THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Bermuda Triangle / Astronomers and Ufos
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE ZETETIC THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Bermuda Triangle / Astronomers and UFOs / Einstein and ESP / Astrology, Psychics, and Secrets / The UFO That Wasn't Published by the committee for the Scientific investigation of Claims of the Paranormal VOL. II NO. 1 FALL/WINTER 1977 B THE ZETETIC— Journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Volume II, No. 1 ISSN 0148-1096 Fall/Winter 1977 5 NEWS AND COMMENT 16 PSYCHIC VIBRATIONS ARTICLES 22 Von Daniken's Golden Gods, by Ronald D. Story 36 Critical Reading, Careful Writing, and the Bermuda Triangle, by Larry Kusche 41 Pseudoscience at Science Digest, by James E. Oberg and Robert Sheqffer 45 Do Fairies Exist? by Robert Sheaffer 53 Einstein and ESP, by Martin Gardner 57 N-Rays and UFOs: Are They Related? by Philip J. Klass 62 What They Aren't Telling You: Suppressed Secrets of the Psychic World, Astrological Universe, and Jeane Dixon, by Dennis Rawlins BOOK REVIEWS 84 P. A. Sturrock, Report on a Survey of the Membership of the American Astronomical Association Concerning the UFO Problem (Reviews by Philip J. Klass and John P. Robinson, responses by P. A. Sturrock) 93 Charles Berlitz, Without a Trace (Reviews by Larry Kusche and Philip J. Klass) 102 Roy Wallis, The Road to Total Freedom: A Sociological Analysis of Scientology (Richard de Mille) 104 Tom Valentine, Psychic Surgery; William A. Nolen, Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle; C. Norman Shealy, Occult Medicine Can Save Your Life; John A. Richardson and Patricia Griffin, Lae trile Case Histories (Laurent A. Beauregard) 110 Roy Mackal, The Monsters of Loch Ness (Bernard Heuvelmans) FEATURES 122 From Our Readers 128 Contributors Cover photo: Mysterious Nazca Runways, courtesy International Explorers Society. _ J Editorial Board Martin Gardner Ray Hyman Philip J. Klass Paul Kurtz James Randi Dennis Rawlins Editor Kendrick Frazier Managing Editor Diane Malejs Consulting Editors Theodore X. Barber John Boardman Milbourne Christopher Richard de Mille Persi DiAconis Eric J. Dingwall Christopher Evans C. E. M. Hansel Ellic Howe Joseph G. Jorgensen Sterling Lanier Edward J. Moody William F. Powers Roy Wallis James Webb Layout Paul Rotthoff Betsy Offermann Circulation Patricia Pliss THE ZETETIC is the official journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Manuscripts, letters, books for review, and editorial inquiries should be addressed to: The Editor, THE ZETETIC, 3025 Palo Alto Dr., N.E.; Alburquerque, New Mexico 87111. Advertising, changes of address, and subscriptions should be addressed to: Executive Office, THE ZETETIC, Box 29, Kensington Station, Buffalo, New York 14215. Application for permission to quote from this journal should be addressed to the Executive Office. Inquiries from the media about the work of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal should be made to the Executive Office. Tel.: (716) 837-0308. Copyright © 1977 by The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Box 29, Kensington Station, Buffalo, New York 14215. Subscription rates: individuals, $10; libraries and institutions, $15; sustaining subscribers, $100 or more. Single issue, $5. Change of Address: Six weeks advance notice to the Executive Office and old address as well as new are necessary for change of subscriber's address. THE ZETETIC is published semi-annually and printed at Artcraft-Burow, Buffalo, New York. News and Comment Complaints against National UFO's." The latter concerned state Enquirer ments allegedly made by Sen. Harrison Schmitt of New Mexico. The National News Council has up A second complaint was filed held two formal complaints filed by Herbert Strentz, Dean of the against the National Enquirer con School of Journalism of Drake cerning misrepresentations in ar University, relating to an article ticles about UFOs. titled: "Air Force Study 'Buried The National News Council (1 and Hid' Facts About UFOs." Lincoln Plaza, New York, N.Y. Strentz said he denied the accuracy 10023) is an organization of editors of two quotes attributed to him in a and noted citizens that attempts to conversation with an Enquirer staff determine the validity of specific member before publication and formal complaints against reports then sought a retraction of the in the news media. It is described quotes after they were published. by the Columbia Journalism Re No retraction was made. view, which published the Council's In his complaint, Mr. Kral latest full report in its September/ quoted from a letter received from October 1977 issue, as "a qualified Walter Cronkite's secretary saying: and responsible group whose find "Mr. Cronkite was not interviewed ings on alleged misdeeds of the as reported in the article. He never news media deserve wide dissemi said to anyone any of the things nation." quoted in the article. He never One of the two complaints heard of those incidents until he about UFOs was filed by Elmer read of them in the Enquirer. .. Krai of Grand Island, Nebraska. Since the article is false in all these It dealt with an article that bore particulars, it does not accurately the headline "Walter Cronkite: portray Mr. Cronkite's views on the Why I Believe in UFOs." The other so-called flying saucers." (See also was headlined: "I Believe There's The Humanist, May/June 1977, p. Life in Space—and I'll Urge Govt, 24). to Reveal What It Knows About In a letter to the Council, Mr. Fall/Winter 1977 5 Cronkite denied ever having met denials. We note that the En the article's author. Mr. Cronkite quirer provides neither a letters-to- also wrote to the chairman of the the-editor column nor an editorial National Enquirer denying the page which might provide some authenticity of the article. He other form of reader response. .. received no response. The council concludes that the In regard to the Schmitt National Enquirer has followed a article, the senator's press secretary policy of irresponsibility in failing had written: "Senator Schmitt was to provide any means for denial or not interviewed for this article and protest to appear in its columns to the best of his recollection has and finds all the complaints in never stated the underlined quotes these specific instances warranted." in the article." The conclusion was signed by In a letter to the Council, the seven members of the Council, in president of the National Enquirer cluding its chairman, Norman E. stated: "We do not feel any obli Isaacs, editor in residence at the gation to answer charges made or Columbia University Graduate forwarded by self-appointed organ School of Journalism. izations to review the press." But he Three members of the Council, added that the Cronkite story was however, thought that the Council's received from a "reputable" and decision against the Enquirer widely published freelance reporter. should have been even stronger. "It was published in good faith by Concurring in part and dis us." The reporter told the Council senting in part, Richard S. Salant, he stood by the quotes. The president of CBS News, (with Joan reporter of the Schmitt article said Ganz Cooney of the Children's it had tape-recorded a fifteen-min Television Workshop and Sylvia ute interview with Schmitt but the Roberts, a general counsel for the contents of that tape were not made National Organization for Women, available to the Council. concurring) stated: In its conclusion, the Council "I agree that, at the very least, reviewed the record, which it said the Enquirer should have provided "hardly inspires confidence in the some sort of public acknowledg accuracy of the Enquirer's report ment in its pages of the denials and age in these instances." objections by Senator Schmitt, "There is no question but that Senator Goldwater, astronaut Mc- the Enquirer was informed in a Divitt, Walter Cronkite, and Dean number of ways of the denials of Strentz. statements in the various interviews. "But I would go further. In the . In the circumstances there was totality of circumstances involved an obligation upon the Enquirer to here, I do not think it enough for air in some fashion the fact of the the Council to avoid the issue of 6 THE ZETETIC accuracy and credibility and take refuge in the easier escape of criti cizing the Enquirer for failing, in one way or another, to reflect these denials. All these circum stances, among others, clearly jus tify shifting the burden of proof to the Enquirer and its writers. In quiry into issues of accuracy and credibility cannot automatically be aborted by noncooperation and, indeed, defiance. "Therefore, I would find, in all the circumstances in their totality, that the burden of establishing accuracy shifted, and the Enquirer and its writers failed to meet that burden. Hence I would find that Then there's the media triangle, where the articles were incorrect and in objectivity mysteriously vanishes." accurate in attributing to the various persons named a belief in one learns to hop off the ground "a UFOs." foot or two" while seated in a —Kendrick Frazier "lotus" position. To the unin formed, I must explain that this "Levitation" for fun and profit position is simply a cross-legged sitting stance. But we are assured Back into the news comes the aging by TMers that this is actually a hippie of TM, Mahareshi Mahesh position fraught with overtones of Yogi, smarting from a two-year great psychic and supernatural sig decline in enrollment that left him nificance. with only 10 percent of the number Second stage of this wonder is of faithful who formerly subscribed called "hovering," and the third is to his weary philosophy. But if the claimed to consist of "actual gullibility of the American public is mastery of the sky, flying at will." any standard to measure by, the In Britain, a dozen believers TM tycoon will soon be giggling all handed over 2,000 pounds (about the way to the bank once more.