Just Cause - 1989 12 - No 22 - New Series

Magazine Overview

Title: JUST CAUSE
Issue: 22
Volume: NEW SERIES
Date: December 1989
Publisher: Lawrence Fawcett
Editor: Barry Greenwood
Country: USA
Price: $10 (4 issues, $15 foreign)

This issue of Just Cause, identified as Number 22 in its New Series, focuses entirely on "New Documents" that have come to the attention of the editors. The cover features the magazine title prominently, with an illustration of the U.S. Capitol building. The issue delves into classified government systems, potential extraterrestrial contact protocols, and historical Congressional attitudes towards UFO research.

Exhibit 1: NORAD's NUTR System

The first exhibit presents information on a NORAD computer system called "NUTR," or the NORAD Unknown Track Reporting System. The article notes that NORAD has been collecting and cataloging reports of "uncorrelated observations," which are raw trackings of unknown objects. The hope was that data from these observations, when correlated with ground visual or radar sightings of UFOs, could provide evidence for an extraterrestrial origin. However, such data had not been forthcoming. The exhibit reveals that NUTR is a 19-year-old computer catalog containing 7,000 trackings of "air traffic declared unknown in North America and the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Gap." The critical issue highlighted is that this system is classified "Secret," rendering information with the potential for a "vital breakthrough" on the UFO phenomenon inaccessible.

• The details provided for Exhibit 1 include:
• Database Name: NORAD Unknown Track Reporting System
• Acronym: NUTR
• Update Frequency: Monthly
• Beginning Date: 1971
• Size: 7,000
• Producer: North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD/NPY), Peterson AFB, CO 80914-5001
• Contact: R. O. Wingeard, (303) 554-3758
• Classification: Secret
• Military Sponsor: Air Force
• Descriptors: Air Force; Aircraft; Greenland; Iceland; Identification; Latitude; Longitude; North America; Number of Unknowns; Region; Scramble Actions; Scramble Bases; Soviet Traffic; Tracking; United Kingdom.
• Abstract: The system records details of all air traffic declared unknown in North America and the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Gap, used by NORAD, USAF, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Canadian NDHQ, and region commanders for airspace sovereignty assessment.

Exhibit 2: SETI Post Detection Protocols

• Exhibit 2 is a NASA document describing "Post Detection Protocols." This document outlines procedures for dealing with the eventuality of aliens, or "ETs," being confirmed. It is presented as a more detailed statement on a story previously reported in Just Cause in June 1989, titled "ET Protocol." The document defines key terms:
• Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI): A NASA program to conduct a scientifically verifiable search for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligent life.
• SETI Microwave Observing Project: A subset of the SETI Program, developing methods to search for pulsed and/or continuous wave signals of extraterrestrial intelligent origin in the microwave spectrum (1-100 GHz), using a bimodal search strategy (Targeted Search and Sky Survey).
• Detection: Refers to the acquisition of an electromagnetic signal that cannot be clearly identified by automated systems or personnel as radiofrequency interference (RFI), an astronomical occurrence, or another non-extraterrestrial signal. It specifically means detection of an *anomalous* signal, not necessarily an ETI signal.
• Post-Detection Protocols: U.S. government policies related to verifying an electromagnetic signal as of extraterrestrial intelligent origin, disseminating information about the signal, its source, and planning future activities, including interactions with extraterrestrial civilizations. It does not preclude an internationally recognized protocol.

The "Background" section notes that while modern science implies the possibility of extraterrestrial life, there is no unambiguous scientific evidence. Eight countries have sponsored SETI searches since 1960. Anomalous signals have been detected but not verified as ETI origin. Currently, there is no global policy for disseminating information about ETI signals or post-verification activities, and no specific U.S. government policy addresses post-detection protocols. However, international discussions over 20 years have led to a consensus that the detection of an extraterrestrial civilization is a discovery that transcends national boundaries and belongs to all humankind, aligning with the National Space Act of 1958 and the 1968 Treaty on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

The "SETI Microwave Observing Project DRAFT POST DETECTION PROTOCOL" outlines procedures emphasizing prompt and accurate announcements and wide dissemination of ETI discovery information. It lists potential causes for detected signals, including RFI, equipment malfunction, distant spacecraft, hoax, astronomical source, or a true ETI signal. Procedures are detailed for eliminating false positives and verifying signals, involving SETI MOP sites and observatories. If a signal is not identified, the software is examined for hoaxes. If verified, NASA Headquarters is informed, senior management is notified, and an appropriate news release is prepared, emphasizing that ETI origin is not confirmed. A meeting of technical experts is convened to examine data, with possible outcomes being astronomical origin, further observation needed, or clear ETI origin. In case of confirmed ETI origin, the NASA Administrator is informed, executive branch and congressional officials are notified, and a public announcement and news conferences are planned. Scientific results would be published, and an international team would analyze the signal's message content. The entire SETI project would be re-examined.

Exhibit 3: Congressional Reluctance and the 1968 Symposium

Exhibit 3 is an extract from a committee print of the U.S. House of Representatives titled, "Toward the Endless Frontier: History of the Committee on Science and Technology, 1959-79," by Ken Hechler. It highlights the reluctance of successive chairmen of the Science and Astronautics and Science and Technology committees to authorize full-blown inquiries into unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

• The reasons cited for this reluctance include:
• The belief that the committee's jurisdiction did not warrant coverage of the issue.
• The subject being a "hot potato" that could consume inordinate amounts of time.
• The fear that focusing undue attention on "UFO buffs" might divert the committee from more important missions and discredit the research.

Representative J. Edward Roush (Democrat of Indiana) was an outspoken advocate for public hearings. Chairman Brooks sanctioned inquiries on various subjects but drew the line at UFOs, fearing public ridicule. Chairman Miller also declined, stating the subject belonged to the Air Force and Armed Services Committee. Roush eventually worked out a compromise in 1968: a one-man "Symposium" rather than a formal committee hearing. This symposium was limited to one day, allowed only bona fide scientists to testify, did not establish a special subcommittee, and did not issue an official report beyond the recorded symposium text.

• The symposium, held on July 29, 1968, featured six participants and several presenters of prepared papers. Notable participants included:
• Dr. James E. McDonald (Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Arizona)
• Dr. J. Allen Hynek (Department of Astronomy, Northwestern University)
• Dr. Robert L. Hall (Department of Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago)
• Dr. Robert M. L. Baker, Jr. (Senior Scientist, Computer Sciences Corp.)
• Dr. James A. Harder (Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California at Berkeley)
• Dr. Carl Sagan (Department of Astronomy, Cornell University)

Presenters of prepared papers included Dr. Donald H. Menzel, Dr. R. Leo Sprinkle, Dr. Garry C. Henderson, Dr. Stanton T. Friedman, Dr. Roger N. Shepard, and Dr. Frank B. Salisbury.

Representative Roush opened the symposium by stating the approach was to treat UFOs as a scientific problem and to marshal scientific discipline to explore the phenomena reported by reliable citizens. He acknowledged that sightings often lacked accompanying hardware for analysis, leaving hypotheses ranging from psychological phenomena to natural physical phenomena to advanced technological machinery (the extraterrestrial hypothesis). The symposium aimed to listen to expert assessments and tentative conclusions.

Chairman Miller, in his welcome, emphasized that the symposium was not a challenge to the Air Force's work and that the goal was to look at the problem from every angle without criticizing the Air Force.

Several testimonies recommended scientific study over ridicule. Representative Jerry L. Pettis noted that many pilots had observed unusual phenomena but were reluctant to report them for fear of ridicule.

When asked by Roush if he believed in extraterrestrial life, Dr. Sagan responded that he had difficulty determining if there was intelligent life on Earth before considering elsewhere.

Dr. Baker expressed a preference for the term "anomalistic observational phenomena" (AOPs) over "unidentified flying objects" (UFOs), though Roush noted his constituents might prefer the latter.

The symposium concluded without an official report or further action taken by the committee.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of Just Cause are government secrecy surrounding unexplained aerial phenomena, the scientific community's approach to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and the historical difficulties in gaining official governmental and Congressional attention to UFO research. The editorial stance appears to be one of advocating for transparency and rigorous scientific investigation into these phenomena, highlighting the frustration with classified data and political reluctance. The magazine positions itself as a conduit for revealing documents and information that shed light on these complex issues, suggesting a belief in the importance of pursuing the extraterrestrial hypothesis while acknowledging the scientific and political hurdles involved.