwatcheditwithbinoculars.Accordingtohisentryintheship’slog:

Itwasbrightlikeastar,andthemoonlightwasshiningthroughbetweenthelowclouds,andIcouldclearlyseetheoutlinesoftheupperpartofit.Itsshapewasthatofacigar,andIcouldclearlyseearowofsquarewindowsandthefaintgolden-orangecolouredlightfrominsideit.Therewasnosignofwingsorrudder.Theobjecthadabluishtongueoffirebehindit,whichwasmostconcentratednearthetail,fanningoutalittlefurtherback.Alittlefartherbackstill,behindthebody,Icouldseeatremendousnumberofglobes,andfromeveryglobethere

wasstreamingoutabluebeam,awayfromthebody.Thelengthofthefierytonguewould,Ishouldthink,havebeenabout100metres.Theobjectseemedtobefarbiggerthananyaircraftknownuptothispresentday.Itsspeedwastremendousanditwasvisibleforabout30to40seconds.ItwasmovingatthetimeinN-Sdirection...Icansaywithcompletecertaintythatitwasnoquestionofanaircraftofconventionaltype,orrocket,ormeteor,orballlightning.

Several of the ship’s crew saw this unusual object, and apparently someone sketched it.Reportandsketchwerebothapparentlysent to theGeophysical InstituteatBergen. It isnotknownwhattheInstitutehadtosayaboutthismatter.Inalllikelihood,itsscientistsdidnotsay,“flying saucer over theNorthAtlantic?You betcha!”But it seems that a large, low-flying,silent object moved with remarkable agility and great speed above an immense ocean. Itappearstohavetakennoteofaloneship,andthendeparted.[77] There are several more interesting cases from 1965, including two UFOs that werephotographedintheU.S.inearlyAugust.

CroppedphotographofanobjecttakenbyAlanSmith,TulsaOK,August2,1965.

ThefirstphotowastakeninTulsa,Oklahoma,onAugust2at1:45a.m.bya14year-oldboy

namedAlan Smith. Thiswas during an evening inwhich thousands of people from SouthDakota to the Mexican border were reporting unusual objects in the night sky, often informations. Alan, alongwith his father and three other people, werewatching an unusual,multi-colored object which moved slowly toward them, then paused and hovered. At thatmoment,Alansnappedaphotographwithaninexpensivecamera,andtheobjectsoonleft.Hispicturewasextensivelyanalyzed,pronouncedauthentic,andlaterpublishedinLifeMagazine.There are detractors to this day, arguing that the object in the photowas simply a cameradefect,butAlanandtheotherwitnessesmaintainedthatitwasanaccuratephotooftheobjecttheyhadseen.[78]Amazingly,ontheverynextday,anotherstrikingUFOphotographwastaken,thistimeinCalifornia,onAugust3,1965.Actually,thiswasthreephotographsofaUFO,plusafourthofa smoke ring that was left behind. These were taken by a Highway Accident InvestigatornamedRexHeflin.WhilesittinginsidehisvehicleonalonelystretchofroadnearSantaAna,Heflin saw a hat-shaped UFO hovering close by. It was silent, and a beam of white lightseemedtorotateunderneathit.Heflintriedtoradiohissupervisor,buthesaidtheradiowentdead.HethentookhisfourPolaroidphotographs.Backathisoffice,heputthepicturesinhisdeskdrawer.A fewdays later,oneofHeflin’sco-workers sent thepictures toUnitedPressInternational(UPI),andfromtheretheywerepublishedinmanynewspapers. After this, the story became even more interesting. Heflin stated that, shortly after UPIreturned his photos to him, he was approached by a man claiming to be from NORADIntelligence, who demanded the prints. Heflin gave them to the man, and the photos weregone. Of course, this story has never been confirmed, and no one has ever heard of a“NORADIntelligence.”Butduringthe1970s,whencomputeranalysisofphotographswasinits infancy,severalanalyseswereperformedoncopiesof the images,andatonepoint theywere pronounced fake. Then, in 1995, twenty-eight years after the photos had disappeared,andlongafterHeflinhadretired,theoriginalphotosmysteriouslyreappearedinhismailbox.A detailed analysis of the originals was performed by researchers Ann Druffel, Dr. BobWood,andEricKelson.ThiswaspublishedintheJournalofScientificExploration in2000,andvindicatedthephotos.[79]Somedoubtersremain.Morerecently,researcherAnthonyBragaliaarguedthephotoswerehoaxesbyHeflin,basedonthetestimonyofsomeonewhoclaimedtohaveseenthembeforetheywerepublished,whosaidHeflinclaimedhehadhoaxedthem.[80]Most researchersdonot appear to be convinced by this, however. Hearsay testimony cannot be consideredsuperior to a detailed photographic analyses. So far, it looks like Rex Heflin took threeamazingUFOphotos.

ThefirstofRexHeflin’sphotographs,SantaAna,CA,August3,1965.Notetheapparentgrounddisturbancebelowtheobject.

MinotAFB Asactiveandinterestingas1965hadbeen,subsequentyearsofthedecadeappeartohavematchedit.SeveralUFOcasesdirectlyaffectedtheU.S.military.OnereportcamefromMinotAirForceBase,inNorthDakotafromAugust25,1966.MinotwasamajorStrategicAirCommandbaseatthetime,housingICBMsandmannedbombers.Thatnight,ateamwasorderedtoinvestigateaveryhighmulti-coloredlight,wellabovethepositionofthebase.Theteamconfirmedthat,indeed,therewassuchalightthere,aswellasasecond object.At the same time, base radarwas tracking the object,whichwas as high as100,000 feet (almost twentymiles).Several times, it roseanddescended; each time it camedown, themissile chief found his radio disrupted by static, even though he was sixty feetbelowground.Theobjecteventuallydescendedtogroundleveltentofifteenmilessouthofthearea.Considerthecapabilitiesofanyobjectthatcouldperformsuchacontrolleddescentfromtwentymilesabove,particularlyatnight,inthemid-1960s. A teamwas sent to investigate.Apparently, they saw the object, either on the ground orhoveringvery low.According to the report: “When the teamwas about tenmiles from the

landing site, static disrupted radio contact with them. Five to eightminutes later, the glowdiminished, and the UFO took off.” The report mentioned that a second UFO was seenvisually and confirmed by radar. One object passed beneath the other, also confirmed onradar.Thentheybothdeparted.[81] The entire incident lasted almost four hours. Itwas confirmedby threedifferentmissilesites.WhowasplayinggamesoverthisAmericanairforcebase?

MalmstromAFB But such games continued. The following year, on the morning ofMarch 16, 1967, atMalmstromAFBinMontana,oneofthemostextraordinaryeventsinthehistoryofmilitary-UFOencountersoccurred.Thisbasecontrolsahuge,sprawlingnetworkofICBMs.UnderaclearanddarkMontanasky,anairmanwith theOscarFlightLaunchControlCenter (LCC)saw a star-like object zigzagging high above him. Soon, a larger and closer light alsoappearedandactedinasimilarway.Theairmancalledhisnon-commissionedofficer,andthetwomen watched the lights streak through the sky, maneuvering in impossible ways. TheNCOphonedhiscommander,LieutenantRobertSalas,whowasbelowgroundinthelaunchcontrolcenter. Initially,Salaswasnot impressed.Heordered theNCOtokeepwatching thedisplay and report back if the objects got any closer. Minutes later, that is precisely whathappened.Shoutingintothephone,theNCOtoldSalasthatared,glowingUFOwashoveringoutsidethefrontgate.Salaswokehiscommander,LieutenantFredMeiwald.AshebriefedMeiwald,analarmwentoffinthesmallcapsule,andbothmensawa“No-Go”lightturnonforoneofthemissiles.Withinseconds,abouttenofthemissileswentdowninsuccession.Twentymilesaway,attheEchoLaunchControlCenter,thesamescenariotookplace.FirstLieutenantWalterFigelwasathisstationwhenoneoftheMinutemanmissileswentinto“No-Go”status.HecalledthemissilesiteandlearnedthataUFOhadbeenhoveringabove.LikeSalas, Figel doubted the UFO story. But just then, ten more ICBMs in rapid successionreporteda“No-Go”condition.Theentireflightwasdown.Striketeamsweresenttothetwolaunchfacilities,wheremaintenancecrewswereatworkandhadbeenwatchingUFOshoverovereachoftheirsites.Themissilesweredownformostof the day.Neither theAir Force investigation, norBoeing’s tests found any cause for theshutdown.According to theBoeing engineering chief, “therewas no technical explanationthatcouldexplaintheevent.”Overtheyears,anumberofadditionalAirForcepersonnelhavecomeforwardtoconfirmthat something truly strange did happen at Malmstrom AFB that day. In 2010, Salas andresearcherRobertHastingsorganizedanewseventattheNationalPressClubinWashington,D.C., which included a number of these additional witnesses of this and similar types ofevents.At thesame time,acontroversyarosewhichcalled theveracityof theseclaims intoquestionbutwhich,aftermyowncloseexamination,fellshortofmakingtheircase—again,at least inmyview.Moreover,havingmetBobSalasonanumberofoccasions, I havenoquestionas tohis truthfulness,reliability,andintegrity.Somethinghighlyirregulardidtakeplace, and it involved the sighting of aUFO at the same time that ICBMs,whichwere allseparatelycontrolledandshouldnothavegoneoffline,didgoofflineforreasonsthatremainunexplained.[82]

ShagHarborThroughout1967,UFOswerebeingreportedacrosstheworld.SouthAmericawasahotbedof activity that year, including several reports of humanoid beings, aswell aswater-basedcraft, several of which involved disk-like UFOs coming out of the water. Not all wereperfectlyrecordedortransmittedtoU.S.researchers,butsomethingwasgoingon.Still,thebest-knownwater-basedUFOstoryofthedecadetookplacenotinSouthAmerica,but near the town of ShagHarbor, Nova Scotia Canada.On the night ofOctober 4, 1967,witnesses saw several lights joining together in a straight line, forming a45-degree angle,flashingonandoffinsequenceastheymovedoverthewater.Thelightsthenseemedtoglideintotheseaaboutahalf-mileoffshore.Forawhile,asinglewhitelightbobbedonthewater,andpeopleheardahissingnoise.Thelight disappeared before anyone could reach it, but witnesses also noticed a yellowish,bubbling froth about eighty feetwidewhen theywent out there.Noone had ever seen thisbefore.TheRoyalCanadianNavyreportednomissingaircraftorships in thearea,andnoplaneshadbeenoperatingintheareaatthetime. For twodays,CanadianNavy divers searched thewaters and ocean bottom.They foundnothing.Then,aweekaftertheincident,severalpeoplesawmorelightsinthatarea,lessthana mile offshore, very low over the water. They disappeared, then reappeared, and finallyseemedtodescendintothewater. Yearslater,CanadianresearchersChrisStylesandDonLedgerinterviewedseveralofthedivers and military personnel involved in the search. According to what they learned, allunofficialofcourse,thesearchersdeterminedthattherewasindeedanunderwaterobject,andthatithadmovednortheast.Thiswasnearatop-secretsubmarinedetectionstationrunjointlybyCanadaandtheU.S.Asaflotillaofshipspositionedthemselvesoverthesubmergedcraft,asecondunderwaterobjectjoinedthefirst,andapparentlyengagedinarepairoperation.Themembersoftheshipsobserved,butdidnotinterfere.ASovietsubmarinelaterappearedbutwasescortedaway.Eventually,thetwounknownobjectsmovedofftowardtheGulfofMaine.Emergingfromthewater,theyascendedrapidlyandflewaway.Suchisthefascinatingstory.[83]

MutilationsandMore Incidentally, 1967 also happens to be the year of the first widely publicized animalmutilation. Disagreement exists to this day as to whether or not suchmutilation cases areconnectedto theUFOmystery,but itdoesappear thatanunknownagencyisbehindat leastsomeofthem.Inthiscase,ahorsenamedLadywasfoundonSeptember9,1967,insouthernColorado'sSanLuisValley.Whenherownersfoundher,shehadbeenstrippedoffleshfromtheneckup.Theexposedskeletonwassowhiteandcleanthatitlookedasthoughithadbeenbleachedinthesunfordays.Therewasalsoamedicinalodorabouther.Yet,Ladyhadbeenknowntobealiveandwellonlytwonightsbefore.Oddly,hertracksstoppedonehundredfeetfromherbody.Severalholesinthegroundwerenearby,asif(somethought)fromalandedcraft. According toDr. JohnAltshuler, a veterinary doctorwho examined her, Lady's internal

organs had been removed “surgically with heat ...There was no blood and the cuts weresurgicallyprecise.”WasthisUFOrelated?Eitherway,itcertainlywasamystery.ButitisnotunreasonabletowonderaboutaUFOconnection,andtherewereindeedUFOsightingsintheareaaroundthetimeLadydied.Overtheyears,theSanLuisValleyhasremainedahotbedforUFOsightings,bizarreencounters,andanimalmutilations.[84]Asthe1960scametoaclose,UFOreportsdwindledabitinAmerica.Elsewhere,sightingscontinued at a steady pace, especially in Europe and SouthAmerica. A number of reportsconcernedsightingsofalienbeings.TheNewYorkTimesjokedaboutthisinanarticleinJuly1968,(“UFOsAddSpicetoLifeofLatins”)butdidquoteanArgentinegovernmentofficialwhosaid:“Ihavenodoubtthatflyingsaucershavearrivedhere.Iworryaboutwhattheyareupto.Ijustcan’tunderstandwhytheyhavepickedonArgentina.”Infact,theyhadnotpickedsolelyonArgentina.Itisevidentthat“they”wereeverywhere.[85] A reviewof the cases in this chapter suggests that the groupor groups behind theUFOphenomenonwerenotnecessarilyhostiletohumanity.Ofcourse,theymaynothavebeenonthemostfriendlyterms,either,andthereareafewcasesinwhichhumanfatalitiesarelinkedtoencounterswithUFOs.[86]Forthosewhowonderwhytheyhavenotprovidedmoreopenassistanceforaspeciesthatclearlycoulduseit,wemightrecallthat“assistance”isoftenthewrongwaytopromotehealthydevelopment.Weoftenneedtostrugglethroughourproblemsifwearetobecomebetterthanwewere.Thenagain,thereremainsthepossibilitythattheyseehumanityastheirproperty,aslivestocktobemanaged.Wedonothavecertainanswers.Still,therearesomeinstancesinwhichthese“Others”appeartohaveactedinabeneficialmannertoindividualsonalimitedbasis.SuchwasanencounterthattookplaceinFranceonthenightofNovember1,1968.AprominentFrenchDoctor(referredtoasDr.Xtomaintainhisanonymity)washomeduringathunderstormwithhisfourteen-montholdson.Outsidetheboy'swindow,thedoctorsawtwoluminousobjectscomeclosetogether,thenmerge.Astheobject tilted, it emitted a beamof light at him for about a second.Then, it vanishedwith aflash,leavingonlyaslowly-dissolvingcloud.Shortlyafterthis,theman’sleg,whichhadbeenwoundedintheAlgerianWaryearsbefore,healed. Several days later, he experienced pain in his abdomen, and a red pigmentationappeared around his navel, forming a triangle. Dermatologists who examined him had noanswers. The case was reported to the French Academy of Sciences, although without theUFO connection. The baby also developed a red triangle. This case was unusually well-trackedand investigated. In thewordsof researcher JeromeClark, “this isoneof themostfantasticUFOstoriesever,butisaccompaniedby“physicalevidenceofaneerilycompellingsort.”[87]

***

Onethingshouldbeclearatthispoint:thereisnoshortageofastonishingUFOstories,andtheyappeartohaveexistedthroughoutourrecordedhistory.Evenacursoryreviewsuchasthismakes itevident that the full rangeofUFOcasesare farmoredifficult toexplain thansimply resorting to natural phenomenon, or even secret human technology. Somethingimportant,somethingstrange,isverymuchapartofourhistory.

As the following chapters will show, this phenomenon has also had serious political,economic,andsocialimplications.

Chapter4UFOSecrecyandThoseWhoFoughtIt

DelvingintotheworldofUFOsecrecyisnottheeasiestoftasks.Itmustbeexploredlayerby layer,and thischapterexplores the top layer. Itcomprises thepublichistoryof theUFOcontroversy, garnered from easily confirmed and open sources. Before plunging into thedeepwaters,wemustlearnhowtoswim.Beforewespeculateaboutthecoverup,wemustfirstunderstandwhatiseasilyconfirmed.Thatis,weneedtogetourfactsstraight.ThetopicofUFOsisnotsimplyanintellectuallyinterestingexercise(likeasking,Iwonderif there is life out there in the universe?). It is not a hypothetical matter, but has severalpragmaticimplicationsforoursociety.OneofthemoreobviousimplicationsisthatUFOsconstituteanationalsecurityproblem.As the last chapter demonstrated, there have been many UFO encounters by the variousmilitaries of this world, especially that of the U.S. With so many violations of sensitiveairspace taking place, caused by unknown objectswith extraordinary capabilities, it wouldhavebeenimpossibleforresponsiblenationalsecurityofficialstohaveignoredthesituation. This leads to the second important practical implication ofUFOs, evenmore importantfromapublicpolicypoint-of-view:governmentbysecrecy.Clearly,certainimplicationsofUFOspromptedadecisionthat thematterhadtobekeptawayfromdetailedpublic inquiry.Overtheyears,therehavebeenmanycontributingfactorstoourcurrentcultureofexpansivegovernment secrecy, andUFOs have been one of them, typically overlooked by themoreconventionalstudentsofhistoryandpoliticalscience.Itis,ofcourse,entirelyunderstandablethatmilitary and political leaderswouldwish to conceal such a serious problem from thepublic.Yetsecrecyisacancerthat,ifunchecked,killsthebodypoliticitisostensiblytryingtoprotect. Another implicationof theUFOphenomenonconcernsexotic technologyand science ingeneral. Consider a craft that can zigzag silently across the sky: one simple maneuverencapsulating a science that is utterly revolutionary. If we ever grasp the various sciencesbehindUFOs,oursocietywillbedramaticallytransformed,inwaysthatareprobablybeyondour wildest imagination. Indeed, we appear to be on the cusp of making several suchbreakthroughs. Finally,astudyofUFOsbringsus inevitablytoanexistentialcrisis.Whoare theseotherbeings?Whatistheiragenda?Aretheyfriendorfoe?Arepeoplereallybeingtakenbythem,

and if sowhy?These questions are of the greatest importance,with deep implications forhumansociety. TheAmericanpowereliteappears tohaveagreed.Thosewhowere in theknow decidedthat, for the time being at least, this was a reality too awesome, too terrifying, toodestabilizing to share with the world.What they needed, above all else, was time: time togatherinformation,timetoplan,timetostall.Althoughalifetimehasgonebysincethoseinitialdecisionsweremade,thebasicplanhascontinued.Denialanddeceptionremaintherule. SoUFOsare important tous.Andyet, theyare almost entirely ignoredby theopenandofficialorgansofpowerinoursociety,despitebeingseenworldwide.Itistimetoredresstheimbalance.

TheEarlyCover-UpAsthe1942“BattleofLosAngeles”shows,theU.S.militarywaslearningtolieaboutUFOsatleastfiveyearsbeforeRoswell.Thepublic,incidentally,knewitwasbeingliedto.Oneofthelocalnewspapers,theLongBeachIndependent,wroteof“amysteriousreticence,”andthat“someformofcensorship [appears tobe] trying tohaltdiscussionof thematter.” Indeed itwas, and so it continued throughout thewar.Of course,warfarebreeds secrecy, but all theothersecretsofWorldWarTwohavelongsincebeenrevealed.Everything,itappears,exceptUFOs.Or,astheywerecalledatthetime,foofighters.Throughoutthewar,somestrangeeventswerereported,andtherewasalwaysadiscrepancybetween what the classified community discussed and what the public was told. Hardlyanythingaboutfoofighterswasconsideredopenly.WhentheAssociatedPressandNewYorkTimes covered the topic in early 1945, it was speculated that thismight be a new form ofGermanweaponry.[88] In fact,noonehadaclue.Even today,despitecontinuedspeculationabouttheGermanconnectiontothefoofighters,thereisstillnoproof,norevenmuchinthewayofevidence.Yet,wedoknowtherewasgreatinterestinthesestrange...things.WehaverumorafterrumorthattheU.S.EighthAirForceunderGeneralJamesDoolittle,theOfficeofStrategic Services (the forerunner of the CIA), and British intelligence all conductedinvestigations of the foo fighters. The conclusion, it is said, was that they were neitherAmericannorGermantechnology.[89]Whilewearelefttospeculateandpiecetogetherwhathistorywecan,studiesweredoneinsecretyearsandyearsbeforeus.Evennow,wedonotknowforcertainwhattheyconcluded.Why?Nevertheless,someresearchersaremakingstrides.JosephP.Farrell,inaseriesofbooks,hasbuilt a case for a rangeofhighly advancedGerman technology that intersectswith theUFOphenomenon,andthisincludesatleastsomeofthefoofighters.Althoughthecasehasoften been made by some UFO researchers that the foo fighters were not overtly hostile,Farrell found cases in which they seemed to be experimental technologies designed tointerferewithAlliedmissions.OneeventcitedbyFarrellwasfroma1943bombingrunoverSchweinfurt,aGermancityinBavaria,andhometoaball-bearingfactorythatwastargetedbytheAlliesfordestruction.AreportontheeventwasdatedOctober24,1943,anddescribedinterviewswithAmericanB-17pilotsofthe384thBombGroupwhoreportedthattheGermanshadinexplicablynotsent

upanyfighterplanes toattackthem,wheninsteadtheyencounteredaclusterofsilverdiscsthat closed on them. These objects were very small, estimated as one inch thick and threeincheswide (theexactsizeofahockeypuck).Thepilotswereastonishedwhen theclustersdirectlystruckat leastoneof theB-17s(apparently)ontherightwinganddefinitelyonthetail.Althoughtheclusterhadnoeffectontheperformanceoftheaircraft,thestrangeabsenceofGermanLuftwaffeledAlliedintelligenceofficerstosuspect(inFarrell’swords)“thattheincident reflected the combat use and experimentationwith some sort of unusualweapon.”Indeed, an incident had occurred during amission over Stuttgart on September 6, 1943 inwhich another cluster of “small round objects, silvery in color,” fell in the path ofAlliedbombers. According to one report, “some was observed to fall on the wing of a B-17belonging to our group. The wing immediately started to burn.” In Farrell’s judgement,“clearly, theLuftwaffewas deploying and combat-testing some sort of strange technology,andthattechnologywasanythingbutharmless.”[90] Farrell also studied the more common foo fighter reports over Germany which wereconnected tosightingsof“redballsof fire.”Henoted that“theoverwhelmingbodyof foofighter reportscouldneverpin themdowntoanythingexplicitlyGerman . . .except in oneinstance.”ThiswaswhentheIXTacticalAirCommandAlliedaircraftreportedthataGermanMesserschmitt-109fighter joineda formationofAlliedaircraftand“wasseen toemitwhatappearedtobearedballoffirewhichfollowedtheaircraftforsome2-3seconds.”[91] This is certainly fascinating. While the above is not quite enough to serve as firmconfirmationthatsomefoofighterswereofGermanmanufacture,it’sareasonablepositionto take. Farrell is furthermore on point in his suggestion that Nazi technology bears arelationshiptopost-WorldWarTwoUFOs.TheU.S.broughtthelion’sshareoftheGermanintelligence and scientific community into its sphere after the war ended, and wouldpresumablyhavekeptthebestdevelopmentsclassifiedforaslongaspossible.MoreonthisinChapter5. Still,when considering that equally baffling foo fighter accounts came from thePacificTheaterofwar,includingthesummerof1945aftertheGermanshadsurrendered,weneedtoquestion the viability of explaining all of these as German-derived technology. Did theGermans, even while fighting literally for their lives, share their most dprecioustechnological secrets with the Japanese (with whom, by the way, communications becameincreasingly difficult as the war drew to a close, and trade-transport nearly impossible)?When we look for historical evidence to support such a line of speculation, we come upempty,oratleastwoefullyinsufficient.Thereisatruthsomewherebehindthesefoofighters.Afteralltheseyearstheycontinuetoleaveuswithnaggingquestionsunansweredbyourofficialorgansoftruth,thatis,academiaandthemedia.Thesamecanbesaidoftheghostrocketsof1946.Onceagain,theclassifiedworldshowedgreatinterestinanunknownphenomenon,noneofwhichwastransmittedtothepublic.TwoAmericangeneralsvisitedSweden,oneofwhomwasGeneralJamesDoolittle(leadingustoconsiderthattheEighthAirForcemayhavereachedsomeinterestingconclusionsaboutthefoofighters).Afterthisvisit,theSwedishgovernmentstoppedtalkingtothenewspapers.Andwhilepublicspeculationcenteredon theRussiansas the likelyculprits, theclassifiedworldconcluded differently.By late 1946, the SwedishAir Intelligence Service arrived at a truly

remarkableassessment.Unfortunately, itwasnotdeclassifieduntil the late1990s. It read, inpart:

. . . some reliable and fully technically qualified people have reached the conclusion that ‘these phenomena areobviouslytheresultofahightechnicalskillwhichcannotbecreditedtoanypresentlyknowncultureonEarth.’Theyarethereforeassumingthattheseobjectsoriginatefromsomepreviouslyunknownorunidentifiedtechnology,possiblyoutsidetheEarth.[92]

Given theclosecontactbetweentheSwedesand theAmericans, theAmericansobviouslyknew everything the Swedes knew. So here is an early example of the ExtraterrestrialHypothesis (ETH) making its way through the U.S. military command structure. WhetherAmerica's topgeneralsandadmirals supported thesearguments is anothermatter.But theirSwedishcounterpartsseemtohave. When recalling the statements of the Greek scientist Paul Santorini, mentioned in thepreviouschapter,theargumentforcover-upbecomesmorepowerfulstill.Yearsafterthefact,Santorini said that the so-calledghost rocketswereneitherSoviet nor rockets.[93]He alsodescribed American interference in the Greek investigation. Just as with the Swedes, theAmericans were obviously familiar with his team's conclusions. One can only wonder ifDoolittlewasinvolvedhere,too.[94]

1947:TheDamBreaks Nowwecometo1947.Despitethecontinualandsteadyupsurgeofsightings,noneoftheprior events had proved durable in the public psyche. The Battle of Los Angeles and foofighterswerealreadyadistantmemory.TheghostrocketshadvaguelybeenascribedtotheSoviets. As far as the public could tell, there were no connections among these obscureevents,andhencenophenomenon.Notso,however,amongthenationalsecurityelite.Everyindicationisthattheyknewfullwell that theyweredealingwithsomethingextraordinary.Maybetheyknewevenmorethanthat. Then, in late Juneandearly Julyof1947, thedambroke.Finally, thepublicwas talkingabout this new phenomenon called flying saucers, and Roswell was the culmination.SomethingwentdownnearRoswellinJuly1947.AnFBImemofromthatweektellsusthat,whateveritwas,itwassenttoWrightFieldinDayton,Ohioforanalysis—thatis,theU.S.AirTechnicalIntelligenceCenter(ATIC).SincetheAirForcehascontinuedpubliclytoassertthattheRoswelldebriswasaballoonknownasMogul,weareobligatedtoask:whywouldanytypeofballoonbesenttoATIC?Thereisalsoagreatdealofanecdotaltestimonysupportingthe idea that an exotic and advanced craft went down near Roswell. For instance, GeneralArthurExon,whowasa juniorofficeratWrightFieldat the time, told researchers that, in1947,hehadheardaboutthematerialsarrivingfromNewMexicoasbeingincrediblyexoticand mystifying to the best scientists who studied them. During the 1960s, Exon was BaseCommanderatWright-PattersonAirForceBase.Ashesaidin1990:

They knew they had something new in their hands. The metal and material was unknown to anyone I talked to.Whatevertheyfound,Ineverheardwhattheresultswere.AcoupleofguysthoughtitmightbeRussian,buttheoverallconsensuswasthatthepieceswerefromspace.EveryonefromtheWhiteHouseondownknewthatwhatwehadfoundwasnotofthisworldwithin24hoursofourfindingit....Roswellwastherecoveryofacraftfromspace.[95]

Forabriefmomentoneday,theworldwastreatedtoaheadlineconfirmingthecaptureofa

flying saucer. Three hours after the initial press release, however, the story was orderedpulled, retracted, and then debunked. In the aftermath ofRoswell, press coverage of flyingsaucerspracticallyceased.TheNewYorkTimes,LifeMagazine,andothermajorprintmediapublisheddismissivearticles.Fromthispointonward,UFOwitnessesincreasinglybegantobeportrayedascrackpots. Thepresswassimplyfollowingtheleadof themilitary.InvolumeoneofUFOsand theNationalSecurityState,Iwrote,“theArmybakedit,thepressservedit,andthepublicateit.”There were no independent civilian investigations of UFOs in 1947, hence no one tochallengethenationalsecurityapparatus,whichwastheonlygroupinvestigatingthismatterseriously.Andwhatwasoccurringwithinthatapparatus?AccordingtoCaptainEdwardRuppelt,wholaterheaded theAirForce'sProjectBlueBook, andwhohad theopportunity to review therecordsof1947,thesituationinAirForceHeadquarterswas“confusionalmosttothepointofpanic,”andthatthesecuritylidwasdowntight.Thisisperfectlylogical.[96]Considerthesituation.TheU.S.militaryhadjustfoughtthemostterrifyingandconsumingwar in history. The world was broken, exhausted, and just beginning the long road torecovery.Inthetwoyearssincethewar ’send, theSovietUnionandcommunismhadgiventheU.S.somethingnewtofear.Thentherewasthenewandterrifyingtechnologyofatomicweapons.Therewasafear,almostintheair,thatsuchweaponsportendedthedestructionofmankind,orevenofalllifeonEarth.Morethananythingelse,peopleeverywherewantedtoreturntosomesenseofnormal. And yet what was happening? A mysterious phenomenon had appeared. Its source andintentions were as yet unknown, likewise its full capabilities. Nevertheless, whoever andwhateverwas behind the flying saucers, they appeared to be “ahead” of themost advancedhumantechnology.Undersuchconditions,couldanyoneexpectnationalsecuritypolicymakerstoannouncethepresenceofsuchthingstotheworld?Wouldn’titmakemoresensetokeepthisassecretaspossible,while trying tounderstandwhat theyweredealingwith?Surely itwould, and thisappearstobeexactlywhathappened. It isalsohelpful to remember thatnoorganizationas largeas theU.S.militarycaneveroperateinacompletelyorganizedmanner,withoutsomelevelofconfusion.Throughoutthesummerof1947, itwasobvious thatmanyseniorofficersanddecision-makerswerenot inthe loop on thematter of flying saucers.Not everyone had a “need-to-know.”As a result,therewereattemptsbyvariousoffices tofindout justwhat thisbusinesswasallabout.OnesuchattemptwasbyBrigadierGeneralGeorgeSchulgenat thePentagonwhenhewrote toLieutenantGeneralNathanTwiningofAirMaterialCommand.Schulgenbelieved these so-called flying discs were probably classified American technology, but he wantedconfirmation.Afterall,wasthissomethingheneededtobeconcernedwith?Inreply,Twiningwroteoneofthemostremarkablememosontheflyingdiscsthathaseverbeenmadepublic.DatedSeptember23,1947,hetoldSchulgenthatthesaucerswere“real,notvisionary or fictitious.” Although he conceded the possibility that they may be naturalphenomenasuchasmeteors,headded:

...thereportedoperatingcharacteristicssuchasextremeratesofclimb,maneuverability(particularlyinroll),andactionwhichmustbeconsideredevasivewhensighted...lendbelieftothepossibilitythatsomeoftheobjectsarecontrolled

eithermanually,automatically,orremotely.

Twining listed several commondescriptionsofUFOs.Theygenerallywere silent,hadametallicorlightreflectingsurface,notrail,werecircularorellipticalinshape,andoftenflatonthebottom.Manydescriptionsindicatedadomeontop.Severalreportsindicatedtheyflewinformation.Quitespecificinformation,indeed. UFOskepticshavepointed toTwining’s statement thatnowreckageof a flyingdischadbeenrecovered.Itistruethathewasprobablyinagoodpositiontoknow.ButwhatwedonotknowiswhetherTwiningwouldhavebeenabletotellSchulgenaboutaUFOcrash,ifsuchathinghadhappened.Simplyput,ifSchulgenlackeda“needtoknow,”Twiningcouldnothavetoldhim.Ontheotherhand,TwiningdidstatethatUFOswerenotsecretAmericancraft.ThiscameasasurprisetoSchulgen,whoexpectedtolearnthattherewasnothingtotheaffair,thateverythingwasundercontrol.WasTwininghidingthefactthatUFOswereclassifiedtechnology?Itisafairquestion,andheappearstohaveleftthedooropen.Hewrote:

Dueconsiderationmustbegiventothefollowing:Thepossibilitythattheseobjectsareofdomesticorigin—theproductofsomehighsecurityprojectnotknowntoAC/AS-2orthiscommand....Thepossibilitythatsomeforeignnationhasaformofpropulsion,possiblynuclear,whichisoutsideofourdomesticknowledge.

Clearly,therewasmuchmoregoingonthanwhatwereadinTwining’smemo.Tostart,wemight ask,howmuchwas Schulgen cleared to know? For instance, what does it mean thatTwiningwrotetherewerenocrashedUFOs—suchasatRoswell?Logically,itwouldseemtomeanoneofthreethings:eithertherewasnocrashofaUFOatRoswell,orTwiningdidnotknowaboutit,orSchulgenwasnotclearedtoknowaboutit. Ifnothingelse,wecanseeby this threepage, typewritten,memo that theUFOissuewasbeingtakenveryseriouslybythehighestlevelsoftheAmericannationalsecuritycommunity.TwininglaterearnedhisfourthstarandbecameChiefofStaffoftheU.S.AirForce.AsaresultofhislettertoSchulgen,theAirForceestablishedProjectSign,basedoutofWright-PattersonAirForceBase.Signbeganworkinthebeginningof1948,chargedwithstudyingtheflyingsaucersandcomingtosomesortofconclusionaboutthem. Before leaving theTwiningmemo,weareobliged toaska fewmoreobviousquestions.First,isthereanycredibleevidencethateithertheU.S.oranyoneelsehadanycraftin1947,experimental or otherwise, that could duplicate the reportedmaneuvers of flying saucers?What aerial object in 1947 had those performance capabilities, and which was flat on thebottomanddomedontop?[97] As mentioned earlier, much of this hinges on whether or not the Germans developedtechnologyduring theSecondWorldWar thatcouldhaveaccounted foraportion (whethersmall,large,orentire)oftheUFOphenomenonatthistime.ItiswellunderstoodthatGermanscienceandtechnologywerequiteadvanced,andthattheAllieswereawareofthisfactduringthe last phase of the war as they scrambled to acquire as many German science andintelligencespecialistsastheycould.TheremaywellbeaconnectionwithwhattheGermanshadbeenworkingon,althoughitremainsproblematictoascribealloftheUFOsightingstothis.Thereweresimplytoomanyofthem,andthereweretoomanythatpredatedanypossibleGerman-Nazi technology. Moreover, there has never been a reasonable account of themanufacturing infrastructure needed to develop and build these objects, especially in a

decimated post-1945world, nor of theirmission, nor of how, in how in subsequent years,theywereable(presumably)tocreatetheillusionamongsomanywitnessesthattheywerenotnormalhumanbeingsbutextraterrestrialaliens. Another interestingquestionarises. IfRoswellwas thecrashofsomethinghighlyexotic,even extraterrestrial, does thatmean Project Signwas something other thanwhat we havebeen told for years and years?Was Project Sign, instead, a kind of busy-work for certaingroupsinthemilitarythatdidnotneedtoknowthefulltruthofthematter?MightithavebeenanexercisetoseejusthowvulnerabletheUFOrealitywastobeingaccuratelyassessedandperceived by reasonable analysis, and which would therefore provide guidance on howfurther to hide it from prying eyes? After all, if material and bodies from Roswell orelsewherehadalreadybeen recovered, surely theconclusionsofSignwouldnothavebeenneededforthosepeoplewhoweretrulyintheknow.Butitwouldbenecessarytokeepenoughpeoplebusy“searching”foranswers.So,wasProjectSignsomething likebusy-work?Theshortanswerappearstobeyes. In any case, by the beginning of 1948, the scientists at Project Sign agreed that thephenomenon of “flying saucers” was real, and not merely illusory, nor all hoaxes. Theyshared a broad consensus that somebody's technology was responsible, probably either asecret project of the Soviets or Americans, or else of “interplanetary” origin. They alsoagreedthatthiswasseriousbusiness,andthatsecrecywasneededtostudyit.Everythingwastobeconductedawayfrompryingeyes.[98]

1948:EstimatingtheSituationThenewyearbeganwithanill-fatedattempttointerceptaUFO.OnJanuary7,1948,whilechasing an unknown object near GoddardAir Force Base in Kentucky, Air Force CaptainThomasMantellcrashedtohisdeath.Hehadclimbedtoohighwithoutoxygen,andcertainlypassedout.Whathechasedremainsuncleartothisday.TheteamatSigninitiallythoughthehadmisidentifiedVenus,whichwasinthegeneraldirectionhewasgoing,untilitwasrealizedtherewastoomuchdaylightforVenustohavebeenvisible.Theythenchangedtheirsolutionto “unknown.” Some years later, astronomer J.AllenHynek suggestedMantellmight havechasedoneoftheNavy’sclassifiedSkyhookballoons.Thisanswerispossible,althoughtherestillremainsdoubt.Wemayneverknow.[99]Forthenextfewmonthsof1948,therewerefewgoodUFOreportswithintheU.S.TherewasacrescendothatbeganinMay,however,andincludedseveralmilitaryaerialencounters.Matters came to a head on July 24, when an Eastern Airlines flight over Montgomery,AlabamahadanearcollisionwithalargeUFO.Bothpilotsandoneofthepassengerssawabrilliant, rocket-likeobject rushingstraightat them.Then itveered to theside,gavea longgustof redexhaust,andshotup into theclouds.Bothpilotsstated theywereable tosee theobjectclearly.Theyagreedthatithaddoubledeckedrowsofsquarewindowsalongtheside,andwas about onehundred feet long. Itwasmoving at an estimated speedof between fivehundredandsevenhundredmilesperhour:roughlythetopspeedattainedbyanyaircraftintheworldatthattime.Theywereconvincedthiswasnonaturalphenomenon.Ameteorite,forinstance,wouldhavebeenmuchfasterandwouldnothavemaneuveredasthisobjectdid.[100]Uponreflection,thisisaveryperplexingsighting.First,ifthiswasanextraterrestrialcraft,wehaveask:whatwereitsoperatorsthinking?Didtheyhaveamechanicalfailure?Werethey

tryingtoterrifythelocalsinsomecelestialgameofchicken?Moreover,thecraft’sleveloftechnologydidnotseemmorethanperhapsafewdecadesaheadoftherestoftheworld,ifthat.Afterall,itwasclearlyburningsomesortoffuel.Indeed,therewereafewexperimentaldesigns(existingonpaperonly),whichboreasuperficialresemblancetothedescriptionofthe strange object. These were the Air Force/RAND “World-Circling Spaceship,” theNavy/Martin“HighAltitudeTestVehicle”(HATV),andtheNavy/NorthAmericanHATV.AllwereearlydesignstolaunchanartificialsatelliteintoEarthorbit,andall—iftheyhadbeenbuilt—wouldhavebeenroughlythesizeoftheobjectdescribedbythepilots.[101]Forallweknow,thisobjectwaslessadvancedthantheF-117AStealthFighter,althoughadmittedlyithadmuch better maneuverability and acceleration. This sighting also prompts us to recall theairshipsofthe1890s,whichalsoseemedtohavebeenadecadeorsoaheadoftherestoftheworld.

DrawingsbythewitnessesoftheobjecttheysawonJuly24,1948.

So what is the ultimate meaning of this July, 1948 encounter? Extraterrestrials?Extraterrestrialsthatliveherepermanently,butsomehowinsecret?Or,weretheypossiblyanentirelyhumangroup,butsecret?Ifthelastofthese,itremainsfrustratingthat,evenafteralltheseyears,nooneeverleakedinformationtothateffect.Weareasstumpedtodayaspeoplewerebackthen.Publicly,themilitarydideverythingpossibletodownplayinterestinthiscase,eveninitiallycallingtheunknownobjectaweatherballoon,astatementitwasforcedtoretract.Behindthescenes,however,therewasgreatinterest.Indeed,itledtheteamatSigntocreateadocument

entitled,TheEstimateoftheSituation.ItwashandedtoAirForceChiefofStaff,GeneralHoytVandenberg, most likely in August of that year. This document, which has taken on alegendary status, has never beenmade public. Yet, a number of people have attested to itsreality,includingEdwardRuppelt.Asheputit:“thesituationwastheUFOs;theestimatewasthey were interplanetary!” The most likely scenario, according to the report, was thatextraterrestrialsweremakingafull-scaleobservationofEarth,althoughattackdidnotseemimminent.Arathershockingassessment,tobesure.[102] Vandenberg,we are told, rejected the report’s conclusion, either because it could not beproven,or(morelikely)becausehesimplydidnotdesireit.TheEstimatethendiedaquickdeath.AccordingtoRuppelt,allbutafewcopieswereburned,andthepersonnelinvolvedincreating it were reassigned. Later during the 1950s, Ruppelt spoke privately with retiredMarineCorpsMajorDonaldE.Keyhoe,probablythemostimportantUFOresearcherofthe1950s.RuppelttoldKeyhoe,“thegeneralsaid[TheEstimate]wouldcauseastampede....howcouldweconvincethepublicthealiensweren'thostilewhenwedidn'tknowitourselves?”ResearcherKevinRandlehadanotherinterestingstoryabouttheEstimate.Randlehadmetan Air Force colonel who also confirmed the existence of the Estimate. This colonel hadworked with Air Technical Intelligence Command (ATIC) during the late 1940s, and toldRandle that after it hadbeenhand-delivered toVandenberg, he returned itwith instructionsthat two paragraphs be removed. These paragraphswere said to have referred to physicalexistenceof alien craft recovered inNewMexico.Randlewas told this before theRoswellcasewasrediscoveredinthelate1970s.[103] One way or another, the Estimate of the Situation led to a policy change on UFOs.Essentially, it portended the end of Project Sign and the demise, albeit temporarily, of theextraterrestrialhypothesis. Butletusreflectonwhathadjusthappened.AstrongandcompellingUFOsightingtakesplace,somethingsoprofoundthatitshakesuptheAirForceandpromptsthestaffatSigntowriteareportfavoringtheETH.Then,thereportisbatteddown,andananti-ETHmoodsetsin.ThepeopleatSignwerenotill-trained,gullible,ornaive.Onthecontrary,theywerelevel-headedandskepticalinthebestsenseoftheword,andseriousabouttheproblemofUFOs.Inthis context, what seems most likely is that this was an attempt to keep the low-levelinvestigation at Project Sign from straying into highly classified territory. The staff hadstumbledontothecorrectanswer,butthatcorrectanswerwasbeyondtheirpaygrade.Certainly,theattitudeofPresidentHarryTrumanwouldhavebeenofgreatimportancetothismatter.Yet inTruman's two-volumeautobiography, thereareno references toanythingconnectedtoUFOsorflyingsaucers.OnewouldthinkthatUFOsweresimplynotpartofhisPresidency. In fact, however, Truman was regularly briefed about UFOs. A statement from MajorGeneralRobertB.Landrymakesthisclear.In1974,afterhehadretiredandTrumanhaddied,Landrygaveaninterviewabouthiscareer,whichincludedatimewhenheservedasPresidentTruman’sAirForceLiaison.Inthecourseofhisinterview,Landrysaidthatfromthesummerof 1948 until the end of Truman’s presidency in January 1953, he was responsible forcoordinatingwiththeCIAtoprovidequarterlybriefingsforPresidentTrumanonthesubjectofUFOs.Immediatelyaftermentioningthis,Landrydownplayedits importance.Allreportsweremadeorally,hesaid,and“nothingofsubstanceconsideredcredibleorthreateningtothe

countrywaseverreceivedfromintelligence.[104]“ Considering that these briefings lasted for four and a half years, it would seem thatPresidentTrumanreceivedseventeenoreighteenbriefingsonUFOs.Itcertainlywouldhavebeennicetohearthoseconversations,unimportantthoughLandryprofessedthemtobe.Butweretheyreallyunimportant?Inthefirstplace,theystartedatthetimeoftheEasternAirlinesincident and The Estimate of the Situation. This alonewould indicate that there was someurgencytothematter.Moreover,foramanasbusyasPresidentHarryTrumantobebriefedevery threemonthson flyingsaucers indicates thatsomeone thought itwas important.Dittothe fact that Landry worked with the CIA on this. As for Landry’s insistence that nothingimportantwasdiscussed,andthatnothingwaswrittendown,perhapsatellingstatementfromformer CIA director RichardHelmswould be helpful: “the first rule in keeping secrets isnothingonpaper.”ItwouldappearthatPresidentTrumanandhisnationalsecurityteamconsideredthematterofUFOstobeveryimportant.

TheCaseofJamesForrestal Another person of interest during this early period was America’s first Secretary ofDefense, JamesForrestal.Heheld thatposition from the timeof thegreatnational securityreorganization of mid-1947 until the spring of 1949. Forrestal ran America’s militarythroughtheearlytensionsoftheColdWar,aswellasduringthefirstupsurgeinreportsaboutthe“flyingsaucers.”HewasfiredbyHarryTrumanatthebeginningofTruman'ssecondterm(formeetingwithTruman’sRepublicanopponent,ThomasE.Dewey,duringthePresidentialcampaign season). At the end of March 1949, he formally left his position. He thenimmediatelyhadanervousbreakdownandwashospitalized.OntheearlymorningofMay22,1949,Forrestaldiedafterfallingfromthe16thfloorwindowoftheBethesdaNavalHospital,inWashington,D.C.Hisdeathwasimmediatelyruledasuicide,andthat,apparently,wasthat.AllstandardbiographiesofForrestalagreewiththisassessment. Not everyone, however, has agreed. A number of people, including his brother Henry,suspected that he had been murdered. There are many suspicious elements of Forrestal'sdeath: (1) His near complete isolation during his hospitalization, even several times from hisbrother, as well as his chaplain. (2) He was seen to be improving during the final weeksbeforehisdeath.(3)Hehadbefriendedoneofhissecurityguardsandhaddiscussedhavingthe young man serve as his assistant after his release. (4) On the night of his death, thatsecurity guard had been replaced by a new guard. (5) At 1:30 a.m., just minutes beforeForrestal’sdeath,thenewsecurityguardallegedlysawhimreadingandtakingnotesinbed,and said Forrestal declined a sedative to help him sleep. (6) The notes were said to be atranscription from amorbid speech fromSophocles’ playAjax. Thiswas played up in themediaasakindofsuicidenote.Yetthenotewasbarelyconsideredamatterofinterestduringthe U.S. Navy’s Review Board, which investigated his murder. Most importantly, it wasdecidedlynotinhishandwriting.(7)Forrestaldiedbyfallingfromthekitchenwindowinthehallwayofhishospital.Yethedidnotmerely jump.Hisbodywas foundwithhisbathrobecordtiedverytightlyaroundhisneck.Supposedly,hehadtriedtohanghimselfbytyingtheother end to a radiator just below thewindow, certainly anodd—probablyunique—way to

attemptsuicide.Hedidnothanghimselfinhisownroom,whichwouldhavebeenfareasier.(8)Scuffmarkswerefoundontheouterwindowsillwherehefell.IfForrestalhaddecidedsuddenlytokillhimself,heapparentlychangedhismindrightaway.(9)Hisbrother,Henry,hadjustinformedthehospitalthathewasgoingtoreporthisbrother ’sisolateddetentiontothepress,andwasgoingtohavehimtakenoutonMonday,May23.JamesForrestaldiedat1:45a.m.onthemorningofMay23.[105]Severalanalysts,includingtheauthor,havereviewedForrestal’sdeathindetail.Murder,notsuicide,istheobviousprobability.Ifso,wemightaskwhy?HereiswheretheUFOconnectionbecomesinteresting.AnyoneaspowerfulasaSecretaryofDefensehasenemiescomingfrommanydirections.TheUFOconnectionisnot theonlyone that could have resulted in people wanting to kill him. But, without a doubt, if oneconsiders the UFO problem to have been real to the national security elite, then Forrestalwouldhavebeenconsideredasecurityrisk.Over1948,hismentalstatehadbecomedelicate,andwhoknowswhathemighthavesaidoncehewasreleasedfromthehospital?

UnknownObjectsOverSensitiveAirspace Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, a number of classifiedmemoswerewrittenabout UFOs.What we take away from them is that somethingwas happening that gravelyconcernedpeopleintheknow.Noneofthesedocumentswaswrittenwiththeexpectationthattheywouldeverbemadepublic.ItwasduringthebriefwindowinAmericanhistorywhentheFreedomof InformationActwas somewhat user-friendly (that is, during the JimmyCarteradministrationofthelate1970s)whenmostoftheseUFO-relateddocumentswerereleased.Itisincrediblebuttruethat,ofthethousandsofpagesofUFO-relateddocumentsthathavebeendeclassifiedbytheU.S.government,morethanhalfarefromthatnow-distantperiodoftime.Moreover,mostofthoseareoflowerlevelsofclassification,seldomashighasTopSecret.Oneofthese,however,anFBImemofromJanuary31,1949,statedbluntlythatthematterofflyingsaucerswas“considered topsecretby intelligenceofficersofboth theArmyand theAir Forces.” Itwent on to describe disturbing, unexplained events over LosAlamos and avariety of othermilitary installations. This, at a timewhen government spokespersons hadbeen assuring the public that flying saucers were simply a combination of hoaxes,hallucinations, conventional aircraft, andmisidentificationofnaturalphenomena. In reality,thememodescribedthisphenomenonaspositivelydangerous.Onceagain,thereisindicationthat the Eastern Airlines encounter of 1948 was considered very important. This memoexplainedthat:

...recentobservationshaveindicatedthattheunidentifiedphenomenatravelattherateofspeedestimatedataminimumofthreemilespersecondandamaximumoftwelvemilespersecond,orameancalculatedspeedofsevenandone-halfmilespersecond,or27,000milesperhour.

Thememo noted furthermore that several times “a definite vertical change in pathwasindicated.” Whatever these things were, they were not only incredibly fast, but hadmaneuverabilitythatwasoffthecharts.ThisclassifiedmemoalsodescribedincursionsofunknownobjectsoverLosAlamos,NewMexicothroughoutDecember1948(onthe5th,6th,7th,8th,11th,13th,14th,20th,and28th).Thewitnesses of these “unexplained phenomena” includedSpecialAgents of theOffice ofSpecialInvestigation,airlinepilots,militarypilots,LosAlamosbasesecuritypersonnel,and

private citizens.A few sightingswere ofmultiple craft, and analysts rejected the notion ofmeteorites as an explanation. Some wondered whether or not the objects were Soviet inorigin,butthisseemedtobeastretch.[106] Severalothermemosof theperiodstandout.Indeed,onthesamedaythat theFBImemowasprepared,anotheronewasdispatchedfromKirtlandAirForceBaseinAlbuquerque.Asmentionedinthepreviouschapter,thisonedeclaredthatatleastonehundredUFOsightingshadbeenrecordedinthatarea,anddescribedconcernfrommanyquarters.Agenciessuchasthe Atomic Energy Commission, the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, the FourthArmy,and local commanderswere“perturbedby implicationsofphenomena.”Clearly, theimplicationsofoveronehundredUFOsightingsintheareawouldperturbanyone.Anotherdocument,thisonefromthesummerof1950,statedthatroundUFOshadbeenseenovertheHanfordAtomicEnergyCommissionplant.AirForcejetshadattemptedtointerceptthe objects, but failed. Many units had been alerted, including anti-aircraft battalions andmore.Inotherwords,thematterwasserious.Withinsuchanenvironmentofconfusionanduncertainty,howcouldthemilitarypossiblydesiretoinformthepublicaboutit?

ClassifiedmemodescribingUFOsovertheHanfordAtomicFacilityinthesummerof1950.

But,despitealleffortstokeepUFOssecret,toerasethemfromthepublicmind,theywouldnot go away.People continued to see them, and theU.S.militarywas in theuncomfortableposition of attempting to explain them away.As long as the sightingswere relatively few,perhapsthiscouldbedone.Thencame1952. The Air Force had begun to revitalize the remnants of Project Sign, which had beenrecreatedunderthenameProjectGrudge.Throughmostof1951,Grudgelookedmoribund.Then,afteradramaticmilitaryUFOsightingoverNewJerseyduring the fall,GrudgewashandedtoCaptainEdwardRuppelt.Inthespringof1952,Grudgereceivedanewname:BlueBook.Ruppelthadasmallstafftoworkwith,justintimetodealwithahugeincreaseinUFOsightings.

TheCrisisof1952HighupwithinthePentagon,someonehaddecidedtopromoteUFOstothepublic.InApril1952,Lifemagazinepublishedanarticle thathadbeensponsoredbytheAirForce,entitled,“HaveWeVisitorsFromSpace?”Life's answerwas,maybe. The article ruled out themainexcuses commonly attributed at the time: psychological phenomena, products of U.S.research, Russian developments, atmospheric effects from atomic activity, or Skyhookballoons.Thiswasnotthetypeofdebunkingpiecethatwastypicaloftheera.Admittedly,theNewYorkTimesquicklyrebuttedit,butitwasneverthelesstruethattheAirForcehadbeenthemainsourceforthearticle.ProjectBlueBookhadevendeclassifiedcertainUFOreportsforit.Onseveraloccasions,RuppeltwasaskedwhethertheAirForcewasreallybehindthepiece.The official answer was no, that Life's conclusions were its own. However, he stated thatcertain high-ranking Pentagon officers (“so high that their personal opinion was almostpolicy”)hadunofficiallyinspiredthearticle.Oneofthesemenhadevengivenhisopinionstothejournalistofthearticle.[107]Butwhatdoesitmean?HadthepowerelitedecidetosoftenUFOsecrecy?Or,perhaps,wasthesuddenopennessasmokescreenforsomethingelse?Perhapsaninsidefactionwantedtohedge itsbet, just incaseeventswere to spiraloutofcontrolanda fulldisclosurebecameneeded? Indeed, sightings had been quite frequent throughout 1950, 1951, and early 1952.Somehadbeenunsettling.Ifthesecret-keeperswereconcernedthattheagenciesbehindUFOsmightsoonmakeanopenappearance,theymightseektopreparethepublic,ifonlyjustabit. Yetanotherquestionarises inconnectionwiththearticle:didthepolicymakersknowthatUFO sightingswere about to spike so high? For, oddly enough,UFOswere reported at arecordpaceallthroughthespringandsummerof1952. InApril, twopowerfulmembersofAmerica’sdefenseestablishmenthadadramaticUFOencounter.U.S.Secretaryof theNavy,DanKimball,was flying fromCalifornia toHawaii,whenhesawtwodisc-shapedobjectsmovingatanincrediblyfastspeed,laterestimatedtobeabout1,500mph.TheycircledKimball’splanetwiceandthendeparted.Fiftymilestotheeast,anotheraircraft,carryingU.S.NavyAdmiralArthurRadford,encounteredwhatappearedtobethesameobjects.Theycircledhisaircraft,thenzoomedupwardandoutofsight.Kimballreported the encounter to the Air Force, and was unhappy with what he believed was itsstonewalling on UFOs. The story leaked to retiredMarine CorpsMajor, Donald Keyhoe,

which ishowthe restof theworldeventually learnedabout it.ButKimball’sandRadford'ssightingswereonlytwoofseveralhundredintriguingUFOencountersthattookplaceduringthespringandsummerof1952.[108] April and May were busy months for Project Blue Book, with 99 and 79 reports,respectively.InJune,thetotalincreasedto149.Ruppeltdescribedthatmonthas“onebigswirlof UFO reports.” That month, he gave a briefing on UFOs to the head of Air ForceIntelligence, General John Alexander Samford. The small room was crowded. Samford’sstaff was there, as were two Captains from Naval intelligence. There were also a fewindividuals that Ruppelt said he would not name. The meeting was tense, until one ofSamford'sstaffmembers,aColonel,arguedthatBlueBook'sinvestigationwasbiasedagainsttheinterplanetarythesis.Atthatpoint,wroteRuppelt,“youcouldalmostheartheColoneladd,‘okay,sonowI'vesaidit.’”Opinionsweresplitfairlyevenlyand,inRuppelt’sview,thisreflectedasplitinopinionsattheverytop.Ononesidewerethosewhowantedtocontinuekeepingan“openmind”aboutUFOs,withoutformingaprovisionalconclusionastowhattheywere.Theothergrouphadapparently formed a conclusion andwas “dead serious about the situation.”Theywanted apolicy starting from theassumption thatUFOswere interplanetary,and theywanted to stopany further release of information.He argued that this group had taken a firm hold in thePentagon,andmanyotheragenciesthroughoutgovernment.[109]Butthecrescendoofsightingshadnotended.AlthoughJune1952hadbeenabusymonthforBlueBook,Julywasthebusiestofall.Anincredible536reportscametothegroup,andunknownswere running at about forty percent. Ruppelt laterwrote of rumors that theAirForcewasbracedforaninvasionbyflyingsaucers.Andyet,thesituationontheinsidewasevenworsethanthat.“HadtheserumormongersbeenatATICinmid-July,”hewrote,“theywouldhavethoughttheinvasionwasalreadyinfull-swing.”[110] Mattersculminatedfor twoconsecutiveweekendsoverthenation'scapital,whenmultipleUFOsweretrackedonradarandseenvisuallybyquiteafewpeople.Onbothoccasions,AirForceinterceptorsweresent.Pilotsgotcloseenoughtotracktheunknownsbutwereunableto catch up. The eventswere so significant that theymade the front page of theNew YorkTimes, even bumping the Democratic national presidential convention from the top spot.There is a famous photograph of the objects over theCapitol building, often argued to bereflectionsoflightsfrombelow,andthisisverylikelythecase.Nevertheless,theradarandvisualtestimonyiscompelling.Iwasfortunatetospeaktooneofthekeyradaroperatorsandair traffic controllers at the time, Howard Cocklin. Howard described how he saw theunknownobjectsvisuallyatthesametimetheywerebeingtrackedonradar.Hewasninetyatthetimeofourinterview,andpassedawaytwomonthslater.[111]Whenunexplainedobjectsareseenandtrackedoverthenation'scapital,flyingatwillandeasilyevadingthetopinterceptorsavailable,thisisaproblem.Aboveallelse,whathadtobedonewastodefusethesituation.ThusdidGeneralJohnSamfordspeaktothepressonJuly29,1952.HeexplainedtherecentUFOactivityastheresultoffaultyradarreturnscausedby“temperatureinversion,”aparticulartypeofweatherphenomenoninwhichalayerofwarmair becomes trapped between two layers of cooler air, andwhich can affect radar returns.While this is a real phenomenon, nearly all the radar operators involved disputed thisexplanation.None,however,werepermittedtospeakatthepressconference.Itisinteresting,

incidentally, that accompanying Samford was General Roger Ramey. Five years earlier,RameyhadbeenthemantosquashtheRoswellstory.[112] The press conference effectively managed public opinion. Within the classified world,however,nooneseemstohavebelievedtheexplanation.Withindays,aclassifiedmemofromtheAir IntelligenceEstimatesDivision stated that theAir Force had failed to arrive at anysatisfactoryconclusiontotheUFOmystery.ItalsoconcludedthattheSovietswereprobablynotbehindthephenomenon,andacknowledgedthepossibilitythatUFOswereinterplanetary.Inotherwords, theclassifiedconversationscontinued tobemuchmore interesting than thepublicexplanations.

U.S. Air Force memo from July 29, 1952, stating that “the Air Force has failed to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion”regardingflyingsaucers.ThiscertainlyappliedtotheCIA,whereananalysisfromAugust1952gavecredencetotherealityofUFOs.Onestatementinparticularstandsout:

...sightingsofUFOsreportedatLosAlamosandOakRidge,atatimewhenthebackgroundradiationcounthadriseninexplicably.Herewe run out of even blue yonder explanations thatmight be tenable, and are leftwith numbers ofincrediblereportsfromcredibleobservers.[113]

Throughoutthisperiod,classifieddocumentscontinuedtoacknowledgethepossibilitythatUFOsmightrepresentsomebizarrenaturalphenomenon,asyetunknown.Butnoonehadanyideawhat that couldbe.Mostdiscussions centeredoverwhetherUFOswere either a secretAmerican project or something extraterrestrial. In fact, very few analysts by this pointconsidered them to be a secret American project. When considering this possibility, it isworthasking:whatsecretAmericantechnologywouldbeemployedoverandoveragaintotriggerU.S.Air Force interceptors? Itmade no sense then, nor does it today.Certainly, anoccasionalerrantSkyhookballoonmayhavecausedsomeconfusion,buttothinksuchtypesof events could regularly cause such concern at high levels within the military andintelligence community goes beyond the most generously applied boundaries of belief.Moreover, if such sightings of the early 1950s were secret American technology, whatbecameofit?Whywouldtherehavebeennosignofitinlaterdecades?Ruppelt,whobriefedmanybranchesofthemilitarythroughout1952,hadagoodideaofthemoodamongmilitarydecision-makers,anditisclearthattheextraterrestrialexplanationwasalwaystheelephantin

the living room—that is, the obvious explanation, but one which unfortunately was notallowedtobediscussedopenly. During the fall of1952, theTrumanpresidencywasnearing its end.Within theCIA, thematter of UFOs took on greater urgency. In particular, the CIA's Office of ScientificIntelligencewasmovingaheadtowardcreatingapanelthatwouldstudyUFOsscientifically.Fromthiswouldcomeaformalpolicyrecommendation.OnDecember2,theDirectorofthatOffice,H.MarshallChadwell,madean importantstatementattesting to therealityofUFOs.Chadwell wrote to his boss, the Director of the CIA, Walter Bedell Smith. Chadwell'sstatementwasbreathtaking:

...atthistime,thereportsofincidentsconvinceusthatthereissomethinggoingonwhichmusthaveimmediateattention.

. . .Sightingsofunexplainedobjectsatgreataltitudesand travelingathighspeeds in thevicinityofmajorUSdefenseinstallations are of suchnature that they arenot attributable to natural phenomenaor known typesof aerial vehicles.[114]

Thisstatementbearsclosescrutiny.Ahigh-levelU.S.officialstatingtotheHeadoftheCIAthatUFOswere real,probablyartificial,probably intelligentlyoperated,andapparentlynotAmerican;norwasthereseriousconsiderationthatthesewereSoviet. If not American, if not Soviet, if not natural phenomena, and if they appeared to betechnological and under intelligent control, one begins to run out of conventional options.Chadwell’smemomakesitobviousthatheunderstoodthis,althoughhewasloathetostatetheobvious.ThisledtowhatbecameknownastheRobertsonPanel,aCIA-sponsoredgroupofscientistswhich met secretly from January 14 to January 17, 1953. Their job was to review UFOreportsandtomakearecommendation.AllofthescientistsinvolvedwereNobel-caliber.TheChairman was H. P. Robertson, one of America's leading mathematicians and physicists.DuringtheSecondWorldWar,Robertsonhadbecomeveryfamiliarwithfoofighterreports(ashadanotherPanelmember,Dr.LuisAlvarez).ThePanelconcludedthatUFOswerenotadirectthreattonationalsecurity.Yet,theycouldpose an indirect threat if reports from the general public or within the military were tooverwhelmcommunicationchannels.Membersof thePanel thereforeemphasizedaneed tomanagepublicopinionregardingUFOs,particularlybydebunkingthetopic.TheydiscussedthevalueofworkingwithWaltDisneyandothermedia figures toconvey themessage thatUFOsweremundaneandnothingtogetexcitedabout. Rather insidiously, the Panel recommended that civilian groups studying UFOs bemonitored, citing “their potentially great influence on mass thinking . . . the apparentirresponsibility and possible use of such groups for subversive purposes.” Two groups inparticular were singled out: the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) andCivilian Saucer Investigations (CSI). Several times over the years, the leaders of APROexpressedtheirbeliefthattheywerebeingmonitored.Unquestionably,duringitsfinalyearsinthe1970sand1980s,theorganizationwasinfiltratedbyintelligenceoperatives.Mostlikelyithadbeensoallalong. There is also good evidence that the disbanding of CSIwas caused directly by theU.S.government. Researcher Michael Swords located FBI documents indicating that the notedengineerWaltherRiedelwas pressured to resign fromCSI.The group disbanded not longafterwards. In response, Robertsonwrote toH.Marshall Chadwell: ‟[t]hat ought to fix the

Forteans,”areferencetoCharlesFortandhenceUFOresearchers.Thereisalsoastrongcasethat the UFO organization NICAP, which was founded in 1956, was infiltrated by CIAoperatives. Indeed, Swords and other researchers later determined that the Robertson Panel'sconclusionswerewrittenbeforeitsmembersevenmet.Inretrospect,thisoughtnottobesosurprising. Realistically, howmuch work could one expect them to accomplish in a meretwelvehours?OneofthePanelmembers,Dr.LloydBerkner,didnotevenshowupuntilthefinaldayofthegathering. One fact of great significance regarding this Panel, something always overlooked byhistorians,isthatitwasthefinalactofanyimportanceoftheHarryTrumanPresidency.ThePanel constituted the administration's final act of housecleaning. Its effect throughout themilitaryandintelligencecommunitywasprofound.Inparticular,BlueBookwasgutted,anditbecameallbutimpossibletoinquirewithinthemilitaryintothematter.WhatappearstohavehappenedisthatthesplitinopinionRuppelthaddescribedhadbeendefinitively resolved. The extraterrestrial hypothesis was accepted and secrecy became therule.Clearly, thematterhadalreadybeenstrictlysecretat thehighestlevels.Now,however,the clampdown extendedmuch farther down the ladder.After all, for those few already inpossession of the secret,why seek anymore input from the lower levels?Whatwas to begainedfromcontinuallystirringthepot?Fortheremainderofthe1950s,theU.S.AirForceandtheAmericangovernmentassignedflying saucers to the realm of oblivion. One official statement after another claimed thatUFOs were either misidentifications of known aircraft or natural phenomena; or hoaxes.Therewasnonationalsecurity threat,so theystated,and,withenoughdata,everyso-calledunknown case could be identified. Flying saucers existed solely in the imagination.Duringthatperiodoftime,projectBlueBookwasorderedtobringitspercentageofunknownstothelowest number possible. Solutions that previously had been considered as “possible” nowbecamethedefinitiveanswer,caseclosed.Whereasduringthe1940sandearly1950s,officialunknowntotalshadgenerallybeenbetweenfifteenandtwentypercent,bythemid-1950sthenumberswere regularly twopercent or lower. In1956, for example,BlueBookunknownswerelistedat0.4%.Noneofthiswasduetobetterinvestigativetechniques.Howcouldtherebebetter investigations,whenthestaffnowconsistedofonlyoneor twopeople?Inreality,BlueBookbecamebetteratonethingonly:discardingscientificprinciplesforthepurposesofpropaganda.BlueBookcookeditsbooks.Atthesametime,UFOsallbutdisappearedfromAmericannewscoverage,atleastcomparedwithearlieryears.

ChallengingtheAirForceFromthemomentthatflyingsaucershadbecomeapublicissuein1947untilthemid-1950s,the extent of public participation had been nothingmore than a handful of small researchgroups.Peoplereliedontheirnewspapersandradiotoenlightenthemonthematter.Intermsof local reportage, those institutionsgenerallydidwellenough.Thenewspapersof thaterapublishedmany accounts of saucer sightings thatwere dramatic and baffling.However, intermsofnationalmedia,thatis,majorwireservices,establishedradionetworks,veryearlytelevision broadcasting, and newspapers such as the New York Times, the situation wasdifferent.Theseorgansweretheopinionmakersandshapersofthenation,andtheyworked

closelywiththemilitaryandintelligencecommunity.Agreatdealofresearchinsubsequentyearshashighlighted that relationship.But during the1950s, themythof aFreePresswasimportant in stifling public inquiry into UFOs. The 1953 movie, The War of the Worlds,containsatellingsceneinwhichnewspaperandradiojournalistsopenlyinterviewanArmygeneralaboutthelandedflyingsaucerthatwasplainlyandopenlyinpublicview.Seentoday,thesceneisdownrighthumorousinitsabsurdity.Hardlyapersonaliveinthe21stcenturycanimaginesuchathingtakingplace.Andyet,thatwasindeedhowAmericasawitselfduringthatera.Mostpeopleferventlybelievedthat,Ifsomethingimportantlikethatweretohappen,theirjournalists—thewatchdogsofthepublic—wouldbetheretoreportit,ratherthanisolatedfarfromthescenebythemilitary.Exceptthatthosewatchdogsneverbarked.Moreaccurately,theywerelittlemorethanlapdogs,andthelapsinwhichtheysatwerethoseveryagenciesseekingtoeraseUFOsfromthepublicmind. However, somethingelsebegan tohappen: thebeginningsofpublicdissent.First amongthesedissenterswasMajorDonaldKeyhoe,whostumbled into theflyingsaucermystery in1950.KeyhoewasaretiredMarineCorpsMajorwhohadonceflownwithCharlesLindbergh.He was well-connected. Among his friends were Admiral Roscoe Hillenkoetter, who haddirectedtheCIAfrom1947to1950.KeyhoewasalsofriendlywithAdmiralDelmarFahrney,knownwithintheNavyasthefatheroftheguidedmissile.In1950,FahrneyhadprivatelytoldKeyhoe,“therehavebeentoomanyconvincingreports,andiftheflyingsaucersdoexisttheymustbeinterplanetary.CertainlyneitherwenortheRussianshadanythingremotelylikethat.”

U.S.MarineCorpsMajorDonaldE.Keyhoe

Through the 1950s,Keyhoewrote a series of books that discussed the reality of flyingsaucersandtheircover-upbythemilitary.Hewasaconduitformanyimportantleaks.Duringthe important year of 1952, he obtained roughly fifty accounts ofmilitary encounterswithUFOswhichhadbeendeclassifiedspecificallytobesharedwithhim.Hewasthefirstpersonto write about the Robertson Panel, having immediately received leaks about it. He wasprolific,andreleasedagreatamountofinformationtotherestoftheworld. Another thorn in thesideof secrecywasAirForceCaptainEdwardRuppelt, theheadofProject Blue Book until 1953, who in 1956 published an important book, The Report onUnidentified FlyingObjects. Even today, it remains among themost important books everwrittenaboutUFOs.Ruppelt’streatmentofthematterwassoberandevenhanded.Consideringhis prior position as head of Blue Book, it was also unflinching in his willingness toacknowledgethedifficultiesthatUFOsposedtothemilitary.Thepublicationofhisbookalsoposed a serious problem.Not surprisingly, it came under strong attack from establishmentpublicationssuchastheNewYorkTimes,whichlabeledit“cultist,”and“thelongestanddullestofthecurrentcropofsaucerbooks.”Thiswasnotmerelyunfair,butexactlytheoppositeofthetruth.Inlate1956,aneworganizationwasfoundednotonlytostudyUFOsseriously,butalsotofight thecover-up.ItwascalledtheNationalInvestigationCommitteeonAerialPhenomena

(NICAP).Byearly1957,KeyhoewasrunningNICAPandhadcommittedtheorganizationtopromotingopencongressionalhearingsonUFOs.Yet,whilepressingforchange,thepeopleat NICAP were far from revolutionaries. Indeed, the organization was positivelyestablishment-oriented, andmost of its boardmemberswere retired senior officers of theU.S.military(includingHillenkoetter,Fahrney,andmanyothers).Evenso,KeyhoebelievedthatthepublichadarighttoknowthetruthaboutUFOs.LikeallAmericansofhisgeneration,hebelieved that theAmericanpolitical systemwas themostopen in theworld,and that thebeststrategyforchangewastoworkwithinit.Severaltimesduringthelate1950sandearly1960s, it looked as though this faith would be justified, and that NICAPmight succeed ingetting those congressional hearings.Every time, however, seemingly at the eleventhhour,theinitiativewouldfizzleout.Thissagacontinuedforseveralyears. Matters came to a head in 1962.During the previous summer,Hillenkoetter hadmade apublic statement that urged “immediate congressional action to reduce the dangers fromsecrecyaboutunidentifiedflyingobjects.”Now,earlyin1962,Keyhoetalkedwithhimaboutmaking an even stronger statement toCongress.Hillenkoetter agreed, and they determinedthat spring was the best time to do it. Then, however, Hillenkoetter disappeared. KeyhoewonderedifhisoldAnnapolisclassmatewasavoidinghim.Finally,afterweeksofsilence,aletter arrived. The Admiral and former CIA chief did a complete about-face. Now, hedefendedtheAirForce'spolicyonUFOs.“Ibelieveweshouldnotcontinuetocriticizetheirinvestigations,” hewrote toKeyhoe, “I am resigning as amember of theNICAPBoardofgovernors.”ItwasahardblowforNICAP.Suchchangesofheartseemedtobetheorderoftheday.Justafewyearsearlier,thesamethinghadhappenedtoRuppelt.Afterthepublicationofhisbookin1956,someone,somehow,appears tohavegotten tohim.In1957,Ruppeltwasstillmakingpro-UFOstatements to thepress.In1960,however,hepublishedarevisedversionofhisbook,addingthreechaptersattheendwhichdebunkedhispriorthesis,thatUFOsconstitutedagenuinemystery.Thethreeadditional chapters, sophomoric and mocking in tone, were of a completely differentcharacterfromhisearlierbook.Now,Ruppeltactivelyridiculedthepeople,suchasKeyhoe,withwhomhehadpreviouslybeencollegial.Inhisnewconclusion,hereferredtoUFOsasthespaceagemyth.“I'mpositivetheydon'texist,”hewrote.“There'snotevenaglimmerofhopefortheUFO.” Then, as if to underscore the mystery, Edward Ruppelt died from a heart attack thefollowing year, at the age of 37. Who knows how it all happened. Perhaps, as someresearchersbelieved,hereallydidchangehismind,andthensimplydiedofnaturalcauses.Maybe not. It is not difficult to see that therewould be real pressure placed on outspokenfigures likeRuppelt andHillenkoetter to alter their public positions on this question. Suchpressure can bemade in a friendly way, or not so friendly.Whether some agency causedRuppelt’s heart attack is something that we will surely never know, unless some freshdocumentspillsoutofthearchives.Suchcapabilitiesdidexistbackinthe1950s;assassinationtechniques had already become sophisticated by that time, including the ability tosurreptitiouslyinduceaseemingheartattack.

MoreSightingsandANewCrisis Thus, by the early 1960s, it appeared that the Air Force, the CIA, and their allies had

succeededinremovingtheUFOphenomenonfrompublicdiscussion.Butthereisalwaysonefactorbeyondanyone'scontrol:thosebeingsbehindthephenomenonitself.Timeandagain,theyneverseemtogetthememothattheyarenotsupposedtoexist.Startingin1964,adramaticriseinwell-documentedandpublicizedUFOreportstookplace.Suchreportspeakedoverthenextfewyears,andonceagainUFOswereaproblem, firstofnationalsecurity,secondlyasamatterofpubliccredibility.Inthepast,BlueBook'sdebunkingpolicyhadhelped to submerge theproblem.Now,however, it only seemed tomake thingsworse.NewspapersstartedtodemandbetterAirForceinvestigationsofUFOs. By 1965, Blue Book consultant, astronomer J. Allen Hynek, recommended that the AirForceimproveitsUFOinvestigation.Essentially,thismeantmoremoneyforBlueBookandpresumably a healthier philosophy toward investigating the truly difficult cases. The AirForce,whichwantedaslittlepublicattentiononUFOsaspossible,hadalwaysbeenloathetodo this. Indeed, theAirForceforyearshadbeen trying tounload theprogram,buthadnotfoundapoliticallyviablewaytodoso.Still,Hynek’ssuggestiongainedground.Bylate1965,theAirForceScientificAdvisoryBoardmettodiscusstheUFOquestionandtheideaofanindependentstudyoftheproblem.Withinayear,thiswouldleadtotheannouncementoftheAirForcedecisiontocommissionastudyofUFOsbytheUniversityofColorado,otherwiseknownastheCondonCommittee.Moreonthatinamoment.Beforethathappened,however,anexplosionofUFOreportsoccurredintheUnitedStates.Intermsofmediacoverage,thisculminatedinMarch1966.InthetownofDexter,Michigan,night after night, students at Hillsdale College and people elsewhere reported UFOs. OnMarch 14, two deputy sheriffs in Dexter saw what looked like disc-shaped objectsmaneuvering above the town. Three other police agencies reported similar sightings.SelfridgeAirForceBaseconfirmed that ithad trackedobjectsonradarmovingatextremespeedsandmaneuverability.OnMarch17, inMilan,Michigan,anotherpoliceofficersawaUFOapproachhispatrolcartowithinseventy-fivefeet,thenfollowhimforhalfamile,thenflyoff.Somethingstrangewasgoingon.OntheeveningofMarch20,nearDexter,severalpeoplesawalightedobjecthoveringoveraswamp.Itwasverywelldefined,intheiropinion.Then, it rapidly flewawaywhilemakingawhistling sound.Thatnight, several lightswerereportedmovingaroundtheswamp. These sightings received national attention, andBlueBook dispatchedHynek tomake astatement.What happened next, however,was a public relations disaster. Immediately uponarriving inMichigan, Hynek gave a press conference. Although he called for a thoroughinvestigation, he focused on the lights over the swamp, suggesting they could have beenmarshgascausedbydecayingvegetablematter in theswampyarea.Inotherwords,swampgas.Thestatementwasobviouslypremature,evenabsurd.ThepressridiculedHynekandtheAirForce,whichhadneverlookedsoincompetent,evenduplicitous,aboutUFOsasitdidinthatmoment.ThepressconferenceseverelydamagedtheimageofProjectBlueBook.

AllenHynekattheMarch1966“swampgas”pressconference.

Thenationalmediatrieditsbesttocalmthingsdown.OnesucheffortwasaCBStelevisionspecial, narrated byWalterCronkite,which took a straightforward, debunking approach toUFOs. Researchers later proved that this special was explicitly connected to therecommendationsoftheRobertsonPanel, theguidelinesofwhichwerestillbeingfollowedmore than a decade later. Even so, toomany voiceswere speaking openly against theAirForceposition.Oneof thesewas aMichiganCongressmanand theHouseMinority leader,GeraldR.Ford.Manyoftherecentsightingshadoccurredinhisdistrict.Fordstated:

IthinktheremaybesubstanceinsomeofthesereportsandbecauseIbelievetheAmericanpeopleareentitledtoamorethoroughexplanationthanhasbeengiventhembytheAirForcetodate....IthinkweoweittothepeopletoestablishthecredibilityregardingUFOsandtoproducethegreatestpossibleenlightenmentonthesubject.[115]

This statement is normally interpreted in a straightforward manner, to the effect that

CongressmanFordwasgenuinelyworkingonbehalfofhisconstituents togetsomehonestanswers about UFOs. Yet, Gerald Ford had also been an active member of the WarrenCommission,whichobfuscatedtheassassinationofPresidentKennedyundertheguiseofanindependent review. In addition, he was a five-time attendee of the infamous (though stillsecret)Bilderbergmeetingsduring the1960s. It thereforeseemsprobable that therewasanulteriormotivetohisstatementonUFOs.Indeed,theCondonCommitteemayverywellhavebeentheintendedresult.TheimmediateresultofFord’snewsrelease,however,wasthefirst-everopenhearingonUFOswithintheU.S.Congress,whichtookplaceonApril5,1966.Itmetforonedayonly,andwasanexclusivegathering. Indeed,only threepeoplewere invited to testify inperson:Hynek,BlueBookChiefHectorQuintanilla,andAirForceSecretaryHaroldBrown.ItwasratherasnubtoNICAP,whichhadbeenpressingfortenyearsforthismomentandwasnotinvited.[116] The results were predictable. Hynek, still licking his wounds, said UFOsdeservedmorescientificattention.BrownandQuintanillaweremoredismissive,butBrowndiddirect theAirForce to arrange for a scientific team to investigate and review theBlueBooksightingsthatremainedunidentified,whichbythenhadtotaledmorethan600.Thatspring,aGalluppollrevealedthatforty-sixpercentofAmericansbelievedUFOstobereal. Five percent thought they had seen one personally, which projects to roughly ninemillion people. This was yet more evidence that UFOs posed a potential public relationsproblemfortheAirForceandBlueBook.Mattersworsenedstill,atleastfromtheperspectiveoftheAirForce.Duringthespringof1966, another personality entered the UFO debate. This was Dr. James McDonald, anatmosphericphysicistfromtheUniversityofArizona.McDonaldhadalongstandingprivateinterestinUFOs,butnowbecamepubliclyinvolved.TheOfficeofNavalResearchawardedhimasmallstipendtoexaminetheBlueBookmaterialatWright-PattersonAirForceBase,ostensibly to learn whether certain kinds of clouds accounted for the occasional radartrackings of UFOs. In June, while at Wright-Patterson, McDonald discovered an uneditedcopyoftheRobertsonPanelreport.Ithadbeenclassifiedformorethanadecade,andnooneoutsidethemilitaryhadeverreadit.SeeingwhatsurelyappearedtobeevidencethattheCIAwasdirectingacover-up,McDonaldwasdistressed.Twodayslater,hewasatHynek'soffice,poundinghis fist on the table anddemanding toknowwhyHynekhadnot spokenpubliclyabout the cover-up he had obviously known about for years. It was soon evident thatMcDonaldwasthecover-up'sworstnightmare:afearless,world-qualifiedscientistwhowaswillingandable todismantle themanypseudoscientificexplanationsofUFOsprofferedbytheauthorities.[117]

Dr.JamesMcDonald.

McDonald'svisitseemedto lightafireunderHynek,whonowbegantodistancehimselfpublicly from Blue Book and the Air Force. He wrote several articles that year thathighlightedthedifficultyoftheUFOissue,andstatedthattheAirForcedidhaveunexplainedradarreportsandphotographsofUFOs.HecalledforanendtowitnessridiculeandsaidatrulyscientificprogramhadneverbeenundertakenregardingUFOs.ThiswasadirectslapatBlueBook.

TheCondonCommitteeAlthoughitappearedthattheAirForcehadreachedadeadendinitspublichandlingoftheUFOproblem,thechesspieceswerewellpositioned.Now,theendgamewasathand.Bylatesummer,theAirForcehadsettledonasolution:theUniversityofColoradowouldbeselected

to undertake an independent, formal study of UFOs. Leading the study was a physicist ofworldrenown,Dr.EdwardU.Condon.Manyhopedthisstudywouldsettlethematteronceandfor all. For a brief, shining moment, it looked as though perhaps there would be anappropriateresolutiontothislong-standingcontroversy. Except that it did not work out that way. In the first place, it became evident from thebeginningthatCondon'spublicstatementsaboutflyingsaucerswerelimitedtoridicule.Therewasafixationonthemostfantastic,absurdstories.Ifheknewanythingofsubstanceaboutthetopic,hesurelywasnotrevealingitinpublic.Worsestill,heseemeduninterestedinlearninganythingnew.AnumberofprivateresearcherswerebroughtintobrieftheColoradogroup,andfrequentlyfoundCondonnappingduringthesessions.[118] Otheracademiciansandscientistson the teamdidapproach the subjectwith the idea thatthey were involved in a serious, scientific endeavor. Not surprisingly, after some timereviewingthecasesthatwerebroughttothem,anumberofthembegantoconsiderthattherewas a genuine UFO mystery. Suspicions surfaced regarding Condon’s apparent lack ofcommitmenttothetruth.Tosome,itseemedthathehaddecidedfromthebeginninguponanegativeoutcomeregardingUFOs.ThiswastheclaimofDr.DavidSaunders,oneoftheteammemberswhoeventuallyconfrontedCondononthematter.Saundersaskedhim,Whatifyoudetermine that these UFOs are in fact real? What then? According to Saunders, Condonreplied that, if such were the case, he would take the report in a locked briefcase to thePresidentofUnitedStates.Evidently, therewouldbe,nomatter theirconclusions,nopublicvalidationofUFOscomingfromtheCondonCommittee.[119] Morale worsened still when a particular memorandum was discovered a year into theproject. It had been written by the Project Director, Robert Low. Lowwas second only toCondon in the hierarchy, and had written the memo during the summer of 1966, shortlybefore theUniversity ofColoradohadwon theAirForce contract.The statement and tonemadeitlookverymuchasthoughthegamehadbeenriggedfromtheoutset.Lowwrote:

...thetrickwouldbetodescribetheprojectsothat,tothepublic,itwouldappearatotallyobjectivestudy,buttothescientificcommunitywouldpresenttheimageofagroupofnonbelieverstryingtheirbesttobeobjectivebuthavinganalmostzeroexpectationoffindingasaucer.[120]

The memo had been buried in the project files and was found by one of the projectscientists,Dr.RogerCraig. Itwascirculatedandeventuallyendedup in thehandsofJamesMcDonald.Fromthere,mattersbecameugly. Early in1968,McDonaldwrotea long,masterful letter toLow.Bythis time,moraleandresearch problems abounded within the project, something McDonald was well aware of,despitenotbeingamember. Itwasclear,McDonaldwrote, thatCondonwasaproblem:hisrepeated negative comments in the press, his disturbing preoccupation with the crackpotaspectsofUFOs,theobviousconclusionthatCondonhimselfwasnotpersonallyexaminingthekindsofwitnessesandcasesthathadmademanyUFOssocompelling,theobviouslackofcommunicationbetweenLowandCondonontheonehand,andthebulkoftheinvestigatorson the other, and the failure of the project to investigate cases of “obfuscation,” that is, ofcover-up.[121]Then,finally,McDonaldmentionedLow’smemorandumitself.“Iamratherpuzzledbytheviewpointsexpressedthere,butIgatherthattheyseementirelystraightforwardtoyou...“Itwasaboldstatementandathinlyveiledaccusationofscientificdishonesty.McDonaldsent

acopyofhislettertotheproject’sopenfiles,whichmeantthatitwasavailableforeveryonetoread. Condonwas furious. Immediately,hesummonedeachprojectmember tomeetwithhim,one-on-one.He then fired anyonewhohadbeenpresentwhenMcDonaldhadbeengiven acopyofLow’smemorandum.Asaresult,hewasforcedtohireseveralnewinvestigators,justastheprojectwassupposedtobewindingdown.ThesereplacementscomprisedamajorpartoftheteamthatwrotewhatbecameknownastheCondonCommitteeReport.[122] Meanwhile,onJuly29,1968,while theCondondramawasunfolding, theU.S.Congressheld a symposium onUFOs sponsored by theHouse Science andAstronauticsCommittee.Thiswasaverydifferentaffairfromthe1966hearing.ManyofthemajorUFOresearcherstestified, including McDonald, Hynek, astronomer Carl Sagan of Cornell University, andseveral others.McDonaldmade the greatest impression, providing thirty pages of verifiedUFOreports.Hestated:

I have become convinced that the scientific community, not only in this country but throughout the world, has beencasuallyignoringasnonsenseamatterofextraordinaryscientificimportance....Myownpresentopinion,basedontwoyears of careful study, is that UFOs are probably extraterrestrial devices engaged in something that might verytentatively be termed surveillance. . . . I have interviewed several hundred witnesses in selected cases, and I amastonishedatwhatIhavefound.IhadnoideathattheactualUFOsituationisanythinglikewhatitappearstobe....Inowregardthe[extraterrestrial]hypothesisastheonemostlikelytoprovecorrect.[123]

Despite the impressionmade byMcDonald and other presenters, the symposiumhad nopoliticalimpact.However,itisnowpartofourpublichistory,partofCongressionalhistory,whichisnosmallachievement.Meanwhile,theColoradoteamworkedoncompletingitsreport,andonOctober31,1968,itdelivered its Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects to the Air Force. Condon'sconclusionwasdefinitive.“NothinghascomefromthestudyofUFOsinthepasttwenty-oneyears,”hewroteinthereport’sIntroduction,“thathasaddedtoscientificknowledge.”FurtherstudyofUFOs,hewrote,“probablycannotbejustifiedintheexpectationthatsciencewillbeadvanced thereby.” In other words, he was recommending that the Air Force shut downProjectBlueBook.[124]

EdwardCondonpresentinghiscommittee’sreport,cappedbyafriendlyflyingsaucers.

Thereportcertainlywasmassive.Italsocontainedquiteafewcasesthatwereinvestigatedwithreasonablesophisticationbythescientistsinvolved.Yet,therewasastrikingdiscrepancyinthereportbetweenitscontentsandconclusions.Condonhadconcludedthatsciencecouldgainnothing fromstudyingUFOs.Yet roughly thirtypercentof thecaseswithin the reporthadfailedtobeexplained.ThiswasavastlyhigherpercentageofunknownsthantheU.S.AirForcehadofferedinyears.ItwasasthoughCondonhadnotbotheredtoreadhisownreport,whichinfacthasbeenacommonclaimandmaywellhavebeentrue.Condonneverdidshowtheslightestgenuineinterestinthetopic,andthereislittleevidencethathegavemuchenergytoitsscientificaspects. In addition to thehighpercentageofunknowns therewere a small numberof cases thatbordered on virtual acknowledgment of an alien reality.One such casewas from 1956, atRAFLakenheath,aBritishairbase.Thereport'sstatementwasclearenough:“theapparentlyrational,intelligentbehavioroftheUFOsuggestsamechanicaldeviceofunknownoriginasthemostprobableexplanationofthissighting.”Justaspowerfulwastheconclusionregardingtwofamousphotographsfrom1950,takeninMcMinnville,Oregon:

thisisoneofthefewUFOreportsinwhichallfactorsinvestigated,geometric,psychological,andphysicalappeartobeconsistentwiththeassertionthatanextraordinaryflyingobject,silvery,metallic,discshaped,tensofmetersindiameter,andevidentlyartificial,flewwithinsightoftwowitnesses.

Yesindeed,therewasgoldwithintheCondonReport.Yet,fromapublicrelationspointofview,noneofthismattered.Asmessyasitwas,theCondonReportdiditsjob.Althoughmanyscientistsindividuallycriticizedit,itreceivedanendorsementfromtheNationalAcademyofSciences.One has towonderwhether those scientists actually read the report.The nationalmedia, too, focusedonCondon’s conclusions rather than thedetails inside the report.Howcould they do otherwise? Under pressure to write about a report that wasmore than ninehundred pages, and considering the time constraints journalists were under, they went toCondon’sbriefstatement,despiteitsbeingonlymarginallyrelatedtotheactualreport.

TheEndofanEraTheCondonCommitteeReportaccomplishedtwomainthings.First,itprovidedanofficialscientificdismissalofUFOs.Second,itresultedintheclosingofProjectBlueBook.TheAirForcehad longsought thisoutcome,andnowwith the recommendationsofan independentscientificbody,itwasabletodosowithoutmajorpublicoutcry.InOctober1969,BrigadierGeneral Carroll H. Bolender, the Air Force’s Deputy Director of Development, wrote aclassifiedmemorecommendingtheterminationofProjectBlueBook.Hewrote:“weagree,thatthecontinuationofProjectBlueBookcannotbejustified,eitheronthegroundofnationalsecurityorintheinterestofscience.”BlueBookdata,hesaid,simplydidnotserveanyusefulintelligencefunction.Buttheimportantpointwasthat“reportsofunidentifiedflyingobjectswhichcouldaffectnationalsecurity...arenotpartoftheBlueBooksystem.[125] Bolenderpointedout thatsuchreportsweremade inaccordancewithJANAP-146orAirForceManual55-11.ThesewereexplicitU.S.AirForcereportingproceduresthathadlongdealt with UFOs, and had done so in a seriousmatter.[126] In other words, Bolender wassaying,ifitwasanimportantUFOsighting,itwasnotsupposedtogotoBlueBook,anyway.In effect, this was an admission of Blue Book's longstanding role as a public relationsexercise.Naturally,itcouldbeletgowithnofuss,nomuss.TheclosingofProjectBlueBookmightseemtohavebeennogreatloss.Afterall,ithadbeen clear for many years that Blue Book's job was not to explain UFOs, so much as toexplain themaway. In fact, thatwas true. Ithadbecomeanational joke, andcould scarcelyconductaminimallyvalidinvestigationofanyUFOencounter,muchlessascientificone.Yet,ifBlueBookwasafarce,atleastitwasthepeople’sfarce.Thatis,thepublicpaidforitthroughtaxdollars,andatleastintheoryBlueBookwasresponsibletotheAmericanpeople.Duringthe1950sand1960s,AmericancitizenswhowitnessedaUFOmayormaynothavebelievedwhat they saw tohavebeenextraterrestrial,but theywereable to report it to theirlocalAirForceBasewiththeexpectationthatProjectBlueBookwouldsomehowlookintoit.ThisenabledalevelofengagementwiththeUFOtopicbytheAmericanpublicinawaythatwouldnototherwisehavehappened.ThisalsomeantthatBlueBookservedasawedgewithwhichtopryopentheUFOproblem.Itsveryexistencebeggedanobviousquestion:iftheAirForceclaimedUFOswerenotreal,why did it have an office devoted to investigating them? As long as that office existed,maintaining a serious cover-up was problematic. As a number of declassified military

records have demonstrated, UFOs were a serious matter to the U.S. national securityestablishment.BlueBook'srole,especiallyafter theRobertsonPanelof1953,wastopacifythepublic.Thispolicyworkedforafewyears,butbythelate1960s,theofficehadbecomealightningrod.BlueBookthereforeneededtogo.Ultimately,theclosingofProjectBlueBookundermineddemocraticrule.ItremovedUFOsfromtherealmofpublic-governmentinteraction.After1969,anycitizenwhosawaUFOhadnogovernmentagencytowhichtoreportit.Inotherwords,peoplenowhadtocopewiththismostawesomeandsometimesterrifyingphenomenonwithoutcooperationfromthegovernment thatwassupposedtoberesponsibleto them. In a society that theoretically gave sovereignty to the people, this was, and is, adiscrepancyandaproblem.Bytheendof1969,itappearedthatsecrecyhadwon. And indeed, the bottom had fallen out for supporters of a UFO reality. NICAP was infinancial ruins and effectively leaderless following the removal of Keyhoe from itsleadership. Thiswas accomplished by a group ofNICAP boardmemberswith strongCIAconnections.[127] In 1971, JamesMcDonald died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to thehead,a terribleconclusion toabrilliantcareer.[128] Itappeared thatall theeffortsof thosepeopleworkingtoendUFOsecrecyhadresultedinabjectfailure.Yet,ifthereisonethingthatcanalwaysbecountedon,itisthattodayisnotyesterday,andtomorrow will not be like today. UFO research would regroup in the 1970s, 1980s, andbeyond. New attempts would be made to understand the problem and to crack open thesecrecy.

Chapter5DiggingDeeper—TheBreakawayCivilization

Imagine the year is 1947, and you are President Harry Truman. Key advisers have justinformedyouthattheU.S.militaryhasrecoveredtechnologyfromacrashedflyingdisc.Youlearn that this technologydoesnot appear tohavecome fromanyknownsource,norevenhumancivilizationitself.Surely,thatwouldbealottohandle.WhatmightPresidentTrumandoinsuchasituation?Itispossiblethathisinitialinstinctwouldbetotelltheworldaboutthismomentousdiscovery.After all, it would make him forever famous as the man who announced that anextraterrestrialracewasvisitingEarth.Itwouldprobablyensurehisre-election,too,nosmallconsiderationforacareerpolitician.Butthenagain,Trumanwouldhavehadsecondthoughts.Hewouldhavebeenreminded,asifheneededtobereminded,ofjusthowupsetting,traumatic,andevenrevolutionarysucharevelation would be. Because this would pose a serious threat to the human structure ofpower,perhapseventhestabilityofhumansocietyitself.Thatisbecausein1947,thepeopleofEarthwerelyingflatontheirbacks,exhaustedfromthe titanic struggle that hadbeen theSecondWorldWar.Europe andAsiawere devastated,filledwithrubble,refugees,andanoverwhelmingtaskofrebuilding.EveninAmerica,which

emerged from the war powerful and vibrant, the American people were also desperatelyseekingareturn tonormalcy—that is, toputall thestresses,uncertainties,and terrorof thewarbehindthem,andtoresumetheirlives.Anannouncementofextraterrestrialscouldcreategenuinepublicpanic.Thequestionwas,howseverewoulditbe?Suchfactorsbythemselveswouldbeenoughtogiveanyonepausebeforeannouncingthereality of extraterrestrial visitors. In addition, however, therewas the nascentColdWar. In1947, Soviet military power rivaled that of the United States. Soviet troops appeared tothreatenallofWesternEuropeatthatverymoment.CommunismwasthegreatenemytotheWesternworld—thatiscertainlyhowAmerica’sleadershipsawthematter.Itseemednosurething that Europe would remain a free enterprise zone. Under such conditions, giving thesecrettotheSovietswouldmeanthatthey,too,wouldpossessETtechnology.ThereisnowaytheAmericannationalsecurityestablishmentcouldassenttosuchathing.That very establishment was unwilling to share its newly exploited atomic technology, animportant political issue at the time.TheUnitedNations had already suggested that atomictechnologywastooimportantforanyonenationtopossess,andthattheU.N.itselfoughttocontrol it.TheU.S.positionwas,absolutelynot.Suchadevelopmentwouldbe thequickestwaytogivethenuclearsecrettotheSoviets. If not atomic technology, clearlynot something as exotic as alien technology.ColdWarrequirementsdemandedsecrecyaboutUFOs.Thentherewasthematterofoil.Evenachildcanunderstand,aftersomebasicobservation,thatthattheseobjectsdonotrequireoiltotravelfromPointAtoPointB.Anyobjectthatcanhover indefinitely, accelerate instantly, zigzag, and do all this silently, is surely using anexoticmeansofpropulsionandsurelyahighlyadvancedenergysystem.IfthePresidentweretoannouncetherealityoftheseflyingsaucers,itwouldnotbelongbeforescientistsaroundtheworldbegantostudythenatureoftheirpropulsionandpowersystems.Thiscouldquicklyleadtoareplacementofpetroleumastheworld'sleadingsourceofpower.Today,inthe21stcentury,mostpeoplearefinewiththatidea,atleastintheory.Petroleummayunderlieourworld,but it isalsoat thecenterofmanyof today’s importantproblems.Butinthe1940sand1950s,thepetroleumindustrywasthelargestbusinessintheworld,andthe very foundation of the global infrastructure. It had been growing for generations. Itprovidedmillionsofjobs.ItsupportedAmerica’sconstantlygrowingautomotiveindustry,anindustrythatdefinedsomuchofAmericanandworldculture.RecognitionofUFOswouldposeagravethreattoallofthis,eventotheglobalfinancialstructureitself.Afterall,whatifthisnewsourceofenergy,whateveritwas,couldnotbeaseasilymonetized as petroleum?Could the global financial structure afford free energy?Aperversequestion,tobesure,butonethathadtobeimportanttothosepeopleatthetopofthehumanpowerstructure.AllofthiswouldhavebeendauntingenoughtoPresidentTruman.Andyet,therewasmoreto consider. He had to wonder how this disclosure would affect society. Aside from thelikelihoodofsomelevelofpanic,hehadtothinkaboutthechangesthatmighttakeplaceoncethepublichadaccesstotheradicaltechnologiesbeingstudiedinsecret.Wasitreallyagoodthingtoleteveryonehavetheirownflyingsaucer,zippingaroundtheworldatwhim?Mostpeople, undoubtedly, would say yes. From the perspective of those individuals makingnationalandglobalpolicy,however,andwhosefirstgoalisusuallystabilityandcontrol,the

answerwouldbe,certainlynot. Moreseriousstillwouldbe thepotentialofweaponizingthisnewtechnology.Theworldhad justbeen shown theawfulpowerof theatomicbomb.Withaccess toalien technology,mightsomescientistornationcreateaweaponevenmorepowerful,moreterrifying?Howcouldsuch technologybecontrolled?Theonlycertainwaywouldbe tokeep it completelysecret.Finally,therewasthematterofassessingtheseunknownbeingsthemselves.Trumanandhispeoplecouldnotpossiblyhaveknownthefullscopeofwhattheyweredealingwith.Didtheyhave anything to worry about?Were these other beings a threat? As the previous chaptershowed,theU.S.militaryhadcontinualencounterswithUFOsfromthe1940sonward.TheseobjectshadtheabilitytopenetrateU.S.airspacewithtotalease,evadinginterceptiontimeandagain.Whatwere they trying todo?Thismattercausedconcernat thehighest levelsof theU.S. national security establishment. U.S. Air Force Captain Edward Ruppelt, who hadmanaged Project Blue Book during the early 1950s, put the matter well: “how could weconvincethepublicthealiensweren'thostilewhenwedidn'tknowitourselves?”[129] All of these factors—publicpanic anddestabilization,ColdWar realities, petroleumandinfrastructureissues,weaponizationfears,andconcernsovertheseOthers—hadtomaketheirweightfeltinthedecisiontokeepUFOsassecretaspossible.Itwasnotsimplyamatterthatstrange technologies and beings were operating on the Earth. More to the point, theirmaterials and even bodies had probably been acquired. It is this factor that made all thedifference,andwhich,morethananythingelse,requiredthesecrecy. Inotherwords, itwouldhavebeenone thingfor themilitary tohide theexistenceof theUFOreality,aslongastheUFOsandETsremainedsafely“outthere.”Inthatcase,itwouldsimplybeamatterofpreventingpublicpanicandperhapstoavoidlookinghelpless.But,ifitwereacknowledgedthat thissamemilitaryhadrecoveredalienhardware,everythingwouldchange.Itwouldmeanthattherewouldneedtobeaprogramtostudy,replicate,andexploitthat technology. Such a program would have to have been funded secretly, away fromCongressional oversight.After all, admitting such a secret toCongresswould be the samethingasadmittingittotheworld.

UFOCrash:Roswell Of course,beforediscussing thepossessionof alien technology,we should firstmakeacaseforit. Upon review of the history, it appears that, not only at Roswell but in several otherinstances,militaryauthoritiescameintopossessionofUFOs.Inhisbook,MajicEyesOnly,RyanWood listedmore than seventy cases of possibleUFO crash retrievals.With enoughinformation,manyundoubtedlywouldturnouttobesomethingelse.Butsomeofthesecasesarecompelling.Roswell,forinstance,remainsastrongcase,evenafteralltheseyears,despitebeingmiredin confusion, argument, and obfuscation. On Saturday, July 5, 1947, a sheepherder namedMacBrazel,foremanoftheFosterRanch,averyremoteplaceoutsideRoswell,NewMexico,found debris scattered over a large pasture. It seemed to him to consist mostly of metal,plastic I-beams, lightweight material, foil, and string-like material. All of it seemed to beunusually lightweight and strong. After showing some of it to his nearest neighbors, he

contactedtheRoswellSheriff,GeorgeWilcox.WilcoxcontactedtheRoswellArmyAirForceBase,homeofthe509thBombGroup,underthecommandofColonelWilliamBlanchard. OnMonday, July 7, Blanchard sent three men to the Roswell debris field. These wereintelligence officer Captain Jesse Marcel, and two counterintelligence officers: SheridanCavittandWilliamRickett. Manyyearslater,JesseMarceltoldhisstorytoresearcherStantonFriedman.HesaidthatBrazel tookhimandCavitt to thedebris field,whichwas threequartersofamile longandtwohundredtothreehundredfeetwide.Therewasagougeinthegroundaboutfivehundredfeetlong.Marcelnoticeddebrisasthinasnewsprint,butwhichwasincrediblystrong.Later,anothersoldiertoldMarcelthatthisdebriscouldnotbedented,notevenbyasledgehammer.Therewasalsofoilwhich,whencrumpled,wouldreturntoitsshapewithoutwrinkles.Marcelnoticed I-beams with odd symbols on them; the beams would flex slightly, but not break.MarceltoldFriedman,“itcertainlywasn'tanythingbuiltbyus.” After spending the afternoon and evening gathering asmuch debris as possible,Marceldrovebacktothebase.Alongtheway,hestoppedathishome.Itwas2a.m.whenheawakenedhis family to show them what he had found. His son, eleven-year-old Jesse Marcel, Jr.,rememberedtheincidentfortherestofhislife.Laterthatmorning,MarcelandCavittarrivedatRoswellArmyAirField,eachwithacarloadofdebris.BlanchardthennotifiedtheEighthAirForceinFortWorth,Texas,andorderedMarceltotakethedebristhere. TheRoswellDailyRecord ofTuesday, July8, 1947, then issuedoneof themost famousnewspaper headlines in history: “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer On Ranch In RoswellRegion.”LieutenantWalterHaut, thepublic informationofficerat thebase,onordersfromBlanchard,wrote“the intelligenceofficeof the509BombardmentGroupatRoswellArmyAirFieldannouncedatnoontodaythatthefieldhascomeintopossessionofaflyingsaucer.”

HeadlineoftheRoswellDailyRecord,July8,1947.

Immediately,thetownofRoswellwasoverwhelmedwithmediarequestsfromaroundtheworld. Justas immediately,adecisionwasmadefromuphigh tokill thestory.Thus, threehours after the announcement, JesseMarcelwas inFortWorth,Texas,with theheadof theEighthAirForce,GeneralRogerRamey.There,Marcelwasmade toposewithscrapsofadilapidatedweatherballoon.Rameyannouncedithadallbeenamisunderstanding.Noflyingsaucer,justaweatherballoon.Sorryfortheconfusion,everyone.Atthesametime,amemofromtheFBIofferedsomedescriptionoftheobjectandaddedsomeinterestingdetails.Therelevantpassagereads:

THEDISCISHEXAGONALINSHAPEANDWASSUSPENDEDFROMABALLON[sic]BYCABLE,WHICHBALLON [sic] WAS APPROXIMATELY TWENTY FEET IN DIAMETER. FURTHER ADVISED THAT THEOBJECTFOUNDRESEMBLESAHIGHALTITUDEWEATHERBALLOONWITHARADARREFLECTOR,BUTTHATTELEPHONICCONVERSATIONBETWEENTHEIROFFICEANDWRIGHTFIELDHADNOTBORNEOUTTHISBELIEF.DISCANDBALLOONBEINGTRANSPORTEDTOWRIGHTFIELDBYSPECIALPLANEFOREXAMINATION.

ItisnotoftenrealizedthatthedescriptionoftheRoswellobjectfollowstheonegivenbyRameyhimself,aswellasaMajorCurtin,totheReuterswireservice.ItalsoappearsthatthetechniciansatWrightFieldwereskepticaloftheclaimthataballoonwaswhathadcrashed.ThedebristhatwasphotographedinRamey’sofficecertainlyappearedtobethebadlytornuppart of a balloon. How Ramey could describe it as hexagonal defies any logic or

observational common sense. Of course, just how Marcel, Blanchard, and the rest of thepeopleatthe509thcouldmakesuchanegregiouserrorandidentifyitasaflyingdiscisanevengreaterleapoflogic,especiallysincenodiscwaseverphotographedinRamey’soffice.Animportantaspecttothismemoisthatitstatedthedebriswas“beingtransportedtoWrightFieldbyspecialplaneforexamination.”Somehow, itwasconsidered importantenoughforserious analysis by the technicians there. Why would a downed balloon warrant suchtreatment? Ultimately, what seems glaringly obvious is that Ramey released a cover storyaboutwhathadcrashed,andsomeofthisinformationgotintotheFBImemo.[130]TheRoswellnewsmadeabriefsplash,andthensubmergedsodeepastobeforgottenformore than thirtyyears. In1978,purelybychance,StantonFriedmanmetMarcel,beginningtheresurrectionofRoswellintotheiconiccaseithasnowbecome.Throughthe1980s,1990s,and indeed into the 21st century, researchers such as Friedman, William Moore, DonaldSchmitt,KevinRandle,TomCarey,andothershadinterviewedhundredsofindividualswithconnectionstothecase.Still,effortstogettothebottomoftheRoswellmysteryhavebeenthwartedagainandagain.Part of the problem appears to be the national security apparatus, which naturally hascontrolled access to key data. For instance, during the 1990s, New Mexico CongressmanStevenSchiffbegantolookintothecase,afterhearingrequestsfromhisconstituents.AfterstonewallingandrebuffsfromthePentagon,SchiffcontactedtheGeneralAccountingOffice(GAO), the official investigative arm of Congress. Unfortunately, the GAO similarly gotnowhere.Infact,onePentagonliaisonreportedlytoldtheGAOrepresentativeto“goshitinyourhat.”Ultimately, theGAOreport concluded that theoutgoingmessages fromRoswellArmyAirFieldfortheperiodoftimeinquestion“weredestroyedwithoutproperauthority.”This isveryunfortunate, since thesemessageswouldhave shownhowmilitaryofficials inRoswell explained to their superiors what had happened. As Schiff put it, “these outgoingmessageswerepermanentrecord,whichshouldneverhavebeendestroyed.TheGAOcouldnotidentifywhodestroyedthemessages,orwhy.”[131]TheinvestigationofRoswellisaperfectexampleofhowtheformalgovernmentapparatus,in this case Congress, was inadequate when dealing with the true center of power, theclandestinesecretkeepersof theNationalSecurityState.Meanwhile, theU.S.AirForcehadtakentheinitiativetogeneratetworeportsonRoswell,statingfirstthatalltheconfusionwascausedbyadowned,TopSecret,Mogulhigh-altitudeballoon,andlaterbyairdropsofsix-foottalltestdummies,whichpresumablyweremistakenfortinyextraterrestrialbodies.[132]NitpickingtheseAirForceexplanationsiseasyandhasbecomesomethingofahobbyamongsome researchers.Nevertheless, theAirForce'sofficial explanationofRoswell,despite thefactthatsofewpeoplebelieveit,hasbeenabletomaintainitsstandingwithinofficialmediaandpoliticalcircles. There ismuchmore to the Roswell story and subsequent debates.Much discussion hasoccurredoverhowmanydebrisfieldsthereactuallywere.Morerecently,theclaimhasbeenmade that some researchers have found quality Kodachrome images of a dead alien,presumably from Roswell. As of this writing, no images have been released, but suchdiscussionatleastprovesthatRoswellcontinuestobeafertilegroundforinvestigation,andheateddebate.[133]

UFOCrash:AztecItisnotpossiblehere,noristhereneed,toincludealloftheUFOcrashretrievalstoriesthatexist. But, it is useful to describe a few of them, if only to point out that claims of suchretrievalsincludemuchmorethantheRoswellstory. Onesuchcase,much-debated, tookplace inAztecNewMexico, inMarch1948.Aztec islocatedatthefourcornersareawhereNewMexico,Colorado,Utah,andArizonameet.Likethe Roswell crash site, it is quite remote, nearly surrounded by Indian reservations. Fewpeople today realize that for years it was the Aztec case, not Roswell, whichwas the bestknownallegedUFOcrash.Itwasfirstdiscussedina1950book,BehindtheFlyingSaucers,byjournalistFrankScully.Scullyhadtwoprimarysourcesforthisstory,afriendnamedSilasNewton, and an acquaintance and sometime business partner of Newton, a scientist Scullycalled“Dr.Gee.” According to the story,analiensaucercamedownessentially intact,whereupon theU.S.militarygainedaccesstoitviaapuncturedporthole.Insidewereanywherefrom2to16alienbodies: small,humanlike,dead, andcharred.TheUFOwasdismantledand taken toWrightFieldinDayton,Ohioforstudy.Withinthreeyearsofthebook’spublication,ajournalistnamedJ.P.Cahnwroteaseriesofdevastating exposés regarding the accuracy and truthfulness of Silas Newton andDr. Gee,whom he identified as Leo GeBauer. The two were simply a pair of con men in the oilindustry,wroteCahn,whohadhoaxedScully.Newtonhad liedabouthiseducationandhaddefraudedbusinessassociates.Indeed,soonafterwards,bothwereconvictedofdiscreditingaColoradobusinessman.However,Scullymaintainedthat,whileDr.GeewasmodeledprimarilyonGeBauer,hewasactually a composite of multiple inside sources. And while GeBauer did not study at theUniversityofBerlin(asDr.Geesupposedlyhad),anddidnotmanage1,700scientistsdoingexperimentalworkinsecretmagneticresearchrelatedtotheflyingsaucers,hewasChiefofLaboratoriesofAirResearchCompanyinPhoenixandLosAngeles,althoughinchargeofmaintenanceequipment,notresearch.WhatisinterestingisthatGeBauerwasthesubjectofanFBIfiletotallingatleast398pages.Evenmore interesting is that less than200of thesepageshavebeendeclassifiedunder theFreedomofInformationAct.Therestremainclassified,exempt,accordingtotheFBI,“intheinterestofnationaldefense.”Onecannothelpbutwonderwhythisisso,afteralltheseyears.ButwhatmakesAztecintriguingisthatseveralresearchershavefoundelementsofthestorythatcontinuetogivepause.In2002,investigativejournalistLindaMoultonHoweinterviewedmembers of the Pace family in Farmington,NewMexico,who recalled hearing news of acrashedUFOduringthelate1940s.TheysaidthistookplaceeitherinMarch1948,orMarch1949.ThefamilyrecalledreadinganewspaperarticlewhichstatedaUFOhadcrashednearAztec,inanareaknownasHartCanyon.However,thatarticlehasneverbeenfound.ScottRamseydidevenmoreresearchandinvestigationintotheAzteccrash.[134]Supportedinthisendeavorbythiswife,Suzanne,theRamseysmadecontactwithrelativesoftwoformerNewMexicopoliceofficersfromthearea,whotoldtheirfamiliesthattheysawacrasheddiscinHartCanyon.Theyeartheygavewas1948,probablyMarch.AnintriguingpartofRamsey’sresearchrelatedtoawitnesswhoclaimedtohaveworkedatRoswellArmyAirField,andsaidtherewasaconcreteslabatthecrashsiteusedtosupport

thecranethatremovedthecraft.Ramseysearchedfortheslab,whichinitiallywasnotvisible.Then,however,withhelp fromanassistant,he found itat thesuspectedsitebyprobing thesoil.The rebar in the concretewas dated to the 1940s, although further tests are needed toobtainamoreprecisedate.[135]Justascompellingasthis,however,wastheresearchbytheRamseysintoScully,Newton,GeBauer,andCahn.Regarding the latter, theydiscoveredanagendaagainstScully thatwasnothingshortofavendetta.Cahn,itturnedout,hadbeencaptivatedbytheAztecstory,fullyaccepting itsauthenticity.HehadapproachedScullywithaviewtocollaboratingonabookaboutit.Deniedthis,heneverforgaveScullyandsetouttodestroyhimandhismainsources.TheRamseys'researchonNewtonandGeBauerdonotshowthemtobedishonestintheleast,but rather smeared by Cahn's unethical journalism. After all these years, it appears thatsomethingexoticdidgodownnearAztec.Therearequiteafewallegedretrievalsofexotic,orevenextraterrestrial,UFOs—farmorethantheaveragepersonsuspects.[136]Whatfollowsareonlyafewofthebetterknowncases,and which have received a reasonable investigation by private researchers. Naturally, nogovernmenthaseverconfirmedanyofthesecases.Still,theyremainintriguingpossibilities,andsomeofthem,atleastinmyownopinion,appeartogenuine.

UFOCrash:KingmanOneofthesemayhaveoccurrednearKingman,Arizona,onMay21,1953.Duringtheearly1970s, a man spoke to two private researchers, identifying himself as an engineer withgraduatedegreesinphysicsandengineering,statedthattwentyyearsearlierhehadbeenpartofagroupofspecialistswhoweretakeninabus(withblacked-outwindows)tothecrashsiteto study the craft. Itwas thirty feet indiameter andembedded in sand. Inside anearby tent,underarmedguard,wasahumanoidfigure,roughlyfourfeettall,andapparentlydead. Researcher Raymond Fowler began looking into the case andmet with the witness. Heconcludedthatsomethingsignificantdidappear tohavehappened,andwrotea longreport,giving the witness the pseudonym “Fritz Werner.” There were some discrepancies inWerner ’saccountofthecraft,comparedwithwhathehadtoldthetwopreviousresearchers,although these could conceivably be explained bymemory lapses, or the fact thatWernerclaimed to Fowler that he had had a number of martinis before talking with the otherresearchers.Yetmuchseemedlegitimate.AlthoughFowlerwasunabletofindotherwitnessestotheevent,hewrotethat“theperipheralnames,positions,tests,dates,andplacesmentionedwithinMr.Werner ’spersonalaccountallcheckoutexceptionallywell.”Werner ’sdiaryentryforMay21,whilenotconfirmingacrashretrieval,doesappeartoshowthathewasonsomesortofspecialmissionatthetime:“...GotpickedupatIndianSpringsAFBforajobIcan’twriteortalkabout.”OtherresearcherscameacrosstidbitspointingtoaUFOcrashatKingmanin1953.OneofthesewasCharlesWilhelm,whosefatherhadanacquaintance,a“MajorDaly,”whohadbeenflowntoaUFOcrashinApril1953.LeonardStringfield,oneofthekeyresearchersonthematterofUFOcrashretrievals,describedthisinoneofhisreportsandlecturesonthesubject.Daly was blindfolded and driven to a hot desert location where there was an undamagedmetallic ship that was twenty-five to thirty feet in diameter. He spent two days there,determining that the craftwasnotmadeonEarth.There areother intriguingdetails to this

account. Other than the exact date (whichmay have beenmisremembered), this account isconsistentwiththatofWerner ’s. DonSchmitt,authorofseveralbooksonRoswell,oncespokewithawomannamedJudyWoolcott,whosehusbandhadtoldherof“somethingstrange”hehadseenin1953.Althoughshe could not recall the month exactly, she was certain that the location was Kingman,Arizona. Her husband had been an officer, on duty at an air base control tower, whensomethingstrangewaspickeduponradar.Thetargetlostaltitudeandwentoffthescreen.Heandseveralotherswentinjeepstothelocationwheretheobjectwasbelievedtohavecrashed.They found a domed disc, embedded in the sand, which seemed undamaged. Before theycould get close, however, they were escorted from the area and told never to discuss it.AlthoughWoolcott’shusbandsawnobodies,hetoldhiswifethatsomeofthemilitarypolicesaidtherewerecasualtiesandtheywere“nothuman.”AnotherinterestingelementtotheKingmanstorywasprovidedbyBillUhouse,amanwhoservedtenyearsintheU.S.Marinesasafighterpilot,thenfourmoreyearsasacivilianwiththeAir Force atWright-PattersonAFB, performing flight testing of experimental aircraft.For many years after that, he said, he worked for defense contractors as an engineer ofantigravitypropulsionsystems.Thisincludedflightsimulatorsforexoticaircraftaswellasactual flyingdiscs.Uhouseclaimed that several timeshemetwithanextraterrestrialbeing,whoassistedthephysicistsandengineerswiththeengineeringofthecraft.Thisbeing,knownasJ-Rod,wassaidtohavearrivedonEarthin1953fromtheKingmancrash.Accordingtothe account, four entities survived altogether, although two were disabled and taken to anunspecifiedmedicalfacility.TherecoverycrewthatenteredthecraftatKingmantoinspectitcamedownwithamysteriousillness.J-Rodwasreportedlyover200yearsold,atypicalgrayextraterrestrialbiologicalentity(EBE),sufferingfromcelldeterioration,andsaidstilltobelocatedatPapooseS-4,justsouthofArea51.ResearcherBillHamiltonsaidthathehadreadadocumentpurportingtobeatechnicalpaperontissuesamplestakenfromanEBEknownasAQ-J-ROD.TheAQisbelievedtostandforProjectAquarius.[137]

UFOCrash:BrazilAnotherinterestingcrash,ofsorts,tookplaceinBrazilonSeptember10,1957,althoughthedateisapproximate.AccordingtoananonymouslettersenttoaBrazilianjournalist,acrashofaUFOoccurrednearSaoPaulo,inatownknownasUbatuba,whereseveralpeoplesawadiscdivedownandexplode,showeringtheareawithflamingfragments.Thewritermailedsomesmall samples,whichsoonmade theirway toaBrazilianUFOresearchernamedDr.OlavoFontes.Fonteshadthesamplesbroughttoalaboratory,whichshowedthefragmentstobeapparentlyofnearlypuremagnesium.Althoughthiscouldhavebeenproducedbyearthlytechnology, creating it would not have been an easy thing to do, and only a very fewcompaniesintheworldwerecapableofmanufacturingit.Thereisnoeasyexplanationastowhysuchnearlypuremagnesiumwasfoundthere.[138] Even if thiswas the crash of non-human technology, therewas never an indication thatbodies were recovered, and indeed the story is so threadbare that nothing remains of it,especiallyfollowingthelossofthesamplesfromthefilesoftheAmericanorganizationthathoused them, the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO). That organizationdissolvedinthe1980safterthedeathsofitstwofounders,anditsfilesweresequesteredbya

privategroupthathasneverallowedpublicviewingofthemeversince.[139]

UFOCrash:LasVegas Yet another fascinatingUFO crash case took place onApril 18, 1962, not far fromLasVegas,Nevada.OnemightthinkthatthearrivalofaliensinLasVegaswouldhelptoexplainsomeofthecity’scurrentcharacter,butofcourseitwasalreadyawildtownbythen.PerhapsitwasalreadyanETtouristattraction.Infact,anunidentified,andveryfast,objectwastrackedbythemilitarymovingacrosstheUnited States, fromOneida,NewYork all thewaywest to the outskirts of LasVegas. Theentiresightinglasted32minutes,givingtheobjectanaveragespeedof4,500mph.Ifnothingelse, thiswasnometeor,whichwouldhave travelledatamuchfasterspeed,andwouldnotinspirethescramblingofjets.Yes,whateverthisobjectwas,ittriggeredthescramblingofinterceptorjetsfromLukeAirForceBase in Phoenix andNellisAir ForceBase inLasVegas. In fact, it appears to havelandedbrieflyatthetownofEurekaUtah,whereseveralwitnessessawitasaglowingorangeovalthatgaveoffalowwhirringsound.Asitlanded,itdisruptedtheelectricalservicefromanearbypowerstation.Thenitrose,maneuvered,andheadedtowardNevada.PeopleinRenosaw it,where it turned south andwas seen just east ofLasVegas.At that point, it vanishedfrom the radar screens. Many people described it as looking like a tremendous flamingsword. Thousands ofwitnesses saw this object. It then exploded nearMesquite,Nevada, atwhichtimeitwasbeingpursuedbyarmedjetinterceptorsfromNellisAirForceBase. ProjectBlueBookinvestigatedtheevent,doingathoroughlyunsatisfactoryandprobablydishonestjob.Itseparatedthesightingintotwodistinctevents,makingthemappearunrelatedto each other. Years later, investigator Kevin Randle interviewed several witnesses andreviewed the Blue Book files, where he discovered the major discrepancies. He alsocommunicatedwith an anonymousmanwho claimed to have been an officer atNellisAirForceBaseatthetimeofthecrash.Thispersonclaimedthatheandthirtyothersweredrivenintothedesertearlythenextmorningtoretrievethecrashdebris.Theywereloadedintoabuswithblacked-outwindows,butonewindowwasnotentirelycovered,andthemanclaimedtohaveseenadamagedsaucer-shapedcraft.[140]

UFOCrash:KecksburgNexttoRoswell,thisincidentmaybethebest-knownpossiblecrashandretrievalofaUFO.Ittookplacein1965,nearKecksburg,Pennsylvania.AlsolikeRoswell,ithasbeenthesubjectofmuchdebateamongresearchers.TheBlueBookfilesofficiallylisteditasameteorite,butwhateveritwas,itwascertainlynotameteorite. OntheeveningofDecember9,1965,abrightlyglowingobjectstreakedeastwardacrossCanada, Michigan, and Ohio before striking ground at 4:47 p.m., near the small town ofKecksburg.Thousandsofpeoplesawtheobjectstreakingacrossthesky,whichleftavaportrailthatwasvisibleformorethantwentyminutes.Manypeoplethoughtitwasanaircraftonfire. At around 6:30 p.m., a woman called the local radio station, stating that an object orfireballhadcrashedintothewoodsnearherhome.Sheandher twosonssawsmokerisingfromthetrees,andabrightobjectofftooneside.Statepoliceandfirefighterssoonarrived.OnepersonwhoarrivedonthescenewasJohnMurphy,thenewsdirectorofalocalradio

station,WHJB.Murphyaskedquestionsofeveryonehesaw.Thenhedrovetothestatepolicebarracks inGreensburg,Pennsylvania.There,hesawnotonlymembersof thestatepolice,but also U.S. Army personnel, and two men in U.S. Air Force uniforms, one of them alieutenant.Murphyaskedthepoliceofficerswhathadhappened,andwastold that therewasnothing whatsoever going on in the woods. Skeptical of that explanation, to put it mildly,Murphyreturnedtothecrashsite.HefoundaninvestigatorfortheStateofPennsylvaniaandthe twodecided toenter thewoods.At thatpoint,he learnedhewasnotallowed in,and theentireareawascordonedoff.Still,Murphyhadtakenpicturesandrecordedaudiowhileonthescene,anddecidedhewouldpreparearadiodocumentaryabouttheevent.OthercitizenshadmoresuccessinenteringthewoodsthandidMurphy,severalofwhomwerefirefighters.Oneofthem,JimRomansky,wasinterviewedyearslaterbyresearcherStanGordon.Romansky had reached a streambedwhere the object apparently had first toucheddown.Adeepfurrowhadbeencutintothebed,andtheobjectitselfwasnearby.Itwasacorn-shaped, between nine and twelve feet in diameter. It had no wings, no visible motors, nofuselage.Aroundthebottomwasagoldbandwithwritingonit.ToRomansky,itlookedlike“ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.” More precisely, with characters of broken and straightlines,dots,rectangles,andcircles.Thebodywasdented,butwithoutvisiblerivets,seams,orwelds.Gordonfoundanotherwitness,BillBulebush,whohadgottennearlyascloseasRomansky.He described the object in a near-identical manner. Bulebush could see bright blue sparksemanatingfromit,butheardnosound.Anotherman,BillWeaver,wasfartherawayfromtheobject, but claimed to see it glowing. He saw four men dressed in what he called “moonsuits,” carrying a large white box on a stretcher into the woods. Soon after, Weaver wasorderedoutoftheareabymenindarksuits,somethingRomanskyhadalsoclaimed. The media covered the Kecksburg story almost exclusively as a fireball. A number ofastronomers were brought in to make statements to this effect, essentially ending publicinterestinthestory.Buteventhemostconservativecalculationsoftheobject'sspeedmakeitmuchmuch slower than anymeteorite ever recorded.TheBlueBook files also state that athree-manteamhadbeendispatchedtoinvestigateandpickupanobjectthatstartedafireinthewoods.ThiswascertainlypartofProjectMoonDust, aclassifiedprogramdesigned toretrieveunidentifiedflyingobjectsformilitarycustody.Oneresearcher,JamesOberg,aNASAemployeeandformerAirForceintelligenceofficer,suggested inanarticle forOmnimagazine that thecrashedobjectwasaSovietKosmos96satellite,whichhebelievedwouldhavecausedtheactivationofProjectMoonDust.Butthisisincorrect.TheKosmos96satellitewaslaterconfirmedtohavecrashedthirteenhoursearlierinCanada.Allthatisknownwithinreasonisthat,withintwohoursofthecrash,themilitarysealedoffthesite,butnotbeforewitnessesgotagoodlookattheobject,andnotbeforeothersclaimedtoseeaflatbedtruck,withatarpcoveringalargeobject,leavetheareaathighspeed.JohnMurphy’sstoryinthisadventureisofspecialinterest.Accordingtohiswife,Murphywas convinced the object was not a meteorite. Following the crash, he became deeplyinterestedinthecaseandwroteanewsstoryaboutit,calledObjectintheWoods.Justbeforetheshowwassupposedtoair,however,hewasvisitedatthestationbytwomeninblacksuits,identifyingthemselvesasgovernmentofficials.Theymetwithhimaloneforthirtyminutes,

an event recalled by another WHJB employee, Linda Foschia, who added that the menconfiscated some ofMurphy’s audio tapes, and probably his photographs also, since thesewere never seen again. Soon after, Murphy aired a censored version of his documentary,which essentially told nothing of interest. He then seems to have gone into a depression,pullingawayfromthecaseandrefusingtodiscussit.InFebruary1969,Murphywasstruckand killed by an unidentified car in an apparent hit-and-run while on vacation in Ventura,California.TherewerestillmorewitnessestotheKecksburgcrashwhocameforwardyearslater.OneoftheseclaimedtohaveworkedatWright-PattersonAirForceBaseatthetime,andsaidthatastrangeobjectwasshippedthereonDecember16,1965.Beforehewasescortedaway,hesawtheobject,describingitinnearlyidenticaltermsashadtheotherwitnesses. Itcertainlyappears thatsomethinghighlyunusualcamedownatKecksburg,whichcouldwellhavebeenagenuinecrashedUFO.[141]

UFOCrash:Bolivia Another UFO crash retrieval took place in the mountains of Bolivia on May 6, 1978.AccordingtoadeclassifiedU.S.StateDepartmentmemorandum,manypeoplesawanobjectstreakacrosstheskyandslamintoamountainnearElTaireontheBermejoRiver,verycloseto the Argentine border. On May 14, the Bolivian Air Force discovered the crash site,apparently working with the local police, with the police chief reporting “our men havediscoveredtheobjectandinspectedit.”Itwas“adullmetalliccylindertwelvefeetlongwithafewdents.Nooneknowswhatisinsideit.”Inoneofthedeclassifiedmemos,theU.S.AmbassadortoBoliviawrote:

. . . theBolivianAirForceplanstoinvestigatetodeterminewhat theobjectmightbeandfromwhereitcame. . . .ThegeneralregionhashadmorethanitsshareofreportsofUFOsthispastweek.RequestareplyASAP.

OnemightwonderwhyaU.S.AmbassadorwouldknowabouttheintensityofaUFOwaveinBolivia.ItisknownthatProjectMoonDustwasactivatedforthisevent.Furthermore,twoU.S.intelligenceofficersarrivedonthesceneandseemtohavetakenovertheinvestigation.Tothisday,theidentityofwhatcamedowninBoliviahasnotbeenmadepublic.[142]

AdeclassifiedSecretmemotoU.S.SecretaryofStateCyrusVanceaboutthecrashofanunknownobjectinBolivia.

OtherCrashesThereareafewpossibleUFOcrashesfrommorerecentyears.Allarespotty,unconfirmed,andmostlyuncorroborated.One,rathersketchyindeed,issaidtohaveoccurredonApril15,1992,nearBuffaloNewYork.Aninvestigatorknowntotheauthor lookedintothiscase, inwhichalargedisc-shapedcraftwasseencomingoutofLakeOntario.ItthenflewerraticallysouthtowardsthecityofLockport,thencrashed.Notmuchmoreisknownaboutit.Abetter-known case took place in theBrazilian town ofVarginha. In addition to involving a crashretrieval, it included the alleged sighting of a live alien being by three young girls,involvement byBrazilianmedical personnel, and of courseU.S.military involvement.Thecase fascinates because it has generated a number of compellingwitnesses that attest to itsreality.Ontheotherhand,verylittlehasbeenverified,andnaturallytheBraziliangovernmentdeniesthatanythingofthesortoccurred.Finally,alesserknowncase,butonewhichseemssuggestive,issaidtohavetakenplaceinMarch,1997,inPeru.ThesolewitnessisU.S.MarineCorpsLanceCorporalJohnWeygandt,whogaveadetaileddescriptionofacrashedobjectandrecoveryoperations,all runby theU.S.military,fortheDisclosureProject,headedbyDr.StevenGreer.Weygandt'sopinionwas

thatthisUFOhadbeenshotdownbyaHawkmissile. It isworthmentioningthatnotonlydidtheU.S.militaryrecoverapparentcrashedUFOs,butsodidtheSovietmilitary.OnecaseoccurrednearthefareasterncityofDalnegorsk,inJanuary 1986.Another possible case took place inAugust 1987, near the town ofVyborg,closetoLeningrad,andyetanotherpossibleUFOcrashoccurredinTyumen,eastoftheUralMountains,in1989.Inthislastinstance,alienbodiesweresaidtohavebeenrecovered.Itisvery difficult to confirm these cases, but the Dalnegorsk case at least was investigatedextensively, and has been argued with some force to have been a legitimate UFO crashretrieval.ItissometimesreferredtoastheSovietRoswell.Ifevenoneofthese,oranyotherinstances,weregenuineretrievalsofUFOs,wearetalkingabout something of great importance. Clearly, such retrievals would require programs tostudy the technology and (presumably) biology. It is obvious that the acquisition of alientechnologywoulddemandaprogramtostudyit.Indeed,therehavebeenmanyleaksfromtheclassifiedworldexactlytothateffect.

Stringfield’sLeaksSuchleaksgobacktothe1950sand1960s,butnotuntilthelate1970sdidlargenumbersofthem begin to appear. The researcher Leonard Stringfield published a book in 1977, titledSituationRed:TheUFOSiege.Itwasthefirstseriousbookinyearstodiscusscrashretrievalsasalegitimatephenomenon.Stringfield’smentionofsuchstorieswasbrief,butitwasenoughtocapture theattentionofquite a fewpeoplewhohad storiesof theirown.These includedstories not only ofUFO crash retrievals, but sometimes of individualswho had seen deadalienbodies. ThestoriesStringfieldcollectedwereastounding.Hewasabletoinvestigateanumberofthese,unabletoinvestigateothers,andatalltimesusedhisbestjudgmentandcommonsenseinevaluatingthem.Overall,theytellaconsistentstory. Several intriguingstorieshad reachedStringfieldprior topublishingSituationRed. Onecame through Sherman Larsen, a UFO researcher with a background in the U.S. Army’sCounterIntelligenceCorps(CIC).LarsenhadknownaPresbyterianministerwho,asaboy,hadbeenwithhisfather(alsoaminister)onavisittotheMuseumofScienceandIndustryinChicago. After straying into a “labyrinth of corridors” and becoming lost, they entered aroom in which they encountered a large, glass-covered case. “Peering inside, they wereshocked to see a number of small, preserved humanoid bodies. They were immediatelygrabbedbysecurityand taken toanother room.Theboy’s fatherwasforced tosignpapersbefore they were allowed to leave the museum. By chance, Larsen also learned that theSecurity Intelligence Corps office in Chicagowas in that very building. Stringfieldwrote,“Perhapsforeverunansweredisthequestion:WasthereasecretlinkbetweentheSICandthepreservedlittlecreatures?” Other stories came tohim throughCharlesWilhelm.Asanadolescent in1959,Wilhelmlistenedtoadeathbed“confession”fromaneighborwhoselawnheusedtocut.Thewomanwas dying of cancer, and told him that she once held aTopSecurityClearance atWright-PattersonAirForceBaseandhadseentwosaucer-shapedcraftinasecrethanger.Onecraftwas intact, the other damaged. She also knew of two small “creatures” preserved insideanother secret building, andhadpersonallyhandled thepaperworkon their autopsy report.

“UncleSamcan’tdoanything tomeafter I’m in thegrave,” she toldhim.Wilhelm relatedanotherstory toStringfieldofsomethinghewas told in1966bya friendwhose fatherhadworkedwithProjectBlueBookatWright-Patterson.Itwasnearlyidenticaltowhathisdyingneighborhad toldhim.On the father ’sdeathbed,he toldhis son thathehad seen twodisc-shaped craft, one intact and one damaged, along with four preserved small alien bodies“packedinchemicals.”[143]

LeonardStringfield,oneofthemostimportantAmericanUFOresearchersofthe1970sand1980s.

But such storieswere amere smattering comparedwithwhat Stringfield collected afterpublishingSituationRed.Theycamein,dozensandscoresofthem.OnesourcesaidthattheU.S.militarywasdesigningaradarsystemtodetectUFOs,andthatNavynuclearsubmarineswereequippedwith instruments todetect submergedUFOs.Another relateda retrievalofaUFO somewhere in theAmerican southwest in 1957, inwhich four humanoid bodieswererecovered with great difficulty. In another, a witness claimed to see nine alien bodies atWright-PattersonAirForceBasein1966.Theywerefourfeettall.Headdedthatthecraftwasalsoatthebase,andatcertainmilitarybases,mobileunitswerereadyatalltimestorecoverdownedUFOs.YetanotherofStringfield’switnesses—adoctorwhomheinterviewedseveraltimes—claimedtohaveautopsiedanalienbodyhimself.ThisdoctorgaveStringfieldagreatdealofinformationwhiletheywereincommunication. There were more witnesses. One, a contractor at Wright-Patterson during the 1960s,claimedtohaveseensevenalienbodiesunderconditionsofextremesecurity.Yetanother,aformerAirForceintelligenceofficer,saidthatin1948hesawatop-secretmanuscriptaboutaUFOcrashinNewMexicoinwhichcraftandbodieswererecovered.Yetanotherwitness,aradar specialist at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, told Stringfield that in 1953 he had beenshownafilmofacrashedUFOinthedesert,whichincludedtheinteriorofthecraft,anddeadalien beings inside a tent. This individual had been given no explanation or debriefing

regardingwhathehadbeenshown. Stringfieldheldontothestoriesquietlyforawhile,buteventuallypublishedthemfortheUFOresearchcommunity.[144]

GoingDeeperStill:TheSarbacher-WalkerSaga During the 1970s and 1980s, Stringfield was not the only researcher uncovering afascinating saga supporting the existence of aUFO retrieval program. TheCanadianUFOresearcher,ArthurBray, gained access to the papers of the deceasedCanadian governmentscientist,Wilbert Smith. Smith had had a longstanding interest inUFOs dating back to the1950s. It had already been known from a released Canadian government document that in1950,duringatriptoWashingtonD.C.,SmithhaddiscussedthematterofflyingsaucerswithaseniorAmericandefensescientist. Itwasknownthat thisscientistconfirmedtherealityofUFOstoSmith,andstatedthatthematterofUFOswas“themosthighlyclassifiedsubjectintheUnitedStatesgovernment,ratinghighereventhantheH-bomb.” What was not known, however, was the identity of this scientist. Bray discovered thisbecausehelocatedSmith'soriginalhandwrittennotesdescribingtheinterview.ThescientistwasDr.Robert Sarbacher, a brilliant physicistwhowas a prominent consultant to theU.S.defensecommunity.Thiswasastrokeofverygoodfortune,becauseSarbacherwasstillalivein the early 1980s,whenSmith discovered his identity.Two researchers, StantonFriedmanandWilliamSteinman,bothinterviewedSarbacher,andSteinmanhitpaydirt,receivingatwo-page,single-spaced,typewrittenletterfromSarbacher.NotonlydidtheletterconfirmalltheessentialsofwhatSmithhadwrittenabout longbefore,but itwentmuch further.Sarbachertold Steinman that, yes, there have been crash retrievals of UFOs, and that there was aprograminplacetodothis.Heevennamedfamousnames,suchasDr.RobertOppenheimer,Dr.VannevarBush,andDr.JohnvonNeumann.Hewrote:

...abouttheonlythingIrememberatthistimeisthatcertainmaterialsreportedtohavecomefromflyingsaucercrasheswereextremelylightandverytough.Iamsureourlaboratoriesanalyzedthemverycarefully.Therewerereportsthatinstrumentsorpeopleoperating thesemachineswere alsovery lightweight.... I remember in talkingwith someof thepeopleattheofficethatIgottheimpressionthesealienswereconstructedlikecertaininsects.

Sarbacher ’s letterwaswritten in1983, andhedied shortly thereafter.Beforehedied,hegave one more clue to help unravel the mystery. During a telephone conversation withSteinman, Sarbacher said that although he had not attended the UFO meetings at Wright-PattersonAirForceBase,heknewofanotherscientistwhohad.ThiswasDr.EricA.Walker.Sarbacherwascertainaboutit. Steinman and several other researchers, including Grant Cameron and T. Scott Crain,interviewedWalkeranumberoftimesthroughthe1980s.WalkerhadbeenPresidentofPennStateUniversity, butmore importantwas hiswork as amember of the elite think tank, theInstituteforDefenseAnalyses(IDA),whichhechairedformanyyears.CameronandCrainwroteextensivelyonWalkerandtheIDA,describingtheorganizationas“thethinktanktothehighestechelonsofthePentagon“and“theprincipaladvisoryorganizationservingtheofficeoftheSecretaryofDefenseasawhole." In a conversationwith Steinman,Walker said, “yes, I attendedmeetings concerning thatsubjectmatter.”WhenaskedaboutthegroupknownasMJ-12,arguedtobethesecretgroupinchargeofmanagingeverythingrelatedtoUFOs,Walkersaidthathedidknowaboutitand

thentoldSteinmanthathewas“delvingintoanareathatyoucandoabsolutelynothingabout.”Leave it alone, he told Steinman. In subsequent communications, however,Walker becamelessandlessforthcoming.Heapparentlydecidedthatperhapsheshouldnothavebeentalkingaboutthistopic,afterall.[145]

Bodies,Technology,andArea51 There is no shortage of stories from impressive people attesting to the reality of UFOtechnology or extraterrestrial bodies held in secret atWright-PattersonAir ForceBase, ornearArea51,orelsewhere.OnesuchpersonwasSenatorBarryGoldwater,whonotonlywasaGeneralintheU.S.AirForceReserve,butranforPresidentontheRepublicanPartyticketin1964.Goldwaterwasasmilitary-friendlyapoliticianasonecouldfindinWashington,andthatisnosmallmatter.Hewasevenoneofthefirstcivilianstotakearideinthelegendaryaircraft,theSR-71Blackbird.OneofhisclosestfriendswasGeneralCurtisLeMay,ChiefofStaff of the United States Air Force. Several times, Goldwater discussed how LeMay hadrebuffed his attempt to gain access to the area inWright-Pattersonwhere alien bodies andtechnologywerebelievedtobeheld,sometimesreferredtoastheBlueRoom.AccordingtoGoldwater, thiswastheonlytimeintheirfriendshipthatLeMayhadgottenangrywithhim.He told theSenatornever tomention the topicagain. Ina letter toaconstituent,Goldwaterwrote “this thing has gotten so highly classified... it is just impossible to get anything onit.”[146]LeMaymayhavegottentestywithhisfriendBarryGoldwater,buthedidlethisguarddownatleastonetime.Imetagentlemanwhotoldmeofhisencounterin1987withtheretiredAirForcelegend.Aftermeetingwiththiswitnessandlearninghiskeypersonaldetails,Iwillonlyaddthatthereisnodoubtinmymindthathisaccountistruthful.Thewitness(“Jim”)wasanactiveHamradiooperatorlivinginOrangeCounty,California.During early October 1987, he struck up an engaging radio conversation with an elderlygentlemanaboutvariousaircraft,whenheoverheardtheoperatorrefertohiscompanionas“General.”JimdidnotknowtheidentityofhisnewfrienduntilhecalledtheFCCofficeinLongBeach to look up the address of “W6EZV.”The result:Curtis E. LeMay, inNewportBeach.Aweeklater,JimfoundLeMayontheairtalkingwith“K0dwc”(whoturnedouttobethree-star General Francis H. “Butch” Griswold). After that conversation ended, Jim contactedLeMayagainforanotherpleasantconversationaboutaircraftandthebandleaderTexBeneke,whomJimhadpreviouslyencounteredontheHamairwaves,andofwhomLeMaywasafan.JimdecidedtotrymeetingwithLeMay.HedrovetoNewportBeachandfoundhishome.At11:00a.m.,herangthesecuritydoorbuttonasacameraswivelledtofacehim.HelenLeMay,wife of the General, answered. When she learned this was “Curt’s” friend, her voicebrightenedandshelethimthrough.InsidetheLeMayhousewasafour-foothighbustofthegeneral—andthenthemanhimself.Forashortwhile,thetwotalkedcordiallyaboutaircraft,andthenTexBeneke.Then,Jimaskedadifferentsortofquestion.“General,”hesaid,“wasthe1947crashatRoswellrelatedtoanaliencraft?”LeMaylookedathimsilently.Withoutsayingaword,henoddedhisheadupanddown.Hewasobviouslysaying“yes”andjustasobviouslydidnotwanttosayitoutloud.Perhapshewasbeingmonitored,Jimwondered.

Meanwhile, in thenext room,Helenhadanswered the telephone. Jimheardher speakingwithsomeone,andthensaying,“Butch,youwouldnotbelievewhatCurtistalkingaboutrightnow!”Amomentlatersheenteredtheroom.ButchGriswoldwasonthephone,shesaidtoherhusband,andhewantstotalkwithyou.Jimtooktheopportunitytosaygoodbyetothefour-stargeneralanddrovehome,hisheadswimming.LaterthatafternoonwhileonhisHamradio,hesawtheaddress“K0dwc”makeastatement: “Well,we figuredoutwho themysteryguestwas.”GeneralButchGriswoldwasclearlynone-too-pleasedabouthisfriend’sindiscretion.ThatwastheendofJim’scommunicationwithCurtisLeMay.Thegeneraldiedthreeyearslater.Perhapssomepeoplemightnotbelieve thatJim’sencounterwithCurtisLeMayreallyhappened.To those people Iwill only say that havingmetwith Jim and reviewedhisHamradio information—including Curtis LeMay’s Ham radio information, which was legallyavailable—and going over the encounter repeatedly in detail, I am entirely convinced thiseventtookplaceastold.LeMay,nearingtheendofhislife,forreasonswewillneverknow,decided to make an important admission to a new acquaintance. Stranger things havehappened. Through the 1980s and 1990s, other leaks continued to emerge. One important sourceduringthisperiodwasaerospacejournalist,JamesGoodall,whowroteforsuchpublicationsas Jane's Defense Weekly, Aviation Week and Space Technology, and Interavia. Goodallinterviewed quite a fewmembers of the clandestineworld, especially fromwithinGroomLake,Nevada,includingArea51.Asaresultofhisinterviews,Goodallconcludedthattherewereat leasteight“black”programs flyingoutofGroomLake,notcounting theones thatwerealreadyknown,suchastheB-2stealthbomber.Oneofthoseprograms,hedetermined,was a silent flying triangle. Many of these used radical and highly unconventionaltechnologies. Goodall also had several contacts telling him that the technology at Groom Lake wasessentiallyoutofthisworld.WhenaskingoneGroomLakeinsiderifhebelievedinUFOs,his contact replied, “absolutely, positively they exist.” When Goodall asked if he wouldexpandonthatstatement,themansaidhewouldnot,althoughhelatersaid,“wehavethingsintheNevadadesert thatwouldmakeGeorgeLucas envious,” a clear reference toStarWarstechnology and beyond. Another source told Goodall, “we have things out there that areliterallyoutofthisworld....betterthanStarTrekoranythingyoucanseeinthemovies.”He,too,wouldnotexpandonthisstatement.[147] Some of these accounts make the story of Bob Lazar seem almost pedestrian bycomparison.Andyet, itwasLazar'sstory,whichcameoutat theendof1989, thatonceandforallblewopenthesecrecyandanonymityofArea51.Moreaccurately,Lazardiscussedanarea just south of it,which he said is known as S-4.He claimed to have seen discs at S-4several times in 1988 and 1989.All in all, he said therewere nine extraterrestrial vehiclesthere.AgreatdealhasbeensaidaboutLazar,bothproandcon,butitisworthconsiderationthatGeorgeKnapp,ajournalistwithKLAS-TVinLasVegas,investigatedLazarextensively,andwasabletoconfirmkeyelementstothestory.HealsointerviewedmorethantwodozenArea51andGroomLakeinsiderswhocorroboratedmanyofthekindsofthingsLazarwasdiscussing.None,however,werewillingtogopublic.[148] If Lazar ’s basic account is true, the U.S. black budget world has been in possession of

extraterrestrial technology and attempting to duplicate it sincewell before the 1980s. Thisratherconfusesthematterofwhatawitnesssees,whentheylookupandseewhatlookslikeaUFO.Isitoneofours,ortheirs? Despite the frequencyof leaks coming frompeople likeBobLazar and somanyothersfrom within the classified world, they still lack the power of a confirmed governmentstatement.Buthowdoesonedealwith leakafter leak,claimafterclaim,comingoutof thatworld,sayingessentiallythesamething?WhatdoesonemakeofthestatementsgivenbyBenRich,forinstance,themanwhoformanyyearsheadedLockheed’slegendarySkunkWorksdivision.BenRichhasbeencalledtheFatherofStealth,havingoverseenthedevelopmentofthestealthfighter,theF-117ANighthawk.BeforeRichdiedinJanuary1995,hemadeseveralstartlinglyopenstatementsabouttherealityofUFOsandextraterrestrials. Onewas ina1986letter tofriendandcolleagueJohnAndrews,oneofLockheed’sgreatengineers.AndrewshadwrittentoRich,statinghisownbeliefin“lots”ofUFOs,bothman-made (“Category A”) and extraterrestrial (“Category B”). Andrews asked Rich if his ownbeliefcoveredextraterrestrialaswellasman-madeUFOs. Rich’s replywas succinct, yet a tad enigmatic. “Yes,” hewrote back toAndrews, “I'm abeliever inbothcategories. I feeleverything ispossible.Manyofourman-madeUFOsareUn-FundedOpportunities”(andhereheunderlinedtheU,F,andOofthatphrase). It is important to recognizeRich’s statedbelief that extraterrestrialswerehereonEarth.True,hestatedthisasbeliefratherthanknowledge toAndrews,butonemustrememberthatBenRichwastheCEOofalargeorganization.Suchpeoplearenotpronetomakingblatantstatements about anything, certainly not something as sensitive as UFOs. Rich was in anexcellent position to form his opinion. During the course of his career, he had access toindividualsofthehighestintellectualcaliber,whointurnwereexposedtosomeofthemostsensitivesecrets in thenation.Hehimselfwasonesuchperson,havingmanaged thestealthfighterprogram.BenRichwasinasgoodapositionasanyonetohavegenuineinformationonthematterofUFOs. The most provocative part of his reply to Andrews was his remark aboutUn-FundedOpportunities. What might that mean? There seem to be two possibilities. One is that theprogramtobuildUFOswassosecret,so“black,”thatfundingwouldbesodeeplyhiddenastobe“nonexistent”—hencetheprojectwouldbeunfunded,sotospeak.Theotherpossibilityis that man-made UFOs were derived from the active study of extraterrestrial UFOs,presumablyintheformofcrashretrievalsorotherfreebies.Hence,unfunded.BenRichhadmorethanthistosayonthematterofUFOs.OnMarch23,1993,hespokeattheUCLASchoolofEngineering,presentingagenerally standardhistoryofSkunkWorks.Then, however, he ended his presentation with a remarkable statement: “we now have thetechnologytotakeEThome.”ThishappenstohavebeenataglinethatRichusedformanyofhislecturesovertheyears,and seems tohavebeenmore coyandhumorous thanprovocative in intent.Since1983, invarious lectures, he had referred to SkunkWorks getting a contract to “take ET home” (areferencetoStevenSpielberg’smovie,ET:TheExtraterrestrial,whichcameoutin1983). Nevertheless, thestatementstartledafewinattendance,andaftermostattendeesfiledout,somestayedbehind, in thehopes thatBenRichwouldclarifyorexpandonwhathemeant.TwoofthesepeoplewereJanHarzan,aseniorexecutivewithIBM,andalsoDirectorofthe

OrangeCountyMutualUFONetwork(MUFON),andTomKeller,anaerospaceengineerwhohasworkedasacomputersystemsanalystforNASA’sJetPropulsionLaboratory. Accordingtobothofthem,Richwassurroundedbyasmallgroupofpeopleandmadeafewotherstatements.“Wenowknowhowtotraveltothestars.”“Thereisanerrorintheequations,andwehavefigureditout,andnowknowhowtotraveltothestarsanditwon'ttakealifetimetodoit.”“Itistimetoendallthesecrecyonthis,asitnolongerposesanationalsecuritythreat,andmakethetechnologyavailableforuseintheprivatesector.” And,finally,saidHarzan,astatementwhichheconsideredtobeaverycloseparaphrase:“therearemanyintheintelligencecommunitywhowouldliketoseethisstayintheblackandnotseethelightofday.”[149] Rich did not explicitly state that extraterrestrials were among us. Nor did he even stateexplicitlythatUFOswerereal.Ontheotherhand,hedidmakeaveryclearstatementthatthetechnologywithin theclassifiedworldwasvastlybeyondanything imaginable in thepublicrealm.Afterall,heessentiallysaidthattheclassifiedworldhadthecapabilityforinterstellartravel.JamesGoodallknewBenRichverywell,andalsohadsomethingtoaddabouttheaerospacelegend.Inavideointerview,GoodallsaidthathespoketoRichabouttendaysbeforehedied,whichwouldhavebeenshortlyafterChristmasof1994.AccordingtoGoodall:

Abouttendaysbeforehedied,IwasspeakingtoBenonthetelephoneattheUSCMedicalCenterinLosAngeles.Andhesaid,Jim,wehave thingsout in thedesert thatare fiftyyearsbeyondwhatyoucancomprehend.Theyhaveaboutforty fivehundredpeople at theLockheedSkunkWorks.Whathave theybeendoing for the last eighteenor twentyyears?They'rebuildingsomething.[150]

Asifthesestorieswerenotenough,thereisafinal,veryintriguingstoryaboutBenRich.ThiscamefromBillMcDonald,aforensicillustratorfortheaerospaceindustry,andagoodfriend of JohnAndrews.AfterAndrews died in 1999,McDonaldwrote in a private email,sincerepublishedmanytimes,thatAndrewshadtoldhimofclaimsmadebyBenRichduringprivatecommunications.First,RichtoldAndrewsthatthereweretwotypesofUFOs:“theoneswebuild,andtheonestheybuild.”Accordingtothisaccount,Richsaidthat theU.S.governmentactivelymanagedtheUFOprogramuntila1969purgebyPresidentRichardNixon.After this,administrationover theprogramwashandledbyan internationalBoardofDirectors in theprivate sector.RichalsoreportedlydescribedtoAndrewstheattitudetakenbyhispredecessorattheheadofSkunk Works, Kelly Johnson. According to Rich, Johnson's attitude toward theextraterrestrialswasnegative.InprivateconversationwithRich,Johnsonimpliedthatfactionsfrom“outthere”weremoreofathreatthantheywereablessing,andthatthecostofhavingthemaroundwas“unimaginable”and“unbelievable.”[151]McDonald'sletteronthesubjectcontinued.

ItwasBenRich'sopinionthatthepublicshouldnotbetold.Hebelievedtheycouldnothandlethetruth—ever.Onlyinthelastmonthsofhisdeclinedidhebegintofeelthatthe‘internationalcorporateBoardofDirectors’dealingwiththe‘Subject’couldrepresentabiggerproblemtocitizens’personalfreedomsundertheUnitedStatesConstitutionthanthepresenceofoffworldvisitorsthemselves.[152]

BenRichappeared tobeconflictedaboutwhatheknew.Hemaynothavebelievedmost

peoplecouldhandlethetruthaboutUFOsandextraterrestrials,buthealsoappearstohavefelttheneedtoconfidetoafewpeopleonalimitedbasistowardtheendofhislife.

BenRich,amanwithaninterestinUFOs,andevidentlysomeknowledge.

There are other stories, fascinating but so far unprovable. One is the the allegedAlienReproduction Vehicle, or ARV, allegedly seen at a secret display at Lockheed’s Helendalefacility in November 1988. The source for this account was a technical design engineernamedBradSorensen,whotoldhisfriendandrespectedaviation/aerospaceillustrator,MarkMcCandlish.Thedesignwasofaclassicflyingsaucer,exceptthatthiswasmadeintheUSA,and designed from acquired alien technologies. According to a lecture from a four-stargeneralthatSorensenheardwhilethere,someformofantigravitywasineffect,andtheARVsinoperationhadalreadytraversedmuchofthesolarsystembythen.Thestoryisfascinating,andanumberofprominentindividualshaveinterviewedSorensenabouthisaccount.Thosewho listened to him stated that he seems entirely truthful, but the story of course remainsofficiallyunconfirmed.[153] One more final high-profile individual ought to be mentioned in this context: former

Apollo14astronaut,Dr.EdgarMitchell,whowasthesixthmantowalkonthemoon.Assuch,Mitchell has had access to elite figures throughout the U.S. national security structure.Certainly,hehasbeeninagoodpositiontoknowmattersofimportancerelatingtospaceandnational security. Therefore, it is of no small significance that formany years on variousoccasions,Mitchellhasspokenpubliclyabouttherealityofadeeplysecretprogramtostudyextraterrestrialtechnologyandbodies.Inseveralprivateconversationswithmyself,headdedthathelearnedthisfromtwo“veryelite”connectionswhotoldhimabouttheexistenceofthisprogram at “great risk personally, professionally, and to their families.” The fact thatmainstream newsmedia has ignored,marginalized, or belittled his various statementswillremainablackmarkaslongassuchapolicycontinues. WhenconsideringthelikelihoodofactualretrievalsofcrashedUFOs,combinedwiththemany leakedaccountsemanating fromtheworldofnationalsecurity, there isacompellingargument that exotic technology in the form of UFOs came into the possession of theAmericanmilitary,andalmostcertainlyothers suchas theSovietmilitary.This technologyappearstohavebeenstudiedformanyyears.Indeed,theobservationsofmanycitizensfromCalifornia'sAntelopeValley,wheremanyof theleadingaerospaceandaviationdesignsarecreated and tested, confirm that extremely advanced technologies arebeing seen and flownthere.ThesamecanbesaidfortheArea51/GroomLakeregion.Whatdoesonemakeofthe1994videoof averybizarreUFObeing flownover theNevadaTestSite?Thisvideowasleaked in early 1995. It shows an object moving in ways that defy conventional aviationphysics. Multiple analyses indicate that it was roughly fifteen feet wide and ten feet high.Withinminutesitsspeedrangedfromaslowas20mphtoashighas500mph.Itmadeverysharp-angledturns,includingarightangleturnatapproximately140mph.Whatcandothis?SinceitwasrecordedinsideoneofAmerica'smostsecrettestingfacilities,itisreasonabletoassumethatweourselvesmadeit.CanthisberelatedtotheprogramtostudycrashedUFOs?Theanswermaywellbeyes.[154]

Fromthe1994videoofanunknownobjectrecordedattheNellisTestSite.

GermanTechnology Startinginthe1960s,anotherideawasintroducedintotheUFOresearchfield,onewhichhas received significant attention throughout the 21st century. It is the idea that a certainportion of what we call UFOs has derived from clandestine German technology from theSecondWorldWar, technology which continued to develop during the 1950s and beyond.[155] There are a number of permutations on this idea, including a covert research anddevelopmentprogrambasedintheU.S.withthehelpofNaziscientists,variousprogramsinSouthAmerica(mostnotablyArgentinaandBolivia)runbyescapedNazis,andevenasecretNazibaseinAntarctica. It isworth remembering that from the very beginning of themodern flying saucer era,many researchers speculated that the mysterious objects were classified technology,presumablyfromeithertheAmericansorRussians.Duringtheseearlyyears,verylittlewas

known of the importation ofNazi scientists (Project Paperclip), but the ideawas there thattheseobjectswereofentirelyterrestrialmanufacture,andithasnevergoneaway.Startinginthelate1960s,ItalianresearcherRenatoVescoarguedthattheGermanshaddevelopedseveraltypesofalternativeenergydevices,evensomeformofantigravity.Disc-shapedandtubularcraftwerebuiltandtestedneartheendoftheSecondWorldWar,which,heargued,wastheproperexplanationofthefoofighters.Theseconcepts,hemaintained,weredevelopedbytheAmericansandSovietsandleddirectlytoflyingsaucers.In2002,aviationwriterNickCookinvestigatedthispossibilityfurther.Hisconclusionwasthat the Nazis had experimented “with a form of science the rest of the world had neverremotelyconsidered,”andwhichhascontinuedtobesuppressedtothisday.Themostfamousof theNazi achievementswas said to be a flying disc, the so-calledV7,which flewout ofPragueonFebruary14,1945.Itwassaidtohaveclimbedtoanaltitudeof40,000feetwithinminutes and reached a speed of 1,200mph, far and away beyondwhat any fighter aircraftcouldachieveatthetime.Accordingtothesource,itwaseitherdestroyedatthewar ’send,orcaptured by the Soviets. Cook also discussed the work of Viktor Schauberger, whoinvestigatedalternativeenergyand“levitationalflight,”includingflyingsaucer-shapedcraft.During the war, his work was taken over by the S.S. under the direction of the notoriousGeneralHansKammler.AccordingtooneofCook’ssources,aSchaubergerprototype,using“whollyunconventional”science,successfullyrosetwicetotheceilingandthenwaswrecked.[156] Shortly after this, Schauberger himself was captured by the Americans and detaineduntilMarch1946.Cookalsoinvestigatedtheso-called“BellExperiment,”somethingthatreceivedsignificantfollow-upintheworkofJosephP.Farrell.IntheregionofLowerSilesia,underKammler ’smanagement,workwasunderway that seemed tobe related toantigravity. It involvedusinglargeamountsof electricity feeding intoabelow-groundchamberwith twocontra-rotatingcylinders filled with mercury (said to produce terrible side effects on humans). Sixty-twoscientistsworking on the programwere allegedly shot by the S.S. just before theGermansurrender.IthasevenbeensuggestedthattheBellexperimentswerepossibleeffortsintotimetravel.Farrell’sresearchgoesfurtherstill.Inhisjudgement,theBellwas:

...agatewaytechnology,ahyper-dimensionaltorsion-basedtechnologythattheNazishaddevelopedtoinvestigateitspotentialapplicationsinthreeareas:1)Asameanstotapintothezero-pointenergy,or,tophraseitdifferently,theenergyofthephysicalmediumofspace-timeitself;2)Asameanstomanipulategravityitself,i.e.asanadvancedprototypicalfieldpropulsiontechnology;and,3)Asameanstotheultimate,potentiallyplanet-busting,weapons.

TheconceptualkeytotheBell,asbothheandCooknoted,wasthemanipulationofrotatingmagneticfieldsviathetwocontra-rotatingmercury-filledcylinders.[157] It isunclearhowmuchof“TheLegend”(as thestoryofNaziUFOshassometimesbeencalled)istrue,andhowmuchfantasy.TheexistenceoftheBell,forinstance,reliesonasmallhandful ofwitnesseswho claimed knowledge of it after thewar. None of the stories havebenefitted from solid documentation, and some of them, such as the Prague flying saucer,seem outlandish. One wonders how a pilot would have managed a feat of flying in acompletelynewtypeofairframeatthreetimesthespeedoftheworld’sbestfighteraircraftat

thetime.Buteventhesespeedspaleincomparisonwiththespeedssaidtohavebeenattainedby the fabled Haunebu craft, a literally unbelievable 17,000 kph (over 10,000 mph). Thetechnologyenablingthisfantasticperformancewasdescribedas:

. . .arevolutionaryelectro-magnetic-graviticenginewhichimprovedHansColer’sfreeenergymachineintoanenergyKonverter coupled to aVanDeGraaf band generator andMarconi vortex dynamo (a spherical tank ofmercury) tocreatepowerfulrotatingelectromagneticfieldsthataffectedgravityandreducedmass.[158]

SomedescriptionsofNazimanufactureofthesediscsarequitespecific.Theironlyproblemis they lack evidence. Sources are not cited; photographs are either indistinct or lookPhotoshopped. Moreover, claims of such speeds lack any semblance of credibility. Twoproblemsthatimmediatelycometomindareheatshieldingandhumansurvivability(letalonecontroloversuchacraft).Inthecontextofthe1940s,thesewouldbeinsurmountable.Whatwe appear to be leftwith are claims of individuals, some ofwhichmay have had validity,somenot,butwhichnearlyalllacksupportingdocumentation.Still,Farrell’sworkbearsclosescrutiny,ashemakesastrongcasethat,attheveryleast,thefundamentalsoftheNazi’sfringeresearchcontinuedonafterthewar,especiallyinArgentinabut perhaps elsewhere,with substantial cooperation fromwithin theU.S. First, themassiveNazi intelligencegroupledbyReinhardGehlenwasbrought into theAnglo-Americanfoldorganizationallyintactandrunessentiallybythesamepeopleafterthewarasduringit—andwith a great amount of independence. Secondly, not only did the importation of so manyNazisintotheCIAviaProjectPaperclipfundamentallyunderminethenatureandpurposeofthatorganization,butmanyPaperclipNaziswhowentelsewhere(suchasintotheU.S.rocketprogramintheSouthwest)alsoexhibitedastrikinglevelofindependencefromU.S.militaryauthority.TheseNazis,Farrellsuggested,werea“classicTrojanHorseoperation.”Thirdly,theseU.S.-basedNaziswereinalllikelihoodcollaboratingwithNaziselsewhereintheworld,mostimportantlyArgentinabutprobablyotherplaces,too.“‘OurNazis,”hewrote,“maynotreally have been ‘ours’ after all.”[159]Argentina under Juan Peron provided them with asecurehomeand infrastructure, in returnforNazigoldandwhateverotheramplefinancialresourcestheybroughtwiththem.[160] To his great credit, Farrell went further still and analyzed declassified U.S. militarydocuments,especiallythe“SchulgenIntelligenceCollection”memoofOctober1947,whichclearlyshowedabelief that the flyingsaucerphenomenonnotonlymayhavebeenderivedfromNazitechnology,butthatarogueNazigroupmaywellhaveexistedatthetimeandhadtobedealtwith.Notonly this,buthedemonstrated that a forgedversionof thisdocument,whichalmostcertainlywascraftedbyUFOresearcherBillMooreinthe1980s,wasdesignedto take attention away from the Nazi connection in favor of an ET connection that neverexistedintheoriginalmemo.[161]IfIhaveaquibblewiththisanalysis,itisthatSchulgen’sconclusionsshouldnotinanywaybetakenasdefinitivefortheU.S.nationalsecuritycommunityasawhole.Inthefirstplace,during the 1940s and 1950s, opinions varied widely within that community regarding theflyingsaucers.SomeincludedspeculationsalongthelinesofSchulgen,otherswereexplicitlyalongextraterrestriallines.Secondly(andasFarrellalsoshowed),SchulgenwasessentiallyguidedintohispositionbyapreviousmemofromAirForceGeneralNathanTwining,whomaywellhavehadgoodreasonforsteeringthelower-rankedSchulgenintothedirectionhedid.

Few of the critical details can be known for sure. Clearly, if the saucers were beingmanufactured by a rogue post-warNazi group thatwas beyond the reach of theAmericanmilitarymachine, thiswouldhavebeenexplosivenewsfor theAmericanandworldpublic.EspeciallyifitwerelearnedthatthousandsofhardcoreandunrepentantNaziswereworkingillegally in highly sensitive scientific and intelligence positions throughout theU.S.On theother hand, a truly alien (e.g. extraterrestrial or similar) answer to the flying saucerphenomenonwouldhaverequiredjustasmuchsecrecyanddisinformation. Still, there is cause for believing that some Nazi technology during the war was of agenuineproto-UFOnature.Thereisevengoodreasontoconsiderthat,somewhere,someonewastryingtobuildgenuineflyingsaucersintheimmediateaftermathofthewar.Butitmustbeemphasizedthattheevidenceforthisisslender,andbasedonasurprisinglysmallnumberofclaims.Norhasiteverbeenansweredsatisfactorilywheretheywerebased,whobuiltthem,whattheirmissionswere,orwhatrelation(ifany)theyhadwithpre-warsightingsofapparentUFOs.Andagain,mostimportantisthelackofanyhistoricaldocumentationleadingustoafirmconclusion. Onescenariothathasoftenbeenraisedis that theNazissetupabaseinAntarctica(Neu-Schwabenland)whichbecameamajorproblemafter thewar ’send,as itcontainedall theiradvancedscienceandweaponry.ThisinturnunderliestheclaimthattheAmericanexpeditionknownasOperationHighjump,whichtookplaceinlate1946andearly1947,wasinrealityafailed military expedition against the secret Nazi base. Highjump was indeed a largeexpedition,including13shipsandnearly5,000men,andasrecentscholarshiphasshown,“itwasdesignedtotraintheU.S.NavyforapossiblewarwiththeSovietUnionintheArctic,andnottoattackanallegedGermanbaseinAntarctica.”[162] TheOperation did end earlier than scheduled, and therewere also deaths, but all of theproblemsappearexplainablebybadweather,whichbecamequiteseriousbyFebruary1947.TheCommanderofHighjump,AdmiralRichardByrd,gaveastatementtotheMarch5,1947editionoftheChileannewspaper,ElMercurio.This issometimesused to indicate thatByrdwashintingat the realityofdangerous, revolutionary, technology inAntarctica. In fact,hisstatementdoesnotappeartodothis.Thearticle,inpart,readsasfollows:

AdmiralRichardE.ByrdwarnedtodaythattheUnitedStatesshouldadoptmeasuresofprotectionagainstthepossibilityofan invasionof thecountrybyhostileplanescoming from thepolar regions.Theadmiralexplained thathewasnottryingtoscareanyone,butthecruelrealityisthatincaseofanewwar,theUnitedStatescouldbeattackedbyplanesflyingoveroneorbothpoles.This statementwasmadeaspartofa recapitulationofhisownpolarexperience, inanexclusiveinterviewwithInternationalNewsService.Talkingabouttherecentlycompletedexpedition,Byrdsaidthatthemostimportantresultofhisobservationsanddiscoveriesisthepotentialeffectthattheyhaveinrelationtothesecurityofthe United States. The fantastic speed with which the world is shrinking—recalled the admiral—is one of the mostimportantlessonslearnedduringhisrecentAntarcticexploration.Ihavetowarnmycompatriotsthatthetimehasendedwhenwewereabletotakerefugeinourisolationandrelyonthecertaintythatthedistances,theoceans,andthepoleswereaguaranteeofsafety.[163]

UnlessonedecidestospeculatethatByrdwasspeakingincode,thereisnojustificationforinterpreting his statement any other way than how it was reported, barring new facts ordevelopments.Moreover, ifHighjumpended indisaster,why thenweresubsequent,smallerexpeditions sent to the same region later in1947and1948?SuchwasOperationWindmill,described as an exploration and training mission in 1947-1948. In addition, the privateexplorerFinnRoneorganizedanexpeditiontothesameareaatthistime.Inotherwords,theideaofaNazibaseinAntarcticahasnofoundation,onlyspeculation.

SotheNazi-UFOconnection,justliketheET-UFOconnection,offersitsownfrustrationsanddead-ends.Andyet,wecanatleastacknowledgethegenuinepossibilitythattherewasaconnection,andthattheAmericans,British,Russians,andotherswereveryinterestedinsuchNazitechnology.AsCook,Farrellandothershavepointedout,ithasalwaysbeensuspectedthatHansKammler,whodisappearedattheendofthewar,wenttoworkfortheAmericans.Moreover,therecanbenoquestionthataclandestine“flyingsaucer”programwouldhavebeen desirable within theU.S. and possibly elsewhere in the immediate post-war era. Thiswould presumably include science related not only to acquired technology—whether fromNazisorextraterrestrials—butalsotothepioneeringresearchofpeoplelikeNikolaTeslaandTownsendBrown(bothdiscussedinChapterEleven).Thequestionisnotwasthereaterrestrialefforttobuildflyingsaucers.Rather,whetherornotthisscientificworkcomprisedthesumtotalofwhatwecalltheUFOphenomenon.Thatis, are UFOs a completely man-made phenomenon, and is the alien connection merelydisinformationandadistraction?Forthoseresearcherswhobelievethis,thereasoningis(a)that aliens from another planet, arriving in “flying saucers” that look like human designsfromthe1940s,isimplausible;(b)humanscienceandtechnologyismorethansufficienttoexplaintheoperationofUFOs,aslongasweincludehidden,suppressedtechnologies;and(c)the“alien”connectionispuredisinformationdesignedtoconfusethepublicfromtherealityof a fully terrestrial breakaway civilization that has no intention of sharing its technologywiththemasses.[164]AsIhavebeensuggesting,andwillcontinuetoargueinthisbook,thereisacertainlogictotheposition,butonly ifa substantialbodyofotherevidence is ignored.Moreover, there ismoreevidencethatthecoreUFOphenomenonderivesfromothersnotfromourcivilization.

TheRequirementsofSecrecy Let us return to 1947, to PresidentHarry Truman, facing the shattering news that otherbeingsofsomesortwerehere.Moreover,thattheU.S.militaryhadrecoveredsomeoftheirtechnology, and even bodies.Wemay assume that thiswould require the creation of blackbudgets.Afterall,itwouldbenecessarytofundtheseprograms,anditwouldnotexactlybethewisestideatoinformCongressaboutit,consideringthatsolittlewouldbeknownaboutthese beings, considering the desire to keep such technology away from enemies real orperceived, and for so many other reasons already discussed. Thus, layer upon layer ofsecrecywouldneedtobeestablishedtohidetheseUFO-extraterrestrialtechnologyprograms.Asweknowhasbecomethenormwithintheblackbudgetworld,suchaprogramwouldbenestedwithin other classified programs, providing deep layers of protection from outsideobservation.Suchaprogramofsecretstudywouldalsorequireongoinginfluenceandevencontrolovermainstreamradio,newspapers,andtelevision.ThisdoesnotmeanthattheCIAwouldcontrolevery piece of information coming through themedia. It mightmean, however, that therewouldbekey,strategicallyplaced,individualswhowouldinfluencestoriesastheycameout.Inotherwords,spincontrol:promotingcertaintypesofstoriesandkillingothers.Overtheyears,therehavebeenanumberofexposésdetailingtherelationshipbetweentheCIAandthenewsmedia.Onewasfrom1977byjournalistCarlBernstein,ofWatergatefame.BernsteinconcludedthatsincetheendoftheSecondWorldWar,theCIAhadrecruitedmorethanfour

hundred U.S. journalists and placed them secretly on its payroll.[165] Any private citizenmightwellaskwhatheorshecouldaccomplishwithfourhundredjournalists,manyinhighlyinfluential positions, as secret employees? Certainly there would be a great ability toinfluencethenews,andthereforeinfluencepublicopinion. The same situation applies to the academic and scientific communities, as well as toHollywood and the entertainment industry. Influencing them is easier than most peoplerealize.With a few leadingprofessors at the right institutions—Harvard,Princeton,UCLA,Berkeley,UniversityofChicago—theguarddogswouldbeinplace.AyoungprofessorwhodevelopsaninterestinUFOswouldthenbesmackeddownbytheleadinglights.Infact,thisisknown to have happened. Harvard astronomer DonaldMenzel fulfilled precisely this roleduring the 1950s and 1960s. Not onlywas he the leading debunker of UFOs in the worldduringthatperiodoftime,buthehadasecretrelationshipwiththeNationalSecurityAgency.Notevenhiswifeknewaboutthat. In today's world, such relationships are sometimes barely even concealed, as if no onecares.Thereisavirtualrevolvingdoorbetweenthegovernment/intelligencecommunityandthemostprestigiouselementsoftheacademicworld.Thesituationisevenworseintheworldof scientific research, where everything is controlled by funding, and the largest share offundingfor thescientificcommunitycomesfromtheU.S.government.Scientistswhostrayinto areas not approved by their paymasters quickly find that they lose their funding, afterwhichalossofstandingandprestigeareaconstantthreat.Theseareverybigincentivestotoetheline.Thus,controlmovesbeyondtheclassifiedworldtobecomecultural.

TheBreakawayCivilization What happens when teams of brilliant scientists, under conditions of total secrecy, andutilizinglimitlessblackbudgetmoney,areabletostudyrecoveredextraterrestrialtechnologyformanyyears,andevendecades?ConsidertheRoswellcrash.Morelikelythannot,technologiesrecoveredtherewouldhavebeenwellbeyond theunderstandingof thescientists studying them.But,givenenough timeandeffort,wemightassumethateveniftheycouldnotreplicatewhattheyfound,theymighthavelearnednewthings.Suchclaimshavebeenmade,anditisreasonabletosupposethatnewbreakthroughsinunderstandingwouldhavebeenmadefromsuchtechnology.Breakthroughssuchassolid-stateelectronics,fiberoptics,high-tensilefibers, lasers,andanarrayofothermoney-making opportunities for the defense and other industries. None of this has beenproven,ofcourse,butitisalsotruethattheprivateresearchundertakenindeeplyclassifiedenvironmentsisnoteasyforoutsideresearcherstoobserve.Infact,itwouldbebeveryeasytohidetheRoswellconnectioninthehistoricaltreatmentoftheseandothertechnologies.Anotherrelevantconsiderationofsuchbreakthroughsisthattheywouldreducetozeroanyincentivetorevealthesecrettothepublic.Whygiveupthegoosethatlaysgoldeneggs?Butnowmattersbecomeevenmoreinteresting.Forwhatifsomeofthebreakthroughswereevenmoresignificantthandefenseindustrymoney-makers?Whatiftheyincludedsecretstoantigravity,forexample?Whatiftheyincludedanunderstandingofanewsourceofenergy,something that could make petroleum obsolete? It would seem that these would bebreakthroughsofvastlygreaterimportancethananythingimaginable.Inthefirstplace,they

wouldthreatentheworld'slargestindustry,onethatisentrenchedwithinmostaspectsofourlives. If, hypothetically, such breakthroughs were made during the 1950s or 1960s, it isconceivable,even likely, that thosemanaging theprogramwouldmakesure that thesecretsneverseethelightofday.Certainly,thosescientistsengagedintheinvestigationwouldneedtocontinue their research to learneverything theycouldaboutelectrogravitics, antigravity,newsourcesofenergy,andanyrelatedstudies.Sciencedoesnotprogressinahaphazardfashion.Itismorelikeaseriesofconnectionsinwhichknowledgemustprogressinacertainwayforbreakthroughstobeachieved.OnedoesnotsimplygofromthediscoveryoffirestraighttorocketsleavingEarth'satmosphere.Thereare necessary steps along the way. But what happens when a necessary link in the chainremains unavailable to the rest of theworld, knownonly to a few clandestine scientists? Itwould mean that those scientists have the ability to add more links to the chain, movingfartherandfartherawayintheirknowledgefromtherestoftheworld.Withoutquestion,theclassifiedworldisfaraheadoftherestofus.Someyearsago,Ihadaconversationwith a scientistwho hadworked for theNational SecurityAgency during themid-1960s.Iknowthismanfairlywell.Hestatedthatinaround1965,theNSAhadcomputersrunning at a clock speed of 650 MHz. Today, that is decidedly slow, but in 1965 it wasextraordinary.Inthefirstplace,computerswerevirtuallyabsentoutsidetheclassifiedworld.Moreover,thatclockspeedwasnotreachedbythepersonalcomputingmarketuntiltheyear2000;thatis,thirty-fiveyearslater.Itisworthaddingthatin1965,theNSAwasstillvirtuallyunknowntotheworld.Ithadonlybeenoutedforthefirsttimeinabooktheprioryear.[166]In other words, during the early 1960s, an agency that nobody knew existed had themostadvancedcomputingcapabilitiesintheworld.ReturningtoourhypotheticalUFOtechnologygroup,wemightask,howmanyyearsaheadofusmighttheybe?Whatnewunderstandingsofourworldanduniversemighttheyhavethatwelack?Wouldtheyhavetheabilitytodevelopafleetofclandestineflyingsaucers,withtheability to leave Earth's orbit and enter space?Would such capabilities allow them to haveinteractions or encounters with non-human intelligences? Would they have a significantinfrastructure,perhapssomeofitunderground? What are the features that constitute adistinct civilization?Admittedly, this isnot alwayseasy to quantify, yetwe can identify certain key factors.The level of technologywouldbeone.Scientificandcosmologicalunderstanding—that is,howone seesoneself in thegrandschemeofthings—wouldbeanother.Bybothofthesefeatures, thedeeplyclandestineblackbudgetgroupmightbesofaraheadoftherestofus,thatwemightjustlyconsiderthemtobeaseparatecivilization,onethathasbrokenawayfromourown,orabreakawaycivilization.Undoubtedly, its members would continue to interact with our own society, since in alllikelihoodEarthiswheretheactionis.Buttheirlevelofknowledge,andthetechnologiesattheirdisposal,wouldgivethemauniqueandveryadvancedpositioninthegrandschemeofthings. It seems unlikely that such a groupwould answer to the President of theUnited States.Simplybasedontheknownstructureofpowerintheworldtoday,itseemsmuchmorelikelythat private international finance would exercise dominant control over the group, orsomehow be merged with it. The office of the U.S. President, while still important, is no

longer the central pivot that it was just afterWorldWar Two. Studies of the black budgetworld, for instance, have emphasized that at the deepest levels of secrecy, it is not officialDefense Department personnel, but private contractors who usually dominate most of theSpecial Access Programs—that is, black budget programs.[167] Why should it be anydifferentregardingtheUFOsecret?

PayingForItAllFundingsuchaprogramwouldbeanightmarishprospect,atleastifdonethroughformallegal channels. What we call the black budget is usually understood to be classifiedappropriations and, within the U.S., part of the normal budgetary process which must beapprovedeachyearbyCongress.Inotherwords,whileitmaybesecret,itwouldatleasthavetheveneeroflegality.Officiallyspeaking,theU.S.blackbudgetisestimatedtobearound$50billion.[168]Thisisanenormoussum,butkeepinginmindthatitisallocatedfortheentireU.S. defense community, only a certain portion would be available for an undoubtedlyexpensiveUFOresearchanddevelopmentprogram.Notnearlyenough.OneconversationIhadwithaninsiderwithsomeknowledgeofsuchmattersisthat,ifnothingelse,thisprogramisexpensive.[169] In this context, it isworth pondering the research of several analysts, notablyCatherineAustin Fitts, John Perkins, and Joseph Stiglitz. Fitts was Under Secretary of the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 1989-1993; Perkins workedduringthe1970sfortheinternationalengineeringconsultancyChasT.Mainasan“economichitman,” and Stiglitz was Chief Economist for theWorld Bank from 1997-2000. The firstconclusionofimportancereachedbytheseandsimilaranalyistsisthatinternationalfinancialpower is irredeemably corrupt and controls entire nations. The next conclusion, for ourpurposesatleast,isthatthereisagreatdealofmoneyfloatingaroundtheworldthatisfreeforthetakingandrequiresnoopenaccounting,atleastforthosegroupsinapositiontotakeadvantage.Perkinsdescribedhowhewaschargedwithenticingdevelopingcountriestoborrowmoneyfor poor infrastructure investments which were ultimately designed to cheat them out oftrillionsofdollars, increase theirdebt to theWest, andmake themdependent ineveryway.ThiswaspureeconomiccolonizationonbehalfofpowerfulcorporationsandbanksthatusetheUnitedStatesgovernmentastheirtool.Signficantly,Perkinsaddedthatbehindhisformalemployment, the U.S. National Security Agency was essentially calling the shots, and wasevenbehindhiringhimforhisjob.[170] StiglitzdescribedpreciselythesameprocessviatheoperationsoftheWorldBankviaits“four-stepplan”fordebternations.StepOneinvolvespressureforthosenationstoprivatizestate industries. Step Two involves capital market liberalization, meaning that speculativeinvestment money comes—and then goes, draining national reserves and prompting IMFdemands for large interest hikes. This destroys property values, industry, and nationaltreasuries. He describes Step Three as “Market-Based Pricing,” meaning higher prices onfood,waterandcookinggas.Thatinevitablyleadsto“StepThreeandaHalf:TheIMFRiot.”Such riots have occurred in Indonesia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and elsewhere, and according toStiglitz is entirely expected by the Bank. This is also when foreigners pick off remainingassetsatfiresaleprices.Finally,wereachStepFour,whichis“freetrade,” inwhichthelast

barriers tosalesaredestroyedanddomesticmarketsarebarricadedagainst theirownlocalproduce.[171] Other international organizations, such as the World Trade Organization, enforce thisfinancialmisrule.TheWTO is not part of anygovernment and iswholly an instrument ofcorporate power. It enforces privatization of natural resources like water and deems theenvironmental,health,andfoodsafety lawsofnations tobebarriers to trade.Effectively, itgivescorporationsavetoovernationalenvironmentalandlaborlaws.Fitts’sanalysisperfectlyroundsoutthisscenariowithspecialattentionontheblackbudget.Recognizingthattheruleoflawdoesnotapplytotheglobalfinancialelite,shehasdescribedhow the “real” blackbudget involvesmore than classified appropriations but also includesmonies obtained by intelligence groups byway of narcotics trafficking, predatory lendingandnumerousotherformsoffinancialfraud.Sheconcludedthatatleast85percentoftheU.S.federalbudget isunauditable.Furthermore, thatHUD(andprobablyother federalagencies)servedeffectivelyasacut-outoperationfordrugtraffickingandsecuritiesfraud.Shewroteaboutthelackofaccountabilityofbillionsofdollarsinseveralclassicanalyses,“What’sUpWiththeBlackBudget?,”“TheMythoftheRuleofLaw,”and“Dillon,Read&Co.Inc.&theAristocracyofStockProfits.”Fittsalsoarguesthatthehousingbubblecollapseandfinancialcrisismake sensewhenviewed through the lenseofmortgage and securities fraudused tofinancetheblackbudget.[172] Getting to thefinancial rootsof theUFOcover-upmaywell require theskillsofa largeteam of financial wizards, wending their way through layer upon layer of classified (andlargelyprivatized)programs,nestedwithineachotherlikeanelaborateMatryoshkadoll.Justas ordinary national and international policy of most nations has long been hijacked forprivatefinancialinterests,sotooalmostcertainlyfortheUFOcover-up.Forthisisasubjectthatmostassuredlyinvolvesatremendousamountofpower,andthereforemoney. What thismeans is thatwe have an upside down reality.The things that are real are thethingsthataredeniedtous.Thethingsthatweseeinourentertainment-dominatedmassmediaare the most illusory. This is no accident. Given the long-term relationship between theintelligencecommunityandmainstreammedia,itismostreasonabletoassumethatthepublicis being subjected to a pacification program, one in which people are explicitly beingdistractedandbrainwashedforthepurposeofgettingthemtositdownandshutup. Butnoteveryonecandothis.Noteveryonecansitquietly,passively,unwillingtoaskthedifficult questions. It is up to those peoplewho care enough to become truthwarriors. Tofight for the truth,however, it isnecessary first to realize that thedeceptionexists.Next, inordertodiscernthetruthamidatissueoflies,perseveranceisnecessary.Thisisnotalwayseasy to cultivate, for Truth does not simply appear in all her shining glory. Like a rarearchaeological find, Truth must be excavated. She must be dug out. And, even then,interpretingTruthcanbemaddeninglydifficult.Finally,onemustlearntospeakoutonbehalfof Truth. In so doing, we find ourselves at odds with a formidable structure of power.Becoming a truth warrior requires intelligence, perseverance, and courage. It meansrememberingthatthenailthatsticksoutistheonethatgetshammered.Still,uponreflection,inthecontextofsomethingasbriefandephemeralasahumanlife,whatcanbemorerewarding,whatmoreworthy, thananunswervingdedicationto thefightforTruth?

Chapter6HighStrangeness—UFOsfrom1970to1990

As1970began, theCondonCommitteeof theUniversityofColoradohad justdebunkedUFOstothescientificcommunity,andtheU.S.AirForcehadcloseddownProjectBlueBook,itslong-standingofficewhichacceptedandinvestigatedUFOreportsfromthepublic.UFOshadbecomepassé.Theworldhadbeenthere,donethat.Theoperatorsoftheseunidentifiedcraftneverseemtogetthemessage.FornotonlyhaveUFOsfailed togoaway,butsince1970theyhavebecomemorenumerous thanever. In the21st century, thousands upon thousands of reports are filed every year at various onlinerepositories.Butevenduringthe1970sand1980s,beforetheAgeoftheWeb,UFOreportsrosesteadilyintheUnitedStates.Moreimportantly,theyspikedelsewhereintheworld.UFOshad always been noticed worldwide, of course, but now reporting and communicationsystemswereimprovingenoughthattheycouldberecordedmorereadily.

TheDelphosUFOof1971OneofthemostmemorableUFOeventsoftheearly1970soccurredinthesmalltownofDelphos,Kansas.OntheeveningofNovember2,1971,sixteen-year-oldRonaldJohnsonwastendingsheeponthefamilyfarmwhenheandhisdogsawanobjecthoveringtwofeetoffthegroundabouttwenty five yards away, among some trees. According to Ronald, it was shaped like amushroom,coveredwithmulti-coloredlights,roughlyninefeetindiameterandtenfeettall,andmadeasoundlikeavibratingwashingmachine.Suddenly, itbecamebrightat thebase.Thenittookoffatanangle,temporarilyblindinghim.Althoughhisdogwasextremelyquietduringthesighting,thesheephadbeenbleatingnervously.Afterhiseyesadjusted,Ronaldwentintothehouseandtoldhisparents.Onceoutside,theyalsosawtheobject,easilyvisibleintheskybeforeitvanishedtowardthesouth.Thethreeapproachedthesitewheretheobjecthadbeenseen.Theyfoundaglowingringontheground,abouteightfeetindiameter,andsomesortofglowingmaterialonnearbytrees.One tree had been crushed; presumably the object had landed on it. They also noticed thebrokenlimbofalivetree;thisseemedtohavebeencausedbytheobjectasitdescended.Thelimbsnappedeasily,asifithadbeendeadforsometime,yetitwasgreenunderthebark,andtheupperareastillhadgreenleavesonit.WhenMrs.Johnsontouchedtheglowingareaontheground,herfingerswentnumb.Whenshewipedthesubstanceontoherleg,shebecamenumbthereaswell.Fortwoweeks,herfingersremainedslightlynumb,althoughsheneversawadoctoraboutit.Meanwhile,Ronald'seyesbecameredandirritatedforsometimeafter

theevent,andhealsosufferedfromnightmares. Police investigated and found a corroborating witness to the event. A few miles away,someoneelsehadreported“abrightlightdescendingintheskyintheDelphosarea”justatthetimeoftheJohnsonsighting. Theringwasvisibleforamonthafterwards,andwasexaminedbyUFOinvestigatorTedPhillips. He found the soil beneath the ring to be dry to a depth of at least twelve inches,whereas the soil outside the ringwaswet anddark.Sampleswere brought to a laboratory,whichdetermined that thesoilwithin the ringwas resistant towater. Italsocontainedmorecalciumandmoresolublesalts,andwasalsomoreacidic,thansoilfromoutsidethering.Inaddition,thesoilfrominsidetheringcontainedanunidentifiedhydrocarbonandanorganicmaterialcomposedofwhite,crystal-likefibers. Researcher Jacques Vallée discussed the findings of a French biologist, who asked toremainanonymous,butwhoidentifiedthewhitefibersasafungus-likeorganismoftheorderActinomycetales. This organism apparently can cause a circular pattern to form on theground.Inaddition, thebiologiststatedthat thefungusisoftenfoundgrowingwithanotherfungusoftheorderBasidiomycetes,whichmayfluoresceundersomeconditions.

TheDelphosringafter10minutes,16hours,and31/2years(toptobottom).

Accordingly,someanalystshavelabeledthecaseassolved.However,thisdoesnotexplainthewitness accountsof theUFO.Onemayalso ask, even if the ringwasnot related to theUFOsighting,howdidthefluorescentmaterialgetontothesurroundingtrees?Howdidthebranchesbreak?Whatcrushedthedeadtree?PolicetoldPhillipsthattheJohnsonswerewell-respected, and that they did not believe it possible that the family had perpetrated a hoax.

Therethecaseremains,stillapuzzleaftersomanyyears.[173]

TheWaveof1973:TwoInterestingCasesDespiteseveralinterestingreports,therewasnoidentifiable“wave”ofUFOsightingsuntilthe latter part of 1973.DuringOctober, particularly in the southeasternUnitedStates, therewere a number of startling and disturbing encounters, by ordinary people, with theextraordinary.Probablythebestknownoftheseistheso-calledPascagoulaIncident,whichtookplaceonOctober11,1973.Thisinvolvedtwomen,CharlesHickson,inhisforties,andCalvinParker,agenineteen,whowerefishinginMississippi’sPascagoulaRiverwhentheyheardabuzzingnoisebehind them.They turnedandwere terrified toseeaglowingegg-shapedobjectwithbluelightsinfront,hoveringjustabovetheground.Itwasnotespeciallylarge,roughlytenfeetwideandeight feethigh—inotherwords,ofaverysimilarsize to theobject seen twoyearsearlieratDelphos,Kansas.Themenwatchedinterrorasadoorappearedintheobjectandthreestrangebeingscameoutofit,floatingovertherivertowardsthem.Theywereextremelyodd-looking.Theywerethesizeofashorthumanadult,perhapsfivefeet tall, and they had arms and legs, but there the similarities ended.These beings had nonecks,butinsteadhadbullet-shapedheadscomingstraightfromtheshoulders.Thereseemedtobenoeyes,andmereslitsservedasmouths.Insteadofnormallookingnosesandears,theyhadthin,conicalprojections,described“likecarrotsfromasnowman'shead.”Theirskinwasgreyandwrinkled.Insteadofhuman-lookinghands,theyhadclawsofsomesort.Frankly,abodyplanthatmakesnosensetous. Two of the beings seized Hickson; the third one grabbed Parker, who then fainted.AccordingtoHickson,hisbodywentnumbandhewasfloatedintoabrightly-litroominsidethecraft.Hereceivedamedicalexaminationwithafloatingeyelikedevice.Thebeingsthenleft Hickson, still floating and paralyzed, apparently to examine Parker. Fifteen or twentyminuteslater,hewasfloatedbackoutsideandreleased.Parkerwasweepingandprayingontheground.Theobjectthenrosestraightupandshotoutofsight.Howdoesonetellpeopleastorylikethat?Notsurprisingly,thetwomeninitiallydecidedtokeepquiet.Buttheysoonchangedtheirmindsandspoketothelocalsheriff,whointerviewedthemcarefully,thenleftthemaloneinaroomwiredforsound.Thesheriffassumedthatifthemenwere hoaxing, thiswould bewhenhe foundout. It becameobvious, however, that themenwereveryserious.Thecasesoonreceivedagreatdealofattentionandwasinvestigatedby a number of researchers. Both men passed polygraph tests, and Hickson underwenthypnoticregressionwhichhadtobeterminatedwhenhebecametooupset. The twomenconsistently impressedpeoplewith theiraccountanddemeanor.Scientist J.AllenHynek,givinganopinionsharedbymany,said:“Therewasdefinitelysomethingherethatwasnotterrestrial.”[174] Another interestingcase from thatperiodoccurred the followingweeknear the townofMansfield, Ohio, involving a U.S. Army Reserve helicopter crew commanded by CaptainLawrenceCoyne.OnOctober18,1973,justafter11p.m.,thehelicopterwasatanaltitudeof2,500feetwithgoodvisibility,whenthecrewnoticedaredlightabruptlychangecourseandmovedirectlytowardthem.CaptainCoyneputthehelicopterintoanemergencydescentattherapidspeedof2,000feetperminute.At thesametime,henoticedthatallradiofrequencies

wentdead.Whenthehelicopterwasanaltitudeof1,700feet,theobjectstreakedinfrontofthecrewandremaineddirectlyinfrontofthemfortenseconds.Allfourcrewmemberssaiditlookedlikeagraycigarwithasmalldomeontop.Theredlightwasstillthere,butnowtherewasawhitelightonthesideandagreenoneonthebottom.Thebottomlightswungaroundlikeasearchlightandbathedtheentirecabiningreenlight.Theobjectthenacceleratedtothewest,madeasharpturn,andwaslostaboveLakeErie. Just as astonishing,whenCoynenext checkedhis altimeter, he saw that his chopperwasrapidly climbing, andwas already past the altitude of 3,500 feet. There was no reason hishelicoptershouldhavebeenthathigh.Somehowtheobjecthadpulledthemup.IttookCoyneseveralminutestoregaincontrolofthehelicopter.Laterinspectionsshowednomechanicalproblems.This isconsideredbymanyresearchers tobeaverygoodcase,andCoyne laterdescribedittoaUnitedNationssubcommitteein1978.[175]

HighStrangenessinSpainSpainwasanotherareaofinterestingUFOactivityduringtheearly1970s.Somethingveryunusualwasgoingonthereduringthespringof1974.Severaldozenreportsmadeittolocalpoliceandnewspapers,anumberofwhichincludeddescriptionsofapparentlyalienfigures.Forsomereason,theywerecollectedbytheU.S.DefenseAttachéandwerelaterreleasedtothepublicthroughtheFreedomofInformationAct.Veryinteresting,veryodd.Unfortunately,onlythesummariesareavailable,buttheyaresuggestiveenough.[176]One,fromMarch23,concernedasightingneartheGulfofCádiz.Alocalpoliticianandhischauffeurweredrivingalonganemptystretchofroadat3a.m.,whentheywereshockedtosee what was described as a “luminous, metal like” object. The two men felt a strangesensationasthecarcametoanearstop.Theobjectsoontookoff. A fewnights later, about100mileswestofMadrid, a truckdriver claimed to see “threesilvershipsonthehighway”withintenselybrightlights.Hesaidthatfiguresapproachedhim,andheran.Whentheyfollowed,hethrewhimselfontotheroad.Theycametowithinsixfeetofhim.Theywereallegedlyverytall,roughlysix-and-a-halffeet,butthemancouldnotseetheirfaces.Theyreturnedtotheirshipsandleft.Apoliceinvestigationthenextdayfoundaholeinthegroundwhichthedriversaidhehadnotmade.Anotherreportdescribeda“roundintensetorchlikelight”whichinthewordsofthereport,“roseoutofthewaternearahugerock,traveledatlowaltitude,thenfellintothewateragain.Thishappenedtwice.”Andsoitwentforthenextfewmonths.ItisnotclearwhattheU.S.DefenseAttachéthoughtaboutthesereports.TheyweremerelypassedontoWashington,asheputit,“strictlyfortheinformation of those parties interested.”No doubt, therewere some parties thatwere quiteinterestedinthesereports.

TheStrangeYearof1975WithinNorthAmerica,UFOsightingsincreaseddramaticallyin1975,makingitoneofthemost importantyears in thehistoryofUFOreports, rankingalongwith1947,1952,oranyother year. Several important developments became prominent at this time.Onewas cattlemutilations.Goingbacktothe1960s,therehadbeenreportedcasesofbizarremutilationsofcattle.Butstartinginlate1974,thenumberoftheseskyrocketed,especiallyintheAmerican

West. Another new development was reports of unmarked, black helicopters. These werefrequentlynoticedinthesameareaswheremutilationsoccurred,andalsooftenwhereUFOswere being reported. Perhaps these helicopters were part of a covert military group thatmonitoredthemutilationsorUFOs,orhadsomethingelsetodowithallthis.Someanalystshavearguedtheyhavebeenbehindthemutilationsthemselves.Anotherimportantdevelopmentof1975wastheriseinthenumberofcredibleaccountsofalienabduction.Therewillbemoretosayaboutthisinlaterchapters,butitisnoteworthythatseveralofthesecasesoccurredinthemidstofalltheotheractivitythatwasgoingon,thatistheAmericanWestduringlatesummerandfallof1975.AmongthesewasthefamousTravisWaltoncase,sometimesknownbythetitleofthebookandmoviebasedonit:FireintheSky. When examining the long history ofU.S.military encounterswithUFOs, themore yousearch, themoreyou find.TheU.S.militaryhasengagedUFOs throughout thepost-WorldWarTwoperiod,withgoodcasesfromnearlyeverysingleyear.Nevertheless,severalyearsstandout,oneofwhichis1975.PerhapsitissimplyamatterofgoodfortunetohavereceivedconfirmationofmanycasesfromthatyearviatheU.S.FreedomofInformationAct.Duringthelate1970s,whenFOIAwasatitspeakeffectiveness,manyofthemostdramaticconfirmedmilitarycaseswererevealed.ThatincludestheeventsofOctoberandNovemberof1975. Whathappened,asfarascanbedetermined,wasasystematicincursionofmilitarybasesalongbothsidesofthevastUS-Canadianborder.Severalcompellingbutunconfirmedreportsdescribesuchcases throughout thesummer,butconfirmedcasesviaofficialdocumentationstartfromlateOctober.[177]

IntruderAlertOntheeveningofOctober27,1975,alow-hoveringobjectinvadedtheairspaceofLoringAirForceBaseinnorthernMaine.Thisobjectpenetratedtheperimeteratanaltitudeofjust300feet.Personnelinsidethebasesaidithadawhitestrobelight,andwhatappearedtobeared navigation light. It circled inside the base and came towithin 300 yards of the nuclearweaponsarea.Bythattime,itwasonly150feetabovetheground.Foraboutanhour,whiletheobjectwasbeingobserved, thebasewasonhighalertstatus.Allattempts to identify theobjectfailed.ItthenleftandwentnorthtowardCanada. Twenty-four hours later, the scene was repeated. Security personnel saw an objectapproachingfromthenorthatanaltitudeof3,000feet.Ithadflashingwhitelightsandasolidamber light. Even though it was under constant radar and visual observation, it somehowdisappeared several times.On thepreviousnight, thebase commanderhadbeendenied airsupport; this timehe receivedpermission foraNationalGuardhelicopter tobedispatched.Before the helicopter arrived, however, this object did something rather impressive. It hadbeenkeepingadistanceofatleastthreemilesfromthebaseallthewhile;now,somehow,itpenetratedthebaseperimeterandappearedovertheendoftherunway,notmorethan150feetofftheground.Personnelnearbydescribeditasredandorange,andresemblingastretchedout football. The object hovered in mid-air, then turned out its lights and seeminglydisappeared.Itslightswentonandoffseveraltimes.When,ononeoccasion,thelightsturnedbackon,theobjecthadgottenveryclosetotheweaponsstoragearea.Bynow,itwas1a.m.,whichmeans theencounterhadbeengoingon formore than fivehours.There isa recordstatingthattheNationalGuardhelicopterunsuccessfullyattemptedtocontactandidentifythe

objectatthistime.Then,foranothertwohours,theobjectremainedinsideorveryclosetothebase,asitwasseenovertheweaponsstorageareaonceagainat3a.m.,completelyunlitbut visible to ground personnel. Consider how ominous and provocative this action was.Whenthehelicopteragainarrivedtoinvestigate,itscrewmemberscouldnotseetheobject,even though the frustrated ground personnel plainly saw both objects. Shortly after, theunknowncraftflewoff.Ithadbeeninsidethebaseforsevenhours.Thosewhoinsistuponconventionalexplanationstothiseventmightconsiderthepossibilityof the intruder being a helicopter. Indeed, one of the declassified documents refers to theunknownobjectasahelicopter.Theproblemisthatnooneheardanysoundsfromtheobject,despite its low altitude. Moreover, several times, personnel could see its shape, yet nonedescribed it as a helicopter.Aswith the other incursions of this period, the identity of thisintruderhasneverbeenconfirmed.Infact,inallthedecadessincetheevent,themilitaryhasneverevenofferedareasonableguess.TherewereequallybafflingincursionsoverotherU.S.basesatthistime.OnOctober30,anunidentified object entered restricted space atWurtsmithAir ForceBase inMichigan.ThiswasaStrategicAirCommand (SAC)baseoff thecoastofLakeHuron.Again,wehaveanobjectthatactedlikeahelicopter,butthenagainnotexactly,anddemonstratedinterestintheweaponsstoragefacilities.Inthiscase,atankeraircraftwhichwasonapproachwasvectoredintoobserveandfollowtheobject,whichhadjustdeparted,goingsouthdownthelake.Aninterestingcatandmousechaseensued,untiltheobjectrapidlyacceleratedandwasgone.EquallyfascinatingweretheeventsofNovember7and8,1975,atMontana’sMalmstromAir ForceBase.The base contained ICBMsover an area ofmany squaremiles.At 3 p.m.,electronicsensorsdetectedanintrusionatoneofthemissilesites.ASabotageAlertTeamwasorderedtoinvestigate,andwhenthememberscametowithinamileofthesite,theyreportedbyradiothattheycouldseeabright,glowing,orangediskaslargeasafootballfield.Itwassimplyhovering there,over themissilesite. Itwasapparentlyanunsettlingsight tobehold,becausewhentheywereorderedtoproceedtothesite,themenrefusedtogoanyfurther.Theobjectsoonbegantorise,whereuponitwasregisteredonNORADradar.F-106interceptorswerescrambled,buttheobjectcontinuedtorisetotheincrediblealtitudeof200,000feet.Thisismorethandoubletheceilingoftheultra-highflyingU-2spyplane,andtheinterceptingjetsnever saw the object. Upon inspection, a missile at the site showed indications that itscomputerized targeting systemhadbeen tamperedwith, and it had tobe removed. ItwouldappearthattheUFOwasresponsible. MoreUFOswere reported the followingnight at thebase.Onceagain, twoF-106swerescrambled,whereupongroundpersonnelobservedacat-and-mousegameduringwhich theUFOsturnedofftheirlightseachtimethejetsapproached.Whenthejetsdeparted,theobjectswould turn their lights back on. Clearly, these objects were able to outclass Americaninterceptingjetswithease.

AdeclassifiedmemoonUFOsoverMalmstromAFBinNovember,1975.

Thesewereonlythebestknownevents.Therewereseveralothersthatfollowedthem.Forinstance, there is an interesting report of twoUFOs over CannonAir Force Base in NewMexico, on January 21, 1976. A report by security police stated they were “25 yards indiameter,goldorsilverincolorwith[a]bluelightontop,holeinthemiddleandredlighton

bottom.”Thisisaveryspecificobservation. RecordsalsoexistofUFOincursionsatEglinAirForceBase inFloridaonJanuary31,1976, and over FortRitchie inMaryland, on July 30 of that year. In the latter case, itwasreportedthattheobjecthoveredovertheammunitionstorageareaatlowaltitude,justashadhappenedatLoringandWurtsmithAirForceBasesthepreviousyear.InlieuofobtainingapublicconfirmationfromtheU.S.government,somethingwehavenotgotten,allwehavearethesedeclassifiedreports.Theytellusnothingofsubstanceregardingthemotivationsofwhomeverorwhateverwas responsible for theseUFOs.CommonsensewouldindicatethattheywereobservingvariousNorthAmericanweaponsfacilities,possiblyeven tampering with them. In other words, there appears to have been some kind ofconfrontationalrelationshipbetweentheseobjectsandtheU.S.military.[178]

ASphereovertheCanaries UFOswereneverrestrictedtotheUnitedStates.Ineverydecade,theyhavebeenreportedworldwide.Someoftheeventsreportedfromaroundtheworldduringthe1970sweretrulyamazing. One spectacular case occurred in the Canary Islands on the night of June 22, 1976.Witnessesfromseverallocationssawwhatcanonlybedescribedasatransparent,sphericalcraft containing twovery tall human-like figures.Onewitness, amedicaldoctor,describedthe object to be the size of a three-story building, and perfectly round. It was transparentenoughthathecouldseestarsthroughit,andtwohuman-likefiguresinside. Witnesses elsewhere on the island gave comparable, or even identical, descriptions.Astronomersatanearbyobservatorysawitwiththeirunaidedeyes,asitwasbelowthelineofsightoftheirtelescopes.Oneastronomerstatedthat,whateverthiswas,itwasdefinitelynotaplanet.Nordidhehave any scientific explanation for it.Theobjectwas also seenby thecrewoftheSpanishnavalvessel,Atrevida,whichwasseveralmilesoffshore. JamesOberg,writing forOmni,was skeptical this eventwas anything from beyond.Hesuggested thatwitnesses hadprobably seen the launchofPoseidonballisticmissiles by theU.S.Navy.TheU.S.NavydidindeedlaunchthosemissilessomewhereintheAtlanticOceanatthattime.However,theexactlocationofthelaunchisnotknown,andconsideringthevastnessoftheocean,thisexplanationisastretch.EvenonthechancethelaunchhadbeenvisibletotheCanaries,itishardtoimaginehowwitnessescouldhavedescribeditastheydid.[179]

IncidentoverTehran More fascinating still was a case that occurred a few months later, one of the mostastonishing in the history of UFOs. This was the incident over Tehran, on the night ofSeptember18,1976,andhasbeendescribedmanytimesovertheyears.Wearefortunatetohaveafour-pageU.S.DefenseIntelligenceAgencyreportdescribingitindetail.Inaddition,bothofthepilotsinvolveddiscussedtheeventyearslater. That evening, residents of the city noticed an unusually brilliant object in the sky.Afterenoughphonecallstothelocalairport,thetrafficcontrollerdecidedtolook.Hesawexactlywhathadbeenreportedtohim:anintenselybrightobjectthatwasnotsupposedtobethere.Hecontacted the IranianAir Force,which dispatched two F-4 fighter jets, one after the other.

Iran,atthistime,wasstillundertheruleoftheShah,andwasacloseallyoftheUnitedStates.AnunknownintrusionlikethiswasofinterestnotonlytotheIraniangovernment,butalsototheU.S.government.Indeed,areportofwhathappenedwassenttothetopnationalsecurityofficials in the U.S.: President Gerald R. Ford, CIA Director George Bush, and NationalSecurityAdvisorHenryKissinger,amongothers.Aratherimpressivedistributionlist.EachoftheF-4interceptorpilotssawtheobjectvisuallyandtrackeditwiththeirairborneradar. In both cases, critical electronics and instrumentation went offline at a distance oftwenty-fivenauticalmiles fromtheobject. Inonecase, thepilotwasabout to fireamissilewhenhiscontrolsceasedtowork.Inthecaseofthesecondpilot,anexcerptfromthereportisworthnoting:

...astheF-4approachedarangeof25nauticalmilesitlostallinstrumentationandcommunications....WhentheF-4turned away from theobject and apparentlywasno longer a threat to it, the aircraft regained all instrumentation andcommunications...Anotherbrightlylightedobject...cameoutoftheoriginalobject.ThesecondobjectheadedstraighttowardtheF4.

Aratheralarmingdevelopment.Thereportthenwentontodescribehowthissecondobjectturned inside the arc of the F-4 itself and then rejoined the original object for a perfectrendezvous.Itisworthaskingwhatcoulddothattoday,muchlessalmostfourdecadesago?Officiallyspeaking,nothing.Yet,somethingclearlydid.TheIranianUFOcaseisstrongbecauseitisaspectacular event on its own merits, but also because it has supporting documentation,provingthatUFOshaveimportantnationalsecurityconsiderations.Anexoticobjectthatcandisablekeyinstrumentationandelectronicsfromtopjetfightersissomethingthatneedstobetakenseriously.Indeed,itwas.Itissimplythatnationalsecuritygroupscontinuallytrytohidethatfactfromtherestofus.[180]

AroundtheWorldDuringtheLate1970sThelate1970ssawmanybizarreanddisturbingUFOcases.Anintriguingeventoccurredover NATO’s Aviano Air Base, near Venice, Italy, on July 1, 1977. During the evening,several U.S. Air Force personnel saw an unknown object hovering just outside the baseperimeter.While theobjectwas there,partof the facility lostelectricalpower.Oneprosaicexplanationattributedtheeventtoanelectricalphenomenonrelatedtogeologicalstressesinthe earth. Clearly, this does not square with witness accounts that claim to have seen astructuredcraft,ifonechoosestoacceptwitnessestestimony,ofcourse.[181]Meanwhile,SouthAmerica,andespeciallyBrazil,wasexperiencingdramaticsightingsthatappeartohavecausedthedeathofsomeindividuals.Obtainingcertainproofofthishasnothappened, althoughBrazilianmilitaryofficers off the record told this to investigators, andthere is some corroboration that the Brazilianmilitary investigated these events. This wasthroughoutmuchofthelate1970s,frequentlydeepwithintheBrazilianrainforest.[182]UFOsightingsbecamemuchmoredramaticduring1978.Like1975,itwasaverybigyearforUFOreports.SomepeoplehaveattributedthehighnumberofsightingstothereleaseofStevenSpielberg’smovieCloseEncountersoftheThirdKind.Itistruethatthemoviemadeamajor splash into popular consciousness. But, the UFO events of that year were of greatspecificity,occurringacrosseveryculturalandlinguisticbarrier.Lookingintothedetailsofthehundredsofcasesfromthatyear,onequicklyrealizeshowludicrousitistosuggestthat

allthiswascausedbyStevenSpielberg,andyetsomehavetriedtodothis.OnekeyfactorofthatyearisthenumberofsightingsofalienorhumanoidtypesofbeingsassociatedwithUFOs.Nearlyfivehundredsuchreportshavebeencollectedfromthatyear.[183]OneoftheseinvolvestheshootingofanapparentalienbeingatMcGuireAirForceBaseinNewJersey,justoverthefencefromFortDix.ThisissaidtohaveoccurredonJanuary18,1978.Ataround3a.m.,aFortDixmilitarypoliceman,whohadbeenpursuingalow-flyingUFO,sawasmallbeingwithalargeheadandaslenderbodyappeardirectlyinfrontofhiscar.Hepanickedandshotthebeingseveraltimeswitha.45caliberpistol.Thebeingrantoadeserted runway atMcGuire Air Force Base, where it died. Throughout the morning, theshooterwasinterrogatedatMcGuireAirForceBase.OneofthemenwhospoketohimwasAirForceMajorGeorgeFiler,whohasspokenaboutthiseventanumberoftimes,includingwith the author.Other conservative, veteran researchers, such asRichardHall andLeonardStringfield,alsointerviewedthisman,findinghimcompletelycredible. Filer, who arrived at the base at 4 a.m., about an hour after the shooting, noticed thatsomething importantwashappening.Whenhearrivedat thecommandpost,he learned thatUFOshadbeenflyingoverthebase“allnight.”Hewasevenmoresurprisedwhenhelearnedthatamilitarypolicemanhadshotanalien.Whenheheardtheword“alien,”hereplied,“youmean foreigner? That kind of alien?” “No,” came the reply, “an alien from outer space.”AccordingtoFiler,aC-141transportplanefromWright-PattersonAirForceBasearrivedtoacquirethebody.Forashortwhile,Filerwastoldthathewouldbriefthebasecommanderonall this, but at the lastmoment he received a phone call informing him therewould be nobriefing. Proving this case has been a frustrating experience. A document of unknown originsurfacedwhichdescribedthisevent.However,aretiredmilitarypoliceofficerwhostudieditpronounceditas“probablyaforgery.”Seeminglyonthatbasisalone,manyresearchershaveshiedawayfromthedocumentandthecaseitself,whichadmittedlydescribesaratherextremeevent.Nevertheless,theeventmaywellhavehappened.Thisisyetanothercasedemonstratinghowdifficultitistoobtainundeniableproofofwhatwearedealingwith.[184]OtherUFOeventsof1978includethepreviouslydiscussedcrashofanunknownobjectinBoliviaonMay6,aneventinwhichU.S.tookovertheoperation,asadeclassifieddocumentstated. There was also the tragic case of Frederick Valentich, the young pilot who was flyingacross theBassStrait fromAustralia toTasmania, inOctober, 1978, but never reachedhisdestination. The transcript of his radio conversation with ground control is chilling andunforgettable.Interror,Valentichdescribedanobjectthatcontinuallybuzzedoverandaroundhisaircraft.Itobviouslyinterferedwithhisradio,andultimatelyinterferedwiththeoperationofhisengine,causinghimtogodownintothesea.[185]Justdaysbefore,inthenorthwesternChineseprovinceofGansu,severalhundredmilitarypersonnelwerewatching an outdoormovie,when they saw an enormous object pass overtheirheads.Ithadtwosearchlightsandaglowingtail,andwasclosetotheground.Theysawit for two or three minutes. Many of the witnesses were fighter pilots, but none had theslightestideaofwhattheobjectcouldbe.AccordingtoareportintheCIAfiles,“itcoveredhalfthesky.”Theobjecthasalwaysbeen,andmayforeverbe,unknown.[186]

Then,fromNovember9throughDecember14,atleasteightmajorUFOeventsoccurredover theoilfieldsofKuwait.At times, theyappeared tohavedisrupted theoperationof theequipmentthere.ThisreceivedattentionandgeneratedreportsfromtheKuwaitigovernment,andnotsurprisingly,receivedattentionfromtheU.S.Embassyandgovernment.[187] Perhapsmost dramatic of all were two encounters onDecember 16 by the ChileanAirForcewith aUFOutterly gargantuan in size.Early that afternoon, twopilots on a trainingmission,eachflyinganF-5fighteraircraft,trackedtheobjectontheirairborneradar.Itgaveareturnequaltotenormoreaircraftcarriers—exceptthisobjectwasintheair,notfloatingonthewater.Eachpilotassumedhisradarequipmentwasfaulty,untilhelearnedthattheotherpilotwasalsogettingthesamereturn.Notonlythis,butgroundradarfromanearbyairportalsopickeduptheobjectandconfirmeditshugesize.Thepilotsalsosawtheobjectwiththeirown eyes.One pilot later said that at a distance of twentymiles, it looked “like a plantainbanana swathed in smoke.”The pilotswere frightened, having nomissiles orweapons.Astheyapproachedthemassiveobject,whichhadbeenmotionlessallthiswhile,ittookoffatanunimaginablespeed.Allatonce,itvanishedfromthethreeradarscreens.Somehourslaterthatevening,threemoreChileanF-5sweresenttointerceptaverylargeUFO.Whether thiswas the sameobject as earlier, or not, is not known.Twopilots saw it,describingitsimplyasverylargeandverybright.Severalmonthslater,theChileanAirForceformally acknowledged the events of that day.Not surprisingly, noone could explainwhathadoccurred.Afterall,whatcouldbesaid?[188]Thus,throughout1978,itsurelyappearsinretrospectthatsomesortofconflict,oratleastconfrontation, was occurring, very secretly, between the world’s military forces andsomethingfarmoreadvanced.

Enterthe1980sDuringthe1980s,researcherssometimescommentedonwhatseemedtobeaslowdowninUFOsightings.Perhapsthiswassoforafewyearsduringthemiddleofthedecade,butUFOstatistics are inherently spotty, if for noother reason thanmost peopledonot report them.Thiswasespeciallytrueinthepre-Internetera.Still,therewereexcellentsightingsthroughoutthedecade,manyofthemquitedramatic.1980itselfboastedseveralrivetingmilitaryencounterswithUFOs.WehavetherecordofatrackingandattemptedengagementofaUFObytheAustrianAirForceonMay7,1980.Theobject was also seen by several commercial airliners. It was something extraordinary,whateveritwas.[189] Immediately after, on May 9 and May 10, the Peruvian Air Force had two successiveencounterswith an unknown object hovering just outside the airfield. Both times, the basecommander ordered an SU-22 fighter bomber to intercept the object. This is an excellentaircraft,oneof thebest intheworldat thetime.Duringthefirstencounter, thepilotfiredamissiledirectlyattheobject.AccordingtoadeclassifiedU.S.Defensereport,themissilehadnoeffectontheobject.Itapparentlydepartedsoonafterthat.Onthesecondday,anSU-22wasagainscrambled,butthistimewithordersnottofireontheobject.Clearly,itmadenosensetobotherwithobviouslyfutileweapons,whichwereexpensiveandmightserveonlytoannoywhateverthiswas.[190] ThePeruvianencounterisanincrediblestory,andyet it issupportedbydeclassifiedU.S.

militarydocumentation. Itdeserves tobebetterknownthan it is.Thenextcase,however, isverywellknown,deservedlyso.ThisconcernsaseriesofeventsthattookplaceinanareaknownastheRendleshamForestin lateDecember,1980.Theactionoccurredbetween twomilitarybases,oneofwhichwasRAF Woodbridge, the other RAF Bentwaters. For this reason it is often known as theBentwaterscase.[191] It has been over three decades, and researchers are still learning new things about theBentwaterscase.Thatbyitselfisararething.Theincidentreceivednopublicityuntil1983,when one of the airmen from the base, LarryWarren, alerted themedia.Around the sametime,researchersobtainedasinglepagememofromtheDeputyBaseCommander,ColonelCharles Halt, succinctly (although somewhat inaccurately and incompletely) describingstrangeunidentifiedlightsoverandaroundthebase.OnChristmasnight,goingintotheearlymorningofDecember26,airmenfromthebaseinvestigated what initially appeared to be an aircraft that had gone down into the nearbywoods.What they found insteadwasa landedorvery lowhoveringcraft.Oneof themen,Sergeant James Penniston, approached the craft and even touched it. He noticed strangemarkings or writing on it which he could not recognize. His companion, airman JohnBurroughs,waswithhimnearby. In theyears that followed,bothof thesemenstruggled toregainalloftheirmemoriesfromthatevening.Aninvestigationofthesitethenextdayfoundhigh levelsof radiation,distinct impressionson thegroundconsistentwith thatofa landedcraft,andothersignsofevidence. Thatwas not the end of theBentwaters case.On the night ofDecember 27-28, securitypersonnel saw lights floating in the sky above the forest. Ultimately, Colonel Halt,accompanied by a security team, went out to investigate personally. He had a cassetterecordingdevicewithhim,andhegavearunningcommentarythroughouttheevening.Therecording and transcription are available online.[192] The men saw things they could notunderstand. Initially, they noticed an odd, intensely flashing, bright light in the forest. It ispossibletheyhadacloseobservationofalandedcraft,althoughthishasbeendisputed.Theydid see strange lightsmaneuvering in seemingly impossibleways.Oneof these lights shotdownabeamoflightwhichpenetratedalternatinglayersofsteel,earth,andconcretewhichhousedabunkercontainingnuclearweapons.(Whichhaveyetofficiallytobeacknowledgedeventoexist).Inanoff-the-recordinterviewHaltgavesomeyearslatertoLarryWarrenandresearcherPeterRobbins,hesaidthatbeam“adverselyaffectedtheordinance.” According toWarren, therewas also a third encounter. This has been disputed byHalt,Burroughs, andPenniston. Itwas, however,Warren’s account that broke the story to beginwith. Halt has always deniedWarren was involved in the events, whileWarren adamantlymaintainsthathewas.Warrenstatedthathewaspartofalargegroupthatwentoutwithbrightlights,Geigercounters,andotherequipment,andcametowithintenorfifteenfeetofalandedUFO.HeclaimedthatBaseCommander,ColonelGordonWilliams,approachedthecraftandsomehowcommunicatedwith thecreaturesorbeings inside it.Warrensaidhecould tellbytheir largeheadsandblackeyes that theywerenothumanbeings.Heclaimed tohavebeensubjectedtoadetaileddebriefingduringwhichmindcontrolandmemoryerasureprocedureswereimplemented.Helateramendedhisstatementtosaytheprocedureshadbeendonetohisfellow airman, Adrian Bustinza, but that Bustinza was so traumatized by the event and

unwillingtotalk,thatforyearsWarrentoldtheworldithadhappenedtohiminstead,simplytogetthestoryout. This case is fascinating for many reasons. It has a large number of witnesses and adeclassified military document supporting it. Unfortunately, there has been confusionsurroundingitfromthebeginning.Yet,thedeeperonesearchesintothecase,themorethereistofind.ThiswasaUFOencounterofgreatsignificance.Frustratingly,despitetremendouspublicityandsupportfromhigh-levelofficials,suchasretiredformerBritishAdmiraloftheFleet,LordHillNorton,theofficialstatementfromtheBritishMinistryofDefence—withoutattempting to explain whatever had occurred—has been to brush off the matter as of “nodefencesignificance.”This isaposition theMoDhas taken to thepresentday:effectivelyastraightforward,straight-faceddenial. Thereareotherfascinatingeventsofthatperiodwhichhavereceivedmuchlessattention.OneoccurrednearHuffman,Texas,justdaysaftertheBentwatersevents,andisknownastheCash-Landrumcase,afterthetwowomeninvolvedandtheseven-year-oldgrandsonofoneofthem. These three received radiation burns and poisoning from a bright, diamond-shapedobjectwhichhappenedtobeaccompaniedbyalargenumberofdouble-rotorChinook-stylehelicopters.On that basis, onemight think that theUFOwould appear tohavebeenoneof“ours,” but no agencyhas ever taken responsibility for the event.A lawsuit byBettyCash,seekingdamagesforherburnsandsuffering,wentnowhere.[193] Another intriguing case took place less than twoweeks after Bentwaters, in the FrenchregionknownasTrans-en-Provence,on January8, 1981.On thisoccasion, a small flying-saucer-type of object landed in a field belonging to a farmer. After it departed, groundimpressionsandothertraceswereobservedandsubjecttodetailedlaboratoryanalysis.[194] Oneof themore interestingphotographsever takenofaUFOdates fromOctober1981.HannahMcRobertswasvacationingwithherfamilyinBritishColumbia,whenshedecidedtotake a picture of amountain. The image shows an absolutely perfect flying saucer nearby.Oddly—although,asitturnsout,notunusually—noonesawitwhenshetookthepicture.ThenegativewassubjectedtodetailedanalysisbyDr.RichardHainesofNASA’sAmesResearchCenter.Hainesalsointerviewedthefamily.Therewasnoevidenceofhoaxing.Thephotoisreal,andquiteextraordinary.[195]

PhotobyHannahMcRoberts,October1981.Objectenlargedininset.

TheHudsonValleySightings During the early 1980s, a number of odd triangular craft were reported in WesternPennsylvania, mostly to researcher Stan Gordon. In fact, triangles had been reportedsporadically in prior decades, particularly since themid-1970s, but some fascinating casesgoingbackmuchearlier.[196] What happened in 1983, however, and for several years afterward, was a tremendousnumberofreportsoftriangularandboomerang-shapedcraftinthelowerpartofNewYorkState,anareaknownastheHudsonValley.[197]ThesightingsextendedintoConnecticutandnorthernNewJersey,aswell.Therearetoomanytorecounthere,but themonthofMarch,1983, deserves special attention.Whereas witnesses had reported large boomerang-shapedcraft in January and February, what occurred on the night of March 17 went far beyondanything seenpreviously.On thisevening, largenumbersofpeopleobservedanextremelylarge boomerang-shaped object for thirtyminutes. Formuch of that time, it hovered overInterstateHighway84,butwasalsoseentomakearightangleturnwithoutbanking.Motorists

pulledovertoseerowsofmulticoloredlightsalongthesidesoftheobject,aswellasabrightlight in thecenter.Atonepoint, itbathedthearea inverybright light.Localpolicestationsreceivedmanycalls;indeed,severalpoliceofficersalsoreportedtheobject.EvenatthisearlystageduringtheHudsonValleyflap,lieswerespewingforthasawayofexplaining(ormoreaccuratelycontaining)it.Policedispatchers,forinstance,toldfrightenedcallers that theywereseeinga typeofexperimentalvehicle fromnearbyStewartAirForceBase,astatementwithnobasisinfact.Moreover,toaddtotheconfusion,theSheriff’sofficelaterdeniedmakingsuchastatement. Exactlyoneweeklater,onMarch24,1983,morepeoplereported thesametypeofcraft,behaving just as it had done before. Switchboards were jammed with reports of a large,boomerang-shapedUFO. It seems that theremight have been two objects flying that nightbecausewitnessesfifteenmilesapartsimultaneouslysawa low-flyingobjectwithred,blue,and green lights arranged in a boomerang pattern. The objects were silent. AstonishedmotoristspulledoffthesideoftheTaconicParkway,simplytogazeinawe.Severalwitnessesreportedbright beamsofwhite light coming from theundersideof the craft shiningdownontothecars.SoitwasintheHudsonValleyfortherestofthespring,therestoftheyear,andthenextseveralyears.1984wasthepeakyearforsightingsinthatregion.Onceagain,themonthofMarchstandsout.On the night of the 25th, off the Taconic Parkway near the town of Peekskill, driversstoppedtheircars,steppedoutside,andwatchedinamazement.Everyonesawthesamething:aslowmoving,boomerang-shapedobjectwithsixintenselybrightlightsandagreenlightinthecenter.Thelightsmovedlikeoneobject,evenwhenmakingasharpturn.Thelightwassobrightthatpeoplehadtoshieldtheireyes.Atleastonewitness,aprofessionalphotographer,discerned a dark structure connecting the lights, which he estimated to be at least threehundredfeetlong.Policewereoverwhelmedwithcallsthatnight.Itwaslikethisallthroughthespring.OnthenightofJune14,atriangularorboomerang-shaped object entered the premises of the Indian Point Nuclear Facility. Several plantemployees saw it, describing it as football-field-sized,with intenselybright lights along itssides.Despitehighwindsthatnight,itmovedverysmoothlyandthendeparted. ThatnuclearfacilityexperiencedanotherviolationofitsairspaceonthenightofJuly24,1984.Atleastadozenplantworkersandsecuritypersonnelwatchedaboomerangpatternoflightsapproach.Theworkerscouldplainlyseethatthesewerenotdisconnectedlights,butasolidbodyofenormoussize.Inthewordsofoneguard,itwasaboutthesizeofthreefootballfields.Theenormousobjectmovedtowardthesoleoperationalreactorattheplant,andthenhovereddirectlyoverit.Theguardsstood,awestruck.ShortlybeforetheorderwasgiventoactivateNationalGuardhelicopters,theobjectmovedoffandwasgone.Guardswereinitiallytold to forget about the event, but received permission to speak to investigators shortlyafterwards. July24,1984,wasanactivenight in theHudsonValley.Nearby the IndianPointNuclearFacility, another witness recorded video of a large object that has defied explanation eversince.ItwasstudiedbytheJetPropulsionLaboratoryinPasadena,whoseanalystsagreedthevideowasauthentic,andthatnoonecouldexplaintheobject. SightingslikethesecontinuedintheHudsonValleywellintothe1980s.Tothisday,there

hasneverbeenanadequateexplanationofwhat theseobjectswere.Occasionally,onehearsattempts to explain them as illegal aviators flying ultralight aircraft in incredibly tightformation.While this is known to have happened on at least one occasion, this in nowayexplainsthepuzzlingsightingsofthatperiod.Infact,itappearsthatthoseaviatorsflewwiththeexpressintentionofcausingconfusionandprovidingapretexttoexplainitallaway.Inthefirstplace,theywerenevercaughtorarrested.Yet,theywereexpectedtohavebeenflyinginsuch illegal and impossible formations for five years or more with impunity. Such anexplanationhasnomerit. Ultimately,however,whatcould theFederalAviationAdministration (FAA)oranyotherfederal agency have said about these sightings? Any credence given to the reality of thesituationcouldeasilyhavecausedpanic.Moreseriouslystill,itcouldwellhavepromptedapublicinvestigationthatwouldhaveleddirectlytothecoreoftheUFOreality.

AroundtheWorldandinSpaceThe1980sprovidedseveralgoodexamplesofUFOsrecordedinspace.RonaldRegehr,aformer employee of the aerospace firm, Aerojet, accidentally, but legally, came intopossession of an important database of the Defense Satellite Program, or DSP. This is asatellitemadebyAerojetformilitaryespionagepurposes.Thedatabasewasalistofobjectsknownasfastwalkers,whichwere trackedby theDSPsatellites.Fastwalkers,ofcourse, isatermforspace-basedUFOs.TheDSPdatabaselisted283fastwalkersrecordedfromtheyears1973to1991,anaverageofmorethanonepermonth.[198] One of the most amazing of these occurred on May 5, 1984. A UFO entered Earth’satmosphere from deep space, slowed down, turned, and returned to deep space. Theobservationlastedfornineminutes,andtheobjectcametowithinamerethreekilometersofthesatellite.Adetailed investigation failed toexplainwhatcaused thesensor reading,otherthanarealobjectofsometype.Infact,anotherdeepspaceplatformdetectedthesameobjectoptically,operatedbyagroupthatcollaboratedwithRegehr ’s. During the period of theHudsonValley flap, therewas another valley, elsewhere in theworld, that also experienced recurring and bafflingUFO sightings. But unlike theHudsonValley, a densely populated suburb of New York City, this region—Norway’s HessdalenValley—was remote and sparsely populated. The sightings began in 1982 and increasedgreatlyin1984.Infact,theHessdalensightingshavecontinuedsporadicallytothepresentday.Whatmakesthemparticularlyinterestingisthattheyhadbeensubjecttodetailedtrackingandrecordingbyteamsofdedicatedscientists,bravingthesubzerotemperaturesformonthsatatime. The Hessdalen phenomenon has defied any simple explanation. It encompasses notsimply mechanical craft, although some of the sightings appear consistent with thatconclusion.Othersightings,however,appeartobetheresultofintelligentlightphenomena.There have been trackings on radar and with other electronic means. The entire valley,roughly tenmiles long, todayhasapopulationof150people; itwas lessduring the1980s.Loud noises can be heard for miles around. Something, however, has caused an unusualnumberofpeopletoreportthesebafflingphenomenainthearea.[199] Throughout the 1980s, every region in the world at some point was the scene of anextraordinary encounter. One of these occurred in Brazil on May 19, 1986, in which anenormous portion of Brazilian airspace was the scene of UFO activity, including the

scrambling of a large number of Brazilian jets to deal with the matter. This elicited astatementbytheBrazilianmilitaryandgovernmentexpressingitsutterbafflementatwhathadjust happened. In the words of the Brazilian Minister of Aeronautics, Brigadier GeneralOtávioMoreiraLima:

. . .at least20objectsweredetectedbyBrazilianradars.Theysaturated theradarsand interrupted traffic in thearea.Each time that radar detected unidentified objects, fighters took off for intercept. Radar detects only solid metallicbodiesandheavy(mass)clouds.Therewerenocloudsnorconventionalaircraftintheregion.Theskywasclear.Radardoesn’t have optical illusions.We can only give technical explanations and we don’t have them. It would be verydifficultforustotalkaboutthehypothesisofanelectronicwar.It’sveryremoteandit’snotthecasehereinBrazil.It’sfantastic.Thesignalsontheradarwerequiteclear.[200]

AnothertookplaceoverAlaskaonNovember18,1986.ThisinvolvedacommercialflightthatwastransportingexpensiveFrenchwinefromJapantotheU.S.Fornearlythirtyminutes,whileflyingovertheAlaskanarctic,thecrewtrackedonradar,andsawwiththeirowneyes,an enormous, gargantuan-sized object. Meanwhile, ground-based radar also recorded theevent.Atonepoint,inamannersimilartotheIraniancaseof1976,thelargeobjectdetachedtwo smaller objects that remained directly in front of the airplane’s cockpit. These objectsmaneuveredanddancedaboutbeforereturningtothemothercraft.Therewasgreatpressuretokeepthiscaseoutofthepubliceye,andthen,onceitbecamewell-known,todisableitassomethingpedestrian.Thepilot,CaptainKenjuTerauchi,anex-fighterpilotwithmorethan10,000hoursflightexperience,reportedtheencounterandwaspromptlyassignedtoadeskjobforseveralyears.PhilipJ.Klass,onbehalfoftheCommitteefor the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), initially stated theUFOsweretheplanetsJupiterandMars,despitetheobjectbeinginapartoftheskyoppositethepositionof theseplanets;despite, the twosmallerobjectshavingmoved frompositionsoneabovetheother tosidebyside.CSICOPlater issuedasecondexplanationthat theUFOwaslightreflectingoffofcloudsoficecrystals,eventhoughtheskywasclearatthereportedaltitude of the UFO. These explanations, bogus though they were, received positivemainstreamcoverage.TheFAAhadnoexplanationforthevisualsighting,butattributedtheground-basedradarimagestoa“splitradarreturnfromtheJALBoeing747.”FAAofficialJohnCallahanlaterdescribedhowtheCIAandotherintelligencegroupssoughttoconfiscateallinformationpertainingtothecaseandtosilencerelevantpersonnel.[201]U.S.defenserecordsreportedaninterestingUFOsightingbytheGhanaAirForceonJuly27,1987.Thisinvolvedalarge,silentobjectoversoutheasternGhanaandtheGulfofGuinea,shortly beforemidnight. Some people recorded the sound of explosions that seemed to beconnectedtothesighting,makinguswonderifthiswasamilitaryencounter.AccordingtotheU.S.Defensememo,aGhanaAirForcepilotwasnotflying,butstandingonthegroundnearthecityofAccra,whenhesawtheobject.ItwastwoorthreetimeslargerthanaBoeing747,hesaid,andshapedlikeamissile.Theobjectdroppedaltitude,thengainedaltitude,thenwasreplacedbysmallbluishlightsarrangedinacircularformation.[202]

GulfBreezeAsthe1980scametoaclose,sightingsincreasedinmanypartsoftheworld.Afewareasseemedtobehotspots,andthemostprominentof thesewasnear the townofGulfBreeze,Florida,wheresightingsseemedtobegin inNovember,1987.Agreatdealhasbeenwritten

andsaidaboutGulfBreeze,bothproandcon.Mostofthenegativeconclusionsweredirectedat the town’s most prominent witness, Ed Walters. Several times, Walters was accused ofhoaxinghisastonishinglyvividphotographs,pictureswhichgainedworldwideattention.

OneofEdWalters’photosfromNovember1987.

However, Walters was by no means the only witness of UFOs at Gulf Breeze. Thesenumberedinthehundreds.Second,anapparentmodeloftheUFOhehadphotographedwasfoundintheatticofhisformerhome.Thiswasusedtodiscredithimonthegroundsthat itsupposedlyprovedthathewasbusymakingUFOmodelsaspartofhishoaxingcampaign.Infact,astudyofthemodelprovedtheopposite.ThemodelwasconstructedwithWalters’owndiscardedarchitecturalplans.Crucially,theseplansweredatedafterthetimehemovedoutofthathouse.Itisthisdatethatprovesthecase.Inotherwords,someonewenttrash-pickinginfront of Walters’ new residence and acquired some of his discarded architectural papers.Then,theycreatedaUFOmodeloutofthesepapers,andthenplantedthemodelintheatticofhis former home. There is certainly no reason in theworldwhyWalterswould do such athing. At the time, he was regularly complaining of people fishing through his garbage.Clearly, someone or some group attempted to discredit him and gave the story immediate

publicity.[203]

The so-calledGulfBreezemodel.An analysis of thepaper used tomake it provesbeyond a reasonable doubt that itwascreatedsolelytodiscreditEdWalters.

ThatEdWalterswasarepeater seemed tocauseagreatdealof skepticismamongmanypeople. In other words, he had multiple encounters with these objects, and claimed toexperience telepathic communicationwith the entities involved. Formany researchers, thiswassimplytoomuchtobelieve.AddingtotheskepticisminsomequarterswasthatWalterseventuallypublishedabookabouthisexperiences,whichsoldratherwell. Butwhenone analyzes the specific sightings, notmerely those ofEdWalters but of themany other witnesses, the Gulf Breeze phenomenon becomes very compelling. The entirearea is repletewithmilitary bases. It has often been speculated that that some of theUFOspeoplewitnessedweremilitarycraft.Perhapsthisisso,althoughthatwouldneedtoaccount

for themany cases of high strangeness.What remains evident, however, is that somethingveryadvancedandunusualwastraversingtheskiesoverGulfBreeze,Florida.[204]

Area51 WhileGulfBreezewasheatingup, so to speak, therewasanother regionwhereunusualcraftwerebeingseenonaregularbasis.ThiswasGroomDryLakeinNevada,betterknownasArea51,aswellasthenearbyAntelopeValleyintheCaliforniadesert.Theentireregioncontained,andstillcontains,high-endmilitaryresearchanddevelopmentprojects.Basedonthe many sightings (to say nothing of the insider leaks discussed previously), it seemsobviousthatrevolutionarytechnologieswerebeingdevelopedandtestedthere,possiblywithan extraterrestrial boost. By the late 1980s, a number of people were aware of what washappening,andbegantotrektotheseremoteregionswithcamerasandvideorecorders. This was when Bob Lazar ’s claims, discussed in the previous chapter, were beingpublicized.Instantly,Area51wentfrombeingoneofthemostsecretplacesonEarthtooneof the most notorious and sought-after. From 1989 until 1995, UFO hunters, aviationwatchers,andcurioustourists,mostofthemarmedwithcamerasandbinoculars,journeyedto“FreedomRidge,”where therehappened tobeaclear lineof sight to thebase.Therewerefrequent sightingsofhighlyunusual craft, oftendisc-shapedandmoving inways thatwerebeyond ordinary aerodynamics. In April, 1995, the Air Force purchased the land aroundFreedomRidge,effectivelyendinganera.Afterthat,thereremainedthemoredistantTikabooPeak,offeringaclearviewofthebaseforthosebringingatelescope. One importantUFOvideo fromGroomLake came not from the observers at FreedomRidge,butfrominsidethebase.Inearly1995,avideowasleakedtothetelevisionshowHardCopy.ItwaslaterdeterminedtohavebeenrecordedbyanAirForcesurveillancecamerainNovember,1994,somewherewithintheNellisTestRange,whichincludesArea51atGroomLake.Theobjectbearsmorethanapassingresemblancetotheso-calledAlienReproductionVehicle(ARV),discussedinthepreviouschapter.Moreover,itsmovementsweretrulyradical.Itacceleratedrapidlyfromspeedsaslowas30mphtoover500mph,andmaderightangleturnsatroughly140mph.Thevideoisauthentic.Wecanassumeitisoneofours.Ifso,thenthe clandestine military-industrial complex developed extremely advanced technology twodecadesago,whichhasstillnotbeenofficiallyrecognizedtothisday.Unless,ofcourse,itisoneoftheirs.[205]

SovietUFOs Not onlywereUFO reporting systemswildly uneven during this period, but therewereentire regions thatwereessentiallycutoff fromelsewhere.Mostnotably, thiswasso in theCommunistnationsofChinaandtheSovietUnion.Certainlytheseandotherrelativelyclosedsocieties had their share ofUFO sightings, but reports only seeped out sporadically. Thencamethelate1980s:Gorbachevandglasnost.ItisaninterestingfactthatastheSovietUnionspiraledintodisunityandoblivionduringthefinalyearsofthe1980s,untiltheendof1991,UFOreportsincreaseddramatically.Certainly,mostorevenallofthiscanbeaccountedforbythenewperiodofopennessinthatnation.ButitisworthwonderingiftheriseinreportshadanyrelationshiptothedemiseoftheSovietUnionitself.Manyofthesehaveprobablybeenlosttous,butagoodnumberdidbecomeavailable.One

of themost interestingSovietUFO events of the 1980s is theDalnegorsk case, sometimesreferredtoastheSovietRoswell.DalnegorskwasaminingtownintheeasternSovietUnion.On January 29, 1986, only eighteen hours after the explosion of the U.S. space shuttle,Challenger,localpeoplesawareddishorangesphereflyingatalowaltitude.Itmovedonalevel flightpathandwasabsolutely silent. Itwas fairly low in the sky,probablynothigherthan2,500feetaltitude,andwasveryslowmoving,withestimatesofroughly30mph(slowerthanthestallspeedsofmostaircraft).Theobjectapproachedalowmountainnear thetownand apparently slowed down. Some witnesses claim to have seen it raise and lower itselfseveral times.Each time it rose, the lightbecamebrighter;each time itdescended, the lightdimmed.Then,suddenly,itdroppedlikeastone.ASovietscientificteamarriveddayslater.ResearcherstodayaredividedastowhethertheobjectwasaRussianmilitaryprobeorsomethingextraterrestrial.Afewhavearguedthat itwas some sort of natural event, perhaps an electromagnetic phenomenon caused byanomalous stresses within the Earth’s crust. This seems least likely. The analysis of theinvestigation teammade a case for theobject beingof artificial origin.Ananswer towhatcrashedtheremaybeverylongincoming.[206] As the1990s approached,more interestingSovietUFOcases came along.Oneof these,albeitinpartialandtruncatedform,comesfromthefilesoftheSovietstatesecurityagency,theKGB.Itcontainsfirst-handtestimonyfromsoldiersdescribinganincidentnearKasputinYar,amajor rocket launch facility in thesoutheasternSovietUnion,onJuly28-29th,1989.TheareaisequivalenttoAmerica’sWhiteSandsProvingGround,andindeeditwastherein1947thattheSovietslaunchedtheirowncapturedGermanV2rockets. Nearmidnight, according to the file, a disc-shaped object flew silently toward the area,flashingintenselybrightlightsfrombeneathit.Ithoveredovertheweaponssitelessthanonehundred feet above the ground. It was approximately fifteen feet in diameter, and wasilluminatedwithadim,green,phosphorus-likecolor.Abrightbeamappearedfrombeneathit, and the object circled a few times, moved away, then returned. The KGB documentsindicatethatanorderwasgiventoscramblefighterjetstointercepttheobject,buttheobjectneverallowedtheaircraft tocomeclose to it.Afterninetyminutesorso, it flewaway.Thecasehasseveralcorroboratingwitnessestoit,andreadslikesomanyAmericancases.[207] Explaining cases such as these as secret classified technology is problematic.Could thisreallyhavebeenasecretAmericanflyingsaucer,spyingontheSoviets?Or,didtheSovietshavetheirownsecretprogramthatspiedontheirownfacilities?Or,wasthere—isthere—anoff-the-gridsocietythatwasspyingonbothofthem,andeveryoneelse? Another fascinating and controversial case occurred in the Soviet city of Voronezh, onSeptember27,1989.Itinvolvedalandedcraft,atall,bizarre-lookingentity,andapublicparkfilledwithchildrenandafewadults.Thereweremanywitnesses,muchtestimony,andmuchridiculeintheWesternpress.Tothisday,thecaseissomethingofdamagedgoods,inlargepart because of the sensational nature of the encounter, and the supposed unreliability ofRussian witnesses, at least in the opinion of Western journalists. Yet, the case retains itsdefenderstothisday.[208]AneventmuchhardertodisputetookplacenearMoscowonMarch21,1990.Thatnight,inthehoursbeforemidnight,anumberofunknownobjectswereseenoverawidearea.Manyresidentscontactedauthorities,alldescribingwhattheysawinhighlyunconventionalterms.

TwoSovietinterceptorsweredispatched.Asonepilotclosedinontheunknown,hesawtwowhiteflashinglightsontheUFOwhiletrackingitonhisairborneradar.Heorderedthetargetto identify itself, whereupon it changed its speed and altitude. The pilot turned andreapproachedtheUFO,passingitverycloselythistime.Thistime,inadditiontoseeingtheflashing lights, the pilot briefly saw a silhouette of the object. Still, however, he could notidentifyit.Ground-basedpersonnelsawtheencounter.TheynoticedthattheUFOseemedtodisappearastheaircraftapproachedit.Theyalsosawitturnandapproachthejetataveryhighspeed.Itwoulddisappear,thenreappearbehindandabovethejet.Oneofthemilitarywitnessessaiditmaneuvered inanS-turn flight,bothhorizontallyandvertically.Anothersaid it looked justlikeaflyingsaucer.ThecasereceivedcommentbytheSovietMinisterofDefense,IvanTretyak,aswellastheChiefoftheSovietAirDefenseForces,GeneralIgorMaltsev.Maltsevstatedtherewereoverone hundred visual observations of the object made by military personnel, and that twophotographs were taken, which have never been released. He confirmed the extraordinarycapabilitiesoftheobject,includingaspeedthatexceededmodernjetfightersbytwoorthreetimes, all thewhilemoving silently.Maltsev added that whoeverwas operating these craft“had somehow come to termswith gravity.”He refused to speculate on the identity of theobject, but added “at the present time, terrestrial machines could hardly have any suchcapabilities.”Atrulyremarkableadmissioncomingfromsuchahigh-levelfigure.[209] Whatever itwas, clearly thiswas an object that had no problem easily outperforming aSovietmilitaryjet.

TrianglesoverBelgiumThroughthewinterof1989andinto1990,thenationofBelgiumexperiencedasignificantwave ofUFO activity.Many of the sightingswere of triangular craft, butwhich otherwiseacted very much like traditional disc-shaped flying saucers. That is, silent maneuvering,extended loitering and low-hovering capability, and instant acceleration. Many of thosereportswerewell-attestedto,includingquiteafewbypoliceofficers.ThemostdramaticnightofthiswaveofsightingsoccurredonthenightofMarch30intothe31st, 1990, only aweek and ahalf after theMoscowsighting.Apolicemancontacted aNATOradarstation,reportingthreeunusuallightsforminganequilateraltriangle,somethingwhichotherpolicepatrolssoonconfirmed.NATOradar thenconfirmedanunknowntargetmovingataveryslowspeed.Forthenexttwoandahalfhours,anumberofpoliceofficersand civilians noticed up to three sets of triangular lights, much larger in appearance thanstars,oftenacceleratingandmaneuveringinunusualways.Atcertain times,whenthelightscame down low enough, some witnesses were certain the lights were attached to a hugetriangularcraft.NATOAirDefensescrambledtwoF-16jets.Bothjetsquicklytrackedunknownobjectsontheirradar,buteachtimetheyapproachedoneoftheobjects,theradarlockwasbrokenandtheobject tookevasiveaction.Groundwitnessesconfirmed that the lightsof theUFOwentout every time the F-16s approached (reminiscent of the events over Malmstrom AFB in1975). According to a statement by the Royal Belgian Air Force, the speed of one UFOchanged immediately from150knots to 970knots (roughly speaking,miles per hour) and

droppeditsaltitudefrom9,000feetto5,000feet—nearlyonemile—inoneortwoseconds,asimply astonishingmaneuver. For several hours, the unknownobjects seemed to be toyingwiththeinterceptors. BecausethestealthfighterandstealthbomberhadrecentlybeenrevealedbytheU.S.,andbecausebothofthemhadunusuallyangulardesignsforaircraftofthetime,therewassomespeculationthatpeoplehadseensomenewversionofstealthtechnology.However,thisisnottenable. Neither of those aircraft, nor any other known craft, possess the maneuveringcapabilitiesoftheobjectsseenoverBelgium(andnorthernGermany)thatnight.Theyremainunknown.Iftheyarepartofaclandestinebutwhollyterrestrialprogram,itstillbegsanarrayofquestions:Whatagencywasresponsible?Whyengageinsuchmaneuvers?Whatwouldbethepurposeormissionoftheseexercises?Whyhavesuchaircraftnotbeenacknowledgedforthepasttwodecades?Whyistherenothingtothisday,officiallyspeaking,thatcanduplicatetheirmaneuvers?[210] It may well be that the events over Belgium were somehow related to the events nearMoscowfromjustoveraweekearlier.Today,morethantwentyyearslater,therehasbeennoconfirmationfromanyagencyregardingwhatmighthavecausedtheBelgiansightings.Itisevident,however,thattheseUFOsdidnotrequirejetfueltocarryouttheirincredibleaerialperformance.Ofcourse,thatappliestoalltheUFOscoveredinthisbook.Suchperformance,clearlypointstoanothersourceofpower,anewtechnologyaltogether.Moreonthislater.

SummaryIfonethingisglaringlyobvious,itisthattheUFOphenomenonisglobalandhasincludedmanymilitaryencounters.Thequestionmustbeasked:ifUFOsaretheproductofaclandestinetechnology,somethingunrelated to extraterrestrials or some formof beingwe can describe as “other,” thenwhatagencyhasbeenresponsible?Doesitbelongtoanyoftheworld’sgovernments?Whereisthescientificandtechnologicalinfrastructureresponsibleforit?ArewedealingwiththeeffectsofwhatIhaveelsewheredescribedasaBreakawayCivilization? Toanswer thisquestion,wemust,unfortunately, speculate rather than relyonconfirmedknowledge.Nevertheless, thestrongestanswercontinues toappear that thecoreof the trulyextraordinary UFO sightings of the period just discussed are indeed not us. Whetherextraterrestrialornot,theydonotappeartobefromourcivilization.Thisseemsespeciallysowhenwe explore, aswe shall in the next several chapters, someof the experiences andsightingsthatincludedclaimsofencounterswithnon-humanbeings. Evenso, the1980sgeneratedenoughevidence,someofwhichwasadmittedlyanecdotal,indicating that the clandestine human infrastructure was developing capabilities that mightbegin toapproximate“true”UFOcharacteristics. Inparticular, thesightingsofobjectsnearArea51duringthelate1980sgiveusreasonforthinkingthis. But could clandestine human technologyhavebeenbehind all of the truly difficultUFOsightingsof the1970sand1980s?Theaerialactivityover thevariousnationsof theworld:the U.S., Soviet Union, Brazil, China, Africa, theMiddle East, and elsewhere indicate thatsomething extraordinarywas goingon.Somethingof global reach,with technologyvastlybeyondanythingofficiallyonthebooks.ConsideringthattheUFOphenomenonpresentsevidenceofsuchadvancedtechnology,able

tooutclasstheworld’sbestmilitarieswithutterease,itisnotdifficulttoseewhytherewouldbesecrecyenvelopingtheentiresubject.

Chapter7UFOs,1991tothePresent

Since the1990s,perhaps themost striking featureof theUFOphenomenonhasbeen thesheernumberofincredible,inexplicable,andjustplainimpossiblesightings.Doingjusticetoallofthosewhicharegoodandgenuinewouldfillseveralthickvolumes.Whatfollowshere,ofnecessity,canconveyonlytheessenceofthisexplosionofactivity. There are severalmajor repositories ofUFO reports, but it has been decades since anyresearcherhascollectedandpublishedanythingthatcouldremotelybeconsideredacompletelist foranygivenyear.Conservativelyspeaking, thereareno less than10,000UFOreportsgenerated everyyear inNorthAmerica alone, judgingonly from the top twowebsites thatcollect them.[211] Even after accounting for some probable duplication of reports, it isobvious thatUFOsightingsarenotmerelyadaily,orevenmoreoftenoccurrence,butareplentifulandwidespread.Ofcourse,readersshouldrememberthatninetypercentormoreofallUFOsightingsareexplainable inmore-or-lessprosaic terms.However, it is also true thatmostpeopledonotreporttheirUFOsightings,andverypossiblythisisbyafactoroftenormore.[212]Inotherwords,thereisagoodchancethatthesetwofactorsroughlyevenout.Toconsiderthattheremaywellbesomethinglike10,000genuineUFOsightingseachyear,simplyinoneregionoftheworld,forcesustotakeafreshperspectiveonthenatureofoursociety, our world, and our reality. Itmeans that theremay be, on average, twenty-five tothirty genuine sightings each day of what we may reasonably describe as non-humantechnology. This seems extraordinary, and it is. Nevertheless, this is still a tiny numbercompared to the amount of conventional traffic traversingNorthAmerican air space.[213]WhileUFOsarefairlywidespread, theirobservableactivityisstilldwarfedbythenon-stopbuzzofhumancivilization.Yet,theyaremostdefinitelyoutthere.

TheBeginningoftheVideoEra UFOs have been recorded on film since the 1950s.Many of these appear to have beenhoaxes,althoughsomeappeartobelegitimateandmystifying.Itwasnotuntiltheendofthe1980s,andparticularlythe1990s,thattheeraoftheportablecamcorderarrived.Suddenly,agreatmanybizarreaerialobjectswerebeingcapturedonvideo. One of the first great examples of this newdevelopmentwas during amass sighting ofUFOsoverMexicoCityonJuly11,1991.Becauseatotalsolareclipsewastakingplace,many

people had their video cameras ready and pointed toward the sky. This was no ordinaryeclipse. In the firstplace, itwasa“monstereclipse,” lastingover sixandahalfminutesoftotality at themaximum (the theoreticalmaximumof aneclipse is justover sevenminutes,andmost last less than twominutes).Moreover, therewas a great build-up to this one, asmanypeople claimed itwaspredictedbyancientMayanprophecy, and that itwasgoing toheraldmajorEarthchangesandgreatercosmicawareness.Thesechangeswerebelieved tostemfromanencounterwiththe“MastersoftheStars,”whichwouldoccurduringtheeclipse.[214]Withinthecontextofsuchabuild-up,Mexicanswitnessedastrikingaerialdisplay.Severalbright objects, all of which looked solid, even metallic, were seen by thousands. One inparticularlookedverymuchlikeasilverdisc.Theyappearedtoreflectlightandseemedtomoveintelligentlyacrossthesky.Digitalenhancementsrevealedthemtobeshapedsomewhatlikeahockeypuck,nothinglikeastarorplanet.Theclincherformoststudentsofthevideoswashowtheobjectsmovedinfrontofpassingclouds.Whatevertheywere,theywerenothingconventional.

Objectvideo-recordedoverMexicoCity,July11,1991.

Interpretingthisamazingdisplayisanothermatter.BelievingwhetherornotthiswasasignfromtheMastersof theStarswillhingeuponassumptions thatmayforeverbeunprovable.However,MexicohasbeenthesceneofalargenumberofUFOsightingsinsubsequentyears,manyofwhichwerevideotaped. Another interestingpieceof video evidenceofUFOswas recordedonAugust 23, 1995,nearGulfBreeze,Florida.ThisareahadbeenwellknownforUFOsightingssince the late1980s.However,whereasmostofthephotosfromGulfBreezehadbeenassociatedwithEdWalters and had come under dispute (although, in the opinion of many analysts, withoutjustice), thisvideowasshotbyamannamedMikeHawkins.Strikingly, itshowedanobjectthat lookedidentical to thosephotographedpreviouslybyWalters.Thevideo iscompellingand lacks any reasonable conventional explanation.[215] Instead, it provides goodcorroborationtotheGulfBreezeUFOsofthepreviouseightyears.Astimepasses,itseemsincreasinglyclearthattheattacksonEdWaltersweremotivatedtodestroyhiscredibilityand

hencetheentirewaveofsightingsthemselves.Inotherwords, theGulfBreezeUFOsofthe1980sand1990swerereal.Photographicevidence,naturally,willneverbeasstrongasvideorecordingsinsupportingthe existence of UFOs. This is especially so regarding images that are submittedanonymously.Still,afewareworthconsideration.OnSeptember16,1996,sixphotosweretaken in the townofValley,Alabama, then sent toa local radio stationandnewspaper.Thephotographerclaimedhewasrepairingafenceonhispropertywhenhisdogbeganbarkingloudly.Henoticedalow-flyingobject,shapedlikeacapsule,lookingasthoughitbelongedintheU.S.spaceprogramofthe1960s.Ithoveredandthenmovedslowlyoveroneofhiscowpastures.Whatmakesthesixphotographssointerestingisthateachonecapturedtheobjectata different angle and elevation, making a hoax a much more challenging proposition.Intriguing though the photos are, their anonymity ultimately prevents them from beingconsideredstrongerevidence.[216]Justamonthlater,onOctober27,1996,averyinterestingsnapshotwastakeninHungary.The photographer, LajosKosina, took a picture of his girlfriend in front of a field.Uponhaving the photograph developed a few weeks later (this was before digital photographybecamecommon),hewassurprisedtoseeadisc-shapedobjectclearlyintheskybehindher.Thistypeofthinghashappenedquitefrequently.ButthisissurelyoneofthebestcasesofaUFO being photographed without being seen at time. The photograph, in particular thenegative,hasbeenstudiedusingopticalandcomputertechniques.Accordingtothoseanalysestheobject intheskyisnot theresultofafilmfault,noris itasmallmodelsuspendedonawire. It appears to be a genuine, flat, disc-shaped object reflecting the autumn sunshine—aflyingsaucer.[217]

UFOinHungary,October27,1996.Enlargedobjectininset.

Another interestingvideowasshotonJuly4,1998, inSomersetEngland,bymannamedRodDickinson.Unfortunately, there isagreatdealofcamerashake in thevideo,making itdifficulttofollowtheobject,oreventoseeitclearlyattimes.However,adetailedanalysisbyaHollywoodmovie professional concluded that the shake provided good evidence for thevideo’s authenticity. In other words, the specifics of the camera shake made fakery moredifficult.Thewitnesscertainlyseemedsinceretoallthosewhointerviewedhim.Incidentally,ontheframesofthevideowhereitcanbeseenclearly,theobjectlookslikeaclassicflyingsaucer.[218]

UFOsthatWeren’tDespitesomefascinatingvideoandphotographicevidenceofUFOs,itisgoodtorememberthatnotonlyaremostof these thingsnotaliencraft,but therehavebeenseveral cases thathavegainedacceptanceamongsomeresearcherswhichareprobablynotlegitimate.Consider

thefollowingcasestobecautionarytales,lessonsinhowwecanbefooled.OneisaphotographfromJuly17,1992whichairedlateronChileantelevision.Itwastakenfrom a Chilean satellite, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth's surface. TheimageshowssomethingthatappearstobeeitheranenormousUFO,orsomethingveryclosetothecamera.Infact,itisalmostcertainlytheMoon.Thereareelementsofthisimagethatwestilldon’tfullyunderstand,butthecamerafromthatsatelliterequireseighteenminutestotakea picture of theEarth.During this time, it is still inmotion, as is theMoon, giving ampleopportunityfordistortionstooccur.MorethanoncehastheMoonbeenmistakenforaUFO.[219]

UFO?No,theMoon.TheChileansatelliteimageof1992.

Another prosaic case which is widely discussed as a genuine UFO event occurred onFebruary 2, 1993. That evening, several people in Jefferson County, Kentucky, reported aUFO.Therewas indeedanobject in the skyandapolicehelicopter evenhadanencounterwithit.Attimestheobjectlookedlikeahugeballoffire,largerthanthehelicopter.Itchangedits brightness erratically, and made what the officers perceived as ramming attacks. Thepolicemen,whowere unquestionably honest and reliable,were convinced itwas a genuineUFO.Thecase later received televisioncoverageandhasbeenconsideredastrongcasebysomeresearchers.Yet, theobjectwascertainlya lightedballoon,describedindetailshortly

afterwardsbythemanwhohadlititandsentitaloft.HehadnotconsideredthathisballoonwouldbereportedasaUFO,hesaid.Thecase is instructive,showingthatordinaryobjectscanbe interpretedby intelligentpeople tobesomethingother thanwhat theyreallyare.Wealwayshavetobecareful.[220] The last example, for now, ofwell-knownUFO evidence that appears questionable is aseries of photographs from 1993, taken at Australia's Maslin Beach. These photos, whichshow a UFO over a body of water have a detailed story accompanying them, at leastaccording to the person who submitted them. A close analysis, however, reveals strongevidencethattheseimagesarehoaxes:modelsthatweremostlikelysuspendedinfrontofthecamera.Thewindowsarethebestgiveaway,clearlylookingasthoughtheyhadbeencutoutofcardboard.[221] Not all prosaic explanations of UFOs are the result of hoaxes. Most are simplymisinterpretations by honest people of something that surprised them. However, evenaccountingforcasesofmistaken identity,a reviewof the last twodecadesmakes itevidentthatthereisanabundanceoftrulymystifyingcases.

TheTetherIncident Of all videos that are accepted in some circles as genuine UFO evidence, but whichprobably arenot, perhaps thebest knownwas fromNASA’sSTS-75mission,morewidelyknownastheTetherIncident.ThisoccurredinlateFebruary,1996,duringamissiontocarryand deploy a Tethered Satellite System into orbit at around 200 miles, within the Earth'sionosphere. The purpose of this, among other things,was to demonstrate electrical powergeneration.The tetherwas12.9miles longandnearlyallof itwasdeployedwhen itbrokewhileinorbitonFebruary25,1996. Afewdays later,NASArecordedwhat lookedlikeaveritablearmadaofobjectsmovingandmaneuveringaroundthetether.Thishasbeenthesubjectofengagingdebateeversince.NASA hasmaintained that the cameras recorded debris from a recent water dump. Othershavearguedthatthedebrisinthevideoappearstogobehindthetether,whichwouldclearlybetoofarawayforawaterdump.Inaddition,thevideoshowssomanyoftheseobjects,allappearingaspulsing,circulardiscs,oftenwithaholeinthecenter,andwhatappearstobeanotch cut out of the edge. Certainly, the fact that they appear to go behind the tether issuggestive that theyare real.At the timeof the recording the tetherwasapproximatelyonehundredmiles away from the camera.At that distance, any visible object behind the tetherwouldhavetobeenormous.

ThebrokenNASAtether,seeminglyinfrontofanenormousobjectinEarthorbit.Inreality,thisisanopticalillusion.

Thiswouldbetrue,iftheobjectsactuallywerebehindthetether.Infact,thevideoshowsanumberofopticalillusions.Fundamentally,theobjectsthatappearinthisvideolooknothingliketheyactuallywere,primarilybecauseofeffectscausedbythecamera’selectronics,lensandsunlight.Firstamongtheseisthethicknessofthetetheritself.Thevideoshowsalong,illuminatedtetherfloatingawayinspace,whichlooksfairlythicktotheeye.Inreality,thetetherwaslessthanonecentimeterthick.It looksthickinthevideobecauseoftheintensereflectivityfromthesunlight.Thereflectivityisstrongenoughthatasmalliceparticlecouldpassinfrontofthetether,butthetether'sbrightnesswouldmakeitseemthattheobjectismovingbehind.Thiscaneasilybeduplicatedwithanyordinarydigitalcamerabytakingapictureofthefullmoonbehind bare tree branches. Themoonlightwill often appear towash through the branches,makingitseemthattheentiretreeisbehindtheMoon.

ThisisthebasiceffectoneseesregardingtheSTS-75video.Afterall,iftheseweretrulyenormousobjectsmovingbehind the tether, theywouldhaveseemedasbrightas theMoonitself down on Earth's surface. This was not an event in deep space, but in the Earth'sionosphere. Yet they were never noticed, unlike the tether itself, which was noticeable forsometimebeforeitfellfromorbit. Complicating the analysis, someof theobjects (or,more accurately, particles) appear tochange speeds and directions. However there are a number of things that might haveaccountedforthis,includingcollisionswithotherparticlesthathappenednottobevisibletothecamera.Moreover,theparticlesinthevideolookverymuchliketheso-called“orbs”thatmanypeople have captured on their digital cameras.Although there are thosewhobelievesuchorbsareactualanomalies,evenentitiesofsomesort,itseemsmorelikelythatOccam'srazor cuts differently. It ismuchmore reasonable that the so-called photographic orbs arecausedbyreflectionoflightondustparticles,butrecordedbydigitaltechnologyinawaythatfilm-based photography usually did not. Hence their proliferation in the age of digitalphotography.[222] Incidentally, the objects in the tether incident lookverymuch like anobject capturedonvideobyaBritishwomannamedSharonRowlandsin2000.Withherbrandnewcamcordersherecordedadistantbrightobjectthat,uponzoomingin,showedtheexactlookandtextureof light seen in the objects on the tether video, aswell as of standard digital photographicorbs.WhileonepersoncalledhervideooneofthetopfiveUFOvideosofalltime,itismorelikelytheresultofanopticaleffect.Itmayneverbeknownwhatthesourceoftheeffectwas,butthemovementoftheobjectwasnotunusual.Generally,itappearedtohovermotionlessly,although there were times when it seemed as though it was maneuvering. What SharonRowlands recorded remains unknown, but the fact that her object looked precisely like theobjectsinthetetherincidentoughttoprovideahintthattheyaretheresultofthesameeffectinsidethedigitalcamera.[223]Althoughthetetherincidentisnotgoodevidenceofspace-basedanomalies,thereareothercasesthatoffercredibleevidence.SomeofthesewerepublishedonthewebsiteofthelateJeffChallender,whoassiduouslyrecordedNASA'smanyshuttlemissionvideosandfoundmanyoddities.OnethatisespeciallyintriguingistheexampleofaU-turninspacebyanunknownsomething during themissionofSTS-114, onAugust 6, 2005.Evenmore intriguingwas amotion stabilizing enhancement of the object, when it became obvious that the object wasmaneuveringtotheleftandrightasitmovedthroughspace.Thisisatrulyremarkablevideo.[224] Photographic and video evidence is important in the overall case for UFOs, but suchevidenceisnotinfallible.Researchersmustevaluateitcarefully.Indeed,thisincludesalltypesofinstrument-recordedevidence.Wemustrememberthatinstrumentscanmakemistakes,cancauseillusoryeffects,andcansometimesfooleventhebestandmostsoberofinvestigators.

TerrorintheAir Still,only fools ignoreall evidence, and that includes theevidenceacquiredbyourowneyes. Some of the cases that follow ought to produce a chill inside any reasonable humanbeingwhospendsanytimeinaircraft.Thatisbecauserecenthistoryhasproducedanumberof close encounters with UFOs by aircraft, including a few that were very close. There

appearstobeagreatdealofunaccounted-foractivityinourskies.OnthenightofApril21,1991,forinstance,aLondon-boundairlinerflyingat22,000feetover the coast of Kent came to within 1,000 feet of an unknown object. The incident wasclassedasanear-miss,andanofficial inquirywaslaunchedbytheBritishCivilianAviationAuthority (CAA). The official conclusion: “Extensive inquiries have failed to provide anyindicationofwhatthesightingmayhavebeen.”Thereportdidnotethepilot’sobservationoftheobject,whichwas,“lightbrown, round, threemeters long,”andwithnoclearmeansofpropulsion.Whilenoother aircraftwas supposed tohavebeennear the airliner, the reportstatedthat,“afaintradartracewasobservedtennauticalmilesbehindthe...aircraft.”[225] Therearequitea fewof thesecases.Anotheroccurredon June1,1991,whenayellow-orange,cylindricalobject,tenfeetlong,wasseenatclosequartersbythecrewofaBritanniaAirways Boeing 737 en route fromDublin to London. Just over twoweeks after that, yetanother cylindrical-shapedUFOwas seen, this time by aGerman engineer aboard a flightheadedtowardHamburg,Germany.[226]AirFrancehadadramaticaerialencounteronJanuary28,1994.WhileflyingovertheParisregion,thecrewnoticedalargebrown-reddischoveringonthehorizon.Itseemedconstantlytobechangingitsshape.Inthewordsofthepilot:

This object seemed to us then absolutely abnormal by its sizewhich seemed immense, its dark red color and of thefuzzyedges.Ihadtheimpressiontoobserveagiganticlensinevolution.Itdidnotresembleanythingwehadseeninourflyingcareers.[227]

Anothernear-misswasreportedbypilotsofaBritishairlineronJanuary6,1995.CaptainRoger Wills and copilot Mark Stuart were beginning their descent towards ManchesterAirport in a Boeing 737 with sixty passengers on board. Seventeen minutes beforetouchdown, a mysterious, triangular-shaped UFO flashed past the right-hand side of theaircraft at a distance described as being “very close.” So close, in fact, that the crewinstinctively“ducked”intheirseats.Theirconversationwithairtrafficcontrolisonrecord.Theencountercertainlydisturbedthepilots.[228] Laterin1995,onMay25,overtheTexaspanhandle,acigar-shapedobjectwitharowofbrightlyflashinglightsalongitslengthwasseenbythecrewofanAmericaWestairliner.ThecasewasthoroughlyinvestigatedbytheastronomerandexperiencedUFOresearcher,WalterWebb,onbehalfoftheUFOResearchCoalition.[229] Again in1995, this timeonJuly11,awinglessobjectwasseennearaNorwegianplane.ThiswasaDash-8passengerplane thathad takenoff fromOsloandwasabout fortymilesnorthofTrondheim.Theco-pilotcaughtsightofaflyingobjectthatmovedtotherightoftheaircraft.[230]OnFeb.28,1996,thepilotsoftwoairlinersnearClevelandreportedaverybrightpulsatinglight below them. One pilot dropped his altitude to make certain that the lights were notground-based. Theywere not, as hewas then able to see them above his position.Groundcontrolsuggestedthelightmightbeareflectioninthecloudsfromanotheraircraft,butthepilotsofbothaircraftwereadamantthatthelighthadadistinctsourceofitsown.Apassengeron one of the flights is known to have taken photographs, but none have been publiclyreleased.Adetailedtranscriptoftheencounterisavailableontheweb.[231]Therearesomanyoftheseencounters.AnotheroneoccurredonAugust9,1997,nearNew

YorkCity’sKennedyAirport,whenaSwissairflighthadacloseencounterwithanunknownobject.[232]OnFebruary3,1999,anobjectdescribed“asbigasabattleship”wasseenovertheNorthSeabythecrewofaBritishcharterjet.[233]OnNovember23,2003,shortlybeforelandingatLaGuardiainNewYorkCity,whilestilloverNewJersey,anairlinerencounteredabrightredcirculardisk,seenclearlybyoneof thepassengers.[234]OnNovember3,2004,during a descent to San Francisco, an experienced airline pilot reported a maneuveringorange light.Thepilotwasverycautiousandcheckedforanyatmosphericexplanation,buttheresimplywasnone.Theobjectthenjustdisappeared.[235] Of course, these and many other aviation encounters do not prove that UFOs areextraterrestrial.TheydonotevenprovethatUFOsarenecessarilyunconventionalobjects.Ifpressed to thewall, onemight find excuses for everyoneof these cases.But that doesnotmean those interpretations would be correct. Some of these encounters may have prosaicexplanations, but it does appear that something important has been going on in our skies.Whether it stems from unknown others or secret technologies of our own civilization, itshouldremainimportanttoanythinkingperson.

Encounterswith“Them” If close encounters in the air leaveone unimpressed, perhapswe canmoveon to actualencounters.NotwithUFOs,butwithwhatsurelyappeartobenonhuman,alienbeings.Again,itmustbeemphasized that thecasesdescribedhereareameresprinklingofwhathasbeenreported.After studyingmany of these cases over the years, it appears that some form ofmemory manipulation and erasure has been involved on people who have had theseexperiences. Yet,notallpeopleare thesame.Somepeople’sapparentalienexperiencesseemtobleedthrough into their normalwaking consciousness. They remember, or at least they seem toremember, enough. Also, judging from the testimonies, it seems that not all of the beingsthemselvesareequallyconcernedwithattemptingtocontrolhumanmemory.Whatwedohaveareacertainnumberofcasesthataredifficulttodismissoutofhand.

TheKhouryIncidentOneoftheseistheremarkableexperienceofPeterKhoury,inSydney,Australia,onJuly23,1992. Khoury was alone in bed at 7:30 a.m. Suddenly, he awoke very alert and sat up. Twohumanoidfemalesweresittingonhisbed,bothentirelynaked.Theylookedhumanbut,thenagain,notquitenormal.OnelookedsomewhatAsian,theotherlookedperhapsScandinavian,withlight-coloredeyesandlong,exotic-looking,blondehair.Theybothhadunusuallyhighcheekbonesandverylargeeyes.Theblondewomanalsohadanunusuallylongface.Bothhadnearlyblankexpressions.Theblondewomanseemedtobeincharge.Shesatinakneelingpositiononthebeddirectlyfacing Khoury, who was nearly in shock. Then she reached out with both her hands andcupped the back of his head, drawing his face toward her chest. Khoury resisted, but shepulledharder,sothathismouthwasonhernipple.Whoknowswhy,perhapsjustterror,buthebithard.Asmallpieceofhernipplecameawayinhisteeth.

Oddly, she did not cry out. Her expression simply conveyed the idea to Khoury that,whateverhewassupposedtohavedone,hediditwrong.Thesmallfragmentbecamecaughtin Khoury's throat, and he went into a coughing fit. Suddenly, the two women simplydisappeared. Oncehe realized theyweregone,he triedclearinghis throatwithwater. Itdidnotwork.Thenhehadanurgetourinateandwenttothebathroom.Herealizedthathispenisfeltverypainful. Standing in the bathroom, he pulled back the foreskin and found two thin, blonde,strandsofhairwrappedtightlyaround.Thehairswerenoteasytoremove,andtheprocesswaspainful.Finally,heremovedthemandplacedtheminasealedplasticbag. The object in Khoury's throat remained lodged there. He coughed constantly. He triedclearinghisthroatwithwater,bread,andanythingelsehecouldthinkof,butnothinghelped.Finally,afterthreedays,itjustwentaway. Thehair samplesbecame the subjectof the firstopenly-reportedDNA testonapossiblealien abduction. Tests noted how extremely thin, and almost clear in color, the hairswere.Under normal circumstances, hair that clear would almost certainly have been chemicallytreated, but this hairwas not. Had it been so, themitochondrialDNA could not have beenrecovered. Analysts concluded that, even though the hair was unquestionably very lightblonde, itwas not from a light-skinned caucasian racial type. Instead, the hair showed fivedistinctiveDNAmarkersthatarecharacteristicofararesub-groupoftheChineseracialtype.ThescientistsexaminedadatabasecontainingtensofthousandsofsamplesofmitochondrialDNA.Ofthese,onlyfourotherpeoplehadallfiveofthosemarkers.AllwereChinese,andeachonehadblackhair.[236] Mitochondrial DNA is passed only from mother to child, so this suggests that themysteriousblondewomansharesacommonfemaleancestorwiththefourChinesepeopleinthedatabase.Buthowcouldthatbe?AsresearcherBillChalkerputit, itseemsunlikelythatanypersonwithblondehairandanexactDNAmatchtothemysteriousblondewomancouldbefoundinthecityofSydney,noronthecontinentofAustralia,norprobablyanywhereintheworld. Allofwhichbegsthequestion,whowerethesetwofemalebeings?Itwouldappeartherehadbeenasexualencounter,orperhapsaclosecall,somethingwhichKhourydidnotrecallfor whatever reason. How else, one wonders, would the woman’s hair become wrappedaround his penis? The fact that theywere both fairly attractive (albeit odd and a little tooexoticforcomfort)andespeciallythefact that theywerenaked,makesitseemobviousthattherewassupposedtobeasexualencounter,orthattherealreadyhadbeenone.Theblondewomanseemstohavebeentheinstructor,andtheAsian-lookingwomanthestudent,perhapsthereasanobserver. Are we dealing with humans with very rare and somewhat anomalous DNA? This wasChalker's suggestion, which seems reasonable. In other words, this would suggest theexistenceof a clandestinehumangroup, longdistinct from themainstreamofhumanity, asbeingbehindpartof,ormostoralloftheUFOphenomenon.[237]

TheKellyCahillCase AnotherAustralianUFOencounterof theearly1990shasalsogained someprominenceamong students of ufology. This was the August 1993 experience of Kelly Cahill and her

husband, alongwith twoothermotoristswhowere in a separatevehicle.Althoughall fourpeopleseemtohaveexperiencedsomething,KellyCahillhasbeenbyfarthemostpublicofthem. Aroundmidnight, theCahillswere driving home in the province ofVictoriawhen theynoticed lights of a rounded craft in front of them.The craft and lights appeared simply tohoversilentlyabovetheroad.Kellythoughtshecouldevenseepeoplethroughthewindows.Shescreamedtoherhusbandandthecraftzoomedaway.Theycontinueddrivinghome,shaken.Thentheynoticedanotherlight,onesobrightthatitnearlyblindedthem.Immediately,theyfeltunusuallycalmandrelaxed.Atsomepoint,Kellyasked, “What happened, did I black out?”Her husband said nothing, and they continued todrivehome. Uponarrivinghome,Kellydetectedafoulodor,something likevomit,and thenrealizedsheandherhusbandhadanhourofmissing time.As sheundressed forbed, shenoticedastrange,new, triangularmarkonhernavel.For thenext twoweeks,sheexperiencedseverestomachpainandwashospitalizedforauterineinfection. Without hypnosis she began remembering details of the encounter. She recalled that herhusband had stopped the car, that they had both left the vehicle and hadwalked toward themassivecraft.Sherememberedanothercarhavingstoppedonthesideoftheroad.Assheandher husband approached the craft, they saw a strange creature, about seven feet tall. Kellydescribeditasblack,butnotthecolorblack.Rather,shesaid,blackasthoughallmatterhadbeenremovedfromit.Shelaterdescribeditasevilandlackingasoul.Theeyesofthisbeingwerelarge,similartotheeyesofflies,andtheyglowedred.Shethennoticedthatthereweremanymoreofthesebeingsinthefieldbeneaththeimmensehoveringobject.OnegroupofthemglidedveryrapidlytowardKellyandherhusband,coveringonehundredyardswithinafewseconds.Anothergroupapproached theothercar.At thispoint,apparently,shebecameunconscious.Hernextmemorywasofbeingbackinhercar.Theoccupantsoftheothercarlatercameforwardandtoldasimilarstory,showingmarksontheirbodyanddrawingpicturesofthesamecraftandbeings.Forherpart,Kellylaterhaddreamsofablackalienstoopingoverherhelplessbody,asifhewerekissinghernavel.Thecaseisgenerallyconsideredamongthebetterones.TherearephotographsofKelly'striangle and the marks on Glenda, the other woman who was there. Some skeptics havewondered why the other witnesses, including Kelly's husband, have not been moreforthcoming themselves.Nevertheless,most researchers of the case have consideredKellyCahilltobesincere.[238]

SchoolchildreninZimbabweAsifthetwoprecedingcaseswerenotstartlingenough,anotheronefromtheearly1990sismorecompellingstill.ThisconcernsanencounterwithoversixtyschoolchildreninthetownofRuwa,Zimbabwe,onSeptember16,1994.Thesechildrenwereoutsideduringrecesswhentheysawalargecraftlandinanadjoiningfield.Buttherewasmore.Threeorfourbeings,clearlynothuman,werebesidethecraft,andonewasapparentlyperchedatopit.Thechildrenallranintothebuilding,totheshockoftheirteachers and administrators.Unfortunately, and for reasons that are unclear, therewere noadultspresentwhenthiseventhappened.

ItisnotunusualforachildtotellastrangeUFOstory,norforanadulttodismissit.Butwhatmakesthiscasesocompellingisthateachofthesechildrenadamantlytoldpreciselythesame story, with much detail. They were obviously sincere about their experience. Thesechildrenwereyoung,aroundtheagesofsevenandeight.SouthAfricaninvestigatorCynthiaHinddidathoroughexaminationofthecase,andHarvardUniversitypsychologist,Dr.JohnMack,interviewedmanyofthesechildrenpersonallywhenhevisitedshortlyafterward.

SomeoftheschoolchildrenofRuwa,Zimbabweandtheirdrawings.

Thereisapowerfulandcompellingten-minutevideoofthesechildrenonYouTube,talkingto Dr.Mack about what they saw.[239] They described their experiences identically. Theirdrawings,too,bothofthecraftandbeings,areremarkablyconsistent.Thebeingswereshort,withblackwraparoundeyesendinginpoints.Eachofthechildrenseemtohavebeendeeplyafraid,anditappearsatleastsomeofthemreceivedmentalimpressionsfromthebeings.Itiseasiertoacknowledgethattheeventhappenedthantounderstandwhatitsignifies.Didthebeingssimplystumble,accidentally,uponthesechildrenwhileengagedinothermatters?Didtheyexplicitlydecidetomaketheirappearancewhentherewerenoadultspresent?What

wouldbethepurposeofhavingsuchanencounterwiththeseyoungchildren?[240]

AnEntityinVarginha,BrazilAstheabovecaseshint,manyofthemostcompelling“alien”encountersofthe1990stookplaceoutsidetheUnitedStates.ThisincludesafamousincidentthatoccurredintheBraziliantownofVarginha.Accordingtomultiplealleged(butunconfirmed)leaksfromwithintheBrazilianmilitary,U.S.NorthAmericanAirDefense (NORAD)contacted itsBraziliancounterpartatmidnightonJanuary20,1996.TheBrazilianswere told that therewasaUFOcomingdownover thesouthern part of the country. The next morning (again according to the anonymousinformants), theVarginhaFireDepartment receivedaphonecallabouta“strangecreature”seen in an areaknownas JardimAndere.Assuming the callwas either aprankor adrunkwitness,thedepartmentignoredthereport.Thencameasecondcall,thenathird,andthenafourth.Atthispoint,theFireDepartment,whichinBrazilispartofthemilitary,responded.Whenthe firefighters arrived upon the scene, they were shocked to see that there was indeed acreature. Ithad threeprotrusionson itshead,almost likesmallhorns,andhadglowingredeyes.Ithadlongarms,shortlegs,andlargefeet.Itappearedtobedazed,andthefirefighterseasilycapturedit. Later that day, three young women were walking home after work. Taking a shortcutthrough a wooded area, they stumbled upon another one of these strange creatures. Itappearedtobeidenticalinappearancetotheonecapturedbythefirefighters. Therewereothercreaturereportsfromthatdayandthereareunconfirmedreports thatanumberofotherswerecaptured.Onewassaidtohavebeentakentoasmallhospitalbeforebeingtransferredbymilitarypersonneltoalargerfacility.Atleastoneofthecreatureswassaid to havedied and then taken to theUniversity ofCampinas for an autopsy.TwoothersweresaidtobetakentotheUniversityofSaoPauloforexamination.Afewweeksaftertheeventa23year-oldmilitarypolicemannamedMarcoEliCherese,whowas involved in theinvestigation,died.Supposedly,hefellillfromtheeffectsofcontactwithoneofthecreatures.Thereismuchmoretothecase,includinganinterviewconductedbyAmericanresearcherDr.RogerLeirwithadoctorwhoexaminedoneof thebeings.Thecase is fascinating,butnothingisconfirmed,everythingisalleged.ItissomethinglikeRoswell,inthatagreatdealofwitnesstestimonyispittedagainstgovernmentdenials,exceptthatinthecaseofRoswell,onecouldalwaysfallbackonthenewspaperaccountofacrashedflyingdisc.InthecaseofVarginha,thereisnoteventhatlevelofconfirmation.Still,thecaseisintriguing,anditcouldbetrue.[241]

TheWashingtonElkCaseEverysooften,witnessestestifytoseeingUFOstakelivestockorwildanimals.Accordingto threewitnesseswhospoke toUFOresearchers,onesuchevent tookplace in theStateofWashingtononFebruary25,1999.Duringthelatemorning,fourteenforestryemployeesofalarge,unnamedcompanywereplanting trees in the Cascade Mountains. Through the morning, three of the men were

observing a herd of elk in the valley below them. Suddenly, to their great surprise, a flatobject,curvedatoneendandstraightattheother,shapedsomethingliketheheelofashoe,appearedoveraridge.Theynoticedtwostripesonitsbackend.Atfirstthethreementhoughtthe object was something like a parachute. But then they noticed it closely following thecontoursoftheterrainbelowitandbegantothinkotherwise.Whentheobjectmovedtowardtheherdofelk,themencalledouttotheirco-workers.Now,allfourteenmenwatchedthesilentobjectapproachtheelk.Whentheobjectgotfairlyclosetheherdboltedtowardadenselywoodedarea.Allbutone.Oddly,oneelkdidnotrun.Instead,ittrottednonchalantlyinanentirelydifferentdirection.Themysteriousobjectfloatedoverthiselk,thenappearedtoliftitofftheground.Whiletheelkslowly rotatedbeneath it, seemingly floating in theair, theobjectbegan tomoveoff. Itbarelyclearedsometrees,andthenglidedovertothenextvalleyandwasoutofsight.Afewminutes later, it reappeared,withnoelk insight,androseathighspeeduntil itdisappearedintothesky.ThecasewasreportedtoPeterDavenportoftheNationalUFOReportingCenter.Davenportand another investigator traveled to the site and interviewed several of thewitnesses. Theyalsoexaminedthebodyofafemaleelkthatwasfoundnorthofthesite,althoughitcouldnotbedeterminedwhetherornotthiswasthesameelkthathadbeenliftedintotheair.Manyofthewitnesseshadbeenwiththecompanyforyearsandweredeemedtobereliable,butbeyondthat,investigatorshitadeadend.Indeed,howwouldoneobtainadditionalinformation?[242]

WhoAreTheseBeings?Theprecedingencountercasesareamongthemorespectacularonesofthe1990s.Clearly,theyaredistinctfromoneanother,buttheydosharesomeimportantsimilarities.Firstofall,thebeingsallseemedtohaveanagendaofsomesort. Noneofthemspoke,norevenshowedrecognizableemotions.Inthreeoftheencounters,(Peter Khoury, Kelly Cahill, and the Zimbabwe school children) the entities seemed quiteformidable in their capabilities, sometimes moving from place to place with a speed thatwouldbeimpossibleforanyhuman.Indeed,intheKhourycase,thetwofemalebeingsappearto have simply vanished, somehow able to leave the physical space instantly. Perhaps theyenteredanotherdimension,orwerebeamedup,likeinaStarTrekmovie.IntheWashingtonelkincident,noactualbeingswereseen,but,thisencounteralsoshowedtheUFOoperatorstohaveverypowerfulcapabilities.Presumably,theyintendedtousetheelkforsomereason,perhapsasfood,althoughnotiftheelkfoundbythetwoinvestigatorswasthesameelk.Frankly,notenoughinformationisavailableforadetermination. Onenoticeable featureof thesecases is that theentities all lookeddifferent. InKhoury’scase, they seemed essentially human, but very unusual. In Zimbabwe, they appeared to beclassic Grays. In the Cahill case, their appearance somewhat matched descriptions of tallhoodedGreys,excepttheywereeventallerandhadredeyes.ThenthereistheVarginhacase,which(ifdescriptionscanevenbecredited)isanoutlierintermsofphysicalappearance.Inotherwords,weareleftinsomeconfusion. Could itbe thatwearedealingwithmultiplegroups?Ordifferent lookingbeingswhich

work for the samegroup?Are theybiologicallyengineered,customized life forms,andassuch,capableofincrediblevariety?Or,aretheseallscreenmemories,unrelatedtotheactualappearance of the beings themselves? It may be that no one truly knows, not independentresearchers,norperhapseventhoseintheclassifiedworld.Therewillbemoretosayonthismatterinthenextchapter.

TheSpectacularYukonSighting It seems odd that the following case is not verywell known.However, it occurred in aremote area, far removed from major media centers or much of the UFO researchcommunity. This was in Canada's Yukon province and occurred on December 11, 1996, acold,dark,wintrynightintheGreatWhiteNorth.ThemainobservationswerenearFoxLake,roughlytenmileslongandfrozenatthistimeofyear,notfarfromAlaska,andhundredsofmilesdistantfromanymajorcityorpubliclyknownmilitarybase.Accordingtomorethantwentywitnesses,anenormousaerialobject,lituplikeaChristmastree, drifted past the lake between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Two of the witnesses were cousins,drivinginseparatevehicles.Eachsawitoverthelake,slammedontheirbrakes,andgotoutoftheirvehicles.Theywatchedthehugeobjectasitslowlydriftedtowardsoneofthemandwassoonalmostdirectlyoverhead.Itthenmovedslowlyacrossthehighwayandoverahilltotheeast,whereuponitwaslosttoview.Bothmendrewpicturesoftheobject,anditcertainlylooksveryimpressive.Onemightthinkahuge,slowmovingobjectsuchasthiscouldbeablimp,butthisseemsveryunlikely.TheGoodyearblimp,forinstance,isquitelarge,nearlytwohundredfeet long,butwhocannotrecognizethat?Besides, thisobjectwasmuch,muchmorebrightly lit than theGoodyear blimp everwas, and seems to havebeenmuch larger,rounder,andtaller.Moreover,whywouldtheGoodyearoranyotherblimpevenbeinsucharemotearea?Whilethetwocousinswereobservingthisobject,amarriedcouplewiththeirbabywereabitfarthertothesouthalongthesamehighway,drivingtowardthem.Theytoosawtheobject.Bythe timetheycaughtupwith thecousinsandpulledover, theobjecthadmovedoff.Themarriedcouplecontinueddrivinguntiltheyarrivedatalodgefartherahead.There,theytoldthe owner about what they had seen. He promptly recounted a sighting from an earlierwitness,whohadgottenveryclosetothisobject.

IllustrationbyinvestigatorMartinJasekoftheYukonobjectof1996,basedonwitnessaccounts.

AtthenearbyvillageofPellyCrossingotherpeopledescribedthesameobject.Inonecaseitseemedtorespondtoaman’sflashlightbyacceleratingtowardhim.Whenheturnedoffhisflashlight,theobjectstopped.Bythen,ithadgottenquiteclosetohim,fillingmuchofthesky.Italsoemittedseveralbeamsoflight,includingonethatswoopedalongtheground.Themanranacrossaclearing,perhapstogetabetterview.Whenheturnedtolookfortheobject,itwasgone.Altogether,therearetwenty-twoknownwitnessesofthisobject.Theeventwasinvestigatedby Canadian engineer Martin Jasek, who wrote a detailed account. The sighting isextraordinaryandthecaseincludesmanydrawingsanddetailedinterviewsmany,ifnotall,ofwhichareavailableonline.Itsremotelocation,unfortunately,hashindereditfrombecomingbetterknown.[243] In 2012, some researchers claimed to have solved the case. It was discovered that theRussianshadlaunchedasatelliteearlierthatday,andthatthere-entryofthesecondstageof

therocketoccurredinthesamelocationandatthesametimeasthesighting.Thecoincidenceseemscompelling.Itwouldseemthatthewitnesstestimonieswerenotreliable,andthatwhenseeing something unfamiliar they unwittingly created a spaceship out of rocket debris.However,itisnotsosimpleasthat.Whilethere-entrylastedjustafewminutes,thesightingswere recorded over a series of hours. Moreover, many analysts are unconvinced that theconsistent,detailed, andnumerouswitnessdescriptions squarewith the re-entryof a rocketintoEarth’satmosphere.[244]

ThePhoenixLights All of which brings us to the most famous UFO event of the 1990s, the extraordinaryPhoenixLightsofMarch13,1997.Entirebooksanddocumentarieshavebeendevotedtothisevent.[245]Actually,thiswascomprisedoftwoevents,andthereinliessomeoftheconfusionregardingthecase.Initially,peoplereportedaboomerangformationoflights,firstseeninHenderson,Nevada,andthenas itmovedsouth,downthestateofArizona.Someof thesedescriptionswerenotmerely of lights, but of an actual craftwhichwas reported to theNationalUFOReportingCenter,police, themedia,andLukeAirForceBase.Amongwitnessdescriptions, therewassome variation. All reported lights, but sometimes as a pattern of five lights, sometimesseven, and sometimes even more. Occasionally they were red and orange, at other timesyellow and white. Sometimes they moved rapidly, sometimes slowly, and sometimes theyhovered.ThisobjectappearstohavebeenseenjustnorthofPhoenixwherethreewitnessesreporteditasahuge,wedgeshaped,craftwithfivelights.Itpasseddirectlyovertheirheads.Anothernearby group ofwitnesses described verymuch the same type of object, and added that ithovereddirectlyoverthemforaboutfiveminutes.Asitdidso,itfilledahugepartofthesky.Theywere able to see individual features along thebottomof theobject, and therewasnoquestion in theirminds that theywere seeing a large, solid object. Therewere quite a fewmore of these types of sightings. That, in essentials,was PhaseOne of the PhoenixLightssightings. PhaseTwo began later that evening, between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.,when the people ofPhoenixwere treated to anamazingdisplayofhovering lightsover their city.These lightsappeared to bemotionless and in perfect formation.Theywere a truly astounding sight tobehold: an enormous semi-circular string of lights in the night sky. Despite being video-recorded bymultiple residents,media coveragewas practically absent for severalmonths.Then, the story exploded, especially after the public affairs office at LukeAir ForceBaseannouncedthatthelightswereflareslaunchedfromA-10warthogaircraft.Somevideoandphoto experts who analyzed these lights have concluded that they are flares, despite howamazing they look. Among these is Dr. Bruce Maccabee, an optical physicist who hasanalyzedmanyUFOimagesandvideos.Otheranalysts,however,donot.OneofthemostprominentoftheseisJimDilettoso,whocompared the lights to the thousandsof imagesonhisdatabase,whichhe likened to testingfingerprintsorbloodsamples.He testedforsize,brightness,movementcharacteristics,andmore.“Ididn'tgetamatchtoflares,airplanelights,Venus,swampgas,flashlights,whatever,”hesaid.“Thatmeansit'sunknown.Notaspacecraftnecessarily,butunknown.”[246]

Many years after the incident, a pilot of theMarylandAirNationalGuard stated he hadflown one of the aircraft in question, and a history of the Maryland Air National Guardasserted that its 104th Fighter Squadron was responsible for the incident. Is this true,however?Inaprivatecommunicationwithme,Dilettosowrote:

Ispentmuchtime. . .withtop2officersoftheArizonaNationalGuard.Theydismissedthefactthelightscouldhavebeenflares,andmoreover,heavilydismissedtheclaimthattheMarylandNationalGuardhadbeendroppingflaresthatnight.These2peopleIknowwerethecommandingofficerswho'trained'theMarylandNationalGuard.Notonlyweretheyonthegroundby6PM,theMNGnevermentionedawordaboutbeingupthatnight,whenthenewsofthePhoenixLightsparadedonTVforthenextfewdays,includingwhiletheMNGwasstillinArizonabeingtrained.[247]

Perhapspressurehasbeenexertedtopromotetheflarestheory.Withoutquestion,therewasgreatpressureputuponthePhoenixCityCouncilnottoinvestigatetheincident.Itevenledtothe ouster of City Council member Francis Barwood, the one member who called for agenuineinvestigation.ItalsoledtoapressconferencebyArizonaGovernorFifeSymington,inwhichapersonwearinganaliencostumewastrottedoutforthetelevisioncamerasasanobvious joke.Largelyoverlooked,however, isSymington’spublic statement in2007aboutthe matter. By then he was no longer governor, and was less constrained in his publicstatements.Symingtonadmitted that hehimself had seen theobjecton that day. It hadupsethimdeeplyandheorganizedthepressconferenceinorder todefusemedia interestandthethreatofpublicpanic.“I'mapilot,andIknowjustabouteverymachinethatflies,”hesaid.“ItwasbiggerthananythingthatI’veeverseen.Itremainsagreatmystery.”[248]SomethingimportanthappenedoverPhoenixthatday.Itisinterestingthat,despitethefactthatthefirstseriesofsightingslackedanyvideoorphotographicevidence,manyresearcherscontinue to consider it to be the stronger case. Still, both sightings have good reason forsupport. Onewonders, however, if the lights from later that nightwerepart of the tried and truemethodofsowingconfusion intogenuineUFOsightings.During the1980s, inNewYork’sHudsonValley,amidnumerousreportsoflargeboomerangandtriangularobjectsflyinglowoverthehighway,therewereafewconfirmedcasesofpilotsflyingsmallultra-lightaircraftin close formation.Thepresenceof thesepilotswasused, and is still used, todiscredit theentire wave of those sightings. Now consider Arizona, and how even the state's governoracknowledgedthethreatofpublicpanic.Isitreallysohardtothinkthatanorderwasgiventodrop flaresover thecity,anexplanation thatwouldeventuallybeused todisable thestory?No, not at all.But, conclusionsmust rest solely on the evidence offered.This includes notonly official statements, but also testimony from the many witnesses, as well as a closeanalysisofthevideosthemselves.Onthismeasure,thenotionofflaresastheculpritremainstoodebatabletobeconsideredacertainty.Ifonlytheentireeventhadoccurredafewhoursearlier,whendaylightwouldhaveleftthematterinnodoubt.

Triangles Whatever theobjectsoverArizonamayhavebeen, theearlieroneatany rateappears tohavebeensomethinglikeatriangle.Perfectlytriangularcrafthavebeennotedforquiteafewdecadesnow,despitethefactthattherearestillnoperfectlytriangularcraftofficiallyflownby theair forceofanynation. In2012,NASAandBoeingannounced theyhadsuccessfully

demonstrated the X-48C, a “hybrid wing body” that is somewhat triangular and offersadvantages in fuel efficiency. It is also extremely quiet.[249] Perhaps this is why someresearchers think of triangles as somehow less exotic than spherical or disk shaped flyingsaucers. There is no inherent reasonwhy this should be, since none of those shapeswereaerodynamic within conventional technologies of the twentieth century. Yet, reports oftriangularobjectsgoback through the1940sandevenearlier,becomingmorewidelyseensincethe1970s.Thequestionarises,whohasbeenmakingthem?Usor...them? The answer may well be both, but certainly part of the answer is us. One sighting inparticularhasalwaysledinexorablytothisconclusion.InAugust1989,aworld-classaircraftrecognition specialist namedChrisGibsonwasworkingat aNorthSeaoil rig installation,whenhehappenedtoseeablacktriangularaircraftrefuelingfromaKC-135,accompaniedbytwoF-111 fighter aircraft.Gibsonwas explicit aboutwhat he saw.He is difficult to refute.[250]Therehasalsobeenagreatdealof talkof theperfectly triangularTR-3AandTR-3Baircraft,sometimesknownastheBlackManta.Yetthereremainsnoconfirmation.Officially,onlymockupswereeverbuiltofthoseaircraft.[251] Yet, sightingsofperfectly triangular craft continued through the1990s andbeyond.OneoccurredinNovember,1993,byamotoristdrivingalongInterstate5inSeattle.Hesawwhatcouldonlybedescribedasanimmense,blacktriangle.Itwasperfectinshape,withredlightsat each corner, flying lowand silent over the highway.Hewas convinced that hundreds ofmotorists had to have seen it.Most intriguingly, the object flew toward the airfield at theBoeingfacility.Itwasthenlosttoview.[252]Therearemanyofthesereports.Someareofsmallertriangles,andothersthataresimplyimmense.ThelargeonesareoftenreferredtoasBigBlackDeltas,orBBDs.Quiteafewofthese have also been seen in theSeattle area. In otherwords, nearBoeing’smanufacturingplant. Mostof thesehavebeen reported fromwithin theUnitedStates,butnot all.TherewasarathergoodsightingfromSeptember7,1997,overParis.ThisisfromthefilesoftheofficialFrench government UFO research program, GEIPAN. Shortly after 1 a.m., a man on hisbalconysawatriangularformwiththreelights(twoblueandonegreen),movingslowly.Heheardnothing,butfelthisbodyvibrate.Hetriedtotakeapictureoftheobject,butapparentlyby the time he got his camera ready, the object was blocked from view. He estimated theobjecttobeenormous,“approximately700meters,”presumablymeaningeitherindiameteror oneof its sides.Eitherway, thiswouldbegigantic.According to thewitness, the entiresighting lasted for twelve seconds, although onewonders how he could be so confidentlyexact.[253]OneofthebestknowntrianglecasesoccurredonJanuary5,2000,andisoftenreferredtoas the Illinoiscopsighting.Between4a.m.and5a.m.on thatcold,darkwintermorning,anumberofwitnesses,includingquiteafewpoliceofficers,sawalarge,low-flying,extremelyquiet triangularcraftglidepastabove them.Itwassaidbywitnesses tobe twostorieshigh,withtworowsoflightsclearlyvisible.Mostwitnessessaidthisobjectwasverylarge,severalcityblockslong,possiblyaslongastheproverbialfootballfield,althoughoneoftheofficersdoubtedthis.Policeofficersfullysupportedthestatementsbycivilianwitnesses.Oneofficerrushed to grab his Polaroid camera to photograph the object, but the picture unfortunatelycame out poorly. This is not unusual when people try to photograph a UFO. Frankly,

photographinganymovingobject in thedarkwithoutpreparationisgoingtobedifficultatbest.

Pathofthelargetriangularcraft,fromtheSt.LouisPost-Dispatch.

Perhaps themost noteworthy aspect of this sightingwas how the object could pivot andaccelerate so rapidly. Several officers attested to this. Such observations make it highlyunlikelythattheculpritwasaballoonofsomesort.[254]AnotherinterestingelementofthisstoryconcernsitstreatmentintheAmericannewsmedia.Afterthestandardchucklesandwoo-wooallusions,somereporterssuggestedthattheobject

wasanexperimentalmilitarycraft,possiblyassociatedwithnearbyScottAirForceBase.Itisperfectly reasonable towonder about this. But left unaskedwas the obvious question: howcouldtheobjectflyasitdid?That is,nearlysilently,andwithinstantacceleration?ItmightnotbeabadideaalsotoaskwhytheU.S.militarymightbuildanaircraftofsuchimmenseproportions? Forgetting the issue of extraterrestrials, these are simply questions of greatpublicandscientificinterest.Yetsuchobviousquestionshavebeenunasked.Sadly,withintheestablishment-orientedmedia,soithasalwaysbeenwithsignificantUFOcases,includingthetrianglecases.IpersonallyinvestigatedaninterestingtrianglecasethattookplaceinKingston,Ontario,onJanuary24,2003.ThecasewasreportedinitiallytotheNationalUFOReportingCenter.Thewitness had seen an absolutely perfect equilateral triangular craftwith sharp, not rounded,corners,andlightsateachcorner.Shehadbeendrivinghomefromworkandsawtheobjectappearfrombehindsometreesandapproachherposition.Rollingdownhercarwindowandslowingtoanear-stop,sheleanedoutandlookeddirectlyabove,astonished.TheobjectthenglidedinthedirectionoftheCanadianForcesBaseatKingston.Again,wehaveasuggestivepossibilitythatthesetrianglesaresomehowconnectedwithmilitaryoperations.

IllustrationbywitnessoftriangularobjectoverKingston,Ontario,January2003.

Suchaconnectionisprobablyreal,butthereareanumberofUFOtrianglesightingsthatareofahighstrangenessnature.Someofthesewouldseemtobebeyondthecapabilitiesevenoftheblackbudgetworld.ThiswassoevenduringtheHudsonValleysightingsofthe1980s.Evenso,itmustbeacknowledgedthatthecapabilitiesoftheblackbudgetworldmaybequiteadvanced—indeed,Ihavespeculatedaboutaso-calledBreakawayCivilization.Thus,wearestill grappling in the dark. Beyond a doubt, however, somebody is flying these triangles.Gettingtothebottomofthisissuecouldverywellbeanimportantsteptowardunderstanding

theUFOissueingeneral.

UFOsinthe21stCenturyUponreviewingUFOsightingsofthe21stcentury,itisstrikingjusthowmanygoodonestherehavebeen.Especiallypuzzlingandfascinatingisawaveofsightingsinanareathatistrulyremoteandquiet,andyetfrom2002to2004wasamongthemostactiveUFOhotspotsonEarth,notmerelyforsightingsofcraft,butalsoapparentencounterswithbeings.Thisisan isolated region in British Columbia centered around the town of Houston. Unlike itsgigantic namesake in Texas, Houston, British Columbia has a population of roughly twothousand.Therehasneverbeenmuchhappeningthere.Yet,forsomereason,Houstonanditssurrounding region had an incredibly high number of sightings of unusual andunconventionalcraftthathaveneverbeenexplained.[255]AnotherwaveofsightingswasoccurringatthattimeinthenationofArgentina.Sightingsof enormous cigar-shaped craft, stories of largewell-litUFOs stopping cars and affectingelectronics,andonefromthelate1990sofUFOsstealingwaterfromanArgentinemilitarybase.[256]OneofthemostimportantcasesofthenewcenturytookplaceveryclosetoWashington,D.C.,onthenightofJuly25-26,2002.AnumberofwitnessesinanearbysuburbsawwhatcanonlybedescribedasachaseofmultipleUFOsbyatleasttwoF-16aircraft.Iinterviewedtwoof these witnesses at length. The incident was reported in the Washington Post, whichpublisheda tepidarticlediscussingonly the laterpartof theevening,whena solitaryUFOwasobservedbeing chased by twoF-16s.The article itself appears to have been publishedonly because a local radio station had already reported the incident. Yet, the article diddescribeaninterestingfact:anunnamedAirForcespokespersonstatedthatnotonlydidtheobjectoutperformtheF-16s,butsuddenlydisappearedfromtheradar.Inotherwords,ithadbeentrackedonradar,andthenjustdisappeared.[257]Accordingtooneofthewitnesses,theobjectatonepointdescendedataneighty-degreeangleandthenstopped,apparentlywaitingfor the twoF-16s to catch up,whereupon it zipped away.Anotherwitness, a retired policeofficer,sawatleasttwoUFOsbeingchasedbymultipleF-16s.Inhisopinion,theUFOsweresubstantiallylargerthantheF-16s.Recallthatallofthiswasnearthenation'sCapitolinpost-911America,aseriousviolationofairspace. The year 2002 also offered very good photo and videoUFO evidence.DuringOctoberalone, threestrikingphotographicorvideo imagesofUFOswere recorded.OnOctober5,onepersonphotographedwhat certainly looks like a flying triangleoverLasCruces,NewMexico. The incident was filed with the National UFO Reporting Center. Actually, thephotographshowstwounknownobjects,oneofwhichisclearlytriangular.[258]OnOctober20,2002,averyinterestingphotographofaUFOwastaken.Thephotowasofasaucer or disc type object clearly in the sky over some trees in the town of Tyrone,Pennsylvania. It was investigated by researcher StanGordon, who found thewitness to besincereandthephotographtobegenuine.[259]Meanwhile,justonestateoveronthesameday,agoodvideoofaUFOwasrecordedinthecity of Albany, New York. A cameraman with the local Fox television station was at theAlbanyairport,recordingstockvideoofaircrafttakingoffandlanding.Afterthevideowasbroughtbacktothestation’sstudio,itwasnoticedthatastrangeobjectofsomesorthadflown

acrosstheframe.Suchobjectshavebeenrecordedmanytimes,andaretypicallyreferredtoasrods. The object herewas very long and thin, like a needle,with four short appendagesjutting out. There has been much debate over what these rods are. Many have argued,convincinglyinsomecases,thattheyaresimplyinsectsflyingclosetothecamera.

FramefromthevideooftheobjectattheAlbanyairport,October2002.Objectenlargedandseenmoreclearlyininset.

Noteveryoneisconvinced,however.InthecaseoftheAlbanyrod,Ihavebeenabletofindnoinsectmatchingitsappearance.Moreover,anextendedanalysisofthisvideowasdonebyopticalphysicistDr.BruceMaccabee.Althoughhisanalysiswasinconclusive(hewasunabletoobtain theoriginaldigitalcopyof thevideo),heconcededthedistinctpossibility that theobject at one pointwent behind a cloud. Looking at the video, this appears to be the case.

Maccabee also left open the possibility that additional “noise” from the second-generationcopymighthaveaccountedforthis.Howmuchnoisethisgenerates(ifany)isafairquestion.Andwhere, wemay ask, is the original digital recording? It turns out that the FBI has it.Immediatelyafterthevideowasshownonlocaltelevision,theFBIaskedforandreceivedtheoriginal,sothatonlycopiesareavailabletotherestoftheworld.IconfessIhavealwaysbeenbaffledbytheanalysisconductedbyNewYork'sMUFONchapter,whichsomehowconcludedtheobjectwasaninsect.[260] QuiteafewinterestingUFOvideoshavebeenrecordedintheUnitedKingdom.Onewasshot in Lancashire on November 16, 2003, by a man named Martin H. (his last name isunavailable). The full video ismore than eightminutes long, and shows a bright, golden,sphericalobjectinthesky.Eventually,itmovesbehindacloudandislosttosight.Itcertainlyisnotanyrecognizableaircraft.Whileitsshapeiscircular,itdoesnotbehavelikeaballoon.Instead, itseemstomovequitedeliberatelyandlooksasthoughithasaninternalsourceoflight.[261]SeveralexcellentvideosandphotographsofUFOsappearedin2004.Oneofmypersonalfavorites was taken in Australia, on January 15, by a highway inspector who wasphotographingarailwaycrossing.Onlylaterwhenhelookedat theimageonhiscomputermonitordidhenoticeadisc-shapedobject in theupper rightportionof thephotograph—acommonoccurrence.Manypeoplehavelookedatthisimageandallthatcanbesaidisthatthephotographisgenuine.Somethingquiteunusualwascapturedin thesky.Whyis it,wemaywonder, that therearesomanyinstancesofsuchobjectsbeingphotographedwhentheyarenotseen?[262] Later that same year, the Mexican Air Force announced that one of its aircraft hadelectronicallyrecordedsomethingintheairthatwasnotseenvisually.Thatis,thereappearedto be one ormore aerial objects thatwere invisible.Thesewere captured by two differentelectronicmethods:airborneradarandforwardlookinginfrared(FLIR).Somethingappearsto been there. Skeptics immediately offered a variety of explanations, includinggeologicalstressescausing“Earthlights”andclassifiedAmericancraft.Ifthelatter,thequestionremainshowtotalinvisibilitywasobtained.[263]Therearemanymoreexcellentcasesfrom2004and2005,notsimplyvideoandphoto,butattemptedjetinterceptionsofUFOs,andmuchelsethatonecanimagine.

UFOOverO’HareAirportCertainly,oneofthemostimportantUFOsightingsofthe21stcenturysofarhasbeentheChicagoO'HareAirport incident ofNovember7, 2006. Indeed, this particular sighting canclaimagreatdealofresponsibilityforkickstartingincreasedUFOmediacoveragewhich,asofthiswritingyearslater,hasnotabated.Onthatday,aboutadozenemployeesofUnitedAirlinessawanovalordisc-shapedobjecthovering in the sky below the level of the clouds. The object was visible for roughly 15minutes before it instantly accelerated and departed. According to the witnesses, it flewthrough thecloudssoquickly that itpunchedahole in themthatwasvisible forsome timeafterward.TheemployeesatUnitedweretoldnottodiscussthematter.Oneofthem,however,reportedittotheNationalUFOReportingCenter.Fromthere,thestorymadeittotheChicagoTribune,

whichinturnledtotheinterviewofaboutahalfdozenotherwitnesses.Initially,Unitedandthe Federal Aviation Administration denied any knowledge of the incident, but each wasforcedtorecantafteritwasclearlyshownthattheyhadbeenlying,followingaFreedomofInformationActrequestbytheTribune.[264]So,whatobjectmighthoveroveroneofthebusiestairportsintheworld?Couldthishavebeenamilitarytestofsomesort?Thisseemsunlikely,butagainthisisonereasonwestillusethe phrase UFO. After all, the object was unidentified. Unidentified, and certainly quiteextraordinary. The National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena(NARCAP), which specializes in analyzing UFO encounters by aviation professionals,soberlyconcludedthat:

...apotentiallysignificantairsafetyproblemexistedatO'HareInternationalAirportontheafternoonofNovember7,2006.Anytimeanairborneobjectcanhover forseveralminutesoverabusyairportbutnotberegisteredonradarorseenvisuallyfromthecontroltower,constitutesapotentialthreattoflightsafety.[265]

AndOverStephenville,Texas ThelastspectacularAmericanUFOaccount,atleastwhichhasreceivedsubstantialmediaattention, took place on January 8, 2008 over centralTexas, near the townof Stephenville.ThismaywellbethemostextraordinaryofallAmericancasesfromthe21stcentury,atleastso far. Much evidence is available, both in witness testimony and in FAA radar records,indicatingthatanextraordinaryandlargeobjectwaspursuedbyAmericanF-16fighterjets.Theobjectwassolargethatonewitnessdescribeditasa“flyingWalmart.”Theobjectcameinataveryhighspeed,andthenjuststopped.Onewitnesssaiditstoppeddirectlyabovehim,whereitblockedout theentiresky.Hesawagreatamountofdetailof itsunderside.It thentookoffandwasgone,pursuedbyfighterjets.[266]Therearequiteafewwitnessestothiscase.OneoftheextraordinarythingsaboutitisthatMUFON obtained FAA radar records for at least the initial portion of the event. Theseconfirmedthepresenceofnotsimplyone,butseveralunknownaerialobjects intheareaatthattime.TheradarrecordsdidnotindicatethatU.S.jetsattemptedtointercepttheseobjects,despitebeing in theirproximity.Evenmore interesting is that the records indicated that theobject’s last direction indicated it was moving toward the Crawford ranch. This is wherePresident George W. Bush was residing at the time. Incredibly, the FAA said it had noadditionalrecordstooffer.[267]Incidentally,theAirForce,asithadalwaysdone,initiallydeniedthatanythingunusualhadoccurred.NotonlydiditdenyanyknowledgeofUFOsnearStephenville,itdeniedthattherewereanyF-16sinthearea,aswell.Eventually,however,itwasforcedtoadmitthatthereweresomeF-16sinthearea,butthenclaimeditwassolelyforascheduledtrainingexercise.TheMUFON investigation and files on this case are very good. They still await a properdocumentarytreatmentandretellingthatwoulddothecasejustice.

NorthernCanadianMilitaryEncounterThefollowingencountercametomeviaanactivedutyCanadiansoldierin2013.Itisas-yetofficiallyunconfirmed,butmyinterviewwithhimwasextensiveandIconsiderthisagoodcasethathasalikelihoodoffurtherconfirmationinthefuture.Theeventinquestionoccurredinmid-January2008(precisedateundetermined),thesame

monthastheUFOencounteratStephenville,Texas,exceptthatthiseventhappenedinoneofthe most remote places on Earth: the Canadianmilitary base, CFS Alert. This is the mostnorthernhumanhabitationontheplanet,directlywestofthenorthwesttipofGreenland,ontheshorelineoftheArcticOcean.Thebasewasestablishedduringthe1950sasanelectroniclistening post directed against Moscow and remains active today, particularly as acommunications station for NATO’s nuclear submarines that patrol the area. It is mannedyear-round by roughly fifty personnel. The closest habitation to it isAmerica’s ThuleAirBase,400milestothesouth,andthetinyvillageofGriseFiord(pop.130)about460milestothesouthwest.Beyondthat,thereisnothinginanydirectionforathousandmilesormore.

LocationofCFSAlert(circled).

Duringthewintermonths,itisdarktwenty-fourhoursaday.Weatherisoftentreacherous.For several days before the encounter, weather had been bad, and the men stayed inside.Finally,theweatherclearedenoughthatthebasecommandertooktenorfifteenmenoutsideforaconstitutionalhikeandtogetsomefreshair.Thewitnesswhorelatedthiseventdidnotgo outside, but stayed at the base and was in the cafeteria getting a meal. Large windowsshowedablackskyoutside.Suddenly,outsidethewindowsabrightlightturnedon,brighterthandaylight.Thewitness,and the other few men in the cafeteria at the time, assumed that someone had turned onfloodlightsforsomereason,althoughitseemedveryoddthatlightswouldbeon.Forabout

tenminutesor so, it remainedextremelybright, and then the light suddenlywasgone.Themencontinuedtoeattheirmeal. A short while later, the men who had been outside returned to the base. Their facesexpressed shock and bewilderment. Upon questioning several of them, it was learned thatwhen themen were less than a hundred yards from the base, they saw ametallic-lookingcigar-shapedobjectsilentlyglidefromthesouthtoapositiondirectlyoverthebase,whereitstopped.Theobject then shone an intensely bright beamof light onto the station.Themenwereastonished.Theyhadaverygoodviewofit,seeingitclearlyagainstthebackgroundofknownstructuresand landscape,agreeing that its sizewas roughly200 feet long.The lightlastedforabouttenminutes.Thentheobjectbeganmovingofftothenorthwest,directlyovertheoceanandwassoonlosttoview.Thefollowingday,thestationreceivedanunscheduledvisitfromaU.S.AirForceColonel.Thewitness,whowasgoodfriendswiththebasecommander,sawthetwoofthemtalkinginthecafeteria.Heapproached,saidhello,andthenbrashlysaid,“YoumustbeherebecauseofourUFOsightingyesterday.”Infrontofeveryonepresent,andusingsomestronglanguage,thecolonelreprimandedthesoldier,terselyinforminghimthathewascompletelyoutoflineand had no need to know about any of this. Turning to the base commander he said, “getcontrolofyourmen,”andthenwalkedoutoftheroom.Thecoloneldidnotevenspendthenight,butflewoutshortlyafterwards.Afewdayslater,thebasecommanderhadtheoccasiontospeakprivatelywiththewitness,sayingonlythathewas toldby thecolonel that theUFOeventwas“themost seriousair spaceviolation in thehistoryofCFSAlert.”Severallongconversationsandmuchresearchbymyselfandthewitnesscausedustoruleout any conventional explanation for this event. The range would be daunting, nearlyimpossible, for anyhelicopter, andThulewouldbe theonlypossible candidate, althoughahelicopterflightfromtherewouldbelittlemorethanasuicidemission,consideringarangeof400miles inblacknessandquestionableweather. Inanycase, theobject’ssilence, shape,and continued flight over the frozenArctic sea clearly ruled out “helicopter.” Its ability tohoverruledoutanythingelsewecouldthinkof.Whatevertheoriginofthiscraft,itappearedtoshowadefiniteinterestinthestation,andmaywellhavehadaconnection to thenuclear submarineswithwhich the station regularlycommunicates.

TheTurkishUFOVideos For anyone interested inUFOvideos, aquick searchonYouTubewill notdisappoint, atleast in termsof quantity.Everyweek, someone asksme formyopinion about someUFOvideo. It is difficult to knowwhich are legitimate.One case, however, that I have come tobelieveisgenuineisactuallyaseriesofvideosthatwererecordedatthecoastofTurkeyin2007,2008,and2009.

Onestillimage(ofmany)oftheobjectovertheSeaofMarmara,Turkey.Thevideoslooktoogoodtobetrue,butthemanwhorecordedthemhasbeeninterviewedextensively,andanumberofotherpeoplehaveconfirmedtheUFOs,includingtherespectedAmericanresearcher,Dr.RogerLeir.Thisisanobjectthatisnotreadilyvisibleexceptasamoving light over the water. However, upon zooming in, a very definite shape of craftbecomes evident. The quality of video is excellent. A skeptical argument claims that it isnothing more than the reflection of lights from distant yachts on the water. However, noskepticalargumenthasbeenprovidedwithanytruetechnicalorphotometricanalysis,whileconverselysupportingargumentshavepersuasivelydemonstratedthatthealtitudeofthelightis far too high to be from anywaterborne craft. In addition, the video is so clear that theargumentofreflectionsofanywaterborneobjectsurpassestheboundariesofeventhemostslavishcredulitytotheestablisheddogma:thatUFOscannotpossiblyexist.[268] I think theTurkish videos are legitimate and I do not believe the craft is one of “ours.”Nevertheless,responsibleresearchersmustleavethecaseopenforfurtherresearch.

HowDeepDoesThisGo?Withoutquestion,thelasttwentyyearshavebeenfullofUFOactivity.Whenweexaminethesum total of what has been going on, it is mind-boggling. In terms of quality as well asquantity, the21stcenturyhasseenanunrelentingwaveofUFOactivityandencounterswiththeextraordinary.

The cases recounted in this chapter consist of a mere scratching of the surface. Thereremainsmuchmoretodiscuss,andmanymorequestionstoask.Whoarewedealingwith?How strange does this phenomenon really get?Are people actually being taken and, if so,why?andhow?Aretheyalsohavingtelepathicandevenspiritualencounterswithsomeofthebeingsfrom,shallwesay,elsewhere?Ifso,whatdoesitallmean?And,howdowehopetoinvestigate this phenomenon in a way that is both scientific and creative, in a way thatproductivelygrappleswiththismystery?Andwhatofthefuture?Willwebeforeverstuckinthisnetherworldofignoranceandcover-up?Whathappensif,andwhen,andafterthesecretcomesout?Thegoodnewsisthatthesearequestionsthatwillbetreatedfortheremainderofthisbook.

Chapter8ContactandAbduction

StudyingUFOhistoryandpoliticsonlybeginstheprocessofgrapplingwithsomeofthecomplex,mystifying, andat timesdisturbingelementsof thephenomenon.Whenwe reallythinkaboutit,thefundamentalissueisoneofcontact.Thatis,betweenusandthem,whoevertheyhappentobe.Thereis,ofcourse,aschoolofthoughtarguingthatthemostcredibleUFOsightingsarenot extraterrestrial, but rather the product of secret terrestrial technology. From thisperspective, theUFOphenomenondoesnotequalcontactwithsomevarietyofOther.Yet, IsuggestthattheideaofhumancontactwithOthershasmuchlogictoit,andgoodevidenceaswell.

WheretheRubberMeetstheRoad Over the decades, or even centuries, the claims of contact have beenmany.People havedescribedtheirexperienceswithbeingsthatarenothumanandsurelydonotappeartocomefrom here. Frequently, although not always, these have been in connection with UFOsightings.Evaluating theseclaims is tricky.Yet, ifweare tohaveanyunderstandingof thiscriticallyimportantphenomenon,wemustconsiderthemcarefully.Someareeasiertostudythanothers.Casesthatinvolveclearwitnesstestimony,especiallyincluding multiple witnesses, are nice to have. Physical evidence, whether in the form ofmarkson thebody, implants,orother typesof traceevidence,areobviouslyhelpful.Thesearesomeoftheclassichallmarksofwhatwewouldcallalienabduction.Alsoquiteprevalent,althoughevenmoredifficulttoassess,areclaimsofcommunicationwithextraterrestrialintelligences,sometimeswhileinthephysicalpresenceofactualbeings,

and sometimes purely telepathicwith no apparent beings present.[269] Often this has beenseamlessly integrated with other forms of channeling, involving entities from otherdimensions, other periods of time, and various distant places. Such claims have spikedsignificantlysincearound1990.Severalquestionsnaturallyarise.First,aretheclaimsandencountersconsistent?Iftheyare,thentowhatextentisanyconsistencyexplainableasaculturalphenomenonandessentiallyasituationofpeoplecopyingfromeachother?Isthereevidencethatsomeofthesechannelersaresincere?Orhoaxing?Ifsincere, is thereevidencethattheyarecorrectoraccurate?Noteveryonewhofollowssuchchannelersseemstocareaboutsuchthingsasscientificevidence.There is, in fact, a powerful philosophical divide within the UFO research communityreflectedinthesequestions.Moreonthislater. Therefore, let us explore both sides of contact: abductions on the one hand, intentionalcontact on the other. In many ways, perhaps fundamentally, these are entirely differentphenomena.Still,weshallconsiderthepossibilitythattheymaybetwosidesofthesamecoin.Whatfollowsisabriefhistoricaloverviewofhowsomeoftheseencountersevolvedovertime.But it is important tostress thatencounterscontinue to thisday.Manyresearchersareactivelyinvestigatingthem,tryingtountanglethethreadsofrealityfromthoseofdreamandfantasy.

Contactvs.Abduction Contact and abduction have each been described as physical and non-physical events.Generally speaking, however, claims of alien abduction are most often perceived anddescribed as physical events. That is, inmost cases, a person seems to be taken physicallyfromoneplace, isbrought to anotherplacewhereupon thingsaredone to thatperson, andthen he or she is returned at the end. It may well be that what we think of as physicalabductions are more complicated than mere “physical” events. Essentially, however, mostallegedalienabductionsseemtobephysicalevents,andhavetodo,atleastinpart,withourphysicalbodies.Suchisnotalwaysthecaseregardingallegedcontactees.Duringthe1950sand1960s,itwasfairly common for people to claim physical contact with benevolent extraterrestrial races.Nearlyalloftheseclaimsinvolvedextraterrestrialsthatlookedentirelyhuman,andwhoweremostly concerned with protecting mankind and the universe from the danger of atomicweapons.Later,theconcernsshiftedtothethreatposedtoEarth'secosystembymankind.Suchclaimsofphysicalcontactcontinuetothisday.Morerecently,however,androughlyparalleltotheriseoftheNewAgemovementfromthe1970sonward,therehasanadditionalemphasis on claims of nonphysical, channeled contact with extraterrestrials, or sometimeseven humans of the future. Of all such cases, none have risen to the level of scientificevidence (moregenerously,weadd that the scientificcommunityhasnotmadeaneffort toinvestigatetheseclaims).However,thereiscertainlynoshortageofdetail,oftenveryrich,inthestatementsofsomeofthesechannelers.Thatmakesthemveryinteresting,andforsomepeople,quitecompelling. There is another difference between abduction and contact encounters. This is in theperceived motivations and actions of these other beings. Overall (emphasizing that I ampainting with rather broad strokes here), people who have experienced apparent alien

abductionshavebeenmorelikelytoseetheeventasanegativeordisturbingexperience.Notalways,butingeneral.Typically,peoplewithapparentabductionexperiencesfeeltraumatizedbytheirmemories.Whatever else we say about the UFO/ET phenomenon, there is a great deal of pain andsuffering associatedwith abduction. This ismadeworse thanmany other types of trauma,simply because the victim feels constrained from discussing it openly, often not evenwithfamilymembers.Suchmenandwomengothroughtheirlivesdoingtheirbestsimplytoputthispieceoftheirlifeinasremoteandtinyacorneroftheirmindsaspossible. On the other side of the coin, those who claim to be channelers of extraterrestrialintelligences nearly always interpret those entities in a positive or benevolent light. Thebeings,whether theybe thePleiadians,AshtarCommand,Bashar,or theplentitudeofotherallegedlychanneledentities,arenearlyalwaysinterpretedashelpersofhumanity.Typically,theyseektoelevatehumanconsciousnessenoughsothatwemightenterthegreatergalacticcommunity.Thisideahasgonethroughitsownevolutionduringthelastfewdecades.Theresultisthatwehave,inasense,twopoliticalpartieswithinthecommunityofpeopleinterested in UFOs. One might see them as the Good ET and the Bad ET parties. A bitsimplistic,perhaps,butafairgeneralizationwhenlookingatthebigpicture.

AlienAbductions:BirthofanIdea One interesting point historically is that, for quite some time, alien abductionswere notbelieved to be real. Indeed, with few exceptions, no form of extraterrestrial contact wasaccepted by either the general public or UFO researchers during the entire decade of the1950s, and most of the 1960s. A few researchers began to consider the possibility moreseriously during the 1970s, but it was not until Budd Hopkins published his first book,MissingTime,in1981,thatthephenomenoncametoprominence,firstamongresearchersandthenaroundtheworld.Uponreflection,thislaginacceptanceshouldnotsurpriseus.Allimportantideasneedtimetobeaccepted.Usuallytheymeetwithsomeresistancealongtheway,sometimesagreatdealof resistance. In the case of abductions, it was not somuch that researchers changed theiropinionsasthattheydiedoffandanewgenerationofresearchersreplacedthem.Thisisthepatternwithallimportantnewideas.TheUFOphenomenonissocomplex,representingtechnologiesandrealitiessofarbeyondournormalunderstanding,thatitwasnotpossibleforthegenerationofthe1950stodiveintothatoceanandswiminthedepths,notwithoutfirstlearningtoswim.Forthemorewelearn,themorecomplexthissubjectbecomes. Therewere, in fact, a fewencountercasesduring the1950s thatcame to theattentionofresearchers.Afewofthemevenappeartohavebeengenuineabductions.However,littletonoinvestigation was done. Such cases just seemed too fantastic to merit study, but one alsosuspectsthatresearcherssimplydidnotknowhowtoproceed.Thebestknownofthosecases,andmostinterestingofthatdecade,isthatoftheBrazilianfarmer,AntonioVillasBoas.HeclaimedtohavebeentakenaboardacraftonOctober16th1957wherehewasforced tohavesexwithasomewhathuman-lookingfemale,and then tohave been deposited back on his farm afterward. Itwas implied by his alien lover that thepurposeof their trystwas forher tobecomepregnantand to raise theirchild inspace.His

story has certain similarities to later abduction cases. The forced sexual encounter is a bitmorerare,althoughthePeterKhouryencounter,discussedinthelastchapter,mayhavebeensimilar.AsinterestingastheBoasstoryis,allwehaveishisdetailedwrittentestimonyandstatementsoverthefollowingyears.Whilesomehavedoubtedhisveracity,hemaywellhavebeentellingthetruth.Theproblemisthathewasthesolewitnesstothisextraordinaryeventandnoresearchfortracephysicalevidence,oranythingelse,wasdoneatthetime.Assuch,thecasewillalwaysbeconsideredproblematic.[270]

TheHillAbductionCaseThemostimportantabductioncase,intermsofitshistoricalimpact,wasthe1961encounterofAmericanNewHampshire residentsBetty andBarneyHill. Itwas the first abduction toreceiveaninvestigationnotonlybyUFOresearchers,butalsobyaninternationallyrespectedpsychiatrist.Thatman,Dr.BenjaminSimon,conductedmanyhypnoticregressionsessionsoneachof them.There is a great deal toworkhere to enable researchers to reconstructwhatappearstohavehappened.Thecaseisalsoimportantbecauseitwasthetruepioneercaseforthistopic.TheHillabductionwasthefirsttogainwidespreadmediaattention.Itenabledotherresearcherstofollowupandinvestigateotherapparentabductioncases.OnthenightofSeptember19,1961,theHillsweredrivingbackfromavacationtoCanada.TheirroutetookthemthroughNewHampshirealongUSRoute3.Theyexpectedtogethomebyaround2:30a.m.,perhaps3a.m.atthelatest.Alongtheway,theywerepuzzledbyanobjectinthesky.Itseemedtomoveunpredictablytowardsthem.Barney,alwaysastrictrationalistand non-believer in UFOs, assumed it was a satellite, then perhaps a star, and then acommercial aircraft. Betty was not persuaded. Through binoculars, she saw the objectsilhouettedagainstthemoon.ItseemedtobeaUFO. Barney continued driving. All thewhile, the object almost seemed to be tracking them,severaltimeschangingspeed.Whentheirdoginthebackseatbegantowhine,theylookedupandrealizedtheobjecthaddescendedtojustafewhundredfeetawayfromthem.Whattheysawwas a large structured craft with double rows ofwindows. Both of them now had noquestionofwhattheywereseeing.Bothwereterrified. Barneystoppedthecarinthemiddleoftheroadandgotout.Hewalkedtowardthecraft,possibly towithinonehundredfeetof it.Bettyscreamedafterhim,buthedidnothearher.Whenhegotcloseenough,hesawadoublerowofwindowsandatleastsixfiguresinside.Theyseemedtobewearinguniformsandstaringdirectlyathim. At this point, the memories of both became blurred. All Barney could remember wasrunning back to the car, screaming. Now driving again, the two heard a strange beepingsound,andtheyseemedtobecomedrowsy.Aftermoretimehadpassed,thebeepingrepeateditselfandtheywerefullyalert.Thecarwasstillmoving.Finally,at5a.m.,theyarrivedhome. For quite a while, a great deal of anxiety affected both of them. Barney, who was animpeccabledresser,noticedthatthetopsofhisshoeswerescuffed.Thathadneverhappenedbefore.Therewerealsostrangecircularmarksontheircar.Forthenextfewnights,Bettywashaunted by intense, exceptionally vivid dreams of non-human beings taking them away.Eventually, shewrote toDonaldKeyhoeof theNational InvestigationCommitteeonAerialPhenomena(NICAP).Still,thecasedidnotgainmuchtractionuntilseveralyearslaterwhen,atchurchmeetings,theybegandiscussingtheirincident.Twoattendees,whohappenedtobe

intheU.S.AirForce,subtlyencouragedtheHillstoundergohypnoticregression.Eventually,thecouplebeganseeingDr.BenjaminSimon,oneoftheworld’sleadingexpertsinhypnoticregressionand,interestingly,aleadingdoctorandofficerattheU.S.Army'schiefpsychiatriccenterduringWorldWarII.Thismilitaryconnectiontothecaseremainsveryinteresting.Itcertainly leads one to wonder if what really had happened to the Hills was a militaryabduction,andnotanalienone.

BettyandBarneyHill.

Simon'ssessionswiththeHillslastedfromJanuarytoJune,1964.Duringmostofthistimenotonlydideachnotknowwhattheother ’ssessionhadrevealed,butneitherpatientwasevenawareoftheirownregressions.Notuntil theywerenearingtheendoftreatmentdidSimonstop inducing amnesia following each session. The extraordinary transcripts are readilyavailable through various books and websites. This even includes the audio recordingsthemselves.[271] In short,Betty andBarney both independently recalled being taken out of their car by asmallgroupofbeings thatdidnot lookhuman,butwerehumanoid.Thebeingsevenworeclothinganduniforms.Barneyrecalledaphysicalexamination,onethatwasratherintrusive:hewasmadetoliedownonatable,acupwasplacedoverhisgroin,andhissemenseemstohave been extracted. Skin scrapings were taken, his ears and throat were examined, and adevicewasinsertedintohisrectum.Bettyrecalledcomparableelements.Herskinwasscraped,asampleofherhairwastaken,

aswerefingernailclippings.Hermouth,throat,ears,andhandswerestudied.Shelaiddownonanexamtable,andoneoftheproceduresinvolvedaneedlebeinginsertedintohernavel,something,althoughshewasnotpregnantatthetime,likeamniocentesis.Beforeleaving,shecommunicatedwith the leader, laterbelieving that thiswasdone telepathically.Sheasked ifshecouldbringsomethingbacktoproveherexperience,andtheleaderseemedtoagree.Shepicked up a large bookwith strange symbols, butwas forced to return itwhen other crewmembersobjected.Thensheaskedtheleaderwherehewasfrom.Hewenttoawallandpulleddown a strangemap of space, showingmany stars connected by broken or solid lines, allcurved.Thelines,hesaid,representedexpeditions.Thenhetoldhershewasgoingtoforgetallaboutthisencounter. It was not until 1966 that theHill casewaswritten about in the form of a book, calledInterrupted Journey, by journalist John Fuller. From this point, the case began to receiveattention not only fromUFO researchers, but the general public at large.Without a doubt,BettyandBarneybothpresentedthemselvesinaverypositiveandcrediblemanner.Nooneeverseriouslyconsideredthemtohavebeenhoaxing.Thequestioncomesdowntowhetheror not theirmemorieswere accurate.Dr.Benjamin Simon, for his part, did not believe inUFOs or extraterrestrials, and suggested that Betty's initial dreams had inspired Barney'saccount,whichwassimplyaconfabulatedfantasy.TheHillsneverbelievedthis.Barneysaidthathewishedthewholethinghadbeennothingmorethanahallucination. To this day, arguments over alleged alien abduction boil down to this matter. Are thememoriesaccurateornot?

TheHerbSchirmerAbduction Another interesting early case, one which has been somewhat forgotten, took place onDecember3,1967toayoungpoliceofficernamedHerbSchirmer,ofAshland,Nebraska.Onthejobat2:30a.m.,henoticedanobjectontheroadwithflickeringlights.Thinkingitwasatruck,heflashedhishighbeams.Tohissurprise,theobjecttookoff.Hispolicereportread:“sawa flyingsaucerat the junctionofhighways6and63.Believe itornot.”Hecouldnotsleep thatnight;astrongheadacheandbuzzingnoise inhisheadkepthimawake.Thenextday,henoticedaredweltjustbelowhisleftear.Schirmeralsorealizedthattherewastwentyminutesoftimethathecouldnotaccountfor.HesoonmetwithWyomingpsychologist,Dr.LeoSprinkle,toundergohypnoticregression.ThatwaswhenSchirmerrecalledsomemissingdetailsofhisencounter.First,hisradioandcar engine had died. Then, some sort of white object came out of the UFO. Then itcommunicatedwithhimtelepathically.Schirmerwasunabletodrawhisgun.Somehowhehadgotten the information that the craft belonged to a sister ship and that the occupants werebased in our solar system but originated from another galaxy. They were here to preventhumansfromdestroyingtheEarth. Later, Schirmer underwent a second hypnosis, which gave more information. He nowdescribed the object as metallic, football shaped, and glowing. He wanted to leave, butsomethinginhismindstoppedhim.Beingscameoutof thecraftwearingcoverallswithanimageofawingedserpent.Theyshotagreenishgastowardthecar,flashedabrightlightathimandthenhepassedout.Whenhewokeup,oneofthebeingsaskedhim,“Areyouthewatchmanoverthisplace?”

Theypointed to thepowerplantandasked if thatwas theonlysourceofpower.They tookhimaboardandhesawcontrolpanelsandcomputer-likemachines.Theytoldhimtheycamefrom a nearby galaxy, had bases in the United States, that the aircraft was operated byelectromagnetism, that they drew power from large water reservoirs, and that radar andionization disrupted the functioning of their ships. They told him they had been observingEarth for a long timeandwouldcontactmorepeople.Then they said, “Youwill not speakwiselyaboutthisnight.Wewillreturntoseeyoutwomoretimes.”SchirmerdrewapictureoftheBeinghebestremembered,whichmayhavelookedslightlyodd,butentirelyhuman,althoughaboutafootshorterthanmostadultmales.Yet,thiswasnograyalien.AlthoughLeoSprinklebelievedinthebasictruthfulnessofSchirmer'saccount,thestorywasstilltoofaroutformostresearchers,whodismisseditatthetimeasafantasy.Whatstrikesonetodayishowcomparativelytameitiscomparedwithmanymorerecentabductionstories.[272]

TheCharlesMoodyAbduction During the summer and fall of 1975, a great deal of UFO activity was reported in theWestern United States. It was a time of many violations of airspace around U.S. bases,numeroussightingsofunidentifiedblackhelicopters,reportsofcattlemutilation,andafewfascinatingabductioncases.OneconcernedanAirForcesergeantnamedCharlesMoody.OnthenightofAugust12/13,1975, Moody was working his shift at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, NewMexico.Whenhisshiftended,hedecidedhewouldviewthePerseidmeteorshower.Justaftermidnight he drove a short way out of town, into the quiet night country of the Americansouthwest. The meteor shower was not especially captivating, butMoody saw something else. Anobjectaboutfiftyfeetindiameterdescendedfromtheskyandhoveredjustofftheground.Hewatched it glow, wobble, then make a buzzing sound, a mere three hundred feet away.Through a window in the craft, he saw humanoid forms moving around. Frightened, hereturnedtohiscar,butthebatterywasdead.Thenthebuzzingstoppedandhefeltanoddsenseofcalmashewatchedtheobjectascendintothesky.Theonlyproblemwasthathehadlosteighty-fiveminutes,andcouldnotunderstandhowhearrivedhomeaslateas3a.m.,wherehiswifewaswaitingforhim.Thenextday,Moodyexperiencedlowerbackpain.Hewonderedwhathadhappened.Overthenextweekthispainworsenedandhedevelopedarashonhislowerbody.Eventually,localUFOresearchersinterviewedhim,includingformerAirForceColonelWendellStevens,andJamesandCoralLorenzen,leadersofAPRO,amajorUFOorganizationatthetime.BeforeMoodyevenmetwithanypsychiatrist,aphysicianfriendofhissuggestedamethodofself-hypnosis, and this appeared to uncover more memories. Moody began to remember hiscaptors.Theywere,asheputit,“verymuchlikeus.”Perhapslikehumans,butthenagain,notexactly.Theirheadswerelargerandhairless,theearsandnosewereverysmall,theireyessomewhatlarger,andthemouthhadverythinlips.Moody said they were very patient with him, as he remembered fighting with the beingsbeforebeingtaken,whichmightaccountforhissoreness.Theyusedakindoflightorsoundfrequencytodisablehim,andthenhefoundhimselfonatableinaverycleanenvironment.

Theyalsoseemedtocommunicatewithhimtelepathically. Moodyevengainedsome information fromhiscaptors.Theirmaincraft, theysaid,wasfourhundredmilesabove theEarth,and this shipwasused forobserving.Hewas told thatseveral races from different placeswereworking together.Radarwas a problem for theircraft,asitsometimesjammedtheirnavigation.Apparently,theyalsotoldhimthatinthenearfuture,therewouldbecontactmadewithhumanityonalimitedbasis.Thismightberoughlytwenty years in the future: only then, after deep consideration by them, perhaps humanitywouldbeaccepted.Ofcourse,thiswouldhavebeenaround1995.Perhapstheychangedtheirplans.Or,perhapstheydidmakelimited,quietcontact.OrsomehowCharlesMoodygotitallwrong.Orperhapsthebeingspurposelygavetheatricallymisleadinginformation.[273]

FireIntheSky:TravisWalton TheabductionofTravisWalton,oftenknownastheFireintheSkycase,[274]maybe thesinglemostfamousalienabductioneventever.LiketheBettyandBarneyHillcase, thereismuchtodigest.Alsolikethatcase,wefindourselveswantingtoknowmoreaboutthecaptorsthemselves.Still,whatinformationwehaveiscertainlyintriguing.LiketheMoodycasethreemonthsearlier,thisincidentoccurredamidawaveoftrulyawe-inspiring and serious violations of U.S. airspace by unknown objects. It happened onNovember5,1975,inanationalforestnortheastofPhoenix,Arizona.Traviswasamemberofasix-manloggingcrewthatwasfinishingupadayofwork.Hewasjust22yearsoldatthetime. Around6:15p.m., themen left theworksite andbegan the drive down the logging roadtowardhome.Then,allsevensawaglowing,silverobjecthoveringnotfarabovetheground.Noonesawtheobjectmove—itsimplywasthere.Itwasnotespeciallylarge,theyestimatedperhapsfifteenfeetindiameterandabouteightfeethigh.Ithadcomplicatedmarkingsonit,and it seemed to light up the area. Walton was riding in the front passenger seat, andimpulsivelyleftthetrucktowalktowardthecraft.Itwobbledabit,thenstruckhimdirectlyonthechestwithabeamofbluishwhitelight.Accordingtomeninthetruck,thebeamliftedhimintotheair.Thenhewasknockedbackandfelltotheground.Hisfriendspanickedanddroveoffinterror.TheyassumedTraviswasdeadandthattheywere going to be next.After a fewminutes, however, they regained enough composure todrive back. Travis was gone, and so was the object. The men headed back to town andimmediately reported this to thepolice,whobrought a searchparty and trackingdogs.Nophysical evidencewas found. Policewondered if TravisWalton had beenmurdered by hiscoworkers.

IllustrationoftheWaltonabductionexperience.

Forfivedays,TravisWaltonwasnowheretobeseen,despitepolicehelicopters,mountedpolice, jeeps, and trackingdogscombing through thearea.Under suspicionofmurder, thecrewmemberstookpolygraphexaminations.Themenallpassed,withtheexceptionofonemanwhose result was “inconclusive” andwho later admitted hiding an unrelated criminalrecord.Still, theexaminerstatedtheresultswereconclusive,provingthatthesemendidseeanobjecttheybelievedtobeaUFO,andthattheydidnotinjureormurderTravis. ConsiderwhatitmeansthateachofthesemenpassedapolygraphtestattestingtoaUFOstrikingTravisWalton.Thenconsider the likelihood thatall sixcould fool the test,and themostreasonableconclusionisthatthesemensawwhattheyclaimedtohaveseen.

LateonthenightofNovember10,TravisWaltonreappeared.Hemadeaphonecallfromaphonebooth,andwhenhisbrotherandafriendcametohim,hewasstillinthebooth,lookingexhausted,confused,andwithaheavygrowthofbeard.Hestillworethesameclothingfromthenighthehaddisappeared. What followed upon Walton's return was nothing short of a circus, characterized bytremendouspresscoverageandtheinevitabledebatebetweenskepticsandbelievers.Waltontooktwopolygraphtests.Onthefirstone,thepolygraphexaminersaidhefailed.However,intheinterestoffairness,itmustbesaidthatitwasanincompetentandantagonisticpolygraphexamination. The questioner interruptedWalton twenty-eight times during the questioning,andatonepointberatedhimwhenWaltonwasconfusedaboutdates,actuallysayingtohim,“Wherehaveyoubeen,inavacuum?”ItcertainlyappearedthatheintentionallyaskedWaltonembarrassingandirrelevantquestionsinordertocreateconditionsmorelikelytoproduceanegativeresult.Thisisespeciallydisturbingifweconsiderthat,ifWalton’sstorywastrue,hehadjustgonethroughthemostharrowingexperienceofhislife. Years later,an investigatorwhohadbeenskepticalof theabductionarrangedforanotherpolygraphtestforWaltonandtwoofhisco-workers(includingtheonewhohadoriginallytestedinconclusively).Allthreepassed.WhatexactlydidTravisWaltonremember?Hisrecollectionsinvolvedtwokindsofbeings.Oneoftheselookedhuman,theotherdidnot. First, hewas examined in awhite roomby hairless, non-human beings in tight-fittingblueclothing.Theymadenosound.Theyheldhimdownwhenhetriedtogetup,andheeventookaswingatoneofthem,althoughinhisweakenedstatethisdidnotamounttomuch.Afterthis,thecreaturessimplylefttheroom.Travisthengotupandwentintoanotherroomwhichcontained a chair.He sat in it andpressed somebuttons on the armsof the chair, atwhichpoint the ceiling slid back and he saw stars going by. A human-looking being, wearing ahelmet,entered the room.HesmiledandsilentlyescortedTravis toa large roomwherehesawaparkedspacecraft.Otherpeoplewerethere,allofthemwithlonghair.TheyplacedanoxygenmaskonTravis'sfaceand,thenextthingheknew,hewaslyingonthepavementonthe highway. He saw the UFO above him, hovering. Then it shot away, and he made histelephonecall. Considering that he was gone for five days, it is remarkable how little TravisWaltonremembered.Whatexactlyhappenedtohim?ItmightverywellbethatWaltonwasunconsciousformostofthattime.Afterall,hewasstruckwithanintensebluebeaminthechestandknockedout.Yearslater,Travisofferedhisownopinionthathewasstruckunintentionallyorbyaccidentandmaywellhavebeennear-death.Hewould then have been taken aboard so that his life could be saved and the awfulmistakerectified.[275]ItisalsointerestingthatTravisrecalledbothhumanandnonhumanentities.Howcoulditbe,onemight ask, that humanswould beworking alongside aliens in the operation ofUFOs?Perhapsitwouldnotbesounusualifweconsiderthatotherbeingshadtakentobreedingtheirownstockofhumans,presumablyenhancingand tweaking themas they like.After enoughgenerationsovercenturiesormillennia, itwouldbeobvious that thehumansworkingwithanother civilizationwould seemnearly as incomprehensible to us as the aliens themselves.While this ispurespeculation,withaphenomenonasstrangeasUFOs,perhaps it isnotso

outrageous,afterall.[276]

TheAndreassonAffairBythelate1970s,moreandmoreallegedabducteesweredescribingsmallalienswithlargeheads and eyes andnohair,who communicated by telepathy.Someof these beings lookedratherhuman,sometimesentirelyso.Exactlywhattheso-calledalienagendamighthavebeenwas still a matter of debate, but it appeared at the least to be some sort of informationgatheringeffort,withabductionsbeingpartofthat.Overall,thealiensseemedtobelackinginwhat most of us would consider an upbeat personality, but they also did not appear to beespeciallydangerous.Someevenappearedtobesomewhatbenevolent. In1979,RaymondFowler, a serious andexperiencedUFO researcher, publishedabookabouttheexperiencesofawomannamedBettyAndreasson.HeorganizedaseriesofhypnoticregressionsforBetty,adeeplyreligiouswomanwhohadbeenexperiencingabductionssinceatleastthe1960s.Thesesessionsproducedadetailedstoryofinteractionwithcreatureswithgray skin, large heads, cat-like eyes, tiny mouths, three fingered hands, and dark blueuniforms.[277]Theymovedbyglidingandcommunicatedtelepathically.In1967,severalofthese beings enteredher home through a solid door.They “switchedoff” all of the familymembersexcept forBettyandherdaughter.Then, they tookBetty to theirship, leavingherdaughterbehindbutsomehow“frozen.”Bettywasexamined.Aneedlewasinsertedintohernoseandhead,butwithoutanyphysicalpain. Somehow, shewas transported to an alien realm,whether physically or bymeans ofmind control. She went through tunnels, saw a red and then green atmosphere, strangecreaturesandplants,andpyramid-likestructures. She also encountered other types of beings, including golden-haired, robed figures,perfectly human looking. She was given a message focusing on love and nature. Humanswere destroying the Earth, she was told. The beings could not let humanity go down itscurrentpath.TheygaveheravisionofaPhoenixrisingfromtheashesofitsowndestruction,which seemed to symbolize humanity’s ability to survive the dangerous times ahead. Theyalso indicated to her that they shared her belief in the sacredness of Jesus Christ. He wascomingsoon,theysaid.Interpretingthishasbeenextremelydifficult.Thiseventtookplacenearlyfiftyyearsagoatthetimeofthiswriting.Thereiscertainlynoevidencethatitspredictionhascometopass.Ofcourse, theword“soon”issubject tointerpretation.ItseemsthatBettyAndreassonandRayFowler were sharing this information honestly. Yet we may ask to what extent herrecollections, and Fowler ’s retelling of them, were influenced by their pre-existing beliefsystem,asbothwereverydevoutChristians?Towhatextentwerethoserecollectionscloudedormanaged by the aliens themselves? Canwe expect alien entities to be entirely, or evenmainly,truthful?Noneofthesequestionsareeasilyanswered.

EnterBuddHopkinsConsiderthefieldofUFOandETresearchin1980.TheUFOphenomenonhadbeenoutintheopen formore than thirtyyears.Andyet,abductions, something thatmaywellbeat theheartofwhatever thisphenomenon isall about,wasonly justbeginning tobe investigated,much less understood. That is a great deal of activity occurring in a nearly completely

clandestinemanner,whichisonereasonwhytheworkofBuddHopkinsissoimportant. In 1981, he publishedMissing Time, probably the singlemost important book in all ofabductionresearch.ThatisbecauseHopkins,aftermanyone-on-onemeetingswithabductees,arguedthattheabductionphenomenonwasnotsimplyarandomoccurrence.Itwasnotsimplya case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, at least not normally. Instead, hisresearchpointedtosomethingquitedisturbing:thatmostabducteesweretakenmultipletimesforyearsandyears,startingin theiryouth, ifnot infancy.Abductionwasarecurrent,albeitlargelyhidden,featureoftheirlives.Evenmoreupsettingstill,thephenomenonappearedtoruninfamilies.Hopkinsspeculatedthattherewassomethingimportanttothesebeingsaboutcertaingeneticlines. Hedidnotexpresstheseideascavalierly.Hopkinswasacarefulinterviewerofpeople.Intheearlyyears,hedidnotleadthehypnoticregressionsessions,butinsteadreliedoncertifiedhypnotherapists,mostprominentlyDr.AphroditeClamar,underwhomhe trained forsevenyears.Hopkinshimselfdevelopedoutstandingskillsatconductinghypnoticregressions,andeven trained Harvard Psychologist, Dr. John Mack (who stated that Hopkins’ skills inhypnotherapy exceeded his own). Everyone fortunate enough to have knownHopkins, as Idid,agreedthathiskindnessandbraverybroughtcomforttomanydistraughtpeople.Moretothepoint,Hopkinswascareful,conscientious,andexplicitlyavoidedleadinghisclientsintopreconceivedconclusions.Manytranscriptsofhissessionsareavailableinhisbooks. Hopkins’work implied that abductions are awidespread operation involving significantresources, presumably for something considered to be of great importance to these otherbeings.Thatgivesthephenomenonanominousfeeling,evenifnotnecessarilyevil.Afterall,nomatterhowextensiveandpotentially importantabductionsmaybe, it is easy to seewhyalienentitieswouldwishtoconcealwhatwasgoingonfromhumanity.IfabductionswereorareaswidespreadasHopkinsbelieved,wehaveaphenomenonthat,ifrevealedpublicly,couldshattermillionsofpeople.Ifitistrue,andofthedimensionsbelievedbyHopkins,itcouldeasilybecomethemostpoliticallyexplosivetopicnotonlyintheUS,butglobally.

IntotheDarkness BuddHopkinswasnottheonlyimportantabductionresearcherofthelastfewdecadesofthe twentieth century. In the early 1990s, Temple University historian Dr. David Jacobsbecomedeeplyinvolvedinabductionresearch.Hehasmadeseveralimportantcontributions. Hisbook,SecretLife, published in 1992,was the first attempt to organize the abductionprocessintodistinctepisodes.Hedidthisbasedonacloseanalysisofthreehundredhypnoticregression sessions he conducted from sixty individuals. Jacobs uncovered manyconsistencies, both broad and arcane, among peoplewho had not shared their informationbefore,manyofwhomwereignorantofabductionresearch.Theabductorsweretypicallylessthanfourfeettall,withlargebaldheads,hugedarkeyes,noears,andaslit-likemouth—inotherwords,Grays.Theseabductorstookgreatcaretotaketheir subjects in a covert manner, when theywould not bemissed. Frequently, theywouldplaceascreenmemoryintothemindoftheabductee,oftenanunusualowl,deer,orothertypeof animal. The person would be under complete neurological control, unable to move amuscleunlesstheabductorsallowedit.Theywouldoftenbefloatedthroughcloseddoorsand

windows, or even walls and ceilings. Jacobs admitted that this seemed impossible. Yet, heargued, somehow these beings had figured out a way of doing it, while also renderingthemselvesandtheabducteesinvisible.Abducteeswouldtypicallybebroughtintoroomsthatseemeddesignedforthepurposeofstudying humans. They would be undressed and made to lie down on a central table. Aphysical examinationwould follow, lastingnomore than twentyminutes. If thepersonhadbeen previously abducted, any changes in the body, such as scars or even braces on teeth,wouldbeexaminedbythealiens.Neartheendoftheexperience,thebeingswouldimplantasmall,metallicobjectintotheabducteethroughthenoseorear,orelseremoveapreviouslyimplantedobject.Communicationbetweenabducteesandthesealienswasalwaystelepathic.Throughouttheprocessabeingslightlytallerthantheotherswouldcalmtheabducteebystaringintohisorhereyes.Jacobscoinedtheterm“Mindscan”todescribehowthetallalienwouldpeerintothemindoftheabductee.Throughthevariousrecollections,italmostseemedasiftheprocedurewere sucking thoughts and memories out of the abductee’s consciousness. Frequently, theabducteewouldbegivenreassuringstatements,suchas,“Youareveryspecialtous.”Spermwouldbecollectedfrommen,eggsandfetusesfromwomen.Manyfemaleabducteesreportedhavingfertilizedeggsinsertedintothem,whileotherswhowerealreadypregnanthadtheirimplantedembryoextracted.Italsoappearedthatabducteesweretargetedintheirchildhoodandminedofgeneticandreproductivematerialthroughouttheirlives. All this information,drawnwithconsistency fromabductees, ledJacobs toconclude thatthese abductees were living “a secret life,” one that was being exploited by a secret aliengroupoperatingonEarth.Thesebeings,heconcluded,arenotheretohelpus,noraretheyhere for scientific inquiry.They are pursuing their own agenda,which is the creation of ahuman-alien hybrid species. As Jacobs put it: “We have been invaded. This is not anoccupation,butitisaninvasion.Atpresentwecandolittleornothingtostopit.”[278]Unsurprisingly,therehavebeencritics.Severalcounteredthat,despitehiswell-puttogetherstudy,Jacobsdidnotgivemuchattentiontoearth-boundexplanationsforabductions,suchas“hysterical contagion, psychogenic fugue states, temporal-lobe dysfunction, and thelike.”[279]More fundamental are criticisms about the value of hypnotic regression at all.Many times,careful regression,which isoftennomore thanastateofdeeprelaxation,canindeedhelptorecovergenuinememories.Buttheredoesremainthedangerofunintentionalconfabulation: the creation of a detailed scenario that never happened. Human memory ispowerfulandoftenaccurate,butnotalways.Afterall,evenwithoutanyleadingquestions,itispossible that the consciousness of the hypnotherapist can influence at least some patients.Therein lies theproblem.Are these uncoveredmemories accurate?On theother sideof it,however,canwereallybelievethatJacobswassoabletoinfluencehissixtyhypnoticsubjectsthatallofthemreportedfundamentallythesametypeofscenario?Granted,ahypnotherapistmightpossesssomeinfluenceoverwhatthesubjectrecalls,but...thatmuch? A fewyears afterwritingASecretLife, Jacobswrote an evenmore disturbing analysis,appropriately titled, The Threat.[280] Here, he delved more deeply into the apparent alienplans to infiltrate humanity by creating a hybrid race and replacing humans as Earth'sdominantspecies.Bynow,hisresearchpointedtodecidedlypsychopathicpersonalitiesheldbymany of these hybrids.Again, all of this is drawn from the individual recollections of

interaction with aliens through regressive hypnosis. The book is disturbing, and indeedJacobs himselfwas disturbed by it.Understandably, themost normal human reaction uponreadingitwouldbetohopethatheiswrong. Onceagain,muchof the issue comesdown to the reliabilityofhypnotic regression.Weknow that regression can cut both ways: to help someone find repressed truth andinadvertently create falsememories.The latter can happen notmerely through directmindmanipulation techniques, something thathasbeen studied indetail formanyyears,but alsosimply during the course of ordinary life. People do misremember things. The pertinentquestionhere iswhether thepractitioners of hypnotic regressionhavebeenguilty,whetherintentionallyornot,ofinfluencingthememoriesofthepeopletheyhaveregressed. Itmaybeimpossibleatpresenttogiveaclear,quantifiable,answertothatquestion.Onapersonal level,havingknownBuddHopkins,DavidJacobs,andother individualswhohavepracticedhypnoticregression,aswellashavingseenanumberofregressionsoccur,Ibelievethatthebestpractitionersareprofessionalanddonotundulyinfluencetheirsubjects.Butnooneknowswithcompletecertaintywheretheactualmemoryendsandconfabulationbegins. It ishelpful,however,torememberthatmanypeopledonotneedhypnosistorecalltheirapparentalienencounters.Therehavealwaysbeenacertainnumberofexperiences thatarerememberedspontaneously,sometimesimmediately,sometimesabitlater.Formostofthesepeople,thereisnoquestionofthestrengthoftheirconviction,andoftenoftheclarityofthememory itself.Sowehaveaphenomenon that,despitealleffortsofskeptics todebunkanddismiss it, ismore complex than any single explanation, or even several explanations canprovide.

AlienImplantsOnecriticismleveledbyskepticsofalienabductionisthelackofevidencetoexamine.Infact,thereareclaimsofevidence,intheformofbodymarksandextractedimplants.QuiteafewpeoplehavedescribedseeingoddmarksontheirbodiesfollowingeitheraneveningofdisturbingUFO-related dreams, or other signs likewaking upwith drops of blood on thepillow.Thereare agreatmanyphotographsof suchbodymarks,manyofwhichare in anequilateral triangle pattern of red dots on the wrist or near the ankle. Also common are“scoopmarks,”inwhichitappearsasifasmallamountoftissuewasremovedfrombeneaththeskin,leavinganindentation.WhenIvisitedBuddHopkinsononeoccasion,heshowedmealargecollectionofphotographshehadreceivedfrompeopleshowinghimsuchmarksontheirbodies.Insomecasespeoplehavegonemissing,andconcernedfriendsorrelativeshavecalledthepolice, especially in cases when the missing person was very young. At some point, thepersonwould simply reappear from a room that had been thoroughly searched. There arepolicerecordsthatverifytheseevents,someofwhichwerediscussedinHopkins’book,SightUnseen.[281] More interesting still are extracted implants. Implants arewidely reported by abductees,especiallyviaregressivehypnosis.Accordingtothememoriesoftheindividuals, thesetinydevices areusually inserted through thenose into the sinuscavity,orbehind theeye,or insome other part of the body, such as the foot. There has beenmuch speculation about thepurposeoftheseimplants.Clearly,theycouldbeusefulfortrackingasubject,orevenserving

asstorehousesof information,muchasveterinarians todayretrievemedicaldataon taggedanimals.Couldtheyevenbeusedasaformofbehavioralormentalmodification? There are anumberof allegedalien implants thathavebeenextracted frompeople.ThepersonbestknownforthishasbeenDr.RogerLeir.Overtheyears,hehasperformedmorethan fifteen surgeries that removed sixteen separate and distinct objects. These have beeninvestigated by several prestigious laboratories, including Los Alamos NationalLaboratories,NewMexicoTech,andothers. At theNational PressClub inWashington,D.C. onApril 20, 2009, Roger Leir gave anupdate on his work. He described the various implants he had extracted from people, allroughly the same size, and sevenofwhichwere so identical to eachother that, as he said:“Youcouldlinethemuponasurgicaldrape...[and]notbeabletotellonefromtheother.”Theobjectsweretypicallyjustafewmillimeterslongtoaslongasacentimeter,andasthinaspencillead.Leirwasamazedduringeachsurgerybythelackofinflammationorrejectionreaction in any of the subjects. In his view, this is impossible with our current, knowntechnology.No point of entrywas visible, norwas any scarring. Each implant had a verytough,biologicaltypeofcoating,whichpresumablyaccountedforthelackofinflammation.Thiscoating,saidLeir,wassotoughthatasurgicalbladecouldnotcutthroughit.[282]ButLeir,amedicaldoctor,wasnotqualifiedtocommentonthemetallicobjectsinsidetheseimplants.Forthispressconference,hewasaccompaniedbyDr.AlexMosier,whosePh.D.isinphysicalchemistry.MosierandLierstudiedoneimplantingreatdetail,usingabatteryoftests.Severalfascinatingfeaturesstoodout.First,theobjecthadcertainthingsincommonwithmeteoritefragments,butalsointerestingdifferences. It had certain metals common to meteorites, such as Gallium, Germanium,Platinum, Ruthenium, Rhodium, and Iridium. But, of course, why would identical-lookingmeteorfragmentsbeembeddedinsidesomanydifferentpeople,withouthavingcausedpainorinflammation?Mosieralsosawsomethingveryinteresting.Henoted“adeviationofnickelfrom terrestrial ratios that the analysis lab couldn't explain.” In other words, he wassuggestingthattheimplantcontainednickelwithanisotopicrationotfoundonEarth. Second, theobject containednanofibersvery similar in appearance to carbonnanotubes.This is something no meteoric sample has ever been observed to have. This suggestsengineeringandmanufacture.AsMosierput it,“Youdon't find these things innature.Theyhavetobeprocessed,engineered,andthey'renoteasytomake." Third,sodiumchloride—that is,saltcrystals—weredetected,but inaveryunusualshapeandconfiguration.Mosierbelievedthatthisalsosuggestedengineering. Finally, and very striking, the objectwasmagnetic. It gave off a radio frequency in therangeof14.7MHz. ToMosier: “thecombinationofall thisdata indicates somekindofunusual engineeringwithinthisobject.Elementalanalysisindicatesit'slikelynon-terrestrial.Itcouldbemeteoric,possibly.Itcouldbesomethingelse.”Somethingelseseemsmorelikely,especiallyconsideringthepresenceofwhatappeartobecarbonnanotubesandelectromagneticemissions.ToMosier,thissuggestedthepossibilityofwhathecalled“afunctionaldevicethatmayservetomonitororcontrol.”Incidentally,thefrequencyoftheobject,14.749MHz,is,intheUnitedStates,assignedbythe

FCCforlow-power,shortrange-use,mostlyforobjectsknownasdatatags.Thesetypicallytrackobjectsor transferdigital informationwithinaveryshort range, for instance insidealargeroomorwarehouseforpurposesoftrackinginventorywithahandhelddevice.[283]Leir ’sbatteryoftestsweredonewithabarebonesbudget.HeandMosierbothemphasizedtheneedformoreandbettertesting.Clearly,tobeconsideredscientificallyvalid,theresultsneedtobereplicatedbyotherlaboratories.NottofaultLeirandMosier,whodideverythingwithin their capability, but the demands of scientific proof are very high. The next step isobvious:significantresearchmoneyallocatedtothestudyoftheseimplants.However,weareobligatedtostatewhatseemstobeobvious:theobjectshadelementsthatappeared to be extraterrestrial and of extraordinary technology. It produced a radiotransmission. It hadnanofibers similar in appearance to carbonnanotubes. Itwascontainedwithinatypeofcocoonthatpreventedthebodyfromcreatinganinflammatoryresponse.Andthesubject,asallofLeir'ssubjects,hadUFOsightingsandapparentabductionexperiences. Considerhowoftenhumanbeings tagothercreatures.Perhapsadvanced life forms treathumanityinthesameway.Ofcourse,wemustalsoconsiderthelikelihoodthattheseimplantscouldbeablackbudgetorclassifiedmilitaryoperation.Afterall,itmightstrikesomeasabit“old school” for an advanced extraterrestrial race to use RF emittingmagnetic chips. Thetechnologybehindthesedevicesisclearlyverysophisticated,butifweconsiderthepossibleadvances made in secret by a breakaway civilization, or something along those lines,probablynotbeyondtheircapability. These implants are important, they are real, and they could be at the cusp of gainingscientificcredibility.Butwearestillnotanyclosertoansweringthequestion:whoismakingandimplantingthem?Human,alien,both,orsomethingdifferententirely?

JohnMack During the early 1990s, JohnMack, Harvard professor, psychiatrist, and Pulitzer Prizerecipient,becameveryinterestedin the topicofalienabduction.Withinafewyears,hehadpersonallyinterviewedoveronehundredabductees,whichformedthebasisforhisimportantbook,Abduction,publishedin1994.[284] Asamedicalprofessional,Mack’sfirstresponsibilitywastothehealthandwell-beingofhispatients.Even so,hedidnot regardabducteesaspatients in theusual sense.Witha fewexceptions,heconsidered themnormalandhealthypeoplewhohadexperiencedsomethingdisturbing and mysterious. In fact, he considered it remarkable that, despite the obvioustrauma they had undergone, most of these people were not medically or psychiatricallydisturbed.

Thethreekeypioneersofabductionresearch:BuddHopkins(l),DavidJacobs(c),andJohnMack(r).

WhereasHopkins and Jacobs tended to view abductions as an assault by extraterrestrialbeingsuponhumanity,Mackdidnot.Heobservedthatmanyabducteesbelievedthattheyhadgainedgreaterspiritualawarenessor insightsasaresultof theirexperiences,whichbenefithumanity’s continued evolution. In other words, contact between human and non-humanextraterrestrialintelligencescouldhavepositiveoutcomes. Like other abduction researchers, Mack noted the apparent telepathic communicationbetweenaliensandabductees.Butoutofthis,hedrewanewconclusion:thiscommunicationappeared to be instrumental in altering human consciousness. This direct mind-to-mindcommunicationwasnot especiallypleasant. It involved implantinghorrible images such asenvironmental disasters, earthquakes, or other catastrophes. The aliens seemed to bemonitoringtheresponseoftheabducteeandsometimesprovidedinformationaboutwhenafuturedisasterwouldoccur.Thementalconnectionwasnotalwaysaboutdisasters,though.Itcouldsimplybe the transmissionofsomepieceof information thatspurred theabductee togrowinsomeway.Asanexample,Scott,oneofthesubjectsinMack’sbookAbduction,hadbeenaskepticonthematterofextraterrestrials,butthenwashumiliatedtorecallhowbeingshadlaidhimonatableandusedvariouswirestostimulatesexualarousalandejaculation.Inhiswords,allofthis was in order to “make babies.”[285] He felt violated and angry that the beings werecontrollinghismemoriesand“messingwithhishead.”Onanotheroccasion,hewasshowncylinderswithtinybabies,presumablyfromhissperm.Hewasalsotakentoanundergroundfacility,wherehesawthatthealienbeingsweresomethinglikeanextendedfamilytohim,inthe sense that theykneweverythingabouthim. Indeed, theyknewmoreabouthim thananyhumanfamilywouldhaveknown. Scott learned, somehow, that these beings were in the process of changing themselvesphysicallysothattheycouldbreatheonEarth.Thisisakeypartofthehybridizationprocess,he said. He also observed that they think much faster than humans do. During telepathiccommunication,hesaid,theyneedtoslowdowninordernottooverwhelmus.ScottbelievedthattheirintentionwastoliveonEarth,butpossiblywithouthumanity—unlesshumanitywere

tochange,inwhichcasewemightlivetogether.Scottcontrastedhumanandalienexistence.Human beings, he said, are alone. They do not share their thoughts, ormuch of anything.Among the aliens, conversely, nobody is alone, there are no secrets. Everybody knowseverything. Based on his recalled experiences, Scott concluded that if humanity does notchange,ourworldwillchangeforus.Disturbingthoughtheserecalledmemorieswere,theyspurredScotttobecomemoreawareoftheneedtoprotecttheEarth,offindingwaystoexploreandexpandhisownthinkingandconsciousness,andoffundamentallybecomingabetterperson. Thus, while Mack agreed with other researchers that abduction experiences are oftentraumatic, and even appear cruel at times, he believed it could still be spirituallytransformative. He saw no inconsistency in this, “unless,” as he put it, “one reservesspiritualityforrealmsofthesublimethatarefreeofpainandstruggle.”Goingon,hewrote,“sometimes our most useful spiritual learning and growth comes at the hands of roughteacherswhohavelittlerespectforourconceits,psychologicaldefenses,orestablishedpointsofview.”Ineffect,suggestedMack,theabductionprocesshasthepotentialtofreeourminds.Inthefirst place, acknowledging the very existence of these other beings, after the initial shock,maybe“thefirststepintheopeningofconsciousnesstoauniversethatisnolongersimplymaterial. Abductees come to appreciate that the universe is filled with intelligences and isitselfintelligent.”ThiswaswhyMackoftenusedthelessvalue-ladenterm,experiencer,insteadofabductee,todescribetheseindividuals.Hisimpressionwasthattheabductionprocessisnotevil,“andthatthe intelligences atworkdonotwishus ill.”He came to thebelief that thephenomenon isfundamentally about the “preservation of life on earth, at a time when the planet's life isprofoundlythreatened.”Throughouthislife,Mackkepthismindopentothepossibilitiesofwhat humanity is facing, and even questioned whether these beings were actuallyextraterrestrial.Henevermadetheextraterrestrialhypothesis(ETH)hisdefiniteconclusion.Hewrotethattheycome“fromasourcethatremainsunknowntous."

TheOtherSideofContact Fromherewemovetotheothersideofcontact.It isasidewithamuchlongerpedigreethan alien abduction, at least insofar as how long it has been discussed. This is intentionalcontactbyhumanswithnonhumanentities,whether theybeconceivedas extraterrestrialorotherwise.Theideaisancient.Whatisashaman,afterall,butsomeonewhomakescontactwithentitiesfromanotherrealminordertoprovideguidanceorprotectionfortheirownsociety?Eventheneighborhoodpriestcomesfromalonghistoryofspiritualmastersandadeptswhosejobwastoserveasthereceptacleforthedivineorholyspiritinordertobringenlightenment,orat least guidance, to the people. In essence, such endeavors are no different fromcontemporary claims of channeling extraterrestrial beings. Whatever it may be that ishappeningduringsuchanexperience,noanswerisgoingtosatisfyeveryone. The idea of communicating in thismannerwith extraterrestrials (as specific fromothertypesofentitiessuchasghostsordivinebeings)seemstodatetothe18thcentury,whenthephilosopherEmanuelSwedenborgclaimedtohavedonethistelepathically.Then,duringthe

1870s, the mystic Helena Blavatsky claimed to have done the same. A few decades later,Aleister Crowley, after performing sexual rituals and taking opium, engaged in a state ofmeditation something like self-induced hypnosis. He also claimed to have contacted anextraterrestrialbeing,althoughinthiscasenotmerelyinaspiritualmanner,butphysically.Infact,hedrewapictureofthisbeing,whomhesaidwasnamedLam.Lamhadalargeheadandbearsapassingresemblancetolarge-headedaliengrays.

HelenaBlavatsky(l)andAleisterCrowley(r).

Blavatsky and Crowley were two key figures in the creation of today’s New Agephilosophy.Blavatsky infactcreatedanewmovementbasedonanancient term, theosophy,whichmeans“divinewisdom.”Itisaphilosophyofmysticism,fundamentallyatoddswiththescientificmethod.Thatisbecauseitispremisedontheideathatknowledgecomesfrombothexternal and internal sources. In theosophy, internal truths have equal validity as scientifictruths.Inotherwords,ifsomething'feels'truetooneself,itisjustasvalidasascientificallyobservablefact.Thismayseemoutrageousorsimplistictosome,butitisinfactacoretenetoftheosophy.Theobviousreplyisthatsuchaphilosophyisquiteconvenientforhoaxersanddelusionalpeople,sinceinternallyintuitedorheartfelttruths—or,forourpurposes,nearlyallchanneledET communications—are not falsifiable, not verifiable, and therefore could easily befabricated. But from a theosophical point of view, this ismissing the point,which is that by going“inside” to one's truth, one delves into esoteric, internal, divine realms not accessible bynormalwakingorupperconsciousness.Thatistheclaim.Essentially,theosophycontinuestheancient,mystical,esoterictraditions.Inthisrespect,itisalsonotverydifferentfromstandardChristian,Muslim,orHindureligiousbeliefs,orthebeliefsofmanyothertraditionalcultures

aroundtheworld.[286]ButitisnotmerelythemethodsoftheosophythathaveinfluencedmodernNewAgeculture,includingallegedchannelersandcontacteesofextraterrestrials.Itistheverycontentofbeliefitself.Akeypartoftheosophyhastodowiththe“AscendedMasters,”sometimescalledtheMahatmas. These beings, it is said, once lived on Earth. Through their various lives, theylearned the many lessons they needed to learn, balanced at least 51% of their karma, andgainedmasteryover the limitationsof thematerial planesof existence.Thus, they fulfilledtheirDivinePlan,ordharma.Asaresult,theyareconsideredGod-likeandasourceofdivinelove. Claimsof channelingAscendedMastershavebecome fairlycommon.During the1920s,andwell into the1940s, the theosophistAliceBaileychanneledanascendedTibetanmasterwho relayed information on such topics as ancient wisdom, philosophy, science,contemporaryevents,andmore.Inlateryears,peoplehaveclaimedAscendedMasterstobepart of various interdimensional, or transcendent organizations, such as the SpiritualHierarchyofEarth,theGreatBrotherhoodofLight,orGreatWhiteBrotherhood,andsimilarnames.Fromhere,weeasilyarriveatsuchgroupsastheGalacticFederationofLight,oneofthecommonlyallegedextraterrestrialorganizationsthatchannelersdiscusstoday. One idea that has become part of NewAge culture is that people will eventually attain“Ascension,”movingforwardinspiritualevolutionbeyondPlanetEarth.Inthisformulation,theAscendedMasters (or theExtraterrestrials) arehere tohelppeopledo that. In theyearsleadinguptoDecember21,2012(theendoftheMayanCalendarandadatemanythoughttheworldmightend),therewasanincrediblebuild-upabouttheAscension,andsomebelieveditwould elevate humanity into the next “density,” or level of consciousness, particularly forthose who had 51% positive karma. The connections with 19th century Theosophy areobvious.Thisphilosophyisanimportantfoundationoftheideasespousedbypeoplewhoclaimtohavehadintentionalcontactwithextraterrestrials,eitherphysicallyorspiritually.Clearly,weare still wanting to answer the all-important question: is any of this for real? Or is it allnonsense?DoesitevenbelonginastudyoftheUFOphenomenon?Beforetryingtoanswerthis,letusexploreabitmore.

Adamskiandthe1950s Assoonasflyingsaucersbecameamediasensation,therewerethosewhocameforwardclaiming to have had contactwith the operators of those craft, not as abductees ormerelyobservers, but as people who had actual communication. Typically, they relayed thephilosophiesofthesebeings,mostofwhichfollowedfromtheprinciplesofTheosophy.ThemostprominentoftheseearlycontacteeswasGeorgeAdamski.AdamskiwasaPolish-bornamateurastronomerwhohadmovedtoCaliforniaandthenclaimedtohavehadmultiplecontactswithhuman-lookingextraterrestrialsthroughoutthe1950sandearly1960s. OnNovember20,1952,accompaniedbyasmallgroupof friendsAdamskisetout toanareaoftheCaliforniadesertwhere,hesaid,hisintuitiontoldhimheneededtogo.Hetoldhisfriends that he believed hewas going to have an extraterrestrial encounter.Arriving at thespot,hewalkedfaraheadofhisfriends.There,alone,heclaimedtohavemetacompletelyhuman-lookingextraterrestrialpilot,dressedinakindofjumpsuit.Thepersonhardlyspokea

word, but Adamski claimed that, through telepathy and hand gestures, he was able tounderstandmostoftheconversation.Thepilot,whosenamehelaterlearnedwasOrthon,toldhimmanythings.First,thathecamefromtheplanetVenus.Also,thatalltheotherplanetsinthe Solar System are inhabited, that all extraterrestrials essentially look human, and that anuclear war on Earth would cause serious disruption in the cosmos. This last statementexplainedtheircurrentinterestinhumanity.[287]Theproblemwiththisisthat,althoughAdamskiclaimedhiscompanionswereabletoseethe extraterrestrial, all of them later admitted they had not. They had not even seen thespacecraft.Adamskihadsimplygoneoffonhisownandthenreturnedtotellthemwhathadhappened.

GeorgeAdamskinexttoapaintingofOrthon.

ThiswasnottheonlytimeAdamskipulledsuchastunt.Hedidpreciselythesamethingin1963 at the Vatican, when he claimed to have met with the Pope and to have received amedallion.Accompaniedby two friends,hewentoffaheadof them in thecrowdedVaticanSquare andwas gone for thirtyminutes.He then came back, claiming he hadmetwith the

Pontiff. Research into this matter has proven conclusively that this was a lie. Adamski'smedallionwasmerely a tourist trinket.He did not even enter theVatican through the areawherethePopewasatthetime.NobodyeversawhimwiththePope,andhistwofriendswereforced to takehimathisword.This isnothow tobuilda solidcase,but itwasAdamski’stypicalmodusoperandi.Incidentally,hetoldhisfriendsthatthePope’shealthwasverygoodwhen,inreality,thePopewasgravelyillandwouldbedeadwithintwoweeks.ItishardtoavoidtheconclusionthatAdamskiwasahoaxer.Inmyownjourneysthroughthis field, I havemet a number of peoplewho believed in him, and a fewwho knew himpersonallyandsupportedhim.Yet,toomanyfactsgetintheway.[288]InadditiontoAdamski,thereweremanyotherindividualsofthe1950swhoclaimedsimilartypes of contact: Daniel Frye, Howard and Connie Menger, George Van Tassell, CedricAllingham,OrfeoAngelucci,TrumanBethurum,ElizabethKlarer,andmanyothers.Eachofthesepeopleclaimedtohavehadpersonalcontactwithhumanlookingextraterrestrials,andalloftheextraterrestrialshadmessagesforhumanity.Inthe1950s,thatmessagewasalmostexclusivelygearedtowardthedangersofatomicpowerandweaponry. Over time, themessages evolved somewhat, but still retained the basic concept that thebeingsfromelsewherehadknowledgethatcouldbeusedforthebettermentofbothhumanityandtheindividual.This,too,hasalwaysbeenacentraltenetoftheosophy.Duringthe1970s,for instance, Italian contactee, Giorgio Dibitonto had a number of alleged contacts with“spacebrothers,”includingridesinstarships.ThesebeingswereclaimedtobetheangelsoftheBible,stillchargedwithrevealingspiritualtruthstohumanityandwithguidingusonthepathtowardhigherdevelopment.TheytoldDibitonto:

Youhavesetmatterandspiritagainsteachother.…Ifyoucouldfreeyourmindfromitspresumptuousarrogance,andbecomemeekand simple,pureandgood…Thenyouwould solve thewholeproblemofevil andyourunhappiness.Theintellectbecomesensnaredifitrepressesorsubverts[thewisdomoftheheart].Thentheheartandthemindbecomeenemiesofeachother,andtheresultisallmannerofmisfortuneandsickness.[289]

Thisisaclassicpresentationoftheosophicalthought,andaperfectencapsulationofmostmessages from the “space brothers,” whether received in person, or via channeled ortelepathiccommunications.Indeed,sincethe1990s,themessagefromthespacebrothershasbecomealmostexclusivelyspiritual.Evennuclearweaponsandtheenvironmenthavetakenabackseattotheneedforhumanitytoascendtoahigherlevelofconsciousnessinitsongoingprocess of spiritual evolution. In such a way, we can peacefully join the greater galacticcommunity.IwouldsuggestthatitshowshowtheTheosophicalinfluencehashadadamagingeffectontheUFOsubculture,justasithasdonemoregenerallywithinourbroadersociety.Focusingon love over hatred is a good thing, of course, just as seeing the ultimate unity of all lifeforms.Buttheemphasis,againandagain,onthe“heart”overtheintellect,onintuitionoverrational thought, on cleansing one’s own spirit before working together in a communal,politicalmatter toeffectchange, takeawayourmost important tools tofunction inaworldfilled with gross injustice, government secrecy, and the loss of human rights around theworld.That is, theNewAgemovement, insofaras ithasbecomea force inourworld,hasneverbeenaforceforfightingrealinjustice,hasneverworkedforpoliticalchange,andhasarguablyonly causedpeople to spin theirwheels in a self-indulgentyetultimately fruitlesspathtoward“enlightenment.”

Like early Christianity, it is a religion of the powerless. But whereas the powerlessadherentsofearlyChristianityincludedmanywomenandslaveswhowereclearlyattractedtoabetterworldintheafterlife,inthecaseoftheNewAgemovementtoday,thepowerlessnessofoursocietyisofadifferentsort.Thatis,peoplehaveunderstoodmoreandmorethroughthe twentiethcenturyandbeyond that theproblems inourworld in termsofenvironmentaldegradation,warfare,injustice,andmorearesobadthatweoftendespairofbeingabletofixthematall.Therefore,theEscapeintoSelfhasbecomeveryappealingtosome.Iftheworldisgoingtohell,whynotmakeyourprivatelifealittlemorebeautifulwhileyoucan?Whynotkeepoutall“negativity”andessentiallypretenditdoesn’texist?Livinginabubblecanbeattractiveforawhile.Itislikelivinginawonderfuldreamwhileyourhouseisburningdownaroundyou.What’sbetter:dyingwhileyoudream,orwakingupandtryingtodealwiththefire?ButthepoliticaldangersofNewAgethoughtareseparatefromthetruthornon-truthoftheallegedcommunicationswithextraterrestrials.Onthismatter,thereismoretosay.

TelepathicContact:TheAffaCaseGenerallyspeaking,therehasbeenatrendoverthedecades,movingfromphysicaltonon-physical forms of alleged contact with extraterrestrials. But even during the 1950s,communicationswithextraterrestrialsviaOuijaboard, spiritmediums,and channelingwasfairlycommon. One especially interesting case was that of Affa. According to UFO researcher andhistorian, Jerome Clark, Affa rst appeared in 1952 to a small group in Prescott, Arizona,headedbyGeorgeHuntWilliamson.Thesecommunicationsweremainlythroughautomaticwriting,identifyingAffaasfromtheplanetUranusandlivingaboveEarth'satmosphereinaverylargespaceship.Then,in1954,AffaappearedintheautomaticwritingofMrs.FrancesSwanofEliot,Maine.Here,too,AffasaidhewasfromUranusandinahugeshipabovetheEarth.WhatishardtoreconcilearethemanyconflictingelementsofwhatSwantranscribed.Ontheonehand,therewasagreatamountofdetail, including technicalknowledge that surelyseemedbeyondhereducation.Ontheother,therearepassagesinhertranscriptionthatcertainlydonotstrikeoneasfromanextraterrestrialsource.Forinstance,hereisadescriptionbyAffaofhisship.Hedescribeditasovertwohundredmileslong,essentiallythesizeofasmallnation,andsaid:

Wehaverecreationalcentersandswimmingpoolshere.Therearenowomenonthisshipbecausethenatureoftheworkis for the strong ones.We have to keep in training at all times as thework ismost strenuous…My favorite sport isfencing. I like swimmingandhikingalso.Manyof thesonsboxandwrestlewith theexception thatnooneevergetshurt.Wedo thisonapoint systemonly. I also ridehorsebackanddo some target shooting.Wehave riflesmuch thesameasyourownbutweusethemonlyforsportsofwhichwehaveseveral.

Extraterrestrial?Iftherewaseverasmelltesttodetectsuchathing,theprecedingpassagewouldcauseAffatoflunkit.ButtheAffastorydoesnotendhere. SwanhappenedtolivenextdoortoretiredU.S.NavyRearAdmiral,HerbertB.Knowles.Knowles believed Swan was legitimate. He tried to interest the U.S. military as a way toestablish useful communication with these extraterrestrials and arranged for two officersfrom the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) to meet her on June 8, 1954. They askedquestionsofAffa,theanswersofwhichwerepresumablyunknowntoSwan,suchas,“Whatis

thelengthofUranus’day?”and“WhatisthedistancebetweenJupiterandthesunatJupiter ’sapogee?”Accordingtoherinvestigators,theanswerswerecorrect.ButAffaalsopromisedaradiotransmissiononJune10.Whenthisdidnothappen,ONIapparentlylostinterest.Thisisa curious pattern, incidentally.Often, one hears of channelers and people claiming contactwith aliens whomay have some initial accuracy in their moremundane claims. Yet, theirgrandioseproclamationsfallflat. Mattersdidnot endhere,however.Although thereare somewhat conflictingaccountsofwhat happened next, Affa was a subject of interest at the CIA’s National PhotographicInterpretationCenter (NPIC).During the summerof1959,NavyCommander JuniusLarsenlearnedoftheincidentatSwan’shomefromthepreviousmonth.Hehadastronginterestinspiritualism, and was also an ONI liaison officer with NPIC. Larsen met with Swan,whereuponshetaughthimautomaticwriting.Larsenbelievedthathe,too,hadcommunicatedwithAffa,althoughClarkrelatedthatSwanwasskeptical. Larsen returned toWashington andmetwith the head ofNPIC,Art Lundahl, aswell asLundahl’s assistant,NavyLieutenantCommanderRobertNeasham.Larsen entered a tranceandbelievedhecontactedAffa.WhenthemenaskedAffatoprovethathewasthere,Affatoldthem to go to the window. Neasham saw what he believed was a craft among the clouds,althoughclearlyitcouldnothavebeentheenormouscraftAffapreviouslydescribedtoSwan.In any case, Lundahl claimed he never saw any craft. Neasham described the event to AirForceMajorRobertFriend,headofProjectBlueBook.ForFriend’sbene t,LarsenrelatedtelepathicmessagesfromAffaandotherspacepeople,butonthisoccasionthealiensrefusedtoappear.AnalternateversionhasitthatLundahlwasnotpresentduringthefirstsession,inwhichthecraftwasclearlyvisible,andwhenhewaspresentforasecondsession,Affadidnotappear.[290]WhatexactlywasgoingonduringFrancisSwan’sautomaticwriting?Or,forthatmatter,inthecommunicationswithLarsenandGeorgeHuntWilliamson?Was this just a facetof themind of the person engaged in the act of automatic writing, disconnected somehow fromone’sordinaryconsciousnessbutstillentirelyone’sown?Orwasitreallytrue?Wasitsomeformofgentledeceptionbytheseotherbeings?Orworse?

TowardsAssessingtheClaimsRegardingchanneling,orautomaticwriting,oranyotherformofcommunicationlikethis,thereappeartobesincerepeoplewhomeanwellbutaredeluded,andtherearealsohoaxers.Butperhapsthereareafewcasesthatarelegitimate.Ifso,whatwasAffa?Thequestionisimportantbecause,startinginthelate1960s,suchallegedcommunicationwithextraterrestrialsbecamemoreprevalent,notsomuchviaautomaticwritingas throughchanneling.Today,alongwithpeoplewhoclaimtohavetelepathic“downloads,”thisiseasilythedominantformof“talking”withaliens. Setting aside the obvious theosophical content ofmost of these communications for themoment,itisimportanttoaskwhetherornotthereissomethingtoit?Andifso,howmightitwork? For example, is there something to the practice of deepmeditation and channeling thatallowsahumanbeingtoreachintoacertaininner“place”andcontactahigherintelligence,perhapsonethatisextraterrestrial?

Iwillreturntothisissueinmoredepthlaterinthebook.ButImaysuggestthattheansweris,atleastpartially,yes. Thequestion is reallynotmuchdifferent in substance fromquestionsover thepowerofprayer.Doesprayerwork?Therearepeopletryingtoprovethis,withresults thateveryonecontinuestodebate.RegardingUFOcontact,wewoulddowelltorecallthatmostcontacteesandabducteeshaveclaimedsomeformoftelepathicconnectionwiththeseotherbeings.Infact,suchconnectionsareoftenfeltbypeoplewhohaveUFOsightings,withoutevenexperiencingtheextralevelofabduction or contact. In other words, these beings appear, somehow, to connect to ustelepathically.Anecdotally,therearemanyinterestingexamplesofpeoplewhohavemeditatedorengagedin some other esoteric practice which seemed directly related to their encounter. Even thepreviously mentioned 1927 UFO sighting by explorer Nicholas Roerich falls into thiscategory.Theeventoccurredintheultra-remoteAltaiHimalayaregionofTibet.Itturnsoutthat Roerich and his wife, Helena Ivanovna Roerich, who was also there, happened to beactiveTheosophists.Bothwerebrilliant.Nicholaswasprobablyagenius:afirst-rankpainterand visionary philosopher who wrote essays about the cosmic evolution of mankind, thespiritualfactorinthedevelopmentofhumanity,theneedforinternationalpeaceandbrotherlylove,andtheneedtoprotecttheEarth.HereceivedseveralnominationsfortheNobelPrize.HelenaRoerichwas his partner in everything. In fact, shortly after the sighting, shewouldtranslate two volumes of the writings of Helena Blavatsky. And there, in the middle ofnowhere,theysawatrulyintriguingUFO.Whataretheodds? Ultimately,theproblemwithallesotericinformationandcommunicationsisthattheyarealmost always unverifiable. When predictions have been made, they have invariably beenwrong, or else a big, obvious, so what? In the current crop of channeled information,allegedlyfromextraterrestrials,thereisanabundanceoftheosophicalplatitudesconcerningthe need to raise humanity's “vibrational frequency” to achieve higher consciousness andopenportals to thenextdimension.There is little tonothing,however, that isverifiableoramenabletoscientifictesting. Regarding both basic forms of contact with extraterrestrials, whether by abduction orintention, we have a great deal in the way of claims, and a great deal that has not metcontemporarystandardsofscientificvalidity.Themostpromisingavenueforresearchatthispoint seems to be into alleged alien implants. Still, neither abductions, nor contact haveimpressedmanyscientists. Butbothhave, arguably,madechanges inwhatwecallhumanconsciousness.Within thehuman mind, they exist. And, it is not the worst bet in the world that both have somecorrespondencewithanexternalreality.Unfortunately,botharelitteredwithjunkclaimsthatmust be discarded. It is a bit like searching for treasure in a landfill. There is somethingvaluablehiddenwithin,butwemayneedtoholdournoseswhilesearching.Thematterofcontactprovidesendlessfascination,leadingtomanyquestions.Perhapsthemostimportantofallis,Whoaretheseentities?Wemaynotbeabletoanswerthatquestiontoeveryone’ssatisfaction,butweshallcertainlyexploretherabbithole.

Chapter9TheGrowthofUfology

Ufologyin1970wasafieldinneedofafacelift.The1960shadseenacrescendooftensionamounting to a crisis. It developed and festered until the release of the Scientific Study ofUnidentifiedFlyingObjectsbytheCondonCommitteeinearly1969.Thisreport,conductedthrough the University of Colorado, was meant to be a legitimate scientific analysis thatwould determine the validity of theUFOphenomenon, or at least to decidewhether itwassomethingtrulyunusualandextraordinary,orunworthyofscientificinterest.TheCommittee’sverdictwasdefinitive,andverymuchnegative.UFOs,concludedEdwardCondon, were of “no probative value” to science, meaning that the study of them did notpromise to advance scientific knowledge. Condon recommended that the Air Force dropProjectBlueBook,itsofficedevotedtoUFOs,whichtheAirForcepromptlydid.Itwasasthoughaballoonhadbeeninflated,andinflatedagain,andinflatedstillmore,onlytobepopped.

FromtheAshesoftheCondonCommitteeGranted,theCondonCommitteestudyhadbeenariggedgame,withapreordainednegativeconclusion.Nevertheless,thestudyofUFOsbecameaserioustwofoldproblem:first,howtostudythetopicscientificallyandsecond,howtoearnrespectfromthepublic?ItdidnothelpthatUFOsightingsappearedtohavesubsidedatthattime.Throughoutmuchof the 1960s, there had beenmany sightings and a fair amount of public attention broughtupononthesubject.Indeed,therewouldagainbemoreactivitylateroninthe1970s.Butfornow, it seemed,notmuchwashappening.Perhaps,somewondered, theskepticswereright,thattheUFOphenomenonhadbeennothingmorethanapassingfancyofpopularcultureandhysteria. Perhaps science had shone its light upon the subject. It had opened the vault andfounditempty.

AmericanUfology:TheBigFourNaturally,UFOresearchdidnotcease.WithinafewyearsoftheCondonReport,therewerefour research groups in theUnited States that, small though theywere, had some claim tobeing“national”organizations.OnewastheNationalInvestigativeCommitteeonAerialPhenomena(NICAP),basedoutof

Washington,D.C.Foryears,NICAPhadchallengedtheAirForcepositiononUFOsandtriedtoinitiateopencongressionalhearingsonthematter.ButNICAPinthe1970swascirclingthedrain.Itslongtimedirector,retiredMarineCorpsMajorDonaldE.Keyhoe,hadbeenoustedin1969byColonelJosephJ.BryanIII,amanlaterdiscoveredtohaveonceheadedtheCIA’sPsychologicalWarfaredivision.LeadershipofNICAPpassed to JohnAcuff,whohadbeenthe head of another military and CIA-affiliated group. Acuff ended NICAP’s criticism ofgovernment UFO policy. More significantly, he destroyed its investigative and reportingnetwork. Acuff also plundered the organization personally and essentially destroyed it.Throughthe1970s,NICAPwasamereshellofitsformerself.By1980,itwasnomore.[291] For years, NICAP’smain rival had been theAerial Phenomena ResearchOrganization,(APRO)basedoutofTucson,Arizona.Foundedin1952byJamesandCoralLorenzen,ithaddevelopedanimpressivestructure.AtypicalAPROBulletinof the late1960slistedsome40or more Ph.D.s or M.D.s as consultants, covering a wide range of disciplines. Theorganization had representatives from forty to fifty nations. It was a worldwide network,subsistingonmembershipsoflessthan$10peryear. Thus, with NICAP’s willfully incompetent leadership, one would think that APRO wasprimed to leadAmerican ufology. ButAPRO received its own unwelcome shock in 1969,whenoneofitsregionalofficers,WalterAndrus,tookmanymemberswithhimtoformtheMidwestUFONetworkbasedoutofSeguin,Texas.ManyNICAPmembersalsojoined.SoonrenamedtheMutualUFONetwork,MUFONquicklybecamealeadingUFOresearchgroup.Andrus focusedonbuildingagrassroots investigativeorganization. It is interesting tonotethathewasformerlyintheU.S.Navy,andmanyofMUFON'sboardmembershadNavyandintelligence community backgrounds. Among the most prominent was Thomas Deuley, aformer Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy and former employee of the NationalSecurity Agency. In time, a great deal of speculation and suspicion would develop on thematterofMUFON's relationship to theU.S. intelligencecommunity. It isworthnoting, too,thatMUFON’sgrassrootseffortsneversucceededpastmembershiplevelsofafewthousand.In1973,yetanotherAmericanUFOorganizationwasfounded.ThiswastheCenterforUFOStudies(CUFOS)nearChicago,createdaroundtheastronomerDr.J.AllenHynek.Hynekwasthemost famous name in ufology at the time, having formerly been consultant to theAirForce for Project BlueBook.However,Hynekwas not the founder, but co-founder of theorganization. The other co-founder, Sherman J. Larsen, was quite obscure. AlthoughUFOresearcherandCUFOSmember,JeromeClark,oncedescribedLarsenaslittlemorethan“aretired...businessman,”asnaiveandnotveryintelligent,LarsenalmostcertainlyhadbeenintheU.S.ArmyCounterIntelligenceCorps(CIC).DuringWorldWarTwoandafterwards,theCIC was an elite intelligence agency, essentially the spy-catchers of the U.S. military. Thegreat researcher Leonard Stringfield, who had been a friend of Larsen’s, mentioned thatLarsenhadworkedforCIC,andhadeven toldhimwhereCIC’sChicago-areaheadquarterswere.Larsenalsohadcontactswith theRANDCorporation—amajorDefense think tank—andclaimedtohaveobtainedUFOdocumentsviathatagency.[292] Then there was Hynek. Because of his longtime connection with Blue Book, otherresearchers often held a certain amount of suspicion against him.Coral Lorenzen, for herpart, never forgot thatHynekwas comfortably paid as anAir Force consultant, often in askepticalorevendebunkingrole,duringthe1950sand1960s.Foryears,sheandherhusband

had believed (correctly) that the governmentwas spying on them. They also knew that theCIA-sponsoredRobertsonPanelof1953,ofwhichHynekwasamember,hadrecommendedmonitoringtheirorganization.Granted,Hynekwasajuniormemberofthatpanel,buthehadbeen a member nonetheless. Nor was Coral Lorenzen the only one with a problem aboutHynek:manyMUFONmembersalsodistrustedhim.[293]

Leadersof1970sUfology:JamesandCoralLorenzen(l),J.AllenHynek(c),WalterAndrus(r).

These were the four major American groups receiving UFO reports, conductinginvestigations,andtryingtounderstandthemystery.Membershipswerelowforallofthem.APRO andMUFON had nomore than two or three thousandmembers each, CUFOS andNICAPhardlyanything.AllhadprominentmemberswithconnectionstotheU.S.militaryandintelligencecommunity.Maybesomeofthiswasbecausepeopleinthosefieldsdevelopedagenuineinterestinthesubject.Still,giventhatsurveillanceoftheUFOresearchcommunityhadbeengoingonforyears,itwouldnotbeespeciallyparanoidtowonderifsomethingelsewasgoingon.

ScientificUfology All of these groups promoted “scientific ufology.” This was in direct response to therejectionofUFOsbytheCondonCommittee.Hencetheterm“Ufology”cameintouse,alongwiththeperceptionthatthestudyneededtobeconductedscientifically.Allofthiseffortwastoward the eventual goal of attaining social respectability. MUFON for its part begandevelopinganinvestigativemethodologyandanetworkof trainedinvestigators.Ofcourse,that was the ideal; reality often lagged behind. But, there wereMUFON investigators whoinvestigated baffling UFO cases: doing the legwork, interviewing witnesses, analyzingpossiblelandingsites,preparingreports.Thegoalofscientificufologyissurelylaudable,andconsideringthestateofaffairsafterthe Condon Committee, understandable. It also served to de-politicize the issue to a largeextent.Cover-upsandconspiraciesweredefinitelyoutduringthefirstfewyearsofthe1970s. Themainproblemwith implementingscientificufology is that realsciencerequiresreal

money. One can employ scientific principles in an investigation; one can createmethodologies and protocols with which to conduct investigations. But without funding,investigatorsmustworkontheirowntimeandmoney,doingthebesttheycantoinvestigatereports.

Inpractice,tothisdaythismeansthatinvestigatorsseldomarriveatthesceneofasightingquickly enough, and often only after driving long distances. Then they interviewwhateverwitnessestheycan,doingtheirbesttocheckwithlocalairportsandmeteorologistsandotherexperts for conventional explanations. They also need to check the background of thewitnesses,ifpossible.Iftheyareveryluckytofindphysicalevidenceofsomesort,theymustfind a way to have it analyzed scientifically. This is when things can become expensive.Furthermore, what laboratories would even dare to be associated with helping to analyzeallegedUFO-relatedevidence? That is a best-case scenario. Groups like APRO or MUFON were fortunate to haveinvestigatorsatall.Thevastmajorityofsightingsofnecessityremain,yearsagoaswellastoday,aslittlemorethanrawreportsawaitingacompetentinvestigationtodeterminewhethertheyconstituteagenuinemystery.

IntelligenceCommunityPenetrationAndyet,theproblemsofinvestigatingUFOsgodeeperstill.Overtheyears,therehavebeenmany direct connections between the U.S. intelligence community, especially the CIA, andUFO research. This is not paranoid conspiracy theory. Ever sinceUFO research has beenconducted,peoplefromthemilitaryandintelligencecommunityhavebeeninvolvedinit,andindeedhavemonitoredit.Wemustaskwhethertheyhavealsoinfluenceditand,ifso,hasitbeenforacovertagenda? The1953RobertsonPanelmentionedAPROasaUFOresearchgroup thatneeded tobemonitored. APRO’s leaders described several instances from the 1950s and 1960s thatstronglyappearedtobeattemptsatinfiltrationbycovertoperativesintotheirgroup.Duringthe 1970s and 1980s, one of APRO’s most prominent members, William Moore, workedcloselywithAirForceIntelligenceand,apparently,theCIA.ItisknownthatMoorepassedoninformation to his intelligence handlers and also knowingly disseminated at least onetampered document into the UFO research community, as well as the still-disputedMJ-12documents.HedidmuchofhisworkinconjunctionwithRichardDoty,amemberoftheAirForceOfficeofSpecialInvestigation,(AFOSI)whohasregularlybeenaccusedofspreadingdisinformationintotheUFOfield.Infact,Dotyadmittedmorethanoncetohavingdoneso. Then there was NICAP, dominated throughout its history by prominent military andintelligence figures.Manymembersof its foundingBoardofGovernorsand leaders in the1950s were senior members of the Navy or CIA. Roscoe Hillenkoetter was a Navy ViceAdmiral and formerheadof theCIA.Nicolas deRochefort (NICAP's firstViceChairman)wasa scriptwriter for theCIA-controlledVoiceofAmerica,andwasalsoamemberof theCIA's psychological warfare staff, something unknown to the public at the time. DeRochefort'sbossatthatdepartmentwasColonelJosephBryan,whojoinedNICAPsboardin1960.Bryan’sCIApedigreewasunknownatthetime.Duringtheearly1960s,KarlPflock,a

CIAbriefingofficer,joinedNICAPandchaireditsWashington,D.C.subcommittee.In1969,after Bryan led the ouster of Keyhoe from leadership of NICAP, the organization wasessentiallydestroyedbyoneCIA-connectedleaderafteranother:AlanHall,StuartNixon,andJackAcuff.Itisinterestingthat,throughoutNICAPshistory,theorganizationfocusedontheAirForceasthesourceoftheUFOcover-up.WhenKeyhoebeganfocusingontheCIAbythelate1960s,hewasgone.Certainly, theorganizationhadfinancial troubles,andKeyhoewasgetting older, but it surely appears that NICAP was managed, and then deliberatelymismanaged,bytheU.S.intelligencecommunity.[294]ThesameissuespervadedMUFONfromitsinception.Theorganization’sNavyconnectionhavealreadybeenmentioned.But therewasalsoRichardHall,whohadpreviouslyworkedcloselywithKeyhoeinNICAP,andwhowasprominentforyearsinMUFON.HallhadbeenformerAirForceofficer,andevenasayoungmaninhis twentieshadshockedKeyhoebyhow much he knew about UFOs. Now, with MUFON, Hall was a leading light, andconsistently downplayed the government cover-up angle of UFOs, just as the entireorganizationdidforyearsandyears. AreviewofMUFON's leadership throughtheyearsshowsaremarkablyhighnumberoffigureswith government and intelligence community connections, scattered throughout theorganization. During the 21st century, MUFON developed a brief relationship with thebillionaireRobertBigelow,animportantfigureintheU.S.defenseandaerospacecommunity.Foraboutayear,Bigelowpouredmoney intoMUFON’s investigativecapabilities,with theproviso that his own team had up to date access to allMUFON investigations. Thematterended acrimoniously, with each side claiming the other reneged on its agreement. ThereremainmembersofMUFONwhobelievetheorganizationgaveBigelow’sgroupmuchmoreaccesstoitsfilesthanitshouldhave. By itself, that is not necessarily a disturbing situation, except when one considers thatMUFON'scasesarealmostneverpublicly reported,other thanbrief summaries thatappeartemporarily on the public website. Over the years,MUFON has been accused of being anorganization inwhich all data goes in, and very little comes out, unless it is going to theappropriateintelligencechannels.Whetherthisistrue,ortowhatextentitistrue,isstillamatterofspeculation.Regardlessoftheanswer,MUFONisinneedofapublicrelationsfacelift.Unlikereal-lifeplasticsurgery,however,itschangesneedtobemorethancosmetic. CUFOSfits the samepattern.Foryears, theorganizationpublishedanewsletterofgoodquality. Beyond that, however, its tiny membership prevented it from doing much else.Philosophically, it has taken themost conservative of positions regarding the phenomenonwithoutactuallydebunkingit.Yes,saysitsleadership,thereisindeedaUFOrealityofsomesort, but has been non-committal over what it signifies. Nor has the organization eversupportedtheideaofacover-up.ItisamongthemainstreammediawhereCUFOSforyearshasbeenprominent,alloutofproportion to its numbers in theUFO research community.During the 1970s and1980s, itelicited suspicions from observers such as JacquesVallée and TimothyGood that it had arelationshiptotheU.S.intelligencecommunity.[295]Whetherthesesuspicionsarevalidtodayisanotherquestion.Yet,lookingatthematterfromtheprocessof“manufacturingconsent,”thephraseandtitlefromNoamChomsky’smostclassicwork,theroleofCUFOScanbeseen

asoneinwhichithasdrawnalinedemarcatingtheedgeofrespectableufology.Beyondsuchalineliesthefringe.IfsomeoralloftheseUFOgroupswereinfiltratedbyintelligencecommunityoperatives,itwould fit a broader history. The FBI's infamous Cointelpro program was an infiltrationprogramduringthe1960stodestroyprogressiveandradicalorganizationspromotingsocialchange.Itwasveryeffective.WeknowoftheCIA'sinfiltrationandinfluenceduringthecoldwar over such nominally independent organizations as the Voice of America and theCongressforCulturalFreedom.[296]Today,infiltrationandcontrolhasachievedahigherartform still. Intelligence and government agencies cannot openly be connected to mostorganizations, which requires that relationships exist behind the scenes. This is true ofmainstreammediaandtheacademiccommunity,wheretherearesignificantnumbersofCIAandintelligence-connectedpeople.LookingatUFOorganizations,whichresearchamatterofprofoundnationalandinternationalsecurity,thereasonableassumptionisthattheytoohavebeenaffected.Alongtheselines,IrecallaprivateconversationIhadwitharespectedUFOresearcher,aswellasatrustedfriend,whotoldmeofaconversationheoncehadduringthe1990swithanacquaintance who was a CIA employee. This acquaintance told him that the CIA regularlyattendedallmajorUFOconferences,justtomonitorwhatwasgoingonandwhowassayingwhat.

EnteringtheWeirdLookingatthesituationintheearly1970s,thegrowthofAmericanUFOorganizationswasfar from the only interesting development.Without question, researchers slowly began toappreciatejusthowstrangethephenomenonis. Theextraterrestrialhypothesis(ETH)haddominatedmostthinkingonflyingsaucersandUFOs during the 1950 and 1960s. This should not be surprising, considering that this eramarked the beginning of the space age, and the fact that many of the objects looked likeextremely advanced mechanical objects. They also operated throughout the atmosphere,includingtheupperatmosphereandspace.Inthiscontext,theETHwaslogical. However, probably in part from the slapdown by the Condon Committee, there was areaction against theETH.To some people, the theory began to seem simplistic. Perhaps itwas.Certainly,therewasanabundanceoftrulybizarrereportswhichdidnoteasilyleadtoa“nutsandbolts”explanationofaliencreaturesinsidespaceshipscomingfromanotherplanet.MuchoftheinfluencebehindthisnewperspectivecamefromJacquesValléeandJohnKeel.BotharguedthatUFOscouldnotpossiblybeextraterrestrialspacecraft. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Vallée expressed his dissatisfaction with the ETH,culminating with his “Five Arguments against the ETH.” Not all of the arguments areespeciallycompelling,butsomeremainintriguing.[297] In the first place, he argued, there seemed to be too many UFO sightings and closeencounterstoexplainthemasextraterrestrialcraft.Iftheyarefromanotherplanet,theresurearealotofthemflyingaround.Thenthereistheproblemofthebodystructureoftheseso-called“aliens.”Iftheyevolvedonanotherplanet,oranotherpartoftheuniverse,whywouldtheylookhumanoid,withtwo

arms,twolegs,andaheadwitheyes,ears,nose,andmouth?Couldhuman-lookingcreaturesreallyhaveevolvedelsewhere?Moreover,suchbiologicaldesignsdonotappearbiologicallyadaptedtospacetravel.ValléethoughtofotherodditiesmitigatingagainsttheETH.Thephenomenon,whateveritis, seems to have been recorded throughout human history. If these other beings are fromanother planet, they seem to have been here for ages, and probably live here by now.Moreover,theabilityofUFOs,atleastonoccasions,seeminglytomanipulatespaceandtimesuggesteddifferentandperhapsricheralternativestomereextraterrestrials. JohnKeel,who investigated theMothmancase inWestVirginiaandwroteTheMothmanProphecies,hadasimilarperspective.Hecoinedthetermultraterrestrials.Thesebeings,hesuggested, were not living here in our reality, but in another version of reality, perhapsanother dimension. Some of Keel's thought connected UFOs to what we would call theparanormal,andhelinkedpoltergeistsandotherparanormaleventstomanyUFOsightings.Thus, he suggested, not aliens in flying saucers, but intelligences from other dimensions,wereinteractingwithhumanity.[298] By the early 1970s, such alternative ideas as offered by Vallée, Keel, and others werespreadingamongresearchers.Sincethen,theyhavecontinuedanddeepenedintoasignificantschoolof thought. Ingeneral,UFOresearchwas reinventing itselfduring the1970s.At thesame time, it was trying to establish itself on a firm intellectual footing and gain somemeasureofrespectability.

PsychosocialExplanationsAcrosstheAtlanticOcean,theETHfellevenfurtherfromgrace.Duringthe1970sandlater,many prominent write in the United Kingdom and France supported a psychosocial orpsychoculturalhypothesistoexplainUFOs.ResearcherssuchasHilaryEvans,theeditorsofMagoniamagazine,andmanyofthecontributorstoForteanTimesmagazinearguedthatthetrulyinterestingUFOreportsarebestexplainedbypsychologicalorsocialmeans. This is not to say that theyhavebelieved all sightings and encounters to be in the head.Instead, their position recognizes that human beings have always had encounters withanomalous and strange things, but that these encounters are filtered through the culturalvaluesandexpectationsofeachperson.Accordingto thishypothesis,whenonereviewsthemany strange events and encounters that have occurred throughout all of humanhistory, itbecomes apparent thatmost are not about aliens from space, but rather reflect deep-seatedthoughts,fears,andbeliefs. Ofcourse,wemaystillwonderaboutwhattypesofanomalouseventsmighthavecausedpeopletoreactandbelievethewaytheydid.WhatkindoffireballinancientEgypt,or17thCentury southern Russia, could convince the people that they were encountering anintelligentlymaneuvering apparition?What kind of anomalywould convince a twenty-fiveyear-oldsurveyorintheCanadianNorthwestTerritoriesin1936thathewasseeing“themostperfectconfigurationofanairship”onecouldimagine,whichtheninstantlyacceleratedtotheedgeofthehorizon?Proponentsofthepsychosocialperspectiveclaimthattheyarenotthesameasdebunkers,because they feelUFOsare still an interesting subjectworthyof serious study,even if it isapproachedinaskepticalway.Fairenough,onesupposes,anditiscertainlytruethathuman

psychologyisoneofseveralkeyareaswithwhichaseriousufologistmustbefamiliar.Buttothosepeoplewho,aftercarefulstudyof thephenomenon,haveconcludedthatUFOsposeaseriousanomalyinourreality,suchtheoristsmaycertainlyseemveryclosetodebunkers.

FOIAandtheCrashRetrievalSyndrome Despite the new approaches to ufology that developed during the 1970s, theETHneverrecededcompletely.Thisbecameespeciallysobythelatterpartofthedecade,whentheU.S.Freedomof InformationAct (FOIA) became an important tool for researchers.During the1940s,1950s,and1960s,thoseindividualsinthemilitaryandintelligencecommunitieswhocreatedclassifieddocumentsaboutUFOsdidnotexpectthattheywouldeverbecomepublic.By the late 1970s, however, after much effort by researchers, some of them did. Not anespeciallylargepercentage,butseveralthousandpagesworth.ThebountyofFOIAwasmanifold.First,itreinforcedtheideathatatleastsomeUFOswerereported bymilitary sources as solid,mechanical objects of unusual design and incredibleperformance.Theywerenotalwaysephemeralapparitions,distantlightsinthenightsky,butmaterial objects that were up-close-and-personal, sometimes even tracked and pursued bymilitaryagencies.Extraterrestrial?Indeed,perhapssoafterall. FOIA also made it clear that there really was some sort of 'cover-up' on UFOs. Thedocumentsshowedbeyondanydoubt that,at thesame time theU.S.militarywas telling thepublicthatflyingsaucersandUFOswereeitherimaginaryobjectsormisunderstoodnaturalphenomena, these same agencies were very concerned about UFOs, and that jets had beenscrambledtochaseafterthem. As a result of such revelations,UFO researcherswere energized into thinking that theymight possibly get lucky. Perhaps they might find the one document that wouldunambiguouslyprovetherealityofUFOsandofthecover-up,onceandforall.Adocumentmakingitcrystal-clearthatthePresidentoftheUnitedStatesknowsabouttheextraterrestrialnatureofUFOs,orsomethingequallypowerful. At thesametime,anotherprongintheattackonsecrecywasdeveloping.Thiswasinthecollectionof stories that supported the idea that there hadbeen secret retrievals of crashedUFOs,includingtheacquisitionofdeadalienbodies.ThemostfamousofthesestoriesisthecrashofaUFOnearRoswell,NewMexico,butquiteafewaccountssurfacedduringthelate1970sandafter.Mostwereuncorroboratedandunsubstantiatedclaims, sometimesnot evenfrom the direct witness, but his or her spouse if that person were no longer alive.Nevertheless,thecumulativeeffectwasthat,bytheendofthedecade,therewereatleastfiftyaccountsthathadbeencollected,eachdetailingsomeincredibleaspectofthisphenomenon.LikeFOIA,thecrashretrievalstorieswerealsopursuedbysomeresearchersasapossiblekeytowardunlockingthedoorofsecrecy.ForemostamongthesewereLeonardStringfield,WilliamMoore,andStantonFriedman,althoughtherewereothers.Within justafewyears,ufologyhaddevelopedapotentiallydangerousone-twopunch.

TheIntelligenceEmpireStrikesBack:TheEarly1980s For thoseon theother sideof secrecy'swall, concernedaboutkeeping the terribleUFOsecretawayfromthepublic,thedevelopmentsofthelate1970swouldappeartobeproblemsthat required active counter-measures. What followed during the early 1980s certainly

appearstohavebeenexactlythat. What happened was that a known U.S. Air Force military intelligence specialist namedRichard Doty began to communicate with certain researchers in the field, giving deepinformation thatcouldnotbeverifiedandwhichwassometimesshown tobe false.OneofDoty’sconnectionswasresearcherWilliamMoore,who in1980co-authored thefirstbookonRoswell.Clearly,Moorewas an important connection. Throughout the 1980s,Doty (orthoseconnectedtohim)fedMoorewhatappearedtobeinsideinformation.Oneitemcametobe known as the Aquarius document, which described a UFO-related briefing given toPresidentJimmyCarter.AnothercontainedclassifiedcommentaryonaUFOincident,butinwhich the acronym NSA (for National Security Agency) was changed to NASA (NationalAeronautics and Space Administration). Although it appears that the rest of the documentmightbelegitimate,researchersstilldonotknow.Dotyalsofedinformationtootherresearchersatthistime,includingLindaMoultonHowe,who had recently produced a powerful documentary on cattle mutilations. In 1983, Dotyshowedherwhatappeared tobeexplosive,Presidential-leveldocuments, thatconfirmedtheUFO-extraterrestrialreality,andthensome.AlthoughHowewasclearlyimpressedbythem,shedidnotgopublicuntillongafterthemomenthadpassed.Thefollowingyear,Doty(or,again,someoneconnectedtohim)mailedtheinfamousMJ-12documentstoaresearchassociateofMoore.ThiswasJamieShandera,amanwithhisowninvolvementintheworldofU.S.intelligence.LikethedocumentsDotyhadpreviouslyshownLindaMoultonHowe,thesedescribedhighest-levelpolicyincontaininganddealingwiththeUFOissue.Forseveralyears,Moorehesitatedtopublishthem.Then,in1987,Dotytiredofwaiting and arranged forU.K. researcherTimothyGood to get a copy.Now realizing thatGoodwasabouttopublishtheminhisownbook,Mooredecidedtopublicizethemfirst.Afterthat, all hell broke lose. Supporters and debunkers lined up for battle, and indeed havecontinuedtodosotothisday,nowmorethanaquarterofacenturylater.

CroppedpageoftheMJ-12documents,whichhaveremaineddivisiveinufologytothepresentday.

The resultwas thatwhathad initiallyseemed likea straightforwardproposition—gettinghold of the right document thatwouldprove UFOs and the cover-up—becamemuchmorecomplicated.Fornowresearchersweredealingwithdocumentsthatlookedrealbutwhichhadbeentamperedwith,orwhichmightbecompletelyfake,orwhichmightbereal.Notonlythat,buttheentirecrashretrievalphenomenonhadbecometiedintothis,similarlysplashedwithmud.Whatwasreal?Whatwasnot?Suddenly,nothingseemedcertainanymore.

TheEveoftheInternetandtheStateofUfologySuchwasufologyinthe1980s,allbeforethebirthoftheInternet.Itwasafieldthatseemedrifewithdissensionanddistrust.Manywondered,whateverhappened to scientificufology?Whateverhappenedtotheideaofgainingsomelevelofconsensusoverthemeaningofthisphenomenon, or the attempt to gain social respectability? By the late 1980s, such goalsseemedlikeafond,distantmemory. Yet, lookingbackon thoseyears,one thingdoesstandout:an identifiablecommunityofUFOresearchers.Thesewerepeoplewhowereimmersedinthefield,whoresearched,whoinvestigated,andwhowrotearticlesandbooks.Theymayhavedisagreedwitheachotheronmany matters, but they all spoke the same language, as it were. That is, most of themsupportedtheideaofscientificufology,andmostofthembelievedthesubjectneededmoreintellectual rigor. Even thosewhowere beginning to believe in a conspiracy of some sortweretamebystandardsoflateryears.NoonespokeoftheIlluminati, theBilderbergers,orBohemianGrove. If therewasanybelief inaconspiracyorcover-up,researchersconfinedtheiranalysistotheU.S.Government. Such relative collegialitywas even in evidence regarding thematterof alien abductions.Budd Hopkins and others had brought the subject to prominence during the 1980s. Noteveryoneagreedthatabductionsweretakingplaceatall,muchlessonthescalethatHopkinswassuggesting.Yet,althoughthedebatewasspirited,itremainedareasonedone.Butallofthiswascontainedwithinaverynarrowcircle;thatis,primarilywithinthefewprinted UFO-related journals of the time. Circulation was never high. The outside worldhardlynoticedatall.Bythelate1980s,allthatstartedtochange.

TheFirstBulletinBoardsThebirthoftheInternetdidnotcomeatonce,butgraduallyandpiecemeal.Yet,akeyyearinitsmaturation,perhapsthekeyyear,was1986.Thiswaswhenthecollectionofconnectednewsgroups, known as Usenet, began to expand beyond discussions about computers andprogrammingandothermattersofgeekyinterest.In1986,forthefirsttime,anon-computer-relatedbulletinboardenteredthescene:Paranet,whichfocusedonUFOs.Indeed,andperhapstothesurpriseofmany, theUFOphenomenonwasoneof thefirstnon-technically-orientedsubjectstothriveontheInternet.Fromthebeginning,UFOswereakeypartoftheInternet.Still,1986wasalongtimebeforetherewasaworldwideweb,beforetherewasagraphicaluser interface, before visuals of any type could be displayed. There were bulletin boards,newsgroups,andanewthingcalledelectronicmail,usedbyveryfewpeople.Fromthemid-1980s until themid-1990s, the Internet consisted essentially of white or green letters on ablackscreen.Yeteveninthoseearlyyears,itwasimmediatelyobviousthatthiswassomethingvery,verydifferent than anything that had ever existed before. Comparing it to the invention ofGutenberg'sprintingpressisnotanoverstatement.Indeed,itmaybeanunderstatement. Like everything else, the UFO field was affected and transformed by the Internet.Previously, anyone wanting to share their thoughts on UFOs with the rest of the world

typicallysubmittedarticlestooneofthejournals,allofwhichhadeditorialpoliciesofsomesort.Thismight reacha thousandreaders if theauthorwere fortunate.Certainly,onecouldresearchandwriteabookonthesubject,butrealisticallythisisnotsomethingmostpeoplewoulddo,thenortoday. WithParanet,however,anyonewithacomputerandan Internetconnectioncould findanaudience.Believers,skeptics,geniuses,cranks,peoplewiththebestmotives,peoplewhowerehoaxing,andeveryoneelsecameoutof thewoodwork.Almost immediately, theycreatedawildandthrivingonlinecommunity.

OutCometheLeaksThereisnoquestionthatUsenetenabledtheexplosionofleaksthatfollowed.ThreeearlysourceswereBillEnglish, JohnLear, andWilliamCooper.All three surfaced in 1987 and1988,allthreetoldvariousstoriesofallegedlyinsideknowledgeconcerningsomeaspectofextraterrestrials or the UFO phenomenon. The stories have been compelling to many, butafteralltheseyears,nonehavebeensubstantiated. In essentials, the accounts painted a picture of human-alien collaboration gone horriblyawry. One of the main features of the scenario concerned a meeting between PresidentEisenhowerandagroupofextraterrestrials.Thisinvolvedanexchangeofsorts:technologygoingtohumanswhiletheETswerepermittedapeacefulandunobstructedpresenceonEarth,aswellaspermissiontotakeasmallnumberofhumansonoccasionfortheirownpurposes,tobebroughtsafelybackwithouttheirknowledge.AccordingtoLear,however,hissourcestoldhimthatthedealwentwrong,andthealienswerenowdoingwhatevertheywanted.Thehumancontrolgroupwaspowerlesstostopit. Cooper followed up on Lear's claims with even more grandiose and dark statements,reflectinghisowngrowingmegalomaniaanddisconnectionfromreality.Essentially,Cooperhadagiftforclaimingashisowninformationthatcamefromothersources.Perhapshehadtheabilitytobelievehisownlies.Togivejustoneexample,in1988LearhadsentCooperapackagecontaininganumberofdocumentsanditems,oneofwhichwasapoorqualitycopyof the Zapruder film, depicting the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The videoshowedthedriver,WilliamGreer,turningaroundbrieflytowardthePresidentashewasshot.Atthatmoment,thereappearedtobeaflashemanatingfromGreer ’sposition.Inreality,theflashwasareflectionofsunlightonthehairofGreer ’ssupervisor,RoyKellerman,whosatnexttohim.ButCooperbecameobsessedbythevideo.Foreverafter,heclaimedthatwhileintheU.S.Navyduringtheearly1970s,hehadseenTopSecretdocumentsstatingthatGreerhadbeenKennedy’sshooterusingaspeciallypreparedgunbytheCIA.Tothosewhodisagreedwith him, he typically resorted to shouts and bully tactics. It was for reasons like this thatveteranUFOresearcherDonEckerreferredtoCooperas“themostblatantB.S.artistIhaveeverruninto.”[299]ItdidnottakelongforseriousresearcherstospotproblemswithwhatCooperwassaying.Bythen,however,hehadalreadybecomeaniconicfigure,astatusentrenchedafterhisdeathin a shootoutwith police inOctober, 2001.Regarding this shootout (lest one think hewastargetedforassassination)Cooperhadforyearsbeeninvolvedinlocalaltercations,alwayscarryinghisgun,andhadlongbeenwantedfortaxevasion.Hehadvowednevertobetakenalive.Beforehewasgunneddown,hehadshotoneofthepoliceofficersinthehead.

OnelastingeffectofCooper,however,wasanemphasisonthepowerstructurethatexistedbehind-the-scenes,asitwere,andtherelationshipofthatpowerstructuretotheUFOcover-up.Hewroteabout the Illuminati, theBilderbergers, theJasons,andothergroupswhichhesaid were instrumental in the cover-up of the UFO reality. Some of this information wasusefulinsofarasheacquireditfromcrediblesources,whilemuchwasjustplainwrong.[300]Manyresearchershavefollowedupandsimilarlyconcludedthat there is indeedacover-upon UFOs that exists beyond the formal reaches of governments, whether American orotherwise.

BobLazarandArea51 As the field of ufology exploded during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the field wasoverwhelmedwithconflict anddebateovereachnewclaim thatappeared.Among themostheatedofallargumentscenteredaroundRobertLazar,whoclaimedtohavebeenemployedbriefly to study the propulsion system of an alien craft. Once again, as with the MJ-12controversyandsomuchelsesince,tothisdaytherearethosewhobelievehisaccountwhileothersclaimtohavedebunkedit. Lazar went public at the end of 1989 through a series of interviews with Las Vegasjournalist George Knapp. These described his experiences working at a place mostAmericanshadnever heardof: a facility knownasS-4, at a dry lakebed inNevada calledPapooseLake.HeclaimedthiswasabouttenmilessouthofGroomDryLake,siteofanotherobscureplace(atleastin1989).Thatis,Area51.Today,peoplehaveaccesstotoolssuchasGoogleEarthtolookforevidenceofS-4.Ifoneweretodoso,theywouldessentiallyseenothingmorethanafewnarrowdirtroadsleadingtoandarounditfromArea51.NearbyistheNellisbombingrange.Yet,itistruethatGoogleEarthsometimeshideslocationsthataresensitivefornationalsecuritypurposes.Anumberofplacesaroundtheworldareintentionallyblurred,blackedout,orblockedoutinsomeway,includingthefamousNSAsiteatPineGap,Australia,amile-squareareaneartheTrinitySiteinNewMexico,andquiteafewothers.RegardingS-4,thereissimplynoeasywaytoconfirmitsexistence. WhileLazarhas retainedmanydetractorsover theyears,otherscontinue tosupporthimstrongly.Itisworthmentioning,too,thatevenifhisclaimsareuntrueinpartorwhole,therehavebeenquiteafewotherArea51 insiderswhohavemadesimilarstatementsaboutalientechnology being near there, many of whom were interviewed by George Knapp underconditionsofanonymity. Thus, more than twenty years after Lazar, his claims continue to be controversial,unconfirmed,anddebated.Welcometotheworldofufology.

RumorsofDisclosureAround1990Inretrospect,itshouldnotbesurprisingthataround1990orso,therewerediscussionsandrumorsamongresearchersofanannouncementthatwouldrevealtheexistenceandrealityofUFOs. Firstofall, such rumorshavecirculatedamongUFOresearcherssince the1950s.Everydecadehasseentheriseandfallofanticipationaboutextraterrestrial“Disclosure.”Itishardto know how reliable most of these rumors were, but it does appear that there have been

periodicdiscussionsbehindthescenesabout theprosandconsofdoingso.Idiscussedthisoncewithaprominent,publiclyknownscientistwithalongtimeassociationtotheintelligencecommunity.Thismantoldmethatsuchsortsofdiscussionsoccureveryfivetotenyearsathighlevels,presumablyingovernment,althoughthespecificswerenotmadepreciselyclear. Thisindividual,alongwithacolleagueofhis,alsotoldmetherewerediscussionswithintheBushWhiteHousein1990astowhetherornottoannouncetheUFOreality.AstheColdWarwitheredaway, so too it seemedoneof theoriginal reasons forUFOsecrecy.Yet, noannouncement came. As it happens, the claim of an aborted 1990 disclosure was alsoadvancedbyex-U.S.AirForceCaptain,RobertCollins,inhisbook,ExemptfromDisclosure.Diditreallyhappen?Westilldonothaveenoughinformationyet.

TheWebandtheFirstWaveofResearch DisclosurefromaPresidentialannouncementdidnothappenin1990.Butsomethingelsedidbeginataroundthattime,anditrapidlyacceleratedasthedecadeprogressed.Thiswasthesharingofinformationviatheever-expanding,ever-transformingInternet.Thebulletinboardsystemofthe1980sexplodedduringtheearly1990s.Bythemiddleofthedecade,theInternetgrew wings. A World Wide Web was spreading, one with an easy-to-use graphical userinterface.Thebasic,revolutionaryfactwasthatpeopleweresharingmoreinformation—much,muchmore information. News reports about UFOswere being distributed to a vastly wider andmore engaged readership than in the past because peoplewho had an interest in this topicfinallyhadfoundawaytoreacheachother,nomatterwhere theylivedin theircountry,orindeedtheworld. At this time, therewereseveralUFO-relatednewsgatheringservices.Among thesewereMichaelLindemann'sCNI,whichranforfiveyearsandwasquitevaluableduring theearly1990s.Other useful sourceswereFiler's Files by retiredUSAFMajorGeorge Filer,UFORoundupbyJosephTrainor,andquiteafewothers.After1996and1997,whentheWebtrulyexploded,thistypeofinformationgrewevenmore.Bythelate1990s,theamountofavailableinformationwasordersofmagnitudebeyondwhathadbeenavailableameredecadeearlier,tosaynothingofthedecadepriortothat. Asmorepeoplegainedaccess to the Internet, theybecameastonishedatwhat theycouldfind.Asawayoftrackingcurrentevents,theInternetquicklybecameessential.EvenpriortotheWebitself,emaillistswerebecomingcommon,andallowedresearcherstofollowuponleadsmuchmorequicklythancouldhavehappenedearlier.Evenso,theInternetwasnotfullymaturebythelate1990s.WhileresearchingmyfirstUFObookatthistime,theInternetwasvaluabletome,butevensoitwasnosubstituteforprintedbooksandjournalarticles.Yet,itwasinvaluableforhelpingtotrackdownsourcesthatwouldhavebeendauntingtofindotherwise.Itwasaresearchtoolofgreatvalue,avaluewhichonlyincreasedwith each passing year. The Internet enabled people finally to escape the heavy-handedcensorshipofUFOinformationthathadpredominatedinthemainstreammediaforsomanyyears.

21stCentury:Explosion Theinformationhighwayofthe1990sexpandedintoasuperhighwayduringthefirstfew

yearsofthe21stcentury.Itiseasytoforgetthattheyear2000wasnotsolongago.AlthoughitfeelstousthatthemodernInternethasbeenwithusforever,itisstillsoveryyoung. Whathashappened is anexplosionnotmerelyof informationbutofways toget it.Thedevelopmentofsearchenginesalonehasbeenrevolutionary.Theirnear-omniscienceistakenforgrantedbymostpeople,buttheyarepurelya21stcenturyphenomenon.ThroughGoogle,Yahoo,Bing,orotherengines,UFOdataofanysortisinstantlyavailable,andrelevantnewscanbesenttoone’smailboxeveryday. There are an abundance of research-oriented websites. For sightings, at least in NorthAmerica, there is theNationalUFOReportingCenter, which records over 5,000 sightingseach year. The Black Vault, another valuable resource, is a large repository of releasedgovernmentfilesonUFOsandahostofotherrelevanttopics.Theseofferameresprinklingofwhatisoutthere.Ofcourse,moreinformationalsomeansmoremistakes.Italsomeansmoredisinformationor, at least, misleading information. The Internet has allowed millions upon millions ofpeople tocontribute to theglobal conversationonUFOs,but that alsomeans that thereareeffectivelynostandardsnecessaryforjoiningit.Inallplacesatalltimes,makingunsupportedclaims is the easiest thing to do in the world. In the world of today, unfortunately, manypeople do not care about providing valid evidence to support their claims. Indeed, it isobviousthatmanydonotreallyunderstandhowtogoaboutsuchathing.WorsestillarethosewhousetheInternettocreatefalsedataandpersona,andyetotherswhousesensationalismtomakeanamethemselves,andsometimesmoney.

YouTubeandFacebook It is startling to remember thatYouTubedidnot exist until 2005.Andyet it immediatelybecamethevideoshowcaseofhumancivilizationandculture.Foryears,UFOresearchersassumedthatwiththeproliferationofmoreandbetterqualityvideo cameras, at some point there would be a breakthrough. Someone would recordsomethingthatwouldbeconsideredundeniableproofoftherealityofUFOs.Today,hundredsof new UFO videos uploaded each year to YouTube. Some of these videos seemextraordinary,othersboringandinconsequential.Generallyspeaking,however,thequalityofvideoisirrelevant.Thisisbecause,aswehavediscovered,videoaloneisnolongerenoughtocountasevidenceofUFOs.WhichbringsustothegreatironyoftheYouTubeera.ThecurrentfloodofUFOvideos,evenmanyofwhichareapparentlyexcellentinquality,hasnotbroughtthedefinitiveproofresearchers had expected.This is becausewithout a proper investigationof a case,withoutvettingwitnesses,andindeedwithoutpreparingsomesortofprofessionalreport,thesevideoscanneverbeanythingmore than intriguingentertainmentoratbest fodder for speculation.The fact remains thatmost objects seen in the sky can be explained in conventional terms,givenenoughtimeandenergytodotheinvestigation. Nevertheless, there is no question that YouTube has provided an outlet for some trulyextraordinaryvideos,manyofwhichIdothinkarevalidcapturesofwhatcanonlybecalledUFOs. In other words, YouTube is valuable, but it is only one tool. Without beingsupplemented by responsible investigation, it will never be enough for moving this issueforward.

Ofcourse,thereismoretoYouTubethanUFOvideos.Thesiteiscompletewiththousandsof lectures, interviews, documentaries, and insights from researchers worldwide. On thatbasis alone, it is of inestimable value as an educational tool. Itwas not long ago that easyaccesstosuchinformationwassimplynotpossibleformostpeople. Like YouTube, Facebook is a young institution that has redefined the way that peopleinteractwith theworld,andespeciallyhowtheyshare information.Thebenefitsandpitfallsareobvious.Afloodofnewspassesthrough,muchofwhicheducatesandinspires,muchofwhich confuses and distracts. It spreads legitimate news as easily as it spreads unfoundedrumors from spurious sources. Facebook has become the headquarters of “copy and pastereporting.” There are always people who thrive on drama. In a world that is filled with genuineconspiraciesandsubterraneanmachinations,suchpeoplefinditeasytolatchontostoriesthatconfirmtheirdarkestfears,eveniftheylackproperattributionormeansofverification.Forsuch people, the craving for sensationalism is like a drug.Unfortunately, there are alwayspeoplewillingtopromotesuchstories,sometimesforfame,sometimesformoney. So much more information is available. But the need for sober and dispassionateinvestigation of claims has never left us. Today, it is arguably more necessary than everbefore.

TheDeclineofProfessionalJournalismUnfortunately,justwhenmorethaneverweneedprofessionaljournalistswithbraveryandintegrity, theyhavebecomeanendangeredspecies.Free,professional journalistshave longbeenunderstoodasthebackboneofafunctioningrepresentationalgovernment.Yet,thepastgenerationwitnessedthesteadydeclineofthejournalisticprofession. Mergers of once-independent newspapers have left people with fewer and fewerindependentvoices.Inparticular,theintegrationofmediaconglomerateswithothercorporateentities,suchastheownershipofNBCbyNBCUniversal,whichissimplyaholdingcompanyforGE andComcast. Thatmatters becauseGE has been, year in and year out, one of thelargestdefensecontractorsintheUnitedStates.MSNBCisco-ownedbyNBCandMicrosoft.Such types of arrangements are the case with all majormedia. The other very fewmajorownersofmediaareDisney,NewsCorporation,TimeWarner,Viacom,andCBS.Thesehugeentities own most of the dominant voices in American television, radio, newspapers,magazines, motion pictures. They also have a dominant presence throughout much of theworld.Realistically,theirinterlockingpartnershipswitheachotheressentiallymakethemthesamemega-corporation.Itwouldbeinterestingtolearnhowmuchoverlapexistsamongthedominantshareholdersofthesecorporations,althoughthistypeofinformationisproprietaryandthereforeoff-limits.Atthesametimethatmediamergershavecreatedsuchbloatedgiants,genuinejournalismand investigation have been determined to be too expensive.Much cheaper, it turns out, isspoutingmereopinion.Thus,weseeeverywherethatopinionismaskedasnews.Theresultisthemostcorporate-friendlybrandofjournalismeverseeninhistory.Wearefacedwithamainstreamnewsmedia that iscompletely inbedwithpowerfulcorporateandprivateinterests,andiscloselyconnectedtonationalsecurityinterests.Suchanoutcomeistoxictorealjournalism,tosaynothingoflibertyitself,whichdepends

in part upon a free press.All themore difficult, too, for engaged citizenswho care aboutUFOstofindapieceofsolidgrounduponwhichtostand.Itisallthemorereasonthatsuchcitizensmustdoitthemselves.

Whistleblowers,RealandAllegedTheworldhasbecomewideopen.Wearenearthepointwhereanyonecanspeaktoanyone,anyonecansayanything—withtheimportantprovisothattheynotviolatetheever-expandingdefinitionofwhatconstitutesnationalsecurity.Agenerationago,allegedwhistleblowerssuchasBobLazarwere relatively rare.Now,newclaims appear seemingly everyweek.ProjectCamelot,managedforyearsbyKerryCassidyandBillRyan,hasinterviewedmanyoftheseindividuals.Someoftheminterviewsarefascinatingandprovidevaluableinformation.Somehaveclaimedtobeinsiderswithsensitiveinformationthathasprovendifficultorimpossibletoprove.Othershavebeenroundlycriticizedasdisinformants.Itisnothardtoseewhywemightbedrawntosuchsources.Werealizethatthemainstreamsystem of news reporting is not merely woefully inadequate, but irremediably unreliable,self-serving,andcorrupt.Weknow,instinctivelyandfactually,thatwearebeingliedtoeverydaybyastructureofpowerthatwantstocontrolandpacifythegreatmassesofhumanity.So,whenwehear someonewho claims to have inside information about the true situation,wewanttolisten,andmaybebelieve.Still,manyoftheseallegedwhistleblowershavefailedtoconfirmtheirclaims,oreventheirown credentials. You don’t get to be a whistleblower if you can’t reach that first step ofverification.Somehavebeeninvestigatedandshowntobefrauds.Therestjustseemtocomeandgo.Theymaketheirallegations, thentheydisappearnevertobeheardfromagain, likethe anonymous Norwegian politician who in 2008 who claimed there were massiveundergroundfacilitiesfortheglobalelitetousewhen“PlanetX”arrivednotlaterthan2012.Massdeathwouldensue.[301]This isnot to singleoutProjectCamelot,because it remainsimportant for private efforts like theirs and others to keep searching for legitimateinformationaboutourworld.Such informationcertainlywon’t fall like ripe fruit from thenational security establishment. Yet, unverifiable and even alarmist claims are everywhere.Today,theytypicallyarriveasanewFacebookrumortostealourattentionandthenmoveon.Theyareadistractiontogenuineresearch,andstudentsofourworld’sunseemlyunderbellyneedrigorandcautionwhendealingwiththem.Beyondlegitimateinvestigatorswhoaresimplyoutonthefringeandtakingchances,thereare certain public individuals, connected however loosely to UFO research, who makepredictionafterprediction,oftenbasedonunverifiable“insidesources.”Suchpredictionsareneveroftrivialmatters,butofmajor,globallytransformativeevents.Whetherpredictingtheso-called Project Blue Beam event, the approach of the comets Elenin or ISON, mythicalsecret wars, destructions of the secret bases operated by the so-called “black hats,” or theincessantclaimsofimminentDisclosureofUFOsandextraterrestrialsbytheU.S.President,theseso-calledresearchershavenothingtodowiththeproperstudyofUFOs.Theymerelypile on to the rumor mill, gaining notoriety and website hits while providing endlessdistractionsfromrealwork. This is unfortunate because undoubtedly there are real, actual people out therewho aretryingtobewhistleblowers.Suchpeoplemaywellfearthattheirsignalwillbelostamidthe

noisethatpermeatesthealternativeresearchcommunity.

IncreaseofSightings As if all this extranoisedidnotposeenoughofachallenge,wehave somethingelse toconsider.UFOreportshavebeenonadramaticincreasesincethe1990s.HerearethenumbersfromtheNationalUFOReportingCenter(NUFORC):[302]

1990:2771995:14222000:30312001:34772002:3624

2003:43662004:46932005:44462006:40762007:4652

2008:51882009:48682010:45422011:52262012:77742013:7086

PerhapspeoplearegenuinelyseeingmoreUFOs than inprioryears.Afterall,wemighttheorizethatthebeingsresponsibleforthephenomenonwouldbemoreinterestedinusnowthanpreviously.But realistically,most of this increase is due to the ease of reporting.TheNUFORCwebsitebeganacceptinglivereportsfromthepublicduringthelate1990s.Beforethat,peopleneededtocallinbyphone,whichmeanttheyneededtoobtainthephonenumbersomehow,orelse they reached thecenterviaotherorganizations.Asemailingsubmissionsbecame standard, and especially as more and more people became connected to the web,reports skyrocketed.Thisexplains the ten-fold riseofUFOreportsduring the1990s, fromlessthan300peryearto3,000peryear.Thegrowthhascontinued,spikingsharplyin2003towellover4,000sightings,tomorethan5,000in2008,andover7,000in2012and2013!Thecontrastwithearlierdecadesisstark.DuringthedaysofProjectBlueBook,thelargestnumberofreportsinoneyear,byfar,wasduring1952whentheAirForcereceivedjustover1,500. Thatwas considered an incredible amount at the time, butwould have amounted toroughlytwomonthsofsightingsduring2012. WithNUFORCacceptinganywherefrom5,000toperhaps8,000sightingsduringagivenyear,we are talking about an averageof fifteen to twentyUFOsbeing reported to that siteeachday.Consider,too,NUFORCisdevotednearlyexclusivelytoNorthAmericansightings.Notonlythis,butNUFORCisnoteventheonlymajorwebsitethatrecordsUFOsightingsinNorth America. There is, after all, the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), which publishesroughly 6,000 or more sightings per year, in other words, about the same number asNUFORC.Undoubtedly,thereissomeoverlap,althoughresearchersreallyhavenoideahow

much sincenoonehas done thework to findout.But, itwould seemconservative to statethereareover10,000UFOreportsmadeinNorthAmericaeachyearfromthesetwowebsitesalone.Thatmighttranslatetoperhapsthirtyormoreeachday. Asmessy as thedata collection system is inNorthAmerica, it is vastlybetter thanwhatexistselsewhere.ThereareoutstandingUFOresearcherslivinginallpartsoftheworld,butmuch greater organization is needed. At a bare minimum, there need to be civilian-basedorganizations that can accept UFO reports from the public, and then have some ability tofollow-up,atleastonsomeofthemorepromisingcases. One thing ufology needs to do—certainly not the only thing—is to develop an annualcompendiumofUFOreportsfromaroundtheworld.Thecapabilitynowexists.ImaginehowusefulitwouldbeifresearchgroupsfromNorthAmerica,Europe,theMiddleEast,Asia,andAfrica all collaborated and shared their data. Now, well into the 21st century, there is noreasonforthisnottohappen. Ofcourse,otherproblemswillremain.Afterall,howcancanthesethousandsofreportseverreceiveproperinvestigations?Withwhatmoney?Whatresources?

TheNeedforProperInvestigationsWiththeforegoinginmind,itiseasytoappreciatethevalueofthefeworganizationsthatdoanysystematicand rational investigationofUFOreports.Of these,MUFONis themostprominent in thewesternhemisphere,perhaps theworld. If this is so, andwithno intendeddisparagementofMUFON,thenglobalufologyisinasadstateofaffairs.MUFONexistsonathreadbarebudget.Ithasroughlytwothousandmembers,andperhapsafew hundred investigators. Of these, there are a mere handful of truly dedicated, activeinvestigatorswhocanbe reliedupon to follow throughwith solid investigations, research,analysis,andreporting.Afterall, theydo thison theirownmoneyand time.Yet, itmustbesaid, that despite the many obstacles in their way, MUFON's investigators have made anirreplaceable contribution to ufology.Without someone to investigate a report,we are leftonlywithclaimsandcounter-claims,butnoprogressinobtainingreliableknowledge. MUFON's greatest assets are its investigators who do the work and strive to adhere toscientificufology.Aslongastheorganizationcanretainpeoplelikethat,itcanhaveafuture. But it has never grown. Since its foundation in the 1960s, MUFON’s membership hashovered at around twoor three thousand.Considering the immense popularity of theUFOsubjectaroundtheworld,howcanthisbe? A key reason is a historical failure of leadership, and ultimately a lack of vision andimagination.Lookingbackatnearlyhalfacenturyofactivity,whathasMUFONreallydone?Theanswer is: ithascollectedreports, investigatedwhat itcould,publishedasmall journalforitsmembers,andheldannualsymposia.Thatisaboutit.Amidallofitsdatacollection,MUFONhasconsistentlyfailedtoprovideaclearmessagetotherestof theworld.Howmuchmoreeffectiveitsresearchanddatacollectionwouldhavebeenhadittakentheefforttocompileandpublishsomethinglikeanannualreport.TheU.S.AirForcedid thisduring itsoperationofProjectBlueBook,butof course,whatMUFONcoulddowouldbe somuchbetter. It couldcreate somethingalong the linesof a twenty tofiftypagereport,preparedbycompetentwriters.Itcouldincludeastatisticalanalysisofthe

annual sightings, along with the number of true unidentifieds for the year, somethingresearchershavenotseenona largescalesinceBlueBookclosed in1969.Suchanannualreportmightalsoincludebriefsummariesofthetoptenortwentyreportsoftheyear.MUFONhasneverattemptedeventhisbasicpieceofpublicrelations.Byitself,itwouldgovery far to establish it as the “go to” organization in the eyes of the media, and wouldimprove its credibility with the general public, perhaps even the academic and scientificcommunity. I should add here that in 2013 I had a conversation with MUFON’s newInternational Director, Jan Harzan. He told me that this now is indeed a goal of theorganization,whichsurelywouldbeapositivestep.ButthislongstandingfailureisonlypartofalargersymptomofMUFON’sbasicproblem.Because, although it possesses more of a grassroots history than other American UFOorganizations, ithasstillgenerallyfailed toengageor inspire itsownmembers.Foryears,members have complained about data going intoMUFON and never coming out. Hand inhandwithsuchcomplaintshavebeensuspicionsabout thenationalsecurityand intelligencecommunityconnectionsthathavealwaysdominatedMUFON’sBoardofDirectors.Certainly,it is aBoard that selects its ownmembers, allowingminimal input from the rank and filemembership.Inotherwords,MUFONhasnotdemonstratedthatitisanythingmorethanaclosed,old-boynetwork that takes time and resources from its members, but gives little in return to itsmembersor theworld.If theorganizationdoesnotreform,itwillonlybeamatterof timebefore another organization, one which resonates with the public, will make MUFONirrelevant.Suchaturnofeventscaneasilyhappenquicklyandunexpectedly,andMUFONwillbenomore.Topreventsuchaneventuality,itspathisclear:itmustinstitutetrulydemocraticchangethatwill allow itsmembers to feel that theyhave a stake in it.Such things are alwayspossible.Whether or not MUFON can actually do this is less clear, not while its current structureremains inplace.More thananythingelse, itneedsacool, freshbreezeandagreatdealofsunshine pouring in.We should sincerely hope this happens, because someone needs to bedoingproperUFOinvestigations.

TheModernArmchairResearcher Although we need responsible organizations to conduct proper investigations of UFOsightingsandcreatepublicreportsoftheiractivities,ultimatelyitcomesdowntoeachpersondoingallheorshecan.Unlikeduringearliereras,mostofourinteractionwiththeUFOtopictodaycomesthroughthe Internet.WhetherviaFacebook,YouTube,or awebsite, people learn almost everythingonline. The amount of information can be overwhelming, and is certainly not always true.Thismeans that eachpersonmustbecomehisorherownbest investigator.Whatweneed,beforeanythingelse,isaproperphilosophy.Weneedprinciplesbywhichwecancreateorderoutofchaos. The firstprinciple isacommitment tocheck factsandsources.Anyclaim,whetherbyawell-known researcher or someone previously unknown, needs to be questioned andinvestigated.Wemustbe in thehabitofaskingcertainbasicquestions.Onwhatbasis is theclaim being made? What is the evidence brought forth? Can the evidence be examined

independently,whetherbyotherresearchersorevenbyourselves?Canwedeterminewhethertheauthorhasanunnamedagenda? In conducting such research, it is important to find theoriginal sourceof the allegation.Thereareanumberofwaystodothis.Asanexample,wemayconsidertheclaimsaroundthenotorious Project “Blue Beam.” Today, there are countless websites and YouTube videosdiscussing this alleged plan. It has many variations, but in essentials it revolves around aclandestine group creating a “false flag” scenario (whether as a staged alien invasion, asecond coming of Christ, or some similarly terrifying event) which would then frightenpeopleintosubmittingtoatotalitarianNewWorldOrder.Eachday,newpeopleareexposedtothisclaim.Naturally,theywonderifitmightbetrue.Thefirstthingtodoissubjectittoawebsearch.AGoogleentryon“BlueBeam”quicklyleads to the site “Rational Wiki,” a well-known skeptical website. There, one finds adescriptionoftheoriginsoftheidea:oneSergeMonast,adeceasedFrenchQuebecoiswhofirstdiscussed itpublicly in1994.We learn further that the likelyoriginof that ideawasa1991episodeofStarTrek:TheNextGeneration,whichinturnderivedfromascriptwrittenby Gene Roddenberry during the 1970s.While the tone of RationalWiki is sarcastic andunprofessional (the site stridently debunks conspiracies and claims of the paranormal),informationisprovidedthatonecanfurtherexamineandverify.[303] Obviously, relyingononesource isnotagood idea,but it isa start.Ournext step is tolocate the very first instance the phrase “Blue Beam” to appear on the Internet. Sincewebsearchescanlocatesitesgoingbacktotheearly1990s,theynowcoverasizableportionofourrecenthistory. Thegoodnewsis thatsuchasearchispossibleviaGoogle’ssearchengine,bytypingin“blue beam” and selecting “Search tools.” A drop down menu appears, and one selectionallows for searching by date. Unfortunately, the capability does not yet exist to obtain allresults in complete chronological order, but the next-best-thing is that one can performdiscretesearches,forinstanceyearbyyear. We quickly learn that an “Operation Blue Beam” was used by French and BelgianparatroopersinthenationofZairein1991.Clearly,nottheBlueBeamweareseeking.Also,unfortunately, the method is not perfect, as a number of apparent “hits” from early yearsactuallyleadtositesoflateryears—theoriginalwebsitemayhavebeenfrom1992,butitmayalsohavebeenupdated.Researchersneedtocheckeachlinktoconfirmtheactualdateofthesite.ButdiligencedoespayoffwithGoogle’sdatesearchfeature.Loandbehold!WefindthattheearliestreferencetoProjectBlueBeamappearedonJune14,1994,inanissueofasmallAmerican journal,Contact: ThePhoenixProject. Thiswas a journalwith an idiosyncratic,religiousagenda,whichdiscussedmanyconspiracies,realandalleged.Italsoseemedtohavea great love of the all-caps feature. Incidentally, the publisher of that journal later claimedcreditforavertingtheBlueBeamcatastrophebyhisexposureoftheplot.[304] We find that the initial formulation of Blue Beam was a purely evangelical Christianformulation,whichpromiseda false raptureandmanyother false“signs” thatwouldcausepeople to turn away from the true faith and make way for the Anti-Christ. Serge Monastpredicted Blue Beam for several occasions, most notably the Year 2000. After nothinghappenedatthattime,theideamorphedincreasinglyintoanET-invasionscenario.Thisisthevalueofdatesearch:itcanallowresearcherstofind,fairlyquickly,thehistory

ofanideaorclaimoverthepastseveraldecades.Thisisanexcellentwaytoseehowvariousthemes, memes, tropes, and claims have entered our society. Very often, when seeing theoriginalinstanceofapieceofinformation,aresearchercanmakeabetterdeterminationofitsvalidity.Notalways,butoften.Itisalsointeresting,uptoacertainpoint,toseehowmanywebsites simply copy and paste their information from each other.One quickly learns thatsuchbehaviorisendemic. Anothertoolthatanyarmchairresearchershouldknowisthereverse-imagesearch.LiketheDateSearchfeature,itispowerfulandunderutilized.Theideaofreverseimagesearchissimple:a jpeg file isuploadedordragged into the ImageSearchbar.Then, through imageidentificationsoftware,allexamplesofthatimagewhichexistonthewebaredisplayed.ThefirstcompanytoofferthiswasTinEye,whichdebuteditssearchengineinMay2008.Yet,itwasnotcomprehensiveorespeciallywell-known.MattersweredifferentwhenGooglerolledoutitsverypowerfulversionofreverseimagesearchinginJune2011.Inashortperiodoftime,reverseimagesearcheshaveexposedmanyallegedimagesofUFOsoralienbodiesashoaxes,eitherfrommoviestillsorothersources.

UsingGooglereverseimagesearchin3steps:apowerfultool.

YouTubeisanotherplacewhereUFOresearchersspendalotoftheirtime.Aspreviouslydiscussed, it is important to remember that a video alone does not constitute sufficientevidencefortherealityofaUFO.Yet,somevideosundoubtedlyareworthfollow-upeffort.Insuchcases,probablythefirstorderofbusinessissimplywatchingthevideocarefullyandreadingthecommentsbelow.Inalllikelihood,someonehasalreadyprovidedausefulinsight.Butforrealfollowup,aresearcherwillwanttocontacttheuploaderofthevideo.Doingthisis essential for several reasons. First of all, for genuine video analysis to be done, theoriginal,highest-resolutioncopymustbeavailable, and this canonlybeobtained from the

uploader.Also,however,theuploadermaybeabletoanswerkeyquestions,(assumingheorshe recorded the video) or may be able to discuss the incident, or perhaps produce otherwitnesses,and ingeneralhelpfindawayfor independentresearchers to investigatefurther.All of this is basic follow-up investigation, and well within the capabilities of mostresearchersandstudentsofUFOs.

AllegedUFOs(circled)overLondon,2011.OneofmanysuchfakevideostobefoundonYouTube.

It shouldbeadded that researcherswhospendany timewithUFOvideosshould take thetime tostudyvideoeditingsoftware,suchasAdobeAfterEffects.Oneneednotbecomeanexpert.Butanyonecanlearnviasomebasicwebsearchingandtutorialsabouttechniquesandcapabilitiesforspottingvideomanipulation.AnotherimportantpolicyforseriousresearchersistobecomefamiliarwithwebsitesthathostactivebulletinboardsrelatingtoUFOs.Itistruethattherearealwaysanumberofpeopleat these sites who are simply trolls and obstructionists. Nevertheless, such sites, such asabovetopsecret.com, alienscientist.com, and many others, usually have contributors withgenuineinsights.Theyareusefulbecausenooneisanisland.Noonealonehasthetimeorresources to unravel and answer every nagging question they encounter. Others have

frequently done thework before us, and there is no point in letting their hardwork go towaste. Researchers must also remember that skepticism is a good thing. UFOs are elusive.Whatevertheyrepresentdoesnotreadilyreveal itself tous.Mistakenassumptionsandfalseconclusionsarecommonandunderstandable.Itisthereforewiseandappropriatetoholdourownconclusions atbayuntilwegain asmuch informationaspossible, andat all timeswemustbewillingtochangeourminds.Forthisreason,seriousresearchersmustalwaysseekout skeptical perspectives. Those who believe in the reality of UFOs may disagree withskepticsonmanyimportantmatters.Indeed,manyskepticsturntheirpositionsintoareligionof sorts, in the process combining a relentless ignorance of the topic with insufferablearrogance.Butskepticsareessentialtohelpingufologymoveforward.Firstofall,onmanyspecificcases,skepticismisentirelyjustified.Historyshowsthatthelarge majority of raw UFO reports are explainable in conventional terms. Responsibleresearchmust search forways to debunkUFO cases, not because of an ideology that sayssuchthingsareimpossible,butbecausewemustadheretohighstandardsofevidencebeforemaking strong claims. Pragmatically speaking, it isworth remembering that understandingthe skeptical position on a particular case can save a researcher embarrassment later on,especiallywhentheydiscoverthatacasetheyhavesupportedforyearsturnsouttobeentirelyprosaic. Such things happen, after all. Moreover, when we encounter a good skepticalargument,butarestillabletoseewhyitfallsshort,wehavestrengthenedourunderstandingofthecaseunderexamination.Anytimeweassumewehavealltheanswers,andthattheso-calledenemyhasnothingtocontribute,webecomevictimsofourownlimitedworldview. In general, researchers and students of UFOs should cultivate a calm attitude and anunwillingness to become overly stressed when encountering new claims and information.Ratherthanrenderingsnapjudgments,givetimefornewinformationandperspectivestosinkin.Inaneraasvolatileasourown,wewoulddowelltobemoreprudentinourjudgmentandstatements. So, when the latest and greatest UFO sighting comes your way, take your time. Readthrough comments and analyses offered by other people, and not merely those alreadyinclinedtoagreewithyou.Mostofall,bewareofpeoplewhomakegrandioseclaimsofanysort.Theyarenevertobetrusted. If youdoubt this, goback throughhistory at themanygreat andgrandpredictionswhichneverpassed.[305]Talkischeap.Insuchmatters,Irecallthewiseandtruewordsofmyfather,aveteranNewYorkCitypoliceofficer.Healwaystoldme:moneytalks,bullshitwalks.

ThePhilosophicalDivide Over the last generation,we have seen several transformations inwhatwemay call thealternative community. One element is political, in which it has become ever moreradicalized,particularlysinceSeptember11,2001.But,therehasbeenaphilosophicalshiftaswell. Lacking a perfect label for it, perhapswe can simply call it the arrival ofNewAgethinking.Theoverallresultofthishasbeenmixed. In the first place, old fashionedmaterialistic ufology has limitations.As far back as the1960sand1970s,researchershadbeenpointingoutthattheUFOphenomenonisstrange,andseemed to be beyond our conventional understanding of science. At the same time,

contemporary science, especially physics, has opened up new vistas of thought, such asquantumentanglement,non-locality,andotherconcepts that seem in line tosomedegreeatleastwithsomeancientbeliefsaboutthepowerofthemind,evenmindovermatter.Inotherwords,everythingweencounterinNewAgeculture. Consider quantum entanglement (which will be discussed at greater length in a laterchapter).Thisissomethingphysicistshavenotedanddiscussedsincethe1930s.Entanglementhappenswhen certain tinyparticles, such as photons and electrons, interact physically, thenbecome separated, but then continue to act as apair in termsof their position,momentum,spin, polarization and more, even across great distances. How does this happen? In otherwords, theyseemtobeconnectedor insomesortofcommunication.Especiallyoddis thattheeffectsappeartotranscendthespeedlimitoftransmittinginformation;thatis,fasterthanlight.SmallwonderthatEinsteinoncecalledit“spookyactionatadistance.”Therehasalsobeenworkdoneonremoteviewing,muchofwhichhasbeenwithintheU.S.intelligencecommunity.Despitewhatthepropagandahassaid,remoteviewingworks.Thatis,humanbeingshave indeedbeen able to “see” things remotely, notmerely across spacebutseemingly across time.Whatdoes thismean regarding the fabric of our reality?How is itpossiblethatsomeonecanseesomethingontheothersideoftheworld,orsomethingthathasnot yet happened in our time stream? Doubly so with claims of remote influencing, evenremotekilling,asintherealstorybehindTheMenWhoStareatGoats.Thereareseveralreasonswhythisrelatestoufology.Oneistheapparentcapabilityoftheseobjects to violate our known laws of physics by appearing or disappearing, acceleratinginstantly, floating people through walls and ceilings and so on. Another is the apparentcapabilityofthesebeingstoenterourminds.Weseethisagainandagainintheresearch. In other words, the mind is important to this field in ways that earlier generations ofresearchersdidnotunderstand.Weneedtoexplorethisinwaysthatmakesensescientifically.Ourproblemisthatwearestillatapointwhereconfirmingmindtomindcommunicationisdifficult,ifnotimpossible.Stillmoreproblematicareclaimsbypeople—agrowingnumbereachyear,itseems—tohavereceivedtelepathiccommunications,orchanneledtransmissions,fromotherentities,manyofwhomaresaidtobeextraterrestrial. It is not that such claims are necessarily false. After all, if we allow for some level ofremoteviewinginourselves,thisissomethingthatmaywellbepartofhumannatureitself.Itshouldnotberuledoutapriorithatunusualtypesofcommunicationareimpossible. Instead, theproblem is thatuntilwe findaway tounderstandchanneledcommunicationsmore scientifically, and more importantly to find a way to verify or disprove them, theycannotbeconsideredvalidtypesofevidence.Theymaybetrue,ornot.Yet,unlessoutsiderscantestsuchclaimsinsomemanner,itisanunfairburdenplacedonotherswhenaskingfortheirbelief. As an aside, my own conclusion is that the large majority of claimed channeledtransmissions and telepathic “downloads” are false.Sadly, there is aprevalence among toomanytodisregardtheconceptsofsciencewhenreviewingsuchclaims. During thebuildup to the“GreatEvent”ofDecember21,2012, the Internetwas floodedwithsitesthatdiscussedthecomingtransformationofhumanity,almostalwaysreferredtoashumanity'sascensionorawakening.Theattitudeamongmanywassostrident,socertain,thatit was frequently considered an unarguable fact. Logic was absent. One statement from a

typicalblogexpressedthemindsetverywell:Ifyoudon’tunderstandorfeeltheconceptoftransformationofself,ascension,awakening,then,really,whatdoyouknow?Itmeansyouhaven’texperienced theawakeningwhich,by theway, it isnotscientificallyproven...and in thatcase,youarearationalistwithnofaithorcontactwith thedivine,andtheageofrationalismhaspassed, thankGod.Ihopeyouwillgettoapointwhenyouwillusethereasonoftheheartandnotfocussoexclusivelyonthephysicalmindthatcanonlyperceiveillusion.[306]

This is a perspectivewith a long history. It differs not a bit from the perspective of theearliestChristians, and indeed ofmost of theworld's spiritual traditions. It states that truthmustbeperceived.Itmustbefelt.Thatwhatwecallobjectiverealityisanillusion,andnotthetruereality.Thisbeliefusuallyincludestheideathathumanity'spowerofmindisverygreat,perhapsinfinite,andthatafterweachieveatransformation,orawakening,orascension,wewillbecomeasgods,withpowertocontrolourworldthroughthemind.Thistypeofthinkingisnotpartofufology,assuch,inthatitisnotdirectlyconcernedwiththestudyofUFOs.Yet,it isintheair,permeatingthealternativefieldtoagreaterorlesserdegree.Inmanycases,asintheabovestatement, itconstitutesadirectrefutationofscience.Elsewhere,ittriestomergethescienceofnon-localitywithNewAgemysticism,nearlyallofwhich derives from theTheosophy of individuals likeHelenaBlavatsky,AliceBailey, andevenAleisterCrowley.Wewouldbefoolishtorejectsuchattemptsoutofhand.Allnewideas,especiallythosethathavesprungfromdeep-seatedhumanneeds,andwhicharesowidespread,shouldbestudiedforwhat they can offer. Butwe should remember that all new philosophical developmentscontainmuchthatiseventuallydiscarded.Thebestcourseistoreactwithdeliberationwhileweincorporatethescienceofthemindintoufology.Whilewedoso,channelersandotherswhomakeunverifiablepredictionsmustbe held accountable for their claims. That includes seeking out skeptical arguments thatdebunktheirclaims,forthereisnoquestionthatsomeoftheseindividualsarefakesthroughand through. Simply because it may be possible in theory that a person can “hear” anextraterrestrial inhisorherminddoesnotmean thatsomeotherperson is telling the truthwhentheyclaimtocommunicatewithbeingsfromAndromeda.Orthattheytimetraveled,orwent toMars,or thatonDecember21,2012(ornowsomefuturedate),youwill transformintoacrystallineentitywithouttheneedtoeatfood,andthatallthenastyproblemshumanitycurrentlyfaceswillbesolved.Onlyfoolsdiscardthetriedandtruerulesofevidenceforapileofmagicbeans.

Ufology’sFuture Whether the current leaders and thinkers in UFO research recognize this or not, thisdisciplinemustremainup-to-date.Itmustbebasedonsoundscientificprinciples,butwiththeabilitytoembracefreshideasandnewtechnologies.Whatisneededisleadership.Notmerelyfromtheheadofwhateverorganizationsmayexist,buttrueleaderswherevertheymaybe.Untilthesecretsarealldisclosed,oruntiltheseotherbeingsannouncethemselvestous,wewill remain at the stage of trying to record, understand, and explain this mystery. In thecomingyearsanddecades,wewillbeseeingnewtechnologiesintroducedthatwillhelpustodothis.Asrecentlyasthedawnofthe21stcentury,fewpeoplecouldhaveforeseenthatcellphoneswouldbecapableofsharingsomuchinformation,orindeedthattheywouldsurpass

computers as the dominant form of Internet connectivity. Who knows what the next fewdecadeswillbring.Today,youcansearchdatabasesofUFOsightingsthatwerenotavailableevenrecently.YoucandownloadanapponyoursmartphonethatkeepsyouinformedonnewUFOsightingsinyour area, or any area. MUFON has such an app, and it certainly does not perform asintended,buttheideaisexcellentandeventuallysuchanappwillbeperfected. Phoneswill continue to evolve and acquire new capabilities, perhaps detecting infraredsignals or electromagnetic disturbances. The possibilities seem endless. It is essential forresearcherstoremainawareofthesedevelopmentsandusethem.Ofcourse,weneedthetechnologyinordertocommunicateandlearnfromeachother.ThevalueofYouTubehasalreadybeendiscussed,butbeyondthis,wefaceafutureofubiquitousvideoconferencingandlivestreaming.Already,thesetechnologiesarebothstartingtomakeadifferenceinufology.Theyneedtobepushedfurther.Ultimately,however,nomatterhowfarintothefutureufologygoes,itmustcontinuetorelyupon sound investigations and proper reporting of results that actually reach the public.Scientific ufology, but with modern leadership, political savvy, and a commitment to thepeople.

Ufology:GettingPersonalOnethingIhavelearnedinmytwodecadesofstudyingtheUFOphenomenonisthatithasthepowertocaptivatesomeone’sattentionandbecomeanobsession.Iwillneverforgetmyfirstyearoftrueattentionandresearchintothisfield,andthemanynightsoflyinginmybed,staringattheceiling,tryingtoreconfiguremyworldviewinawaythatmadesensewiththenew facts I had learned. For myself, the feeling was more akin to an intense intellectualcuriositythananythingelse,a“splinterinthemind”(inthewordsofthecharacterMorpheusfrom themovie,TheMatrix). For some, however, the effect goes deeper still. I have seenpersonalitiesbecomenearlydestabilizedbytheeffectofhavingtheironce-stableworldviewshakenorevenshatteredbythesubjectofUFOs.Idon’tknowofasure-firemethodtopreventthisfromhappeningtocertainpeople.Weareall different. There are some people, who knows why, who seem to roll with thistransformationmoreeasilythanothers.Insomecases,however,therearethosewhobecomeconvincedthattheyhavehadexperiencesofsomesortwiththisphenomenon,includingdirectcontact with these other intelligences. Such people may be correct or not, but there is noquestionthattheirnewinformationaffectsthemdeeply.Theybecomeobsessedbythissubjectinawaythatconsumestheir lives,sometimesinanunhealthyway.It isadifficult thingforanyperson to reinvent their basicunderstandingof theworld, especially after they reach amatureage.Noonewantstogothroughthatprocess,becauseitisanimplicitrecognitionthattheirmanyprioryearswerespentlivinginakindofillusoryworld.Ironically,itisoftenthosewithahigherlevelofformaleducationwhoseemtohaveahardtimewith this.After all, they have spent those years convinced that theywere ahead of thegame, that they were more knowledgeable than the average person about how the worldworks,andinvestedmuchoftheirself-esteemandidentityintothatunderstanding.Butitcanhappentoanyone.Allofthisismadeharderbythefactbytheirbeliefthatmostoftheirfriends,family,and

colleagueswouldeithernotbelievethem,ormightevenridiculethem.Andsowhiletheygothroughthisdifficulttransformation,thereareoftenveryfewpeopletheycantalktoaboutit. Addedtothis isanotherproblem.Oncesomeonedecidesthat this isasubjectworththeirattention,theyusuallyrealizethatthereisanoverabundanceofinformationandliterature.Itcanfeeloverwhelming,especiallyifoneisstartingnotonlywithalimitedknowledgeofthesubject, but often a relatively limited knowledge of science, history, philosophy, politics,psychology,oranynumberofothersubjectsthatarecertainlyhelpfulinnavigatingone’swaythroughthistangledfield. But the challenge is harder still when we remember that most people have otherresponsibilitiesintheirlives:family,jobs,socialobligationsandtherest.Iftheyworklonghours,asmanydo,theyaretiredwhentheycomehomeandareprobablynotinthemoodtodohoursof research,dayafterday, tohelprecreatesomesemblanceofanorderedreality,especiallywhen that new reality ismuch less congenial and reassuring thanwhat they hadonceknown.Moreover,theyprobablydon’twanttofightthemachine,theydon’twanttobeheroes;theyjustwantagoodlife.Ufologyisnotasubjectforthefaintofheart.Likeallgreatquestionsofwhichthehumanmindiscapable—Doesthesoulexist?Isallofrealityexplainablebyscience?IsthereaGod?Do all people have inalienable rights? Is it possible for human beings to create a justcivilization?—the question, Is there another advanced intelligence operating covertly onPlanetEarth?isonethatdemandsmanyqualities.Oneispatience.Anotherispersistence.Yetanother is courage. The act of exploring this subject in the depth it deserves exacts atransformation not merely of our previous worldview, which is hard enough. It changesourselves,deeplyandtruly.

Chapter10WhoAreThey?WhatDoTheyWant?

Perhapsthis is themostdifficultofallsubjectswithinufology.Unfortunatelyforus, it isalsothemostimportant.Nomatterhowmanyfacetsweexploreofthisendlesslyfascinatingsubject, we ultimately arrive at The Question: who or what are we dealing with? It is aquestion that has engaged everymind that has ever approached the subject ofUFOs, and adefinitiveanswerhaseludeditsmostbrilliantthinkers.

TheProblemofHumanPerceptionInasubjectascloudyasdeterminingwhothesebeingsare,wemustbeawareofthequalityof evidence. In every case, the specifics come down to witness testimony. Skeptics rightly

point out that, given the fallibility of human perception andmemory,witness testimony byitselfisproblematicasevidence.Ofcourse,UFOskepticsgofurther,assertingthatanyonewhoclaimstorememberanalienabduction is not remembering a real event in any objective sense. Instead, it is usuallyasserted, there is some level of confabulation involved. That is not to say that the allegedabducteeislying,butthatsomeleveloffaultymemoryisatwork.Indeed,thereareanumberofcaseswherethishasclearlybeenso.Itistruethatapersoncanremembersomethingthatdid not actually happen, particularlywhile under hypnotic regression, and especiallywhenthatsessionisconductedbysomeonewhoisleadingtheirimagination.Inthefirstplace,thehumanmindhas theability tocreatevividscenarios. In thesecondplace,weallhavesomeability to fool ourselves, and everyone has at some point in their life misrememberedsomethingimportant.Evenifalienabductionsarereal,confabulationisalwaysapossibility.Supposeanalienabductionhastakenplace.Howlikelywoulditbethattheabducteehadaperfect memory of the event? Management of human memory is real. Intelligence andmilitary agencieshavebeenworkingon thisproblemsince the1940s.Even thepsychiatricprofession quite openly has published a great amount of research on human memorymanagement.[307]WehavestrongevidencethatthishasbeenofimportancetotheCIA,KGB,andotherintelligenceagencies.[308]IonceinterviewedaformerU.S.AirForceintelligencespecialistwhohadwhatstronglyappeared tobeamemoryerasureprocessupondischargefrom her service atOkinawa in 1982. Thiswas done to her by theU.S.military, or somegroup in the U.S. intelligence system, using a combination of counseling, drugs, andelectronicstimulationofthebrain(ESB). Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that some people are having encounters withentities, or an advanced species. Let us further assume that these beingsmay not want theabducteestohaveameaningfulrecollectionoftheevent.Itseemsquitepossible,evenlikely,that theywould take theirownsteps to thwart thatperson’smemory.For this reasonalone,abductionmemoriesshouldbeacceptedwithcaution. Having said this, it seems unreasonable to adopt an ultra-skeptical position that humanperceptionandmemoryareinherentlyunreliable.Granted,ourmemoriesareincompleteandsometimes faulty, but all of us have memories, and most of our memories are generallyaccurate.Forexample,Idistinctlyrecallbeingonarollercoasterrideasaboyonesummer,feelingabsolutelypetrified.Irememberthefeelingofdesperatelywantingtogetoff,andofbeing in tears. I remember my mother greeting me when the ride was over, but I don’tremembertheexactyear.WasIsixorsevenyearsold?WhereexactlywasI?WhatdidIdofortherestofthatday?ThesearethingsIdonotremember,butIknowIhadtheexperience.Todoubtallwitnesstestimonyorrecollectionssimplybecausetheyareheldtobeinherentlyunreliableisirrational.Itisanattitudenotsupportedbyhumanexperience.Therefore,ifweacceptthevalidityofwitnesstestimonyandrecollections,wemaywellbeinclined to believe that these beings are alien in some way or another, and that they areinterestedinus.ItishelpfulatthispointtorememberthattheUFOphenomenonitselfrestsonamoresolidfoundation than simply witness recollection. It also includes recorded instrumentation,military documents, and more. This is important because such sightings and encountersclearly beg the question of who or what is behind the phenomenon. When we encounter

somethingthatismoreadvancedthananythingthatissupposedtoexist,alongwithclaimsofsome people to have encountered advanced non-human intelligences, then we are at leastjustifiedinmakingsomeprovisionalorhypotheticalconclusions. Allofwhichmeansthatthethoughtsthatfollowinthischapteraremorespeculativethanmost other aspects of theUFOphenomenon.They do not always possess the certainty onewouldlike.Suchislife.Sometimes,allwecandoistomakethebesthypothesiswecanatthetime,andmoveon.

So.Who.Are.They? After his book, Communion, was published in 1987, Whitley Strieber received nearly140,000lettersfrompeoplearoundtheworldoverthenextsevenyears,allclaimingtohavehadalienencounters.[309]Asidefromthestaggeringnumberoflettersandclaims,severalthingsstandout.Inthefirstplace, most of the writers reported experiencing a lifetime of strange encounters andexperiences,manyofwhich involvedotherfamilymembers. Inaddition,a largeportionofthesepeoplereportedexperiencingthekindofabductionscenariothathasbecomesowidelyrecognized, in which small gray beings took them aboard a UFO and subjected them tointrusivemedicalprocedures.Evenmoreinteresting,however,isthatalargernumberdidnotdescribesuchanabductionexperience.Instead,theydescribedencounterswithothertypesofbeings:insect-likebeings,reptoids, and several different human types such as Asian-Orientals, Nordics, and robedbeingsinthemannerofGreekgods.Therewereevendescriptionsofbeingsofpurelight.Alargemajority,roughlyeightypercent,describedhavingapositiveexperienceinonewayoranother.Butitseemedobviousthatmostoftheseinteractionswereataveryhighlevelofstrangeness.These lettersmade it clear that encounterswith thesenon-humanbeingswas acomplexphenomenon,andbeingsthemselvesseemedtobehighlycomplex. Ofcourse, itcertainlywouldhavebeennicehadsomeonetakenareliablephotographofanyofthesebeings.Suchelusivenesscontinuestomakethistopicsodifficult.Yettheaccountskeepcoming. Whatdowemakeofthesevariedbeings?Dotheyrepresentdifferentgroups?Ifso,whatmighttheirownrelationshipsbeamongeachother?Dotheycooperatewithoneanother,ordotheycompete?Thereisyetanothertypeofbeingthatmanypeopleclaimtohaveencountered.Theseareentitiessaidtobechanneledbycertainindividuals,orsomehowreachedtelepathically.Here,we are dealing with experiences that would appear to have nothing to do with UFOs orufology.Exceptforonething:manyofthesecommunicationsareallegedtooriginatefromadvancedbeingsfromelsewhereintheuniverse.Asaresult,thishasbecomealargepartoftheUFOcommunity,ifwecancallitthat.Thesemessagescanbeappealingtopeople,butthatis a separatematter fromwhether or not they come from extraterrestrials. Regarding thatpoint,Itshouldbeobviousthatchanneledcommunicationsarenotvalidevidenceunlesstheycan provide information that is clearly unknown to the channeler and can be verifiedindependently.Wewillreturntothisidea.First,letuslookattheothertypesofalienbeingspeopleclaimtoencounter.

TheGraysTheGraysbecameubiquitousinpopularcultureforasimplereason:theywereeasilythemostcommonlydescribedentityamongpeoplewhospoketoUFOresearchers.Theyseemedtobeeverywhere.Moreover,itdoesnotmakesensetosuggesttheyareascreenmemoryforsomesortofcoverthumanactivity.Inthefirstplace,thememoriesofthesebeingsareoftensubmergedwithin a person’smemory for a long time. Secondly,when suchmemories arerecovered, the actionsof thesebeings, theirmovements, sounds, andbehaviors screamnothuman!Thisisnotacaseofhumanabductorswearingalienmasks.VariationsoftheGrayshaveappearedinreportsformanydecades.True,thedescriptionsofextraterrestrialsfromthe1950sand1960sdescribebeingsratherdifferentfromthetypicalGray.Even so, suchdescriptions, fromEurope andSouthAmerica, aswell as someof theearliestAmericanabductioncasesof the1960s,portraybeingswithbasic similarities:veryshortinheightand(often)large,roundishheads. Even today, however,multiple types ofGray are reported.Not allwitness recollectionsdescribethemashavingsolidblackeyes.Someaccountsdescribelarge,almond-shapedeyes,butwithverticalslitsforpupils,givingacat-likeorreptile-likeeffect.Moreover,someGraysarenearlyastallasahumanmale,whileothersaretwoorthreefeettall.Someareextremelythinwhileothersmorestoutlybuilt.Thereareanumberofothervariations,aswell.Despitethevariations,thereareenoughconsistentaccountsthatwecantrytogiveapictureof theGrays. If anything stands out, it is that they are conducting awidespread and secretabduction program. They take their targeted people usually when they are easiest to take,eitherathome,usuallyinthemiddleofthenight,orsometimeswhiledriving.Secretivenessiskeyforthem.Itisabsolutelyessentialforthemtomaintaincoverovertheirprogram.Theircapabilitiesareextremelyformidable,farbeyondourown.Theycaninducephysicalparalysis or unconsciousness in their target with ease. They can completely control one’sphysicalmovements,orevenfloatapersonthroughsolidbarriers.Theyusehighlyadvancedtechnologies such as brilliantwands or other exotic equipment to examine individuals andmonitortheirbodies.Theyareabletoinsertandremovetinyimplants,whetherthesebeinthesinuscavity,behindtheeye,oreveninthebrain.Theycollecthumansperm,eggs,andfetusesregularly. Two capabilities are of paramount importance. One is their apparent mastery over ourspace-time reality. Floating people through walls is one manifestation of that ability.Invisibilityisanother.Butmostsignificant(atleastintherecollectionsofmanyabductees)istheirknowledgeof aperson’s lifepath.That is, of their future. In the exampleof abducteeBettyAndreassonLuca,oneofthemostdetailedandwell-knowncases,wegetthissenseverystrongly, that thesebeings exist beyondour localized experienceof time.Notonlydo theyknowourfuture,buttheycaninfluenceittosomeextent.Theirmentalcapabilitiesareequallyimportant.Throughoutabductionresearch,thisstandsout. These beings have extraordinary intelligence and are intensely telepathic—somethingworthlongconsideration.Theycommunicatebyenteringone’smind,acapabilitythatoughtto warrant great caution on our part. For anyone who can enter your thoughts can mostassuredly influence them. Indeed, this is undoubtedly how they induce screenmemories oftheirencounters,makingproperrecallsomuchmoredifficult.

Thentherethematterofmemorycontrolanderasure.Itdoeshappenthatpeoplemay,overtime, recover some of their memories. That is because not everyone is the same. Somepeople’smemoriesareabletobleedthrough,asitwere,morereadilythanothers.Butthefactremainsthatmostofthememoriesoftheseexperienceshavebeenblockedandtamperedwith.Inotherwords,thefirstlineofdefensefortheGraysistoblockone’smemory;thesecondlineofdefenseistotamperwiththerecollectionitself.Theyseemtodothisbyinducingafear-basedcommandinpeopleforthemnevertothinkabouttheevent,muchlessdiscussit.Ihaveinterviewedseveralofthesepeople.Mosthavehadanoverpoweringfeelingthattheywereneversupposedtodiscusstheirexperience.Whentheyfinallydidso,usuallyaftermanyyearshadelapsed, theyexperiencedsevereanxiety.Otherresearchershavegottensimilarresults.Thesebeingsdemandabsolutesecrecy.Butwhataretheyhidingfromus?EverythingpointstothelikelihoodthattheseGraysareinvolvedinalong-termprogram,oneinvolvingamuchlongertrajectorythantypicalhumanplansandprograms.Thisappearstohavebeengoingonforseveralgenerations,perhapslonger.Clearly,theyareinterestedinhumansexualityandreproduction.Manyfemaleabducteeshavereportedbeingtakenbacktoacraft tobeshownhybrid-typebabiesthatweresupposedtobetheiroffspring.Thiswouldpointtoabreedingprogramforthecreationofhuman-alienhybrids. Such a thesis has been discussed for some time by now. But although it has becomesomething of a cultural cliché, it has become one for a reason: there are many witnessrecollectionsthatpointtothisconclusion.So,iftheGraysarecreatingahuman-alienhybridspecies,isthiswithaviewtohavesuchbeingsintegrateintoourownsociety?Oreventoreplaceus?DavidJacobs,whohaslookedatthispossibilityperhapsmorethananyoneelse,thinksyes,thattheyseektoreplaceusinoneformoranother. Withrespects toDr.Jacobs, thisscenariostrikesmeasimplausible.Overtheyears, therehavebeenafew,sporadic,claimsofencounterswithhybridbeings.Everyoneofthempointstotheneedofthesebeingsforseclusionfromhumansociety.Oneinstructiveaccountisinthebook,Raechel’sEyes.Raechel,anapparenthybrid,seemedtohavetriedtogosofarastotakeuniversityclassesandevenhavearoommate.Needlesstosay,shedidnotfitin,andalsodidnotlastlonginthesystem.[310] Assumingabreedingprogramis infacthappening,weshouldbecautious indevelopingconclusionsonitspurpose.ItcouldbethatitissimplytoallowfuturegenerationsofGraysoralienstoliveonEarthmorecomfortablyinsomemanner,notnecessarilytointegrate.Or,simply for them to acquire something of value in human DNA and continue to live in aseparateworldoftheirown. Inanycase, there ismore thanbreedinggoingon.TheGraysseem tobemonitoringusactively.Theimplants,forexample,pointtoamonitoringprogram,anditappearsthatmanyabducteesaremonitoredthroughouttheirlives. One of the keymessages people report from theGrays is that they are concerned overhumanity’sdestructionandpoisoningofEarth’snaturalenvironment.Severalabducteeshavereported that they are stationed here, and have been testing ourwater, soil, vegetation, andanimal lifeforquitesometime. If it isalso true,assomeevidencesuggests, that theGrayshavealsotakenanimalsfromaroundtheworld,itcouldbetotrackchangestoreproductive

systemsandthereforetotheEarth’senvironment.TheGraysoftentellabducteeswhattheyaredoingisnecessaryandimportant,evenforthebettermentorpreservationofmankindorlifeonEarth.Inparticular,anumberofabducteeshavereportedtheGraysareconcernedaboutnucleartechnologyandweapons.Indeed,themessageisthattheyarewatchingoutforus. This is reasonable enough. If we humans arrived at another world and saw the mostadvancedspeciesthereintheprocessofdestroyingthatplanet’secosystem,wetoomightbeconcerned.Still,wearenotinapositiontoknowiftheGraysaretruthful.Thereisnothingtostopthemfromlyingtous.Isitimpossibletothinkthathumanswouldlietonativesofanotherplanetinorder to gain their trust for our own ulterior purposes, whatever those might be? Such ascenariowasportrayedinJamesCameron’smovie,Avatar.Theideacouldbetoconvincetheinhabitants that their planet is in danger and the newcomerswant to help. The human racecouldnotpossiblybethefirstmarks,thefirstsuckers,inthehistoryoftheuniverse. We may ask, are the Grays evil? Putting aside the question of what would constituteinterstellarevil,wesupposetheymightbe,butthisisprobablythewrongwaytolookatthematter. If theyareheretohelphumanity, thenatbest theyaredoingtheir jobwithgreatsubtlety,sincethereisnoclearevidencethattheyhavedoneanythingsignificantinthatregard.Maybetheycannot.Humanitymaybebeyondtheircontrol.Ofcourse,iftheyreallywantedtoshakeusupandhelpuschangeourways,onesupposestheycouldmakeaformalappearance.Sothey either will not or cannot. That is a bit distressing, since at this point we aretechnologicallyoutclassedbythesecreatures.

CommondepictionsofGrayaliens.

In reviewing the research and claims about these beings, one seldom hears muchspeculation about what their psychology, personalities, and social relations might be like.Obviously,wecanonlyguessaboutthesethings,andyetjudgingbytheallegedinteractions,theyseemcold-bloodedbyourstandards.Abducteesgenerallyreportthatthesebeingsdonotexpress emotions, although a few felt hostility coming from them, and a few have also

reported feelingsofbenevolence.On themoregrisly side, ithashappenedmore thanoncethat abductees have linked Grays to animal mutilations. For this, Linda Moulton Howe’sGlimpses of Other Realities, Volume 1 provides a good deal of information. As severalindividuals recalled, these creatures cold-bloodedly removedblood and organs from cattlewhilethoseanimalswerestillalive.[311]Insuchinstances,wemightseetheGraysasactingtowardotherlifeformsjustashumanityhasdonethroughoutitshistory.Inreality,thesebeingsarestillmuchmorehumanethanweare.Anydoubtersneedonlyconsiderourbeefandpoultryindustries,forstarters. Still, it isunsettlingthat theGraysdonottreathumanityasequals.WeareverymuchtheJuniorpartnerinthisrelationship.Theydealwithusontheirterms.Theydotouswhattheywanttodo. It is interesting, also, to consider the likelihood that they are the product of geneticengineering, and may well have strong components of artificial (or at least artificiallydesigned) intelligence.Weourselves areon the cuspof redesigningourowngenetic code,andofdevelopingwhat isknownas strongartificial intelligence (AI).That is,AI thatmaybecomeself-aware.Fromthere,itisaneasymatterofhavingthatAIinteractinginsomewaywithourownbrains,perhapsthroughtheimplantationofnanochips,orperhapssomeotherway. Inotherwords, a century fromnow,humanbeingsmay look and act verydifferentlythanwedotoday.AtypicalhumanIQmightbe300or500ormore,forallwecantell.Allofthatdifferencewouldbeduetogeneticandtechnologicalenhancements.Perhapswewillnotjourneydownthatroad.Butwemight.ItcouldbethattheGraysweredesigned for a specific purpose. After all, their enormous heads and spindly bodies areunlikely tohave evolvednaturally.Abrain so largewould require toomuchof thebody’sresources, toomuch nutrition, all at the expense of other bodily functions. Yet, one coulddesignsuchacreature.Withabrainso formidable, therewouldbenoneed forapowerfulbody.Humansarenotaspowerfulaslionsorelephants,butwecancontrolthem.Withaccesstohigherthinkingandtechnology,physicalstrengthisirrelevant.ItispossiblethattheGraysweredesignedspecificallytointeracthereonEarth.Afterall,atrulyextraterrestrialracewouldbeunsuitedtointeractwithEarth’senvironment.Therewouldbeproblemswitheverythinghere,fromthesolarradiation,tothestrengthofgravity,tothemicroscopicorganismsandmore.Toremainhere,anadvancedracefromelsewherewouldat least consider modifying themselves genetically. One supposes they could simply walkaroundinprotectivesuits,likewedowhenweareawayfromEarth’sprotectiveenvironment,but if theywant a long-termpresence, thenmodifying themselves seemsmost logical.AndwhatwouldmakemoresensethentoextractnativeDNAandadaptitfortheirpurposes? Perhaps this is the reasonwhymany of the so-called aliens that have been reported arehumanoid, reptoid, and insectoid.Wehave humans here,we have reptiles,we have insects.[312]PerhapstheGraysarepartlyrelatedtooneormoreofEarth’snativespecies. Therefore,whenwespeakofalien-humanhybrids, it is equallyvalid to suppose that thealiens themselves are already hybrids. Not long ago, scientists routinely dismissed talk ofgenetic manipulation on such a scale.We have come a long way, however, in the last tenyears,withmuchmoretolearninthecomingdecades. Even if theGrayswere genetically designed to function onEarth, they clearly have notreachedthepointwheretheycanwalkaroundeasily.Orperhapstheyhave,butsimplyneed

secrecy.Eitherway,itwouldseemthattheyneedasecureenvironmentinwhichtoworkandlive.Maybetheirsolutionisavesselinupperorbit,orperhapsfartheraway,parkedonthefarsideoftheMoon.Perhaps,too,theyhavecreatedbaseshereonEarth,deepunderground.Weourselves have the technology for this, including the ability to go deep beneath the oceanfloor.[313] In essentials, all one needs is oxygen and energy. The oxygen can be extractedfrom the water, while the energy can be geothermal, or even a small nuclear generator.Certainlynotimpossibleatall. Whycouldnot theGraysbeable to liveandworkhereonEarthwithout interruptionorannoyance?Whatwouldpreventthemfromgoingdeepundergroundwithoutourknowledge,especially if they did so in prior generations, long before we developed our currenttechnologies?There have certainly been no shortage of sightings ofUFOs going into andcomingoutoflargebodiesofwater.[314]Theselastfewpointsareapplicabletoanyaliencreature,notsimplytheGrays.Letusnowdiscusscertainbeingsthatoftengetoverlooked,perhapsbecausetheysimplydonotseemthatexotic.Thesearebeings that lookperfectlyhuman,except that theyaresomethingdifferentfromperfectlyhuman.

Human-LookingAliens There are several distinct types of human-looking beings involved in theUFO/ET/abductionphenomenon.Someappeartobeinvolvedintheabductionprocess.BuddHopkinscollectedseveraloddcaseslikethis,whichheeventuallyincludedinhisfinalabduction-relatedbook,SightUnseen.[315]Overtheyears,peopleapproachedhimwithcasessostrangethatforalongtimehedidnotknowwhattodowiththem.Theyinvolvedencounterswithordinary-lookingpeople,butwhoseemedsomehowtoworkas“helpers”ofsomesortduringabductions.Hehadonecase,for instance, of familymemberswho recalled a very strange long-term house guest fromyearsbefore.Thiswassomeonewithveryoddbehaviors,noknownmeansofsupport,and,whentheybegantoreflectuponthesituation,apparentconnectionstoabductionexperiencestheyrecalled.Inothercases,aswell, thereseemedtobehumanhelpersorfacilitators toanalien abduction experience.These individuals all seemed to lack the basic social skills onewouldacquirefromlivinginnormalhumansociety.Itwouldseemthattheywereraisedbyothermeans.Therearealsostoriesofoddhumansofadifferentsort,whomaybeworkingonadifferentagenda. Iwill relate a story Iwasgivenbyawoman Imet at a conference in2010.Sheandherhusbandseemedperfectlyordinary.Thewomanwasinherlate50s,friendly,andseemedtobeastableindividual.Sherelatedaverystrangeeventthathappenedtoherwhenshewasanearlyteenduringthemid-1960s.ShelivedinasmalltowninWesternPennsylvania,andwasattendingchurchwithhermother.Althoughinsuchasmalltown,mostofthechurchattendeeswerefamiliartoeachother,shenownoticedtwonewpeopleintherowdirectlyinfrontofher.Notonlyhadsheneverseenthembefore,buttheywereclearlyandobviouslydifferentfrom everyone else. To start, both of themwere physically very beautiful.Both had blondhair,bothlookedtobeintheirtwenties,andbothwerewearingextremelybeautifulbluesuits.Tothewitness,ayoungteengirlwhowasquiteawareofclothingandfashion,thefabricof

theirclothingwasunlikeanythingshehadeverseen: incrediblyfine,perfectlyput together,andvastlybeyondthequalityofanyoneelse’sclothing.Throughouttheservice,shewasobsessedbythecouple,andcouldnotunderstandwhynooneelseseemedtoobservethem.Shenoticedthattheywerenotfamiliarwithwhentostand,sit,kneel,orsing—theactivitiesduringatypicalRomanCatholicmass. Whatwas trulydisconcerting, though,was that sheheard themtelepathically.Theyneverlookedbacktoher,theyneverseemedtospeak,butsomehow,shesaidtome,sheheardtheminhermind.Theyseemedtobediscussingwhetherornottheywerefittingin.Theyappearedtobelievetheyweresuccessful,whentheyoungwitnessheardthefemale thinkto themale,“shecanhearus.”For the restof themass, thefrightenedandfascinated teenagerheardnoother thoughtscomingfromthem.When theserviceended, the twostrangersveryabruptlyandefficientlyleft,somehowgettingoutaheadoftherestofthecrowd. Theyounggirldecided topursue them.Sheboltedout,pressing through thecrowd.Sheheardhermothercallingafterher,butshekeptgoing.Outofthechurch,shesawthecouplewalkingveryquicklypasttheparkinglot,towardagrassyhill.Thentheywentbehindthehillandweremomentarilylosttoview.Shehurriedupafterthem.Whenshegottothetopofthehill,shesawthemagain.Bynow,theywereinaclearingandwalkingfasttowardawoodedarea.Theintrepidyoungwitnessbegantoracedownafterthem.Butthenshesawanotherfigure.There,attheedgeofthewoods,stoodanunusuallytallfiguredressedinablacksuit,wearingablackhat.Heremindedherof thecharacter“Lurch,”fromthe1960stelevisionshow,TheAddamsFamily.His appearancewas frightening toher, and she stoppeddead inher tracks.Gluedtoherspot,shesawthetwoblondpeopleapproachthetallpersonandscurrybehindhimintothewoods.Thetallmanthenturnedandfollowedthemin.AlthoughtherewasnoUFOsightinginthisstory,itisclearlyofinteresttoufology.Whatkinds of peoplewere these two blond individuals, andwhowas the very tall person?Onesupposes they could have been part of a study group using psychics to test howwell theycouldread thoughts inapublicsetting.Perhaps theywereevenRussianspies,although thisseemslikeastretch.Everythingaboutthemseemednottofitin.Theywerenotlikeanybodyelse: not in their behavior, not in their physical appearance, and not in their mentalcapabilities.ThisissimilartoanotheraccountIwasgivenbyaretiredU.S.AirForceColonel,amanwith aPh.D., andwhoworked in sensitive classifiedprograms from the1970s through the1990s.ThismanalsohadastronginterestinUFOsandextraterrestrialsand,inthepresenceof his wife, told me of an encounter the two of them (plus a friend who was psychicallygifted)hadwith two individuals at aLasVegas casino.The threewerewalking throughanupperlevelareawhenthepsychicgrabbedtheColonel’sarm.Theyallstopped.AstheColonelrelatedthestory,allthreesawastrikinglybeautifulblonde-hairedwoman.Ofcourse,LasVegashasmanybeautifulmenandwomen,butsomehowthiswomanseemeddifferent.Thepsychicwasconvincedthatthiswomanwasnotanormalhumanbeing.WhenthepsychicandtheColonel’swifetookanearbyescalatordowntothenextlevel,theColonelremainedbehind,watchingthewoman.Thenheheardherinhismind:“Don’tbotherwithme,youhavenobusinesshere.”That,inessentials,wasthemessagefromher.Theforceofthisstatementhithimhard.

Justthen,thewoman’smalecompanion,alsoblond,approachedher.Together,theywalkedtowardtheescalator,andforthistheyneededtowalkbytheColonel.Hewasdeterminedtostopthem.Hisideawastosaysomethingthatwouldstartaconversation.Instead,theywalkedrightbyhim.Hefollowed.Downtheescalatortheyallwent—thecoupleinfront,andtheColonelrightbehind.Whiletheydescended,hestaredatthebacksoftheirheads.LiketheteengirlwhosatinaPennsylvaniachurchinthe1960s,theColonelcould“hear”theirthoughts.Fromwhathecould remember, theconversationwasessentiallya statement that“hehasnoneed toknowaboutus,hewillnotknow.”Lookingdown,hesawhiswifeandtheirfriendwatchingthemfrombehindaslotmachine(hiswife laughedwhenherecounted thispart,confirminghownervousshehadbeen).Whentheyreachedthefloorlevel,thetelepathicblondcouplesimplywalkedaway.Noneofthethreepursuedthem. There aremanymore of such accounts. Ingo Swann, the famous remote viewer, had afrighteningencounterwithanextraordinarilybeautifulwomaninaLosAngelessupermarketduringthe1970s.Hebecameconvincedhimthatshewasintenselytelepathicandnothuman,atleastnotliketherestofus.Atthattime,heencounteredtwomysterious“agents”whomhehadmetpreviously,andwhowereobservingthescene.Shortlyafterward,hewaswarnedbytheirbossthatthiswomanwasnothumanandwasverydangerous.[316] If we are concerned about alien-human hybrids infiltrating our society, as the firstgenerationofabductionresearchers(particularlyHopkinsandJacobs)haveclaimed,whatdowemakeofstorieslikethis?Becauseitwouldseemthatthesebeingshavealreadyinfiltrated,andtheylookmuchmorenormalthanthewispyhaired,delicatehybridsthatoneoftenhearsabout.Basedonsuchaccounts,itseemsthatthesebeingshaveastrongabilitytoreadourminds.They knowwhenwe are listening to them. In addition, these stories hint at something elseaboutus:thatweourselveshaveatelepathicfacultythatcanactivateatcertaintimes,perhapsintheirpresence,oratothermomentsaswell.Otherquestionsarise.Aretheyexactlylikeusbiologically?Itwouldseemlogicaltothinkthat theycamefromEarth. If so,howdid theybecomesodifferent? Is itwrong to thinkofthemasaliens?Shouldwesimplyseethemashumanbeingswho,atsomepointinthepast,reachedafastertrackofdevelopment,leavingtherestofusbehind?IsthistheanswertotheentireUFOmystery:anancientbreakawaycivilization?AndarememoriesofallegedGraysandotheralienbeingssimplyscreenmemoriesthemselves?Thenagain,ifthatistrue,whydotheyneedtoconcealthemselvesfromus?Whatdotheyhavetofear?Onepossibilityisthattheyusehumansociety,orsomehowseektomanageit,orperhapsbenefit from it in some way. Of course, all this is speculation. We are in a subject thatgeneratesevermorequestions,andnotenoughanswers. In addition to stories like thepreceding, therehavebeenclaimsby somepeople tohaveencounteredbenevolenthuman-lookingextraterrestrials.Thesecometousprimarilyviaso-called contactees, that is, people who have claimed repeated contacts with extraterrestrialbeings.Typically,wearetoldthatsuchbeingshaveusedthatpersontodelivertheirmessagetomankind.Suchstoriesoughttoelicitaninstinctualskepticism.Previously,IaddressedmyskepticismconcerningthetheclaimsofGeorgeAdamski.Yet, therearemanyothersuchclaims.None

should be dismissed a priori, and all are (at least in theory) worthy of investigation.Unquestionably, most of the claims are outlandish, and one must wonder why the beingswouldselectsomeofthesepeopletospreadtheirmessage.Mostoftheso-calledcontacteesover the years have seemed entirely ordinary, lacking any social leverageor literary skill.Yet,forallweknow,therecouldbesomethingunusualaboutthem,somethingsignificant. The key feature of the most intriguing of these types of cases is the combination ofoutlandishclaimsandstrongevidentsincerity.Inthisregard,the“FriendshipCase”fromItalyis typical.Until recently, the storywas kept quiet, knownonly to a few Italian researchers.Whenoneofthemaincontacteesinvolvedinthemeetingsdied,someoftheothersdecidedtotalk.Themeetingsweresaidtohavetakenplaceovermanydecades,startingin1956,andtohavecontinued through the 1980s. It involved several men who had been contacted—quitephysically, not via channeling—by a group of extraterrestrials. These beings were humanlooking,althoughsomewereextremely large(nine to tenfeet tall),whileotherswereonlythreefeettallorso. On the faceof it, it soundsutterlyunbelievable.But thewitnesses all seemed intelligent,cultured,andsincere.Afewwerehighlyregardedintheircommunity.Thereisacollectionoftestimonialsfromthem,andallegedvideosandphotographs.Thebeingsthemselvesclaimedto have come from planets elsewhere in our galaxy and beyond. Therewere only a smallnumberofthemlivingonEarth,inbasesunderthegroundandsea,someofwhichweresaidtobealongtheAdriaticcoast.Inthewordsofthewitnesses,“theFriendsareourelderbrothers.Theyarehuman.Indeed,incomparisonit’sweterrestrialswhoarelessthanhuman.”Thisisthereasongivenwhytheygenerallywould not show themselves. In themany allegedmeetings, the “Friends” gave adistinctmessageofGoodversusEvil,statingthattheyhaveloveandgoodwillformankind.[317] There isoneotherfascinatingtidbit thatcameoutof theFriendshipcase.AdocumentaryaboutitbrieflyshowedaletterwrittenbythegreatFrenchphilosopherVoltairetotheCountofSt.Germainon6 June1761.Thishadbeen shown tooneof the Italian contactees as anexampleofapossibleextraterrestrialcontactinthe18thcentury.Theletterisauthentic,and(translatedinEnglish)reads:

Ireply,sir,toyourletteryousentmeinApril,inwhichyourevealfrighteningsecrets,amongwhichthemostterribleforanoldmanlikeme,thehourofmydeath.Thankyou,Germain;yourlongjourneythroughtimewillbeilluminatedbythefriendshipIhaveforyou,until thedayyour revelationswillcome true in themiddleof the twentiethcentury.ThetalkingpicturesareagifttothetimeIhavelefttolive,yourmechanizedflyingmachinecouldonedaybringyoubacktome.Farewell,myfriend.Voltaire.

Thedocumentaryoffers thepossibility thatGermainwas incontactwithextraterrestrials.Withoutdoubt,heisoneofthemostmysteriousfiguresinworldhistory.VoltaireoncesaidthatGermainwas“amanwhoknowseverythingandwhoneverdies.”GermainwasabrilliantEuropeancourtieranddiplomatandneverdirectlyansweredquestionsabouthisorigins.Healsoneverseemedtoageandwouldoftentellothersthathewasseveralcenturiesold.[318]As the commentator DougWebber pointed out, Germain is considered to be the possibleauthor of an esoteric French book entitled La Très Sainte Trinosophie (The Most HolyTrinosophia), described as an “allegorical initiation, detailingmanykabbalistic, alchemical

andmasonicmysteries.”[319]However, therearepassages in thisbookthatseemas thoughtheywerewrittenbyacontacteefromthe1950s,includingthispassage:

ScarcelyhadIrisentothesurfaceoftheearth,whenmyunseenguideledmestillmoreswiftly.Thevelocitywithwhichwespedthroughspacecanbecomparedwithnaughtbutitself.InaninstantIhadlostsightoftheplainsbelow.Inoticedwith astonishment that I had emerged from the bowels of the earth far from the country aboutNaples.A desert andsometriangularmassesweretheonlyobjectsIcouldsee.[320]

PerhapsSt.Germainwasjustaveryclevertrickster.Ifso,heheldthemostbrilliantmindsofEuropeunderhissway.Wemaywellwonder,washesomehowinpossessionofesotericknowledge that itself came fromotherswho have lived here in this planet for a very longtime?[321] RegardingSt.Germain,aswith theFriendshipcase,wemustbeguidedby thequalityofevidence, and clearly neither story can be offered as proof of human contact withextraterrestrials.Yet, therearesomanyothersuchstories.Moreover, if it therearehuman-looking but highly extraordinary beings occasionally interactingwith us, thenwhy not theFriendshipcase,orsomeothers?Thereisyetanothervariantofhuman-looking“aliens,”ifwecancallthemthat.Theyaresometimesanothertypeof“Nordic”or“Blonde”beingwhoappearalmostlikeangels.OnesuchappearedtotheabducteeBettyAndreasson,whosestoriesweredescribedatlengthbytheresearcherRaymondFowler. Inone instance,BettywasabductedbyGray-likeentities, thentakentoanexoticbaseapparentlyoff theplanet.Thereweresmallbeingssimilar toGrays,buttherewerealsogoldenrobed,shiningbeings,whowereentirelyhuman-looking.[322] Suchdescriptionsoccurfrequentlyenough,althoughtheyarecomplicatedbythefactthatmany of these encounters are not connected with actual UFO sightings. They are simplyclaims of contact. Still, if we are considering possible aliens or extraterrestrials, must weignorethemjustbecausetheyarenotpartofaUFOsighting?Thatseemsarbitraryandsilly.Butcautionisalwaysnecessary.Manyoftheseencountersaredreamlike,orevendreams.Thatdoesnotmeantheyarenotnecessarilyreal.Afterall,whensomeonehasunusuallyvividdreamswithprofoundmessages fromrobed, shiningbeings,onemightwellconclude theyareworthaconsideration.Nevertheless, there isanelementof thesurreal tosomeof theseencounters. This must give our rational minds pause. Ultimately, the power of ourconclusionsmustberelatedinsomemannertothestrengthofourevidence.

OtherTypesofBeingsPeoplehavereportedothertypesofbeings,includingthoseresemblinginsectsandreptiles.Thereptoids, inparticular,havebecomefamousviaDavidIckeandhisassertion thatsomemembersofthehumanpowereliteareactuallyreptilianshape-shifters.WhetherornotonebelievesthattheextremeclaimsthattheBritishRoyalFamilyandothersare secretly shape-shifting reptoids who drink human blood, a number of abductees havereported seeing reptilian captors. Some have alleged sexual assault, even rape, by thesebeings.Thereisabeliefamongsomepeoplethattheseentitiesliveoffhumanfearsandotheremotions,somethinglikepsychicvampires,andmeanwhilehelpingtokeepthepopulationinmental slavery. Whether such a claim is true or not is impossible to prove and arguablypointlesstotry.Butaretherereptilians?Yes,ifweacceptthesubstantialnumberofabducteeswhoclaimto

recallthem.Iwilladdthatoneofmycolleagues,aseasonedUFOinvestigator,toldmeofaninterview this person conducted with a senior retired U.S. Defense official. The officialdiscussedhisprofessionalknowledgeofthreemajortypesofextraterrestrialslivingonEarth.According to him, all three types (the Grays, the Nordic-Humans, and the Reptoids) werebeing actively monitored by the black budget military. While this is just another story, itresonateswithmebecauseitcomesfromasourceIknowandrespect.Itakeitasapossibility. This is even a greater alleged assortment of beings thanwhat has been discussed here.Undoubtedly,theycannotallbetrue,especiallywhenconsideringthathumanmemoryitselfcan bemanaged andmanipulated.What some people report as a specific alien type, or asvariationsofaparticulartype,maywellbeascreenmemory.Itseemssafetosay,however,thatallofthesebeingspossesscapabilitieswelack,whetherthesebetechnological,mental,orbycontrolovertheveryspacetimefabricitself.Wemayask,ifevenwecannotanswer,whatisthemostlikelyexplanationthataccountsforallofthesebeings?Allwecandofornowisspeculate.But,clearly,humanityisonthefasttrack, wherever it is leading. For millennia, we existed with limited technology. Then,overnight,weshotintospace.Anyintelligencewiththeabilitytomonitoruscanseethatwearetransformingourselvesinafundamentalway.Rightnow,weareprobablyputtingonthebestshowinthisportionoftheuniverse.Willwecompleteourtransformationintowhateveritiswearebecoming?Orwillwecrashandburn?Dotheyhaveanopiniononewayortheother?Dotheyhaveconflictingopinions? Gettingprobableanswerstoanyofthesequestionsisdauntingenough.Dealingwithit instrictly scientific terms seems impossible at present.Researchers ofUFOs, abductions, andcontactareinaquandarybecausenoneofthecurrentevidenceisacceptabletotheworldofscience.Noneoftheevidenceofferedcanbestudiedindependently.Everythingmentionedinthischapterderivesstrictlyfromtestimonyandclaimsfrompeople.Certainly,manyofthesepeopleseemperfectlynormal,andmanysoundpersuasive.Moreover,ifweallowthatthereisaUFOrealityofsomesort,theirclaimshavesomelogic.Butthatisnotthesameasproof.Nomatterhowstronglywemaybelievethatoneormoreofthesetypesofbeingsarehere,wewoulddowelltoremindourselvesofthepersnicketylittlefactthatnoclaimsofcontacthavebeenprovenscientifically.Someone’sexperiencemaycountasprooftothatperson,butpersonalexperiencesclearlycannotcountasprooftootherpeople.Theforegoingappliesevenmoretothefollowingclassofallegedextraterrestrialbeings:those said to be channeled or somehow inmental or spiritual communicationwith certainpeoplewhoclaimtospeakforthem.

ChanneledBeings The first thing to acknowledge about channeling is that it has not received scientificcorroborationorsupport.Evenamongitssupporters,fewifanyaresoboldastoassertthatithasstrong,genuine,scientificevidencetosupportit. Andyet, ifwe submit for amoment to examining the subject in a non-scientific, purelyanecdotal manner, there have been certain instances in which, at least to some reasonablepeople,theremaybesomethingtoit.Atthispoint,manyskepticsundoubtedlywouldconsignthispositiontothewoocamp,buttherejustseemtobetoomanyindividualswhoaresincereabout channeling. Whatever they are doing, it is not hoaxing. They are tapping into

something,whetheranactualentityoradeeppartoftheirsubconsciousmind.Anumberofchannelershavedescribedtheirfeelingswhiletheychanneled,andtheycertainlybelievetheywereconnectingwithanotherentity.Isitoutrageoustoconsiderthathumanconsciousnesshascertaincapabilitiestotranscendwhatweperceiveasourordinaryspacetimereality?Althoughthescientificsupportmaybethin,itisnotabsent,asthemodernhistoryofremoteviewingdemonstrates.[323]Inaddition,asthenextchaptershows,theremaybeavalidscientificstructuretoallowforit.Ifthisisso,whynotchanneling?Nevertheless,itisalwaysgoodpolicytostartfromapositionofskepticismwhenitcomestochannelers,especiallythosewhoclaimtohavebeenincontactwithextraterrestrials.Afterall, channelers have been with us forever, but only in the last few generations have theyclaimedtohaveanycommunicationsfromextraterrestrials.Surely,thisseemslikeaculturalphenomenon.Moreover,thetrackrecordofchannelersfailstoinspireconfidence.Believingtheclaimsofalloftheircontradictoryandoftenmutuallyexclusivepredictionswouldleaveoneextremelyconfused, to say the least. Thememory of the failed 2012Ascension predictions bymanychannelers and psychics also left a bad taste. Finally, insights or wisdom provided by achanneler is one thing; concluding therefore that they must be accurate when claiming itcomesfromanextraterrestrialbeingisquiteanother.

NewAgeAliensChannelingextraterrestrialsgoesrighttothebeginningofthemodernUFOphenomenon.As early as 1952, a contactee named George Van Tassell claimed to be in telepathiccommunicationwithextraterrestrials.Hemadenoparanormalclaims,butstatedthattheyusedadvanced technology to connect with natural human abilities. The name of the being whocontactedhim,hesaid,wasnamedAshtar. Ashtar ’s earliest messages focused on the dangers from nuclear weapons. They alsodescribedanextraterrestrial“government” thatmonitoredEarthandwanted to improve lifeforhumanity.ThiswastheoriginoftheideaofAshtarCommandSoon,AshtarCommandwasbeingchanneledbyothers.Themessagesdidnotalwaysagree,andrivalriesdeveloped.Manypredictionsfollowed,oftencenteringontheimminentarrivalofanAshtar-ledarmadatoguideandprotectmankind. During the1970s, apersonknownasTuellabeganchannelingAshtarCommand.Ratherthan emphasize technology or politics, she focused on inner spiritual development andachieving“higherdimensions.”This,ofcourse,coincidedwiththebeginningsofthemodernNewAgemovement. Other Ashtar channelers continued to emphasize apocalyptic themes,even stating that Ashtar Command’s ships would soon arrive to help people evacuate theplanet.Onesuchchannelerpredictedthiswouldhappenin1994. TheInternetgaveAshtarCommandanewlife.Itappears thatnomatterhowmanyfailedpredictionsexistinone’strackrecord,therearealwayspeoplewhowillfindawaytobelievethe next one. Today, after more than half a century of existence, Ashtar Command (nowknownasAshtarGalacticCommand)seemstoworkasakindofcommitteethatkeepscontroloveritsmessages.Apocalypsesaredefinitelyout.[324]

But Ashtar Command is just one small part of the modern channeling of allegedextraterrestrials, which exploded into ufology during the 1980s. Barbara Marciniak, forexample,beganchannelingthePleiadiansatthattimeandgainedaninfluencethatisdifficulttooverstate.[325]HersessionsprovidedavirtuallycompletestatementofmodernNewAgephilosophy. She was not the first channeler to give such messages, but she was the firstpopularchannelerwhoexplicitlycommunicatedwithextraterrestrialsandincorporatedsuchaphilosophy. Earlier channelers, such as J. Z. Knight, the channeler of Ramtha, essentiallyofferedthesameideas,butRamthaisLemurian,notextraterrestrial. Andwhatisthatmessage?InthecaseofthePleiadians,theyspeaktoMarciniakfromthefuture.TheyclaimtobeoneofmanyextraterrestriallifeformsinteractingwithEarth,notallofwhicharebenevolent.TheyclaimthatEarthwillexperienceamajorevent,beginning in2012,duringwhichthebattlefordominionofourworldwilltakeplace.Indeed,theoriginalpredictionwasnotfor2012.Whenitwasinmadeintheearly1990s,itwassetfortheyear2000.Nowthatthe2012predictionseemstohavefailed,too,perhapsanewdatewillbeset.Or,perhapsithashappenedonschedule,sincemostofuscannotperceivethisbattle,whichis said tooccur in the “fourth and fifth”dimensions, andmost of humanityperceivesonlythreedimensions.AccordingtoMarciniak’ssources,thisisbecause300,000yearsago,inanearlierstruggleforEarth,humanDNAwasdisassembledbymalevolentbeingsfromtwelvestrands toadoublehelixstructure.Thesebeingswanted tokeephumanity ignorantsoas tofeedfromourfear,anger,anddoubt.ThefundamentalmessageisthatReptiliansarereallyinchargeofthisplanetandkeephumanityfortheirownsustenance. In this context, the Pleiadianmessage viaMarciniak is to remind humanity of its divineorigins, to trigger its DNA reconstruction, to help people re-assimilate “light” into theirbodies,andraisetheir“frequency.”Allofthiswillenablethemtotravelinhigherdimensionsand survive the coming upheaval. This is the core of what has been called the Ascensionprocess.IthasalsobecomethefoundationoftheNewAgebeliefsysteminsofarasitisconnectedtoUFOstudies.Butitismorelikelythemessage,andnotthecosmology,thathasattractedmostadherents. The message, in essentials, is one that has been channeled for a long time,includingintheSethbooksbyJaneRoberts,andevenbefore:thateachpersoncreateshisorher own reality by their thoughts and intentions.You create your reality by your thoughts.Somepeopletakethisnotionfurtherthanothers.Ramtha,forinstance,saysliterallythat“youareGod,”andthatconsciousnessandenergycreatethenatureofreality.Thisisaphilosophythathasagreatattractiontomanypeople,althoughmostofusmightdraw the line at the presumption (and narcissism) of calling ourselves God. Just asquestionableistheideathatoneliterallycreatesone’sownreality.Thecontentionisthatthereisnoactual reality separate fromone’s thoughts.Everyonecanagree thatour thoughtsarecritical in the success or failure of our life’s endeavors, andmany even acknowledge thatone’sthoughtscanaffect thebody’shealthandhealingprocesses.Yet, this isdifferentfromstating that thoughts literallycreate reality.Taken to an extreme, itwouldmean that if youdon’tthinkit,it’snothappening.ParticularlyifyouareconvincedyouareGod. There are more obviously attractive features to the philosophy, particularly when itcoincideswiththeexistentialistideathattherearenoexcusesinlife.Mostofuscanappreciatethat each of us is ultimately responsible for creating our “world.” Ditto a spirituality that

emphasizeshavingtheproperintentioninallmatters,andpromoting“Christconsciousness.”Butthatisanothertopicaltogether,andbeyondthescopeofthisbook.Ourquestionisnotwhetherornot someone likes thephilosophy.Rather,wewant toknowhow likely it is thatextraterrestrialbeingsactuallyarebeingchanneled? My personal conclusion is, not very. The statements that come to us purporting to bescientific have not found corroboration, or have been plainly disproven. Andmost of thestatements,ithastobesaid,showlittletonoappreciationofscience.OneexampleofmanyisthattheEarthwasgoingtocomeintofullcontactwithaso-calledPhotonBand in2012.When thathappened,wewere told, theplanetwouldbecoveredwithpurifying energy. Thosewho had cleansed and restored their Lightbodieswould be ready.Those who had neither integrated nor made amends would apparently perish. The Earthwouldexperiencedarkness,andtheneternallight.AnewEarthwouldcomeintobeing.Asidefromthefactthat2012cameandwentwithnothingofthesort,thereisnoevidencefor the existence of a PhotonBand.A claim that itwas discovered by satellites in 1981 isbaseless.NoristherelogictothestatementthatEarthcanpassthroughit,sincebelieversstatethat it surrounds the Pleiades—avery long distance away, aside from the fact that Earth ismoving away from the Pleiades, not toward it.Despite being devoid of logic or evidence,ideassuchasthisonehavebeenstatedasunarguablefacts.[326]Thereisagreatdealofthistypeofthinking.Itiscertainlynotscientific.Mostofitisnearlyimpossible to test. How does one test the idea that humans have twelve etheric strands ofDNA? Ofcourse,channelersare invited tomakepredictions thataremeaningfulandcorrect. Iftheyweretodothis,theymightbeginconvincingmorepeoplethattheyaretrulytappingintosomething.Providingsomegenuineconfirmableinformationandscientificinsightswouldbepreferred,perhapsaproperexplanationforgravity,oradetailed(andverifiable)informationaboutsecretpoliticalorfinancialactivities. Yet,itmaybeprematuretodismissallallegedcommunicationsofthistype.Asdiscussedearlier, there is reason to believe the beings involvedwithUFOphenomena are telepathic.There have also been a select number of historical channelers (such as Edgar Cayce) andseveralremoteviewersofmorerecentyearswhoappearedtohavearemarkablerecord.Witheachpassingyear,physicsdemonstratestherealityofnon-locality,sendingtooblivionourconventionalnotionsoftimeandspace,andsuggestingthatconsciousnessisakeypartofthestructureofourreality.Doesthatmeanitistheunderlyingaspectofallexistence,assomepeopleclaim?Theworld’sleadingquantumphysicistsandneuroscientistsdonotseemtobesaying this.But itdoesappear that consciousnessmatters in awaynot fully appreciatedbycurrentscience. Conceding this, may we not theorize that some extraterrestrials might speak throughselectedhumanbeings?Therewillbemoretosayaboutthisinthenextchapter.Thebottomlineaboutchannelers,however, is that they cannot be considered valid sources of information regardingextraterrestrials.Onemaychoosetobelievethemandappreciatethemessages.Butthereisnogenuineevidencethatanychannelersareactuallycommunicatingwithextraterrestrialentities.Thatsaid,strangerthingshavehappened,sowemaykeepthedooropen.

AWordonCropCirclesTherelationshipofcropcirclestotheUFOphenomenonisnotalwaysstraightforward,butIbelievethereisarelationship.Therehavebeensomecredibleclaimsofpeopleseeingballsoflightinconnectionwiththese,butthatisrare.Andtherearenoproven,crediblesightingsofactualUFOsinconnectiontotheformationoftheseamazingpatterns. Therealconnectionis inthefact that theseformationsappeartobeunexplained, judgingfrom our contemporary technology. There are indeed circle hoaxers. In fact, they oftenconsiderthemselvestobeartistsandmanyofthemdoexcellentwork.Itisnottruetoclaim,assomedo,thatallso-calledhoaxedcirclesareeasytoidentify.Someofthemareverywelldone,andareeasilyfoundonYouTube.Overnight,suchcirclemakerscanmakewell-done,complexpatterns.[327]Butsomeoftheseformationsaresoimmenseandcomplexastodefyreason.Andafterallthesedecades,noneoftheperpetratorshavebeencaughtintheactofmakinganyofthetrulyextraordinaryformations.Moreover,severalodditieshavebeenrecorded.Someformations,for example, have had stalks that were pushed down without having been broken, bentsometimes six ormore inches above the ground, clearly indicating theywere not presseddownwithawoodenplank.Whiletheknowncircleartistsalluseplanks,itisclearthatatleastsomeoftheformationswerenotdonethisway.Allwithacomplexitythatistrulyastonishing.Laboratorystudieshaveindicatedthatthenodesofsomeofthestalkswereblastedoutonone side. It is not known for sure how this happened, but the effect has been replicated byhighlylocalizedmicrowaveheating.Thiscausesthewaterinsidetovaporizeandbeexpelled.Thestalkthenflopsovertooneside.Ifsomethinglikethiscausedtheformations,thenweareclearlytalkingaboutahighlysophisticatedagencybehindthephenomenon.[328]

Normalstalknodes(l)comparedwithblownnodes(c,r)

Thepatternsof theformations themselveshavebeenstudiedendlessly.Asidefrombeingsupremely beautiful, many seem to be messages in one form or another, often withcosmologicalimplications.Noneseemominousorevil.Ifonereceivesanysenseorfeelingfromthem,itisbenevolence.Ifweretobethecasethattheseformationsarecreatedbyanextraterrestrialornon-human

intelligence,wemayconcludethatatleastoneofthegroupsheremightinfactcareaboutusandwishtohelpus.

GettingtotheBottomLine If there is something regarding theUFO phenomenon aboutwhichwe need to exercisecaution,itisoverwhoorwhatwearedealingwith.Itisnotthatnothingisgoingon.Quitetheopposite:itisclearlythecenterofthephenomenon,somethingofcriticalimportance.Forthatreason,cautionismostimportant. Andcautionremindsus that theevidenceofcontact isnotstrongscientifically.Yet, ifweapproachthisphenomenonwithasmuchcommonsenseaspossible,wecanseethatthereistoo much smoke to ignore the likelihood of fire. Too many people have had too manyexperiences,somanyofthemtraumatic,somanythathavecausedtheirheartstoraceuponrecall, somany others of deeply positive significance. Something important is happening,somethingprofound,somethingsecret.Whoeverthesebeingsare,wearenotdealingwiththemonequalterms.Howwecangettoa position of equality or parity may not be something we can easily learn. It may not bepossible.Butthereiseveryreasontobelievethattheyarewellawareofourpath.Justonehundredandfiftyyearsago,oursocietywasdominatedbyhorsepowerandwoodencarts.Intheblinkofacosmiceye,wehavecreatedaworldthat,eventoourrecentancestors,isunimaginable.Global communications, connectivity, information immediately available wherever we go,with more revolutions on the way: nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, 3-D printing,quantumcomputing,geneticmanipulation,andmore. If theyhaveeverobservedus,mustnowunderstand thatweareon thevergeofenteringtheirworld.TherecentbuilduptowardthefailedAscensionhasunderscoredourinabilitytopredictthefuturewithanyprecision,andhascertainlyemphasizedtheshortcomings,tosaytheleast,ofchanneledinformation.Nevertheless,itwillnodoubtbetruethatacenturyfromnow,ifthereare humans looking back upon their history, they are likely to see our current era as asingularly transformative one. Our society, our civilization, and indeed our species isundergoingthemostrapidandfundamentalchangeofalltime.Intuitively,werealizethis,butourdailyroutinescauseustoforget.Anditisnotliterallyovernight.Todayislikeyesterday,thisyearonlyslightlydifferentfromthelast.Butthenwestepbackjustenough,andweseetheincredibleblurofchangethathastakenplace.Ourworld today is fundamentally different from theworld of fifty years ago, eventhirtyyearsago.Despitetheadventuresandstrugglesofpeoplewholivedinearliereras,theyneverexperiencedthekindofdramatic,fundamentalchangethatwenowsee.Moreover,thischangeishappeningwithouttheimpetusofamajorglobalwar.Itishappeningbecauseoursocietyappearstohavereachedastageofpermanentrevolution.Itisarevolutionthataffectseverything:ourscienceandtechnology,ourpolitics,oureconomics,oursocialcustoms,ourintellectualendeavors,andindeedourconsciousness.Everythingischanging.Willwejoinagalacticcommunity,ifthereisone?Willweinsteadreachapointwhereweunderstandthatsuchacommunityisdominatedbyinterstellareconomichitmen,bentonlittlemore than exploitation of our own and perhaps other species of life, much as humanity

behavestowardotherlifeformsonourplanet?Perhapswewillneedmoretimetofindout.Whenwedo,wewillprobablyhaveabitmoreinformationtorefertowhenwedecidewithwhomorwhatwearedealing.

Chapter11WeirdScience:Propulsion,Energy,Spacetime,andConsciousness

TheUFOphenomenon represents science far in advance ofwhatwe currently have andknow.Thedeeperweexplore,themoreradical,themoreprofound,thatsciencebecomes.Formanyyears,studentsofUFOshavewonderedwhethertheseobjects,ifthatisevenwhattheyare,areexplainablewithinourcurrentunderstandingofphysics.

TheRadicalScienceofUFOsTakepropulsiontechnology,forstarters.Whatisit,afterall,thatcanallowacrafttoloiterindefinitely, accelerate instantly,make right angle turns, and do themany incredible thingsUFOshavebeenobservedtodo?Andtodothesethingssilently?ButthisisonlyoneareainwhichUFOsposeascientificchallenge.Thereistherelatedbutdistinctissueofenergy.Afterall,theseobjectscertainlydonotseemtorunongasolineorjetfuel.Dotheyhavesomethingbetter? Evenquestions like these, important though theyare,arepedestriancomparedwithotherquestionswemight raise. Somany encounterswithUFOs seem to indicate that the beings,whether theybeextraterrestrialorotherwise,possesssomesortofmasteryoverspacetime,itself. Over and over in the literature, we encounter the so-called Oz Factor. These aremomentsofhighstrangenessinconnectiontoUFOsandthebeingsthatcontrolthem.Objectsmay appear or disappear suddenly; sometimes witnesses will have the sense, not only ofmissingtime,butoftimedistortion.DoestheUFOphenomenonrepresentabreakthroughinourunderstandingof spacetime?Another spacetimerelatedquestionconcernshowdid theygethere?IfanyoftheseUFOsderivefromcivilizationselsewhereintheuniverse,thenitisquitepossibletheyhavelearnedtodistortspacetimeinordertoreachus,eveniftheycomefromanotherdimensionofrealityitself,whateverthatmightevenmean. Finally, we might ask about consciousness itself. There are cases of people reportingtelepathiccommunicationwiththeseotherbeingswithinawidevarietyofcontexts.Thishashappenednotsimplyduringrecollectionsofabductions, inwhich telepathiccommunicationseemtobethenorm,butalsoinconnectionwithsightingsoftheobjectsthemselves,whetherthey look like actual craft or orbs. More than once, a person has reported waking in themiddleofthenightwithanurgetolookoutsidetheirbedroomwindow,onlytoseeanorange

orb.Whatisgoingonthere?Wealsofind,timeandagain,thatUFOwitnessesreacttotheirexperienceinwaysthatseeminexplicable to them afterwards. Sometimes they react to their encounter with anuncharacteristic senseof calm,or sometimeswithhystericalpanic.Perhaps that isdue to adeeppsychologicalprocess,butitmightbethatthesebeingshaveanadvancedunderstandingofthehumanmind,enablingthemsomelevelofcontrol.Thatis,somehowtogetinsideourheads.Buttheimportanceofconsciousnessdoesnotendthere.Thereissomeanecdotalevidenceindicatingthatmeditationcantriggermoreencounters.Isitpossiblethattheybecomemoreinterested inuswhenwe refineandelevateourown thoughtprocesses?Does thatmakeusmore interesting to them? Or does that allow us to reach them somehow, or reach theirreality,whereverthatis?Thisisaquestionthatcanleadustoexploreafundamentalphilosophicalissue,onethathasexistedforthousandsofyears.Essentially,themattercomesdowntothematerialistversusthenon-materialist outlook. Is there a dimension of reality that is not easily amenable to ourtraditional scientific methods of measurement? Moreover, does human consciousness, orconsciousnessingeneral,havetheabilitytoaffectreality?Thesearetwoseparatequestions,butclearlytheybeararelationshiptoeachother.Towhatextentdothoughtscreateoraffectwhatweperceiveasmaterial reality? Is suchan ideanonsense,or is theresomething to it?Whatisthesciencethatsupportsit?Ibroachedthissubjectinthepreviouschapter,andwouldliketoexploreitfurtherinthisone. In general, a proper understanding ofUFOs and everything related to thempromises tobringhumanityintoanewseriesofscientificparadigms.Butweshouldremindourselvesthatscience,properlydone, requires the scientificmethod. Ithasworkedexceptionallywell forthe past five centuries, andwewould be fools to discard it. It involves testing, testing, andmoretesting.Butevenmorethanthis,thetestdataitselfmustbeopenandavailableforotherstocomprehendandrepeat.Repeatabilityiskey.Soisopenavailabilitytothedata.Itisonethingtoconductanexperimentandstatethatsuchand such an effect has occurred. It is quite another to describe the protocols, equations,parameters,andconditionsofthatexperimentinsuchawaythatsomeoneelsecanfollowtheinstructions and duplicate the result. This is the foundation of peer review: independent,qualifiedpeoplemustbeabletocheckthework. Within the UFO literature, we often hear the word “pseudoscience” bandied about.Pseudoscience is not simply a derogatory term directed against subjects that professionalscientistsdisdain.Ithascertainlybecomeasluroftenenough,butwhatwecallpseudosciencecanaccuratelybedescribedasconjectureonly,withoutanytiestoscientificexperimentation,experimental physics, or mathematics. Fundamentally, pseudoscience represents a claimwithoutthescientificmethodsupportingit.Inadditiontopseudoscience,thereisfringescience,somethingdifferentyetagain.Wecanbest understand fringe science as hypotheses that are loosely connected to provenmathematics, experimental physics, or some other form of scientific experimentation, butwhich have not yet been submitted for peer review. This does not mean that somethingcurrentlyconsideredpseudoscienceorfringescienceisnecessarilyfalse.Ofcourse,itmightbefalse,andoftenenough,itis.Butitmightalsobethatthephenomenonunderstudyhasso

fareludedourattemptstosubjectittoaclassicalscientificanalysis. Scientificallyspeaking,then,thisisthebestreasontoremainopen-mindedaboutsubjectsthat are currently considered fringe science or even pseudoscience. Sometimes,we simplyhavetowaitforoursciencetocatchupwithaphenomenon.Thisdoesnotinvalidatescienceasatool,northephenomenonitselfasworthyofstudy.Scienceisnotthebadguyhere,andneitherareUFOs.

Propulsion PaulHillwas a seniorNASAscientist during the1950s and1960s.HewasProfessorofAeronauticsandwasanoriginalmemberoftheNationalAdvisoryCommitteeofAeronautics(NACA) in 1939. In otherwords, PaulHillwas involved inAmerica’s aerospace programrightfromitsbirth.Hehadanimpressivecareerandreceivedmanyawards.PaulHillwasalsoaUFOwitness.Hisexperienceconvincedhimthatthephenomenonwasreal. Over the years, despite NASA’s formal position that dismissed UFOs, Hill becameknownwithinNASAas their resident expert on the subject.As a result,manyUFO reportsendeduponhisdesk—informally,notofficially.Duringthe1960s,Hillworkedquietlyonabook.Hecompleteditinthemid-1970s,afterhehad retired, and it remained unpublished until 1995, five years after his death. His book,UnconventionalFlyingObjects:AScientificStudy, is still considered today tobe the singlebestscientifictreatmentofUFOs.[329]AsHillputit,hisgoalwastoshowthat“UFOsobey,notdefy,thelawsofphysics.”WhenwethinkaboutthebehaviorofmanyreportedUFOs,thismaynotbereadilyapparent. Ourcurrentlyacceptedphysicsisfoundedontheconservationofenergyandmomentum.Andyet,UFOsappeartoacceleratewithoutejectinganymaterialbehindthem.BothNewton'slawofgravityandEinstein’stheoryofGeneralRelativityrequiretheexistenceof“negativemass” (or negative energy) for something like antigravity to be possible. This has been amajorhurdletothestudyofUFOsbymanyphysicists.[330] Hillwonderedaboutthis,aswellasotherobservedfeaturesofUFOs:thelackofasonicboomdespitereachingsupersonicspeeds,theirincredibleaccelerations,presumablywithoutkilling theiroccupants, andmuchmore.Heconcluded that although these typesofmotionsarenotconsistentwithaerodynamics,theyareconsistentwithsomeformofrepulsiveforce-field propulsion. In other words, UFOs make sense if they are using some sort of“antigravity,” just as we produce magnetism with electric currents. He added that theoccasionalchangesincolornoticedbysomewitnessesmakesenseifweassumethatonesideeffect of this force would be a plasma field. This would be caused by ionization of thesurroundingair,whichinturncouldaltertheapparentcolorofthecraft.HillstudiedcasesinwhichUFOsappearedtodemonstratethisforcefield.Theseincludedinstancesinwhichapersonoravehiclewasaffected,treebranchesmovedapartorbroken,roof tiles knocked out, ground or water disturbed, and so on. He concluded that theseinteractions pointed to a repulsive force field surrounding the craft, and definitely notpropulsion involving jets, nor pure electric or magnetic effects, nor radiation (althoughradiationwasinevidencesometimesasasecondaryeffect). Thisforcefieldisgravitational-like,andinfactisgravity-canceling.Oneresultofthisis

thatlivingbeingsinsideitcancopewiththeincredibleaccelerationsofhundredsofg-forces.Thatisbecause,asreviewerDr.HaroldPuthoffpointedout,bymanipulatingtheacceleration-type force field, even at supersonic speeds, occupants would be in a “constant-pressure,compression-freezone,”andtheircraftwouldbesurroundedbyaflowofairthatissubsonic.In otherwords,not supersonic,meaning no sonic boom.A nice bonuswould be that rain,moisture,dust,insects,orotherlowvelocityobjectswouldfollowstreamlinedpathsaroundthecraft,ratherthanhitit.Anotherbenefitisthatthesurfaceofthecraftwouldnotheatexcessively,whichonewouldexpectfromordinaryaircraftmovingatextremelyhighspeeds.Thespaceshuttleandotherhigh-techaircraft,forinstance,requiresophisticatedheatshieldingtoallowthemsafelytore-enterEarth’satmosphere.Notso,whenthecraftcanbenefitfromaforcefield.Essentially,theairflowapproachesthecraftandthenmovesaway,depositingnoenergyintheprocess.PuthoffconcludedthatHill:

. . . assembledasgoodacaseas canbemadeon thebasisofpresentlyavailabledata that theobservationof some‘unconventionalflyingobjects’iscompatiblewiththepresenceofengineeredplatformsweighinginatsomethingaround30tons,whicharecapableof100-gaccelerationsand9000-mphspeedsintheatmosphere.

Moreimportantforthetechnicalreader,addedPuthoff,wasHill'ssupportingargumentationthat “these platforms, although exhibiting the application of physics and engineeringprinciplesclearlybeyondourpresent-daycapabilities,donotappeartodefytheseprinciplesinanyfundamentalway.”[331]Hilldidnotexplainhowtogeneratesucharepulsive,gravity-cancelingforce.Ofcourse,hecanhardlybefaultedforthis.Withintheopenscientificliterature,nooneelsehasfigureditout, either. Antigravity remains a Holy Grail. For this reason, some UFO skeptics havedismissedHill’swork.SupportersrespondthathisworkshowsthatUFOsdonotinvolvehalfa dozen or more inexplicable phenomena. Instead, there is essentially one inexplicablephenomenon.Surely,thisisnoreasontodiscardhiswork.Afterall,thephysicsofatypicalcellphonewouldhavebaffledanygeniusofthe19thcentury.

ElectrograviticsPaulHillshowed,withinreason,thatthecreationofagravity-cancelingfield,orforcefieldofsomesort,goesalongwaytoexplaintheotherwiseinexplicableperformancecapabilitiesofUFOs.Thishasledresearchersintothefieldofelectrogravitics.SomeofthepioneeringworkinthisfieldwasdonebynoneotherthanNikolaTesla.OtherimportantfiguresincludeThomas Townsend Brown, Paul Biefeld, Paul LaViolette, Thomas Valone, and YevgenyPodkletnov.Withintheworldofofficiallyestablishedconclusionsandtruth,theprevailingassessmentisthatelectrograviticsdoesnotgenerateasignificanteffect.[332]However,itseemsthatagoodcasecanbemadeforelectrogravitics.Tesla’sconnectiontothesubjecthascapturedagreatdealofattentionandremainsapuzzle.Thisisnotsurprisingwhenweconsidernotonlyhisprodigiousgenius,butthefactthatmanyofhispaperswereconfiscatedbyU.S.governmentofficialsathisdeathin1943.Whilesomewerereleasedin1952,manyothershavedisappeared.[333]Thereismorethanenoughroomenoughtowonderwhatclassifiedresearchwascarriedoutbasedonthem.

Especiallyduringhis lateryears,Teslamadeseveralscientifically radical remarksaboutmatterandenergy.Hewasroundlycriticizedforthis,buttheyarefascinatingnevertheless.In1930,forinstance,hehadthistosay:

. . . allperceptiblematter comes fromaprimary substance,of a tenuitybeyondconceptionand fillingall space—theAkashaor luminiferousether,which isacteduponby the life-givingPranaorcreative force,calling intoexistence, inneverendingcycles,allthingsandphenomena....CanMancontrolthisgrandest,mostawe-inspiringofallprocessesinnature?[334]

AmongsomeUFOandnon-mainstreamresearchers,Tesla’sworkimpliesaformoffreeenergyandbeyond,includingtheabilityto“precipitatematterfromtheether”andevencreatelife“in infinite forms.”[335]Nothing in thepublishedpapersofphysics appears to supportthisclaim,anditwouldcertainlybethebasisofascientificrevolutionifit is.However,wemaygrantthatwithintheworldofclassifiedscientificresearch,itmaybeanotherstory.ItisalsosometimesassertedthatTeslapioneeredideasrelativetoelectrogravitics.Whatisdefinitely known is that work in this area began no later than the early 1920's. Dr. PaulBiefeld, a physicist and acquaintance of Albert Einstein, discovered that a highly chargedcapacitor possesses an odd tendency to move in the direction of its positive pole. Biefeldassignedhisstudent,ThomasTownsendBrown,toresearchthephenomenon.Brownwasableto document what appeared to be a gravity-reducing effect, which became known as theBiefeld-BrownEffect.Itisthefoundationofelectrogravitics.Fundamentally,electrograviticsusesanelectricfieldtochargeorpolarizeanobjectthathasaspecially-constructedshape—typicallyadisc-shapedobjectworksbest.Whensuchachargeisapplied to theedgeofa surfaceofanobjectorcraft, the result isapropulsiveeffect. Inother words, the discmoves. According to an important article in 1956 from the aviationpublication,Interavia,byananonymousauthorwhospenttwoyearsresearchingthematter,Brown demonstrated this effect on discs charged with roughly 150,000 volts. They weretetheredandreportedlyflew“withresultssoimpressiveastobehighlyclassified.Variationsofthisworkdoneunderavacuumhaveproducedmuchgreaterefficienciesthatcanonlybedescribedasstartling.”[336] There are certainknown, conventional, possibilities that could cause apropulsive effect.Onewasthatofionwind.Brown,however,ruledthatout,sinceheconductedsomeofthesetests in a vacuum, where such an effect is impossible. There is another effect, known aselectrostaticlevitation,thatcouldconceivablycausemotiontothedisc,butthis,too,seemstobedifferent fromwhatBrownachieved.Electrostatic levitation isarealphenomenonundercertainconditions,althoughithasneverbeenshowntolevitateanobjectinastablemanner.Conceivably,onemightbeabletodesignafeedbackcontrolsystemthatconstantlychangesthe electric fields to hold an object in position, perhaps an equivalent of fly-by-wire inmodern aircraft. There is no indication, however, that it can achieve the kind of force oracceleration that Brown obtained in his tethered-disc experiments. He seemed to be on tosomethingentirelydifferent.TheBiefeld-Browneffectappearstoinvolveadifferentkindofphysicsaltogether. Considerthatsomeoftheseexperimentsweredoneinavacuum,theapplicationtospacetravelisevident.Itwouldindicatethatelectrograviticscouldbeusedasameansofpropulsionforspacecraftaswellasaircraft. This work by Brown, and apparently others, seeped out to the public in 1956, when

Interavia and a few other publications printed stories about imminent breakthroughs inantigravity.Butthen,nothing.Thestoriesendedalmostasquicklyastheybegan.Onepossiblescenarioisthattheresearchwentblack.Coulditbethatafewadvancesweremadesincethattimewithintheclassifiedworld?

T.TownsendBrownwithadiscfromhiselectrograviticsexperiments.

Some public discussion of electrogravitics has continued. In 1991, the U.S. Air Forcepublishedareportonastudyofelectrograviticsconcludingthat,althoughtheredidseemtobe some anomalous forces produced via electrogravitics, it was not very much, and notsignificant enough for propulsion. The report did say, “these may warrant furtherconsideration in the future.”[337] Such a conclusionmightmake someonewonder if quietresearchhascontinuedsince1991. More recently, Bernard Haisch, Harold Puthoff, and several other physicists havedemonstrated connections between the electromagnetic zero-point energy field and inertia.

Theyhavespeculatedaboutpossiblefurtherconnectionswithgravity.[338] The American physicist Ning Li also provided theoretical support for anomalousgravitationaleffectsfromasuperconductingspinningdiscinastrongmagneticfield.Inotherwords, gravity-weakening effects. According to her research, rotating ions create agravitomagnetic field perpendicular to their spin axis. If a large number of ions can bealigned, a strong gravitomagnetic field can be achieved, which in turn produces a strongrepulsiveforce.Thismightbedonebytrappingsuperconductorionsinalatticestructureinahigh-temperaturesuperconductingdisc.[339] The engineer Yevgeny Podkletnov has reportedly done experiments demonstratingsomething like this,with rotating superconductors in amagnetic field.He claimed to haveachieved some gravity reduction effect, although a number of technical reasons somephysicistsquestionwhethertheresultscanbetakenatfacevalue.[340] ProbablythemostdetailedargumentsforelectrograviticscomefromDr.PaulLaVioletteandDr.ThomasValone,bothofwhomhavewrittenextensivelyabout fieldpropulsion (i.e.antigravity)technologiesandthecover-upoftheirreality.Botharguethatthereareadvancedaerospacetechnologiesthatcancontrolgravityandwouldobviouslyrevolutionizeairtravelandenergyproduction.Theydiscussdifferentfieldpropulsiondeviceswiththrust-to-powerratios thousands of times greater than any jet engine. They argue that NASA has beeninvolvedinacover-uptoblocktheseadvancedtechnologiesfrompublicknowledgeanduse,althoughofcoursesuchtechnologiesremainundermilitarydevelopment.[341] Obviously, if this technology is real, itwould revolutionize transportation technologies,merelyforstarters.Itcouldalsoexposedeeplyclassifiedandsensitiveprograms.Asearlyas1993,LaViolette argued that theB-2AdvancedTechnologyBomber—the stealth bomber—usedelectrograviticstoprovidesomeamountofgravitycontrol.[342] It is interestingthat,despite thefact thatelectrograviticshasnotbeendebunked,andevenenjoyssomemainstreamscientificsupport,ithasreceivedsolittleformalresearchfunding.Perhapswe shouldnotbe surprised.Clearly, it is revolutionary in everyway. If it is beingdeveloped within a classified setting, all the more reason to suppress it publicly. Yet, thequestionarises:woulditbepossibletosuppresspublicfundingofitonaninternationalscale?Onapurely scientificbasis,whywould it receive so little institutional supportworldwide?Tworeasonableanswerscome tomind.First, theremaybe theperception that therearenoshort-term or medium-term prospects for financial success. Second, that it is beingsuppressedbymajorpowersintheareasofnationalsecurityandenergy.

Energy Speaking of energy, if UFOs are producing such intense magnetic fields, are able toperformwith such incredible capabilities, havephysical effects on the environment aroundthem(includingsourcesofpowersuchastheengineofacarorthepowergridofanentirecommunity),thentheymustbeusingatremendousamountofenergy.Whatistheirsourceofpower? There is no consensus on this, other than it is likely to be far better than high-octanegasoline. However, a few ideas have been proposed. One is that gravity is “somehow”convertedtousableenergy,buthowpreciselyisnotclear.AnotheristhatUFOsutilizeremotetransmissionofpower,thatis,awirelessenergytransfer.But,fromwhere?

Probably the onemostwithin current capabilities (although still not officially attained),wouldbethroughcleannuclearfusion.ThisisadefiniteHolyGrailinenergygeneration. Nuclear power plants employ fission, which tears atoms apart, releasing energy andradioactive by-products. Fusion is different. It occurs inside every star, and has beenreplicatedbyhumankindintheformofthehydrogenbomb.Anuclearfusionreactorwouldduplicate this process, but in a controlled way. It involves fusing together two “heavy”hydrogen atoms, known as deuterium and tritium, to produce helium, which is inert andharmless,withoutradioactivewaste,alongwithvastamountsofenergy.Actually,vastdoesnotbegintocapturethemagnitudeofthisenergy.Theamountofenergywould be well beyond anything achievable through nuclear fission, which is itself atremendous source of power. After all, fission powers nuclear submarines and aircraftcarriers foryears at at time. It powers large citieswith ease.But fusion is farbeyond this,beyond anything human civilization has yet harnessed. Surely, the amount of power in acontrolledfusionreactionwouldeasilysufficeforanyelectrograviticflyingsaucer.Oranylargefleetofthem.Researchersareworkingoncontrollednuclearfusion,andmanypeoplebelieveitcanbeachieved. Physicist Michio Kaku has predicted a fusion breakthrough by around the year2030,orperhaps2040.[343]Anuclearsolutionmaybetheanswertothequestionof“whatpowersflyingsaucers?”Itiscurious,incidentally,thatBobLazar,whoclaimedin1990tohaveworkedattheS-4FacilityinGroomLake, nearArea 51, stated that the atomicElement 115 served as a nuclear fuel.Thiselementreportedlyprovidedanenergysourcethatcanproduceantigravityeffectsunderproton bombardment, alongwith antimatter for energy production. As Lazar put it, as theintense strong nuclear force field of Element 115's nucleus was properly amplified, thegravitationaleffectwoulddistortthesurroundingspacetimecontinuum.Ineffect,thiswouldgreatly shorten the distance and travel time to a charted destination. Essentially, Lazarwassayingthiswouldbendthespacetimefabricitself.[344]Asidefromfusion,anotherpossibilitythathasreceivedattentionasabreakthroughsourceofenergyistheproposedutilizationofambientenergy,mostcommonlyreferredtoasZeroPointEnergy,orZPE. It is referred to as “zero point” because it is energy that exists at zero degreesKelvin,otherwise known as absolute zero. Even at that temperature, the coldest possible in theuniverse, a state lacking all thermal energy, nothing can be frozen so solidly that itsmolecules become absolutely still, because the atoms of the molecules would still be inmotion.Oneexperimentconductedbyscientistsinvolvedcoolingheliumtowithinonedegreeofabsolutezero.Evenatthattemperature,helium’smoleculesretainedenoughkineticenergytokeepit inaliquidstateinsteadoffreezingsolid.Apparently,onlyZPEcouldaccountfortheenergythatpreventedtheheliumfromfreezing.[345] Therefore, ifonewere topumpallmatterandallheatenergyoutofacontainer, asoneapproachesabsolutezero,allthatwouldbeleftinthecontainerwouldbeavacuumandzeropointenergy.Inotherwords,somesourceofenergyexistsallthetime.Itislikeaseaofenergythatexistseverywhere.Itisallaroundus,andisintheemptinessofspace.SomeclaimthattheenergydensityofZPEexceedsthatofnuclearenergy,butthereisno consensus. In this context, ufologist and nuclear physicist StantonT. Friedmanmakes a

salientpoint:Ihaveoftenbeenfascinatedbythesimplefact thatwhenonegoesfromthe‘huge’atomtothe10,000-timessmallernucleus,onegoesupinenergyperparticlebymillionsoftimes.Sowhatwillhappenwhenweareabletodigintothequarks that make up neutrons and protons?Will a huge new source of energy be found?What new sources havealreadybeenfoundbycivilizationsonlythousandsofyearsaheadofus,ratherthanthemuchmorelikelymillionsorbillions of years ahead of us that some places in the local neighborhoodmust be?We know that matter-antimatterannihilationisanefficientprocess,evenifwedon’tknowhowtostoreantimatter.[346]

Apointwellworthconsiderationaswegetdowntothesmallestfabricofexistence. The real question is, canwegetZPE to do usefulwork for us?Part of this depends onwhethertheretrulyisagreatamountofenergytobeextracted,andwhetheradevicecanbebuilttodoit.Itdoesappearpossibleintheorytoobtainheatandenergyoutofthevacuum.Thiscouldmeanfreeenergydevicesthatarecarbon-freeandusenofuel.Dr.ThomasValone,whoonceworkedattheU.S.patentoffice,describedlosinghisjobbecauseheadvocatedforpreciselythesetypesofsuppressedsystems.WhatislackingisaprovenZPEdevice.SomepeoplehavemadevigorousZPEclaims,suchasColonelTomBearden.However,Beardenhasbeenpersuasivelycritiquedandrejectedforbadmathematicsandevendelusions.[347]Thereareothers,too,whohaveclaimedsuccessincreating a ZPE device, or other types of “free energy” deviceswhichmay ormay not berelatedtotheenergysystemsofUFOs.JohnSearloftheU.K.isonesuchinventor.Forallweknow,oneormoreofthesedevicesmayindeedwork.Theproblemisthatnoneasyethavebeenshownconclusivelytowork.Moreover,alllackpeerreviewedanalysisandstudy. Again, as with electrogravitics, we need to understand why this is so. Is it because thescienceisjustnotstrongenough?Isitbecauseofthebureaucracyoftheworldofscienceandacademia,combinedwitha terrorofstickingone’sneckout?Or it is related to the lackofgovernmentfundingbecausethisisaclassifiedsubjectandtherealworkisdoneinsecrecy? Onethingisevident.WhateverthesourceofenergybehindtheUFOphenomenon, it isarevolutionarystepbeyondwhathumancivilizationiscurrentlyutilizing.

SpacetimeOurcommonsenseisNewtonian,ouruniverseisnot.LikethephysicsofIsaacNewton,ourcommon sense is logical, comforting, and much simpler than the actual fabric of reality.Particularlyasitisunderstoodbytheoreticalphysiciststoday,realityisfarmorecomplex. In Newton’s formulation of reality, time and space continue indefinitely. Neither has abeginning,norend.Bothareconstant.Iftheclocksays2:45p.m.somewhereonEarth,anditis2:45p.m.somewhereonarockcirclingAlphaCentaurifourlight-yearsaway,theninonehour it will be exactly 3:45 p.m. in both places, and essentially everywhere else. This isbecauseinaNewtonianworld,nothingaffectsthepassageoftime.Itmovesataconstantrateeverywhere.Whatgoesfortimealsogoesforspace.Itcontinuesonandoninfinitely.Timeandspace,moreover,areentirelydistinctandseparate,fundamentallyunrelatedtoeachother.This,atleast,iswhatNewtonianphysicsandourcommonsensebothtellus.However,startingwithEinstein,webegantounderstandspaceandtimenotasseparatefromeachother,butasaninterwovenfabric—thespacetimefabric.Webegantounderstandgravityassomethingthatcurvesspace,andtimeassomethingthatisaffectedbygravity,justasitisaffectedbythemotionofobjectsthatmovethroughspace.Inotherwords,timeisrelative.It

doesnotpassatthesamerateeverywhere.Wealsonowunderstandthatouruniversehasanorigin,notonlyintime,butinspace.Inotherwords,whatwecalltheBigBangwasnotmerelysomebigexplosioninspace.Itwas,rather, the creation of space and the creation of time.As difficult as it is for ourminds tovisualizeandtrulygraspthisconcept,notonlywastherenotimepriortotheBigBang,buttherewasnospaceinwhichtheuniversecouldexistpriortothatmoment.Howissuchathingpossible?Suchisoneofthemanymysteriesofmoderntheoreticalphysics.ItisnotthattheUFOphenomenonleadsusnecessarilytograpplewithsomeoftheleadingissuesofphysicsandcosmology.Rather,thoseleadingissueshelptoinformufology,justasthey informmanyotherareasof intellectualendeavor.However, it isalso true thatufologydoeseventuallybumpintosomeofthesequestions.Afterall,UFOsconstituteatrulypuzzlingmystery on so many levels. Should it surprise us that, at some point, there would be aconnectiontoleadingedgephysics?Perhapsatseveralpoints?

MiguelAlcubierre Consider faster than light (FTL) travel, for instance. Everyone who has ever heard ofE=mc2 knows that it is impossible to exceed the speed of light. How many times haveastronomersandphysicistsdiscussedthevirtualimpossibilityofinterstellartravel,allduetothe,shallwesay,astronomicaldistancesinvolved?Totravelevenfromarelativelynearstarof fifty light years distance (which in the grand scheme of things is essentially next door)would take fiftyyearsat thespeedof light.With suchanobstacle inplace,howcanbeingsfromanywhereelseevenknowaboutus,muchlessgethere?Theelectronicsignalsfromthebeginning of our Age of Television would only now be reaching places of that distance.Anyonefartherawaywillhavetowaitmuchlongerstill.Intheopinionofmanyphysicists,toexpectanyotherbeingstoreachusisafantasy. Except for those,ofcourse,whohavebeen thinkingalong the fringes,andwhoseem tohavemadesomeprogress.MiguelAlcubierre,aphysicistattheUniversityofWales,describedaspace-travelscenariothatseemsratherlikeStarTrek.WithAlcubierre’swarpdrive,onecouldintheoryreachotherplacesintheuniverseaseasilyaswedrivetothenearestcity.Longerjourneysperhapsmightfeellikedrivingacrossthecountry.[348]AccordingtoEinstein,spacetimetwists,changes,andessentiallydistortsundertheinfluenceof concentrations of energy. Alcubierre suggested that it might be possible to use thisphenomenontotravelfromonestartoanother,fasterthanthespeedoflight.Thiscouldbedonebycreatingadisturbanceinspacetimesothattheregiondirectlyinfrontiscontracted,while the region directly behind is expanded.This distortion of spacetimewould thereforepropeltheobjectforward,somethinglikeasurferridingawave.Atfirstglance,thisseemstoviolateEinstein'sspecialtheoryofrelativity,whichsaysthatnoobjectcanexceedthespeedoflight.Alcubierre,however,showedthathiswarpdrivedoesnotviolate it. Instead, the light also travelswithin spacetime and is carried along, just like thespaceship. Relative to the spaceship, the light beam is still traveling at the speed of light.Moreover,thespaceshipisnotmovingatthespeedoflightrelativetoitsimmediatevicinity.Instead, it ismoving alongwith thewarpingof spacetime around it.As it turnsout, this is

compatible with Bob Lazar ’s description of how spacecraft travel, which Lazar discussedpriortoAlcubierre’stheory.TothoseofusonEarthwatchingaspacecraftaccelerateawayasAlcubierrehypothesized,itwould seem incredibly fast. However, to those inside the craft, it would seem normal. AnimportantfeaturetoAlcubierre’stheoryisthatthewarpdrivewouldnotcausetimedilation.Inotherwords,onecouldtraveltotheAndromedaGalaxy,twomillionlightyearsaway,bebackintimeforsupper.Thereasonisbecausethetravellerwouldnotbetravelingatornearthe speed of light through spacetime. Rather, spacetime itself would have warped for thetraveler.Theideaofwarpdriveiseminentlyattractive,andthemathematicsappeartobesound.Isthereanythingstoppingusfromachievingit? Not surprisingly, yes.Thekey is somethingAlcubierre calledexoticmatter. Thiswouldpowerthewarpdrive.Itpossessesnegativeenergydensity,whereasnormalmatter(whichiseverythingthatmakesupourworldanduniverse),haspositiveenergydensity.Twopiecesofmatterwiththesameenergydensityareattractedtoeachotherbygravity.Twopositivesareattracted,and twonegativesareattracted.Positiveandnegativeenergymatter,however,arerepelledbygravity. Exoticmatter is not fantasy, at least probably not. In 1948, theDutch physicist HendrikCasimir predicted that the effects of negative energydensities are observable.He reasonedthat if negative energy densities existed, two closely spaced parallel conducting plates in avacuumwouldbeattractedtooneanother.Thisphenomenon,nowcalledtheCasimireffect,wasmeasuredin1958,andisusuallytakentobeaconfirmationthatnegativeenergydensitiesarepossible.[349]Atleastintheory,then,warpdriveispossible.Ofcourse,thatdoesnotproveitisfeasible,even for amore advanced species, but it is probably foolish to discount the possibility.Atleastitdoesnotseemtoviolatethelawsofphysics.Clearly,certaintechnicaldetailsmustberesolvedbeforeaerospacefirmsstartbuildingstarships.Thefirstorderofbusinesswouldbetolearnhowtoproducesuchexoticmatter.Thatmaytakeawhile.

DimensionsandStringsLetusproceedfurthernow,andaskaquestionortwoaboutthefundamentalstructureoftheuniverse, or, more accurately, of themultiverse andmultiple dimensions. That, and stringtheory. At first glance, onemight think string theory has nothing to do with this idea of extradimensions.Butassomephysicistsargue,theyarecloselyrelated. String theory, or superstring theory, tries to answer the question of what constitute thefundamental, indivisible building blocks that make up our universe. There are, of course,atoms,whichcontainelectrons,neutrons,andprotons.Insideneutronsandprotonsareevensmaller particles, much smaller, known as quarks. Within conventional physics, that isessentially it. But string theory suggests that deep inside any of these particles, there issomethingelse. According to string theoristBrianGreene, that somethingelse is “adancing filamentofenergy,avibratingstring,”thatvibratesindifferentpatterns,producingdifferentparticlesthat

makeuptheworldaroundus.[350]Theuniverse,asstringtheoryconceptualizesit,isbuiltupof an enormous number of tiny filaments of vibrating energy, vibrating at differentfrequencies.Differentfrequenciesproducedifferentparticles.ThereareseveralHolyGrailsinourworld;stringtheoryoffersoneofthem.Inthiscase,itisaGrandUnifiedTheoryofPhysics.Stringtheorystatesthatmatter(electronsandquarks)andradiation(photonsandgravitons)derivefromoneentity,andthattheseallexistwithintherubricofvibratingstrings.Thisiswhatismeantbyaunifiedtheory.[351]Astherealwaysiswithanything,thereisacatch.StringtheoristssuchasGreene,MichioKaku,andotherspointoutthatthemathematicsofstringtheorydonotworkinauniversethathas just three dimensions of space. Nor does it work in a universe of four, five, or sixdimensions. They assert, however, that it does work in a universe with ten dimensions ofspaceandonedimensionoftime.Thatis,elevendimensions.Kakusuggestswethinknotofauniverse,butamultiversefilledwithbubbles.Theskinofeachbubblerepresentsanentireuniverse.Thus,hesays,weareontheskinofabubble,likefliesonflypaper.Ours isanexpandingthree-dimensionalbubble.Sometimes, thesebubblesmaybumpintoeachother,orsometimessplitintotwoormorebubbles.Instringtheory,heargues,therecanbebubblesofdifferentdimensions,butnevermorethaneleven.Eachofthebubbles—universes—floatsinamuchlargerarea,whichisthehyperspace.Eachbubblealsovibrates and, as Kaku poetically puts it, creates music. This cosmic music resonatesthroughoutelevendimensionsinhyperspace.Itisagoodcandidate,hesuggests,forthemindofGodthatEinsteinwroteabout. String theory and multidimensional theory do not make predictions about civilizationsexisting in those other dimensions.They see these dimensions as tiny and curled up insidethemselvessomehowinawaythat,frankly,mostofusstraintounderstand.Aninterestingaspecttostringtheoryisthatitdoesseempossible,mathematically,tomakeacaseforit.Perhapsstrongenoughthatitconceivablyattainsthelevelofscientificproof.AsBrianGreenedescribedit,thereareinmodernphysicsroughlytwentydifferentnumbersthatdescribe our universe. Such numbers include the mass of particles such as electrons andquarks, the strength of gravity, the strength of the electromagnetic force, and others. Theyhavebeenmeasuredtogreatprecision,andtheymusthavethevaluestheydo,otherwisetheuniversewouldnotexist.Greene’simagewasoftwentydialsofacomplexmachine:turninganyoneofthosedialswouldcausetheuniversetovanish.

Levelsofmagnification(FromtheWikipediapageonStringTheory):(1)Macroscopiclevel:Matter;(2)Molecularlevel;(3)Atomiclevel:Protons,neutrons,andelectrons;(4)Subatomiclevel:Electron;(5)Subatomiclevel:Quarks;(6)Stringlevel.

But there is one thing no one knows,which iswhy each of these numbers possess theirparticularvalue.Stringtheoristsreason,however,thatsincethemannerinwhichthestringsvibrateisaffectedbythegeometryoftheextradimensions,iftheyknewexactlywhattheextradimensions looked like, they should be able to calculate the allowed vibrational patterns.Therefore, theyshouldbeable tocalculate thosetwentynumbers. If theirresultsagreewiththeactualvaluesofthosenumbers,thiscouldbethefirstfundamentalexplanationforwhythestructureoftheuniverseisthewayitis.Thereareafewreasonswhythismattersfromaufologicalperspective.Mostfundamentally,itisclearthattherearedeepmysteriesaboutcertainaspectsofUFOs,certain things about thephenomenon that simplydonotmake sense.At the same time, ourmostadvancedphysicistsstilllackagrandunifiedtheoryofphysics:asingle,unifiedsetofequationsfromwhichallofrealitycanmakesense.Ifitturnsoutthatstringtheoryprovidesthatfoundation,wemayeventuallybeabletomakebettersenseoftheUFOphenomenoninwaysthatcurrentlyeludeusscientifically.ThereisanotherreasonstringtheoryandtheoreticalphysicsingeneralmatterstothestudyofUFOs.Forwhilestringtheoriststendtodiscounttheideaofaliencivilizationsexistinginotherdimensionsofreality, tosaynothingofotheruniverses,seriousUFOresearchersareusuallynotwilling todoso.Surely, it ismucheasier forsuchresearchers tooffersuchanopinion,sincedeepknowledgeofphysics(tosaynothingofstringtheory)iscomparativelyrare.Itisalwayseasyfornewcomerstojumpinandmakecrazystatements.Nevertheless,wemaypermitourinnocencetoexpressitselfhere,ifonlytocomedownonthesideofwonder

andpossibility,andultimatelyabeliefthat,givenenoughtimeandknowledge,wemayindeedbeabletofindawaytocrossboundariesthatcurrentlyseemimpenetrable.

TimeTryingtounderstandthenatureoftimeisoneofthoseissuesthatcankeepyouponderingfordays,weeks,years,andlifetimes.Aswithspace,timeisn’texactlywhatourbrainsandcommonsensetellus.Newtonwroteofitasanarrowthatgoesinonedirectiononly:forward.Butgravityaffectstime,sothatinfacttimemovesmoreslowlyattheEarth’ssurfacethanintheupperatmosphere.Thedifferenceisnothing that a human being could ever notice, but experiments with atomic clocks haveprovenittobetrue.Theeffectispronouncedatthesingularityofablackhole,aplacewheregravityexertssuchapowerthattimeactuallystops. Speedalsoaffectstime.Weknowthatthefasteronetravels,especiallywhenapproachingthespeedoflight,themoretimeslowsdown.Hencethephenomenonknownastimedilation,inwhichapersoninsideaspaceshiptravelingat99.999percentofthespeedoflightwillageonly one year in transit while 223 years would pass back home on Earth. This is not anillusion,butanactualeffectoftimedilation.Timedoesnotmoveatthesameratethroughouttheuniverse.AccordingtoEinstein’sE=mc2,fasterthanlightspeedsareimpossible.Nevertheless,ifyouwere toexceed thespeedof light, then in theoryyoumightbegoingback in time.Perhapssurprisingly,thereisnolawofphysicspreventingtimetravel.Andbytimetravel,Idomeantravelintothepast.

Astandarddepictionofspacetimecurvatureinrelationtogravity.

ThemathematicianKurtGödelwasthefirstperson,in1949,tofindasolutiontoEinstein’sequationsthatallowedfortimetravel.[352]Iftheuniverserotates,andyouweretogoaroundtheuniverse,youwouldcomebackbeforeyou left.Einsteinadmitted this seemedpossible,butwasunconcerned,sinceheknewtheuniversedidnotrotate,butexpanded.“Sincethen,”saidMichioKaku,“physicistsandmathematicianshavediscoveredhundredsofothertypesofsolutionsofEinstein’sequationswhichallowfortimetravel.”Onesuchwayistohaveawormhole.Astheuniversecanbendandcontort,itcanalsointheoryfolduponitself,somethingliketakingasheetofpaperandfoldingit.Ifyouweretodrawtwodotsonthepaperandfoldthepaperuntilthedotsmet,itwouldbeliketheideaofawormhole. Recall that if we could fold space in such a manner, we would not merely bebendingspace,butbendingspacetime.Therefore,accordingtoanumberofphysicists,itmaybepossibleusingwormholestotravelbackintime.[353]PhysicistandcosmologistPaulDaviesbelievesso.“Ifawormholecouldexistandcouldbetraversable,”hestated,“thenitwouldprovideameansofgoingbackintime.Soitallhingesonwhetherstablewormholesarearealityorifthere’ssomeaspectofphysics…[that]mightintercedeandpreventthewormholefromforming.That’sanopenquestion.”[354]Notsurprisingly,thereisacatch.AccordingtoDavies,“UsingEinstein’sequationsyoucanshow that the energy needed to bend space and time into a pretzel is comparable to anexplodingstar.Ablackhole.” Obviously,wecurrentlylackthecapabilitytoharnessthismuchenergy.Butisitpossiblethatourfuturecivilization,oranothercivilizationsomewhereelse,willhave,ordoeshave,suchacapability?Ofcourse,eventhoughnoknownlawofphysicspreventstimetravel,itmaybeimpossibleallthesame.Actuallygoingbackintimewouldnotonlyinvolvegoingbacktoaspecifictimeandplace,whichisdauntingenough.Butinfact,trulytogobacktoaspecificmomentintimemeansgoingbacktoaparticularmomentinspacetime.Thinkofitthisway.Thismomentyouarecurrentlyexperiencing—ifyoucouldextractoneprecise,incrediblyspecificmoment—isnotsimplyamomentinwhichyouaresittinginyourchair,inyourroom,orwhereveryouhappentobe,itisamomentinwhichtheEarthisinaparticularpositionrelativetotheSun,galaxy, and universe; in which the Earth, Sun, planets, galaxies, particles, and packets ofenergyeverywhereareinapreciserelationshipwitheachotherthroughoutallofexistence.Infact,thatisprobablythebestdefinitionofa“moment”imaginable:therelativepositionofallparticlestoallotherparticlesinallofexistence,sincethatisalwayschanging. Therefore,whenwe talkabout time travel into thepast,wearenotmerely talkingaboutgoingbacktosomeplaceonEarthtomeetyourgrandfatherorobservethedinosaurs.Wearetalkingaboutrewindingtheentireuniverse—alltheparticles,allofeverything.[355]Onepossibleloopholetothisproblemmightbetheexistenceofmultipleorparallelworlds.Thiswouldeliminatetheparadoxesthatbotherallthephysicists.(e.g.Ifyougobackintimeandkillyourgrandfather,youcan’tbeborn,whichmeansyoucan’tgobackintimetokillyourgrandfather.)Perhapsmultipleuniverses is awayout, except that there is nophysicaltheorythatactuallypredictsthis.Asfarasanyonecantell,suchanideahasonlyexistedintherealmofsciencefiction.Suchconundrumsmightbecircumventedbyreferringtouniversesofgreaterdimensions.Becauseweliveinathree-dimensionalreality(plusthedimensionofTime),itmeansthatwe

perceive time as forever moving ahead in a straight line. Perhaps, however, to a fourth-dimensionalbeing,timemightnotseemlikethat.Instead,timemightseemlikeasphere.Bothperspectives are correct from their points of reference. A fourth-dimensional being couldtraversethistimecontinuumsimplybygoingfrompointAtopointB,becausesuchabeingcan perceive that dimension. The third-dimensional being cannot perceive that dimension.[356]Interesting,butagainwemightaskhowthisisrelevanttoufology?Onereasonisthatithelpsustoexploreoneofthefundamentalquestionsweface:whoarethese“others”andwheredotheycomefrom?IsitpossiblethatvisitorsinUFOsaretravelingfromthefuture?Thisisaclaim,atheme,amemethathasgainedafairamountofattention.Personally, I remain doubtful that time travel is part of the answer to the UFO mystery.However,aslongasleadingphysicistsandmathematicianskeepthepossibilityoftimetravelalive,closingthatdoorisprobablyunwise.

Entanglement,Consciousness,andthe“Others”Oursciencegetsstrangerstill.Thereisthematterofquantumentanglement,whichEinsteinnever liked, but couldnot debunk (he called it “spooky action at adistance").Wewill alsoexplore towhatextentconsciousness itself isakey tounderstanding thepresenceof“otherbeings” here in our reality. Beyond that, we can inquire whether our thoughts manifest,activate, or otherwise create the “physical” world around us. Among other things, thisincludes communicating with extraterrestrials, interdimensionals, or whatever these beingsare.First,entanglement.Thisisarealthing,andremainsdifficultforphysiciststounderstand.Ratherthantrytoexplainit,mostsimplyobserveandmeasuretheeffect.Kaku,whosooftenexplainscomplexideasinphysicswithsuchease,describedentanglementinoneofhismanyYouTubevideos.Visualizetwoelectrons,hesaid,whichareveryclosetogetherandvibratingin unison. If, however, you separate them, it can happen that there is something like aninvisibleumbilicalcordthatcontinuestoconnectthem,suchthatifyou“wiggle”oneparticle,itspartnerisawareofthis.Somethingisconnectingthem,evenatadistance.Now,separatetheseparticlesbythespacialdimensionofagalaxy,onehundredthousandlightyears.Evenatthisincredibledistance,ifyou“wiggle”thatelectronfromoneendofthegalaxy,theelectronat the other end of the galaxy is instantly aware of the fact that its twin is wiggling. Thecommunicationisthereforemuch,muchfasterthanthespeedoflight,whichissupposedtobeimpossible.Thiseffecthasbeenmeasured,notatthedistanceofagalaxyofcourse,butacrosshundredsofmiles.Thecalculationsaresaidtobesolid.Onewonderswhetherentanglementcouldbeusedtosendmessagesthatarefasterthanthespeed of light. In Kaku's judgement, probably not. What is actually traveling from oneelectrontotheother,heargued,israndominformation.“It’snotmorsecode,”hesaid.“Youcan’tsendaloveletterinstantlyfromonepartoftheuniversetoanotherpartoftheuniversefasterthanthespeedoflight.”Inthisview,whileEinsteinwaswrongaboutnothingbeingabletoexceedthespeedoflight,“nousableinformation”canexceedit.[357]

LivingwithUncertainty

In 1931, Kurt Gödel developed a fascinating set of mathematical theorems about logicwhich he called his “incompleteness theorums.” Recall that a theorem, unlike a theory, isproventobetrue.Gödel’stheoremsstatethatanygivensetoflogicalrules,exceptforthemostsimple,willalways contain statements that are undecidable. They can neither be proven nor disproven.Thisisbecauseanylogicalsystemwitheventheslightestcomplexitywillinevitablybecomeself-referential.Thissuggeststhatnograndmathematicalsystemcaneverproveordisproveallstatements.All logical systemswill have statements that cannot be proven or disproven; therefore, alllogical systems must be “incomplete.” It also implies that physics will never be able todevelop a theory of everything, since no set of rules can explain every possible event oroutcome. Morerelevant for thestudyofUFOs, italso indicates that logically,“proof” isaweakerconceptthan“true.”Inotherwords,therewillalwaysbethingsthat,despitebeingtrue,cannotbe proven to be true. That is not only unsettling to scientists, it is frustrating to UFOresearchers.Theremayverywellbethingsourmindscanneverknow.OneofGödel’sincompletenesstheoremsstatesthatnosystemcanproveitsownconsistency.Thus,nosanemindcanproveitsownsanity.Also,sincethatsamelawstatesthatanysystemabletoproveitsconsistencytoitselfmust be inconsistent, anymind that believes it can prove its own sanity is, therefore,insane.[358]Wemaynevergettoapointinourunderstanding,andspecificallyinourscience,wherewecan prove everything that is true. Some thingsmay be true, butmay forever be unable toprove.Perhaps thismaygiveusa freshperspective to the ideaof takingcertainmattersonfaith.

ConsciousnessThequestionsaboutconsciousnessaremany.Onethathasbeenraisedearlierinthisbookiswhetherornotpeoplehave theability,by thepowerofmind, tocommunicatewithentitiesfromelsewhere.Moregenerally,wewonder,whatarethelimitsofthepowersofthemind?What are the limits of consciousness? Can consciousness create reality, as some haveclaimed?Tothislastquestion,thereareatleasttwomeanings,andtwoanswers. In the firstmeaning, the answer isyes.Right now, there are roughly twomillionbits ofsensorydata trying tomake theirway intoyourmind.Unfortunately,ormaybe fortunately,yourmindcanonlyprocessabout40,000bitsofincomingdatapersecond.Thismeansthatyourmindisconstantlysortingdataintotwocategories:whatmattersandwhatdoesnot.Onlytwopercentofthedatareachesyourconsciousness.Clearly,thedatathatyouselectcreatesyourreality.Or,perhapsmoreaccurately,howyouperceivereality.Itfollowsthatyouhaveanabilitytodecidewhatmatters,andwhatdoesnot,atleasttoagreaterorlesserextent.Thethingsyoutellyourselfaboutyourself,andthethingsyoutellyourselfaboutothers,suchthingsmatteragreatdeal.Theyshapeyourmentalworld,yourpersonality,andyourfutureperceptions.Itislikecreatingroadwaysinyourmind,and

in fact this is literally true in the sense thatyou traincertainneuronsandpathways inyourmind.Certainconnectionsbecomepowerful,otherconnectionsweaken,allduetothehabitsofyour thinking.Youcan, at anymoment, choose to createpathways inyourmind. In thatsense,youcanchoosetocreateyourselfhoweveryoudesire. To the secondmeaning of the question, “do our thoughts create reality,”we are askingwhetherourthoughtsshapeexternalreality,totheextentthattherearethingsexternaltoourmind and our bodies. To that, I have to say yes and no. Whether more yes than no issomethingIpersonallyhavenotyetdecided.Butthatourthoughtscanshapeexternalrealityisone of those annoying, persistent possibilities that fly in the face ofmaterialistic scientificthinking.Oneofthemostfamousexperimentsinphysicsisthedoubleslitexperiment.Ifyoushootphotonsatawall,blockedbyabarrierwithasingleverticalslit,theresultisaspraypatterninwhichtheelectronshitthewall,butneverthelessinadefiniteverticalarrangement.[359]Thephotons,inotherwords,behavejustasparticleswouldbeexpectedtobehave. When you create a second vertical slit for them to pass through, so that you have twovertical slits side-by-side, the resulting pattern on the wall behind shows an interferencepattern.Inthisinstance,thephotonsbehavemorelikeawavethanparticles.Moreaccurately,theytravelaswaves,butaredetectedasparticles.Whenyoufireonephotonatatime,thingsbecomemorestrange.Whentheygothroughasingleslit,theresultisstillaparticlepattern.Whentheygothroughoneatatimethroughthedouble slits, the result is still awave pattern, even though there appears to be noway theycouldbeinterferingwitheachother.Thisholdstrueevenifyoushootonephotonatatimethroughoneslit,thenonephotonatatimethroughtheother.Theresultisstillawavepattern. Is it possible that the photons pass through both slits at once? To detect which slit theindividualphotonspass through,detectiondevicescanbe installedateachslit.Eachphotoncan then be observed to go through either one slit or the other, but never both. So far, sogood. However, when they do this, the resulting pattern is a uniform distribution with nointerference.Thephotonsarenowbehavingasparticles.Howitappearsisthattheactofobservationhascausedthephotonstolosetheirwavenatureandactasordinaryparticles.Butmattersgetstrangerstill.Thegreatphysicist,JohnWheeler,onceproposedsomethingcalledthedelayedchoiceexperiment,whichhassincebeenreplicated.Incredibly,itconfirmsthat thethoughtof theobservernotonlydeterminestheresultofhowthelightbehaves,butevendoessoretroactively.Imagineaconfigurationinwhichtwotelescopesarepositionedbehindthedetectionscreen,eachtelescopeaimedpreciselyatoneoftheslits.Aftertheindividualphotonpassesthroughoneof the slits, the detection screen canbe removedveryquickly to reveal the telescopes,allowing thephoton topass throughoneof the telescopes.Thescientistdecideswhetherornottoremovethescreen. When the screen remains in place, the result is a standard interference pattern,with thephotons acting as waves. However, if the experimenter chooses to remove the screen, thedistribution of the photons is an exact particle distribution, with no interference patternwhatsoever.Itappearssolelyuponthechoiceof theexperimenteras towhetherthephotonsactaswavesorparticles.Thischoicehappensafterthephotonshavepassedthroughtheslits.

Theexperimenter'schoiceinthepresenthassomehowaffectedthebehaviorofthephotoninthepast.[360]

Entanglement Basedonthedoubleslitexperiment,therewouldseemtobeascientificfoundationtotheideathatconsciousness,ormind,hassomesortofrelationshiptolight,andperhapseventotime.Ifwealsoacceptthatthereissuchathingastelepathy,orsomeformofmind-to-mindcommunication such as clairvoyance or remote viewing, we may wonder if there issomething that can tie them all together. Ultimately, are there any scientifically promisingconceptsofpsiphenomena? There are indeed.One that is especially promising comes fromphysicistDeanRadin, amember of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, founded by Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell.Radin'sbook,EntangledMinds,suggeststhatwhatwecallpsiphenomenaisinfactaresultofquantumentanglementofthemind.[361]Whilephysicistsacceptentanglement,theygenerallyseeitasadelicaterelationshipamongindividual particles, or atmost a few atoms.Kaku, for instance, does not believe quantumentanglementcanachievetelepathy.Hediscussestheproblemofdecoherence.Thatis,whilethe particles (electrons) are in phase, they are ‘coherent.’ This is quantum entanglement.However, each person is comprised of trillions upon trillions of atoms. Thus, to get twominds to vibrate in unison “would be impossible. The world’s record for making objectsentangled is only just a few atoms. Imagine trying to entangle twominds together.” If youwanttoreadsomeone'smind,hesuggests,youwouldbebetterofftakingMRIandEEGscansof thebrain, thendecipher themviacomputers,what isknownas radio-enhanced telepathy.[362] Yet, Radin suggests that entanglement is a widespread fact of reality, and also the bestexplanationforwhypeopleexperiencewhatwecallparanormalevents,except that theyarenotparanormal.Theyareentirelynormal.Thereareseveralimplicationsofthisthesis.First,everythingintheuniverseisultimatelyenergy,andenergyisinfluencedbymind.Second,quantumphysicistssuggestthatelectrons,or events, are potential, rather than actual physical entities. Indeed, all of existencemay befundamentallyanunlimitedquantumfieldofenergy,aseaofinfinitepossibilitieswaitingtohappen.Thus,therearevariouspotentials,essentiallyuntilsomebodylooks.Itisasthoughweforce theuniverse tomakeadeterminationaboutwhichpotential isgoing tobeactualized.Third,consciousnesscollapsesthewavefunctionintoactualparticlesthatexistinspaceandtime.Anotherwaytoputitwouldbetosaythatconsciousnessexperiencesenergyasmatter.Thingsonlyappearasmatterwhentheyarebeingobserved. Ultimately, the observer is not separate from the observation; the experimenter is notseparate fromtheexperiment.Theobserverplaysapart increating thereality that isbeingobserved. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle of consciousness states that no puremeasurement is possiblewithout creation. Physicistswho deal in quantummechanics state:“Youcannot(objectively)observesomethingwithoutchangingitintheprocess.”[363] Such ideas have circulated in one way or another in scientific circles for much of thetwentieth century, but great ideas sometimes take time tomake their impact fully felt. Ourphysicsremainsinthemidstofanintellectualrevolution.Thisrevolutionisnotcomplete,but

the implications look increasingly clear that humankind is in a new stage of scientificunderstanding.Classicalphysics—thephysicsoflocalityandcausationwithinanunchangingplayingarenaofspace,withtimethatshootsinonedirectionlikeanarrow—nolongerfullyapplies.Evidenceofdatafromphenomenasuchasremoteviewingorothertypesofpsiphenomenaindicatethatsomethingisgoingonthatclassicalphysicsdoesnotexplain.Radin’sconceptofentanglement,orsomevariationthereof,mayprovideanexplanationofthis.Consciousnessseemstobeakey.Yet,asbiologistRupertSheldrakepointedout,“wedon’tknowhowconsciousnessworks,or what it does. This is one of the things which in science is called ‘the hard problem,’becausethereisnoknownreasonwhyweshouldbeconsciousatall,orexactlyhowthemindworks.” His suggestion is that “our minds are field-like, that they are not confined to theinside of the head, that they spread out into the environment around us. And because ourmindsareextendedbeyondourbrains,theycanhaveeffectsatadistance.”[364]Perhapsthisisit:consciousnessisaforceofnature.Ifthisisso,itmightexplaintheclaimthat we sometimes encounter, that the occupants of alien craft are themselves part of thepropulsionandcontrolsystems.Perhapsitcouldexplaintheradicalmovementsofthecraft,aswell.Ofcourse,thatisalienconsciousness.Willweeverfindoutifhumanconsciousnessisuptothattask?

ConnectingtoUfologyForufologytoaccepttheideaofmentalconnectionsbetweenusandthem,westillneedtobecareful.Claimscontinuetorequireevidence.Wecanlistentoclaims,butwearefoolsifwediscard the scientific method in examining them. Nevertheless, it seems evident thatconsciousness does matter within ufology. Claims of mind-to-mind contact abound. Sincecontemporarysciencedoesnotappeartoruleoutthatsuchthingsareimpossible,wemightfeelconfidentthatrealprogresscanbemadeinthecomingyears. Thiscanbesaidofallthescientificsubjectswehavelookedatinthischapter.Foryears,observedUFOphenomena have seemed to present sheer impossibilities tomany scientists.Naturally, this has been one of the major stumbling blocks preventing its wider publicacceptance.Reportedobservationsof craft that zigzag,or instantly accelerate,orofpeoplebeingfloatedthroughsolidwalls,staggerourcommonsense.Itisacommonsensethatstillrelieslargelyonaslightlysouped-upversionof19thcenturyscientificmaterialism. If the particulars ofUFO reportswere to seemas impossible today as they did in priorgenerations, then we might be justified in dismissing many of the observations asmisidentification,confabulation,orsomeotherkindofmistake.Instead,astheyearsgoby,itappearsthatscienceiscatchinguptothephenomenon.Slowlybutsurely,wearefindingourwaytowardmakingscientificsenseofthisgreatestofmysteries. It is as if theUFOphenomenonwere teachingus somethingvery important, notmerelyaboutthenatureofthecosmos,butaboutourselves.

Chapter12IntotheFuture,IntoOurselves

Given the nature of UFO secrecy, wemight ask if it will ever end? After all, this is asituation thathasbeengoingonsince the1940s,a fullhuman lifetime.Despite theconstantactivityrecordedbypeopleyearafteryear,therehasbeennoofficialdisclosureoftheUFOreality. It is obvious that those in possession of this great secret, whether human or non-human,havenointentionofrevealingit.Forthatreason,thereareanumberofcommentatorswho conclude that Disclosure will never occur. This, however, is a mistaken conclusion,causedbytoonarrowaviewpoint. We must remind ourselves that the secret keepers are not the only factor in the grandequation.Therearethreegreatfactors.Therearethehumanelites,whoinalllikelihoodaretheprimarycaretakersof thesecrecyprogram.Inadditionto them,ofcourse, thereare theotherbeings—theOthers,asIhavesometimescalledthem.They,too,havedeclinedtorevealthemselvesopenly,evenafterall theseyears,andperhapsevencenturiesandmillennia.Wemight therefore conclude, very logically, that they too will never willingly announcethemselves tous.Ofcourse,weshouldallowfor thepossibility that theymayyetdecide toendthesecrecyatsomepoint.Thelikelihoodseemssmall,butitispossibleatleastintheory.Thedynamicpartofthesecrecyequation,however,isus,thepeopleoftheworld.Humancivilization is currently undergoing its most dramatic transformation in history. It issometimeseasyforustoforgetjusthowastonishingourjourneyis.

Humanity'sTrajectoryWehaveneverbeenwherewearenow.Forhundredsofthousandsofyears,humanbeingshavelivedandwalkedonPlanetEarth,andthehominidspriortousformillionsmore.Yet,ourrecordedhistory,sincetheinventionofwriting,goesbackamere6,000years.Evenifweaccept the idea of a great, lost, ancient human civilization—call it theAtlantis theory—thatwouldhavebeenonlytentotwelvethousandyearsago,accordingtomostscholarswhohavestudiedthematter.Thisisstillnotlongagointhegrandschemeofthings.Duringallofthattimeandbefore,forthousandsuponthousandsofyearswehavebeen,technologically,atthesimplestlevels.Onlywithinthelastfivetotenthousandyearsdidweevengettothelevelofanimalspullingwoodencarts. Then, just a few centuries ago, we discovered science. Francis Bacon, Galileo, RenéDescartes,IsaacNewton,andtherest.Theyintroducedacompletelynewwayofthinkingandbegantheprocessoftransformingallofus.Evenso,itwasn’tuntilroughlyonehundredandfiftyyearsago thathumanity reallybegan todevelop its scienceand technology inearnest.Advanced metallurgy, petroleum, instant communications in the form of telegraph andtelephone, the automobile, the electric light bulb, radio, flight, the development of atomicweapons, computers, the Internet, handhelddevices, and everything else that is nowpart ofourworldtoday.Noonecouldhaveforeseenthis journey,neither the transformationitself,

northespeedwithwhichithasoccurred.TheInternethasexistedforroughlytwentyyears,inwhich time it has completely changed our world, and in ways that nobody predicted evenduring the early 1990s. As if anyone needs to be reminded: smart phones, YouTube, andFacebook,allofwhichareubiquitousandintegralelements in thedaily livesofbillionsofpeople,didnotmaketheirappearanceuntilthefirstdecadeofthe21stcentury.Wearenotdonewiththisjourney.Thereisafuture,anditwilloffermanysurprises.Thosewho are inclined to skepticism aboutUFOs,who think the idea just too strange to believe,might want to study current developments in a few of our own technologies. Experts inartificial intelligence, for example,manyofwhomare quitemainstream,makepredictionsforthenexttwentytofortyyearsthatbogglethemind.Theyaretalkingaboutcomputersofthenearfuturethatwillbeabletoconversewithyoueasilyandfluently,withanintelligencethat appears tomatchor exceedhuman intelligence.Theywon’t need sleepor coffee, theywill simplygo.FuturistRayKurzweil sees a future inwhichmachines achieve a “godlike”levelofintelligence.[365] Then factor in likely advances in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and perhaps quantumcomputing, all of which portend radical changes in the next generation.Withmastery andmanipulationofthehumangenome,whatifscientistscanenhancehumanbrainsviageneticsorsomecombinationofgeneticsandnanotechnology,thatsupplementstheworkofneurons?What if basic human intelligence can be radically enhanced, and even possess the abilitywirelesslytointerfacewiththeweb?Thisisonlythebeginning.Developmentsin3-Dprintingmaybemorerevolutionaryinthenear term.Thiswillbring the information revolutionof thewebandpeer-to-peer transfersdirectly to themanufacturingprocess, enabling creativepeople around theworld todesignradically new products that can be downloaded and “printed” (e.g. manufactured) in one'shome.Moreonthislaterinthischapter. Withintheblinkofacosmiceye,wearenotsimplyelevatingourselves toanewtypeofsociety,norevenanewcivilization,butpossiblyanewspeciesofhumanityitself.ThisisnotlikethetransformationthatmedievalEuropewentthroughduringtheRenaissance.It’smorelike thedifferencebetweenhomosapiensneanderthalis andhomo sapiens sapiens.There istherealpossibilitythathumanbeingsevenamerecenturyfromnowwillliveinasocietysovastlydifferent,withmentaltoolssofarbeyondwhatwecurrentlyhave,thattheymaylookatoursocietyashavinglittletoofferthemintermsoftheproblemsandrealitiesthattheywillbefacing. There is the obvious danger that such a technological utopia becomes a dystopiannightmare.OnewaywouldbethroughevergreatersurveillanceandcontrolovertheInternet,already everywhere. Surveillance may not always equal repression, but it does intimidatepeople,which has the same effect.Censorship, however does equal repression, and is alsowidespread. The Egyptian government famously closed off its internet during the ArabSpringof2011,ChinahasitsGreatFirewall,andmanynationshavecensorshipembeddedinthefabricoftheirweb.In2012,privacygroupsinitiatedlawsuitsagainsttheU.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurityover its plans for an “InternetKillSwitch,” a legalwrangle thathascontinuedasofthiswriting.[366]Possiblyagreaterthreatthanthis,however,arethedistractionsanddumbingdownofourculture.For instance,newdevelopments ingaming,will soonbevirtual reality immersion.

Whybothertryingtosolvereal-worldproblems(orevenlearningaboutthem)whenyoucanbecomeavirtualJamesBondordateyourfavoritemoviestarinanear-real-lifeimmersivesetting?Thewesternworld long agomastered the art of public relations in the service ofpoliticalconformityandcorporateprofits.Clearly,thelessonsofthepastwillbeappliedtoour brave new world. The result may well be a zombie world of people drugged up onpharmaceuticals,ingestingprocessedandunhealthyGMOfoods,uneducatedinthehistoryoftheirsociety,andlivinginanillusoryworlddesignedtodistractanddeflect.Inotherwords,whatmodernAmericaandmuchoftheworldalreadylookslike,onlymoreso,withpeopledetached from their true selves, spinning out fantasies and simply running out the clock.Granted, alarmists havemade such claims for years about the impact ofmagazines, comicbooks, radio dramas and more. However, we might remind ourselves that some of thosecriticisms were probably valid. More to the point, the power of our current system ofdistractionsismuchgreaterthananythinghumanculturehasexperiencedbefore. Insuchaworld, therecouldevenbeadangerof specificclassesandevensubspeciesofhumanity being developed. There could be, quite literally, a “master race” with greaterstrengthandintelligence,andwithlongerlifespans,presidingoveraworldofhumandrones,kept suitably stupid for a lifeof service anddistraction.Wealreadyhaveclear anddistinctclassesofhumanity;whatistopreventsuchanightmarefromenteringourverybiology?Ifsuchafuturecomestofruition,perhapsitwillbepossibletokeeptheendofUFOsecrecyat bay for amuch longer time. Perhaps. But for how long?A century? Two centuries?Atsomepoint,eveninsuchanawfulfuture,thesecrecyprogramwouldmerelybeanexerciseinstavingofftheinevitable.Evenundertheworstcircumstances,theendofsecrecywillcome. Besides, the situation isunlikely todeterioratequite that rapidlybefore, say,2035or so,roughly twenty years from this writing. The relevance of all this for Disclosure is thatbecausewearechangingsorapidly,itseemsverylikelythatwewilldevelopthecapability,openlyandfinally,toprovethematterofUFOrealitytoourselveswithoutneedforofficialgovernment acknowledgment. Once we get to that point, once this reality is rapidly andwidelyunderstood,governments around theworldwillhavenochoicebut to acknowledgetheobvious.[367]

WhatCanCauseDisclosure?RegardingpossibletriggersthatmayforceDisclosure,afewcandidatescometomind.Oneisamasssighting.Ofcourse,therehavebeenmasssightingsofUFOsinthepast,andnonehavemade thatbreakthrough.Yet, itmaystillhappen. It isonlyamatterof timeuntilmultiple witnesses record a mass UFO event, each with their own camera, from multiplesimultaneous angles.The quality of photography and videography for smartphones is nowverygood.Onewonderswhatothercapabilitiesthesedeviceswillsoonhave,tosaynothingof surveillance cameras, police dashboard cameras, and other recording devices that arefilling our world. Perhaps we will gain a widespread ability to capture infrared or nightvision, or the ability to capture other types of signals, such as electromagnetic? Thepossibilitiesarethereandwillgrow.Itisobviousthat,alongwithbetterdetectionandrecordingtechniques,comesbetterabilityto create fake videos for YouTube. However, the situation is in a constant state of flux.Althoughvideofakeryhasbecomesophisticated,fakinganinfraredsignalmaynotbeaseasy

to do, at least for a littlewhile.The fundamental reality is that,with everyone becoming apotential videographer at any given moment, the potential for a mass, recorded sightingbecomesgreaterandgreater. Indeed, this isalreadyhappening,although therehasyet tobethat“perfect”sightingwhichgainsworldwideattention,anddevelopsenoughmomentumtoforceanadmission thatallof this is real.But itwouldbe foolish to rule itout, and itmaycomesoon.Atanyrate,itseemslikeaninevitability. Another possibility that can force Disclosure would be aWikileaks type of event. Likeadvancedsmartphones,Wikileaksdidnotexistattheturnofthecenturybecausetheglobaltechnologicalinfrastructurewasnotreadyforit.Butnowitis,andnowit’shere.ConsidertheradicalreleasesofinformationthatWikileaks,groupslikeAnonymous,andindividualslikeBradleyManning,EdwardSnowden,andothershavebeenresponsibleforinthefirstdecadeofthe21stcentury.ThereleaseofthousandsofclassifiedpagesfromtheU.S.aswellasothercountriesaroundtheworld,allsensitive,alldetailingsecret(andoftenillegal)activitiesthatthosepartieswantedtokeephiddenindefinitely.Allofthesereleaseswere,strictlyspeaking,illegal of course, but that does not stop them fromhappening. The leaks are here, and theWikileaksphenomenonispartofourworld,partofourlives.Itwillnotgoaway.Howlongwill it beuntil explosiveUFO-relatedmaterial is released?Suchdata is probably availablesomewhere, ready to see the light of day. Indeed, in late 2010, Wikileaks leader JulianAssangehintedasmuch,butnothingsubstantialhasyetbeenreleased.Certainly,thereleaseofsensitiveUFOinformation,whetherlegalornot,couldbeamajorproblemtocontainforthosemanagingthesecret.CoulditbeenoughtoforceanadmissionoftherealityoftheUFOphenomenon?Ibelieveso. Theuniversalityofpersonal recordingdevices (suchas smartphones) andWikileaksaremerely two aspects of the changes going on in our world today. They are symptoms andresultsofdeeperchangesthatcannotbestopped.Wearechangingdramaticallyandrapidly.Wecannotpossiblythinkthatinanotherdecade,wewillnothavegonethroughmorechanges.Whatwillanothertwentyyearsbring?Anothercentury?Liketheoldsongsays,“Something'sGottaGive.”

WhatHappensAfterDisclosure?LetusassumethatsomethingforcesthehandoftheU.S.Presidentoranotherworldleader.Amajor sighting, amajor leak; something.Heor she, after a buildupof severalweeksofspeculation following theevent, finallyholdsapressconferenceandmakes thatbombshellunderstatement: “I have been advised by the National Security Council and heads of ourintelligencecommunitythatthereisarealitytosomeoftheUFOphenomenon,inthatsomeUFOs are real physical anomalous craft, not manufactured by any known civilization onEarth.”Orwordstothateffect.ItisthekindofstatementthatmanyproponentsofUFODisclosurewouldliketohear.Therealquestion,however,iswhatnext?ImightthinkthatanyPresidentwouldwant tosay,“Well, that’sall fornow,I’llbe takingavacationforafewmonths.Seeyou all later.” Unfortunately for the President, people will be asking a few follow-upquestions.Suchaswhoarethesebeings?Whatistheiragenda?Dowehaveanythingtofear?Thesewillbeverydifficulttoanswer.Thereiseveryreasontobelievethateventheleaders

of theblackbudget/breakawaysociety, thosegroups thathavebeen studying this foryears,maybeoutmatchedbywhat theyaredealingwith.Theyprobablyhave theirownquestionsandevenfears.Andwhatiftheydoknowwhattheyaredealingwith?Althoughitisprobablyimpossibletoknow the full intentions of non-human visitors (or permanent residents), it is entirelypossible,judgingfromthedatawedohave,thatsomeofthemcarelittleforhumanity.Whatifan “alien agenda” has been determinedwithin the intelligence community, and this agendaincludesaneventual replacementofhumanitybysomesortofhybridspecies?This iswhatabductionresearcherDavidJacobshasargued.Andevenifthatisnottrue,doesanyPresidenthonestlybelieveheorshecancontainrampantspeculationalongtheselines?Panicisaneasyoutcometoforesee. Even if the intentions of these other beings are said to be neutral or positive, therewillclearlybetremendoussuspicionbylargeswathsofhumanity.Analienpresenceofanysortwill not be an easy sell. Therewill already be a sizable number of people predisposed tointerpretingsuchbeingsasnothinglessthandemonic.Shortofdraggingoneofthesebeingsto a podium and subjecting it to hours and days and weeks of questions by an insatiablepublic,itisunlikelythatany“Disclosure”willsatisfythepublicregardingalienmotivations.Thatisonlythebeginningoftheproblems.Thereisabasicpoliticalquestionthatpeoplewillask,onewithprofoundimplications:Howhaveyoumanagedtokeepthissecretalltheseyears? Foryearsandyears,wehavebeentoldthatUFOsaremundaneobjectsornaturaleffects,thatETsoraliensaredefinitelynothereonEarth,notinteractingwithusinanyway,thatUFObelieversmaybewell-meaningbuthavebeenmistakenabout allof that.Suchhasbeen themindset embeddedwithin all of ourmajor institutions. It is a givenwithin our educationalinstitutions, fromprimaryschools, throughuniversitiesandpostdoctoral levels. Itpervadesourmajor newsorganizations, inwhich anopenbelief inUFOs is a definite third rail forone’s career. (As one example, I learned from a personal source connected to America'sNationalPublicRadiothatitisanexplicitpolicynevertogivetheUFOtopicaserioustoneinany of its broadcasts. This policy is certainly the case in all major American media.) Itpervadesourscientificestablishment,forsure,andalsoourpoliticalsystem.Politicalcareershavebeendestroyed,oratleastseverelyundermined,bytheUFOtaint.SuchwasthecasewithPresidential candidate Dennis Kucinich in 2008, after it became known that, many yearsbefore,hehadseenaUFO.Nevermindthefact that twowitnesseswhohadbeentherewithhimalsoconfirmedthesighting.AlloftheseinstitutionsandothershavetreatedtheUFOtopicasnothingmorethanajoke,something suitable for immature minds. But can it really be that professors, scientists,politicians, and media executives throughout America have uniformly dismissed thisphenomenon without any influence from or even cooperation from the U.S. intelligencecommunity? The answer is no. Even the most modest amount of research into the subject hasdemonstratedastrongintelligencecommunityinfluenceoverallofthoseinstitutions. Inotherwords,whenDisclosurecomes,peoplewillclearlysee that thenationalsecurityapparatushascreatedaglobalculturethathassuffocatedthetruth.Researcherswillbegintoinvestigate,inaseriousway,justhowtheserelationshipshaveunderminedthecredibilityof

allofthoseinstitutions,aswellasourapprehensionoftruth.Therewillbeamajorculturalandinstitutionalhousecleaning.Butitwillnotstopthere.Citizenswillwanttoknowspecificsaboutthestructureofsecrecyitself.TheywillwanttoknowhowmuchtheU.S.Presidentshaveknown.Havetheybeenintheloopalltheseyears,oroutofit?WhohasbeenrunningtheUFOcover-up?Iftheanswerisanythingalongthelinesofmyownresearch,itwillshowthatthecover-uplongagoshiftedawayfromformalPresidentialauthorityintointernationalandprivatehands.ItisnotthattheU.S.Presidentisirrelevant,butthatthepresidencyservesasthepublicfaceofthepowerelitethatstandsbehind.Mostpeoplehavecometounderstandthat this is thecaseregardingpoweringeneral,anditismorethanlikelythecaseregardingUFOsecrecy.Inotherwords,themomentofDisclosurewilltriggeranintellectualrevolutionworldwide,andwillcauseustoreexaminethetruestructureofpoweronPlanetEarth.DisclosurewillbeamomentinwhichtheworldseesandacknowledgesthattheEmperoriswearingnothingatall. The lieswillnot stop,however. Instead,wewillparticipate inagreatnewbattle.For thenecessity of a Presidential announcement does not mean that the CIA, and the otherintelligencegroupsthathavemanagedthissecretforyears,willsimplywalkawayfromthetable. There has been a concerted effort spanning an entire human lifetime to control thistopic.Agreatdealhasbeen invested in it, andmereDisclosurewillnotalter that.The realissueintheimmediatepost-Disclosureworldwillbe:whocontrolsthespintothestory?WhatwillDisclosuremean? Once the UFO reality becomes a topic for public discussion, a great divide will open.Peoplearound theworldwilldemandanswerswhilegovernmentsparseout informationassparinglyaspossible.Asalways,spindoctorswill try tomanage thesituationaccording tonationalsecuritypolicy,butthistimeindependentUFOresearchersmaygetapublichearingthat theyhadneverbefore received. If theofficial spokespersonsmakemisleadingor falsestatements, it will be easier, post-Disclosure, for independent researchers to point this out.That is because this time, theworldwill bemore likely to listen.Therewill also bemanymoreindependentjournalistsinvestigatingthistopic.Howallthatwillturnoutonlytimewilltell, but the government/intelligence/corporate spin machine will certainly be workingovertime to maintain control. It will be up to the people to make enough noise to forceadmissionsfromtheirpoliticalleaders.

Energy If there were a true free market in our world, we would have broken the petroleumparadigmlongago. Instead, therehavebeen threemainobstacles toasourceofclean, freeenergy.Firsthasbeenthefactthatsomanypatentsrelatingtorevolutionarytechnologyhavebeenclassifiedandkeptwithintheblackbudgetworld,ineffectholdingourfuturehostage.Second,andcloselyrelatedtothefirst,hasbeenthelackofinstitutionalsupporttofundtheresearch.Theeffectofthesefirsttwoobstacleshasleadtoathird:skepticismthatsuchathingis even possible. But once it is widely understood that there is a solution, then we haveovercomeobstaclenumberthree.Thatwillprobablybeenoughtodothejob.FollowingDisclosure,energywillbeacentralissue.Asdiscussedpreviously,peoplewillimmediately understand that, whatever the source of energy UFOs are using, it surpasses

petroleum.Whetherquicklyornot,asolutionwillbefound.Meanwhile,uncertaintieswillberampantrelatingtopetroleumfutures,andtheglobalfinancialmarketswillroil.Fortuneswillbewonandlost.Apost-petroleumenergyparadigmwillbediscovered.Perhapsitwillberevealedthroughinquiriesintotheblackbudgetworld,whichmaywellhavemadegreatstridesintothematter.Leak after leakhas emerged from thatworld, all indicatingdeep interest and research intothesetypesofproblems.Ifthestoryoftheso-calledAlienReproductionVehicle(ARV)istrue(andIbelieveitis),thenatleastsomeanswerstorevolutionaryenergyandpropulsionhavebeen known for several decades. How longwill it take after Disclosure before somethingalong these lines is openly acknowledged? Moreover, when it is, what happens to thevaluationof the trillionsofdollarsworthofpetroleumandnaturalgasreservesaround theworld?WhathappenstostabilityintheMiddleEast,andeverywhereelse? Looking to the black budget world (or the aliens, or any other source) for answers,however,willprobablynotbenecessary.Newanswerswillbefound,iffornootherreasonthantherealizationthattheyarepossible.Inalllikelihood,itwillnottakelongforscientists,manyofwhomwillworkindependently,todevisesolutionsthemselves.Whetherbyonewayoranother,thepetroleumindustry(alongwithnaturalgas,coal,solar,wind,andnuclearfissionpower)willbecomeobsolescent. Assume that the energy solution toUFOs involves some form of energy thatwewouldconsiderfreeandclean.Thiswouldbetheidealsolution,somethingthatcouldtrulyusherinanewera forhumanity. Itwouldallowus to solvemanyof theproblemswehavecreated:something as basic as toxic remediation, for example. Other than political will andcommitment,thebiggestobstaclecurrentlypreventingacleanupoftheglobalenvironmentis,oddlyenough,alackofenergy.Scientistshavedevelopedastartlingarrayofmicrobesandbacteria thatcanneutralizevarious typesof toxiccontamination,buteconomicsandenergyconsiderations inhibit implementing theseon awide scale.Free andclean energy solutionsought to overcome such limitations. Ditto regarding cleanup of our polluted oceans, ordesalinationofwater,orahostofotherpressingneedsforthesustainablesupportofhuman,animal,andplantlifeonEarth. Clean and cheap energy would also trigger explosive economic growth. Throughouthistory there has been a remarkable correlationbetween the cost of energy and the rate ofeconomicgrowth.Themoreabundantthesourceofenergy,thecheaperitis,andthehealthierthe economy. When sources of energy become scarce, they become expensive, and theeconomyslowsdown.Intheseconddecadeofthe21stcentury,theglobaleconomyhasfailedtokeepenergycostslowenoughtoensurewidespreadandequitablegrowth.Anewsourceofenergy,somethingimplicitwithintheUFOphenomenon,wouldassuresignificanteconomicgrowthforalongtimetocome.Nooil,hencenooilwars.Noenergypollution,hencearealpossibilitytoenabletheglobalenvironment toheal.Cheapenergy,hence lesshumansufferingand fewer reasons togo towar.TheseareverysignificantoutcomestobeconsideredasaresultofDisclosure.Butthereismorestill. Ultimately,cheapenergywill transformhumansocietyitself, justascheappetroleumdidduringthe19thcentury.Butthisnewsourceofenergymaybemoreabundantthanpetroleum.Willitbepossible,post-Disclosure,forpeopletoowntheirpersonalflyingsaucers?Onthe

faceofit,itseemsafantasticquestion.Butisitreallysooutrageous?Ifsuchtechnologyeverbecamewidespread,itwouldenableanewmobilitythat,allbyitself,wouldtransformsociety.Notonlywouldsomeonebeabletozipofftoanypartoftheworldnearlyinstantly,buttheymight,intheory,beabletoleaveEarth’satmosphere.TheMoonorbeyond...whynot? There are yet more considerations. With clean and abundant energy, it would becomepractical to develop a device that could generate oxygen easily and cheaply on planetarysurfaces thathavewater,whether in liquidor frozen form.Wenowknow thereare severalplacesinoursolarsystemthathavewater,andwherethereiswater,thereisoxygen.Wherethere is oxygen, people can live. Indeed, with enough energy, people canmanipulate theirenvironment to their heart's content and find away to live. It all comes down to sufficientavailabilityofenergy.Theaboveisamerescratchingofthesurface,butalreadyitisevidentthatDisclosurewouldquickly revolutionizehumansociety.Considerhowrapidlyourdigital revolutionhasbeen,andhowdramatically it has transformedourworldwithin amere twentyyears.Disclosurewouldbemoredramaticstill.Thereareothersidestofreeenergy.First,wecanassumethattheso-calledpowersthatbemay not be especially happywith such amass democratization of energy. If everyone hasenoughenergy,theneveryonebecomesmoredifficulttomanage.Fromthepointofviewofthose interestsat the topof thehumanpyramid, this isaproblem.Wecanassume theywillundertakewhatevermeasurespossible toprevent this fromhappening.But therealquestionwillbe,cantheysucceed?Thisissomethingnoonecanknowatpresent,butmyownfeelingisthatanyattempttostophistoryfrommovingforwardwillinevitablyfail. Thereisanotherproblemtobeconsideredregardingfreeenergy,nomatterhowcleanitmay be. Clean energy may not result in climate change or other types of environmentaldegradation. Itmay not be toxic to the environment theway thatwood, coal, oil, and evennatural gas have been. Yet, it is helpful to remember that a large portion of our globalenvironmentalcrisisisnotsomuchrelatedtopollutionasitissimplywiththedestructionofthe natural habitat by human beings. As of this writing, there aremore than seven billionpeopleonEarth,swarmingabouttheplanetlikesomanylocusts,devouringeverythinginourwake.Wecannothelpourselves.Morerealestatedevelopment,moresprawl, lessroomforothercreatures.Thisseemstobeourway,buthasonlybecomeasignificantprobleminthelast few centuries, especially once humanity’s population began its steep incline into thebillions.Freeenergymaywellacceleratethatprocess.Itmayenablehumanitytodevourtheplanet's resources even faster, to depopulate the ocean's fishes, and to push out all otherspeciesoflifethathappentobeinthewayofourexpansion.Thereis,ofcourse,theproblemofweaponrythatmaybedevelopedfromsuchsourcesofincredibleenergy.Anytechnologythatcanheatone'shomeindefinitelycanlikelybeadaptedtocreateadangerousweapon,perhapssomethingthatcouldevaporateanationoranocean.Unless by some miracle we all immediately become the better angels of our nature, it isfrightening to consider that some of the sociopaths among us would have access to suchtechnology.Perhapsyou trust yourselfwith it, but canyou trust all of yourneighbors?Oreveryonewholivesinyourcity?Oryournation?Ortheworld?InthewordsofSpiderman’sUncleBen,“withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility.”Whetherhumanityfindsawaytohandleitsgreatnewpowerwillbeanotherofthecritically

importantthemesinourpost-Disclosureworld.Moreonthisshortly.

ACulturalRevolution Weliveinaworldthat isboundtogetherbyawebof interwovenlies.Astheyearspass,more people understand this. They see that our political and economic infrastructure restsupongrotesqueexploitationofthegreatmassesofpeoplearoundtheworldforthebenefitofaninfinitesimallysmallgroup.TheOccupyMovementgavethemaname:TheOnePercent,although the true percentage is much smaller than that. Thus, the Emperor is wearing noclothes,andafewpeopleareseeingthis.ItisentirelypossiblethatDisclosurewillforceusopenlytoconfrontthisinequality. ForDisclosurewillusher inacultural revolutionnot seensince the1960s.Except thatapost-Disclosureculturalrevolutionwillbedeeper,morewidespread,andmorethreateningtothe established structure of power. Millions, and possibly billions, of young people willemotionallyoptoutofasystemand ideology that, foras longas theyhave lived,hasbeenbeen based on lies. Along the way, they will question and expose many other officiallysanctioned lies.Conspiracies and claims of cover-upwill be unearthed yet again, this timewithmuchmoreforce.Notmerely9/11,but thefalsepretensesunderlyingallofAmerica'srecentwars, thegrowthoftheglobalpoliceandcitizenespionagecomplex,themeaningofchemtrails, the existenceof enormous secretundergroundbases and tunnel complexes, andeven theglobalbankingandprivatedebt-based system thathascreatedworldwide financialenslavement.Andonward. It is impossible to knowwhere such a line of questioningwill end, andwhat amount ofpolitical changewill come as a result of such questions and revelations.Butwewill see awidespread,massivedisaffectionbymuchofhumanityfromthepreviousdominantideology.Andtherewillbe,inevitably,acoherentpoliticalcritiquethatencompassestotaloppositiontotheestablishedsystem,andwhichwillbeimplementedonaglobalscale.Someonewillgiveitaname,butfornowIcallitsimply:TheOpposition. Itwillgo farbeyondoccupyingWallStreet.TheOppositionwillhave factions, someofwhichwill bepeaceful, someofwhichmaynotbe.Somemay seek tooccupyArea51, orWright-PattersonAirForceBase,ortheFederalReservebuilding,orthenextmeetingoftheBilderbergGroup.Itwillemploysophisticatedhackingandleakstodisrupttheoperationsofthoseselectfewwhohavebeenmanipulatinghumandestiny.Thiswillbeenhancedorexacerbatedbymanypeopleidentifyingexplicitlywiththeseotherbeings,whatever theymaybe.Likeall revolutions, itwillbeatwith theheartof libertariananarchy.Afterall,allpeoplefundamentallywantthefreedom,privacy,anddignitythatisthebirthrightofeveryhumansoul.Andlikeallrevolutions,certainleaderswillemergewhowillsymbolizethemovement,otherswhowillguideitbehindthescenes,othersstillwhowillseektoco-optandbetrayit,orelsesteerit intowhattheyfeelaresaferpathways.Norevolutioneverdeliversallofitspromises.TheDisclosureRevolutionwillsucceedorfailbasedonthecourage, foresight, and humanity of those leading it, and the passion of those pushing upfrombelow. Thenewerawillseenewtypesofutopianideasarise,aswellasanewmillennialism.Inotherwords,newideasonhowtocreateparadiseonEarth,aswellas thosethatpredict theendoftheworld.Someofthiswillbeenhancedbyamorewidespreaduseofhallucinogenic

drugs, something that is already growing within the alternative community. Use of DMTthroughayahuascaandotherdrugsisbelievedbymanyofitspractitionerstoenablethemtoopenthedoorsofperceptionandexperienceotherdimensionsofreality,includingthebeingsthat are responsible for the UFO phenomenon.[368] Such is the belief held by many, andwhateveritstruthvalue,wecanbesuremanypeoplewillacceptit.Aswasthecaseduringthe1960s,therewillbeagreatculturaldivideseparatingtheconservativesononeendfromthosewhodecidetoturnon,tunein,anddropout. Ourattitudes towardspiritualityandscience likewisewillbeaffected.WhenI researchedA.D.AfterDisclosurewithBryceZabel,oneofourconclusionsregardingreligionwasthat,atleast in thenear-term,religionsmightfarereasonablywell.Althoughmanypundits,mostlyreligious skeptics, typically predict the collapse of organized religion in the event ofDisclosure,Bryce and I disagreed. First of all, there are awide range of religions on thisplanet.ManyoftheEasternreligions,suchasBuddhismorHinduism,arewelladaptedtodealwithanextraterrestrialorinterdimensionalreality.Mormonism,whichteachesapluralityofworlds, is also well-positioned. But even the three Desert Sky God religions—Judaism,Christianity,andIslam—areunlikelytocollapseintheeventofDisclosure.Atleastnotrightaway.InIslam,forinstance,beliefinextraterrestriallifeisnotagainstitscreed.Allahissaidtohave createdmanyworlds.Nor is it a problem tobelieve in interdimensional spirits, sinceIslam has a number of references to the Jinn, what non-Muslims have often called genies.Judaismhaslittletosayaboutbeliefinotherworlds,and(exceptingspecial,esotericthreadssuchasQabalisticstudy)cosmologyisnotamajoraspectofcontemporaryJudaicbelief.AnETpresenceisunlikelytodamageJudaicbeliefs.Christianityisabitdifferent,andthereareobvious,identifiableriftswithinit.TheRomanCatholicchurch,ontheonehand,hasforthepastfewdecadesgoneoutofitswaytopromotetheideaofextraterrestriallife.QuiteafewstatementshaveissuedfromtheVaticansupportingthenotionofanabundanceof life in theuniverseaspartofGod’sgreatplan.On theotherhand, many evangelical Christians will interpret any alleged extraterrestrial presence asdemonic.SeveralpassagesfromtheNewTestamenthavebeenusedtosupportthisposition.NewAgebeliefsaredifferentstill.Mostself-describedNewAgersareinclinedtolookattheseotherbeingsinapositivelight,ashumanity'sbenefactorsandevenspacebrothers.Sincethe 1970s, such beliefs have spread throughout the world, and certainly into the UFOsubculture.Thereisnobridgelongenoughtojointhisviewpointwiththatoftheevangelicals.Theriftisirreconcilableandonlytwothingscanresolveit.Oneisanoverwhelmingamountofnewinformation that will satisfy people to form an opinion. The other is time: time for newgenerations to arise, with new perspectives that cannot now even be predicted. People canchange,butdeepchangesthataffectentiresocietiescancomeonlyfromnewgenerations.Althoughtheworld'smajorreligionsaren’tlikelytocollapseintheshortterm,theydofacedangersintheshortandlongterm.Theimmediatedangerwouldcomeifthereisacredibleclaimthatthegreatreligiousleadersofhistorywereextraterrestrial.Or,ifitbecomeswidelybelieved that humanity itself was the creation of extraterrestrials, and that the aliensthemselveswere the gods of ancient times. In essence, the idea that Jesus,Moses, Buddha,Mohammed,Zeus,or anyother spiritual iconof thepastwasanextraterrestrial.Onehears

thislineofspeculationsomuchthesedaysthatitisamajorsubtextoftheUFObeliefset.Ofcoursethatdoesnotmakeittrue,anditseemsunlikelythatthetruthonthismattercouldeverbe known. Yet, if such claims are made convincingly, and enough people believe them, itwouldcertainlycausesomesortoftransformation,orevengreatdamage,tothosereligions.Most likely, though,devoutadherentsof thesefaithswillconsideranydeviations tobe lies.Nomatterwhat happens, therewill bemajor fissures among religious beliefs in the post-Disclosureworld. Regardless of the short-term effects, the long term changes affecting religion andspiritualitywillbeverygreat.IfLadyFortunesmilesonhumanity,thenourspiritualitywilldevelop into something more than the cartoon variety of children’s stories and moralimperatives thatmakeupmostof themajorreligionstoday.Futuregenerations,raisedwiththeopenknowledgeofanonhumanpresenceonPlanetEarth, and throughout theuniverse,will not be satisfied with such simple stories. They will need something more relevant.Christianity, Islam,andJudaismwilleitherhave toadapt to thisnewreality,or theywillbereplaced.Theoldstorybookversionsofthesereligionscouldeasilyfeelirrelevanttofuturegenerations. Onehopesthatafuturespiritualitywillfocusonhowtoliveethical lives,perhapswithafocusonprayerandmeditation,justassomepeoplebelieveandpracticetoday.Whetherthenewspiritualitywillbeacontinuationofnewagebeliefsordevelopintosomethingdifferentaltogether,onlytimewilltell.Inalllikelihood,thenon-physicalandnonlocalrealitiesoftheUFO phenomenon will reinforce the idea among some people that meditation, Christconsciousness,pinealglandactivationandmorecanhelpthemachievehigher“frequencies,”or becomeproper “light vessels” for their spiritual journey, or achieveDNAactivationorAscension.Thesephrasesbasicallymeannothing to scientists, but theymeana lot to thosewhobelieveinthem.This,too,willsignifyagrowingsplitinbeliefandworldviewbetweenNewAgespiritualityandscience.Orwillit?

ScienceandtheScientistsThedisclosureofanonhumanpresencebehindtheUFOphenomenonwilldiscreditmanyscientists.After all, not only have they been skeptical aboutUFOs,most have been openlyhostiletotheidea.Butscienceisdifferentfromscientists,andDisclosurewillusherinnewbreakthroughsinboththoughtandtechnology. Genetics,forstarters.Assumingwegainaccesstoalienphysiologyandgenetics,wewillgain greater insights into ways of improving human health, increasing mental capacity,understanding what controls cellular and organ regeneration, and extending the humanlifespan.Dittowithotherareasofbiotechnology.Willwelearnofeffectivevaccinesorcuresforanyof themajordiseases inourworld today?It isentirelypossible. Indeed,Dr.RobertWoodhasrecentlyargued,basedontheleakedandcontroversialMajesticDocuments,thatagoodportionof thescienceofbiowarfarehasderivedfromasecretstudyofalienbiologyandviruses.[369]Whatever the truthon thismatter, blackworld advances inbiotechnologyare probably substantial, and therewill probably be greater pressure applied on that blackworldtosharewhatitknows.Ihavealreadytoucheduponthefuturetransportationrevolutionintheformofnewenergyand electrogravitics. But consider the possibilities of developing a true understanding of

gravity.Itmightenableourscientiststodevelopaunifiedtheoryofeverything,tyinggravitytogether with electromagnetism, and the strong and weak forces inside the atom. Theimplicationsof suchadevelopmentmightbedifficult topredict in thenear-term,butmorelikelythannotwouldhavedramaticlong-termresults.Perhapsthemostprofoundeffectmaybeinhowweunderstandthehumanmind.Notsimplypertainingtohumancognitionandmemory,althoughthesearefascinatingandclearlyrelatedto the subject. After all, wewill want to know how humanmemory is affected during theabductionprocess.Butmorechallengingwouldbequestionsofconsciousness.Ourscienceisalready exploringwhether or not consciousness exists independently of the body, althoughthis is decidedly fringe at present. But the acknowledgement of an intelligent non-humanpresencewouldthrowthisinvestigationintohighgear. Current research intoabductionsandother formsof contacthintnotonly that spaceandtime have somehow been mastered by these other beings, but that the mind is a criticalelementintheirrelationshiptous.Inthiscase,byconsciousnesswemeansomethingthatisnonlocal, something like psi phenomena. A series of well-funded scientific studies of thetelepathicelementsofcontact,forinstance,couldbevaluableadditionstoourknowledgeofthemindandofthefabricofourreality.Itwouldalsoallowsciencepossiblytocatchupwithwhatmanypsychicsand intuitivesalreadybelieve,andevenprovideauseful framework tohelpusunderstandwhypsiphenomenaoccurs.Beliefinpsiisnotjustawoowoobelief,butsupportedbyresearchintoremoteviewing,andgoesbackthroughallhumanreligionsviathepowerofprayerandmeditation.Ultimately,wewanttoknowifconsciousnessismorethanjustourbrainchemistry,andwhetherornotwehaveaspiritorsoul.SomemightarguethatastudyofUFOdatadoesnotnecessarilywarrantthatbelief.Ithink,however,thereisacasetobemadethatitdoes.Ifso,thenhumanconsciousnessstudieswillbecomemorewidespread,andmanynewdiscoverieswillawaitus.Suchsciences,anythingfromremoteviewingtooutofbodytravelandspace-timemanipulation,areprobablybeingexplorednowwithintheblackbudgetworldandbreakawaycivilization.

ComputingandTechnology We have had a global internet for just over twenty years, during which time it hascompletely changed our world. Whether or not there is a disclosure about UFOs, it willcontinuetodoso. I discussed this earlier. Among computing experts, certain trends are a given. First, themoment will come when artificial intelligence will match and then surpass humanintelligence.Thisevent,dubbedtheSingularity,ispredictedtooccuranywherebetween2030and2080,althoughsomepredictionsaresoonerthan2030,andafewarelaterthan2080.[370]Second,nanotechnologywilldeveloptoapointinwhichnanochipsandnanobotswillenterthe human body to kill diseases, enhance health, improve intelligence, and even make usinteractivewiththeweb.Humansmaywellbecomecybernetictosomedegree,andthehumanmindmaygowireless,sotospeak.Third,advancedcomputingwillsupportbiotechnologyandgenetherapy,enablingpeopleand other living creatures to be customized to a degree that was never before possible.Whereaswecanexpect importantknowledgeon this tocome fromdisclosureby theblack

budgetworld,especiallyviaaccesstoitsworkinalienbiologyandphysiology,therecanbelittledoubtthatadvancesincomputingwillbemoresignificantstill.Thepositivesideofthisisthatitmightmeanenhancingcertainpositivetraitsforallpeople,includinghealth,intelligence,andlongevity.Butitcanalsomeancustomizingdifferenttypesofpeoplefordifferentcapabilitiesandtasks.It’sallpossible,andthereiscertainlynoreasonto assume that future governments or private groups will act according to our rules offairness,justice,ordecency. A fourth outcome from future computing is a real chance that quantum computingwillbecome practical andwidespread. If so, thiswill revolutionize computing inways that arenearly impossible to imagine.Allwecansay for sure is thatquantumcomputingwouldbeordersofmagnitudemorepowerfulthanourmostadvancedcomputingtoday.Onepossibilitywouldbeasinglequantumcomputer,orarestrictednumberofthem,controllingourworldintheinterestofasmallfew.Aquantumcomputer,forinstance,couldeasilycontrolanarmyofnano-dronesthatcouldbetheultimatesurveillanceandpoliceforce,aperfecttotalitariannightmare.Butwidespreadquantumcomputingmightalsoworkinfavorofgreaterfreedomforpeople.Thereisyetanotherdevelopmentinourdigitalagethatisprimedtochangetheworld:3-Dprinting.Bringingtheabilitytorecreatethree-dimensionalproducts,layerbylayer,intothehomes of people from downloaded CAD designs, this technology will revolutionizemanufacturing. So far, most applications of 3-D printing are extruded polymers of eithersimple items like coffee cups, novelty items, or small objects of art that would be toocomplexformosthumanartists.Soon,however, itwill involvemultiple typesofmaterials,includingmetalsforprintedcircuitboardsandevenbiologicalmaterial.Majorhospitalsarealreadytalkingaboutfuturecapabilitiesof3-Dprintingareplacementheart. All of this is exciting, but the key outcome of future 3-D printing is that it will allowbrilliantmindsfromaroundtheworldtouploadtheirdesignsofallkindsofproductstotheweb,makingthemavailabletodownloadbyeveryoneelse.Considerthebottleneckcausedbyaninabilityofinventorsfromgettingtheirrevolutionarycreationstothemarketbecauseoflegalorcorporateobstructions.Soon,itwillbeeasyforanyonetodownloadaCADdrawingofenginesthatrunonwater,orsomeotherincrediblevariationofenergyharvestingdevices,andtestitoutafterprintingitathome.Nodoubtmanyoftheso-calledfreeenergy(or“overunity")devicesofthepastwerefalsestarts,butthenewmarketwillenableafreeflowofideasthatcanbeinstantlytestedbytherestoftheworld.3-Dprintingwillhelptobringatruefreemarket to the world, and that can be a factor in undermining the hierarchical system ofcontrol,asystemwhichisreinforcedbythenarrowrestrictionsofourglobalmanufacturinginfrastructure,basedasitisonprofitandintellectualpropertyrights.Whetherthesethingsare“good”or“bad”isirrelevant.Ineffect,ThePirateBaywillcometotheworldofmanufacturing,andtheresultwillbeanexplosionofideasandinnovation.By2020,thisexplosionwillbewellunderway,andtherewillbeaseriousstrugglebytheestablishedpowerstocontainit.Butcontrolling3-Dprinting,justlikecontrollingotherelementsoftheweb,willbelikefightingthemythicalHydra.Cutoffonehead,andtwootherswillappear.Thesefivedevelopmentsandmanyothersmakeitisclearthatweareprimedtoleapintotheworldoftheseotherbeings,withorwithoutUFODisclosure.Wearenotsimplyadvancingin

thewaythathumanityhasdoneinthepast.Weareseeingatransformationnotmerelyofourcivilization,butofourspecies.Imaginingourworldacenturyfromnowisprobablybeyondeventhemostvisionarythinkerof today.Afterall,nonefromacenturyagocapturedmorethanthebarestsmatteringofourownworldtoday.RegardingcomputersandDisclosure,therealquestionis,howwillthesetwothingsaffecteachother?Disclosurepromisestoaccelerateourprogressincomputingscienceandwouldalmost certainly bring us closer to the Singularity and everything associated with it. Ofcourse,itcouldverywellbethatthebreakneckspeedofourdevelopmentsincomputingwillbring us to Disclosure. After all, if computing intelligence does begin to surpass humanintelligence, asAI experts predict, it is not hard to imagine a rapidDisclosure as a result–whichwillinturnacceleratefuturecomputing.Eitherway,weareinforadizzyingfuture.

GeopoliticsBeforewestartnanochippingourselves,orachievingIQsof500,orbecomingruledbyatotalitarian quantum computer, let us reflect on political challenges that will be posed byDisclosure,notmerelywithintheUnitedStatesbutworldwide. Clearly, theUnitedStateswill be strongly affectedbyDisclosure, andmanyof themostdramaticdevelopmentswilltakeplacethere.Thereasonissimplythatthecover-uphasbeenmore closely connected to theUnitedStates than anyof the othermajor nations, exceptingperhapsRussiaandChina.TheUnitedStatesintelligencecommunitystraddlestheglobe,withcloserelationshipstotheintelligencecommunitiesofmostothernations.ItisattheheartoftheUFOcover-up. There will be pressure on the U.S. President to shine the light of truth into the blackbudget/breakaway civilization connected with the cover up. It won't be long for people torealizethatthePresidenthasalsobeenoutoftheloop.Wehavenowayofknowinghowthingswillturnout.Conceivably,however,therewillbeamoment of decision by the President. Will Disclosure simply be the pretext to create anopenlytotalitarian,fasciststate?Today,weseecreepingfascismeverywherewelook.ItmayhappenthatDisclosureleadsdirectlytoasuffocatingoppressioninwhichdissentisequatedwith terrorism, and citizens are monitored 24/7 by everymeans necessary to ensure theircompliance.

TheWhiteHousewillbeakeyplayerinthepoliticsfollowingDisclosure,butbynomeanstheonlyimportantone.

This trend is all-too-evident today andwill continue unless it is fought squarely by thepeopleoftheworld.Thatis,peoplemarchinginthestreets,demandingpositivechange,andacceptingnothingelse.Thepowerofanenergizedandangrypeopleisformidable,especiallywhentheyareremindedthatfreedomisnevergranted,buttaken.Onlyactionbygreatmasseswill prevent the complete loss of our freedoms and privacy, and so far there has not beenenoughpublicaction.ButDisclosurewillbeashocktothesystem,anditmaybeenoughtoawakenandenergizepeople. It is certainly likely to spark a general confrontation. It can bring us fascism, orsomethingapproachingfreedom. Therewillbeotherpracticalmattersofconsideration. Internationalcooperation, foronething.For instance,what ifDisclosureresults insomesortofopenpresenceby theseother

beings?Might it not be possible, after all?What if that presence is perceived as hostile tosomedegree?Whateverourdesiresmayberegardingtheseotherbeings,wewouldbefoolsto discount hostilities entirely. And, for sure, we can count on those people who managenationalsecurityfortheirvariouscountriestobethinkingalongthesamelines.Obviously,ifthereisamilitaryconfrontation,thingswouldnotlookhopefulforhumanity.IfwehavelearnedanythingaboutthehistoryofUFOconfrontations,itisthatthemilitariesoftheworldareoutclassed.Thetechnologycontrolledbytheseentitieshasbeenabletodisablefighter jetsandnuclear installations.Theircraftcaneasilyoutmaneuverourown.Asfaraswecantell,theysimplydowhattheywant.Ofcourse,theydoappeartohavecrashedeverynowandthen,andtheyareprobablygreatlyoutnumberedbyus.Evenso,humanitywouldnotwanttofightagainstsuchtechnologiesaspossessedbytheseotherbeings.

DisclosureislikelytosparkprotestmovementsgreaterthanOccupyortheArabSpring.

Somepeoplehaveexpressedconcernaboutafalseflagoperationinwhichanalieninvasionis faked by use of high-tech holographic displays, black budget technology, and amassivedoseofglobalpropaganda.Thereasonwouldbetofrightenpeople intovolunteeringaway

theirrightstoaglobalpolicestatethatpresumablywouldprotectthemfromthealienmenace.The operation has even supposedly been given a name: ProjectBlueBeam.While such anoutcomeisnotimpossible,itseemsimprobable,giventheincrediblelogisticalhurdles.Afalseflagoperationissomethinginwhichoneagency(usuallyagovernmentormilitarygroup) secretly undertakes some act of terrorism, which it then blames on another party,usually in order to justify awar or some other repressivemeasure. False Flag operationshappen, as do actions by provocateurs (which is something similar but generally smallerscale). In our era, both of these happen a great deal and are nearly never openlyacknowledged.Afterall,theglobalintelligencecommunityoperateswithsolittlegovernmentoversight,solittleanalysisfrommajormediaoutlets,andhassomuchmoneytoworkwith,iteffectively has near carte blanche in many, if not most, of its operations. The connectionbetween intelligenceagenciesandnarcotraffickinghasbeendemonstratedmany times,withnoeffectinourbroaderpublicdiscourse.Dittothemyriadbehind-the-scenespoliticalcoupsorchestratedbyCIAandothergroups,andtheconnectionstofinancialcorruption.Thesameappliestoassassinations,fromthe1960s-erahitsagainstJFK,MLK,andRFKtothecountlessmysteriousdeathsofpolitical leaders,scientists, journalists,andwhistleblowers inourowntime.Then,ofcourse,wehavetheeventsofSeptember11,2001,thehingeuponwhichourentireeraturns.Itislikelythatcertaindetailsofthatdaywillforeverbecoveredinfog,butenoughinformation has surfaced to show any reasonable mind that, at the very least, the officialversionof events as statedby theU.S. government are laughably, tragically, andobviouslywrong.WhetherelementsoftheU.S.andglobalintelligenceagencywillfullyallowed9/11tooccur, or actively made it happen, can be argued elsewhere. But that 9/11 (followedimmediately by the Anthrax Attack, in which the use of weaponized anthrax from FortDetrick, home of U.S. biological warfare, was initially blamed on foreign terrorists) wassomekindofinsidejobisanargumentthatwillonlycontinuetogaingroundastheyearspass.Rightfully so. It shows thatelementsof theU.S. intelligencecommunityhavegone togreatlengthstocommitatrocitiesinordertopromoteaspecificpoliticalagenda,andwilllikelydosoagaininthefuture. Nevertheless, there are real problems with a false flag operation like Blue Beam. As Imentioned earlier in this book, the originator of the idea, SergeMonast,was essentially areligiouszealotwithnoevidenceofanyconnectiontoinsidersatNASAorelsewhere,asheclaimed.Moreover,heappearstohavegottenhisideafromanepisodeofthetelevisionshow,StarTrek:TheNextGeneration.Hisdeathin1996,precededbyobviouspoorphysicalhealth,madehimintoaninstant,ifperipheral,martyr.[371] But it is the logistics of a Blue Beam operation that truly boggle the mind. The alieninvasionscenarioalone isa tallorder.Presumably thiswouldbedonewithafleetofblacktriangles, althoughgetting them toblanket theworld seemsa stretch.Andeven if theydid,howtoconvinceaworldofscientistswhoarenotmerelyskepticalofUFOs,butcompletelyhostile to the idea, that these are actual alien spacecraft, seems doomed to failure. CurrentproponentsofBlueBeamoffernothing in thewayofactual research toshowhowsuchanoperationcouldpossiblysucceed,otherthanthroughvaguereferencesofterrifyingtheworldpopulation. Besides, it is clearly unnecessary to use a false alien invasion to implement aglobalpolicestate.Itishappeningbydegrees,viaarangeofdisinformationandsmallerfalse

flagsthataredoingthejobperfectlywell. The alien threat cardwill be played only if itmust be played. That is, in the event of aforced,genuine,disclosureofsomesort.Itiscertainlypossiblethattherewillbepressurestoemphasize theThreatof theOther,simply inorder togainacquiescenceamong thepeople.Whether thatwill be thedominantmotifornot is something thatnobodyknowsatpresent.Frommyperspective,itisapolicythatappearstobefraughtwithdanger.OnethingisdefinitelyclearaboutDisclosure:therewillbeaneedforglobalcooperation.Afterall,thisisamatterthataffectseverybody,notsimplyonenation.Thereareissuesthatwillneedtobehandledinternationally.ThisisbecauseDisclosurewillaccelerateouralreadytightglobalintegrationandraisethestakesconsiderably.Anynewsourceofenergythatwillsurpass petroleum can conceivably be used for destructive purposes, and there will be agenuine need for a measure of global regulation or control over it. Clearly there will belegitimateconcernsaboutthis,butthealternativecouldbetheobliterationoflargeregionsoftheEarthduetoirresponsibleuseofnewdangeroustechnologies.Therewillbeaneedforaglobalresponse,ifnottothethreat,thentothechallengeposedbytheseOthers.ThephilosopherandgeniusGoetheoncewrote,“Divideandconquer,agoodmotto.Uniteandlead,abetterone.”Globalizationissomethingthatmanypeoplesupport,andmany others oppose.But it is a fact, and has been developing inexorably for five hundredyears,eversinceColumbussetfootupontheNewWorld.Sincethen,andindeedevenprior,the separate civilizations on Earth have become increasingly intertwined through trade,financialrelationships,mergingofcultures,communications,andtransportation.Within thelast few generations we have moved into a world where nearly anyone can have a videoconversationwithnearlyanyoneelse,anyplaceintheworld.Itisaworldinwhichnewsandinformation travel at the speed of light globally. International transactions of trillions ofdollars everyday traverse theglobe, and it hasbecomeplainlyobvious that the ageof thenationstatewillsoonbeathingofthepast.Regardingglobalization,then,thequestionisnotwhetherpeopleshouldopposeorallowit.Rather,whatformwillittake?Thequestionisentwinedwiththequestionofapost-Disclosuresociety:willglobalizationlooklikefreedomorfascism?Itcangoeitherway. The moment of Disclosure will present the political leaders of our world with anopportunity.Thatopportunitywillbetotakethepathoflight,notdarkness.Apathpromotingfreedomand truth,notoneofoppressionand lies.This isnot to say that suchawonderfuloutcome will happen. We must not lapse into naïve utopianism. But Disclosure, and themonthsandyearsfollowingit,willpresenthumanitywithachallengenotmerelyofhowtodealwith theseotherbeings,whatever theyare,andwhatever theiragendahappens tobe. Itwillpresentuswithachallengeofhowto livewitheachother,howtograduate to thenextphaseofourexistence.Willwedosoinaspiritofglobalcooperationandfreedom,movingtrulyintoouradulthoodasaspecies?Orwillthedarkroadbetaken,oneofmanipulationandoppressiononascaleevengreaterthanthatoftoday?Thesearechoices,realchoicesthatwillpresentthemselvestoallthinkingpeopleafterDisclosure.

TheFuture In the course of my investigations, I encountered what I feel is a credible accountconcerningaseniorU.S.AirForceofficerwhohadheldahigh-levelcommandpositionat

NORAD'sCheyenneMountainfacilitysometimeago.ItsohappenedthatIwasfriendswitharelationof thisman.Throughvarioushintsand indirect references to familyand relations,thisseniorofficerseemedtoknowagreatdealaboutUFOs.Ononeoccasion,Iwastold,helethisguarddown.Hewasinasmallfishingboatwiththeolderbrotherofmyfriend,whentheyoungmanraisedthetopicofUFOs.Theofficerlookedveryseriouslyathim.Hisonlywordsinreplywere:“theyareeonsandeonsbeyondus.” This conversation happened some decades ago, and humanity’s rapid technologicaldevelopmentmight now reduce eons to mere centuries. Still, the story resonates with me,simply because I know the source, aswell as a few things about the career of this officer.Considerwhateonsandeonsmightmean.AfterDisclosure,theseotherbeingsarestilllikelytobesofaraheadofusthatopencontactbetweenusandthem,opencommunicationofanysort,mightwellremaininconceivable. The irony of Disclosure couldwell be that wewill continue to havemany unansweredquestions about exactlywho andwhatwe are dealingwith.Wewill have gotten to a pointwhere we can prove to ourselves openly as a society that they are here, yes. But that isdifferentfrombeingabletograbholdofaliveoneforopenstudy.Fightingtheblackbudgetworldwouldprobablyoffer themosthopeon thismatter,but itmaywell takeanextendedstruggle to make that happen, perhaps many years. It is also quite possible that whateverbodiesarebeingheldmakeuponlyasmallpieceofthegrandpuzzleofwhatconstitutestheseOthers.Verylikely,therealactionafterDisclosurewillbedealingwithissuesinternaltoourownsociety.Itmaywellbethatatleastsomeofthesebeingshaveestablishedaresidenceonourworld.Thereiscertainlyreasontobelieve,gainedfromcountlessinsiderleaksandclaims,thatthereiscommunicationofsomesortbetweenthemandtheblackbudgetcommunity.Therearealsoclaims,andgoodreasontoconsider,thatsomeofthemhaveinsinuatedthemselvesintooursociety,perhapsevenourpowerstructure.Whywouldthatbesoillogical?Onthecontrary,itwouldseemtobeentirely logical.Theywouldknowthathumanity ison the fast track,andthatwhenwegettothepointwherewemightprovetobeagenuineannoyance,allthemorereason for them to have their own people on the inside. In the post-Disclosureworld, thisquestionwillberaisedmorethanonce.Therewillbenoeasywayaroundit. Disclosure of theUFO realitywill force our civilization to resolvemany longstandingchallengesandproblems.Lookingatonlyafewofthese,itiseasytoseewhysecrecyonthismatterhasbeenparamountforso long.Uncovering itwillbe themost revolutionaryact inhumanhistory.

TheLongViewLookingfurtheraheadintothefuture,wecandiscernsomecontoursofthatdistantshore.Itwillbeaworldwithanopenrecognitionofthepresenceofother,alienintelligenceshereonEarth,interactingwiththisplanetandhumanity.Thatwillbeoutintheopen.Whethertheywillbeoutintheopenisanothermatteraltogether.Butitsopenacknowledgementwillbeagreatspurtoourintellectualdevelopment.Thedominanttechnologiesacenturyfromnowwillbedifficult, perhaps impossible, for us to recognize today. Computing power and artificialintelligencewillbeordersofmagnitudegreater. Human beings themselves are likely to be different in many ways. Placing a value

judgementon this isprobablypointless.Forbetterorworse,weareon thecuspofagreatchange.Wewillseechangesnotmerelytoourtechnologicalinfrastructure,butprobablytoourownspeciesviagenetherapyandotherformsofbiotech.Thebasicintelligenceofatleasta portion of humanity (the very well-to-do) is likely to increase greatly. Envisioning thefuture in such a world is difficult. In all likelihood, we will still have families, loverelationships,andaphysicalneedforfood,sleep,andsex.Onthatbasis,wemayassumethathumans a century from nowwill share basic traits with us. Yet, howmuch dowe have incommontodaywithamedievalpeasantorapaleolithichunter-gatherer?Certainthings,yes,but we also inhabit a vastly different mental universe. It seems likely that our great-greatgrandchildren,atleastsomeofthem,willbethatfaraheadofus. Any Disclosure of an ET/UFO reality will accelerate humanity’s development in thatdirection.Ultimately, nothingwill stop that development,Disclosure or no. It seems likely,too, that the further and further we move into this bizarre future, the less dramatic andrevolutionaryUFODisclosureislikelytobe.Ifitweretohappenin,say,2015,itwouldbringdramatic upheavals of the kind I have been describing. If it were to happen in 2025, thechanges would still be dramatic, but probably less so. By 2050 or 2060, Disclosure willprobably be minimally dramatic and disruptive. This is because human society is alreadygoingthroughtremendous,rapidchange. Can it be that therewill be noofficial, government-sanctionedDisclosure?Personally, Ithink the truthwill surface,comewhatmay.Ourownpathasasocietywillopen thatdoor,regardlessofwhatthepoliticalpowershavetosayaboutit.Thatacknowledgement,wheneveritcomes,whethernoworfiftyyearsfromnow,willstillcomeasashock.ThereisastatementfromanAmericanZenpractitionernamedAdyashanti.“Enlightenmentisadestructiveprocess,”hewrote.“It’snotaboutbecomingbetterorhappier.Enlightenmentisthecrumblingawayoftruth.It’sseeingthroughthefaçadeofpretense.It’stheeradicationofeverythingweimaginedtobetrue.”[372] I like this statementandbelieve it is relevanthere.Toassume that the truthwillmakeushappyissomethingthatchildrenmightbelieve,butweknowbetter.Itissaidthatthetruthwillsetusfree,andthestrippingawayofillusionscandothat.Freedom,however,isdifficult.Itisnotforthetimidorweak.Whetheranyofusdesirethekindsofchangeweareseeinginourworld,itishappeningnonetheless.Ourworldwillcontinuetobecomeverydifferentfromtheworld of our grandparents. Indeed, it is already radically different from that of our ownchildhood.Wehadbettergetusedtoconstantchange.

Humanity’sDestinyForthousandsofyears,peoplehavemuddledtheirwaythroughlongperiodsofsufferingand small-minded thinking.Occasionally,wemade great, sudden strides, followed by longperiods of suffering and more small-minded thinking. Yet, there was always somethingspecialaboutus,somethingundoubtedly thatotherobservantbeingsnoticed.LookingatalltheotherlifeformsonPlanetEarth,howcouldtheynot?Herewasaspeciesthat,primitivethoughwewere, had potential. The question they have probably been asking ever since is:what kind of potential? Potential in a wonderful, fulfilling sense? Or in a threatening,dangeroussense?Throughoutourtimeonthisworld,mostpeoplehavefocusedtheirlivesonbasicsurvival

needs—understandable given the conditions theywere born into.Nevertheless, in all timesand places, there have always been a few people who shone light into the darkness, whoofferedaglimpseofourtruepotential,andhopeforwhatwemaybecome.Itisworthaskingwhetherornot,inthenextcenturyandbeyond,thehumanracewillmakestridestowardachievingsuchavision.Fornomatterwhoandwhattheotherbeingsarewhoinhabitotherpartsofthisgalaxy,universe,andmultiverse,itremainstruethatwheneverwedo encounter them, it will be with the consciousness we bring to the event. We must askourselves,whatwillthatbe?Ultimately,allofusmustlivewithinourselves,withinourmindandthoughts.Wearebornalone,andalonedoweshedourmortalcoils.Thejourneywemustmakeonthisridewecalllifemustbemadebyeachofus,inourownway.Allofwhichistosaythatifweareevertoachievearelationshipofanysortwithbeingsfromelsewhere,wewillcertainlyneedtoraiseourmentalactivitytoadegreemuchhigherthanwehavetoday.ThebeingsthatappeartobehereonEarth,interactingwithusastheydo,havetheabilitytoreachinsideourmindsinsomeway.Theyaretelepathic,theyareextremelyintelligent, they know things far beyond the limits of our small-minded reality. In otherwords,mostofusarenotreadyforthem.Lookingatoursocietytoday,atourshallowandtoxicmassculture,thegrossinadequacyofourformaleducationinstitutions,thechildishdiscourseofourpoliticsandculture,Iseenomajor trends that aremoving us toward a true higher consciousness on amass scale. ButDisclosurecouldbetheshockthatawakensus.AfterDisclosure,wewillseegreatnumbersofpeopletakestockoftheir lives.Theywillaskthemselveswhytheyhavewastedsomuchoftheir lives on pointless, petty pursuits. They will set about to make real changes. In otherwords,Disclosureoffersanopportunityforhumanitytotakechargeofitsdestiny.Thatremainsthehope.Whereasthefinalrealitymaybedifferent,weshouldalwaysallowourselvessomethinggoodtostrivefor.Emersonunderstoodthat“weaimabovethemarktohit themark.”The advent ofUFO secrecy has twisted and distorted human civilization farawayfromitsnaturalcourse.Theendingofthatsecrecywillnotguaranteeusaperfectresult.Wemaynotfixallofourmanyinequitiesandproblems.Butwemayatleasttakethechancetohitnearerthemark.

Conclusion

WhenassessingthefullrangeoftheUFOsubject,oneisstruckbyarichness,depth,andprofundity that is nothing short of astonishing. Whether we examine it as detectives,philosophers,historians,politicalanalysts,psychologists,intelligenceexperts,aviationgeeks,biologists. astronomers,physicists, cynics,orutopians,we find that the subject simplygetsdeeper anddeeper the further alongwego.Twodecades ago, I thought Iwouldbe able tosatisfymycuriosityand“figurethingsout”aftertwoorthreemonthsofcheckingintoit.ThenextthingIknew,IwaspulledintothemostfascinatingsubjectIhaveeverencounteredinmylife. Fascinating,butalsofrustrating.Thefieldcanattractunseemlycharacters.Someof these

are troubled souls,whether fromagenuinely anomalous experienceor simply the randomhauntingsoftheirmind.Othersareattention-seekers.Stillothersareself-appointedrefereeswhose mission appears to be to stand at the sidelines and criticize every researcher whodoesn’tsubscribetoacertainpettheoryorfitanidealizedvisionofwhataresearchershouldbe. Yet others are narcissists claiming some amazing gift (meeting with Andromedans,channelingPleiadians,travelingthroughtime,beingagenius,beingasupersoldier,beinganastral ambassador, being chosen by black budget insiders to reveal the truth,ad infinitum)whoareessentially tryingtoestablish themselvesat theheadof theirownchurch.It takesastrongstomachtodealwiththem. More to the point, however, is the bare fact that so many of our questions cannot beansweredeasily,or at all. It isdue to the inherentdifficultyof the topic combinedwith theobfuscation surrounding it. In other words, the subject of UFOs by itself is hard, and thesecrecydoesn’thelpany. However, the rewards are plentiful, at least if you put in the effort and ask the rightquestions.Thereareanumberofsubjectsinthisworldthatarelikecrowbars—theyhelpustopryopenthebarriersofdeceptionandillusionthatencaseourmindsandourlives.Ufologyis an excellent one. By delving into its myriad aspects, we open ourselves up to a newunderstandingofnearlyeveryaspectofourworld.Itcausesustoasktheobviousexistentialquestion:arewe alone in the universe? It’s an important question, but barely scratches thesurfaceofwhat liesbelow.As Ihave tried toshowin thisbook,aproperstudyofufologyopensupvistasofthoughtinourpolitics,science,culture,technology,andmore.Itforcesustoreconsidermanyofthetruismsthatunderlieourworldview.Thatisexcitingandunsettling.Smallwonderthatithasalwaysbeensuchapariahofatopic,despiteitsdeadlyseriousness. Of course, you might reasonably ask, what is the reward in having your worldviewshattered?Why endanger your job and community standing?The answer depends onwhatkindofpersonyouare.Somepeoplearehappywiththetruthstheygrewupwith.Theydon’twanttobeheroesorsolvetheproblemsoftheirworld.Theywantasimplelifewithahome,job,andfamily.Othersaredriventodigdeeper.Theyarenotsatisfiedwithsimplisticanswerstoimportantquestions, and they believe they have a right to knowmore. For such peoplewith a deep-seatedneedfortruth,nothingelsecansatisfythem.Eveniftheyhaven’tyetrealizedit, theyfeelitintheirbones.Theyknowbyinstinct,ifnotalwaysthroughbooks,thegreatdictumofSocrates:“theunexaminedlifeisnotworthliving.” Over the years, such people learn that truth is never simple, and never reveals herselfwithout a struggle. They also discover that learning important truths separates them frommostof their friendsand family.Eventually, theyunderstand this is thepriceof leadership,andif theyarelucky,theygrowintotheirnewpersonaandrole.Theybecomeleaderswhoinspireotherstofindtheirownpaths.Thatiswhatastudyofufologycandoforyou.Itmaynotanswereveryquestionyouhave,andtherewillalwaysbeunexploredmysteriesaboutit.Butthatispartofitsbeauty.ThelateUFOskeptic,PhilipJ.Klass,usedtotalkofthe“UFOcurse.”ThecursewasthateveryUFObelieverwouldgoto theirgrave justasmystifiedaboutUFOsas theyare today.TypicalofKlass, thestatementbetraysacompletemisunderstandingoftheimportanceofUFOs.Asidefrombeing factuallywrong (researchers have learned a great deal aboutUFOs in the past

manydecades),hisimplicationisthatstudyingthegreatestmysteryofourtimeoffersnothingofvalue.Suchanattitudeisshortsightedandfoolish.Aswemoveforwardintothe21stcentury,wemaywellfindthatanswerscontinuetoeludeus,evenafterapossibleDisclosureevent.Mostlikely,therewillbethingsaboutthenatureofrealitythatwillforeverbebeyondus.Thisisnoreasonfordespair.WearefortunateindeedwhohavetheopportunitytoembarkintotheseasoftheGreatUnknown.Ifgiventhechance,whyshouldn’twemakethatjourney?

AbouttheAuthorRichardDolanhasresearchedUFOsandrelatedphenomenasincetheearly1990s.Heistheauthorofthehistoricalseries,UFOsandtheNationalSecurityState(volumesoneandtwo),as well as an analysis of the future,A.D. After Disclosure: When the Government FinallyRevealstheTruthAboutAlienContact. Hehasappearedwidelyonradioandtelevision,includingCoast-to-CoastAM,CNN,TheHistoryChannel, SyFy,BBC, and elsewhere. Since 2012,Richard has hosted “TheRichardDolanShow,”airingonKGRARadio.Inhiswritingsandinterviews,RichardhasanalyzedthedestructionofourpoliticallibertiesasaresultoftheUFOcover-up,thepossiblenatureofthenon-humansthemselves,whattheirpresence means for our civilization, why he believes the cover-up will end within ourlifetime,andwhatislikelytohappenafterthat.WiththecompletionofUFOsforthe21stCenturyMind,Richardplanstocompletethethirdvolume ofUFOs and the National Security State, which will take the history of the UFOrealityandcover-uptothepresentday. In earlier years, Richard had been a Rhodes Scholar finalist, earned a Bachelor ’s andMaster ’s degree in History, and received a Certificate in Political Theory at OxfordUniversity.BorninBrooklyn,raisedonLongIsland,hecontinuestoliveinRochester,NewYork,wherehespentmanyyearsraisinghisfamily.Visithiswebsiteatricharddolanpress.com.

AlsobyRichardDolanPressGrantCameronandT.ScottCrain,Jr.UFOs,Area51,andGovernmentInformants:AReportonGovernmentInvolvementinUFOCrashRetrievals.

RichardM.Dolan,UFOsandtheNationalSecurityState:TheCover-UpExposed,1973-1991.Chase Kloetkze with Richard M. Dolan. Admissible: The Field Manual for InvestigatingUFOs,ParanormalActivity,andStrangeCreatures.

EveLorgen.TheDarkSideofCupid:LoveAffairs,theSupernaturalandEnergyVampirism.PhilipMantle.OnceUponAMissingTime:ANovelofAbduction.DavidMarler.TriangularUFOs:AnEstimateoftheSituation.RichardSauder,Ph.D.HiddeninPlainSight:BeyondtheX-Files.RobertM.Wood,Ph.D.AlienViruses:CrashedUFOs,MJ-12,&Biowarfare.

http://richarddolanpress.com

AlsobyRichardM.DolanUFOsandtheNationalSecurityState:ChronologyofaCover-Up,1941-1973.HamptonRoadsPublishing,2002.

UFOsandtheNationalSecurityState:TheCover-UpExposed,1973-1991.KeyholePublishingCompany,2009.

A.D. After Disclosure: When the Government Finally Reveals the Truth About AlienContact(withBryceZabel),NewPageBooks,aDivisionofCareerPress,Inc.2012.

Endnotes1.Menzel’slistisavailableatTheCenterforUFOStudies,www.cufon.org/cufon/ifo_list.htm

2.ItisworthmentioningthatMUFON’sinvestigationshavetypicallybeenrestrictedbylackofresources(suchasmoney),whichareneededtodothejobwell.Ataminimum,gasmoneyaloneforinvestigatorscanbecomeanissue,atleastovertime,consideringthatdistancestoasightinglocationmaybemorethanonehundredmilesfromwheretheinvestigatorlives.Inthecontextofcurrentgaspricesand typicalautomotivegasmileage, thatcaneasilyexceed$30,notconsideringanyother factors.Butofcourse, thereareusuallyother factorswhichcompound the problem. There is usually a need for equipment of some sort or another,whethertheseberelativelyinexpensivecamcorderstoconductinterviews,instrumentstoread

electromagneticsignaturesorradiation,camerasfornightvisionorinfrared,andmore.Andletusnotforgettime.Whilemostinvestigatorsdonotgetpaidfortheirwork,theirtimeisnotfree.Peoplealwayshaveotherthingstheycandowiththeirlives,andthefactthattheydonotgetpaidtoconductinvestigationsinevitablymeansthattherearefewerinvestigationsthantherecouldbeotherwise.InvestigatingaUFOreportisseldomeasy,andusuallytakestime.Andtimeismoney.

3.Or'trufos,'asNavalOpticalPhysicistDr.BruceMaccabeehassometimesputit.

4.Sanderson,IvanT.UninvitedVisitors:AbiologistlooksatUFOs.Cowles,1967.

5.Lovelock,James,TheAgesofGaia:ABiographyofOurLivingEarth,Norton,1995,p.xvii.

6. See Dolan, Richard M. “Science, Secrecy, and Ufology,” December 26, 2000,richarddolanpress.com, and “A Breakaway Civilization:What It is, andWhat ItMeans forUs,”April2011www.afterdisclosure.com/2011/04/breakaway.html

7.Gatto,JohnTaylor.DumbingUsDown:TheHiddenCurriculumofCompulsorySchooling.NewSocietyPublishers(2002),p.21.

8.Yearslater,thebestanalysisofthisstillremainsSaunders,DavidR.andHarkins,R.Roger,UFOs?Yes!WheretheCondonCommitteeWentWrong.Signet,1968.

9.Clottes,Jean.CaveArt,PhaidonPress,2008

10. “Antarctic Ice Core over 500,000 Years Old Extracted,” March 14, 2002. www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2002/2002-03-14-04.html

11.Fitzpatrick-Matthews,Keith.“Hancock’sAntarctica: thecontinent that ‘darenot speak itsname.’”www.badarchaeology.com/?page_id=560

12.Averygoodwebsiteofferinginformationonthismysteryisworld-pyramids.com.Thereis an active Facebook page associated with it, as well:https://www.facebook.com/WorldPyramids

13.Asserted, for instance, byDavidHatcherChildress inAnti-Gravity and theWorldGrid(LostScience(AdventuresUnlimitedPress,1987).

14. Dunning, Brian. “The Mystery of Pumapunku,” Skeptoid #20, April 20, 2010,www.skeptoid.com/episodes/4202

15.Hoopes,John.“Debunkingthe‘Mystery’oftheStoneBalls.”www.world-mysteries.com/

16. Quasar, Gian J. “Baalbek, A Colossal Enigma.”www.bibliotecapleyades.net/esp_baalbek_1.htm

17.Dutt,ManathaNath(translator).Ramayana,ElysiumPress,Calcutta,1892andNewYork,1910.Citedin“Vimana”FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia.

18.MahabharataVIII.31.80

19.“AncientFlyingMachines,Vimanas-VaimanikaShastra”[www.thelivingmoon.com]andHindu Vivek Kendra, “Flights of Fancy?” The Week, June 24, 2001[www.hvk.org/2001/0601/100.html]

20. Colavito, Jason. “The Case of the False Quotations: How Ancient Astronaut TheoristsFaked a Hindu Nuclear Explosion,” 2011. www.jasoncolavito.com/the-case-of-the-false-quotes.html

21. See “Tulli Papyrus,”Wikipedia, the free Internet encyclopedia for a good overview ofthis.

22.deRachewiltz,Boris,DoubtMagazine,No.41,officialmagazineoftheForteanSociety,pp.214-15,Arlington,1953

23. Brussino, Franco (2006). "Il papiro di Tulli"[www.egittologia.net/portals/0/articoli/IlPapiroTulli.PDF]

24. Leonard, R. Cedric, Fire Circles, A Revised Translation of the Tulli Transcription,[www.atlantisquest.com/Firecircle.html]

25. Ezek.1, Bible, Revised Standard Version. [www.quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV2&byte=3114646]

26. Zecharia Sitchin, interview. Youtube video, “Were the Anunnaki the Nephilim in theBible?”[www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp0DAwy0-xM]

27.Genesis6:2,6:4.Bible,NewInternationalVersion.

28. Heiser, Michael. “TheMyth of a 12th Planet in Sumero-Mesopotamian Astronomy: AStudyofCylinderSealVA243”[www.michaelsheiser.com/va_243%20page.htm]

29.Tellinger,Michael.TemplesOfTheAfricanGods.SlaveSpeciesofGod,Adam’sCalendar.InnerTraditions,2012.

30.Heiser,Michael.www.michaelsheiser.com/PaleoBabble/tag/gods/

31.Genesis6:2a

32. Joynes,Andrew.MedievalGhostStories, (BoydellPress, 2006), p. 74.See alsoSiebert,Eve, “TheHistoryChannelDiscovers theREALCauseof theBlackDeath,”May16, 2011,[www.skepticalhumanities.com].

33.“DanielGuenther'sJusttheCasesUFOdatabase.”[www.jtc-ufo.com/database/sightings/5]

34.PhilosophicalTransactions,Vol.42,p.524.

35. Jenkins,B.G. "The luminous spot onMercury in transit."MonthlyNotices of theRoyalAstronomicalSociety,38(April1878):p.338.Fort,Charles,BookoftheDamned,p.198

36.Fort,Charles,BookoftheDamned,CosimoClassics,2004,p;199.

37.Fort,Charles,BookoftheDamned,CosimoClassics,2004,p;195.

38.MaltaMailTimes,August18th,1845.

39.Fort,Charles,BookoftheDamned,p.267.

40. A fine website devoted to airships, complete with original newspaper articles, iswww.ufologie.patrickgross.org/htm/airship.htm

41.Seewww.ufologie.patrickgross.org/airship/index.htm

42.CaliforniaBee,Sacramento,California,November18,1896.

43.StocktonDailyMail,November19,1896.

44. Houston Post, April 22, 1897. Seewww.ufologie.patrickgross.org/press2/houstonpost22apr1897.htm

45.“ThatairshipnowatChicago.”NewYorkHerald,April11,1897.

46.AninterestingaddendumtothiswasthestoryofBrawleyOates,whoboughtthepropertyaround1945.Someyearslater,apparentlyduringthelate1950s,Oatescleanedoutthedebrisinthewellandsoonafterdevelopedaseverecaseofarthritis.Heclaimedthiswasbecauseofcontaminatedwaterfromthewreckagedumpedintothewell.Asaresult,hesealedthewellwith a concrete slab and placed an outbuilding atop it.[www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora,_Texas,_UFO_incident]

47.See theUFOHunters episodeofNovember19, 2008entitled “FirstContact,” atAuroraTexas UFO Crash - Paranormal Alien Documentary on YouTube[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEfRQ3h8WQM]

48. For instance, Busby, Michael, Solving the 1897 Airship Mystery (Pelican, 2004) andDanelek,J.Allan,TheGreatAirshipof1897,bothproposevariationsoftheargumentthatamysteriousAmericaninventor(orgroupofinventors)werebehindthesightings.Whilebothareconjectural,theyattempttomakeareasonablecaseforhuman-madeairships.

49.“NavyOfficerSeesMeteors.;TheyWereRedOnes,theLargestAboutSixSunsBig.”TheNew York Times. 9 March 1904. See alsowww.brumac.8k.com/RemarkableMeteors/Remarkable.html

50. “Chattanooga Airship of 1910,” Examiner, Jan. 15, 2013[www.examiner.com/article/chattanooga-airship-of-1910?cid=rss]

51. Sparks, Brad. “1927 Roerich Sighting Analyzsis,”[www.nicap.org/270805himalayasdir.htm]

52. See www.wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_do_weather_balloons_go; andwww.ehow.com/way_5745254_homemade-weather-balloon.html.

53.To(Canadian)NationalResearchCouncil;Re:UFOSighting,NWT1936AlymerLake,NWT.CanadianNationalArchives,Ottawa.RecordGroup77ACC1992-1993/308N92/15.

54.HelpfulresourcesontheBattleofLosAngelesinclude:Littleton,C.Scott,2500Strand:GrowingUpinHermosaBeach,California,duringWorldWarII.(RedPillPress,2007),p.59.;Young,DonaldJ.,“PhantomJapaneseRaidonLosAngelesDuringWorldWarII,”WordWarII(September2003),reprintedatwww.historynet.com/phantom-japanese-raid-on-los-angeles-during-world-war-ii.htm/1; Marshall, George C., “Memorandum for the President,” 26February 1942; and the website of Bruce Maccabee atwww.brumac.8k.com/BATTLEOFLA/BOLA1.html.

55.Basterfield,Keith.“26February1942TimorSea,northofAustralia1200hrsMethorst,”Project1947;aCatalogueoftheMoreInterestingAustralianUfoReports,asof6December2012.[www.project1947.com/kbcat/kbmoreintoz.htm].

56.Pfeifer,Ken.“MarineSergeantSpotsSilveryUfo’sWestofGuadalcanalAugust12,1942IslandofTulagi”[www.worldufophotosandnews.org/?p=5746]

57. Cook, Nick. The Hunt for Zero Point: Inside the Classified World of AntigravityTechnology(BroadwayBooks,2001).p.42.

58.TheGermansandJapanesedidnotcoordinatetheirrespectivewareffortsandcooperationbetweenthemwasminimal.

59. Hall, Richard H. The UFO Evidence, National Investigations Committee of AerialPhenomena, 1964, p. 30. See also “The Case of the USAT Delarof,” atwww.ufologie.patrickgross.org/htm/delarof45.htm#doc.

60.Good,Timothy,AboveTopSecret:TheWorldwideUFOCover-Up (WilliamMorrow&Co. 1988), p. 23; Keyhoe, Donald, Aliens From Space, (Doubleday & Co, 1973) p. 142;USAFE Item 14, TT 1524, (Top Secret), 4November 1948, declassified in 1997,NationalArchives,WashingtonD.C.

61.HeadquartersFourthAirForce,Officeof theAssistantChiefofStaff,A-2 Intelligence,HamiltonField,California,27August1947.Subject:FlyingDisc.

62.Ruppelt,EdwardJ.ReportonUnidentifiedFlyingObjects (DoubleDay,1956),p.47-48;Maccabee,Bruce,TheUFO-FBIConnection,LlewellynPublications,2000.

63.ForadetailedanalysisoftheTrentphotographs,seeMaccabee,Bruce,“TheTrentFarmPhotos”[http://brumac.8k.com/trent1.html].

64.Ruppelt,EdwardJ.ReportonUnidentifiedFlyingObjects.

65.SomeofmyinterviewwithHowardCocklincanbeseenat“1952UFOWitnessHowardCocklin Interview”[http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/45206/1952_UFO_Witness_Howard_Cocklin_Interview/]

66. Young, Edward, “Marius DeWilde - France, 1954” [www.vigilia.com.br/sessao.php?categ=3&id=891].SeealsoVallee,Jacques,PassporttoMagonia,HenryRegneryCo,1969,p.218-239andwww.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marius_Dewilde.

67.ProjectBluebookCase3224.[www.cufos.org/BB_Unknowns.pdf]

68. “Father Gill / Papua New Guinea Sighting” [www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case67.htm];Booth, Billy, “1959-The Papua, New Guinea UFOs”[www.ufos.about.com/od/bestufocasefiles/p/papua.htm];See also “FatherWilliamGill abouthisencounterwithUFO”YouTubevideo[www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua8MmT4bIHU].

69. Lorenzen, Jim and Coral. Encounters with UFO Occupants, p. 62-87; Flying SaucerReview,August1966.Rogerson,Peter,“Notes towardsa revisionisthistoryofabductions–Part One” Magonia [www.magonia.haaan.com/1993/notes-towards-a-revisionist-history-of-abductions-part-one/];Melanson, Terry, “Antonio Villas Boas: Abduction Episode GroundZero,”[www.conspiracyarchive.com/UFOs/boas-abduction.htm].

70.Fuller,John.TheInterruptedJourney:TwoHoursLostAboardaFlyingSaucer.(TheDialPress,1966);Marden,Kathleen&Friedman,StantonT.,Captured!TheBettyandBarneyHillUFOExperience:TheTrueStoryoftheWorld'sFirstDocumentedAlienAbduction(NewPageBooks,2007).

71.Asoberingvideoonthissubjectis“ATime-LapseMapofEveryNuclearExplosionSince1945”byIsaoHashimotoathttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCF7vPanrY

72. For a complete list of Operation Dominic detonations, see the Wikipedia page athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dominic

73.TheWikipediaentryforOperationDominicgivesinformationthatdiffersfromDavid’saccount,listingthistestastakingplaceonOctober27,notOctober26,andnotfromamissilelaunch,butratheranairdropfromaB-52.However,theWikipediapagefor“HighAltitudeNuclear Explosion” lists the information exactly as he gave it: October 26, 1962, with awarheadthatreachedanaltitudeof50kilometers(about160,000feet).

74.Apparently,Navybrasshad initiallybeenconcerned thatoneof theirobservingaircrafthadgottentooclosetotheexplosion.However,notonlywereallaircraftaccountedfor,butsuchanimpactwouldhavesentanyaircraftstraightintotheocean.

75.Quintanilla,Hector.“The InvestigationofUFOs,”Studies in Intelligence,Vol.10.No4.Fall1966.

76.AnextendeddiscussionrecentlyensuedfollowingtheassertionthattheSocorroUFOwastheresultofaprank.SeeBragalia,Anthony,“TheUltimateSecretofSocorroFinallyTold:NewDetails onWorld-famous 1964UFOHoax.” [http://bragalia.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-ultimate-secret-of-socorro-finally.html]. See also Stanford, Ray. Socorro "Saucer" in aPentagonPantry(BlueappleBooks,1976);Edwards,Frank,FlyingSaucers:SeriousBusiness,p.186-190;Hynek, J.Allen,TheHynekUFOReport, p. 223-229;Lorenzen, JimandCoral,EncounterswithUFOOccupants,p.8-11;182-186.

77.FlyingSaucerReview,Vol. 12,No.5,September/October1966, p. 32;Gaceta Ilustrada(Spain), July 31, 1965, and Moss Dagbled (Norway), December 27, 1965. See alsowww.waterufo.net/item.php?id=313.

78.“FirstNightColorShotofFlyingSaucerBared,”TheOklahomaJournal,October5,1965[www.ufologie.patrickgross.org/press/oklahomajournal5oct1965.htm]. Smith, Michael,“Tulsa’s UFO Still Unidentified” Tulsa World, March 11, 2011,[www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=268&articleid=20110311_282_D1_CUTLIN174559&allcom=1

79. Druffel, Ann; Wood, Robert M.; Kelson, Eric: “Reanalysis of the 1965 Heflin UFOPhotos,”JournalofScientificExploration,Vol.14,No.4,pp.583–622,2000[www.scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_14_4_druffel.pdf].

80. Bragalia, Anthony, “The UFOs That Never Were: Classic Photos Now Exposed AsFakes!,”2010[http://www.ufocon.blogspot.com/2010/10/ufos-that-never-were-classic-photos-now.html].

81.Report,DepartmentoftheAirForce,Headquarters862ndCombatSupportGroup(SAC),Minot AFB, North Dakota. Subject: UFO Report. to: AFSC (FTD) Wright-Patterson AFB,Ohio.Date:30Aug1966.Letter,Departmentof theAirForce,Headquarters862ndCombatSupportGroup(SAC),MinotAFB,toDr.J.AllenHynek,4January1967.

82.Salas,RobertandKlotz,James.FadedGiant:The1967Missile/UFOIncidents,PrivatelyPublished, Revised Edition 2004. Hastings, Robert. UFOs and Nukes: ExtraordinaryEncounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites, AuthorHouse, 2008. To see the news event at theNational Press Club, see “Disclosure Conference, National Press Club 27 Sept 2010" onYouTube [www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtmpaM0PqyI]. For a description of the controversyregardingtheMalmstromincident,seeDolan,RichardM.,“TheMalmstromUFOEvent:DidIt Really Happen?” [http://richarddolanpress.com/33-the-malmstrom-ufo-event-did-it-really-happen/]

83.Ledger,Don,“TheUFOCrashatShagHarbor,”InternationalUFOReporter, Jan.1998,http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dledger/Shag_Harbour_article.html ; see also Clark, Jerome,TheUFOBook,VisibleInk,1998,p.134-136.

84.“DeadHorseRiddleSparksUFOBuffs,”ThePuebloChieftain,October7,1967.Howe,LindaMoulton,AnAlienHarvest:FurtherEvidenceLinkingAnimalMutilationsandHumanAbductionstoAlienLifeForms,SpecialLimitedEdition,1989,p.1-8.O’Brien,Christopher,Enter the Valley: UFOs, Religious Miracles, Cattle Mutilations, and Other UnexplainedPhenomena in the San Luis Valley, St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 1999. See also O’Brien,Christopher, Stalking the Herd: Unraveling the Cattle Mutilation Mystery (AdventuresUnlimitedPress,2014).OnewebsitediscussingthecaseofLadyiswww.snippy.com/.

85.Browne,MalcolmW.,“UFOsAddSpicetotheLifeofLatins,”NewYorkTimes,July13,1968.

86.SeetheValentichcase,describedinChapter7.

87.Clark,Jerome,TheUFOBook,VisibleInk,1998,p.172-175;Michel,Aime,“TheStrangeCaseofDr.X,”inCharlesBowen,ed.UFOPercipients:FlyingSaucerReviewSpecialIssueNo.3,Sept.1969,3-16.FlyingSaucerReview,1969.

88. “Balls of Fire StalkU.S. Fighters inNightAssaultsOverGermany,”Associated Press,January2,1945.

89. See Grant Cameron’s Presidential UFO website,[www.presidentialufo.com/old_site/harrys.htm].

90. Farrell, Joseph P.,Roswell and the Reich: The Nazi Connection (Adventures UnlimitedPress,2010),p.336-339.SeealsoFarrell’sReichoftheBlackSun:NaziSecretWeaponsandthe Cold War Allied Legend, (Adventures Unlimited Press, 2004); Saucers, Swastikas andPsyops: A History of A Breakaway Civilization: Hidden Aerospace Technologies andPsychologicalOperations(AdventuresUnlimitedPress,2012)andTheSSBrotherhoodoftheBell:Nasa'sNazis,JFK,AndMajic-12(AdventuresUnlimitedPress,2006).

91.Farrell,JosephP.,RoswellandtheReich,p.345.

92.USAFEItem14,TT1524,(TopSecret),4November1948,declassifiedin1997,NationalArchives,WashingtonD.C.

93.WemightalsoaskiftheseGhostRocketscouldhavebeenderivedfromasecretpost-warNazibasesomewhereelseinEurope,andareleftwithnohistoricalevidencetosupportsuchaconclusion.

94.Good,Timothy,AboveTopSecret:TheWorldwideUFOCover-up,p.23.

95.Randle,Kevin,RoswellUFOCrashUpdate, InnerLight-GlobalCommunications, 1995.Seealso“Brig.Gen.ArthurExon”[www.roswellproof.homestead.com/exon.html]

96. Ruppelt, Edward.Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, Doubleday & Company, Inc.,1956.Foranonlinetextversion,seewww.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/17346/pg17346.html.

97. See Dolan, Richard M. “Twelve Government Documents that Take UFOs Seriously,”[http://richarddolanpress.com/30-twelve-government-documents-that-take-ufos-seriously/].

98. A good overview of Project Sign can be found in Ruppelt, Edward J., The Report onUnidentifiedFlyingObjects(Doubleday&Co.,1956).

99.“1948,TheDeathofThomasMantell”[www.ufocasebook.com/Mantell.html].

100. “Watershed: The Chiles-Whitted ‘rocketship’ sighting,”[www.project1947.com/gr/chileswhitted.htm].

101. “The RAND World-Circling Spaceship and the 1948 Chiles-Whitted ‘rocketship’sighting,”[www.project1947.com/gr/worldcircling.htm].

102.Gooddiscussions of theEstimate of theSituation canbe found atAldrich, Jan. “1948UFO Documents: Background” [www.project1947.com/fig/1948back.htm] and Swords,Michael, “Project SIGN and the Estimate of the Situation,”[www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sign/sign.htm].

103. Clark, Jerome, The UFO Encyclopedia: The Phenomenon from the Beginning, Vol. 2,(Omnigraphics,1998)p.138-139.

104.“OralHistoryInterviewwithGeneralRobertB.Landry.”Scottsdale,Arizona.February28, 1974. by James R. Fuchs, Harry S. Truman Library.[http://www.ibiblio.org/lia/president/TrumanLibrary/oral_histories/Landry_Robert.html].

105. Dolan, RichardM. “The Death of James Forrestal,” [www.richarddolanpress.com/the-death-of-james-forrestal/]. See also Martin, David, “Who Killed James Forrestal? Part 3”[www.dcdave.com/article4/041120a.html].

106.ForananalysisofthisandotherinterestingdeclassifiedU.S.governmentdocumentsonUFOs, seeDolan,RichardM., “TwelveGovernmentDocuments that takeUFOsSeriously,”[http://richarddolanpress.com/30-twelve-government-documents-that-take-ufos-seriously/].

107.Darrach,H.B.Jr.andGinna,Robert.“HaveWeVisitorsfromSpace?”LIFEMagazine,April 7, 1952 [www.project1947.com/shg/csi/life52.html]. Ruppelt, Edward, The Report onUnidentified Flying Objects, p. 131-132. Also see: www.books.google.com/books?id=ElYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=2#v.

108.Keyhoe,Donald,FlyingSaucers:TopSecret,(Putnam,1960),p.85-86;Keyhoe,Donald,AliensfromSpace:TheRealStoryofUnidentifiedFlyingObjects (Doubleday,1973) ,p.79-80.

109.Ruppelt,Edward,TheReportonUnidentifiedFlyingObjects,p.147-149,152-153.

110.Ruppelt,Edward,TheReportonUnidentifiedFlyingObjects,p.155.

111. The author ’s interview with Howard Cocklin is on YouTube “First Contact SpecialEdition: 1952 UFO Eyewitness Howard Cocklin” at [www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQwwl1ln30Y&list=UUfuGn-5TVgftiL6kBDFr0CQ&index=4]

112. Clips of Samford’s press conference can be seen at “General Samford's UFO pressconferencePentagon,July29,1952,”[www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcRtkA1Rmvw]

113.Mr.Eng,“FlyingSaucers,”CIASpecialStudyGroup,August19,1952.ReproducedattheCUFON1952CIAUFO-RelatedDocumentSampler[www.cufon.org/cufon/cia-52-1.htm].

114. Memorandum for Director of Central Intelligence from the Deputy Director forIntelligence.Subject:UnidentifiedFlyingObjects.Date:2December1952.ReproducedattheCUFON1952CIAUfo-relatedDocumentSampler,[www.cufon.org/cufon/cia-52-1.htm].

115. News Release, House Republican Leader, March 28, 1966[www.checktheevidence.com/disclosure/web%20pages/] and[www.presidentialufo.com/ufotalk.htm].

116.AlthoughNICAP,ofcourse,wasnotagovernmentagency.Moreover,itwaspermittedtosubmitmaterialfortherecord.

117.Clark,Jerome,TheUFOEncyclopedia:EncyclopediaoftheExtraterrestrial(VisibleInkPress,1998)Vol.3,p.293-294.

118.Keyhoe,Donald,AliensfromSpace,p.130-134.

119. Saunders, David andHarkins, Roger.UFOs? Yes!Where the Condon CommitteeWentWrong.(NewYork,WorldPub.Co.,1968),p.140.

120.SeeRobertLow“Trick”Memoatwww.nicap.org/docs/660809lowmemo.htm.

121.Keyhoe,Donald,AliensfromSpace,p.175.

122.Saunders,DavidandHarkins,Roger,UFOs?Yes!,p.186-200,244-252.

123. McDonald’s complete text can be read at www.anomalies.net/archive/Text-Archive/txt1/508.ufo

124.FinalReportoftheScientificStudyofUnidentifiedFlyingObjects,EdwardU.Condon,ScientificDirector,DanielS.Gillmor,Editor,BantamBooks,1968.The reportcanbe readonline athttp://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/condonreport/full_report/contents.htm

125.TheBolendermemocanbereadatwww.nicap.org/Bolender_Memo.htm.

126.JANAP-146canbereadatwww.cufon.org/cufon/janp146c.htm.AFManual55-11canbereadatwww.cufon.org/cufon/AFM55-11A.htm.

127.Zechel,Todd,“NI-CIA-APORNICAP?”MUFONUFOJournal,January-February,1979.

128.Druffel, Ann.Firestorm:Dr. James E.McDonald's Fight forUFO Science (Voyagers,2003).

129.Keyhoe,Donald.AliensfromSpace,p.27.

130. A good analysis of this appears inwww.roswellproof.homestead.com/Rameys_hexagon_story.html

131.MUFONUFOJournal,August 1995, p. 23. [www.scribd.com/doc/131772404/MUFON-UFO-Journal-1995-8-August]

132.RoswellReport:FactversesFictionintheNewMexicoDesert,Col.RichardWeaverand1st Lt. James McAndrew, Headquarters United States Air Force, 1995.[www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/roswell.pdf]. The GAO Report on TheRoswell IncidentRecords [www.roswellfiles.com/Articles/TheGAOReport.htm].The RoswellReport: Case Closed, James McAndrew, Headquarters United States Air Force, 1997[www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/homeland.../RoswellReportCaseClosed.pdf].

133. Bragalia, Anthony. “Authentic Alien Images from Roswell Finally Found?” Friday,September 27, 2013 [www.ufocon.blogspot.com/2013/09/authentic-alien-images-from-roswell.html].

134.Ramsey,ScottandSuzanne.TheAztecIncident,Aztec.48Productions,2011.

135.www.kevinrandle.blogspot.com/2012/05/aztec-incident-by-scott-and-suzanne.html

136. In addition tomany sourceson theweb, twobooks that discuss this subject areKevinRandall'sHistoryofUFOCrashes (AvonBooks,1995);andRyanWood'sMajicEyesOnly:Earth’sEncounterswithExtraterrestrialTechnology(WoodEnterprises,2005).

137. Stringfield, Leonard, Situation Red: The UFO Siege, Doubleday, 1977, p. 179-186;Stringfield,Leonard,RetrievalsoftheThirdKind,MUFON,1978;Hamilton,William,CosmicTopSecret:America’sSecretUFOProgram,InnerLight,2002,p.106-111;Wood,Ryan,MajicEyesOnly,p.111-114.

138. Lorenzen, Coral E., The Great Flying Saucer Hoax, William Frederick Press, 1962;Gillmor,Daniel,ScientificStudyofUnidentifiedFlyingObjects,BantamBooks,1968,p.138-143;Wood,Ryan,MajicEyesOnly,p.121-122.

139.AdescriptionthetragedyoftheAPROfilescanbereadinDolan,RichardM.,UFOsandtheNationalSecurityState:TheCover-upExposed,1973-1991,KeyholePublishingCo.,2009,p.440-441.

140.Randle,Kevin.AHistoryofUFOCrashes,p.79-94.

141.Randle,Kevin,AHistoryofUFOCrashes,p.95-120.Wood,Ryan,MajicEyesOnly,p.152-160.

142. Wood, Ryan, Majic Eyes Only, p. 193-197. Stringfield, Leonard, The UFOCrash/RetrievalSyndrome,StatusReportII:NewSources,NewData,MUFON.

143.Stringfield,Leonard.SituationRed,p.177-178.

144.Stringfield,Leonard,TheUFOCrash/RetrievalSyndrome,StatusReportII:NewSources,NewData,MUFON.

145.Anexcellentresourceonthis topic isCameron,GrantandCrain,T.Scott,UFOs,Area51,andGovernmentInformants,RichardDolanPress,2013.[http://richarddolanpress.com/]

146.BarryGoldwaterletterstoconstituentsandresearchers,datedMarch28,1975,October19,1981,andJune20,1983.

147. James Goodall interview, “Jim Goodall of classified programs at Groom Lake”YouTubevideo[www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM0PvvIHAnM].

148.GeorgeKnapp,personaldiscussionwiththeauthor,July2007.

149.Keller,Tom,“ExtraterrestrialUFOAreReal:BenRichLockheedSkunkWorksDirectorAdmitted In His Deathbed Confession,” MUFON UFO Journal, May 2010. See alsowww.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread965970/pg1 andwww.garuda.co/2013/01/31/extraterrestrial-ufo-are-real-ben-rich-lockheed-skunk-works-director-admitted-in-his-deathbed-confession/.

150.Interviewfromdocumentary:StrangerThanFiction:TheRealFlyingSaucers,Producedby David Monaghan. (Top Notch & Off the Fence, 2004),www.dmptv.co.uk/pro/saucers/index.htm.

151.Onthismatter,onewell-placedindividualtoldme“Forwhatit’sworth,KellyJohnson’sviewpoint ... is significantly more widespread among the cognoscenti than most wouldimagine.”

152.“ExtraterrestrialUFOAreReal:BenRichLockheedSkunkWorksDirectorAdmittedInHis Deathbed Confession,” [www.garuda.co/2013/01/31/extraterrestrial-ufo-are-real-ben-rich-lockheed-skunk-works-director-admitted-in-his-deathbed-confession/].

153.Foradetailedaccountofthisevent,seeGreer,StevenM.,M.D.,“TestimonyofMr.MarkMcCandlish,U.S.AirForceDecember2000,”inDisclosure,p.497-510.

154.See“UFOoverNellisAFB,Nevada1992”[sic]onYouTubeatwww.youtube.com/watch?v=1oCl2kROv1Y.

155. The most historically important studies in this area are probably Vesco, Renato,IntercettatelliSenzaSparare(U.Mursia&Co.,1968;Vesco’sbookwasrepublishedin1974asIntercept--ButDon’tShoot);Cook,Nick,TheHunt forZeroPoint: Inside theClassifiedWorld ofAntigravity Technology (BroadwayBooks, 2002); and several books by Joseph P.Farrell,mostnotablyReichof theBlackSun:NaziSecretWeaponsand theColdWarAlliedLegend(AdventuresUnlimitedPress,2005),SSBrotherhoodoftheBell:TheNazi'sIncredibleSecretTechnology(AdventuresUnlimitedPress,2006),andRoswellandtheReich:TheNaziConnection(AdventuresUnlimitedPress,2010).

156. Some years ago, the author was shown what was claimed to be the only remainingSchauberger disc, held at the time in an American research facility. It was saucer-shaped,brass colored, and roughly three feet in diameter. The scientist who discussed it said hebelieveditwasofsounddesignandcouldfly,althoughhedidnotbelievethematerialsciencewasadvancedenough,andthatthecraftcouldprobablynotwithstandtherigorsofflight.

157.Farrell,JosephP.TheSSBrotherhoodoftheBell,p.77.

158. Arndt, Rob, “Haunebu (H-GERÄT, Hauneburg Device,1939-1945),” atwww.discaircraft.greyfalcon.us/HAUNEBU.htm.This thesis is alsooffered inVesco,Renatoand Childress, David Hatcher, Man-Made UFOs, 1944-1994: 50 Years of Suppression(AdventuresUnlimitedPress,1994).

159.Farrell,JosephP.RoswellandtheReich,p.352.

160.Farrell,JosephP.RoswellandtheReich,p.355.

161.SeeFarrell’sengagingdiscussionofthismemoinRoswellandtheReich,pp.374-403.

162. Summerhayes, Colin and Beeching, Peter. “Hitler's Antarctic Base: TheMyth and theReality.” Polar Record, V. 43, Issue 01, pp. 1-21, January 2007. Abstract available atwww.journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=64811

163. "A bordo del Monte Olimpo en Alta Mar," El Mercurio (Santiago). March 5, 1947.Englishtranslation.

164.AlthoughIcoinedthephrase“breakawaycivilization”withaspecificmeaninginmindinUFOsandtheNationalSecurityState:TheCover-UpExposed,1973-1991,thephrasehasbeenadoptedandusedbyotherresearchers todescribeawiderangeofcovertpossibilities.Onething isevident: theconcept resonateswithmany,and iscertainlyworthyofmore researchandinvestigation.

165.Bernstein,Carl. “TheCIAand theMedia:HowAmerica’sMostPowerfulNewsMediaWorkedHandinGlovewiththeCentralIntelligenceAgencyandWhytheChurchCommitteeCovered It Up.” Rolling Stone, October 20, 1977[www.carlbernstein.com/magazine_cia_and_media.php].

166.Wise,DavidandRoss,ThomasB.,TheInvisibleGovernment,RandomHouse,1964.

167.Sweetman,Bill. “InSearchof thePentagon’sBillionDollarHiddenBudgets:How theU.S.KeepsitsR&DSpendingUnderWraps.”Jane’sInternationalDefenceReview.January5,2000 [www.combatsim.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=53&t=001149].Also, Priest, Dana and Arkin, William. “Top Secret America: A Washington PostInvestigation,” Washington Post, July 19-21, 2010 [www.projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/].

168.In2013,theWashingtonPostreportedtheU.S.blackbudgettobe$52.6billion,basedinlargepartonrelevationsleakedbyEdwardSnowden.SeeGellman,BartonandMiller,Greg.”U.S. spy network’s successes, failures and objectives detailed in ‘black budget’ summary”Washington Post, Aug. 29, 2013. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/black-budget-summary-details-us-spy-networks-successes-failures-and-objectives/2013/08/29/7e57bb78-10ab-11e3-8cdd-bcdc09410972_story.html]

169. Almost as an aside, he indicated that the security measures for the clandestine UFOresearchprogramvastlyoutstrippedformalscientificR&D.

170.Perkins,John.ConfessionsofanEconomicHitman.IngramPubServices,2004.

171. Palast, Greg. “IMF’s Four Steps to Damnation.” The Observer. April 28, 2001.[http://www.theguardian.com/business/2001/apr/29/business.mbas]. Stiglitz, Joseph. “Thanksfor Nothing,” Atlantic Monthly, October 2001[http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/209/42948.html]

172. Fitts, Catherine Austin. “What’s Up With the Black Budget?” Sept. 23, 2003.[https://solari.com/blog/whats-up-with-the-black-budget/]. See also Fitts, Catherine Austin,“TheMyth of the Rule of Law. Or How theMoneyWorks: The Destruction of HamiltonSecurities Group.” Sanders Research Associates, Third Quarter Commentary, 2001.[http://solari.com/assets/PDFs/myth_of_the_rule_of_law.pdf].Fitts,CatherineAustin.“Dillon,Read&Co.Inc.&theAristocracyofStockProfits.”[www.Dunwalke.com]

173. “Delphos, Kansas Landing Ring,” [www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case192.htm]. “1971,“TheDelphosKansasUFOLandingRing,”[www.ufocasebook.com/Kansas.html].

174. “The 1973 Pascagoula, Mississippi Abduction (Hickson/Parker)”

[www.ufocasebook.com/Pascagoula.html]. “TheAir Force and Pascagoula: A Transcript ofthe Hickson-Parker Interrogation,” MUFON UFO Journal, May-June 1984[www.theblackvault.com/encyclopedia/documents/MUFON/Journals/1984/May_June_1984.pdf].

175. “Coyne Helicopter Incident” [www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case104.htm]. “CoyneHelicopter/UFO Incident” [www.ufocasebook.com/coyne.html]. “TheCoyneUFO incident -Mansfield,Ohio1973”atYouTube[www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uxF9tRPIhM].

176. The following cases, and many more, are described in “Department of DefenseIntelligenceInformationReport”insixpages,UnitedStatesDefenseAttacheOffice,Madrid,Spain,1974.

177. The declassified documents on these events are available atmanywebsites, includingwww.cufon.org/cufon/foia_002.htm, but a very good book on the subject remains Fawcett,Lawrence and Greenwood, Barry, The UFO Cover-Up: What the Government Won’t Say(FormerlytitledClearIntent),ForewordbyJ.AllenHynek.(PrentissHallPress,1984).

178.Foramoredetaileddescriptionandanalysisofthe1975incursions,seeDolan,RichardM.,UFOsandtheNationalSecurityState:TheCover-UpExposed,1973-1991,p.87-100.

179. Benitez, J. J., OVNIS: Documentos Oficiales del Gobierno Español/UFOs: OfficialDocuments of the SpanishGovernment (Plaza& Janes, 1977). See also “1976: TheCanaryIslandAlienSphere”[www.ufocasebook.com/CanaryIsland.html].

180.Averyfinedescriptionof theeventandgoodstartingpoint for further research is theWikipediapageatwww.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Tehran_UFO_incident.Apdfcopyoftheoriginal report can be read athttp://foia.abovetopsecret.com/ultimate_UFO/UFO_GOVT/UFO_Cases/Sept1976iranufo.pdf

181.Chiummiento,Antonio,“UFOAlertataNATOBaseinItaly,”FlyingSaucerReview (V.30. No. 2 1984) (translated into English by Gordon Creighton). Available to read athttp://www.ignaciodarnaude.com/avistamientos_ovnis/Chiumiento,AFO%20Alert%201977,NATO%20Base,Italy,FSR84V30N2.pdf.See also “Aviano AFB, Italy, July 1st, 1977”[www.ufologie.patrickgross.org/htm/aviano77.htm].

182.Pratt,Bob.UFODangerZone:Terror andDeath InBrazil.WhereNext? Foreword byJacquesValee.(HorusHouse,1996).

183. Rosales, Albert. “1978 Humanoid Sighting Reports”[www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid-1978.pdf].

184.Stringfield,LeonardandHall,Richard,“Dix-McGuireUpdate,”MUFONUFOJournal,6/87;Hall,Richard,TheUFOEvidence,Volume2, p. 22, 97-98. Filer ’s interview inGreer,

Steven,Disclosure,p.284-288.“AlienBeingShotDeadbyMPs,January18,1978(Ft.Dix&McGuire)”[www.ufocasebook.com/ftdix.html].

185.Agoodsummaryofthecase,anacopyofthetranscriptofValentich’sconversationwithground control, is in “Australian Pilot Frederick Valentich Disappears”[www.ufocasebook.com/australianpilot.html].

186. Stevens, Wendelle and Dong, Paul,UFOs Over Modern China, UFO Photo Archives1983,p.119-120;Good,Timothy,AboveTopSecret:TheWorldwideUFOCover-Up,213-214.

187.U.S.DepartmentofStateTelegram,January29,1979,“‘UFO’SightingsCauseSecurityConcerninKuwait,”FromAmericanEmbassyKuwaittoSecretaryofState,Washington,DC;KuwaitTimes,Nov.16,18, 1978;ArabTimes,Nov. 23, 25, 1978; “UFOs inArabNations,”MUFONUFOJournal, Jan-Feb1979;“UFOsOverKuwait,”TheAPROBulletin, Jan. 1979;Fawcett,LawrenceandGreenwood,Barry,ClearIntent,90-91.

188.Huneeus, J.Antonio, “AChileanOverview,”MUFONUFOJournal, 6/86;Huneeus, J.Antonio, “A Historical Survey of UFO Cases in Chile,” MUFON 1987 InternationalSymposiumProceedings(MUFON,1987).

189.Hooper,Terry, “UFO InterceptionsAttempted,”FlyingSaucerReview, v26, n4, 11/80;Gribble,Bob,“LookingBack,”MUFONUFOJournal,5/90.

190.DepartmentofDefense JointChiefsofStaffMessageCenter, June3,1980.Title:UFOSightedinPeru.AntonioHuneeusrelatedthedetailsofhis interviewwiththePeruvianbasecommandertotheauthorinApril2008.

191.Theliteratureonthiscaseisenormous.ThemajorbooksareButler,Brenda;Street,Dot;andRandles,Jenny,SkyCrash:ACosmicConspiracy,Grafton,1986;Pope,Nick,OpenSkies,Closed Minds, Pocket Books, 1997; Redfern, Nicholas, A Covert Agenda: The BritishGovernment’s UFO Top Secrets Exposed, Simon & Schuster, 1997; Warren, Larry andRobbins, Peter, Left At East Gate: A First-Hand Account of the Rendlesham Forest UFOIncident,ItsCover-up,andInvestigation,Marlowe&Company,1997;Randles,Jenny,UFO:CrashLanding?FriendorFoe?TheTrueStory of theRendleshamForestCloseEncounter,Blandford Book, 1998; and Bruni, Georgina, You Can’t Tell the People: The DefinitiveAccountoftheRendleshamForestUFOMystery,Sidgwick&Jackson,Ltd,2000.Amongthemanyhelpfulwebsites, twoareespeciallynoteworthy:“TheRendleshamForest Incident”atwww.ufoevidence.org; “The Rendlesham Forest Incident” [www.rendlesham-incident.co.uk/rendlesham.php].PrimarydocumentsassociatedwiththecaseincludeHalt,Lt.Col. Charles I., USAF, Memorandum to Ministry of Defence, “SUBJECT: UnexplainedLights,”January13,1981;andBritishMinistryofDefence fileson theRendleshamIncident[http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121026065214/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/PublicationScheme/SearchPublicationScheme/UnidentifiedFlyingObjectsufoRendleshamForestIncident1980.htm].

192. Lt. Col. Charles Halt Rendlesham Audio Tape Dec 1980” at YouTube

[www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eCmcmefTbM].

193.Schuessler, John, “Cash-LandrumCase, Investigation ofHelicopterActivity,”MUFONUFOJournal,9/83;Baker,Dave,“MUFON’sSchuesslerLookstotheFuture,”MUFONUFOJournal, 1/00; Fawcett, Lawrence & Greenwood, Barry, Clear Intent, p. 106-108; Hall,Richard,UFOEvidence,Volume2,p.26,226-229;Stancill,Nancy,“WomenSeekDamagesinUFOSighting,”HoustonChronicle,1/21/84.

194. Velasco, Jean-Jacques, “Report on the Analysis of Anomalous Physical Traces: theTrans-En-Provence 1981 UFO case,” Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 4, Number 1,1990; Vallee, Jacques, “Return to Trans-en-Provence,” by Jacques F. Vallee, Journal ofScientific Exploration, Vol. 4,Number 1, 1990; Berliner,Don,UFOBriefingDocument, p.112-120.

195.Haines,RichardF.,“AnalysisofaUFOPhotograph,”JournalofScientificExploration,(Vol.1,No.2)[www.scientificexploration.org/jse/abstracts/v1n2a3.html].

196.Marler,DavidB.TriangularUFOs:AnEstimateof theSituation,RichardDolanPress,2013.[www.richarddolanpress.com]

197.ThebestbookonthissubjectremainsImbrogno,PhilipJ.Pratt,Bob,andHynek,Dr.J.Allen.NightSiege:TheHudsonValleyUFOSightings.SecondEditionExpanded&Revised.LlewellynPublishing,1998.

198.Regehr,RonaldS.,HowtoBuilda$125MillionUFODetector.SelfPublishedbyRonaldS.Regehr,1998.p.27-28,84.

199. Evans, Hilary, “Northern Lights,” MUFON UFO Journal, 7/83; Stacy, Dennis,“Hessdalen:AnIntroduction,”MUFONUFOJournal,1/88;Havik,Leif,“ProjectHessdalen,”MUFONUFOJournal,1/88.Forup-to-date informationon theHessdalenphenomenon,seetheProjectHessdalenwebsiteatwww.hessdalen.org.

200.DepartmentofDefenseJCSMessageCenter,Subject:B6/BAFHasaCloseEncounteroftheFirstKind.Date:20May86.Subject:NumerousUnidentifiedObjectsWereCited in theSkiesoverBrazil.ButBAFFightersWereUnabletoInterceptThem.Berliner,Don,TheUFOBriefingDocument, p. 121-127.Huneeus, J.Antonio, “UFOAlert inBrazil,”MUFONUFOJournal, 11/86.Andrus,Walt, “UFOsOverBrazil,”MUFONUFOJournal, 9/86. Smith,Dr.Willy,“TheBrazilianIncident,”InternationalUFOReporter,7-8/86.Smith,Dr.Willy,“MoreonBrazilianOVNIs,”MUFONUFOJournal,9/86.

201. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), “Chronological Summary of the AllegedAircraft Sightings by Japan Airlines Flight 1628,” January 6, 1987. Andrus, Walter H.,“StrangeAlaskanEncounter,”MUFONUFOJournal,February1987.Maccabee,Bruce,“TheFantastic Flight of JAL 1628,” International UFO Reporter, March-April 1987.

“Extraterrestrial Object Involved in Japan Air Lines Pilot’s UFO Sighting, According toLeading UFO Investigator,” Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of theParanormal, January 22, 1987. “FAAReleasesDocuments onReportedUFOSighting LastNovember,” by Paul Steucke, Office of Public Affairs, Alaskan Region, Federal AviationAdministration(FAA),U.S.DepartmentofTransport,March5,1987.Klass,PhilipJ.,“FAADataShedsNewLighton JALPilot’sUFOReport,”TheSkeptical Inquirer, Summer, 1987.Greer, Steven,Disclosure, p. 79-93. Filer’s Files, 6/19/02. For more resources, see “JALFlight1628OverAlaska”[www.ufoevidence.org/topics/jalalaska.htm].

202. U.S. Defense Department Information Report, August 20, 1987. From JCS; To AIG;SubjectUnidentifiedFlyingObject;ItemNumber00427453.

203.ThisscenarioisanalyzedingreaterdetailinDolan,RichardM.UFOsandtheNationalSecurityState:TheCover-UpExposed,1973-1991,pp.513-516.

204. Walters, Ed and Frances, The Gulf Breeze Sightings, The Most Astounding MultipleSightings ofUFOs inU.S.History,WilliamMorrow, 1990.Booth,B.J., “TheGulfBreeze,Florida, UFOs” [www.ufocasebook.com/gulfbreeze.html] and[www.ufos.about.com/od/visualproofphotosvideo/p/gulfbreeze.htm]. Maccabee, Bruce, “TheScaleRemainsUnbalanced,”MUFONUFOJournal,4/89.

205. Powell, Martin. “The Nellis UFO Video” [www.aenigmatis.com/nellis-ufo-video/part-one/nellis-1.htm].

206.Huneeus,Antonio,ForeignNewsTribune,NewYork,NY,June14,1990.Stonehill,Paul&Mantle,Philip,TheSovietUFOFiles,p.92-95;Vallee,Jacques,SovietUFOs,p.103,128.Seealsowww.ufoarea.bravepages.com/crashes_1986_siberia.html.

207. KGB file “Communications on Observation of Anomalous Event in the District ofKasputinYar(July28,1989);EnglishtranslationbyDimitriOssipov;citedinBerliner,Don,UFOBriefingDocument,1995,p.134.

208. “Aliens Visit Voronezh,”Moscow News (Tass), Oct. 11, 1989. Vallee, Jacques, UFOChroniclesoftheSovietUnion,p.40-61.Stonehill,Paul&Mantle,Philip,SovietUFOFiles,p.98-99. “Soviets’ close encounter leaves experts skeptical,” Republican, Waterbury, CT,10/10/89. Jacobson, David, “Space aliens look foreign to skeptics,” Hartford Courant,10/11/89.“Athoughtprovokingconversationwithalienbeingsdescribed,”Reuters,10/13/89.Mott, Patrick, “GalacticGlasnost,”LosAngelesTimes, 10/26/89.Mitchell, Alison, “Bizarretales: glasnost or psychosis?” Newsday, 10/29/89. Shiflett, Dave, “Invasion of the Mind-Snatchers,WallStreetJournal,10/30/89.

209.CIA Foreign PressReport: Concatenated PRODReports, 1988-1994;Headline:USSR:UFO Sightings No. 2 – General Maltsev Comments. Report Number: FB PN 90-123. CIAdocument collection. Subject:UFOs reported nearMoscow,April 15, 1990. “UFOs onAir

Defense Radars,” Rabochaya Tribuna, Moscow, 4/19/90; English translation by the U.S.Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS). See also “Soviet Air Defenses Baffled byHugeUFOs,”MUFONUFOJournal, 6/90.Musinsky,V.D.,“Through theSecrecyBarrier,”International UFO Reporter, July/August 1990. Ilyin, Vadim K., “KGB’s ‘Blue Folder ’RevealsShootings,Landings inUSSR” [www.mufon.com/znews_kgb.html].Vallee, Jacques,UFOChroniclesoftheSovietUnion,p.139.Berliner,Don,UFOBriefingDocument,p.138.Stonehill,PaulandMantle,Philip,TheSovietUFOFiles,p.50-51.

210.Memo, “SUBJ; IIR6 807 0136 90Belgium and theUFO Issue,” Joint Chiefs of Staff,Washington, DC, 1990. For good summaries of the Belgian Triangle case, see Pratt, Bob,“TheBelgiumUFOFlap,”MUFONUFOJournal, 7/90. “Remarkablemilitary encounter inBelgium,”InternationalUFOReporter,July/August1990.deBrosses,Marie-Therese,“F-16RadarTracksUFO”translatedbyRobertDurant,MUFONUFOJournal,8/90.Berliner,Don,UFO Briefing Document, p. 139-144. Lambrechts, Major P., “Report Concerning theObservationofUFOsDuringtheNightofMarch30-31,1990,”preliminaryreportdatedMay31,1990.DeBrouwer,W.,Preface,Vagued'OVNIsurlaBelgique-UnDossierExceptionnel,Brussels:SOBEPS,1991.

211.TheNationalUFOReportingCenter [www.nuforc.com] and theMutualUFONetwork[www.mufon.com].

212.ThisismyownexperiencebasedonhundredsofUFOwitnessinterviews,andseemstobeconsistentwithotherresearcherswhohavepublishedorotherwisesharedtheirresearchinthisareawithme.

213.About1/1000thofthatnumber.Thereareover25,000commercialandmilitaryflightsintheskiesabovetheUSAeachday.Seewww.flightaware.com.

214.Maussan,Jaime,Elders,Britt,Elders,Lee.MastersoftheStars(Video),1994.

215.YouTubevideoatwww.youtube.com/watch?v=FRDoZHr4GLk.

216. “Valley, Alabama, USA, UFO Photograph Taken, 1996” atwww.ufocasebook.com/valleyalabama1996.html.

217. “October 27, 1996: Erpatak, Szabolcs-Szatmar, Hungary”[www.ufoevidence.org/photographs/section/topphotos/photo315.htm.

218.SeethevideoandanalysisatYouTubewww.youtube.com/watch?v=WQRMFQ80Y9g.

219. A very good discussion of this can be found on the website Above Top Secret[www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread756602/pg1]. For a discussion on the cameracapabilitiesofthissatellite,seehttps://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/RemSens597K/V.

220. Nickel, Joe, “Flying Saucer ‘Dogfight’” [www.hope144.com/flying-saucer-dogfight/].See also Rutherford, Glenn O. “Kentucky Chopper Case,” MUFON UFO Journal 6/93[www.slideshare.net/mufonnexus/mufon-ufo-journal-1993-6-june].

221. A good discussion of this is available on the website Above Top Secret[www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread334493/pg1].

222. Oberg, James, “STS-75 Shuttle 'Tether' Video Analysis”[www.rense.com/general/stsd.htm].

223. Sharon Rowland’s UFO video can be seen at YouTube [www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvl8wF9vpcI].

224. A mirror of Jeff Challender ’s website is available atwww.rdolan.hostcentric.com/projectprove/index-2.html.

225. Filer,George. “UK'sCivilianAviation FilesDocument 30UFO-JetlinerNearMisses”[www.rense.com/general11/UKs.htm].

226.ibid.

227. “Air France Flight 3532 sighting of brown-red disk-shaped object”[www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case1062.htm].

228. “UFO / Airplane Near Miss, Manchester Airport, UK 1995”[www.ufocasebook.com/manchester1995.html].

229. “America West Airlines Flight 564 UFO Case”[www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case225.htm].

230.“WinglessObjectNearNorwegianAirplane”[www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case54.htm].

231.Atranscriptandaudiorecordingofthepilotscommunicationwithairtrafficcontrolisavailable at www.aliensthetruth.com/UFO_sightings_famous.php?view=1&ID=31. See alsoNationalUFOReportingCenterreport[www.nuforc.org/webreports/015/S15014.html].

232. “1997, Swissair Jet Has Near Miss with UFO”[www.ufocasebook.com/swissair1997.html].

233. “February 3, 1999, Jet Crew Tell Of Close Encounter With UFO”[www.ufocasebook.com/1999jetcrewencounter.html].

234. “Passenger on Airliner Sees UFO over New Jersey” [http://ufos.about.com/od/ufossept2011/a/passengersightinglaguardia.htm].

235. “California Airline Pilot Reports UFO”[www.ufos.about.com/od/classicufocases/a/california110304.htm].

236.AdditionalDNA testsmight show the paternal lineage aswell, but thiswould be veryexpensiveandhasnotbeendoneinthiscase.

237.Chalker,Bill.Hairof theAlien:DNAandOtherForensicEvidenceofAlienAbductions(Gallery Books, 2005). Also Chalker, Bill “1988, DNA Sample From Khoury AbductionRaises Big Questions,” International UFO Reporter Spring, 1999[www.ufocasebook.com/khouryabduction.html]. See video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YL11D935Nw.

238.Booth,B. J. “TheKellyCahillEncounter” [www.ufocasebook.com/Cahill.html]. Cahill,Kelly, Encounter (HarperCollins, 1997). See “Kelly Cahill Encounter” on YouTube atwww.youtube.com/watch?v=UeBIqChvNXw.

239. “Zimbabwe - UFO - 62 School Children” at YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgZE8s0hBRQ.

240. Lawhon, Loy. “The Zimbabwe School Close Encounter”[www.ufoevidence.org/Cases/CaseSubarticle.asp?ID=130].

241. Pratt, Bob, and Luce, Cynthia, “The Varginha ETs”[www.mufon.com/bob_pratt/varginha.html. Westman, Jorgen, “The Varginha Case”[www.ufo.se/ufofiles/english/issue_3/varginha.htm].

242. A detailed summary of the case is available at the National UFO Reporting Center[www.nuforc.org/CB990225.html].Seealso“Disc-shapedobject:Elkabduction:WashingtonState,02-25-1999”[www.ufocasebook.com/elkabduction.html].

243. Jasek,Martin. “22+WitnessesObserve aUFOLarger than a Football StadiumYukonTerritory,Canada”[www.ufobc.ca/yukon/22index.htm].

244. A good discussion of this case is available at Above Top Secret, “Yukon UFO"Mothership" Incident: December 11th, 1996”[www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread487438/pg1&mem=]. See also Sheaffer, Robert,“‘Top Ten’ UFO Case - Yukon, Canada, 1996 - BUSTED!”[www.badufos.blogspot.com/2012/04/top-ten-ufo-case-yukon-canada-1996.html].

245. Kitei, Lynne D. The Phoenix Lights: A Skeptics Discovery that We Are Not Alone

(HamptonRoads,2010);andKitei,Lynne,D.ThePhoenixLights:WeAreNotAlone [DVD].SeealsothePhoenixLightsNetworkwebsite[www.thephoenixlights.net].

246.ScottCraven.“Intriguepersistsoverlightsinsky-Forfirsttime,militarypilottellsofdroppingflares;otherssay'PhoenixLights'wereUFOs.”TheArizonaRepublic,Feb.25,2007[www.ufocasebook.com/intriguepersists.html].

247.JimDilletoso,emailcorrespondencewiththeauthor,March15,2013.

248.“FormerArizonaGovernorComesForwardAboutUFOSightingFrom10YearsAgo”FoxNews, March 24, 2007 [www.foxnews.com/story/2007/03/24/former-arizona-governor-comes-forward-about-ufo-sighting-from-10-years-ago/].

249.Wrenn,Eddie.“ThefutureofAirTravel:NASAandBoeingtestradicaltriangularplane(just don't expect a window seat)” Daily Mail, 8 August 2012[www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2185304/NASA-Boeing-successfully-test-triangle-airplane.html].

250. Gray, Simon, “The North Sea Aurora sighting”[www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread60770/pg#pid632163] and[www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2868.0]

251. See theWikipedia page for the “TR-3 BlackManta” [www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-3_Black_Manta].

252.ValTenuta,Gary. “Close-upSightingOfABlackTriangleUFO, “September3, 2004[www.rense.com/general57/blactri.htm].

253. “Large triangular-shaped object with lights observed in Paris, France”[www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case1124.htm].

254.Marler,DavidB.TriangularUFOs:AnEstimateof theSituation.RichardDolanPress,2013.Seealso“IllinoisUFOSighting”[www.ufoevidence.org/topics/illinoissighting.htm].

255. Houston, BC Resident Brian Vike recorded many of these events. His blogsite iswww.hbccufo.blogspot.com.

256.ManyofthesestorieswerereportedintheUFOnewsservice,UFORoundup,managedby Joseph Trainor from 1996 to 2005. The full archives of the site can be accessed atwww.ufoinfo.com/roundup/.

257.Vogel,Steve."F-16spursueunknowncraftoverregion,”WashingtonPost,July27,2002.

258. “2002-Las Cruces, New Mexico, Triangle UFO”[www.ufos.about.com/od/thetriangleufos/ig/trianglegallery/lascrucesnm100502.htm].

259.Gordon,Stan.“Tyrone,PA-UFOEmitsBeamOfLight-IsPhotographedInFlight,10-20-02”[www.ufocasebook.com/tyronepa2002.html].

260.“TheAlbanyInternationalAirportUFOvideo”[www.ufocasebook.com/albany.html].Seealso Maccabee, Bruce, “Preliminary Analysis of the Albany TV Object”[www.brumac.8k.com/AlbanyTVObject/AlbTVObjectPrelim.html].

261. See article (untitled)[www.ufowisconsin.com/outofstate/r2003_1116_leyland_lancashire_uk.html ]. Unfortunately,theYouTubevideoappearstohavebecomeunavailable.

262. “UFO Caught by Oz City Worker ’s Digital Camera”[www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case236.htm].

263. Booth, Billy. “2004: The Mexican Military Video”[www.ufos.about.com/od/visualproofphotosvideo/p/mexicanvideo.htm].

264.Hilkevitch,Jon.“IntheSky!ABird?APlane?AUFO!”ChicagoTribune,January1,2007[www.web.archive.org/web/20071117073414/www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/columnists/chi-0701010141jan01,0,5874175.column?page=1&coll=chi-newsnationworldiraq-hed].

265. Report of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon and its Safety Implications at O'HareInternational Airport on November 7, 2006. Case 18. By Richard F. Haines, Ph.D. SeniorEditorChiefScientistwithK.Efishoff,D.Ledger,L.Lemke,S.Maranto,W.Puckett,T.Roe,M. Shough, R. Uriarte. March 9, 2007. Report can be read in full atwww.narcap.org/reports/TR10_Case_18a.pdf. Summary available atwww.ufocasebook.com/narcapohare.html.

266. A good site containing many of the original news articles on the event iswww.stephenvillelights.com.

267. “Special Research Report: Stephenville, Texas,” Mutual UFO Network (MUFON)[www.ufocasebook.com/pdf/mufonstephenvilleradarreport.pdf].

268.See“TurkeyUFOIncident”[www.turkeyufocase.blogspot.com].

269. Indeed, telepathic communication is reported so consistently, that if self-proclaimedabducteesreportseeinganalien’slipsmovingandhearingaspokenvoice,theyareusuallyseenaslesscredible.

270. Melanson, Terry, “Antonio Villas Boas: Abduction Episode Ground Zero”[www.conspiracyarchive.com/UFOs/boas-abduction.htm]. Watson, Nigel, “Alien Sex 101”Fortean Times, March 23, 1999 [www.ufocasebook.com/aliensex101.html]. For a skepticalaccount, see Rogerson, Peter, “Notes Towards a Revisionist History of Abductions, PartOne,”Magonia2/6/1993.http://magonia.haaan.com/1993/notes-towards-a-revisionist-history-of-abductions-part-one/

271. Forty minutes of audio is available YouTube [www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNGOaSGVwDg].Forextensivetranscripts,seeFuller,JohnG.TheInterruptedJourney:TwoLostHoursAboardaFlyingSaucer,Dial,1966.

272.“PoliceOfficerHerbertSchirmerAbduction”[www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case659.htm].“1967: The Abduction of Patrolman Herb Schirmer”[www.ufocasebook.com/herbertschirmer.html].

273. Lorenzen, Coral and Jim, Abducted! Confrontations with Beings from Outer Space(Berkley Medallion Books, 1977), p. 38-51. Booth, Billy, “1975: Abduction of SergeantMoody”[www.ufos.about.com/od/aliensalienabduction/p/moody.htm].

274.Afterthebookandmovieofthatname.

275.Personalconversationwiththeauthor,October2012.

276.Walton,Travis,Fire in theSky:TheWaltonExperience,Marlowe andCompany, 1996.On the Internet, the reader is directed to the balanced description in Wikipedia, atwww.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_Walton.

277.Blueuniformsseemtobearecurringobservationamongabductees.

278.Jacobs,David.SecretLife:Firsthand,DocumentedAccountsofUfoAbductions, SimonandSchuster,1993.

279. Kirkus Reviews [www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Firsthand-Documented-Abductions/dp/product-description/0671797204].

280.Jacobs,David.TheThreat:RevealingtheSecretAlienAgenda,Simon&Schuster,1999.

281. Hopkins, Budd and Rainey. Carol. Sight Unseen: Science, UFO Invisibility, andTransgenicBeings,AtriaBooks,2003.

282.See“PressConference -NationalPressClub -X-Conference2009 -WashingtonDC-Part 2 of 2 (Full HD),” Exopolitics Denmark, beginning at 18:45 minutes[www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfrvzXlK92U].

283.It isworthmentioning,however, that thereisnoreasononecannothavehigh-poweredtransmissionsat14.75MHz,asidefromFCCregulationsandinternationaltreaties.

284.Mack,John,E.,M.D.Abduction:HumanEncounterswithAliens,Scribner,1994.

285.BarneyHillhadreportedthissametypeofprocedureyearsbefore.

286.Exceptperhapswith the caveat that theosophyandNewAgebeliefs (in theory)donotrequireapriestorauthorityfiguretoleadtheflock.Inpractice,thattraditionisrepletewithself-styledguruswhoareall-too-contenttoleadtheirfollowerstoAscension.

287.Leslie,Desmond;Adamski,George.FlyingSaucersHaveLanded,BritishBookCentre,1953.

288.ForagoodcriticalanalysisofAdamski,seeHallet,Marc,“WhyIcansaythatAdamskiwasaLiar”[www.marc-hallet.be/Adamski.htm].

289. Debitonto, George. Angels in Starships[www.galactic.no/rune/Angels%20in%20spaceships.htm].

290. Gourley, Jay, “The Day the Navy Established ‘Contact’,” Second Look, May 1979[www.presidentialufo.com/old_site/affa_cia.htm]. Clark, Jerome, Extraordinary Encounters:An Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials and Otherworldly Beings, ABC-Clio, 2000, p. 12-13.Cameron, Grant, “Eisenhower and his alien contacts, part 2”[www.presidentialufo.com/dwight-d-eisenhower/473-eisenhower-and-his-alien-contacts-part-2#_edn3].

291.Fawcett&Greenwood,ClearIntent,p.207.Hall,Richard,“NICAP:TheBitterTruth,”MUFONUFOJournal,3/80.

292. Larsen, Sherman J., “Documentation: Evidence of Government Concern,” Sherman J.Larsen andBill Laub, Co-Investigators.1971MidwestUFOConference, June 12, 1971, St.Louis, Missouri, Holiday Inn-North. “News ‘n’ Views,” MUFON UFO Journal, 7/86.Stringfield,LeonardH.SituationRed:TheUFOSiege!,Doubleday,1977.

293.Lorenzen,Coral.“Hynek:UFOMovementBasicallyAmateurs,”APROBulletin,Vol.33,No.2,Jan.1986.

294.Zechel,Todd,“NI-CIA-APORNICAP?”,MUFONUFOJournal,1-2/79.Good,Timothy,AboveTopSecret:TheWorldwideUFOCover-up,p,348.

295.Itmaymeannothingorsomethingthat,afterNICAPwasrunintothegroundbyitsCIA-

connectedleadership,itsfilesallwenttoCUFOSthroughtheeffortsofShermanLarsen.

296.AgoodoverviewofthisisinSaunders,FrancesStonor,TheCulturalColdWar:TheCIAandtheWorldofArtsandLetters,TheNewPress,2001.

297.Vallee, JacquesF. “FiveArgumentsAgainst theExtraterrestrialOriginofUnidentifiedFlyingObjects,”JournalofScientificExploration,V.4,N.1,1990.

298. Keel, John A., Operation Trojan Horse: The Classic Breakthrough Study of UFOs,AnomalistBooks,2013.OriginallyPublishedasOperationTrojanHorse(1970).

299.AnexcellentanalysisofCooper ’sdeceptiononthismatter,andwhichincludesEcker ’squote on Cooper, is “Bill Cooper Debunked: The William Greer JFK Hoax”[www.youtube.com/watch?v=bExUM0kGIa8]. For a longer analysis of Cooper, see Dolan,RichardM.,UFOsandtheNationalSecurityState:TheCover-UpExposed,1973-1991,p.443-447,450-454.

300. See, Cooper, Milton William, “The Secret Government: The Origin, Identity, andPurpose ofMJ-12,” (May 23, 1989), which is available atmany sites on the web. A goodanalysis of some of Cooper ’s mistakes, particularly regarding the Jason Group, is inCameron,GrantandCrain,ScottT.,UFOs,Area51,andGovernmentInformants:AReportonGovernmentInvolvementinUFOCrashRetrievals,KeyholePublishingCo.,2013.

301.“ALetterfromaNorwegianPolitician,”[http://projectcamelot.org/norway.html]

302. National UFO Reporting Center, Report Index by Month[www.nuforc.org/webreports/ndxevent.html].

303.“ProjectBlueBeam”[www.rationalwiki.org/wiki/Project_Blue_Beam].

304. Contact: The Phoenix Project, V. 5. N. 12, June 14, 1994.[www.phoenixarchives.com/contact/1994/0694/061494.pdf]

305.Fora listof failedapocalypticpredictions,see“Listofdatespredictedforapocalypticevents,” From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events]

306.Comment from “Oana,” atwww.nibiruchallenge.blogspot.com/2009/05/word-on-david-wilcocks-2012-enigma-or.html.

307.Agoodstartingpoint is theworkofElizabethLoftus,Ph.D., throughnumerousbooksand published papers, for example, “Make-Believe Memories,” American Psychologist,November 2003

[www.homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Class/Psy394U/Bower/07%20False%20Memories/Loftus%20Make-believe.pdf].Seealsowww.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Loftus.

308.Ofthemanybooksonthissubject,agoodstartingpointisMarks,John,TheSearchfortheManchurianCandidate:TheCIAandMindControl,CrownPublishingGroup,1979.

309.Strieber,Whitley,TheCommunionLetters.AnneStrieber,Editor.HarperPrism,1997.

310. Littrell, Helen.Raechel's Eyes: The Strange but True Case of a Human-Alien Hybrid.GranitePublishing,2006.

311.Howe,LindaMoulton.Glimpses ofOtherRealities.Volume I:Facts andEyewitnesses.LMHProductions,1994.

312.AlthoughaninterestingalternativeviewwasexpressedbythelateMacTonnies,inTheCryptoterrestrials: A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us,Anomalist Books, 2010. He suggested that the recollection of humanoid, insectoid, andreptoidbeingshasmoretodowithhumanmemoryconstructingsuchcreaturesbecausethesearewhatwearefamiliarwith.

313.Sauder,Richard,Ph.D.,HiddeninPlainSight:BeyondtheX-Files.ForewordbyRichardM.Dolan.KeyholePublishing,2010.

314.Sanderson, IvanT. InvisibleResidents:ADisquisitionuponCertainMattersMaritime,andthePossibilityofIntelligentLifeundertheWatersofThisEarth.TheWorldPublishingCompany,1970.SeealsoFeindt,CarlW.UFOsandWater:PhysicalEffectsofUFOsonWaterThroughAccountsbyEyewitnesses.XlibrisCorporation,2010.

315. Hopkins, Budd and Rainey, Carol. Sight Unseen: Science, UFO Invisibility, andTransgenicBeings.AtriaBooks,2003.

316.Swann, Ingo.Penetration:TheQuestionofExtraterrestrialandHumanTelepathy. IngoSwannBooks,1998.

317.A documentary on the FriendshipCase is available onYouTube. See “TheFriendshipCase-AlienUFODocumentary”[www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD1EufflceA].

318. “Count of St. Germain,” in Wikipedia, the Free Encylopedia[www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of_St._Germain]

319. “The Most Holy Trinosophia,” From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Most_Holy_Trinosophia].

320.ComtedeSt.Germain,“TheMostHolyTrinosophia.”AdaptedfromManlyP.Hall,TheMostHolyTrinosophiaof theComtedeSt.Germain. PhilosophicalResearchSociety, 1963.[www.rexresearch.com/germain/germain.htm]

321.SeetheveryinterestinganalysisoftheVoltaire-St.GermainconnectionbyDougWebber,“UFO Secret: The Friendship Case, Voltaire, and Germain” at www.dream-prophecy.blogspot.com/2013/06/ufo-secret-friendship-case-and-count-of.html.

322.Fowler,RaymondE.TheAndreassonAffair:TheDocumentedInvestigationofaWoman'sAbductionAboardaUFO.IntroductionbyJ.AllenHynek.PrenticeHall,1979.

323.Thereisahugeliteratureonremoteviewing.ThereaderisencouragedtoreadMarrs,Jim, Psi Spies, Alienzoo, 2000; Schnabel, Jim, Remote Viewers: The Secret History ofAmerica’s Psychic Spies, Dell, 1997; Targ, Russell and Puthoff, Harold E.,Mind-Reach:ScientistsLookatPsychicAbilities,HamptonRoads,2005;McMoneagle,Joseph,MindTrek:ExploringConsciousness,Time,andSpaceThroughRemoteViewing,HamptonRoads,1997.

324.Partridge,Christopher(Ed.),UFOReligions,Routledge,2003.Tuella/AshtarCommand,Project World Evacuation,Guardian Action International, 1982. See the Ashtar Commandwebsiteatwww.ashtarcommand.org.

325.Marciniak,Barbara.Bringersof theDawn:Teachings fromthePleiadians.Bear&Co.,1992.

326. A detailed analysis of the foregoing is: Hudson, Bill, “New Age Ascension”[www.2012hoax.wikidot.com/oldstart].

327. As an aside, it’s interesting to note that some of them report experiencing unusualphenomena and general strangeness when they are creating their circles. Perhaps there’ssomethingelsegoingonthere.

328. See Talbott, Nancy. “Plant Abnormalities.” BLT Research[www.bltresearch.com/plantab.php].

329.Hill,PaulR.UnconventionalFlyingObjects:AScientificAnalysis.HamptonRoads,1995.

330.Markowitz,W."ThePhysicsandMetaphysicsofUnidentifiedFlyingObjects",Science,Vol.157,1967.

331. Puthoff, Harold E., Ph.D. “Review of Unconventional Flying Objects, by Paul Hill.”Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol 10, No.4, 1996. For a more recent analysis on theproblem of space travel, see Puthoff, Harold E. “Advanced Space Propulsion Based OnVacuum(SpacetimeMetric)Engineering,”JBIS,Vol.63,Pp.82-89,2010.

332.TheWikipediaentryonelectrograviticsquotesanunnamedsourcethat“noconclusiveevidence of electrogravitic signatures has been found.” Unfortunately, the statement is notlinkedtothesourceandcouldnotbefoundafterathoroughsearchbytheauthor.

333. “The Missing Papers,” Tesla:Master of Lightning, Video Documentary. New VoyageCommunications/PBS,2004.[www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_mispapers.html]

334.Tesla,Nikola.“Man'sGreatestAchievement”NewYorkAmerican,July6,1930.

335. Swartz, Tim. The Lost Journals of Nikola Tesla. Global Communications, 2000.[www.bibliotecapleyades.net/tesla/lostjournals/lostjournals06.htm].

336.“TowardsFlight-WithoutStressorStrainorWeight,“Interavia,March23,1956[Noauthorattribution].

337.Talley,R.L, “TwentyFirstCenturyPropulsionConcept,”VeritayTechnology Inc,EastAmherstNY.PreparedforthePhillipsLaboratory,AirForceSystemsCommand,PropulsionDirectorate,EdwardsAFB.May1991.PL-TR-91-3009.

338. “Review of Experimental Concepts for Studying the Quantum Vacuum Field.” E. W.Davis,V.L.Teofilo,B.Haisch,H.E.Puthoff,L.J.Nickisch,A.Rueda,andD.C.Cole.SpaceTechnologyandApplicationsInternationalForum.STAIF2006.AmericanInstituteofPhysics.p.1390-1401.

339.“StatictestforagravitationalforcecoupledtotypeIIYBCOsuperconductors.”NingLi,DavidNoever,TonyRobertson,RonKoczor,WhittBrantley.PhysicaC:Superconductivity.V.281, Issues 2–3, 1 August 1997, p. 260–267.[www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921453497014627#]

340. Podkletnov, Evgeny. “Weak gravitation shielding properties of composite bulk YBa2Cu3O7-xsuperconductorbelow70Kundere.m. field,”Submittedon10Jan1997(v1),lastrevised16Sep1997.CornellUniversityLibrary.[www.arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/9701074]

341.LaViolette,PaulA.Ph.D.SecretsofAntigravityPropulsion:Tesla,UFOs,andClassifiedAerospace Technology. Bear & Company, 2008. Valone, Thomas, Ph.D. ElectrograviticsSystems: Reports on a New Propulsion Methodology, Integrity Research Institute, 1995.Valone, Thomas, Ph.D. Electrogravitics II: Validating Reports on a New PropulsionMethodology.IntegrityResearchInstitute.2005.

342. LaViolette, Paul A. Ph.D. “The U.S. Antigravity Squadron.” Published to the Internet,1993.[www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ciencia/ciencia_flyingobjects44.htm].

343. “Michio Kaku: Fusion Really Is 20 Years Away,” YouTube video.[www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gRnezJNFro]

344. Huff, Gene. “The Lazar Synopsis.” As posted to alt.conspiracy.area51, 12 Mar 1995.[http://web.archive.org/web/20070607032357/www.serve.com/mahood/lazar/synopsis.htm].

345.Valone, Thomas, Ph.D.Zero Point Energy: The Fuel of the Future. Integrity ResearchInstitute,2007.

346.Friedman,StantonT.FlyingSaucersandScience:AScientistInvestigatestheMysteriesofUFOs.NewPageBooks,2008.p.85.

347. Jadczyk, Arkadiusz, “Bearden and Hoagland,” Quantum Future[www.quantumfuture.net/quantum_future/bearden.htm].

348.Alcubierre,Miguel.“Thewarpdrive:Hyper-fasttravelwithingeneralrelativity.”Class.QuantumGrav.11-5,L73-L77(1994)[www.members.shaw.ca/mike.anderton/WarpDrive.pdf].Puthoff,H.E.(March1996)."SETI,theVelocity-of-LightLimitation,andtheAlcubierreWarpDrive:AnIntegratingOverview."PhysicsEssays9(1):156–158.

349.H.B.G.Casimir,andD.Polder,“The InfluenceofRetardationon theLondon-vanderWaalsForces,”Phys.Rev. 73, 360–372 (1948).Casimir,H.B.G. (1948). “On the attractionbetweentwoperfectlyconductingplates.”Proc.Kon.Nederland.Akad.Wetensch.B51:793.

350. Greene, Brian. “Making Sense of String Theory.” YouTube video[www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtdE662eY_M and Kaku, Michio. “The Multiverse Has 11Dimensions.”YouTubevideo[www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI50HN0Kshg].

351.Formore informationon this, seeGreene,Brian,TheElegantUniverse:Superstrings,HiddenDimensions,and theQuest for theUltimateTheory (VintageBooks, 2000), andTheFabricoftheCosmos:Space,Time,andtheTextureofReality(A.A.Knopf,2004).

352. See “Gödel metric,” at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del_metric].

353. Kaku, Michio. “Is Time Travel Possible?” YouTube video [www.youtube.com/watch?v=X02WMNoHSm8].

354. Lamb, Robert. “Is Time Travel Possible?” Discovery News, April 22, 2010,[www.news.discovery.com/space/is-time-travel-possible.html].

355. A good examination of this is Rubak, Josh. “Is Time Travel Possible?”[www.rubak.com/article.cfm?ID=16].

356. A more sophisticated discussion of this idea can be found atwww.uforesearchnetwork.proboards.com/thread/793.

357. Kaku, Michio. “Why Einstein Gets the Last Laugh.” YouTube video[www.youtube.com/watch?v=QErwOK3S5IE].

358.ThereisanimmenseliteratureonGödel’stheorems,buttheWikipediaentryisagoodstartingpoint.See“Gödel'sincompletenesstheorems,”FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia[www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gödel's_incompleteness_theorems].Afascinatingarticleon thistheorem, alongwith a number of other puzzling problems ofmodern physics, is Johnson,Jeff. “10 Strange Things About the Universe” [www.listverse.com/2010/11/04/10-strange-things-about-the-universe/].

359.Photons,incidentally,aredistinguishedfromelectronsprimarilybecausetheylackmassandthereforearen’tparticles.Theyarecreatedwhenanelectronfallsfromahigherenergyorbittoanorbitlowerinenergy.Theenergylostisemittedasaphoton.

360. For a good overview and many useful links, see “Double-slit experiment,” FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia[www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment].

361.Radin,Dean, Ph.D.EntangledMinds: Extrasensory Experiences in aQuantumReality.ParaviewPocketBooks2006.

362. Kaku, Michio. “Telepathy Is Easier Than You Think.” YouTube video[www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl8GvPRvikM&feature=relmfu].

363. “The Observer Creates Reality Simply By Observing,” posted by Enoch Tan.[www.mindreality.com/observer-creates-reality-simply-by-observing]

364. Sheldrake, Rupert. “The Extended Mind: Recent Experimental Evidence, RupertSheldrake September 2, 2008.” YouTube video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnA8GUtXpXY].

365.SeeespeciallyKurzweil,Ray.TheAgeofSpiritualMachines:WhenComputersExceedHumanIntelligence.PenguinBooks,2000.

366.Ciaramella,C.J.“HomelandSecuritymustdisclose‘InternetKillSwitch,’courtrules,”Washington Times, Nov 13, 2013.[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/13/homeland-security-must-disclose-internet-kill-swit/]

367.ForamoredetaileddiscussionofeverythingconnectedtoDisclosureanditsaftermath,

seeDolan,RichardM.andZabel,Bryce.A.D.AfterDisclosure:WhentheGovernmentFinallyRevealstheTruthAboutAlienContact.NewPageBooks,2012.

368. See for exampleMcKenna,Dennis.TheBrotherhood of the ScreamingAbyss.My LifewithTerenceMcKenna.NorthStarPress,2012.

369.Wood, RobertM., Ph.D.Alien Viruses: UFOs,MJ-12, and Biowarfare. Richard DolanPress,2013.

370. See for example, Kurzweil, Ray. The Singularity Is Near: When Humans TranscendBiology,PenguinBooks2006,andwww.singularity.com.

371.An excellent analysis ofMonast andBlueBeamwaswritten byChristopherKnowles,“Project Blue Beam Exposed!” [secretsun.blogspot.com/2010/11/project-blue-beam-exposed.html]. See also Richard M. Dolan, "Project Blue Beam? Don't Count on It"[richarddolanpress.com/34-project-blue-beam-countdown-don’t-bet-on-it/]

372. Adyashanti. The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature ofEnlightenment.SoundsTrueAudioLearningCourse,2008.

TableofContentsAcknowledgmentsForewordbyGeorgeNooryIntroductionChapter1.WhatAreUFOs?Chapter2.TheoriesofAncientVisitationChapter3.IntoModernity:Airships,FooFighters,andFlyingSaucers,1896to1969Chapter4.UFOSecrecyandThoseWhoFoughtItChapter5.DiggingDeeper—TheBreakawayCivilizationChapter6.HighStrangeness—UFOsfrom1970to1990Chapter7.UFOs,1991tothePresentChapter8.ContactandAbductionChapter9.TheGrowthofUfologyChapter10.WhoAreThey?WhatDoTheyWant?Chapter11.WeirdScience:Propulsion,Energy,Spacetime,andConsciousnessChapter12.IntotheFuture,IntoOurselvesConclusionAbouttheAuthorAlsobyRichardDolanPressEndnotes[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

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