SUNlite Shedding some light on UFOlogy and UFOs

Seldom has a subject been so invested with fraud, hysteria, cre- dulity, religious mania, incompetence, and most of the other unflattering human characteristics. Arthur C. Clarke Volume 2 Number 2 March-April 2010 Cover: Photograph of a Minuteman III launch from USAF website. Left: Photograph taken by me of Ice Pillars which I saw from my backyard on February 2nd.

belief that I would not reveal it. I must have let the comment slip in casual com- munication with Mr. Moseley. It was not done on purpose even though it appears that way. I can only admit my error in revealing this piece of information when I should not have.

Speaking of potential hoaxes, it seems that MUFON needs to get their act to- gether. You will see in the “blogging” section that they are dealing with more and more hoaxes. Worse yet is that one of their STAR teams appeared to have let one get by. Somebody caught the red flag but it was not before the UFO Examiner revealed that this case was one of those that remained unexplained after initial investigation. I would hope that these STAR teams would approach such cases skeptically and check for hoax potential.

Finally, James Moseley wrote me an inter- Bad Aliens run amok esting note regarding the articles about Stan Romanek. His comment was that he was aware of Romanek being “the One might find the cover a hint at what who say they are abducted. Kitty is very only professional abductee” and that he might be in this issue of SUNlite. Yes, I understanding and stated she tries not is “unimportant”. He implied I was tar- plan on discussing the Malmstrom AFB to be judgemental of all those who send geting, what we used to call in the Navy, missile shutdown. I had asked James her their stories. She is trying to provide “low hanging fruit”. I agree that Romanek Carlson to write the article on the sub- direction for her contacts. While Kitty is and Peckman are “easy pickings” but, as I ject. James is the son of the Eric Carlson, not a doctor, she tries to direct potential stated in my article, individuals like these who was in charge of Echo flight the day abductees towards medical assistance. should be scorned by all UFOlogists. If the missiles were shutdown. Mr. Carl- Her argument is that no matter what UFOlogy wants to be taken seriously, they son wrote a rather extensive piece that the reason for the story being told, real need to clean house and expose such in- is so lengthy, I would have to spread it or imagined, these people need some dividuals for what they really are. out over 6 issues. Instead of making actual medical attention. Hopefully, her my readers wait for parts 2-6, I decided advice is being taken. TABLE OF CONTENTS to summarize his article. If you want to read Carlson’s piece, you can find it at the The Socorro story continues to have Who’s blogging UFOs...... 2-3 scribd web site. I am sure that there will some legs. Dave Thomas’ efforts to find be repercussions regarding what James evidence for the student hoaxers has pro- The Roswell Corner ...... 4 wrote about the stories that have arisen duced no results to date. Once again, we Astronomers locate unidentified space regarding this event. However, he makes are treated with rumors and such. Most object ...... 5 a convincing argument that the pres- of the respondents to his search have ent theory of alien spaceships shutting indicated they are sure they would have 21st Century UFOlogy Part III by Matt down the missiles is one based on belief known about a student created hoax. Graeber...... 6-10 and not any real facts. Like I stated two issues ago, there seems The Malmstrom missile shutdown....11-14 to be no good evidence for this rumor 21st Century UFOlogy part IV - Socor- In other personal news, I attended a being true. As a side note, James Mo- ro revisited by Matt Graeber...... 15-21 meeting of the Granite state skeptics seley recently published a rumor about in January and was pleased with the something Mr. Bragalia had stated about Donning UFO Goggles...... 22-23 speaker. Barbara “Kitty” Mervine runs Lonnie Zamora in Saucer Smear. I regret UFOs on the tube...... 24 the web site www.badalien.org and it to reveal that I am the original source for Buy it, borrow it, bin it...... 24 was interesting to hear her speak about this information. Mr. Bragalia had made how it was run. She deals with people the statement in an e-mail to me in the 1 A different perspective spent some about the reports themselves, they time on the Betty Barney Hill abduc- Who’s blogging should have been sent to the garbage tion. Kevin Randle has commented on can almost immediately. Betty Hill’s star map drawing. Randle UFOs? suggested the latest data be examined Another item that was brought up was to verify her map as well as look for other one of the nineteen STAR team cases I matching patterns. David Rudiak pro- Hot topics and varied opinions mentioned briefly last issue has turned claimed it to be something authentic, out to have some problems. While the that the stars are all sun-like, and config- case was supposedly a first-time event for ured correctly. To him it seals the reporter, it was discov- the deal because the odds of ered that the same person this happening by chance is had made similar reports in astronomical. Unfortunately, the past. The case now ap- Mr. Rudiak and Mr. Randle have pears to be a hoax. While one been just simply accepting the should praise the STAR team Fish map based on old data. for identifying the hoax, I am Brett Holman commented to curious as to why it was not set the record straight. He had identified in the first place? published an article in the No- I would think the first thing vember 2008 edition of Fortean to look for in any UFO case is Times called “Goodbye Zeta Re- the possibility of a hoax. ticuli”. He used the more recent Hipparcos satellite data. As a It seems that many people result, he rejected six out of the are calling in hoaxes to the fifteen stars in the Fish map. MUFON database. This was That means 40% of the stars in a similar complaint by Peter her map are not valid matches. As a re- Davenport of NUFORC. It is not surpris- sult, the Fish map appears to be an align- the Moscow flying pyramid videos. ing to see that various individuals on the ment by chance. See http://airminded. He is asking Jim Diletosso to analyze the internet are now attacking these UFO re- org/2008/11/05/goodbye-zeta-reticuli/ videos. Diletosso’s resume’ is less than porting sites with fake stories. The STAR stellar and his work on the Phoenix vid- teams/UFO groups should be very dili- I was alerted to a most interesting eos of 1997 was exposed as flawed long gent in their investigations. newsletter web site. It is called “News ago. Why would Hastings be interested of the paranormal and beyond” and in what seems to be an obvious Youtube In another Examiner UFO case, some- is produced by the Alliance studying hoax and then invite one of the worst body posted some pictures of the moon paranormal experiences (ASPE). It ap- UFO video experts to examine it? Jupiter and a UFO. Marsh seemed to think pears to be based in New Mexico and this was a good case but close examina- there are lots of UFO stories there. One James Carrion stepped down as MU- tion of the low resolution pictures indi- thing I noticed was that there were lots of FON international director. He states cated the most likely source for the UFOs advertisements in a newsletter! We see the position was too demanding on him. in the picture is an internal lens reflection ads for Jerry Pippin, The Journal of Abduc- However, I received an e-mail that had of the moon. Because of the low resolu- tion research (JAR), Angelfire properties, been distributed from somebody called tion images displayed, I could not tell for and Laguna Vista lodge (Which seems to Timothy WhiteEagle. He seems to have sure. I find it interesting that nobody in guarantee that there are ghosts in the ho- been terminated as the Wisconsin state MUFON suggested this. Maybe they did tel and UFOs in the sky!). The web site for director without cause and claims it was and Marsh never mentioned it. ASPE asks for “open minds”, which is the a “racist” decision by Carrion. I have no usual buzz word for “please believe this”. idea who is right on this matter but it Imagine my shock with the on-line sounds like the typical in fighting that magazine UFO digest posted an article Mark Easter describes his participation happens in these kinds of organizations. by Linc Alexander discussing Roswell in the MysteryQuest episode about Too many egos are involved and some as a “crashed spaceship myth”. That Area 51. His description of the events people desire to control things so only seems sacrilegious from a blog that pres- pretty much agrees with what I observed their version gets out. It makes one won- ents some rather wild UFO stories! Is it and learned from Peter Merlin. I think we der if anybody is interested in conduct- possible that some people might be giv- can conclude that the producers of many ing actual research. ing up on that goose that laid the rotten of these shows are not interested in the eggs? Don’t worry, I am not holding my “truth”. They only want to present sensa- The UFO examiner revealed that all breath on that idea! tionalist stories that get people watching those Texas UFO landings reported their channel. Is this any surprise? recently were all probably hoaxes of Amelia Crater wrote an interesting some kind. Nice to see that MUFON got piece about Robert Bigelow for the Robert Hastings wants to know about these right. Based on what is described Mysterious Universe blog. Her obser- 2 Who’s blogging UFOs? (Cont’d) vations and documenting Bigelow’s fas- amounts to an appeal to authority. cination with UFOs is worth reading. I am just wondering how long it will be before It is nice to see somebody hitting the nail Bigelow gives up on MUFON. squarely on the head.

Pierre Charles Dubreuil sent me an e- Chris Rutkowski documented some mail regarding the Rael movement. He UFO reports from New Foundland that reports that Jean Denis Saint Cyr, a mem- included some interesting pictures. Courtesy HST website ber of the “cult” and a “bishop” is now ex- The pictures were interesting and ini- ship”? I don’t think so. The image is most posing Rael for what it was. I normally pay tial statements indicated either a French interesting and it looks like an odd comet. no attention to these sort of things and missile launch or some model rocket ex- However, scientists suggest it is the prod- consider such groups a big joke. Didn’t periments. The photographs looked like uct of two asteroids colliding together. I anybody learn from “Heaven’s gate”? It neither in my opinion but they really were am sure they will continue to monitor it really is sad that the “leaders” of these not very detailed. It was eventually deter- to see if it changes course for earth indi- groups take advantage of people, who are mined by a Finnish UFOlogist that they cating an “intelligent” origin. Until then, often easy to manipulate. were simply airplane contrails! I was sur- it is probably what they suggest it is. prised by this revelation but after reading I understand the Martin Shough has the story it seemed plausible after all. According to the Stephen Greer’s CSETI “cracked” the stratocruiser sighting website, on November 17, 2009, they near Labrador on June 29, 1954. This Chris also commented on an entry by came in contact with an alien presence. classic UFO case was one of those pre- Billy Cox concerning MUFON statistics. The link states they were receiving “Orion sented to the Condon study for analysis by He notes that MUFON is reporting an “un- transmissions” on their “radar detectors, Gordon Thayer (section III chpt 5). Shough known” rate of 45%! Chris points out this laser detectors, Electromagnetic devices, presents an extensive argument and it ba- has to do with weak or nonexistent inves- magnetometers, tri-field meters”! Their sically comes down to an optical mirage. I tigations. He states the value should be location was in Joshua Tree National Park am curious if the various UFO proponents more like 5%. Rutkowski goes on to state: near a place they had experienced an in- will accept his ‘mirage” explanation or is it credible event in 1996, too classic a case for it to be ever explained So, another statistical study of UFO reports to their satisfaction. shows there is a real phenomenon worth ... we were visited by a very large disc- studying, but the data needs some serious shaped ET craft that descended quickly Frank Warren reported that a UFO land- examination. from space and merged with the earth. ing had occurred in a park at Exmouth, UK. Roy Shaw, a retired engineer and sup- I could not agree more. They went to the area where the 1996 posed skeptic, saw a UFO landing in Phear UFO had merged with the earth. After Park. An alien entity exited the craft and Dr. David Clarke announced the re- seeing a bright light in the sky and a approached him. The entity was sort of a lease of more MOD UFO files. As always, bright laser light, they then went back translucent white blob and his dog react- his youtube video pretty much sums up into their “contact circle”. There they saw ed by growling at it. Shaw twisted his an- the entire collection. My favorite was the lights and heard voices speaking un- kle when he ran away. He also reports his “radar-visual” UFO case he described in known languages. Somebody then took dog is not quite right and won’t go back his video. Who knows why radar opera- some pictures and photographed an ET to the park. We are told there is another tors were reporting the echo produced by “floating” above their chairs! The photo- witness. I hope it is not the dog. a church spire as a UFO since, as Dr. Clarke graphs are with the link above. It looked states, the echo was normally there. The like some bushes to me but the CSETI Paul Kimball wrote a very interesting visual component was apparently the website pronounces it to be a genuine article about the reliability of military usual Venus misidentification. ET. men and police officers as witnesses. Paul pretty much rehashes some of the Several UFO web sites/blogs posted the Make of this what you will but when I same old points presented in the past with latest image from Hubble and called it hear such nonsense as “laser detectors, some new examples. The bottom line of a UFO. If it is in outer space, is it really fly- tri-field meters, and contact circles”, I his blog entry is important: ing? Anyway, the Hubble web site gave a instantly become skeptical. I think this reasonable explanation that was ignored little CSETI nugget once again indicates This is not to dismiss military or police wit- by those trying to make this into some- that Dr. Greer and his followers are peo- nesses, of course. Rather, it is to remind thing it wasn’t. It was initially discovered ple not grounded in reality. Perhaps Dr. people that no UFO case can stand on just by the LINEAR (Lincoln Near-Earth Aster- Greer ought to show this to the media eyewitness testimony, and no eyewitness oid Research program) telescope and as- and congress the next time he has one of testimony should be allowed a free pass, signed the designation P2010A2. Hubble his dog and pony disclosure shows! or the equivalent thereof, based on what was directed to image it. Is it a “mother 3 of ice in Roswell was scooped up by the Astronomers locate un- The Roswell RAAF in July 1947. Nothing appeared in the papers and it seems unlikely that identified space object this would happen in mid-July without In mid-January of 2010, there was an an- Corner some serious complaints by the com- nouncement regarding an object that munity. The lack of any mention that was going to make a very close pass to there was a shortage of ice in town by the earth. The object was originally clas- JARS: Just another Roswell the local media indicates that this sto- sified as a 10-meter asteroid (2010 AL30). “story”. ry should be seriously questioned. Of However, its orbit was unique and gave course, one has to wonder why would the impression it might be a spacecraft Mr. Bragalia continues to present us RAAF bother grabbing all the ice when launched from earth. Michael Kahn of JARS for consumption on the UFO they probably had these kinds of re- the European Space Agency did some Iconclasts blog. In his latest, we are pre- sources on the base? Like so many of computing and determined it was pos- sented the stories told by the widow of the JARS that have surfaced over the sibly an upper stage from the rocket that General Harry Cordes, Rogene Cordes. years, it is hard to accept certain parts launched the Venus express mission in As always, we are fed the usual rumors of these stories as accurate or factual. 2005. It seemed like a reasonable expla- and claims about an alien spaceship nation for the object’s nature. crash as if they are facts. The Battelle-Titanium story: So why is this worth discussing? Well, I Some of her stories appear to be inac- Case closed? have always wondered why UFOs appear curate. She claims her husband was a out of nowhere. Most of the time, these radar operator at RAAF but that was not Billy Cox reports that he has received the craft are relatively small and to make an the case. He is listed as a radar observer infamous Battelle first progress report interstellar voyage in such a craft would on B-29’s, which means he probably op- on Titanium alloys. If you recall, Tony have been uncomfortable to say the erated the B-29’s radar, which is differ- Bragalia stated this was the study of the least. The most common argument I have ent than operating an air search radar. Roswell metal. When I saw the second heard is they come from some “mother- The B-29 radar is basically used to iden- progress report, it was my opinion that ship” that is nearby. The “mothership” tify a specific ground target from the air. the “missing first progress report” was must be of significant size. I wonder It can also be used for navigation and just the first sixty pages that were miss- why astronomers haven’t located it? The gathering intelligence by identifying ing in the second progress report (and Near Earth Object (NEO) telescopes have various ground based objects. Howev- covered the previous time period). Cox been working at an amazing pace find- er, it is not designed for air search. The did not provide a copy of the document ing asteroids that come near the earth image below is taken from the on-line but did state it was 59 pages in length but none have ever spotted a “mother- version of the “Radar observer’s Bom- and simply covered previous work on ship”. For that matter, none have spotted bardment Information File” showing Titanium alloys. It sounds like those the signs of any UFO coming into earth the basic capabilities of the radar. We missing 60 pages I mentioned back in space. also know that there appears to be no SUNlite 1-3. Of course, there was no I can only assume the arguments against operational air search radar at Roswell mention of studying any Roswellian this are: in July 1947 based on documentation metal. Was that a surprise? Can we final- • The UFOs come in too fast to be im- produced by Robert Todd some time ly put this to bed or are we going to get aged by these telescopes ago. Therefore, one has to consider more allegations and innuendo about that any references to radar tracking how Battelle was feeding the Navy labs • The UFOs are too small to be seen by of a UFO crash as being highly suspect information to produce Nitinol? the telescopes and it certainly was not done using the • The UFOs are arriving “cloaked” and radar on a B-29. therefore can not be imaged.

The one item I found amusing in her The first argument indicates the detec- revelations was that the entire supply tors in these telescopes are incapable of recording fast targets. This seems un- likely. The second is false because most UFOs reported are in the 10-meter range or larger. The third seems ridiculous in that the UFOs suddenly become “un- cloaked” to the casual observer on earth. I am sure UFOlogists can come up with other reasons but it seems that the lack of confirmation by these telescopes in- dicates that it is unlikely that UFOs come from outside the earth’s environment.

4 reviously in SUNlite 1-3, I had dis- Citizen’s Band (CB) radio set and foul up Pcussed DPP (Dual Process of Percep- Twenty-first century UFOl- his automobile’s performance. Here tran- tion) events as “Minisaucer sightings and ogy Part III scribed word-for-word, his account: close encounters” while also presenting several case studies to better illustrate Time – 0637 (hours) – While driving to the strange phenomenon. Matt Graeber work north on I95, I observed four disc- shaped objects, three ahead and to my DPP experiences differ sharply from “Dy- charge) offer to use these data within left, and one ahead to my right. All the namic Display” (DD). DD’s are triggered their organizational publications. I shall objects were about 100 yards above any by the interruption of consciousness by not bother to venture a guess on their exiting or man-made structures. The ob- some visually perceived external stimuli seldom stated concerns and objections to jects seem to be approximately 300 yards (i.e. some “unknown” aerial object). This is this alternative approach to UFOs. That’s ahead of me. not to imply there is an ET presence. Just another story for another time. I had my CB in my car and was transmit- that for the moment, the object is “un- ting at the time of the sighting. My trans- identifiable” to the witnesses. The point is Mr. Printy has extended his mission was as follows, “Breaker 19 for a friendship, tolerance, and given me the southbound on I-95. Oh my God! There’s DPP is believed to be a “subconscious pro- opportunity to reach out to you through three bogies over houses around Highland duction”, which somehow finds its way his fine on line publication. So, I feel we Avenue!” Someone replies, “Breaker 19, I into the waking state of the observer and all owe him a debt of gratitude, respect, see them bogies!” is played out. DD requires a “consciously and appreciation for doing so. Perhaps “At that instant my radio went dead, not perceived triggering event” of some kind Mr. Printy said it best in SUNlite 1-3, and off, just dead! I am very certain that what I to occur. In the two case studies we are I quote from his ‘Editor’s reply’ to a reader saw was real, not a reflection of gas of any about to examine, we will identify the named Michael: kind. I knew what I saw was not any type aerial object(s) and the experience nar- of aircraft that I have ever seen before. I’ve ration as “symbolic dramatization”, which To be honest, I dislike the idea of Skeptics worked for an airline for nearly nine years. masks the “hidden meaning” behind the “battling” UFOlogists or “us against them”. The objects were close enough that they event. I try and view it as two opposing opinions did not look distorted. I estimate that they about the same problem for which there were about the size of a single-engine air- In other words, the event is a dramatiza- is no solution...yet. Too often proponents craft – like a Piper cub, about 19 feet long. tion of a then active (albeit latent) psychi- ignore critical information and it is my No noise was apparent. A pale yellowish- cal complex, which is adversely affecting desire to make sure everyone gets the rest white color emanated from all the UFOs. the observer(s) at the time of their saucer of the story. I have no interest in swaying Also as they left a very pale green color sighting. I suspect women will readily those who want to believe in UFOs. They was around the middle of the entire craft grasp what I am describing because wom- will always draw their conclusion based form the direction I was coming” en tend to be in better touch with their on emotion. I am more interested in pro- emotions and intuitive nature. In fact, our viding the information to those willing to The duration of the complete sighting culture attempts to educate emotion flat, make a more objective evaluation of the was estimated to be about 45 seconds. and affords intuition little more than a evidence. distant corner at the table of the taboo, A Misidentification? the mysterious, and the unknown. I feel pretty much the same as Tim does about things and have also never con- he investigative reports findings indi- Some may argue this sort of UFOlogy sidered myself a UFO expert of any kind. Tcate that we have several very good may be a slippery slope for skeptical in- Rather, I am but an aging “student” of the reasons to suspect that birds (probably vestigations to travel upon. But, it may phenomenon. I am not seeking celebrity, gulls or terns) were actually the objects also provide a spectacular mountain top a following, or financial gain through this that Raefield observed. However, we also vista for “all” researchers seeking a deeper series of articles. I just wish to pass the know that this witness has some practi- understanding on some of the unknown information along to others before the cal experience at observing aircraft on a phantoms of the skies events. I have great mother ship swoops down from the daily basis. Because of his reliable and in- come to believe DPP and DD events do sky for me. Hopefully, SUNlite readers telligent character it is difficult to imagine have a definite place in Twenty-first cen- will find these data to be of some poten- how he could have been so far off-base tury UFOlogy and hope SUNlite readers tial value and merit. and to have mistaken terns, or even the may offer their thoughts on the subject larger gulls, in flight to be comparable for further discussion. I welcome both The Raefield affair in size to a Piper aircraft. Additionally, pro and con opinions on the topic. even with this fluke of optics explained, his report comes to us from a 29-year- there still remains the question of how a The case studies we are about to discuss Told man whom we shall call Mr. Rae- sighting of birds could cause a CB-radio were previously published in the UK’s field. On the misty morning of August to malfunction, and radically affect the Magonia Journal back in 2002 and 2003. 26, 1976, near Chester, Pennsylvania, he relatively new car’s otherwise good per- However, several American saucer group encountered four discoid UFOs, which formance. leaders have not accepted my (free of somehow managed to knock out his One can easily account for the tremen- 5 dously inaccurate estimates for the UFOs acutely rough feel of the shoulder’s tex- tation) certainly appears to have been so size in some reports simply because of ture, which was transmitted through the reduced that only a “subjective” psycho- the effects of various atmospheric- con steering column, caused him to assume, logical occurrence of a marked character ditions existing at the time of the event, mistakenly, that the engine was malfunc- could account for the reports emergence. the separating powers of the human eye tioning. In other words, our witnesses may have at the distance, and the effects of sub- Additionally, he was aware of the fact been primed (or “set”) to see four gulls in jective emotional and/or anxiety-laden that quite a number of well-publicized a certain way. tensions and fears, which may adversely UFO accounts inform us that UFOs are al- affect one’s judgment considerably. In leged to have the capability to knock out The Raefield interview our witness’s case the assumed size of and adversely affect an impressive array the UFOs to that of a Piper aircraft does, of terrestrial apparatus and instrumenta- hen my wife, Grace, and I inter- of course, automatically provoke the pi- tion. But it could also be that he had, in Wviewed him, we found that he was loted thought, and, in addition to that confusion, turned off the on switch of the a very interesting and intelligent person other visual clues such as the UFOs seem- CB set during the sudden event. Such “all – he was sincere and did not come across ingly fixed sky positioning, came across too human” happenings are not uncom- as the type of person who would inten- as being an example of a rather well- mon when an individual is under great tionally exaggerate his experience. He disciplined flying formation for Mr. Rae- emotional stress or when one perceives worked two jobs, liked to read novels and field. However, a closer examination of a direct threat to one’s safety. some science fiction, but most of all, he the event illustrates that all of the above In fact, such things can even happen enjoyed technical publications on pho- may have been little more than a chain of when the tasks required of an individual tography, which is his hobby. He was fond mistaken assumptions, which curiously so affected are supposedly very simple of art, and we noticed two poster-sized tended to verify and reinforce each other. and, indeed, are and often are called “sec- prints hanging on his apartment walls. The problem is that we seldom bother to ond nature”. An example of this might be One was a more-or-less religiously-toned verify what we have seen with our own a lady who cannot fasten the clasp of her rendition of hands (similar to Albrecht eyes, and, of course, one does not have necklace no matter how hard she tries, Durer’s Praying Hands), while the other the opportunity to replay a UFO experi- simply because her dinner guests have was an interesting abstract work in pale ence for critical evaluation. arrived fifteen minutes early, and have yellows, soft grays and greens. completely upset her plans. His manner of dress was casual and his Witness sincerity On such occasions, the problem might apartment was definitely bacheloresque reach such proportions that she might (i.e. lacking feminine touches such as fan- ut, since our witness’s sincerity in fil- call for her husband’s assistance, whilst cy curtains, etc.) although it was quite or- Bing the report is beyond question and claiming that the clasp must be broken. derly. Oh yes, one small room in particular because it is the very “stuff” of so many In so doing, she has shifted the cause of caught our eye, for it was obviously over- other UFO reports, we must consider the her emotional state, its accompanying furnished- by that I mean to say he had fact that the mere sight of these strange nervousness, and her diminished dexter- a stereo, TV, end table, and an extra-wide objects must have been a tremendous ity, to an alleged fault in the necklace. It reclining lounger crammed into it. This, psychological shock for Mr. Raefield. In seems reasonable to suspect that our he explained, was his favorite niche, the fact, we might even go so far as to sus- witness may have done the same thing. place where he and his girlfriend spent pect that in such a state (observing and For he informed investigators that the peaceful moments together. rapidly approaching four alien craft) he car and CB radio performed very well just As the interview continued, Mr. Raefield was probably experiencing the event before and immediately after his UFO en- informed us of his recent “marital difficul- emotionally and physiologically as well. counter. ties”, and this new light, when shed upon Perhaps he was sweating, nervous, stam- With such considerations behind our ef- case particulars, which were already gath- mering, and experienced a momentary forts, we must now attempt to take a ered, seemed to bring several things into loss of control over his car. It is suspected more penetrating look at Mr. Raefield’s focus. This led to the following commen- that Mr. Raefield’s automobile drifted psychological make-up before, after, and tary of the Raefield case. onto the roadside shoulder during the especially during the event. Our probe of UFO experience simply because his at- the sighting particulars and the search for Tentative findings tention was fixed on the UFOs and not physical evidence to establish the fact he the highway. Therefore, the abrupt and alleged (observing an extraterrestrial visi- The report indicates that the observer is 6 traveling to work, when suddenly, on the addition to this, the atmospheric con- terplay of both internal and external ele- highway ahead of him, he notices four ditions at the time of the sighting may ments was caused by an actual physical flying saucers. Three of them are situated have contributed to the illusion by act- event, as well as being a coincidence. We on his left side and the fourth disc on his ing as a sort of prism through which the know that the witness was “psychically right. The latter, although identical to the misty morning’s light reflected off of the set” to be looking for an answer to his others in design, appears to be rather bird’s white feathers created the interest- problems, as well as fearing to run head- smaller or positioned closer. In this in- ing UFO coloration reported (soft greens, long into them, even though he may have stance, the objects on the left side of the whites, and pale yellows). The downward been completely unconscious of the fact roadway may be interpreted as a triadic slant of the UFOs protrusions situated on at the time of the encounter. subconscious assemblage (or symbols) the ends of the craft also points towards Thus we have discussed how the sym- that were projected upon Mr. Raefield’s this avian speculations since gulls in bolic contents, which were buried deeply faulty observation of the gulls. So, on flight often assume a pronounced down- in the human psyche, can be catapulted an unconscious level, these misidenti- ward slanted wing attitudes when glid- into the field of consciousness during a fied gulls may represent his family (an ing along, hanging on the thermals. UFO encounter, through the mechanism estranged wife and two children). While As the reader can see, a curious thing has of a visually-triggered process of self-per- the fourth object, on the right, though happened here. The dynamics of an actu- ception and emotional responsiveness. appearing to be somewhat small, never- al physical event (the UFO/bird sighting) But beyond our seemingly in-depth anal- theless has the potential of being of the have precisely mirrored the psychody- ysis of this UFO encounter, we must also same significance to him by virtue of the namics of an unconscious psychical com- ponder the fact that the investigators of exact likeness to the other UFOs. I suspect plex affecting the observer (i.e. his imme- this case cannot categorically prove that this symbol is a symbolic representation diate marital problems). So in a strange Mr. Raefield’s experience was triggered of his new love and the developing rela- way, the witness was actually observing by a faulty observation of gulls on the tionship with her. If so, these dynamical- and experiencing a real world happening wing. In fact, he has never accepted this ly-charged symbols indicate that the ob- and his inner world’s tension and fears on prosaic explanation, and insists that he server is heading towards the fourth UFO, display. This unusual mix of perception accurately reported on the size, configu- which has its own uniqueness, in that it and projection is then a kind of “subjec- ration, and coloration of the four strange is situated on his side of the road. This tive dramatization”. craft he observed above the highway. loosely translates as “on his side” in his dif- In this case, it seems reasonable to sus- In light of this impasse, and because of ficulties. pect that the impact of perceiving such a similar statements voiced by others who It is interesting to note that the three ob- vivid “dynamic display”, as we’ve come to had similar UFO experiences, I had to jects on the left side of the highway are call such UFO experiences, would trans- consider the possibilities that either the a potential threat to his progression in form the birds into what fits Mr. Raefield’s observers were simply reluctant to accept reaching his destination, which lies in the and the worlds view of the great expec- the idea that they had made an honest direction of the larger object. At any mo- tation of our times.(i.e. contact with a mistake about what they had seen with ment, they could intercept him simply by highly advanced extraterrestrial civili- their own eyes; or, that I had completely crossing over the central median of the zation) especially since so few positive failed to present them with a convincing highway, to “cut him off at the pass”, so to visual clues as to the birds true identity explanation to what may have actually speak. Instead, our observer pulls his car were available to his conscious powers happened to them. off the road (after experiencing some sort of perception in the first place. The problem is that the unsuspecting of engine and CB malfunction) to take a If so, then the fact that a second (albeit UFO observers seldom have the oppor- better look at these fantastic objects; and unidentified) motorist, who also saw the tunity to closely scrutinize the sudden, just as suddenly as they appeared with an bogies in the sky does not in the least bit shocking, and fleeting objects that come unusual “jerky motion” they “blinked out” threaten or destroy our psychological upon them. Because the highly emotion- simultaneously (both the jerky motion estimate of the situation. For, surely, that al experience is theirs (not the research- and the blink out effect are extraordinari- individual would have had similar diffi- ers), one should not under estimate its ly common descriptions of UFO behav- culties in recognizing what he was look- subjective uniqueness and psychological ior). Raefield then looks about quickly for ing at through the early morning haze. value to them. For, if a DD-type UFO ex- the fourth object, only to discover that, Unfortunately, that motorist did not file a perience is a visually triggered “self-reg- it too, has vanished. He ponders his UFO report with UFORIC, local police authori- ulating” function of the human psyche, experience, in light of the difficulties with ties, or the international airport (which is one should not attempt to extinguish its his car; the other motorist’s transmitted located several miles form the sighting potentially beneficial affect upon the -ex message, and the CBs sudden failure. It area). periencers by reducing it to a mere opti- seems that much has happened in such a cal flue of some sort. short time, and his mind is still reeling at Summary Could it be that some UFOs are from out- the marvel of seeing alien craft. er space, while still others hail from the This seem to be more than a reasonable t seems to be apparent our observer’s depths of man’s inner space, that is, his suspicion for, as you might suspect, the Ipersonal problems may have been di- subconscious mind? Perhaps UFO reports combination of the car’s motion and the rectly projected on a faulty UFO observa- like Mr. Raefield’s offer us a brief glimpse bird’s gliding flight could easily produce tion – but we cannot, in good conscience at both the physical and psychical com- the hovering appearance of the UFOs. In dismiss the fact that this synchronous in- ponents of the UFO experience and, in 7 so doing, brings us a bit closer to under- rs. Bailey said that she had observed His report concerning the witness’s sin- standing this enigmatic phenomenon? Mseveral strange lights in the sky cerity and his attempts to shake them It seems reasonable to suspect that this when she first noticed the UFO. The ini- from their story reads as follows: may be the case, and that by including in- tial light was yellow in color, then seven vestigative inquiries along these lines to appeared, or was it five (She seemed a The people appear to be sincere about those currently employed by researchers, bit uncertain about this point)? Anyway, their sighting. The mother seemed to be we may both enhance our skills and ex- then one object came into view: It was a still shook up about it, but did not seem pand our knowledge on the UFOs as well disc which was flying very low. In fact, it to be afraid to talk about it. Her daughter, as those who observe them. was so close that it flew right over her car. Susan, said very little but appeared to be The saucer was said to be gray in color, it interested in knowing exactly what they The Bailey family case had a dome on top, and sported a white saw. light on its leading and trailing edges. It After talking to them, and after all the his report was passed on to us by also had a red light centrally affixed to its data were obtained, I showed them the Tmilitary personnel (the officer of the underside. According to Susan, Mrs. Bai- book with the pictures of the different UFO guard) at Willow Grove Naval Air Station ley’s thirteen-year old daughter who was configurations in it. The mother first: she in south-eastern Pennsylvania, at 2200 also present during the event, the object picked out P44, P21 (only upside down), hours on the night of 17 November 1977. had an inverted V-shaped protrusion sit- and P13 (with the bottom removed). However, the actual time of the sighting uated on its topside’s trailing edge. Ap- The daughter, Susan, picked out case 22 was fixed as about 7:30PM that evening parently, Mrs. Bailey did not see this pro- (but with no windows or triangular pro- and, as it turned out, this was an impor- trusion because “the UFO flew on a kind trusions), also U16 and U102 except with tant point for the investigator to know of slant”. the inverted “V” on top. because it was raining and completely The four witnesses, Mrs. Bailey (36), Susan (The references pertain to object configu- overcast in the vicinity of the occurrence, (13), Betty (11), and Debbie (5), all agreed rations found in the investigator’s hand- which was eighteen miles away from the that the object made a humming sound, book – this method of determining what base. We contacted the primary witness had several lights that blinked as it ap- the object looked like is only used after (Mrs. Bailey) by phone that night (she was proached them, and that it also seemed the witnesses’ sketches were gathered or still excited about the experience) and to slow down somewhat just as it passed if they were so artistically inept that such gathered some basic information before over the car. The total observation time assistance was required.) dispatching our field investigator to in- was thought to be about one and one I tried to make the confused about the terview here. In all, three interviews took half minutes in duration with the UFO object’s size, distance, and the experience place during the course of the inquiry, being positioned no more than one hun- in general, but could not change their sto- which lasted two months. However, our dred feet overhead. Mrs. Bailey guesses ries. contacts with her continued until mid- that its size was “something like seven or 1979. eight feet thick and about twenty feet After gathering all the information re- long (meaning its diameter)”. quired for the investigative process em- The report The initial investigation of the matter was ployed at UFORIC (an investigative tech- handled by Mr. Gordon Myers of UFORIC. nique that involves a search for both a physical and/or psychological basis for the event), we reached this tentative conclusion regarding the Bailey family’s experience.

Investigative findings

he witnesses’ description of the ob- Tject’s lighting pattern(s) and its char- acteristics of flight were not too far out of line to be considered as those of a small fixed-wing aircraft performing a banking maneuver. This seemed reasonable to suspect since Mrs. Bailey and her daugh- ters had agreed on the positioning of the object’s lights and the fact that the UFO made a humming sound “something like a motor” as it passed over their car. The only really puzzling factor remaining was why they saw a fin-topped disc and not an airplane’s outline. We have encountered this type of mis- identification many times before at the 8 You were my childhood dream come back On the seventeenth of November A dream I’d often dreamed And now always will remember.

A child’s dream come true But as real as real can be Born of elements unknown Somewhere in the galaxy.

And in all your elegance You stood without a glow Bit I’ll remember always My little gray UFO.

The Psychological probe

uring our inquiry into the sighting, UFO center and found that when the hu- nevertheless, noticeable characteristic to Dwe asked Mrs. Bailey if she would be man eye fails to obtain a complete con- her children. willing to cooperate with us and permit figuration for contemplation because of a psychological probe of her experience. observational distances, darkness, and/ The impact of the sighting She complied, and the investigation (as or restrictive atmospheric conditions, with the Raefield affair) revealed a rather etc, the mind frequently fills in the miss- rs. Bailey and her daughters were remarkable point-for-point symbolic relat- ing pieces of the image with a subjective Mtremendously affected by the sight- edness between the sighting particulars outline, or it may, less often, even create ing and no amount of persuasion involv- and her immediate personal life’s situation, several UFOs from a single object. In such ing a logical (or prosaic) explanation which, as it turned out, was something of instances, it is very important for the in- for the event could diminish the valid- a sad state of affairs. She had been recent- vestigator to ask if the objects appeared ity of their UFO encounter. Mrs. Bailey ly separated from her husband (Doug) to be flying in formation. staunchly maintains the belief that she and was living in a small apartment with Additionally, you may recall, according to had indeed observed an alien spacecraft. three of her five daughters. Kathy and Su- the Bailey report, that the sky was totally In fact, the impact of the observation was san were residing with their father. Susan gray (or overcast) in the sighting vicinity so profound that it rekindled her long la- was staying with Mrs. Bailey at the time of and so was the object reported. So, it is tent desire to write poetry. Mrs. Bailey’s the sighting. She said she felt good about not too difficult to embrace the notion first effort was, appropriately enough, getting away from Doug (her husband of that no true outline was actually discern- about her UFO experience (we wish to 15 years) but was deeply concerned about ible to the witnesses at the time of the thank her very much for allowing us to how things might turn out for her, and ex- event. publish it): tremely apprehensive about how things Moreover, Susan mentioned during her might go for the children. interview with our investigator, Mr. My- An experience ers, that the object first looked like two A lonely single little gray Mrs. Bailey’s dynamic display high beams in the sky. Such is, of course, Not at all reflected precisely the appearance of aircraft ap- A moving night sky t first Mrs. Bailey reported observing proach lights. This coincides with the And I, the selected. Aone yellow point of light in the sky fact that many small and medium-sized (since the sky was completely overcast, aircraft fly over the sighting area, which No beauty of its own that is, ominously toned, and because Mrs. is close to a civil airport that services sev- No moon to chaperon Bailey’s first perception was that a yellow eral small helicopters and many privately No cheers, no welcome (caution) light, we might suspect that an owned and shuttle-type corporate air- I, the audience alone. intuitively apprehensive attitude was in craft. keeping with the coming event – simply It was obvious to the investigators that No mystery, no illusion because of its “ominous likeness” to her in- the sighting was almost certainly a mis- No trick of the eye trinsic tensions and fears). identification, and it seemed even the Yet, in my wonderment Then seven lights (UFOs) appeared (i.e. discrepancy involving the odd projec- I did not ask why. the total number of family members) then tion on the object’s topside pointed to a five lights (i.e. the number of children), banking fixed-wing aircraft as being the You came to me in motion then one UFO, which was a disc-shaped cause of the report. The airplane hap- I do not know from where (tri-lighted) contraption that featured a pened to be flying on an angle, which If memory serves me right dome on its top and a fin-like protrusion turned its tail away from Mrs. Bailey’s line You just happened to be there. situated towards its trailing edge. At the of sight, while making it a fleeting but, closest approach point during the event, 9 Mrs. Bailey said that “the saucer passed purpose (a sentiment often expressed by o there you have it, two case studies, directly above her car!” causing some ex- UFO observers). These remarks were not Sthe psychodynamic factors affecting citement and a curious mixture of fear, the kind of “ego-inflating” statement that the observer(s) lives, the mechanics of fascination, and awe. In fact, Mrs. Bailey might signify the lifting of one’s mind the events and the witnesses reported attention was so riveted to the object from its hinges; but, rather, the kind which case narratives, along with the “sym- that she was totally unaware that her five- bolsters an already battered personality, bolic meaning” behind the events. Read year-old, Debbie, was actually standing defending it from more harm. down-to-earth UFO experiences, which on the hood of the car, jumping up and Indeed, hers were expressions of an ex- have eluded the understanding of many down and screaming her head off! It was traordinarily soothing nature, which UFOlogists over the last six decades while at this point that the object symbolically emerged in her mind in a rapid-fire form adding to the bulging files of “unknowns”. took on the great emotional significance, of cognition. In them, she found refuge, More importantly, reports of this type, which was primarily kindled by a deep- strength, and hope. Was her UFO sighting when mistakenly classified as “unknowns”, seated fear she had long harbored con- the modern-day equivalent of a genuine tend to contaminate the researcher’s da- cerning the potential of an incestuous religious experience? Her philosophical tabase and led investigators away from episode taking place involving Mr. Bailey and “spiritual” transformation (or conver- their intended goal. and their oldest daughter, Kathy. sion) seems to be, at least in part, related When I had investigated these cases my This fear was not a product of fantasy, but to the event. dear wife (Grace) accompanied me on the a hard-core reality that tore at her from She found herself writing more poetry, interviews and showed me an entirely many sides. Doug had already attempted sleeping and eating much better (gaining new way of looking at UFO experiences. “this unspeakable act” on a couple of oc- ten pounds in one month), and, most in- I would respectfully suggest all male field casions when he was drinking heavily. terestingly, a nightly skywatch (UFO sur- investigators leave their egos at home, What’s more, her two oldest daughters, veillance) performed with binoculars bor- and take their wives or, significant others, who were still residing with him, were rowed from her brother became a family along on cases. It is a real mind-expand- receiving little, if any, meaningful guid- ritual for about three weeks (nothing was ing learning experience. Especially, while ance. Kathy and Susan were also creating observed during this time). Since then, driving home discussing the interviews. additional stress loads on Mrs. Bailey be- her situation has improved – all of her Women tend to read people much quick- cause they were succumbing to a variety children now live with her and she has er and better than many men. of teenage peer pressures. met someone who is very special and she Because UFORIC researchers’ did not have In fact, the financial situation was so thinks that he feels the same way about the opportunity to perform a blind study dire that even though Mrs. Bailey deeply her. She is thirty-nine years old at the with peers on the DD hypothesis using yearned to have all the children living time of this writing and has just started “unresolved” cases drawn from their UFO with her, it really was totally impossible to really live. group databases, we have no idea what to make all the arrangements primarily percentage, or fractional percentage, of because of Doug’s obstinacy and lack of Summary the unresolved reports may fall into the financial support. DD category. But, we all suspect that t appears that we are left with four pos- since personal and/or family problems af- Content of a “dynamic display” Isibilities to consider regarding these fect all of us from time to time, this may UFO experience enigmatic experiences; either the UFOs contribute to the frequency, dispersion, are seemingly weightless alien spacecraft and persistence of some stranger UFO o it appears that Mrs. Bailey’s UFO or holographic transmissions (of unknown reports. Most pro-UFO groups seemed to Sobservation was played out and ex- origin) that tend to behave like (or mimic) be unimpressed with the DD hypotheses perienced through “a dual process of mental mechanics and human emotions. and refused to cooperate with UFORIC. perception”- the first being that of a sud- Or, perhaps they are “psychic projections” While a skeptical journal’s editor choose den interruption of her consciousness by that can leave a trace on a photo nega- to ignore the request of one of his own direct sensory stimuli (i.e. the observation tive and even return a radar echo, as Dr. group’s contributing writers to publish of a fleeting UFO), and the second being C.G. Jung mentioned many years ago. DPP data, few offered any comment at that of a completely unconscious form of Or, they may represent something that is all. So, I am left in the dark concerning recognition and emotional response to only perceived by people caught up in a their objections and concerns. However, the symbolic situation and confrontation synchronous psychical and physical state one respected UFOlogist did say he felt dramatization of her immediate anxiet- or situation. This is a problem that seems DDs were far too exotic. Yet, hundreds or ies and fears that were unfolding in front to challenge our concept of reality be- thousands of nightly abductions seemed of her. Perhaps Mrs. Bailey intuitively cause it may illustrate that the observer not to be too exotic for him! summed her experiences best when she and the phenomenon observed are one. wrote her UFO poem….”You came to me If true, one could hardly be ridiculed for Matt Graeber is a retired commercial artist and car- in motion, I do not know from where, If thinking of such UFOs as modern-day toonist. He is the ex-director of a small pro-UFO memory serves me right, You just happened signs in the skies. group in Philadelphia. He is not a trained psycholo- to be there.” gist and offers these data as speculation and opin- Mrs. Bailey now expressed the thought Conclusions ion. that her existence was not mundane but rather exceptional and filled her with new 10 investigated by both civilian and military The Malmstrom AFB Missile shutdown: An representatives. Contrary to suggestions examination of James Carlson’s critique by a number of individuals that he has confirmed their insulting and ridiculous assertions that one or more UFOs hijacked from one to three flights of nuclear - mis siles during his watch, he has repeatedly insisted that UFOs had absolutely noth- ing to do with the malfunctions that did occur on that date, a claim supported by the undeniable fact that UFOs were never reported by civilian or military observers on March 16, 1967. That deserves to be re- peated : there were no UFOs reported on March 16, 1967 by anybody*. 1

* Mr. Carlson is stating that nobody made these reports in 1967. He is not including the stories told decades later in this remark.

I also would like to point out the James Carlson has been the target of some rath- er abusive responses by those defending Robert Salas and his story. While Carlson comes across as heavy handed, one can understand his point of view on the sub- ject when you see people saying unkind things about him and his father. He and I have discussed this at length and I can not change his attitude about the matter. I may not completely agree with how he approached his manuscript but I think it is worth reading. With that being said, let’s examine the major points of his doc- ument.

Does Robert Salas have that bad a memory or is he a liar?

A very talented individual I met in the JREF forums did this little item for me. He wants to remain anony- arlson spends a great deal of time re- mous but he wants the image credited to “Psycho Clown”. I think the artwork does say something. Ccounting the various versions of the Salas story. What becomes clear is that bout a year ago, I was made aware of I think it is important to understand who Salas, the primary witness to the Malm- AJames Carlson’s personal knowledge James Carlson is. He describes his posi- strom UFO event, has shifted his story about the Malmstrom AFB missile shut- tion early on in his manuscript: over the years and can’t seem to keep his down incident. This case had become a story straight. staple of UFO folklore as one of the best At this point, in all fairness to those propa- cases indicating that UFOs present a seri- gating the March 16, 1967 UFO fables, • He initially felt he was part of Echo ous threat to national security and I was and in the interests of full transparency, flight, which did have its missiles curious what he could add to the body of it should be noted that the author of this shutdown on March 16, 1967. Echo knowledge that existed. I contacted Mr. narrative is the second son of Captain Eric flight was part of the 10th missile Carlson and asked him if he would write D. Carlson, who on March 16, 1967 was squadron. an article on the matter and he agreed the ranking commander at Echo Flight, to do so. I was surprised at the lengthy the missile station attached to Malmstrom • When it was discovered he was not piece he wrote and quickly determined AFB’s 10th Missile Squadron that suffered part of Echo flight, he changed his that it could not fit into SUNlite. Initially, an equipment malfunction that resulted in position to being part of November I thought of editing it down but then de- the entire flight of ten Minuteman Missiles flight (490th missile squadron) and cided it would not be fair to his work. In- going offline and reporting a “No-Go” sta- stated their missiles shutdown as stead, I decided that he should post it on tus. My father has always maintained that well. There is no evidence to indicate the internet and I would add a summary the missiles went offline due to an equip- that November flight’s missiles shut of it here in SUNlite. ment malfunction that was thoroughly down like Echo flight. However, there 11 is mention in the unit history that a days that followed Salas was not in- details, we have to seriously question his security team was sent to investigate terested in their identities or for the recollections. Such story shifting dem- November flight at the time of the welfare of the injured man. His most onstrates a desire to make a story better Echo flight incident. recent claim (A story apparently nev- and discard items that have been shown er told prior to this) is that another to be inaccurate. I find it amusing that • After further investigation it was re- unnamed member of the security Mr. Salas recently wrote the following: vealed that Salas did not belong to detail contacted him shortly after the either Echo or November flight. In- event wanting to talk to someone At least for the sake of that airman I spoke stead he was attached to Oscar flight about it. Salas states that he turned with, and for all the other officers and (490th missile squadron). this person away because he had men in the Air Force who have had to given an oath not to discuss the mat- keep silent about what they experienced • He later would shift the date of his ter. To this day, no security personnel with these objects, I, without reservation, missile shutdown to the morning of from this group have ever stepped accuse the U.S. Department of the Air March 24, 1967 to match the new forward to tell this story. Claims of Force of blatant, pervasive and a continu- testimony of Bob Jamison. There is being sworn to secrecy just don’t ing cover-up of the facts, deception, dis- no evidence that any missile shut- wash because Salas has violated his tortion, and lying to the public about the down happened on that day. It is security oath (at least he claims he reality of the UFO phenomenon.2 not in any unit history even though signed a non-disclosure agreement the Echo flight shutdown and subse- about this event) and has suffered no By presenting the USAF as a target, Salas quent investigation is there. repercussions. is creating an emotional appeal for the UFO community to ignore his constantly For a man who happens to have a vivid • Salas states it was dark outside when shifting story and focus their attention memory of the event, he seemed to have the event transpired. According to on a conspiracy theory they will accept. a problem even remembering where he the unit history, the time of the Echo served and when the event actually hap- shutdown was 0845 local time. This USAF Histories pened. Other points about the Salas tes- is well after sunrise. With the shift- timony are brought up by Carlson: ing of the date to March 24th, he has r. Carlson moves on to inform us eliminated this discrepancy. Mabout unit histories and the prob- • Salas claims that his Launch Control lems associated with them in the 1960s. Center (LCC)) was in communication In my over twenty years of Naval service, He notes that the unit history was written with Echo flight. Carlson’s father, there are no events that I can not remem- by Airman second class (E-2) David Gam- who was in charge of Echo flight, de- ber to the point where I would keep shift- ble, who was assigned the task of Wing nies such communication occurred. ing the date of the event and the unit to Historian. Assigning an E-2 as the care- There would be no reason for Echo which I belonged. My father, about to taker of the unit history indicates it was flight to contact November/Oscar turn 80 years old, is a wealth of informa- not considered a very important task. In flight, which was part of a complete- tion regarding his naval career. He can 1967, Gamble was probably a desk clerk ly different missile squadron. Salas recount many events when we talk. He under the supervision of a junior officer. would later refute his own claim by may not remember the exact date of Looking at the documents at the black- stating first that it was not Echo Flight these events at his age but he does not vault regarding this event, one can see that told them about Echo flight but forget the units or names of key individu- that the unit historians pretty much cop- the “command post” and then it be- als. Since my retirement, I have commu- ied the messages and reports without came “another Launch Control Cen- nicated widely with numerous members any embellishments. Gamble has since ter (LCC)”. Changing the date of the of the military (including Mr. Carlson). been interviewed and stated he was told shutdown to March 24th, which was All seem to have no difficulty in recall- to write the entry into the history about not the day of the Echo flight shut- ing personnel and units associated with UFO rumors being disproven. However, down implies that the story he told major events in their careers. Some may the same entry is footnoted as being tak- about the phone call was something have trouble recollecting exact dates but en from the report made by the investi- he probably made up their memories are not so bad that they gating team so is this really true? Gamble have to keep revising what happened told UFO investigators that he tried to • Salas claims that he was in communi- when or where. investigate but received no cooperation cation with a security detail topside from anybody. It is no surprise that an that was investigating a UFO and The key point here is that Mr. Salas can E-2, which is one of the lowest ranks in that a member of the security team not seem to remember the major details the USAF, did not get cooperation from was injured (possibly by the UFO). about the most important event in his the senior enlisted men/officers. The ac- There is no evidence in the unit his- military career. Would a D-day veteran fail tual team of investigators led by a Major tory to verify this and Salas tends to recall the date and beach he landed was conducting interviews with these of- to change the story over time with upon or his unit? Nobody is questioning ficers and men. It is unlikely they would varying embellishments. No names that he was present at Malmstrom. How- give the time of day to an E-2 clerk, who are ever mentioned concerning the ever, in light of the fact that he has so was making inquiries about the same security detail. Apparently, in the much trouble with identifying the major time. The bottom line in all of this is that 12 the histories were as accurate as an air- man second class could make them. Any reading between the lines at what they mean is just guesswork.

Rationalizing the documents

ames Carlson moves on to argue about Jhow UFOlogists have tried to make all sorts of speculation concerning the unit history entry. Brad Sparks’ states at the NICAP web site that the National Security Agency (NSA) shifted responsibility for the case to the Boeing Company in order to hide the fact that UFOs were involved. By stating that all rumors of UFO activity turned out to be unsupported, the NSA could hide the fact that UFOs caused the shutdown. This forced the Boeing Company to conduct an expensive wild goose chase. Carlson points out that the NSA had nothing to do with such events and it was an agency designed for gath- ering intelligence about other countries by employing sensors. Why it would be interested in the missile shutdown is not explained by Sparks and James declares this to be a “paranoid fantasy”. He also points out that the Boeing Company A map showing the layout of all the various flights and squadrons. It is interesting to note that Oscar flight and Echo flight are about the same distance from Lewiston, where Jamison went to restart the flight of ten was not the only group involved and missiles. The Belt, MT UFO sighting was near flight A-1. One must wonder why Alpha flight did not shut- the investigation was headed by a Major down instead of Oscar on March 24th. Map comes from Carlson’s manuscript (available on line). James H. Schraff. Mr. Carlson also men- tions that the entry about UFO rumors by Salas. It implies that the Belt Montana being replaced. So it seems likely the were originally an “unclassified” entry in UFO sighting/landing has little to do with missile systems were being repaired or the unit history meaning the information anything described by Salas. upgraded to prevent failure. Figel talk- was not that important. Most important ed to the maintenance teams about the is that Bluebook had no entries about The supporting cast shutdown and there is some discussion UFO reports from Malmstrom on the about a potential UFO sighting. Carlson 16th of March. There is also no evidence arlson points out that there is very suggests it is basically banter between that Lt. Col. Lewis D. Chase was involved Clittle confirmation about Salas’ - ver Figel and the maintenance team. One in the Echo flight investigation. Being the sion of events. Salas originally presented can not say for sure but it does appear Malmstrom UFO officer, he would have his watch commander, Frederick Meiwald to be some light-hearted discussion and had to file the reports with Bluebook as some sort of confirmation but his tes- not something that was being taken seri- and investigated them. Finally, any UFOs timony seems to be limited to what Salas ously. Carlson’s father was with Lt. Figel present would have been reported by tells us. I am unaware of anybody per- in the capsule and reports that UFOs had the civilian community and would have forming an “on the record” interview with nothing to do with the shutdown. made headlines the way the Belt, Mon- Mr. Meiwald. According to Carlson, it tana sighting made headlines on the was probably Meiwald’s revelations that Another important supporting witness 24th of March. Remember, this was not forced Salas to change his location from is Bob Jamison, who was interviewed by the middle of the night but around 9AM November to Oscar flight. Robert Hastings. Jamison reports being local time. The absence of any such re- involved in a “restart” of an entire flight of ports indicates a lack of UFO activity on Lt. Walt Figel was interviewed by Robert ten missiles at Malmstrom near Lewiston, March 16th. Hastings and he reported that mainte- Montana. According to Hastings, Jami- nance teams were working on Echo flight son was ordered to stay at the base until Of course, the recent shift by Salas to the the day before and the morning of the all the UFO reports ceased in the area. He 24th appears to be to match up with the Echo flight shutdown. Documents re- also received a special briefing to make Belt, Montana UFO sighting. However, vealed by Carlson demonstrated that a lot sure they reported any UFOs near the this was at 9PM on the night of the 24th of problems existed with various system site. It is concluded that this happened and not early in the morning as described components and they were frequently on March 24/25 and it was Oscar flight Ja-

13 mison was sent to restart. It is not hard to Extensive tests at Malmstrom, Ogden Air source of the pulse was internally gener- determine why the date selected was the Material Area, and at the Boeing plant in ated. I would not consider the difficulty 24th. It has a lot to do with the Belt sight- Seattle revealed that an electronic noise in locating the precise source of the pulse ing. Belt, Montana is some 15 miles from pulse had shut down the flight. In effect, as unusual. Trying to establish the exact Malmstrom AFB but about 80 miles from this surge of noise was similar to the elec- same conditions that existed is a very Lewiston. If the Belt sighting was holding tromagnetic pulse generated by nuclear difficult task and one weak component, back activity near Lewiston, it seems odd. explosions. The component of the Minute- which was never identified, could have Carlson points out, and I agree, that this man I that was most vulnerable to noise been the source. The more complex the testimony appears absurd. Why would pulse was the logic coupler of the guid- system, the more difficult it would be to the USAF not try to restore a missile flight ance and control system. Subsequent tests reproduce the exact conditions of the simply because of “UFO reports”, which showed that the same part in Minuteman shutdown. posed absolutely no threat? If the UFOs II was equally sensitive to the same phe- were truly a threat as implied by this nomenon. At the end of the fiscal year Is this the answer? testimony, the USAF would establish a 1968, however, filters were being installed combat air patrol (CAP) over the affected to suppress electromagnetic effects, and hen examining the information pre- area(s). Certainly, the USAF could spare a these might screen out noise. 3 Wsented by James Carlson, we have few armed interceptors designated for air to seriously question the various stories defense of the United States above the Carlson’s argument is that the source told about any missile shutdown beyond silos, base, and UFO location while the of the signal is not an electromagnetic the Echo flight on March 16, 1967. Only team went to restore these missiles that pulse but electronic/electrostatic noise a few people have come forward to even were vitally important to the defense of pulse that acted like an electromagnetic provide testimony that might support Sa- the country. This version of events ap- pulse (EMP). las’ tale. Some of it has been subjectively pears to be more of a “sea story” full of interpreted by over eager UFO investiga- some exaggerations and/or embellish- James Carlson devotes many pages try- tors wanting to promote their books and ments. Perhaps Jamison was recalling the ing to explain the similarities between an research. Meanwhile, there seems to be Echo flight incident (which also was near EMP produced from a nuclear explosion a perfectly logical explanation for what Lewiston) and the UFO part had to do and a noise pulse produced electroni- caused the missile shutdown. In my skep- with those “rumors” that were circulating cally. UFOlogists want everyone to be- tical opinion, it seems that James Carlson around the base. As suggested by Carl- lieve that the pulse which shutdown the provides a very good case for what trans- son, it was probably Hastings prompting missiles have everything to do with the pired at Malmstrom that spring and there that inspired Jamison to come up with UFOs producing an EMP into the system. is no reason to suspect that UFOs were the date of the March 24th. Of course, the question remains, why involved in any way. didn’t the EMP event affect other systems The real story behind the mis- such as radio communications. It seems References sile shutdown that one can more logically conclude the source of the pulse was internal to 1. Carlson, James. Amercians, Credulous. have never seen any of the investiga- the missile complex and not from some Available WWW at http://www.scribd. Itors of this case mention a TOP SECRET external source, which would definitely com/doc/26641522/Americans-Credu- document titled USAF ballistic missile affect other systems. This is the - argu lous-by-James-Carlson. February 2010. p. programs 1967-1968 by Bernard C. Nalty. ment presented in the unit history and 7-8 Nalty was a professional historian, who’s other documents surrounding the Echo resume’ includes many books on military flight shutdown. This is why the USAF 2. Salas, Robert. The Air force cover-up: history. Carlson points out that much of spent thousands/millions of dollars and Deception, Distortion, and Lying to The the material was highly classified and in- man-hours chasing the problem. If the Public About the Reality of the UFO Phe- dicated that Nalty would have had access AF knew that a UFO was the cause, there nomenon Available WWW at http://www. to any classified documents associated would have been no need for the investi- theufochronicles.com/2009/10/air-force- with the missile shutdown(s). Strangely, gative team to conduct all this effort. cover-up-deception-distortion.html. Oc- Nalty only discussed the Echo flight shut- tober 9, 2009. down and there is no mention of any Despite the extensive effort by the inves- other shutdown of this nature. tigative team, it seems they were never 3. Nalty, Bernard C. USAF Ballistic Missile able to duplicate the no-go shutdown Programs 1967-1968. Office of Air Force Nalty’s history identifies many problems every time they tried. They came close history. September 1969. p.16-17 with the minuteman systems. Contrary and were able to duplicate the Echo- to popular belief, it seems that, in 1967, flight shutdown signals 60% of the time. I want to thank James Carlson for his con- guidance and control system failures They had pinpointed the cause as com- tributions and necessary corrections to were far too common in the Minuteman ing from the logic coupler but could nev- this article. silos. They were susceptible to electronic er pinpoint the exact source of the noise noise and this is what apparently shut- pulse. They did eliminate the source down Echo flight that day. being from commercial power sources, which led them to conclude that the 14 descriptions of autos, license plate num- Twenty-First Century UFOlogy IV: bers and the clothing suspects wore, etc.

SOCORRO REVISITED So, if policeman Lonnie Zamora had es- timated he had very briefly observed By Matt Graeber, Edited by Grace L. Graeber two little men (or kids?) wearing white coveralls at an estimated distance of 150 to 200 yards (that’s one and a half, his entry in the series of Twenty-Fist when I feel we should be seeking a better to two football field lengths away); They TCentury UFOlogy actually began understanding of Mr. Zamora. This is es- may have been the Surveyor technician back in 1973, after my having read quite sential to my quest for the establishment and the Bell helicopter’s pilot from White a bit about the Socorro ‘landing’ case of a Twenty-First Century UFOlogical ap- Sands; Or, two humanoid saucer occu- and searching for similar objects, insignia proach to the enigma. pants minus bulbous heads or, dark wrap- and/or landing gear impressions which around eyes. They might also have been had been linked to any other UFO sight- As with many other convoluted, hearsay- the hoaxing NMT students or the biker ing reports. filled, twist-and-turns of saucer lore, the pranksters I mentioned above. Come claim Mr. Zamora knowingly falsified his to think of it they might have also been Thirty-seven years elapsed and I found report seems to go a bit haywire from robots, cyborgs (like the Terminator), or, NO similar objects among UFORIC re- its onset as there are so many specula- hybrids too? That is, ‘IF’ Mr. Zamora had ports. There were NO landing gear im- tive opinions about the case. The object actually seen them and was not further pressions of a similar variety, but, a few may have been a hot-air balloon with its embellishing his story for the authorities. vague UFO reports and very questionable noisy propane burner; a prank pulled off Lonnie Zamora also reportedly bumped UFO photos did sport similar insignia in by students from the New Mexico Mining his leg while hurriedly dashing from the the popular saucer literature. (Now, when and Technical College in Socorro1; a hoax object as it roared and flamed upward. I say similar, I am not referring to an exact by a group of bikers who had machinist’s His prescription eyeglasses and green likeness, just similarities, and I know this skills and worked for a military contrac- sunglasses fell from his face and were is a very subjective endeavor) However, it tor at the time (while also heisting parts momentarily lost. So just how well did has recently been claimed Mr. Zamora a to build their own experimental aircraft); Mr. Zamora see at the distance (or, even policeman and the key eyewitness to the an early ‘Surveyor’ lunar lander test gone at closer range) while running, looking UFO landing had falsified his description awry; a hoax perpetrated by municipal over his shoulder at the shiny object, of the object at the behest of authorities authorities to spark interest in Socorro; while also gazing into the 5:45 evening who had investigated the matter. Pre- and, of course, the most popular of the desert sun? sumably this was done to conceal what batch, an E.T. visitation, or, ‘CE-III’ as it is the object truly was from the public. As affectionately known in the sub-cultural Suddenly, the certainty, clarity and close- you probably know rumors and suspi- world of the saucer enthusiasts. The obvi- ness of the well-publicized encounter cions concerning government cover ups ous fact, that hearsay (from any source) is seems to evaporate and great deal of rea- have long been a staple of UFO lore. not considered to be reliable evidence is sonable doubt fills in the remaining void. often overlooked! I have also been monitoring the recent Capsulated version of a very claims emerging since Mr. Lonnie Zamo- Close Encounters of the Third kind, as cold case: ra’s passing on November 2, 2009, in re- specified by the late astronomer and gard to his legendary Socorro, N.M. UFO iconic Ufological figure, Dr. J. Allen riday - April 24, 1964 - approximately landing report of 1964. In weeks prior to Hynek, involve the observation of “Ani- F5:45 P.M. New Mexican police officer his death, I was aware of Mr. Anthony Bra- mate Beings” during an estimated 500 Lonnie Zamora was in his police cruiser galia’s assertion the Socorro incident was feet or less UFO observation. While it may pursuing a speeder, when he was dis- a hoax perpetrated by several students be a bit difficult to conceive of precisely tracted by a bluish-colored flame (with from the New Mexico Mining and Techni- what is meant by the term ‘animate be- some orange in it) and heard a loud roar cal College. ings’ regarding unknown and assumed in the sky. As he approached an arroyo to be existing alien life forms. It might be in the general direction of the flame and However, it is not the claims of Mr. Bra- assumed flesh and blood, man-like alien sound, which was also the location of a galia and others I wish to address at this creatures (or so-called humanoids) of a dynamite shack, Lonnie feared the worst! time (but, I do thank them very much for mammalian type might fit the descrip- Thankfully, the dynamite shack hadn’t sending their most interesting informa- tion (?) However, it would not quite fit exploded, but, he then noticed what he tion, thoughts, suspicions and opinions the description provided by policeman first thought to be an overturned auto in along.) Moreover, I have reached a point Lonnie Zamora who was a “trained ob- the gully. Zamora broke off his pursuit of on the Socorro matter where I suspect it server”. Like military pilots, scientists and the speeder. He notified his dispatcher will forever elude 100% positive identifi- astronomers, Mr. Zamora had not been and further investigated the apparent cation primarily because it is lost-in-time trained for a sudden, shocking and very accident. Upon closer inspection at the and we investigators are still attempting bizarre UFO encounter. As a policeman, arroyo, the overturned auto now looked to establish exactly what the object was, he was trained to provide commonplace more like a strange egg-shaped object 15 standing upright on two slender legs. hind at the scene, other than four alleged and bolts enthusiasts who knew not how There were also two men wearing white landing gear impressions in the soil along many species of alien creature were vis- jumpsuits (Zamora used the word ‘cover- with some smoldering foliage, it might iting earth; anything of the alien’s failing alls’). They were moving about the object prove interesting to know what may have genetic pool and their bolstering agenda; and apparently saw Lonnie’s approaching been affecting Mr. Zamora at the time of or, of the thousands of covertly abducted cruiser. They immediately disappeared his close encounter with a UFO. I mean earthlings who were routinely returned behind the now horizontally-positioned other than the shock and awe of the ex- to their beds and tucked in nightly by lo- object (which sported a red insignia on perience itself. Was he thinking straight, gistical wizards with swollen heads and its side) and then lifted off with a flaming were his reasoning faculties working huge black eyes. When we were later roar, leaving behind landing gear impres- properly, or, was he in a semi-altered or, informed by abduction experts some of sions and footprints on the desert floor altered state of consciousness of some these unfortunate souls were returned along with some smoldering foliage. The kind? We might suspect his adrenalin was to their beds wearing other people’s un- incident has since been known as the up because of the auto pursuit. So too, derwear. we were naturally both amused Socorro UFO landing case or, simply, the his senses of urgency and danger may and a left speechless! Zamora CE-III in UFO parlance. It was the have been heightened as well as events case Ufologists pointed to as proof’ of vis- unfolded at the arroyo. The Blue-Book Report: iting alien spacecraft more than a decade before the revisited Roswell saucer crash Then, there is the matter of an analysis of he blue-book report clearly indicates and cover up story became the most the footprints. Were plaster casts made at Tthe investigators (U.S. Air Force) and popular and legendary piece of modern- the scene? Did they appear to be human the FBI investigator at the site, felt of- day American folklore. footprints to a certified podiatrist? What ficer Zamora’s character was good and size and approximate weight of the crea- his testimony was sincere. They also con- Moreover, if Mr. Zamora was wearing his tures involved in the event estimated to cluded the matter was not going to be green sunglasses when he first noticed be? Did the prints indicate an abnormal easily resolved, but, thought it may have the ‘bluish’ flame in the sky, How certain gait of the creatures? I do not recall these had something to do with various testing can we be the flame was actually blue?2 A questions being pursued by UFO field being conducted at the White Sands Mis- blue flame generally indicates a hydrogen investigators back in 1964. It seems the sile Range. According to the UFO briefing fire (as seen in color photos of the *Hin- big foot researchers of today would have Document Case Histories provided by Mr. denburg disaster); while a hot-air balloon surely sought such data. Brad Steiger (Ed.) in 1976, and other re- requires a propane burner with its bright searchers. Lonnie Zamora had provided orange flame. So too, the unmanned Sur- As stated above, I had read quite a bit testimony and sketches of his encounter veyor lander with its mechanical scoop- about this case during the early seven- to help clarify what had occurred and ing arm utilized Vernier engines and at- ties in the popular UFO literature. At the what he witnessed. titude jets producing orange flames. time, UFO occupant reports were rather exciting since the abduction malaise had Among the many points mentioned by So, if one should desire to classify this not yet swept through saucerdom like a researchers, are the facts officer Zamora incident as a true CE-III, one would have flu epidemic. Most UFO proponents were hadn’t the object in continuous sight as to turn to Mr. Ted Bloecher’s CE-III ‘Sub- not thinking in terms of screen memories, the event played out in the arroyo. He types’ to move ahead with the matter. For mind blockages and floating through sol- had observed the object while driving as with CE-II subtypes, purely anecdotal id physical objects like wooden doors, etc. from a distance and also on foot after he and other very questionable accounts We were a rather backward bunch of nuts exited his cruiser to further investigate. are usually of much lesser value to foren- sic scientists and skeptics who prefer to analyze hard physical evidence of some kind. Are you aware one of Mr. Bloecher’s CE-III subtypes does not require a UFO to be seen during a close encounter with animate beings, and, he was also one of the early movers and shakers of the ab- duction movement?

Unfortunately, like Mr. Bloecher and many other self-proclaimed UFO experts, I can offer absolutely NO physical evidence on this matter; but like the experts, I can speculate a great deal with the hopes of expanding our store of knowledge on the case while possibly learning something NOTE: The depiction in the lower right corner shows the object in a vertical position (as officer Zamora about the witness as well. Since Lonnie had first spotted the object on the arroyo). Zamora was the only evidence left be- 16 There were brief periods of time when A Skeptical Point of View: Back to Socorro 1964: land features did not permit viewing the object which officer Zamora initially he incident has been examined, eval- ne thing stands out regarding this thought was an overturned auto… then, Tuated and speculatively attributed to Ocase. It may be the best document- an upright egg-shaped object standing various causes over the years. But it ap- ed landing report, but, it is far from be- upon two slender legs. Yet, within sec- pears to be the sensationally sci-fi- like ing the best evidence one might hope to onds or perhaps, another moment’s time, E.T. Visitations Hypotheses (ETVH) contin- obtain on E.T. visitations. I realize some it appeared to be horizontally positioned ues to seize and excite the imagination of folks have recently claimed a similar craft with the ground and standing upon four many saucer enthusiasts. was sighted in Montana. However, the legs. Zamora also saw two men, the ob- claimant seems to lack the reputation of ject’s red insignia. Then, heard its loud Perhaps, the investigative efforts of being an objective researcher. So, with- pitch-changing roar and saw its flame as skeptic Dave Thomas (of New Mexicans out further comment, I shall stick to my it lifted off.3 for Science and Reason) are most note- earlier remarks that NO similar object worthy since he speculates the object in has been reported. NO similar landing The local newspaper, El Defensor Chief- question was actually a scheduled and gear impressions have appeared in the tain, carried reports of an “unidentified documented.5 Surveyor test of the same UFO literature, and only similar insignia tourist” at a local gas station who claimed date as the Zamora UFO incident. Mr. have appeared in a few reports and upon “Aircraft flew low around here.” The paper Thomas does make a very cogent and UFOs depicted in very questionable pho- also reported the witness had said the persuasive case for his thoughts on the tographs. object he observed about the time of the Socorro incident, but, it is the amount Zamora encounter was a “funny-looking of detail he puts into his effort which Let’s briefly discuss the insignia as a psy- helicopter, if that’s what it was.” Certainly interests me most as a researcher (e.g., chologically-produced symbol much like a side-mounted early Surveyor lander Mr. Thomas notes Lonnie Zamora had the patient dream symbols frequently carried aloft by a Bell helicopter would be worn green-colored sunglasses over his analyzed by clinical psychotherapists: kinda funny looking, and present officer prescription glasses at the onset of the The curved upper portion of the Socorro Zamora with a very strange profile while encounter). Coincidentally, I had worn insignia might represent the female as- it was upon the ground, as Mr. Thomas various colored sunglass lenses to deter- pect of the symbol (as any concave items, aptly points out in his word-economic mine how much they altered colors and such as cups, bowls and receptacles of post “The Socorro UFO - Explained?”. the appearance of objects while I was at various types are considered female sym- the UFO Report and Information Center bols). They often appear in the dreams The object (or, craft) was said to be white (UFORIC) in Philadelphia during the early and during the subjective ramblings aluminum in color and its crimson insig- seventies - this was as I launched various of patients being analyzed. Anything nia was about twenty-four inches wide shaped and colored party balloons while pointed, like the upward penetrating ar- by thirty inches in height.4 The two small performing optical experiments.) I feel row depicted in the Socorro insignia, or, a occupants wore white jumpsuits. Zamora Mr. Thomas had made a very prudent, sword, a lighthouse, or even a ray of light did not notice if they wore helmets; nor, objective, humble, point-for-point case could take on phallic significance and did he mention their having abnormally for the ‘Surveyor explanation’ of the long- are, therefore, considered to be mascu- large heads. There is a great deal of infor- ago Socorro incident without depending line symbols. mation posted on the internet about this upon bolstering his thoughts with a lot of event - some serious and many others hearsay, rumor mongering and fantasy- Replicas of the red insignia on obviously of a humbug copycat variety. prone arguments. In fact, he uses a ques- the Socorro object However, the above stated information tion mark at the close of the title to his seems to be fairly well-established and post. So, he is obviously an objective and t is important to understand the insig- should suffice for the purpose of our dis- honest man. Inia on the Socorro object, like markings cussion. upon military aircraft and the badges on uniforms are representations of origin or, authority. However, a symbol (in the psychological sense of the word) might represent anything at all to the human psyche subconsciously, subjectively and even collectively, and is not necessarily specifically representational of origin, or, authority. In short, a symbol is an abstrac- tion upon which an individual might proj- ect meaning, such as with an ambiguous Rorschach plate or, a work of modern art. Emblems, signs and icons should not to be confused with symbols or, insignias.

17 printing. cially, since Lonnie Zamora is suspected of offering a bogus object description at Dr. Jung explained the Quaternity symbol the behest of the Air Force and FBI au- by making use of the prophet Ezekiel’s thorities (perhaps, doing so was some- biblical vision. “Here the Quaternity has thing of a moral and emotional struggle a 3 + 1 structure, three animal-demonic for him?) Additionally, I respectfully ask, faces and one human one. The Quaterni- is there any good reason to doubt Mr. ty might also be as a symbolic represen- Zamora hadn’t much of an opportunity tation of the Trinity and the Devil, or, the to visually scrutinize the object, the little four groups of Christian metaphysics - men, or, the insignia on the side of the three synoptic, and one Gnostic. (Dr. Jung craft at the time of his brief UFO encoun- as a child was raised in a religious family ter. However, Mr. Zamora did have plenty with several relatives who were men of of time afterwards to eyeball and con- the cloth. So, it is not surprising to find so template the landing pad impressions in many metaphysical analogies in relation- the soil and, the scorch mark at the site, Thus, within the Socorro insignia, one ship to his psychological concepts.) How- and then, come up with his bogus tale. might assume this union of sexual oppo- ever, to dismiss Dr. Jung as a mystic might We also know Lonnie Zamora was de- sites may represent a bit more than the be a huge lapse of good judgment on our vout and very actively involved with his depiction of an arrow pointing upward part. After all, one does not dismiss Dr. Christian faith, both the Quaternity and towards a curved line. If we consider the Sigmund Freud’s psychological concepts Quincunx symbols appear within church possibility the Socorro incident may have simply because he placed emphasis upon dogma, upon celebratory décor and simply been a prank - and the insignia the sexual aspects of human psychology. vestments, numerous icons and church was indeed the creation of NMT students It was Dr. Jung who gave us the concept architecture. So, the question immedi- with too much time on their hands; or, of introverted and extroverted personal- ately arises: Had Lonnie Zamora made a bikers who were sticking it to their boss ity types, and I feel he was very much a conscious psychic connection with the or, the aircraft industry (biker’s often use man of his times, personal observations similar pattern on the ground before double-meaning insignia upon their and tremendous educational achieve- him, or, did it autonomously (unwittingly, jackets, tee-shirts and motorcycles). Of ment. subconsciously or, unconsciously) spring course, the message behind the insignia into his mind and he fabricated his story may not have been intended for insiders The Socorro landing gear impression, or, from that point? alone, and a much cruder and far more pad marks left in the desert soil more or direct message may have been intended less form a Quaternity, in that three of In fact, if the pattern/symbol was left for anyone who might have observed the the impressions are equally spaced apart upon the ground by the strange object, object(?) After all, boys will be boys! with somewhat circular pad marks form- it really should not concern us very much ing a rough triad; while the fourth is very if Mr. Zamora falsified his report or not, But, it is the landing gear impressions in much askew and rectangular in shape. as the psychical impact and affect of the the soil and the scorch mark left behind However, when we consider the scorch provocative symbol would have proba- which may also be evaluated to unique mark within the overall pattern we see a bly been similar for him. I shall offer a few symbolic status. Not as a symbol or insig- misshapen Quincunx or, five part symbol examples of the Quaternity for my read- nia crafted by human hands, but one that which is similar to the symbol found in ers. Hopefully, doing so will not lead us just happened to be left behind by the the ancient tradition of’ the Philosopher’s away from Twenty-First Century UFOlogy craft itself and suggested something to Stone”. I realize many of my readers will and into the mind-numbing cul-de-sac the eyewitness because of its ‘archetypal’ immediately scoff at the mere mention of depth psychology. However, for those or rudimentary pattern and psychical im- of alchemy but, one must also recall, the seeking more information on this topic, pact. This is very much like the symbolic brilliant Sir Isaac Newton was a serious I’m certain Mr. Printy would be happy to representations which have always ap- practitioner of the tradition…which I, pass your request along and I shall con- peared to men and women (in one form too, believe is pure nonsense! But, it is not tact you directly. or another) throughout various eras in the practice of the tradition we are inter- their art, literature, mythology, philoso- ested in here, it is the persistent re-emer- Examples of the Quaternity may appear phy, and spiritual musings. There are a gence of this particular symbol. Might it in literature, ancient text, a UFO report number of such symbols; but, for our dis- be a part of mans hard-wiring or, was Mr. and religion (See below.) The symbol cussion we shall focus on the Quaternity, a Zamora’s encounter filled with the sense appears in expressions of various ideas, symbol with a four-part structuring (three of being a numinous event? situations, events and human emotions often alike, and the fourth not exactly like at very different times. But, the motif of the other three), and the Quincunx which Now, I realize this sort of psycho-babble three plus one structuring is strikingly is also called the Quintus Essentia by the is not very popular in Saucerdom, and I similar in all instances - Argument may late Dr. C.G. Jung (1875-1961) who wrote hope your eyes are not glazing over… be made these are merely coincidental. about analyzing flying saucer reports as a However, it seems to me we should con- But, how many of such a uniquely com- modern myth of things seen in the skies sider the symbolic significance, impact plex and abstract psychical constellation - Signet Publications January 1969 - fifth and affect upon the human psyche. Espe- [or, symbol] might we expect to find ap- 18 pearing throughout history? It is not as if • Speaking of the Trinity and Satan berg appear to be equally structured one consciously had a particular number the four may nevertheless make up and none are positioned askew. Yet, in mind (such as 33), and were continu- a Quaternity too; though one is con- (another variation of the Quaternity) ally discovering it in the amount pocket sidered to be fallen from grace, sinful, while, the cannon-like tubes appear change they had, on building address’, dark and evil. We might even find a to be typical of artillery weaponry of taxi cab numbers and within telephone Quaternity in a family of four, consist- the times; there may also be an anal- numbers, etc. Coincidence might mistak- ing of three healthy individuals and ogy made for the tubes being similar enly be attributed to Dr. Jung’s thoughts a forth dysfunctional and addicted to the so-called Mother ship sight- on the archetypal character of the Qua- family member. (Perhaps, appearing ings of today’s UFO reports. ternity and the Quincunx because of his as a Quaternity in a concerned and life-long researching. But, certainly, such troubled family member’s dreams Within the foreword to the Signet edition is not the case with Mr. Zamora’s UFO about the situation.) of Dr. Jung’s book we find the following encounter which had distracted his con- written by Martin Ebon “Why would one scious pursuit of a speeding automobile. • The Time Machine in H.G. Wells clas- of the grand old men of modern psy- sic science fiction story was said to chology [once heir-apparent of Sigmund That is why I feel these symbols belong be standing upon four legs, three of Freud] sit down, in the last years of his to a form of subconscious or, as Dr. Jung which were identical and the fourth life, and analyze the significance of “Fly- says ‘unconscious’ pattern resonance (not was of another substance entirely. ing Saucers” (UFOs) or, Unidentified Fly- the process of conscious recognition) The Quaternity also appeared (and ing Objects…..Because he saw many re- which I have come to call the function of took on human characterization) in ports of the sightings of Flying Saucers, Dynamic Display. Moreover, if it is a mat- the heroic tale of “The Three Muske- and started to puzzle about the people ter of common analytical practice to deal teers.” who said they had seen them. Because he with dream symbols as being meaningful found it intriguing to speculate on what, to the analyst’s patient. So, why are non- • The witness depiction of the UFOs within ourselves, seems to demand that dreaming symbols found within UFO re- involved in the UFORIC investigated such things as UFOs are real. Because he ports thought to be too exotic and eso- Raefield (Dynamic Display) case, sensed the deep emotional appeal which teric, while UFO encounters believed to places three UFOs on one side of the such extra-terrestrial vehicles, and their be random events which do not relate to highway, and the fourth on the wit- supposed inhabitants have - not just for the UFO observers lives? According to Dr. nesses side of the road. (i.e., on his those who report having seen them, but Jung…”it must nevertheless be stressed side of his marital problem.) for millions of other people throughout that there is an unmistakable resem- the globe.” Thus, Dr. Jung wrote about blance between the UFO phenomenon UFOs from a largely collective analytical and certain psychic conditions which perspective. But, he also analyzed UFOs should not be overlooked in evaluating as they appeared in his patient’s dreams, the observations”… as well as, their symbolic significance in abstract works of modern art.

Dr. Jung informs us (on page 101 of his book) about his thoughts on a literary work written by Mr. Edgar Sievers ‘Saucers uber Sudafrika’ he says ”Anybody who is interested in the psychology of the [UFO] rumor will read this book with profit, for it offers a comprehensive survey of the psychic phenomenology of the UFOs.” (Dr. Jung saw UFOs as “Visual Rumors”, • The Christian cross has three up- closely akin to the visions witnessed by per portions which are more or less the faithful multitude at Fatima and those equal in length (i.e., spiritually sym- reportedly seen by troops on the battle- bolizing the Trinity, while the fourth • In 1561, an aerial spectacle (UFOs?) field at Mons.) However, my Twenty-First portion is much longer and touches witnessed and recorded at Nurem- Century UFOlogy with its individual case the ground and might represent the berg, Germany, (thought to be a studies on ‘Dynamic Display’ (D.D.) and earth or, perhaps, the domain of Sa- portent at the time.) The Quaternity ‘Dual Process of Perception’ (D.P.P.) are tan. This three plus one symbol is not appears within two of the crosses my amateurish attempts at bringing the like an actual Roman cross used for depicted within the broadsheet illus- UFOs down-to-earth and making the execution purposes in biblical days tration, just as three of the four land- UFO experience a bit more understand- as they were shaped like the like the ing gear impressions of the Socorro able for my readers. As one might recall, I letter “T”. object were identical and one was am not a certified psychologist, psychia- not. However, the crosses at Nurem- trist or, flying saucer expert of any kind, 19 So, I am speaking to you as a totally unac- copter were scheduled for 24 April,1964. cernible at 100 yards with the sunlight credited student of the phenomenon. However, the scheduled time of the test behind the craft. Obviously, the pure does not correspond with officer Zamo- white test panel (in the photo) is not FOOTNOTES ra’s 5:45 P.M. encounter with a UFO at the sharply distinct to the separating powers arroyo. However, scheduling was quite of the unaided human eye at a distance 1. Students at the NMT college in Socorro, flexible at White Sands and some testing of 100 yards. In fact, a polished aluminum New Mexico, have acquired a long tradi- and bomb run exercises caused delays metallic surface (frequently illustrated as tion of prank-pulling - many of which with other scheduled testing. Socorro ‘chrome-like’ on the internet regarding have never been fully-authenticated is about 40 miles north, north-west of the Socorro incident) would have been and may be just campus rumor or, leg- White Sands Missile Testing Range. rather dark because the sunlight would end. Several versions involving the1964 have been behind the craft making it a Zamora incident include the use of bor- Below the scheduling document from poorly contrasted silhouette. rowed college equipment (such as a WSMR, courtesy of Mr. Dave Thomas projector) which was obviously not use- (NMSR) Add to the above considerations: Per- ful in the daylight encounter, as well as, haps, Mr. Zamora saw a glint of sunlight students who allegedly had altered soil It has also been frequently argued a hot- reflecting off the metallic, glass or, plastic sample evidence brought to the college air balloon was the object officer Zamora upper section of the unidentified craft, laboratory for analysis by police authori- had observed. However, the departing and perhaps too, the after-image of the ties shortly after the Zamora incident had object was said to have flown into the glint upon his retina caused him to think occurred. prevailing desert wind, which obviously he had seen an upright object standing defies balloon flight capabilities. on two slender legs. Then, there is also 2. Color photos and high-ranking eyewit- the absence of a shadow of the object ness accounts of the 1937 Hindenburg Parting investigative thoughts being reportedly cast upon the ground in disaster clearly indicate blue hydrogen the Zamora case. Surely, with the desert gas vapors were escaping and burning wo photographs, taken at approxi- sun behind and above the landed object, from the upper portion of the Zeppelin’s Tmately 4:10 P.M. on January 13, 2010 a shadow should have been apparent and aft section. The terrible orange conflagra- at a Plymouth Meeting, Pa, community noted in the report. As one can see, there tion was fueled by the painted silvery football field. The photos were taken us- are numerous optical factors which may (dope mixed with graphite), on the colos- ing a Motorola three megapixel picture- give rise to reasonable doubts concern- sal airship’s envelope. phone at the ranges of 100 yards and 50 ing the reliability of the Socorro report. yards. The photo at 100 yards was taken 3. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who came to in- with the sun in the background (much as As a spokesperson for the often ignored vestigate the Zamora incident felt the was the case with the Lonnie Zamora en- and neglected subconscious mind of some reported size and estimated weight of counter of 1964.) The test panel was then UFO observers, I thank you for reading and the landed UFO could not have been re-positioned to 50 yards on the opposite considering my thoughts on Twenty-First thrust aloft judging by the amount of end of the football field, so it would be Century UFOlogy scorching visible on the ground at the better illuminated by sunlight which was site. While Mr. Dave Thomas says the lift no longer behind it. for the side-mounted Surveyor was prob- ably provided by the helicopter, and the As you can clearly see, a white aluminum scorching may have been caused by the craft’s body as described by the witness soil sample gathering mechanism of the (actually, polished and unpainted alu- lander. Phil Klass who also visited the site minum) would not be exceptionally dis- said pads like Surveyor’s were among the only practical shapes for that function.

4. Optical experiments with a 22.5 X 30 inch (two inch in stroke) red Socorro in- signia replica on a white panel clearly illustrate the insignia was not easily dis- cernible to the scrutiny of the unaided human eyes at a distance of 100 yards. However, at 50 yards it was discernible to a person with good vision. (A photo- graph of the actual test panel with insig- nia appears within and at the close of this article.)

5. At (WSMR) White Sands Missile Range one of the tests for a Surveyor and heli- 20 Test panel at 100 yards

Test panel at 50 yards 21 Donning UFO goggles

Recently, I read Joe Capp’s blog entries about the use of night vision scopes to see UFOs. I was intrigued for two rea- sons. I had experience in working with a night vision scope-video camera system back in the late 1980s for astronomical work and I felt that such a system would be useful in finding objects that can not be identified with real time scientific data for analysis. After reading much of what was written, I was disappointed. This ap- A Geminid meteor using a video system with image intensifier back in December 1988. Note the prob- pears to be more of a “gee…wow…sell lems with coma distorting the images of the stars that are furthest from the center of the field, which is DVDs” endeavor than a “let’s do some real centered on the bowl of the big dipper. (Video courtesy of Dale Hatch) science” project. satellites, which are most prominent by system to record meteors, deep sky ob- Understand your equipment reflecting the sun a few hours after sun- jects, and other nocturnal lights. and its limitations set and before sunrise. It appears that Mr. Grimsley’s “evidence” is far from compelling and his videos sec- The first thing that stood out in these Capp’s article appears to use Ed Grimsley tion revealed other aspects about Mr. entries is that the title (In the heat of the as his principle source of information. Ap- Grimsley’s understanding of what he is night) is wrong. According to Capp, parently, it is Grimsley, who is telling him that these are heat signatures. So, I went seeing. These UFO objects, according to the best to Grimsley’s website to see what he had Space battles over the earth expert on spotting them, are best viewed to say about his technique and equip- within the first two hours of complete ment. I could not find anything other On Ed Grimsley’s website, we see that darkness after sunset. If these objects, the than a few videos, which revealed that he is selling DVDs. The title had the omi- expert reasoned, are flying at night visibly Grimsley has some preconceived ideas nous name of UFO Wars: Objects in earth cloaked, they should still give off heat sig- about what he is seeing and that he does space shooting it out. I tried to figure out 1 natures. They do. not operate his equipment very well. what Mr. Grimsley was seeing by watch- ing him explain it in his videos section. Reading this, one would expect them to The raw video I saw from his website According to him, he watched space be using a thermal imager of some kind jumped around way too much and was battles happening in the sky since 1961 but they are not. Instead they are using not in focus. Is it because of his equip- when he was just a boy. That is astonish- night vision scopes. These are photo- ment or is it he just does not take the ing in that no astronomical telescopes or cathode tubes that act as image intensi- time to get the focus correct? I am not astronomers (professional or amateur) fiers. They take existing light, multiply its sure. Another thing obvious in his video have seen these events even though strength, and then presents the brighter is that the system suffers from some aw- Grimsley was able to see them with his image on a viewing surface. The end ful coma. This coma distorts the images unaided eye before he obtained his night result is an amplified image that shows that are not in the center of the field. Pin- vision goggles. objects that are fainter than what can be point star images take on a gull-shaped/ seen with the naked eye. It has nothing elongated appearance. This is what I ex- According to Grimsley, “Whoever it is we to do with “heat signatures”. Capp’s state- perienced back in the late 1980s when are battling, it is very serious and a threat ment that it is best to see these about two my friend and I were using this type of to our National Security.”2 He also has hours after sunset is indicative of seeing claimed in these videos to have seen at least 45 “kills” in one single space battle. Despite this claim, not one of his videos show any “kills” or “space battles” that I could see. Maybe, I have to buy his DVD to see this “evidence”. Grimsley eventually brings out the usual conspiracy theory so prevalent in UFO folklore, “Why is the government not tell- ing us the truth?”3 Is he correct? Are there really space battles going on overhead every night? Is there a government/sci- Diagram of a second generation night vision instrument. Courtesy of http://www.physics. entific cover-up being performed? ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/writing/Samples/shortmed/johnmedium/index.html 22 Sky watching Grimsley style More videos equipment far superior to what Grimsley is using for many years. For instance you Grimsley gives us a short raw video of one Watching Grimsley talk on youtube, I can read the following links: nights monitoring. The raw video, which was amazed at how good a story teller was difficult to follow, has the camera/ he was. I think his story about the super- http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ goggles jumping about like one of those man/mothman he saw was, to say the aa/2010/943145.html, Bigfoot movies. It is very difficult to fol- least, difficult to believe. According to http://journals.cambridge.org/action/di low. With the jumping about and out of Grimsley he was out one night and his splayFulltext?type=1&fid=997700&jid=I focus objects, I can’t figure out what he dog started growling at something. He AU&volumeId=2&issueId=S236&aid=99 recorded. You would think if he could af- looked with his night vision goggles and 7692 ford equipment that costs thousands of saw a humanoid creature flying in the dollars, he would invest in a good sturdy sky with a cape. It approached him and http://www.molau.de/meteore/status. tripod of some kind and learn to get the he ran into his house with the dog. In my html camera in focus. The group’s commen- opinion, this demonstrates a distinct gap These articles have been written in the tary during the video about what they between what he claims he is seeing and past decade but the footnotes dem- are seeing demonstrates they seem to what he is actually seeing. onstrate that people have been doing have absolutely no knowledge whatso- The rest of the video discussion describes this kind of work for some time. Does ever in viewing the night sky. seeing points of lights and giving size Mr. Grimsley seriously believe that all of During the video period, Grimsley made descriptions and distances, which is al- these astronomers are not seeing this two interesting statements that were tell- most impossible for him to do. I noticed or, is it possible that these astronomers ing. he was able to achieve focus on some re- see what he sees and can readily identify them? • “They just covered about a thou- cordings but still seemed to lack a tripod sand miles in space in…what…four mount. Despite his descriptions during Doing it right seconds”.4 The space shuttle travels the videos, I saw no distinct shapes with these dots of light and how he was able What is being done by Grimsley right at about 5 miles per second, which now is more about creating spectacu- is about one degree per second an- to determine how far away they were is nothing more than wild guesses. When lar videos to sell. If Grimsley and Capp gular speed. Assuming these UFOs were really interested in doing this cor- were in orbit at the same altitude, he stated one UFO was too fast to be a satellite, I laughed because it appeared to rectly, they would establish a three sta- they would move too swiftly for him tion network of cameras using this gear. to follow at the speeds he describes. have the same angular speed one would expect from a satellite. The systems would record an object The objects he was recording did not with date and time to establish actual do this. Obviously, Mr. Grimsley has The real night sky real-time data. Additionally, the opera- no concept of the actual speeds, dis- tors will state where in the sky they are tances, and sizes of these objects. Sadly, Mr. Grimsley’s evidence is not that compelling and the stories people are recording. This will help establish angles • “These are two satellites flying side by telling (including Mr. Capp), can probably of elevation and azimuth. All of this will side…yeah...right”.5 Actually there be explained if more information were create data that can be used to analyze are several satellites that do fly in available. These night vision systems can what is being recorded. Of course, this formation. The NOSS satellites fly in make faint objects appear very bright. requires actual work and research. It ap- a triangular formation or a pair for- The lens systems can also distort images pears to be much easier to proclaim that mation. I once saw USA 160 A and to the extent they appear to change di- what is being seen are alien spaceships B race across the sky one only a few rection and makes point sources appear conducting space battles over the earth. seconds behind the other. It was the distorted/oblong. It sells DVDs and gets you noticed. first time I had seen a satellite pair do this. These types of satellite pairs are During my experience with the night vi- References often too faint to see. However, using sion scope videos, we recorded all sorts 1. Capp, Joseph.” UFOs: In the heat of night vision goggles will make them of things. A flock of birds, airplanes, sat- the night”. UFO Media Matters. Avail- easier to see and track. His statement ellites, meteors, balloons, bats, moths, able WWW: http://ufomedia.blogspot. is indicative of the fact that he has no bugs, and just about anything airborne com/2010/02/ufos-in-heat-of-night. clue about what he is talking about showed up in our videos. We also chose html but is being presented as an “expert”. to use a black and white security cam- era because it gave better contrast and 2. Grimsley, Ed. Mission statement. Avail- Not once, did I see a date, a time, or a brighter images (due to the higher sen- able WWW: http://edgrimsley.com/mis- location given for Mr. Grimsley’s video. sitivity of the camera sensor). It also took sion.html He also never mentions constellations, away the awful green tint one sees in the 3. Grimsley, Ed. Videos. Avaiable WWW: azimuth, or elevation. It seems that just Grimsley videos. What Grimsley is doing http://edgrimsley.com/videos.html about anything they were seeing was de- is nothing new even though his followers scribed as something extraordinary. Is it seem to think it is. 4. Ibid possible that he is viewing satellites and 5. ibid other nocturnal moving lights instead of Amateur and professional astronomers “real” UFOs? have been monitoring the skies with 23 UFOs on the tube Book Reviews Buy it! (No UFO library should do without it) UFOs over Phoenix strated they were not fixed as if they were attached to a huge “V”. This evidence was UFOs: A scientific debate - Carl Sa- I was surprised to see the National Geo- ignored as was the eyewitness testimony gan and Thornton Page ed. graphic channel do a program about the of Mitch Stanley and others that pointed Arizona UFOs of 1997. Intrigued, I sat towards a more reasonable explanation This book has just about everything for down to watch what I thought might be for the event. It was easier to exaggerate everyone. There is commentary/papers something new. Instead, I was presented the event with the mysterious dark “V” from some very prominent individuals with what appeared to be an episode of that was translucent. on both sides of the fence. The papers “UFO hunters” repackaged for the Nation- cover everything from some prize UFO al Geographic channel. The show did not stop with its absurd cases to discussion about the limitations analysis there. I thought it was agreed of radar. It is a great resource no library The show starts by calling this an “un- long ago that the videos of the lights should be without. precedented investigation”. It was clear shot at 10PM that night were flares Borrow it. (Worth checking out of almost from the outset that investigation dropped by the Maryland Air National was not what this program was about. Guard. It was never mentioned that sev- library or borrowing from a friend) We got the usual emotional plea of the eral analyses (Maccabee, Scowan, Rudin/ UFOs: An insiders view of the of- witness stories and how they were awed Cognitech) have been performed on the by what they saw. They focused most of various videos and all demonstrated that ficial quest for evidence - Roy their attention on two of the most fa- the lights were well behind the moun- Craig. mous “dark object” witnesses, Tim Ley tains and were consistent with the flares Dr. Craig was one of the investigators for and Mike Fortson. While they used Ley’s explanation. Additionally, none of the the Condon project. He documents how observations to determine the physical A-10 pilots were even questioned. In- the project was envisioned and all the size of the object, the never bothered to stead, the show trotted out the Mike Kry- cases he examined. It sheds some light suggest that Ley’s observations could be ston video and presented Jim Dilettoso’s on some of the comments in the report mistaken. analysis using “spectral histograms” to that indicated there was more behind demonstrate that these lights were not these cases than what was written. His The show then moved on to explain how flares. Back in 1998, Tony Ortega of the anecdotes are humorous. Most intrigu- this craft could have flown. They present- Phoenix Newstimes presented Diletto- ing are his recollections regarding the ed physicists “thinking outside the box” so’s work to Dr. Paul Scowan and he es- “trick” memo and the “mutiny”. about electromagnetic propulsion sys- sentially laughed at what he was doing. tems. That is all well and good as long as It is not possible to perform this kind of I found it interesting that he expressed the witnesses were accurate. However, it analysis off of a video tape. Not surpris- concern that the Condon Report was appear they were not. These ‘dark object’ ingly, no real experts were brought in being phased out of libraries and could witnesses did not agree with the bulk of to demonstrate what Dilettoso was do- eventually disappear. Thanks to the the witness reports that night. Many saw ing was worthless and incorrect. The dreaded internet, the document exists a formation of lights but no object. Oth- show gave the impression that the flare in at least two locations. James Moseley ers saw a shifting pattern of lights. Back explanation had been disproven. Good would be happy to see that the internet in November, 1997, I compiled a list of all grief!!!! serves a useful purpose after all. the witness reports from the NUFORC da- tabase, MUFON’s report by Bill Hamilton, I have come to put certain television Bin it! (Not worth the paper it is and news articles from the time period. channels in high regard. I used to enjoy written upon - send to recycle bin) Out of the twenty-six reports I found, only the History channel but after UFO Hunt- seven described a dark object behind the ers, Monsterquest, and Mysteryquest, Above Top Secret - Timothy Good lights. Twelve stated the lights were in- that opinion changed. Now I have to dependent of each other. The remaining add the National Geographic channel To me this book starts off wrong the in- seven made no commitment either way to the list of channels that have disap- stant I open the cover and see Whitley and stated there were simply lights in pointed me. It was probably inevitable Streiber’s endorsement! Basically it is a formation. This means that only 27% of that it produced something that is inter- collection of stories that are picked from the eyewitnesses described seeing a dark ested in promoting UFOs. The National other books and sources. It is nothing object. This was not mentioned in the Geographic society should be ashamed special and seems to fall into the trap of show. for calling this science because it wasn’t. I accepting just about any story now mat- wonder how long it will be before NOVA, ter how wild. I almost thought of consid- What was missing from the “unprecedent- “Myth busters”, and the “Science Chan- ering it a “borrow” book but there really ed investigation” was the one video of the nel” cave into the same pressure of pro- is not anything here that can’t be found formation of lights, which clearly showed ducing shows that leave science behind elsewhere. a shifting pattern over time. This demon- in order to grab ratings. 24