SUNlite Shedding some light on UFOlogy and UFOs

Volume 3 Number 3 May-June 2011 Front Cover: A photograph of a waxing crescent moon. The moon can be a source of UFO reports and I mention how on pages 15-16 Left: Do these look familiar? Of course they do. They are the landing lights of an airplane shot using simi- lar camera settings as those used in the Ramilles photograph. It was a 737 aircraft and it was pretty low on approach for landing. In my opinion, this image bears a resemblance to the Ramilles image.

comments about the Eupen explanations I mentioned briefly in SUNlite 2-6.

Despite Meessen’s argument against Paquay’s article, I still consider the imag- es in question show lights that look a lot like airplane lights. I wonder how these photographs would fair if an indepen- dent group of scientists examined them? It is up to Mr. Meessen to provide a con- vincing argument that they could not be from an airplane. I did not see him do this Remember, it’s only UFOs in his article.

hose are the sage words I received that supposedly was a Roswell smoking Abductology continues to revolve around Trecently regarding some people who gun. Many already know the story but I Carol Rainey and Emma Woods. Their in- seem to think that UFOs are a life and wrote about it anyway in the Roswell cor- formation is being ignored or shouted death struggle. When one looks at UFOs ner so everyone can follow some good down by defenders of Budd Hopkins and in the grand scheme of things, they lose links as well as some of the information David Jacobs. One has to wonder how their significance. Recent events in- Ja I had on the matter. long this will continue. pan demonstrate what really is impor- TABLE OF CONTENTS tant. The power of the tsunami and the On page 5-6, I discuss the infamous solar death toll overshadows quibbling over eclipse UFOs in 1991. I did this because how people interpret various documents I have received some recent e-mails de- Who’s blogging UFOs...... 2-4 and sighting reports. One can only feel claring that this was a case of an alien The Roswell Corner ...... 4 intense sorrow for the people of Japan spaceship appearing over a major city. and their great loss. Couriers of chicanery...... 5-6 There are two new contributions this Hollywoodn’t by Martin Kottmeyer....7-9 As tragic as this all was, there were indi- month. Martin Kottmeyer has an in- viduals that chose to take advantage of teresting piece about Hollywood and More UFOs and Nukes nonsense...... 10-12 the news coverage. They found various Jean-Michel Abrassart adds his point of More crashed debris claims...... 12 bits of debris, clouds, or whatever float- view about UFOlogy and folklore. Both Those elusive “best evidence” UFO ing around in the videos and used them are excellent pieces that are well worth photographs and videos...... 13-14 to promote UFOs. Yes, they are, by defi- reading. nition, “unidentifieds”. However, in my IFO University: The moon...... 15-16 opinion, these people used this tragedy Speaking of Jean-Michel, I received an 1979 binary code...... 16 to elevate their own personal interests. e-mail from Auguste Meessen, who felt By linking their sensationalized UFO vid- that SUNlite was not being truthful. He Another source of an IFO friend...... 16 eos/blogs to the tsunami/earthquake, has posted his rebuttal on his web site UFOlogy, a contemporary folklore they made sure that google searches (http://www.meessen.net/AMeessen/ by Jean-Michel Abrassart...... 17-18 would get them noticed. Ramillies.pdf). In that rebuttal, he states More tainted Trindade...... 18 he was presenting the “truth”. I have a In UFO news, I noticed that the anniver- problem with anybody who like to use Battle of LA photo exposed...... 19 sary of the “Phoenix lights” came and the word “truth” because usually it is Answer to “The Belgium UFO wave went with barely a whimper. It seems to that persons own biased interpretation and the photos of Ramillies”....20-22 have been overshadowed by the Japan of what they consider the “truth”. This event. kind of language is often used by politi- Questions about the Eupen UFO cians and religious leaders. That being explanation...... 23 What was a really slow few months with said, there have been some questions UFOs on the tube...... 24 UFO news, took a big jump in April, when raised about the content. Roger Paquay people “discovered” an old FBI document responds in this issue and I added a few Buy it, borrow it, bin it...... 24 1 The UFO disclosure countdown clock is ter stated what seems to be the opinion at 11:30! Supposedly, this means disclo- Who’s blogging of quite a few people. Hopkins’ and Ja- sure is just around the corner. How long cobs’ research and the ethics surround- have UFOlogists been promising this UFOs? ing it are the real issue. The research has great revelation? I seriously doubt that it produced nothing other than book sales is going to happen but would UFO pro- and notoriety for the researchers. Good- ponents be willing to bet money on this Hot topics and varied opinions ness knows how many abductees have occurring by a given date? suffered because of their ham-handed approach towards them. Rich Phillips then seemed shocked that the Russians Magonia put up a disclo- would launch two rockets sure poll after Kevin Randle over several days! The first had completed his. Kevin’s rocket launch was of a Russian original poll did not give the Navigation satellite on February option to his readers if they 26th from the Plesetsk Cosmo- thought there was anything drome. The second, supposedly to disclose at all. Magonia launched on March 1st, appears gave a far easier poll, which to have been a video from the asked the question in three Progress M03-M launch in Oc- clear choices (UFO/ET disclo- tober of 2009. sure will happen, it will never happen, and there was noth- Speaking of disclosure, Dr. ing to disclose). Kevin Ran- Clarke reports that the next dle then put up a new poll wave of MOD files have been on his blog but added extra released. This is the real dis- options. I voted on both that closure of UFO documents. The biggest there was nothing to disclose because I news was the “mysterious” destruction of make them all look the same said a lot. have yet to see any evidence that there files from DI-55 for the years 1980-82. This is a cover-up. The Magonia poll resulted is the Rendlesham time period so it im- Between Carol Rainey and Emma Woods, in about 60% saying there was nothing mediately brought forth calls of conspir- abduction research appears to be split- to disclose. Randle’s poll, which had a acy from people like John Burroughs. Dr. ting UFOlogy the same way the contact- larger sample (and included more UFO Clarke added in another posting that the ees did many years ago. Emma Woods proponents) had about 30% stating that files were destroyed about the same time became a four-letter word on UFO Up- there was nothing to disclose. This prob- as the files for the years 1967-1979, 1983. dates as Errol Bruce-Knapp shut down ably says something about the readers of It seems the files were simply destroyed any conversation on the subject. When these blogs more than anything else. en masse. Dr. Clarke also notes that those Rainey suggested that Budd Hopkins files from the DI-55 that did survive were should not be immune to criticism just A scientist claimed he found life in a essentially duplicates of sighting reports because he is ill, Bruce-Knapp banned meteorite, which became big news. The made to “The UFO desk”. This bit of in- her as well and forbade mentioning her news appeared in something called “The formation seems to indicate there really research. journal of Cosmology”, which, according was nothing important in these files but I to the bad astronomer, seems to have doubt it will satisfy conspiracy fanatics. Mrs. Rainey responded at www.paratopia. problems with checking the accuracy of net (see the Rainey update for 25 April) their articles. Some microphotographs Abduction research continues to suf- with some rather interesting comments showed objects that looked like microbe fer from the Carol Rainey effect. Her regarding John Velez (an abductee and fossils to the untrained eye but it seems first video revealed certain aspects of the personal friend of Bud Hopkins), who ap- that just because they look like fossilized Linda Cortile case, which caused a fire pears to have great influence on the run- microbes does not mean they are. This storm among UFOlogists. Rainey would ning of UFO updates. After Bruce-Knapp appears to be a case of a scientist trying then add another video documenting the issued his “ruling”, he allowed Velez to to make a splash in the news rather than saga of Linda Cortile and some of her out- post a “rebuttal” to Rainey (even though displaying the proper amount of skepti- landish claims. As before, it shows how Velez stated it was not a rebuttal). One cism regarding a claim that is “extraordi- gullible Budd Hopkins can be concerning can only assume this was done so Mr. nary”. what people tell him. The last installment Velez could have the final word. she added had to do with how Budd NASA is establishing fireball monitor- Hopkins is interpreting the scribblings Peter Rogerson would counter with his ing stations in the eastern US. Right various abductees have been making for own blog entry at Magonia that took now they only have three stations but him. Watching Budd Hopkins fumbling some serious jabs at “abductology”. they hope to expand them. I wonder if through a box of drawings and saying he He referred to what Hopkins and Jacobs they will report any UFOs they record? was trying to “stack the deck” in order to have done is a form of “mental rape”. Pe- 2 bers are not smart enough to carry a Who’s blogging UFOs? (Cont’d) good old fashioned manual SLR and film to prevent such “electromagnetic The warming weather brought many sing “I can’t drive 55” when warping effects”. When they encountered the northern residents out of their homes in through the galaxy? alien entity, they were very scientific in the evening. As a result, there were a se- their attempt to communicate. They ran ries of UFO reports and videos that looked Kent Wien wrote a superb article about away! Even if the alien ran away as well, suspiciously like stars scintillating. various “sightings” made by pilots. why didn’t they gather “trace” evidence? However, he was not talking about UFOs. In fact, I don’t see this “investigator” pre- A person flying a large kite with LEDs Instead he mentions things like Rocket senting one iota of actual evidence that produced UFO reports in Vancouver, launches, meteors, aurorae, etc. Some of can be verified. Instead, we are left with Washington. Another new source of IFOs. the video clips are pretty interesting. having to accept another wild story told by somebody with a preconceived belief Robert Hastings is still trying to down- Kentaro Mori wrote about the lat- that UFOs are probably alien spaceships. play James Carlson’s arguments. He est “best evidence” UFO photograph Is it any wonder that scientists can’t take refers to Carlson as “desperate” and then from Chile. Lucky for us, Leslie Kean and UFOlogy seriously? proceeds to basically repeat the same ar- Richard Haines of NARCAP are involved. guments over and over again. If he has Reading Haines lengthy report can be John Harney wondered why skeptics nothing new to add, what is the point of mind-numbing as he does measurements aren’t interested in the Shag Harbour writing these articles? without any real conclusions other than case. It is not a matter of ignoring the suggesting it is worthy of further study. case for me but just a matter of only hav- Richard Lang gave a highly informative He down plays the fact that the witnesses ing so much time in the day. description of what had transpired be- did not see the UFO during the photogra- tween MUFON and BAASS. It seems that phy session and it appeared in only one Reality Uncovered had an interesting it was a bungled job of financial account- photograph of the many that were taken. blog entry regarding John Callahan’s ing by MUFON. Based on what Lang states, When I first saw the image, it looked like story about an FAA cover-up over the poor oversight by the MUFON board of di- an odd lens flare. However, Kentaro Mori JAL UFO in 1986. Callahan claims that rectors/leadership seems to be the major presents a better potential explanation. they were ordered to never mention the cause of this catastrophe. The photograph was taken from inside a meeting occurred. However, Dr. Bruce car and looks like an object inside the car Maccabee was there and wrote exten- Billy Cox seemed to have problems do- may have been reflected off the window. sively about the case. Additionally, CIA ing “real research”. He could not access There is even something that looks like analyst Ron Pandolfi was also there. Both the file “DEFE 24/1948/1” from the Na- stitching visible on the UFO. state that Callahan’s claims are false and tional Archives web site. What Cox seems it may have been Maccabee telling Calla- to have problems understanding was this Astrophysicist Adam Frank made the han that he wanted to delay release of in- file was available back in August of 2009 common observation made by skep- formation that gave him the impression for free but after a certain time period tics of why UFOs need headlights in his that there was a cover-up. RU tried to elapsed, the Archives took it off the web “Headlights of the gods” blog entry. contact Callahan through Leslie Kean but with the comment that if you now wanted If aliens were trying to be covert in their she chose not to forward their informa- it, you would have to pay for it. Dr. David study of earth, they are doing an awful tion. Kean was made aware of the issue Clarke tried to explain it in the comments job of it. Even we have the technology to before her book was released but chose but Cox, who has problems doing “real re- monitor people without being seen. to ignore it and allow only Callahan’s ver- search”, wasn’t going to listen. But Cox re- sion to appear. Is this any surprise? ally doesn’t have to pay for it. The file can Sky lanterns were again the source of be found at: http://documents.theblack- UFO reports in Chicago. Frank Warren To top things off, we have the Alien vault.com/documents/ufos/UK/defe-24- ran the initial report with the video as body video from Siberia. The story 1948.pdf. What this demonstrates is that people being “stopped in their tracks” and goes that the creators of the body admits Billy Cox seems to be more interested in the news reporters being “stumped”. I am it is a fake and it involves a chicken body, hyping this perceived “cover-up”. not surprised that these local reporters some bread, some plasticine, and a little and observers were “stumped” but UFOlo- bit of paint. Just another video in a long If you want to read the old APRO bul- gists should recognize them pretty quick- line of UFO hoaxes. letins, they are available at the Open- ly or at least recognize them as a potential minds web site. I am sure some may find sources in these videos. them informative. Most of it is probably old news or out of date. Meanwhile we are still reliving the STAR team member’s encounter with Sammy Hagar claims his mind was in an “alien”. Despite having all sorts of contact with aliens. Apparently, he re- electronic equipment and cameras, the ceived an upload or they chose to down- UFO made them all inoperable when it load his thoughts. I wonder if the aliens appeared. One wonders why such mem- 3 ber 1950 and had The Roswell different details. This is just poor research because Corner the Scully story was the “refined” version of events. Reinflating MOGUL The actual story Nick Redfern recently wrote an article had been circu- about project MOGUL that tried to show lating since 1949 that there was a difference in response by Silas Newton. with suspected MOGUL debris and what On January 6, that three flying saucers from Venus had happened at Roswell. However, his argu- 1950, the Wyan- landed/crashed on earth and that the ment is false because he bases his argu- dotte Echo of Kansas City carried the occupants were “midget-sized”. The ar- ment on the myth that is Roswell and not story as it was told to them. Other papers ticle in the paper went on to state that what is known to have transpired. picked it up and printed similar versions in two of the saucers the occupants were In the case of the debris found at Danforth, such as the Atchinson daily globe of Jan- dead but in the third, the occupants got Illinois, an FBI agent went to investigate uary 8, 1950 (written by Wes Izzard). The away. The “scientist” was Silas Newton. and obtained the debris. Redfern com- stories described two crashed discs with All of these stories being circulated were pares this with the overhanded response three-foot aliens inside. All were dead. In the genesis of the final story published that the RAAF supposedly employed, addition to the aliens, super strong met- by Scully. where they cordoned off the area and als were described and the idea that ra- Meanwhile, the Office of Special Investi- threatened civilians. These are all stories dar caused the craft to crash appeared. gations (OSI) was actually investigating that have never have been proven to be the story. There are documents in the true. There is no contemporary evidence bluebook file describing how they inter- that any cordon was established or that viewed the various players in this story. civilians were threatened. All we know By late March, they pretty much gave is Jesse Marcel Sr. and Sheridan Cavitt up (with the implication they figured it went to the ranch and retrieved the de- was not important or it was a hoax) and bris from what they thought was a “flying stopped investigating. disc”. If it weren’t for the press release, These are various links on the subject the whole story would have transpired that are very informative. just like the Danforth event. However, in the Roswell case, there is little evidence http://www.realityuncovered.net/ that anybody involved with the recovery blog/2009/02/play-it-again-scam/ suspected MOGUL was the source of the debris. http://www.nmsr.org/aztec.htm

Smoking gun? http://www.nmsr.org/hottel.htm Some people have stumbled across an FBI memo dated March 22, 1950 that However, it was “Isaac Koi”, who de- describes three UFOs being recovered in bunked it better than anybody else with New Mexico. Somebody found the doc- his posting in the Above Top secret fo- ument on the FBI’s web site and thought rum: it was something new. Several blogs (like the one linked here) then began to http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/ repeat the “news”. However, this memo is thread689049/pg1 not news and has been available for ev- eryone to read for several decades. The bottom line with all of this is that this The author of the memo is Guy Hottel was not a smoking gun of any kind and it and he goes on to describe that each wasn’t new. Those promoting it as such, saucer had three bodies in each craft. should be ashamed. Roswell is never mentioned and these bloggers are trying to make a link. His- tory has shown that this memo was actu- ally linked to the infamous Aztec crashed Two months later, on March 8, there was UFO scam. a lecture by an “unknown” scientist at However, there are those who claim this the University of Denver. According to memo has nothing to do with Aztec be- the Greeley daily tribune (Greeley, Colo- cause Scully’s book appeared in Septem- rado), this “unknown scientist” reported 4 +2 without a telescope and fainter stars when coupled to a telescope (Jupiter’s moons were favorite targets).

In Mexico City, there seemed to be a large number of people, who owned these de- vices. It was their recordings that would fuel wild speculation about alien visitors, who chose to appear during the eclipse.

n July of 1991, I experienced an astro- cury (magnitude 0), Jupiter (magnitude Inomical event that was an incredible -1.8), and Venus (magnitude -4.4) in a experience. For the first time in my life, I line from the eclipsed sun in an eastward What did the videos show? had seen a total solar eclipse. From Cabo direction (see image below from the San Lucas, Mexico, it was spectacular planetarium program “Stellarium”). Ad- any of the witnesses noticed a and worth every penny I spent to see it. ditionally, near Venus was the bright star Mbright object in the sky shortly be- Little did I know that over 700 miles to Regulus (magnitude 1.3) and the planet fore totality. They had no idea what it was the southeast, the eclipse arrived with an Mars (magnitude 1.8). and recorded it. It is important to note “unexpected” companion. that the same object was visible all across Venus was prominently visible for anyone the metropolitan area as well as towns Setting the astronomical stage looking up. Many astronomers, including dozens of miles away. This indicates the myself from Cabo San Lucas, reported object was at a very high altitude. Several seeing Venus well before totality began: of the videos show the object was in the exact location one would expect for the There are dozens of reports of people find- planet Venus! ing brilliant Venus a half hour and more before totality--not surprising, since the planet can be found in full daylight if one knows where to look.” (Di Cicco 594)

During totality, I recall being able to see all the major stars in Orion (about mag- nitude +2). For people, who had no idea what to expect during totality, the sud- den appearance of all these celestial ob- jects might be confusing.

Video cameras

he rise of camcorder technology had he July 1991 eclipse was a very long Tbegun to skyrocket in the late 1980s. Tduration eclipse (over six minutes) A friend of mine and I had used one ex- that started over the big island in Hawaii tensively during the and transited across the ocean to Mexico. 1988 opposition The top image shows the UFO but also shows an object right below It crossed the metropolis of Mexico city, of Mars. The ones the power lines. This is consistent with the positions of Venus and where millions would enjoy the event. I saw in use were Jupiter .The lower image shows the object zoomed in with a nearby During totality, all sorts of astronomical capable of record- companion. This companion is the first magnitude star Regulus objects were visible. The sun was almost ing bright stars of overhead with the bright planets of Mer- about magnitude These are only two images from all the 5 videos showing this object. Many of the fect in the image at lower left from a other clips were edited to the point, one video I took of the star Regulus reappear- could not positively identify them against ing from behind the moon in 1989. The other celestial objects. Despite this, the moon’s features do not exhibit this effect apparent elevation angle and relation to because they are not point sources and, the eclipsed sun, indicated most of them instead are extended objects. There is a were probably Venus dark area around the star that looks like the “shadow” seen in the Mexico city UFO To make it appear like a craft, the produc- videos. ers enlarge the image of the object to show that it is something exotic and not Really bad astronomy just a planet. robably the greatest reason to doubt Not to be outdone by this kind of tom- Pthe idea that this was not Venus is foolery is UFO promoter, Jaimie Maussan. that this eclipse was viewed by thou- He is the biggest reason that this case has sands of Amateur/Professional astrono- become a sensation for many Mexican mers in Mexico city. Not once was there a UFOlogists. Mr. Maussan seems to be the mention of the UFO in Sky and Telescope most gullible news reporter I have ever or Astronomy magazine. No professional seen and is a disgrace to his profession. A astronomical journals mentioned it ei- slightly skeptical approach by him could ther. If something new was in the sky that have solved it right away. day, it would have been noticed. Arguing the astronomers were just looking at the These three are not interested in deter- eclipse and missed the interloper is pure mining the truth of the matter in this This image shows what appears to be a nonsense. Astronomers don’t just look case. They are apparently just interested shadow underneath the object. However, through a telescope or camera lens dur- in self-promotion and selling DVDs. It is one has to wonder how a shadow can ing these events. A good example of this a shame that there are those that believe appear during a solar eclipse, when the happened in 1948, when a comet was them as being honest researchers and sun’s light is blocked out by the moon. discovered during an eclipse. accept these videos as being something To produce a shadow, the UFO would other than the planet Venus. have to have been out of the moon’s During the eclipse, I made it a point of shadow, which implies the UFO would looking at the entire sky (noting the po- have been extremely far away from the sition of the various celestial objects and observers and not close as implied by all the constellations) even though I was also the supporters of this being something focused on photographing and observ- exotic. The truth of the matter is that this ing the eclipse through binoculars and “shadow” is normal for the video camera’s my telescope. If there had been a UFO operation involving bright point sources present, I certainly would have noticed against a dark sky. One can see the ef- and I am certain that the thousands of astronomers in Mexico City would have as well. The reason it was not “noticed” as something exotic is because astrono- mers expected it to be there and knew its identity. Are we cosmically aware?

The Couriers t has been two decades and the age Iof “cosmic awareness” has yet to occur. atching “Messengers of Destiny” People still mistake balloons, stars, plan- Wcan be painful to ets, and aircraft for exotic craft from else- anybody with a knowl- where. The “couriers” message is simple. edge of Astronomy or They desire people to remain ignorant Mexican history. Lee of the universe around them in order to and Brit Elders twist and promote their own agenda. distort the history of the Mayans and Aztecs in Notes and references order to come up with some new age nonsense 1. Di Cicco, Dennis. “The Great Eclipse about the arrival of an era of 1991.” Sky and Telescope Decem- of “cosmic awareness”. ber 1991: 589-595. 6 en Kasten’s Secret History The confusion arises from Lof Extraterrestrials (2010) the fact that while Verne is a compendium of ufo high and Wells’s books maybe strangeness gathered with had glorious aspects – that an unfortunate knack for may be stretching things choosing and championing given there was a pessimis- subjects that have been re- tic strain running through jected by people who prefer Wells’s writings – Melies rationality in their lives: MJ- film was closer to being co- 12, Serpo, exopolitics, the medic. hybrid program, 2012 apoca- lypses, etc. Some of his his- The important SF films of tory drifts into the subject the 1920s & 30s were ac- of science fiction films and tually distinctly troubling their use to alternately un- in their tone. Metropolis dermine or prepare human- is visually stunning, but ity for the reality of aliens visiting Earth. Bruce Rux, in his book Hollywood vs. the the working class is portrayed as almost Compared to the rest of the book, his Alien: The Motion Picture Industries Par- zombie-like and dominated over by cruel claims in this is area are modest in their ticipation in UFO Disinformation, makes elites. Aelita’s Mars is artsy on the sur- unlikeliness, but I caught myself mulling an excellent case for the likelihood that face, but the protagonist throws away his over them since I’ve some familiarity with the intelligence agencies influenced Hol- blueprints and equations for space travel this subject. There is convenient brevity lywood producers to make the aliens so when the dream ends badly in a manipu- to what he says and the problems I see monstrous and ridiculous that the public lated revolution. Just Imagine, the first SF can be sketched out with a minimum of would cease to take the phenomena seri- musical, sees a future where eugenics de- tedium.. ously. The ploy worked so well that even cides who you will marry and finds a Mars today you are likely to get a snicker if you that is primitive and tribal. Frankenstein, Kasten boosts the concept of what has bring up the subject of UFOs or extrater- which straddles SF and horror, is a warn- become known among ufo buffs by the restrials in any politically correct environ- ing of the dangers attending science’s term The Acclimation Program – the gov- ment. quest for the secrets of life. Things to ernment uses Hollywood to shape the Come, a film with input by Wells, ends on public’s knowledge and emotional re- I’ve elsewhere already detailed a series of a much quoted elegiac line about choos- sponse to the reality of aliens. The basic errors Rux made concerning The Day the ing to evolve beyond animals to take the idea has been around for decades. Don- Earth Stood Still and H.G. Wells’s War of universe, but it is delivered in the pres- ald Keyhoe back in the 1950s suggested the Worlds that ence of a Luddite mob seeking to stop a the government was trying to acclimate exemplify a pat- manned flight to the Moon. The futures the public slowly before finally announc- tern of shoddy of the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers se- ing the reality of ufos . Whole books now research evident rials find tyrannies in charge. exist that push the idea. Kasten, predict- throughout his ably, picks the nuttiest one to praise: book.1,2 Kasten George Pal’s Destination Moon kicks off using the word the SF film boom of the 1950s and Kas- excellent to de- ten acclaims scribe this slop its moonscape raised a red flag as realistic and for me – Rux’s the moonland- book is impres- ing “remarkably sive only in the predictive” of absurd size of the real thing the conspiracy it posits. Incidentally, the in 1969. In fact, index to Kasten’s book gives the wrong the real moon page number for Rux’s appearance. turned out to be far dustier and Kasten’s history of SF films seems margin- the landscape ally better than Rux in terms of accuracy more rolling. though the writing is confusing at times. Historians note He speaks of the initial group of SF films that while some from Melies to the 1920s as “a hopeful astronomers had long before already beginning” that got lost and by WW2’s determined the moon would not be end there was little to suggest “the glo- as craggy as Chesley Bonestell’s visuals rious dreams of Verne, Wells, and Melies” portrayed it, the convention of a vol- was something humanity could aspire to. canic moon – present incidentally in 7 The Women in the Moon (1929) - had like The UFO of the claims, think cause and effect is re- an adventurous appeal to it he couldn’t Incident, Com- versed. shake off. Viewers maybe wouldn’t buy munion, Intrud- a realistic portrayal because craggy lunar ers, Fire in the Kasten is here relying on rumor and landscapes were too ingrained by con- Sky, Taken, and guesswork and shows no acquaintance temporary habits of science illustration. The 4th Kind say of all that has been written about both The large sleek rocket that lands on the about acclima- Spielberg and the extant history of the moon in the film is far different from the tion when they film. Spielberg made a film called Fire- dumpy little LEM module of 1969. The push abduction light that premiered in Phoenix when he concept of multi-stage rockets for moon mythology in was 17 years old. It concerned a team of journeys was some years away in 1950. wildly conflicting investigators that tracks down ufo sight- In Destination Moon, the moon project is directions? Each ings and finds that aliens from Altair are funded by a businessman. In reality, the of them provably distort their source ma- abducting people and placing them in a cost would need a government’s budget terial and even misinform people at the zoo on their home world. Aliens brain- to fund it in the Sixties. The only more or level of fact. This behavior more distinct- wash people into submission. Spielberg less unexpected foreshadowing of reality ly suggest the presence of agenda than has stated it was based in part on ufo is how Destination’s moon rocket burns anything appearing in the blockbusters. tales he heard living in Phoenix in 1957. more fuel in finding a safer landing spot The latter offer no pretense of adapting Additionally, he freely proclaimed he was than originally planned. Critics prefer to ufo narratives. Why don’t such transgres- an avid consumer of all tv and filmwork regard the film as quaint nowadays. sions get those ufological spidey-senses involving science fiction and ufos. tingling? Kasten mostly misses the issue, Pal’s later films fare better with today’s save to take note of Taken and Spielberg’s It looks doubtful any intelligence agen- sensibilities and his adaptation of War role in helping guide its production. cies would prevail on a 17 year old to do of the Worlds still makes genre best-film ufo films when they had long-term es- lists. Kasten admires Pal’s films, prais- Kasten, not surprisingly, thinks Spielberg tablished relationships to filmmakers like ing them as visionary and filled with the is in on things: Disney who had better budgets and a ethos of man’s destiny being among the solid audience base which could be used stars. For him, they belong in a category By now most astute observers of the mov- to educate a much larger population. separate from all the manipulative mon- ie scene have long since concluded that Indeed there is unambiguous evidence ster movies that filled theaters in that Spielberg probably has an inside track Disney gave his facilities to help people decade and robbed ufo belief of cultural with government agencies and is being initiate and build support for manned seriousness. used to present secret information relative space programs to the Moon and – it was to UFOs and ETs as entertainment. Many hoped – Mars. Chesley Bonestell’s work Sylvia’s reaction to the Martian in the believe that the new government agenda in this effort is particularly well known. farmhouse in War of the Worlds it should relative to these subjects is “controlled be noted puts a wrinkle in his vision- public acclimation.” Spielberg is probably Nobody disputes the Air Force tried to good/monsters-bad categories. Forbid- willing to cooperate in this because he is educate the public to the mundane char- den Planet, by a different director, would in agreement with disclosure. acter of ufos in order to minimize the also be a hard SF classic to decide in a vi- possibility that Russians could use panic sionary versus venomous film face-off. Kasten speculates that the climax of on the subject to confuse the work of Close Encounters of the Third Kind was intelligence agencies. The declassified Kasten sees Gene Roddenberry’s Star based in part on a Robertson Panel’s papers can be waved Trek as redefining the SF film genre.2001 prearranged alien around to put down any doubt on that and Star Wars also served to redeem SF landing that (al- point. By contrast, nobody has come for- for the masses, providing inspiration and legedly) actually ward with any declassified intelligence transcendence. Nobody should dispute took place around documents proving a relationship to Hol- these represented innovative and trend- Holloman Air lywood existed to sway public opinion setting sensibilities. Yet monster movies Force Base in New about aliens. never went away – Alien and its franchise, Mexico in April Predator and its franchise, Species and its 1964 which Spiel- A document asking directors to please franchise, 1982’s Thing remake, The Body berg knew about make their aliens more monstrous and Snatchers remakes, Independence Day. because of that ridiculous to make the masses not take Drek has always outnumbered and out- inside track he has ufos seriously would be amazing at this gunned the Trek stuff at the box office in to such classified point – and, need I say it? - laughably every decade. What do such mixed mes- information. The scene of the 12 astro- superfluous. Creative folks needed no sages say about any Ruxian large-scale- nauts lined up to enter the mothership is encouragement to do what comes so Acclimation Program? paralleled by the 12 astronauts that left naturally. Horror is the stuff of legends earth in July 1965 to visit planet Serpo in and has always existed. It would be non- It looks relevant to also ask this ques- the Zeta Reticuli system. Skeptics, reflect- sensical to blame all monstrous represen- tion: What could movies and telefilms ing on the chronology of the emergence tation of aliens as a propagandizing ploy 8 since such things were already common- Kasten quotes Spielberg on his reasons films of plane crashes and car crashes on place in the science fiction pulps of the for making the Taken miniseries of 2002 shows like Extra or Inside Edition, not to 1920s-30s.. H.G.Wells made monstrous as needing more than 2 hours to really mention local shows where we often see Martians exterminate humankind before present a history of alien abductions and news choppers tracking police chases the turn of the century in his classic War he observes it was presented on the Sci- that end badly and spectacularly. of the Worlds. Go back still further. Who, Fi channel with a publicity campaign in Greek and Roman times, leaned on Lu- that advocated the government should The camcorder revolution has brought cian of Samosata (115-200 AD) to make open its ufo files. The station’s president us many films of flares on balloons, shaky his True History extraterrestrials ridicu- opined that it was clear the government clips of distant planes, but ‘true’ close lous with lunarians all wearing artificial is hiding something. Though Kasten im- encounters remain as elusive as film private parts, star wars fought with fan- plies this shows Spielberg’s involvement subjects as they ever were. On May 18, tastic monsters, and that notoriously out in acclimation efforts, there is a curious 2008, Dateline offered an episode titled there truth named Cloudcuckooland?3 counter-revelation in the 2007 Ultimate 10 Close Encounters Caught on Tape and DVD Edition of Close Encounters of the what was striking is first, some were ac- The evolution of the screenplays lead- Third Kind. tually old photographs rather than tape ing up to Close Encounters has been and; second, they were generally not described in detail in a book by Ray Mor- There is an ‘extra’ where Spielberg does ‘close’ enough to show any detailed struc- ton. It involved several writers and mul- a monologue of his current thoughts ture behind the blobs of light. Spielberg tiple drafts. If there was any involvement about his famous blockbuster. He feels has good reason to be skeptical. Experi- of intelligence agents, it is not obvious CE3K is the one film of his that has ence and common sense finally trumped when or how such input entered the pro- ‘dated’ the worst. It is most tied to the any insider information he was exposed cess. The parameters of what should be time he created it in and the one he has to. Taken was ultimately just a good sto- in the story tended to be fluid and mainly most grown out of. He sees how naïve ry and a way to make money. CE3K and concerned character and drama, not the it looks and he blames its optimism on even Firelight had taught him there was a specifics about how the aliens and ufos his youth. The idea that Neary, a father, paying audience for ufos. look or behave – matters that should would leave his children, perhaps never have been locked in if education was a to return, is something Spielberg, now a You think Hollywood cares about educat- dominant concern. It is also known writ- father himself, agrees finally with the crit- ing people about ufos? Get serious. ers did research by digging up old cop- ics who said it was a mistake. Neary looks ies of Life magazine and interviewing irresponsible and too unfeeling. He also And who should we fairly blame for ufol- prominent ufo sighters. Such matters changed his mind on a larger point. ogy not being taken seriously? Studying should be totally irrelevant if they had the rest of Kasten’s book will give you a been given more authoritative sources of I had a real deep-rooted belief that we had good starting point for that problem. knowledge been visited, and, in this century. I was a real sort-of UFO devotee in the 1970s and Notes and References Especially damning to the Acclimation was really into the whole UFO phenome- thesis is the fact that Spielberg encoun- non, from everything I was reading – so, it 1. Martin S. Kottmeyer, “The Day the tered resistance from the Air Force, the was something, for me, that was science. Earth Stood Still: Government Edu- Army, and NASA and had to acquire Now, I’ve revised my thinking. As I grew cation Film?” Magonia Supplement # things like army suits from costume up, got a little older, and began to under- 52; 14 September 2004, pp. 1-5. shops. Such agencies typically are willing stand that, with all the video-cameras in to supply directors with army equipment the world today, why have ufo sightings 2. Martin S. Kottmeyer, “Was The War of and supplies when a film is to their liking, diminished, when before the camcorder the Worlds Inspired by UFOs?” The ie. showing them as competent profes- craze, ufo sightings were flourishing? So, REALL News, 8, #7, July 2000, pp. 1, sionals protecting the nation from harm. I’m a little more skeptical now than I was 7. Spielberg himself stated this: in the Seventies when I made the picture. But I-I-I really believed it---5 3. Brian Aldiss, Trillion Year Spree – The I really found my faith when I heard that History of Science Fiction, Avon, the Government was opposed to the Though Spielberg does not specifically 1986, p. 69. film. If NASA took the time to write me a reference the line, he is revisiting and en- 20-page letter, then I knew there must be hancing a point made in CE3K’s Air Force 4. Philip M. Taylor, Steven Spielberg – something happening. I had wanted co- press conference scene. The Air Force The Man, His Movies and their Mean- operation from them, but when they read spokesman argues that with all the cam- ing Continuum, 1994, p. 91. the script they got very angry and felt that eras out there, we should have incontro- it was a film that would be dangerous.4 vertible evidence on film by now. A news- 5. Ray Morton, Close Encounters of the man there retorts that he has never seen Third Kind: The Making of Steven They had seen the furor Jaws had caused films of car crashes or plane crashes. That Spielberg’s Classic Film Applause on the nation’s beaches and wanted no possibly sounded convincing in 1977, Theatre and Cinema. 2007 repeat with fear of ufos replacing fear of but anyone hearing this now can hardly sharks. be blind to the fact we now regularly see 9 The card had not been essentially locked into place after maintenance work had been done, but the weapons-system pro- cessor had worked for more than nine hours before the card came loose, accord- ing to a redacted copy of the board’s re- port, released Wednesday by Global Strike Command....

Thomas compared the communication to a BlackBerry constantly connected to its server to check for e-mails. The launch control centers are continuously checking and updating data including tempera- ture, alert status and security situation for each missile...

“The system was still up, there were still queries pinging and occurring, but what was happening was like if your cell phone was breaking up; it was not ideal,” Thom- as said shortly after the incident occurred. “The suspect launch control center was n SUNlite 2-6, I reported about the On the morning of October 23rd at 1:35 apparently trying to communicate on top Imissile shutdown at FE Warren AFB am, the 319th missile squadron of the of the other launch control centers trying in Wyoming. I pointed out that there 90th missile wing had a complete shut- to communicate.”1 were no UFOs reported near the base to down of all their missiles for fifty-nine the media, MUFON, or NUFORC for the minutes. This squadron encompasses It appears that there is a reasonable cause date in question. Even after the missile the Alpha through Echo flights located for the loss of all the missiles. The Missiles shutdown was public knowledge, no re- on the Nebraska-Wyoming border. forum (composed essentially of retired ports surfaced. However, thanks to the missileers) seem to question how the dedicated “research” by Robert Hastings, Initial news reports indicated there was card got loose and thought somebody UFOlogy can now link UFOs to this mis- some communication problems that made a mistake. However, the bottom sile shutdown as well. caused the shutdown. According to the line is there was a known cause for the Air Force Times, the review board con- failure and one did not have to wonder The reported cause cluded the fault was a poorly seated cir- if something outside the system caused cuit card: it. Of course, this did not stop “UFOs and efore we go into the UFO quagmire, Nukes” pitchman, Robert Hastings. Bit is best to review what transpired. A circuit card in a weapons-system pro- The USAF had sent an operations review cessor knocked out of place by heat and Spam...Spam...Spam board to determine the actual cause vibration generated by regular operations of the event and the findings of this re- caused the Oct. 23 disruption, according ack in 2008, Robert Hastings attempt- port were described in a recent Air Force to an operations review board investigat- Bed to push his ideas on the Bad As- Times article. ing the incident. tronomy and Universe Today conspiracy theory forum. He seemed to think he could “educate” the skeptics in the forum about his research. What Hastings got were a lot of questions and counter argu- ments that he seemed reluctant to an- swer. Instead of answering the questions/ arguments, he started posting excerpts from his book. Hastings was banned from that forum for spamming his book instead of defending his research.

Imagine my surprise, when I was looking at the missile forums and Hastings did the exact same thing in 2009. In an effort Locations for the five flights of the 319th missile squadron to “educate” these former missileers, he started posting multiple excerpts from 10 his book. After a couple of pages of this, get that ball rolling. eastern part of the state. Wyoming had a the moderator issued a cease e-mail to spike for December 2010 (3) but such a Hastings, who promptly pouted about It took some time but now Hastings low number is not much different than it publicly. The response by some of the claims to have found the smoking gun. 2008 (2) and 2007 (1). The lack of any members to this squelching of Hastings After publicly begging in the news me- increase in unsolicited UFO reports be- seems to be one of applause: dia from the area for somebody to please ing filed indicates there was no increased tell him about every light in the sky they activity and there is nothing to indicate Until there is physical proof beyond the can not identify, he accumulated a data- UFOs were involved in the missile shut- unsubstantiated fictional campfire sto- base of UFO reports that he links to UFOs down. ries you recite, I find the subject a waste of monitoring the ICBM sites. My guess is time2 they are probably are just raw uninvesti- gated reports that may have reasonable Robert Hastings was never in Missiles may explanations. He is apparently throwing be we should have a vote of our members a bunch of stuff against the wall hoping of removing his posting privileges. We something sticks. were all professional and very good at what we did and do. Why should we tol- His claims that there was some sort of in- erate this Forum being exploited by com- creased UFO activity just does not stand mercial interest that want to sell books under scrutiny. In the unsolicited reports and seminars. I think Mr. Hastings and his filed with MUFON and NUFORC, I counted UFO mania need a good dose of the SAC all the reports filed from Wyoming, Colo- “Sundown Policy” Moderators please Take rado, and Nebraska for the September- Note. 3 March time frames starting in September 2007. If Hastings was correct, one should I’m with you brutha, I second your motion. expect seeing a spike in the reports for I respect the man’s views but in no way 2010-2011 compared to other years. believe in them, or the paranoia and con- The good rumor man spiracy theory that accompany them. Per- 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 haps if there were some physical evidence Sept 3/22/6 2/24/4 2/29/7 1/28/3 astings leaves us with a teaser for his to be offered instead of stories, hearsay ev- future expose’ on the UFO caused 1/20/14 6/26/2 1/16/3 1/14/6 H idence, and spooks on a radar screen that Oct missile shutdown: are being taken as fact... perhaps. But as Nov 1/12/6 2/18/8 1/38/1 0/12/9 it stands those posts are mildly interesting 1/16/2 2/19/3 0/12/0 3/12/1 I’ve learned that active duty Air Force tidbits of science fiction having nothing to Dec personnel working at different locations do with the intent of this forum. The man Jan 2/24/0 3/19/3 0/17/1 1/11/2 in the missile field repeatedly sighted a is entitled to his opinion, but I certainly Feb 0/17/2 3/23/5 0/6/3 2/8/3 “huge blimp” on October 23/24, 2010— don’t appreciate the condescending man- the exact time-frame of the ICBM commu- 1/8/1 0/16/0 0/6/3 0/12/2 ner in which he tells the forum members Mar nications-disruption incident—which, ac- they are uninformed, uneducated, igno- Values are the total number of MUFON and NUFORC reports for the cording to my sources, lasted much longer rant dumb asses if they don’t agree with states of Wyoming/Colorado/Nebraska. than the 59-minute period the Air Force him. I got shit to do and reading his insults has acknowledged. These persons all isn’t it.4 When you look at these numbers, there is emphatically say that the object was not no significant spike to indicate elevated a commercial dirigible, but much longer This “bull in the china shop” approach of UFO activity in the area. Most of the re- and narrower in shape, similar to a WWI Hastings demonstrates his mind is made ports are about the same as in previous German Zeppelin... I also have received up concerning these events. He is not years. One could suggest there was a credible reports that missile squadron going to listen to anybody but himself spike in the total number of reports for commanders at F.E. Warren have sternly or those that tell him what he wants to Colorado in September of 2010 (28 total warned their personnel not to talk to jour- hear. reports from MUFON and NUFORC) but it nalists or UFO investigators about “the is still one less than September of 2009 things they may or may not have seen” in Beating the bushes (29) and only slightly more than 2007 (22) the sky near the missile sites. Severe legal and 2008 (24). Nebraska had its highest penalties were threatened for anyone who n my article, I stated: number of UFO reports for November violated the mandated secrecy.5 in 2010 (9) but it is only one more than IMy guess is that Hastings will try and 2008 (8) and all the reports that identified Of course, this is all unsubstantiated ru- find somebody who claims they saw a their location were from the eastern part mor regarding what AF personnel sup- UFO nearby and then try to link the two of the state far from the areas where the posedly saw. The “missile fields” for FE events. He may even find somebody who FE Warren AFB missile silos are located. Warren are outside the confines of the claims they were on base and saw a UFO. The six reported in October were similar base. Therefore, if military personnel saw It only takes an anonymous phone call to in that the locations reported were in the the “dirigible”, civilians should have seen 11 it as well in the neighboring towns and going to present unverifiable stories as More crashed debris claims it should have appeared in the MUFON/ his primary evidence, he will be preach- NUFORC database. The lack of any such ing to the choir. Of course, it is the “choir” he latest crashed UFO saga comes reports indicates these “dirigible” stories that lines his pockets and begs for him to Tfrom an obscure event that suppos- are unverifiable and could be mispercep- speak at their UFO conferences. Mean- edly happened in September of 1977 at tions of some kind. while, skeptics will see this as another Fort Benning, Georgia. The star witness self-promotion gimmick by Hastings. to this event is Command Sergeant Major As for being “threatened”, all military per- (CSM) James Norton. He tells an interest- sonnel sign non-disclosure agreements Notes and references ing story about a live fire exercise late at prior to becoming exposed to classified night involving over a thousand soldiers, information. One could easily conclude 1. Tan, Michelle. “Equipment failure which also had the Secretary of the Army that these “threats” were reminders not cited in Warren incident”. Air Force present. Suddenly, UFOs appeared and to talk to outside agencies/the press Times. March 5, 2011. Available created a great disruption to the maneu- about details regarding the shutdown. WWW: http://www.airforcetimes. vers. Norton was abducted and a UFO Anybody with a conspiracy mind-set, like com/news/2011/03/air-force- crashed with all the usual cover-up claims. Hastings, can twist these sort of things warren-equipment-failure-cited- He would later find a piece of the crashed into threats most dire. 030511w/ UFO and hide it for over thirty years.

Don’t forget to call 911 2. Scruge. “Re: Missileers to speak at At the time of the incident we are told that national press club”. Online posting. Norton was an E-5 but his facebook page arry Bryant did not want to miss out 1 December 2009. Missile Forums. says he joined the army in 1977. You can’t Lon the fun. He made a FOIA request Available WWW: http://www.mis- reach E-5 in less than a year in any US mil- to the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming Chief sileforums.com/forums/viewtopic.p itary unit. The article also states that he of police for all UFO reports filed in the hp?f=1&t=896&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&st is presently stationed at Fort McClellan, fall of 2010! He commented that the re- art=45 Alabama. However, Fort McClellan was sponse he received was that they had re- closed in 1999 and the only units there ceived no reports. If this is accurate, it is 3. Notlaw99. “Re: Missileers to speak at now are associated with the Alabama another indication that there was no in- national press club”. Online posting. National Guard. The CSM for that unit is creased UFO activity near the base. Why 20 December 2009. Missile Forums. not James Norton. So what unit is he the didn’t Bryant just call Hastings for the Available WWW: http://www.mis- CSM for? In his photograph of him being information? Additionally, why did he sileforums.com/forums/viewtopic.p promoted to CSM, his BDUs have some contact Cheyenne, when the missile silos hp?f=1&t=896&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&st patches that seem to imply he is part of were to the east? art=45 the Alabama State Defense Force. This is a state militia unit, Highly doubtful 4. Crewdog. “Re: Missileers to speak at which probably national press club”. Online posting. serves some use- hat we are seeing is Hastings at- 20 December 2009. Missile Forums. ful purpose but it Wtempting to create another UFO- Available WWW: http://www.mis- is not an official Missile shutdown myth by “seeding” sileforums.com/forums/viewtopic.p United States Mili- the region around the missile sites with hp?f=1&t=896&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&st tary unit like the ideas that can create imaginative sto- art=45 US Army, Army re- ries. Through careful prompting of his serve, or National witnesses, Hastings can manufacture a 5. Hastings, Robert. “Breaking UFO Guard. scenario that supports his preconceived news. Numerous UFO sightings near idea about UFOs causing the shutdown. F.E. Warren’s AFB nuclear missile sites Norton would later claim that MPs “de- have recently been reported”. The tained” him at Fort Benning recently Meanwhile, there is a perfectly valid ex- UFO Chronicles Blog. March 28, 2011. when he tried to go to the area where he planation as to what happened. Perhaps Available WWW: http://www.theufo- had his 1977 encounter. He also claims Bryant and Hastings should file a FOIA chronicles.com/2011/03/breaking- that National Security Agency (NSA) is in- about the operations review board’s in- ufo-news-numerous-ufo.html terested in talking to him, which prompt- vestigation into the incident instead of ed great concern in the UFO community. wasting everybody’s time with frivolous This all sounds ominous and seems to requests to Cheyenne’s chief of police or be typical for most of these alien debris looking for mythical dirigibles hovering claims. My guess is that the fragment(s) over silos. will never appear and this is the begin- ning of the usual explanation of the gov- Hastings plans to release some new ar- ernment covering it up. ticle about this in the future. Based on what we have seen so far, I seriously doubt it will be very convincing. If he is 12 ne of the most astounding thing to Those elusive “best recognize the event is something unique Ome concerning UFO photographs and should be photographed, one can and videos is why aren’t they recorded evidence” UFO pho- conclude that a UFO event more than 20 from different locations and by multiple seconds long should be photographed independent witnesses. The recent Jeru- tographs and videos by somebody with a cell phone. salem UFO case did appear to present this until it was revealed the case was prob- seconds and ten minutes. The greatest Recently, I noticed a KC-135 flying over ably a hoax. The question is, if UFOs were number of these reports fall into the five Manchester. I quickly took out my smart as numerous as we are led to believe, minute range. phone and took this picture. One can then there should be better evidence in even see the refueling probe fins near the the way of photographs and videos. In the cases of Trindade and McMinnville, tail of the aircraft. Had this been a UFO, I we see time durations of about 30 sec- am sure the details would have been just Best Evidence? onds and several minutes respectively. as sharp and clear. The Trents had enough time to go into t is amusing to note how UFOlogy of- the house and grab their camera! Iten refers to their best photographic and film/video evidence. When you ask The idea that the duration is too short ap- about photographs that show actual pears to be invalid based on this informa- “craft” (not just blurry lights), you rarely tion. These means there should be more hear about recent imagery. The last time good photographs, films, and videos. a series of photographs were released that was considered “best evidence” was the Ed Walters Gulf Breeze controversy. There are UFOlogists and a great num- ber of skeptics who consider this case a This wide spread availability of cameras hoax. means that it is more likely that UFOs can be photographed by more than one The cases most often presented as “best camera in different locations. This has yet evidence” are the McMinnville and Trin- to happen to the best of my knowledge. dade Island photographs. They are the major photographic cases presented in Strike two Jerome Clark’s UFO Book and the McMin- nville case was listed as a top ten in Paul ven before Kimball’s film “Best available evidence”. Ethe ar- Both sets of photographs come from the rival of these 1950s and both have been shown to have cell phone potential indicators for a hoax. UFOlo- Strike one cameras, the gists have found ways to downplay these explosion of problems but the fact remains that these n the movie, Close encounters of the video cameras images are suspect. Ithird kind, the statement was made allowed for that nobody had photographed car and unusual events Why does UFOlogy need to go back over airplane crashes but we know they hap- to be readily fifty years to find their best evidence pened. That was a statement made back recorded. The when it comes to photographs, films, or in 1977 and not in 2011. Since that time, Peekskill mete- videos? Is there something wrong with a lot has changed. Gone are the little 110/ or, a brief and unusual event, was report- UFOs today that they are not well photo- brownie cameras that people broke out edly recorded by sixteen different video graphed? for their family photographs at planned cameras! The most famous of these was events. Now people own 5 mega-pixel a recording of the meteor during a Friday The time problem cameras installed in their own personal night football game. cell phones they carry with them every- ne of the reasons given by some where. These cameras can even record OUFOlogists as to why UFOs are not video. The idea that you see a UFO and well photographed is that the event is can not photograph it seems less likely to too quick and there is no time to get a occur. camera. This seems rather odd since Al- lan Hendry’s UFO handbook gives sta- It does not take long to get the cell tistics from three sources (Claude Poher, phone out and use it either. From the Hendry, and Bluebook Special report 14), time of powering it up and activating the that most UFO reports that can not be camera, it takes me between 5-10 sec- explained have durations between ten onds. If one adds another 10 seconds to 13 In July of 2000, the Concorde airplane occurs within camera range is shown. crash was recorded on video by a passing Football, Soccer, Cricket, automobile rac- motorist There are also two photographs ing, Golf, and Tennis are sporting events taken independently of each other show- that have dozens of professional cameras ing the airplane accident. focusing in on the action, the crowds, and the surrounding area. Would they really be focused on the event if one of these massive flying triangles suddenly appeared? Not once, have I seen any- body claim that a UFO appeared over a major sporting event, where it was clear- ly recorded. Don’t UFOs enjoy watching sporting events or does their lack of be- ing seen/recorded say something about them?

Topping this is the recording of the first Strikeout? plane that struck the world trade center. Meanwhile, amateur/professional astron- That was captured by a television crew omers have systems for recording bright e can not say that these exotic craft documenting the lives of firemen. Two meteors running on a frequent basis. Wdo not exist based on the lack of other films recorded the event but not as good photographic evidence that show clearly. them clearly. However, I think we can state that the lack of such evidence dem- onstrates that these “craft” , if they even exist, are extremely rare. They certainly are not visible in the quantities and sizes we are led to believe by the various UFO groups.

Back in SUNlite 2-4, I outlined a poten- tial project to gather data on UFOs us- ing equipment readily available. The All of this indicates that rare/brief events challenge is still there for UFOlogy to do of spectacular nature are being recorded something more than being passive in As video technology improved and costs regularly but none of these systems have their research. By looking at decades old dropped, video and still cameras have recorded any “true” UFOs that I am aware cases as the cornerstones of their “best begun to appear just about everywhere. of. There must be a reason for this. evidence”, they are using old data that Many police cars have cameras that re- has very little value. UFOlogy seems to cord what happens in front of the car. Strike three ignore the best way to get scientists in- Not only do they record arrests but they terested is by obtaining data that can be have been known to record brief and un- gathered scientifically and evaluated. announced events like bright fireballs. The ball keeps coming down the plate for UFOlogy and they keep watching the ball go by without a serious swing. In this sense, one could say that UFOlogy is striking out.

am a big sports fan. Between college Iand professional sports, there are doz- ens/hundreds/thousands of cameras Security systems around various build- present at these events. This does not ings and businesses which have recorded even count the actual television broad- meteors and airplane crashes. The US air- casts. Many use high quality optics that ways flight 1549 was recorded by several can record the individual seams on the security cameras as it plunged into the balls being used. I watch almost every Hudson river. Red Sox game during the baseball season and it seems like just about anything that 14 ow could the moon be a UFO? It IFO University: This report had a lot of other provocative Hdoes not seem to happen often but, elements going for it: under the right conditions, people can be fooled by the moon. I haven’t seen The moon 1) The waitress called two more adult any such cases in any of the MUFON/ witnesses, who also filled out reports de- NUFORC databases but I did not look scribing the saucer. very hard. One needs to know when and where to look. 2) Two lights were seen next to the sau- cer that looked like stars but pulsated In my copy of the MUFON investigators different colors like the object. field manual (3rd edition), Raymond Fowler states: 3) The saucer hovered stationary over a hospital for fifty minutes and then shot A rising or setting red-hued moon is straight into the sky very rapidly. Surpris- sometimes reported as a UFO, especial- ingly, the two “stars” disappeared at the ly in its gibbous phase. Atmospheric re- same time. fraction and light dispersion can cause the moon’s shape to be distorted and 4) A loud humming noise was heard unrecognizable to a frightened wit- throughout the observation. At the end, ness...The situation can become even the hum got louder and changed into more aggravated if the observer is view- a high-pitched loud beeping sound just ing it through eyeglasses, windows, prior to the “rapid ascent” screens, curved windshields, etc. As in the case of stars and planets, viewing 5) The lights were seen dimming and the moon on the horizon, or through brightening in the parking lot of the clouds or fog, or from a moving vehicle Grossmont Hospital over which the sau- can give the illusion of being chased by cer hovered, “as if it were sucking energy a huge glowing object.1 from them.”

The rising and setting moon can create to a person under the right conditions. 6) Animal reactions included her parakeet interesting shapes. I recently saw a pho- The sequence above comes from some screeching and her dogs howling and tograph on the web of a square shaped photographs I took of a setting crescent barking. moon rising in Alaska. A temperature shows the reddish-yellow color and how inversion had distorted the moon signifi- the trees can hide portions of the disk 7) Physiological reactions were present cantly. It is possible that somebody, who giving it an odd shape. When it sets, it can here too; while watching the saucer the did not bother to look a few minutes lat- appear to “rapidly disappear/move away” waitress felt as if she were in a trance and er, might declare they saw a UFO simply from the observer. could hardly speak. She felt drained of en- because it did not look like the moon. ergy and it was an effort to move around According to Allan Hendry, a similar sce- for the next forty minutes. During the Michigan UFO flap of 1966, nario caused a group of police officers to there was a photograph published in the chase the moon: Sounds pretty good right? Attempts at media that supposedly showed UFOs identification and further corroboration over the farm of In case 100 police officers in separate cars were falling through. A local field investi- Frank Mannor in were convinced that the setting moon gator checked with the Miramar RAPCON Dexter. It is in- was moving away from them at fantastic and Gillespie field but no radar observa- teresting to read speed “while setting on Main street” at tion of anything unusual was noted. The that the photo- 3:25 AM. The police sped up to 60MPH to local police department received no calls. graph was a time chase it, but to no avail.2 The La Mesa police department claimed exposure of ten to have had two calls but sent no car. All minutes. A quick Hendry also points to a case, which did police helicopters were down at the SD check of a plan- not require the moon to be setting or ris- helicopter base at that time, and a check etarium program ing. In this case, a waitress and two other with the Grossmont Hospital personnel for the date and people reported a UFO that mysteriously revealed that nothing unusual was noted time in question disappeared after being visible for fifty at the “scene” of the drained power. Re- reveals that the minutes: membering that Mars and Jupiter were UFOs were, more “scheduled” to be positioned very close than likely, Venus A waitress in California got home at 3:57 to each other at that date, I checked my and the moon. AM when she saw a saucer “twenty-five star charts and astronomy magazines feet in diameter” with red, green, and blue to determine whether Mars and Jupiter A setting moon can look really strange flashing lights and a cloud haze around it. could be that pair of stars seen next to the 15 saucer. Imagine my shock when I discov- A new source of an ered not only the Mars-Jupiter pair in the 1979 Binary code direction and bearing provided by all of ecent revelations regarding Rendle- old IFO friend the witnesses, but a horizontally oriented Rsham has focused on the binary code crescent moon positioned exactly where that Jim Penniston claims he recorded they put the saucer right next to the “stars”! in his notebook on December 27, 1980. Searching through the reports of all the Both Penniston and Burroughs imply adult witnesses, I confirmed that none that binary was not a familiar term in of them had reported seeing the moon 1980. However, this is not exactly true. popular IFO is our old friend the at the same time as the object although Any Trekkie will tell you that the movie Aweather balloon. However, it isn’t they said it was “clear” out! Yet all of the “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (released only weather observers who are launch- witnesses put the direction and bearing of in 1979) mentions binary code. After “V- ing these objects. There are amateurs us- the “saucer” right where the moon should ger” reaches earth orbit, it begins broad- ing these weather balloons to reach the be. Also, they all agreed that its apparent casting a signal. Spock reports to Kirk edge of space with cameras, radio trans- size fell somewhere between “one half” that it is “a simple binary code transmitted mitters, and other scientific equipment. and “two times” the moon’s width. by carrier wave signal....radio.” (See image below showing the 1’s and 0’s that ap- I stumbled across their web site called Remarkable? Remember that the witness- peared on his display). Amateur Radio High Altitude Radio Bal- es had described a cloud or haze around looning (http://www.arhab.org/). They the moon. Obviously, that same haze was have catalogued 147 balloon launches responsible for the brightening and dim- (as of March 27th) from places that are ming of the hospital parking lot lights a mostly western and Midwestern states. half mile away, the saucer’s colors, and There are also locations in Canada, France, the eventual obscuring of the moon, Mars, South Africa, and the UK. and Jupiter resulting in the sudden disap- pearance. Now it is no longer surprising While many do not employ the large re- that Mars and Jupiter disappeared at the This can be followed by another 1979 search balloons that NASA uses in Texas same time as the saucer... It must be con- movie where “binary code” was present- and New Mexico, the configurations used cluded then that the other effects, such as ed to the viewer. In the movie “Alien”, by these groups are “interesting” to say the beeping noises and animal reactions, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) decided to the least. This configuration launched by 3 must be ascribed to other causes. decode the signal the ship received. The “Edge of Space Sciences” in Colorado on instant she brought up the message on May 3, 2003 (http://www.eoss.org/ansre- Dr. Jill Tartar mentioned an experience the computer console, we see..... cap/ar_100/recap66.htm), caught my eye where the moon, partially hidden by and I would wonder how many people clouds, appeared as a UFO to her at one might consider seeing this in the sky as point. She did not file a UFO report sim- some form of disc with a cross? ply because she took the time and ef- fort to identify it. Dr. Tartar took a lot of grief from UFOlogists for this but are her observations really worthy of ridicule? Imagine how the police officers and the waitress responded when Hendry had to tell them they were fooled by the moon. I wonder if they stated, “I know what I saw and it wasn’t the moon”?!! Of course, the idea of touching an un- known black object and receiving a mes- Notes and references sage of some kind is not that new is it?

1. Fowler, Raymond ed. Third edition MUFON Field Investigators manual Mutual UFO Network, INC. Seguin, Texas April 1983 p.62

2. Hendry, Allan. The UFO Investigators Handbook. London: Sphere Books You have to wonder where people get Ltd. 1980. P. 45 their ideas about their personal UFO sto- ries...... 3. ibid. p. 77-78

16 he leading sociologist of the UFO phe- Ufology, a contemporary philosopher Massimo Pigliucci published Tnomena in France at the moment is a book titled: Nonsense on Stilts: How to Pierre Lagrange, who has written several folklore? Tell Science from Bunk . The bottom line is: books on the topic over the years. He ar- even if it’s difficult to have good criteria gues, in an article published in 2000, Re- By Jean-Michel Abrassart to distinguish sciences from pseudo-sci- prendre à zéro: Pour une approche irréduc- ences, we should not throw out the baby tionniste des ovnis , that sociology should with the bath water, and thus we should adopt what he calls an irreductionist ap- not reject the Grand Partage. We all know proach. To understand what he means by that astronomy and astrology are not on that, let’s explain briefly what the oppo- the same level when it comes to describ- site is: a reductionist approach, in the field ing reality accurately, or that young-earth of ufology, consists of trying to explain creationism and evolution theory are not UFO cases with mundane explanations. just two cultural narratives. Everything is In that sense, it reduces something that not on the same epistemic level. people believe is unknown to something that – at the end of the process - is known Many scholars have criticized relativistic (an airplane, a helicopter, the moon, the postmodern thinking. Let’s mention Alan planet Venus, Chinese lanterns, flares Sokal and Jean Bricmont in Fashionable and so on). With that definition in mind, Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals’ Abuse skeptical investigations are very often of Science. Even if postmodern thinkers reductionist, even if I would prefer to sim- like Pierre Lagrange claim to be above ply say that skeptics try to explain cases the crowd, above the debate between instead of engaging in mystery monger- skeptics and proponents, in reality their ing. Lagrange’s irreductionist approach is irreductionist approach makes it very very similar to what fortean researchers position that has been taken by many difficult – if not impossible - to criticize would advocate: don’t enter the debate researchers in human sciences for a long pseudo-sciences. This has been made between skeptics and proponents, just time: studying ufology as a folklore. By acutely obvious when the infamous pretend to be above it. doing so, sociologists don’t have to enter French astrologer Élizabeth Teissier was the deep waters of ufology and also don’t able to complete a PhD in sociology at At the beginning of Reprendre à zéro, have to adopt a postmodern, relativistic the University Paris Descartes in 2001 Pierre Lagrange states that sociologists epistemology. Of course ufologists who under Michel Maffesoli’s supervision. As should start all over again and adopt an advocate the extraterrestrial hypothesis Alan Sokal said it in his article, Pseudo- irreductionist approach because they are always very vocal against that posi- science and Postmodernism: Antagonists shouldn’t be part of the ufological de- tion, but researchers in the human sci- or Fellow-Travelers?, more often that not bate. On top of that, he claims that the ences shouldn’t be bullied into being postmodern thinking is an ally of pseu- ufoskeptical view, sometimes called in ashamed of taking such a stance. do-sciences. The reason is that if truth the literature the psychosocial hypothe- doesn’t exist, then falsehood doesn’t ex- sis (PSH), doesn’t explain any cases at all. I can see several reasons why we shouldn’t ist either and thus, in the postmodernist He writes (our translation): adopt an irreductionist approach. The worldview, it is not possible to criticize first one is epistemological in nature. anything in a meaningful way. (...) my point is not that the PSH (psycho- Lagrange’s view is grounded in the idea social hypothesis) doesn’t explain every that the very concept of pseudo-science In his book Au fondement des sociétés single case, my point is to try to show that is useless. In his work, he argues that we humaines , Maurice Godelier tells us that it doesn’t explain any case at all. should reject what he calls the Grand each culture distinguishes itself from oth- Partage (English: Big Rift) between sci- ers by replying to a finite list of questions. I strongly disagree with this view, and ences and pseudo-sciences, rational and The object of anthropology as a field is to I don’t think that Pierre Lagrange suc- irrational. He’s highly critical of skeptics, compare the way cultures answer those. ceeded in his project of disproving the and he never hesitates to bash rational- One of those questions (actually the first PHS; even if he bases his own claim on a ists if he has an opportunity to do it. one in Godelier’s short list) is: what kind similar one made by Bertrand Méheust According to postmodern thinking, be- of relationship does that culture have around the same time in his book Retour cause it’s difficult - some would even say between the visible and the invisible, the sur l’Anomalie belge in which he argues impossible - to distinguish between sci- ancestors, the spirits, the gods? The UFO (not very convincingly ) that the PSH fails ences, quasi-sciences, pseudo-sciences phenomena falls into that very category. to account for the Belgian UFO wave. I and non-sciences, then we should simply It is one of the forms that has taken folk- agree that sociologists shouldn’t take an give up those distinctions. Philosophers lore in our techno-scientific cultures. Sci- active part in the ufological debate, but have debated the demarcation issue for ence has made it difficult to believe in it’s simply a false dichotomy to claim that quite some time now, starting with Karl the supernatural, but some kind of entity the only other alternative is Lagrange’s Popper’s seminal work. But not all episte- avoids that problem because cultures irreductionist approach. There’s in fact mologists are cognitive relativists, far from present them as being natural: on one at least one other way I can think of, a it! For example recently the biologist and side we have the cryptids (like the Loch 17 Ness monster, Big Foot, chupacabra and no more weird fic- More tainted Trindade so on) and on the other we have extrater- tions), introducing restrials, our brothers from outer space. it to ufologists as a entaro Mori sent me an e-mail and Jean-Bruno Renard, in his article L’homme brand new theory Kposted on UFO updates the latest sauvage et l’extraterrestre : Deux figures (on this subject news about current research on the Trin- de l’imaginaire évolutionniste, points out see Jason Colavi- dade photographs. Last issue, I men- that Big Foot and Little Grey are the two to’s book: The Cult tioned how Barauna’s nephew, Marcelo imaginary sides of human evolution: Big of Alien Gods: H.P. Ribero, claimed the photographs were a Foot is a cultural representation of what Lovecraft And Ex- hoax. Now, Mori reveals they have found we were and Little Grey what we would traterrestrial Pop witnesses, who was supposedly on deck become. Culture ). at the time of the photographs.

Jacques Vallée in Passport to Magonia: If you take into account the continuity Like all testimony, one has to remember From Folklore to Flying Saucers, among with previous folklore and the anterior- that it is anecdotal in nature. It can be others, has studied similarities between ity of science-fiction, you have a strong considered just as reliable as the claims previous folklore’s and UFOs. Those are case to consider the UFO phenomena that an alien spaceship was seen. How- often interpreted by ufologists as prov- as a contemporary form of religiosity. Of ever, it has always been accepted that ing that extraterrestrials have been vis- course, that is if you don’t try to rationalize dozens (or in some cases -over a hun- iting the earth since the dawn of man, those paradoxes like ufologists often do. dred) of sailors saw the UFO and were on if not before. This idea is also present in Practically, it means that you have to re- deck at the time of the photographs. Ed- the ancient astronaut theory, or neo- ject the classic ufological view that those son Jansen Ferreira was part of the group evhemerism. This way of looking at those anomalies are explained away by visitors that helped establish the Oceanographic similarities takes things backward: the from other worlds since ancient history post at Trindade, states that the number UFO phenomenon is similar to those and also the approach that consists in who reported seeing the UFO was only because it’s a contemporary form of re- solving them by mixing extraterrestrial about 13-15 people. He also adds that ligiosity. Like people in antiquity would hypothesis with paranormal phenomena he saw nothing. It is hard to believe that, meet Greek gods, people today see hu- (as advocated for example by Bertrand if the photographs were not hoaxes, he manoids in close encounters of the third Méheust in his book already mentioned would miss something that was so ob- kind - to use Josef Allen Hynek’s classi- above: Science-fiction et soucoupes volan- vious as shown in the photographs. His fication. Contactees like George Adam- tes). As I said before, I fully acknowledge failure to see anything is indicative that ski or Claude Vorilhon (aka Raël) saw the that considering the UFO phenomena as what was seen was not obvious or did UFO phenomena for what it is, and tried a contemporary folklore – and all the cul- not exist at all. to take advantage of it. When one starts tural manifestations centered around it to look at the UFO phenomena this way, as part of a contemporary form of religi- Kentaro would also point towards anoth- one realizes that saucer cults are not at all osity – is very unpopular in ufology, and er witness, Jose Carlos Rigueira de Brito, an epiphenomenon, but at the very heart that extraterrestrial hypothesis propo- who was aboard the ship and said that he of what we’re studying. nents are very vocal against it. They often recalls people saying they saw nothing. convoke moral arguments like You don’t Alexandre Borges had interviewed him Besides the continuity with previous folk- respect witnesses!, and so on and so forth. in January and Mr. de Brito added Dr. Rib- lores, several scholars (like for example I must confess I’m utterly unconvinced ero (the dentist) was a drunk and some Bertrand Méheust in Science-fiction et by those. They obviously confuse value members of the crew were pot smokers. soucoupes volantes - Une réalité mythi- judgment with judgment about facts. This kind of rumor mongering does not co-physique) have shown that science- Skeptics could be right from a scientific put his testimony in a positive light. Still, fiction predates the UFO phenomena in point of view, even if what proponents his comments about nobody seeing any- many ways. Firstly, you can find in pulps say is true - mainly that they are not nice thing need to be considered. at the beginning of the 20th century people for arguing the way they do. From many details that will only appear in tes- my perspective, tough ufologists who I find it highly unlikely this case will ever timonies a long time after that. Remem- engage in mystery mongering are the collapse unless some great revelation oc- ber that the UFO phenomena starts only ones who really don’t respect witnesses, curs. However, this is another bit of infor- with Kenneth Arnold in June 1947! Sec- because they deserve real, science-based mation that indicates that the case is not ondly, theories now typical of ufology answers. as solid as claimed by the proponents. lore have been also conceived before by With each new announcement that indi- science-fiction writers. For example, the The view that UFO phenomena is a con- cates things were not as originally report- ancient astronaut theory is presented al- temporary folklore is simply too rich to ed, the possibility of the photographs be- ready in 1931 in H. P. Lovecraft’s novel At be left abandoned. ing a hoax rises and the authenticity of the Mountains of Madness. You’ll have to the photographs drops. wait until 1960 for the first French edition of The Morning of the Magicians by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier to see the same idea presented as speculation (and 18 could not reach the target area of where Battle of LA photo exposed the suspected craft were located. The confusion probably was because the 3” guns were referred to 3”-50 caliber guns entaro Mori sent me an e-mail alert- (The 50 caliber is referencing the length King me to an article written by Scott of the gun barrel). The .50 caliber ma- Harrison of the LA times. Mr. Harrison chine gun had a limited range of about had located the original negative used 5000 feet and were best for low altitude to create the image that had circulated aircraft and not the high altitude targets in the news media at the time. However, described in the reports. his story revealed that the image was not quite an exact reproduction of the origi- The show continued to compound its nal negative. mistakes when they did not focus all of their beams at one point or put up any Nothing but air significant smoke as one might expect from a significant amount of AA bursts. s I suspected, and suggested in ASUNlite 3-1, the image had been re- touched. According to Harrison, there were two negatives in the UCLA archives. One was the original and another was a copy negative obtained from a re- rison. The image he presented above touched print. It was this negative and shows that there never was anything sol- the retouched print that has become part id in the image (look closely at the center) of the “Battle of LA” legend. but crisscrossing light beams and dots of light (which may have been AA bursts or One of the things that is obvious in look- some other possible source like water ing at the image is the focus was off. The droplets on a window glass the photo- Their last mistake was their discussion points of AA bursts are circular and not graph might have been taken through). about the weather balloon. They as- pin-point. The second thing that is note- For those who doubt it, I posted a second sumed the weather balloon was in the worthy is that the searchlights go beyond image with the brightness turned down photograph, which it probably wasn’t. the convergence area the same way they showing the variations of the light in the Apparently, ignorant of the historical do in the Life Magazine photograph (see center area (probably due to smoke). In documents, they did not realize that the my adjusted image below showing the my opinion, the possibility that this pho- weather balloon had started the shooting beams going beyond the convergence), I tograph showed a real craft plummeted but it was war nerves that caused every- showed in SUNlite 3-1. This demonstrates with these revelations. one to keep shooting for many minutes there probably is nothing of substance in after the balloon was gone. In a highly in- the center of the beams. There is no giant SYFY’s substandard work accurate demonstration, they shot down spaceship and, it appears, the “Battle of a stationary balloon from only 600 feet LA” story is just another UFO myth. he Syfy channel’s “Fact or Faked” per- away with a .50 caliber machine gun and Tformed a series of experiments in an not a moving balloon from thousands Larry Harnisch wrote several articles for attempt to salvage the case. Their first of feet away. As a result, they concluded the LA Times in mid-march documenting mistake was using the touched up photo- the balloon should have been shot down the “Battle of LA” (1942 version not the graph as their basis for comparison. Their almost instantaneously and that there movie) background. He also discussed second mistake was not doing the proper must have been a real craft at the center the photograph presented by Scott Har- amount of research on the matter. They of the beams. stated that a majority of the shells fired were .50 Case never closed caliber. One of their “ex- perts” mentioned this s the “Fact or Faked” show demon- but he was not correct. Astrates, this case will never be closed The actual documents for those who want to believe it was an written state that a ma- actual craft in the center of the image. jority of the shells fired For the skeptics, the news about the pho- that night were of the 3” tographs confirms what was suspected variety. The documen- all along. There was no aircraft/spaceship tation also states that and it was just war nerves. 37mm shells, which are more powerful than .50 caliber Machine guns, 19 Meessen refers to the Integral curve (VOB Answer to “ The Belgian wave and the photos of Ramillies” 2 p 360),but if you look at this curve and by the vertical point 0.5 you trace an hori- by Roger Paquay zontal line you have a point on the curve that correspond with March 1990. This data indicate that 50% of the observa- uguste Meessen wrote that he re- emerged elsewhere in our universe… tion took place in the four first months Astored the truth because two ufo- The possible existence of much older and and that 15 supplementary months were skeptics distorted data concerning the more advanced civilisations than ours is needed to arrive at 100%. After the four beginning of the Belgian wave in 1989 thus a logical consequence of present day first months the media was quasi-silent. and the observations made at Ramillies knowledge. So there was effectively a media influ- in 1990. ence. This is a plausible hypothesis but you I completely disagree with this point of cannot prove these civilisations exist. In You interrogated a witness who was par- view and the whole text. I never distort- other solar systems they also may be in ticularly trustworthy since he had a tech- ed the data. I just think these data may the “stone age”. nical education and high social respon- have different interpretations and may sibility in Eupen. I don’t doubt the good conduct to different conclusions that The fact that we can make this hypoth- faith of the witness but people, whatever these of A. Meessen. And I cannot accept esis, and I think there must be life some- is their rank in the society, high or weak, the nasty and unjustified attacks on the where in our Universe, does not give a can misinterpret something they don’t sceptics that search for the truth. link to the ET hypothesis for these UFO know. It is human. reports. For the moment the existence On diverse occasions I have warned: “We of extraterrestrial life is plausible but you Visual and acoustical observa- will remark there is no intention to ne- cannot find a link with the UFO -obser tion at Ramillies: gate or to invalidate the testimonies of vations. So UFO and extraterrestrial life the witnesses neither to doubt their good constitute two separate hypotheses for r. Meessen says I attack this case by faith. They have observed something the moment. Mmodifying the facts . they could not understand or explain. Nevertheless these testimonies contain The fact that a journey in space at speed As first example he says I changed the lo- elements that may have diverse inter- of 30000 km/s would need more than cation of the observation. But I just wrote pretations. These interpretations must be hundred years to arrive at a star like Vega what you could find and infer from VOB1 explored and the conclusions they gave (approximately 25 light years), one of the , p 419: “ He (the policeman) advised us must been presented without these con- closest star in our sky, indicates a weak to go and take position at a crossroad clusion constitute an attack against the probability for ET to be visiting us.. between Glimes and Perwez at the level witnesses. One observation was done of Petit-Rosière.” and we must look for the different ways Mr. Meessen is right when he states: “The and possibilities of interpretation”. ET hypothesis, we have to prove or to dis- Now you indicate a different position be- prove it” tween Grand-Rosière and Ramillies a few So I don’t discredit the witnesses if I say Km away from the Glime-Perwez cross- they neglected one possibility. Misperceptions are not to place in the road and not close to Petit-Rosière. prone-fantasy personalities. People make In Ramillies the observers immediately errors because, for the majority, they don’t This incoherence between the location concluded: “the noise cannot be produced have scientific background. They believe given by P Ferryn in VOB1 p 419 and the by a plane because it is too weak with a so in horoscopes, numerologies, telekine- actual location is not my fault but the close engine” (VOB1 p 420). But they did sis, and clairvoyance and so on and thus result of fuzzy or incorrect data given in not look for the other possibility: “The are also pushed to believe or to interpret VOB 1. It is not I that changed something. noise is weak because the engine is more unusual observations as strange. It is nec- Moreover we are discussing the picture, distant that what we thought”. They also essary to remember that for many years not the location. neglected the angular size of the object people didn’t see these aerial phenome- they said was so close, 300 to 500 m. If nons. But when the media invited people Curved arch seen in the viewer they had calculated it they would have to look in the sky for strange objects, they seen that the object could not be seen saw strange objects. r. Meessen could see the same effect entirely in the viewer but their data was Mon the photomontage in my text! that it occupied only one third of the Mr. Meessen states that people are not so viewer. suggestible but what percentage of the He wrote: “ In spite of these facts I claimed population believe in horoscopes, teleki- the witnesses were biased to interpret this On Page 2, Mr. Meessen wrote: nesis, clairvoyance or numerology? More as ET object”. How could Mr. Meessen in- then 30%. It probably is similar when the terpret differently since they immediate- The ET hypothesis requires that technical- media calls for observing strange ob- ly said, “ This cannot be a plane because ly very advanced civilisations could have jects. the noise is too weak at this short dis- 20 tance” (VOB1 p420). But they never look distance situated between 1400 m and portant traffic lane to this airport. for the other plausible hypothesis: “The 1750 m. noise is weak because the engine is more The witnesses estimated the speed to distant that we thought”. This result reinforce the value that can 150 km/h. but this estimation is not pos- be found with the lens formula i/o= d’/d sible on the sky without measuring it. The witnesses say: where I is the measure of the image, o Why didn’t the witness give the duration is the measure of the engine, d’ = focal of the observation or the duration of the “It size was so impressive that it seemed to length (when d is great, d’= f as Meessen flight above them? This data is missing. If be comparable with that of a 747” indicate it) and d the distance between the duration was 5 minutes the engine object and the lens. was first seen at about 60 km. Meessen says I neglected the second drawing in VOB1, but this drawing does As I = 12 mm ( data from the witness), With the data obtained here the com- not show more details than the first. o = 60 m or 6000 mm (size estimate by parison with a plane is perfectly possible the witness by comparison with 747)and and can explain the whole observation. My airplane hypothesis f = 300 mm we can calculate d = 300 * The only question that remains is: why 60000/12 = 1500000 mm or 1500 m . This are there only four points on the picture r. Meessen attacked this because value is just in the interval obtained by edited in VOB1? MI used the diagonal angle in place comparison with the moon and is similar of the horizontal one. This give a little to my other calculations. The photographic documents difference 2.7 in place of 2.43 to 2.29 he calculates. This is just a little difference Mr. Meesen then writes: “Mr Paquay pos- nderexposure cannot be excluded that has no influence on the conclusion: tulated it had to be such a plane” Ufor the reasons I explained. When the the angular width of the engine with elements are fixed, diaphragm open at an estimated dimension the same as a False. The comparison to a 747 came maximum, speed fixed to 1/125 sec and 747 (say by the witnesses, not by me) if from the witnesses. It was just rational to sensitivity of the film 1600 ASA, there is it was situated between 300 to 500 m see what this comparison implied. And only one intensity of light that can show away from the witnesses is equal (for the lens formula for an image of 12 mm up on the film. If the intensity is weaker 500m) to the horizontal angular width with a focal length 300 mm give a ratio you have underexposure and, if this un- of the lens and is superior(for 300 m) to 12/300= 0,04. The distance may not be derexposure is large, nothing shows on the angular width of the lens. The pho- known except if you use the size given by the film. tographer indicates he saw it completely the witnesses. in a third of the horizontal viewer. So he To contest this fact goes against all the would have seen that the object was at a It is the reason why I had indicated that rules of photography. The elements I more great distance, if he had calculated a multitude of value could exist, from indicate are the 3 elements that permit 60/300= 0.2 (angle = to 11.3°) and 60 /500 12 m if the engine is at 300 m to 60 m to have correct exposure for pictures and = 0.12 angle = 6.84°. if the engine is at 1500 m . So I did not permit the digital cameras to function choose one value but indicated other correctly with their automatisms. Auguste Meessen wrote the apparent values could match. diameter of the engine was 4 to 5 times Finally, Meessen shows the data and pic- larger than the apparent diameter of the But the comparison with the Moon made tures I asked to P Ferryn and that where Moon. I thank him for this comparison by Mr Meessen reinforces the 1500 m hy- never furnished. because this comparison gives me ele- pothesis. ments that reinforce my demonstration. The size of the image is 4.2 mm , a third of It was not necessary to show the profile what was expected. A plane the approximate size of a 747 of the 747. This plane is well known by (~60m) is seen in the sky with the same many people. Is the negative 9a p 14 the picture , be- apparent diameter than the Moon, has cause it is a picture of a plane. The anti- distance of 7 km or 7000 m. Mr. Meessen says this plane is very noisy crash red light appears under the other especially when it is going up or chang- lights and there are five clearly visible If the craft was 4 times larger than the ing direction. lights and not four. This red spot appear moon the distance must be divided by 4: clearly on fig 10 (point H). Meessen says But when it flies in straight line at cruising it is not centred but if you measure it is 7000/4 = 1750 m. speed the noise can be heard only when just centred between D and G. The incli- it passes over your head and after being nation of the lights show the “object” was If the craft was 5 times larger than the passed. It is what the witnesses said. not parallel to the ground, so the points moon the distance must be divided by 5: may seem not to be perfectly centred. The altitude of 1500 m is perfectly com- 7000/5 = 1400 m. patible with a plane that is going to land at Zaventhem Brussels airport because So we must deduce the object was at a the witnesses were under the most im- 21 My assumptions Meessen has no direct evidence of an treat the witnesses as liars or fools. emission of IR light by the object and has ll the elements, distance, weak noise, presented convergent indirect evidence. He states that the psychological hypoth- Aand now the picture 9a and 10 that But I don’t found these evidences. Where esis cannot account for the Belgian wave show a red light, are compatible with a are they? but the integral curve in VOB2 shows that plane. Meessen contests the underexpo- after the four months where the media sure but this underexposure is a reality Stop to think, you know better than I did continually speak or write on UFOS, unless you negate the laws of photogra- what is my level of knowledge. I know there is a 50% of the distribution of the phy. perfectly that glasses are transparent to 19 months. So there was an evident ef- IR lights from 700 nm to 2400 nm. My fect of the media. Meessen had written in He says that planes at high altitude would objection to the Herschel effect are not VOB 1 that at certain moments “ at the si- have left visible points on 7 negatives. futile or naïve and have been asserted by lence of the medias correspond a silence What sizes are these images. A plane of other eminent scientists. of our phone”!!! 60 m at 10000 m photographed with a 300 mm telephoto lens gives 1.8 mm ob- You show a picture, photo 9 a, that show Meessen also wrote, “he don’t want to ac- ject on the film. High altitude is to con- five and not four well visible points and cept facts that are contradictory to his con- sider more than 8000 m in international this picture was never erased by IR light . ception or belief”. This assertion is false: I aviation. The existence of these five points proves examine the facts without a-priori . The that it was not erased and that it was not use of the 747 is induced by the witness- Sorry, but the object was between 1400 possible to see details. es who compare the object to a 747. But and 1750 m. And if the picture 9a shows you don’t see that I indicated that other the whole object it was farther away, at In the text edited on Euroufonet and Sun- dimensions and distances could match about 3500 m. lite there is no error in the use of optical so the 747 is one possibility among many laws. Your words are defamation. And the others. When a photographer will not show the Ramillies picture is definitely not erased picture there is necessarily a problem. by Herschel effect. I will not change my conclusions: the ob- Why refuse to show them? Because at ject was at 1500 m and I demonstrated it high altitude the images are too small Meessen said that I did not asked for the in this text. The picture was not erased by and cannot show details. picture again but you indicate clearly IR light. that it is P Ferryn and Mr. Meessen that Meessen states the dark adapted human refused contacts because “my negative Mr. Meessen states the photographer did eye may see structural details and the attitude did not favor further contacts”. measure the angular dimension with the positions lights. But these lights are not Meessen can not indicate what I must great circle in the lens. OK but he did not visible under all angles and this fact can think or write. compare it with the other element s he be verified. had: size comparable to a 747 and dis- Complementary photographic tance 300 to 500 m. These elements are I never said the witnesses were lying but tests in contradiction with these conclusions. I did say they made an erroneous inter- pretation. Indeed, the human brain in- ust look at the pictures of the object, Mr. Meessen also says that the setting at terprets, in many circumstances, distinct Jthe arch is clearly visible and this plane infinity was sufficient to get a sharp- im points as forming a complete line. This was at more than 1000 m. age. This does not prove anything: the fact is well known. On the photomontage setting at infinity always gives sharp im- that was presented and on the picture of The photos at Krainem were taken with ages when distances are large compared the last position that I presented you see planes at low altitude, only 800 m, but in to focal length, and 500 - 1500 m is big in a curved line formed by the lights of the Ramillies the aircraft would be at 1500 m regard of 300 mm. A 300mm lens set at plane photographed and this curved line or more. And nothing proves that in the infinity will give sharp image between 50 is similar to the drawing of the witnesses. dark and at a greater distance you could m to infinity and cannot be used to deter- see the marks on the plane. It is never mine the distance of the object. How many minutes between the seeing the case at night when planes taking of of the yellowish light and the last obser- from Bierset –Liège airport fly behind my This last conclusion proves that Mr. Mees- vation? If it is 4 or 5 minutes the engine home at altitudes between 3000 to 5000 sen continues to try to discredit sceptics. was at about 60 km, far away to be in con- feet (900 m à 1500 m) data given by the This way shows that his argument is dition to have refraction effects. control at Bierset. weak, because otherwise it would not be necessary to discredit. Explanation by means of IR Conclusions light never distorted the facts as Auguste his explanation is not needed because IMeessen insinuates. I don’t adapt the Tthere is underexposure and that the facts to my belief or preconception be- distances are underevaluated. cause I search without “a-priori”. I never 22 n SUNlite 2-6, I wrote an addendum to Questions about the IJean-Michel Abrassart’s article about the Belgium UFO wave, with the title, Eupen UFO explana- “The November 29, 1989 UFO over Eupen explained?” It presented potential expla- tions nations that have been offered in the past regarding this pivotal UFO event that sig- nified the beginning of the Belgian UFO No Choppers? cisely where the police officers said the wave. In his rebuttal argument against UFO was located. They stated their UFO Jean-Michel Abrassart and Roger Paquay, n discussing the helicopter explanation was directly over the Lake Gileppe tower. Auguste Meessen mentioned this ad- Ifor the first part of this sighting, Mees- From their reported location this would dendum. He seemed to have problems sen states that there were no helicopters be an azimuth of 205 degrees. Venus was with it and my use of the term “plausible”. in the area. This is based on what has been at an azimuth of 215-225 degrees during I consider anything is plausible as long stated by General de Brouwer, who has the sighting (see image at above show- as it has the potential for being a reason- publicly stated that a check was made for ing the position of Venus in relation to able explanation. I certainly will consider helicopter activity in the area and there the tower at 1830 using Stellarium soft- earthly explanations far more plausible was none. I am not sure how thorough ware). This azimuth argument seems to than ones that require alien spaceships their investigation was because no docu- be weak since it is only a 10-20 degree or other exotic theories. mentation is presented. I think it is im- difference. Wim Van Utrecht told me that portant to point out that there have been when asked, the witnesses did not even Mr. Meessen also missed the question several UFO cases (most recently the Ste- mention seeing the bright planet Venus mark I put at the end of the title indicat- phenville event), where the response by nearby, which was only two weeks from ing I was asking if this was the answer. I the USAF was they had no aircraft in the maximum brilliancy and an obvious ob- was not stating it was the answer. Anoth- area. However, further checking revealed ject in the sky. Their observations of the er concern raised by him was that I did that their initial statement was in error UFO in reference to the tower has the po- not include any references to his argu- and there were aircraft present. This is tential for observational error that seems ments. I am not sure why that was nec- why a demonstration on how thorough to have been dismissed by Mr. Meessen. essary since the ET interpretation of this this check for helicopter activity is im- It is also interesting to note that the UFO sighting is presented in many places on portant in any attempt to falsify the he- disappeared about the same time the the internet while very few places men- licopter explanation. Could it have been planet Venus set! tion these potential explanations. My a helicopter? It seems unlikely if General goal was to point people towards those de Brouwer is accurate but shouldn’t the The argument that the shape was differ- resources so they can see all the infor- possibility be pursued to the point that ent than the planet Venus or that beams mation. In Mr. Meessen’s article he gives all helicopters can be proven to not have were seen emanating from the sides of links to his analysis of these events and been in the area? the UFO, ignores what we know about why they are not valid explanations. how people report Venus as a UFO. Such The queen is dead! observations do not require any tem- Policemen = 100% Reliability? perature inversion for an observer to he second half of the event observed perceive things that are not there. Venus he impression I got from Mr. Meessen’s Tby the police officers has been argued was a bright point source against a dark Twritings is that he considers these two extensively over the years. The police of- sky and was very low in the sky. Look at witnesses 100% reliable simply because ficers observed a bright object for almost case #37 in the Condon report. Police of- of their profession (Police officers) and an hour over Lake Gileppe (between ficers in that event state Venus was “foot- could not possibly be mistaken. In his 1830-1923). Many have argued that ball shaped” or in the shape of a “four leaf UFO Handbook, Allan Hendry points out they simply saw Venus. Auguste Mees- clover”. During this same sighting, the that being police officers does not mean sen has argued against this by stating planet Jupiter was described as being the they are reliable observers. Many of his that Venus was not in the location of the shape of flat tin foil with a slight bend in policemen often mistook stars for UFOs. sky described by the police officers and it! Remember, these were observations Elizabeth Loftus mentioned in her article, that their description of the UFO is not made by different police officers, who, if “Eyewitnesses: Essential but unreliable” the kind of description one would expect you believe the arguments about them (Psychology Today February 1984), that from Venus. As a result, he has considered being reliable observers, could not have research shows that police officers are the Venus explanation is wrong and they been mistaken. no more reliable or accurate than the saw a “real” UFO. average person. Suggesting that their Based on all of this information, it seems testimony alone rules out any potential Long live the queen! that the arguments that it could not be explanation fails to be compelling based Venus are not convincing enough to on what we know about eyewitness reli- hen Mr. Meessen states that Ve- eliminate it as a source of the sighting. ability. Wnus was in the wrong location of Venus continues to remain a plausible ex- the sky, he is not stating that it was far planation for what these officers saw over away but is stating Venus was not pre- Lake Gileppe. 23 UFOs on the tube Book Reviews Russian Roswell In another great leap of logic we are told Buy it! (No UFO library should do that the United States was so worried without it) The show’s premise is that there is a secret about the Soviets learning about UFOs underground facility called Zhitkur below that one of the first U-2 flights flew over The nature of light and color in the the base of Kapustin Yar. This is where all Kapustin Yar (it was actually the 15th open air - M. Minnaert the captured UFO parts are kept. Kapustin USSR overflight mission). It is more likely Yar is a base where the Soviet Union be- that the flight had to do with seeing what While this is not a “UFO” book, it addresses gan testing their first rockets. One might stage the Soviet Union was at in their some important aspects of visual percep- be able to compare it to the early V-2 tests testing of rockets for delivering nuclear tion that most UFO aficionados should be at White Sands. weapons. The program tries to spin the familiar with. It is very detailed and high- statements in declassified documents ly informative. Some of the items may be The Russian Roswell is only briefly men- about “unidentified objects” as “strange dated (it was written over 50 years ago) tioned. Supposedly, on June 19, 1948 an unidentified areas” with the implication but it is a great resource anyway. All UFO air traffic controller saw strange object they must be UFOs. More than likely, libraries should have a copy. on radar screen. A MIG pilot happened to they were just ordinary objects that the Borrow it. (Worth checking out of be airborne at the time and saw a cigar- analysts could not identify. However, shaped UFO. Despite being blinded by its the program noticed that there were in- library or borrowing from a friend) brilliance he was able to engage the UFO teresting “patterns” in the photographs. The UFO Encyclopedia - Ronald in a dogfight for three minutes. Eventu- They ridiculously compared them to ally he shot down the UFO with an air-to- crop circles and pyramids. In reality, they Story air missile. The problem with the show’s were the standard layout for surface to Last month I mentioned Jerome Clark’s portrayal of these events is that the first air missile sites. The Radar control center UFO book as an excellent resource. Sto- MIG-15 was not part of the Soviet inven- was in the middle and the SAM sites en- ry’s 1980 version of his encyclopedia is an tory until 1949 and the first Soviet air-to- circling the center were interconnected additional resource that is worth reading. air missile was the K-5. It is no surprise with roads that took on a “star of David” However, I found it cluttered with a lot that it was not developed until 1951. The pattern. of useless information like what various only kind of missile used at the time was people thought about the subject. It is a unguided and it would be a shock that a The funniest thing seen was Russian Ro- good item to borrow but I am not sure it UFO, which can turn on a dime, could be swell expert, Vladimir Ajaja using two is a book that is absolutely necessary for shot down by such a primitive device. copper rods to test the “ambient energy” a UFO library. that was present at another “crash site” The show then digresses to how UFOs from 1961. Like most dowsers his “sci- Bin it! (Not worth the paper it is have been seen throughout Russian his- ence” of using two copper rods can not written upon - send to recycle bin) tory. When I saw Bill Birnes, I knew this be taken seriously. was going to be painful to watch. Of Faded Giant - Robert Salas and course, no UFO history is complete with- Finally, Marina Popovich and Lev Vyat- James Klotz out taking the 1908 Tunguska event and kin described their dogfight experiences turning it into a “mothership” explosion. with UFOs, which they were ordered to When I purchased this book in a used It could take pages to refute a lot of what shoot down to obtain alien technology. book store, I was hoping for a well re- was stated but I think it is simple to say it Vyatkin stated his airplane’s wing glowed searched and informative discussion was all garbage and highly distorted. At for a week until they cleaned it with or- about the Malmstrom missile shutdowns. least Stanton Friedman conceded it was a dinary Kerosene. The UFOs counterat- Instead, all I found was a book based natural event. tacked and blew up Soviet rockets. The mostly on Robert Salas’ beliefs and exotic show presented a film showing the- ef interpretations. His recent version of this A Top Secret US document was shown fects of one of these attacks. However, story even contradicts some of the things as evidence of UFOs at Kapustin Yar. The the film actually comes from a failed R-16 written in this book. The book provides program quickly pans down from the TOP rocket launch on October 24, 1960. It is nothing that can not already be found by SECRET stamp to the line which states, referred to as the Nedelin disaster after an internet search. Additionally, as James “An unidentified object is on each launch the Chief Marshall, who was in charge of Carlson has demonstrated in his long ar- pad”. The reason for the quick pan down the rocket testing. He was killed in the ticle, there was a lot more information is to avoid important information to put resultant explosion and no UFOs were out there that Klotz and Salas chose not the statement in context. The document involved. to research or present. Perhaps they did describes a KH-4 Corona satellite mission not want people to know the other side recording Kapustin Yar complex H. They If there was anything to this story, the of the story and draw a conclusion that were probably taken in 1962 or 63 and program destroyed it by throwing a did not include UFOs. probably were rockets that could not be bunch of garbage on top of it. Don’t identified. waste your time watching this show.

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