Just Cause - 1995 06 - No 44 - New Series

Magazine Overview

Title: JUST CAUSE
Issue: 44
Date: June 1995
Publisher: Citizens Against UFO Secrecy
Editor: Barry Greenwood

This issue of "Just Cause" focuses on the controversial "Alien Autopsy" film, critically examining its authenticity and the surrounding claims. The magazine questions the film's origins, its content, and the motives of those promoting it, while also touching upon the broader context of the Roswell incident and government record-keeping.

The Alien Autopsy Film: A Critical Examination

The lead article, "THE ALIEN AUTOPSY FILM," by an unnamed author, delves into the "documentary" that aired on August 28th, depicting an alleged autopsy of a Roswell alien. The author notes that the film consists of approximately 15 minutes of spotty original footage interspersed with commentary from medical and cinematic authorities who expressed puzzlement but were generally neutral or skeptical of its authenticity. This stance is contrasted with the public's apparent embrace of the film as possibly genuine.

The article highlights the impressive Nielsen ratings the show achieved, "Alien Autopsy-Fact or Fiction" drawing significant viewership on Fox TV. Despite this, there was limited press coverage in the U.S. compared to Europe, where a British company released the film.

Subtle problems within the film are pointed out, including hidden doctors' faces, an unusually robust alien with a pot belly, large but not wrap-around eyes, a small nose and ears, and a small gaping mouth. A significant leg wound is visible on the right thigh. The author concludes that it is difficult to determine if the being is an alien, a special effects dummy, or a made-up human.

Dr. Cyril Wecht, an experienced autopsy doctor, is mentioned as having noted that the internal organs visible were inconsistent with a human internal structure. Another peculiar feature discussed is a sequence where dark coverings are removed from the alien's eyes, revealing whites and pupils that appear more normal. The shape of these coverings is described as spindle-like, fitting the eye opening rather than the eyeball, suggesting they might be cut-out material from a dummy head.

The article strongly criticizes the film's marketer, Ray Santilli, suggesting that rumors of the film's existence circulated for over a year before its release. The author draws parallels to the MJ-12 documents, which also reportedly existed for some time before release and first gained publicity in England. This is presented as a potential tactic of U.S. intelligence operations to leak information through foreign sources to obscure the trail back to the leaker. The author questions why an intelligence operation would leak such information to a foreign commercial source for monetary gain.

Two witnesses to other unbroadcast sequences of the film, Philip Mantle of BUFORA and Maurizo Barata, reported hearing the name "Detlev Bronk" mentioned as an autopsy doctor, who was supposedly one of the MJ-12 panel members. The article reiterates the long-standing problems with the MJ-12 narrative within the UFO community and suggests that someone creating a Roswell hoax might invoke MJ-12 details without fully understanding the debate, inadvertently validating one hoax with another.

Despite the alleged discovery of the film in 1947, there has been little effort by Santilli's people to document the story. The London Times exposed problems in Santilli's presentation, and the alleged photographer is unavailable. Santilli's promotional literature itself contains caveats: the film stock may be verified as 1947, but the contents are not warranted to have been filmed then; the creature is not verified as non-human; and the footage's origin from the Roswell incident has not been verified.

The author questions why a thorough effort wasn't made to document the film before marketing it. Reports indicate that the marketed video cassette is significantly shorter than the claimed 91 minutes of footage, containing little more than what was shown on the Fox-TV special. Santilli's company states the tape contains all viewable material received from the presumed cameraman.

Reports from Santilli's people suggest that differences in the alien's appearance might be due to a new UFO crash near Socorro, New Mexico, on June 3, 1947. Access to the original film is now reportedly difficult, as it is stored in a Swiss bank vault and subject to disputed rights.

The article notes that UFOs were reportedly prevalent in the summer of 1947. The author criticizes the limited information released by promoters, making comprehensive discussion difficult. The newsletter was offered free cassettes in exchange for publishing an order form and photos, but this was declined to avoid passive endorsement of a questionable product.

Legal and Ethical Concerns

The article raises several legal and ethical questions. If the film is genuine, the lack of official records of an air vehicular accident or deaths in New Mexico in 1947 is questioned. The author suggests reporting this to the police as a potential crime, which could lead to the photographer being identified. The possibility of tax evasion by the photographer is also raised, with a suggestion to contact the IRS.

If the film depicts a doctored human body, ethical questions arise regarding doctors participating in the mutilation of a corpse for commercial purposes. The article suggests convincing the American Medical Association to investigate and force access to the photographer. If the body is an artificial dummy, then fraud is an issue. The possibility of the film being evidence of ghoulish activity or a "snuff" film is also mentioned, both of which are crimes.

The author criticizes the lack of candor and questionable means by which the film was "documented," suggesting that much is being done to obscure flaws and maximize profits, activities described as "worthy of a Ferengi in 'Star Trek' but not for humans."

Despite these issues, the article notes that the UFO community has generally resisted embracing the tale, suggesting a growing skepticism towards such claims.

GAO Roswell Report Released

A section details the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) report released on July 28, 1995, concerning records related to the Roswell incident. The search, conducted from March 1994 to June 1995, found "negative on all counts" regarding consequential government records. Two documents surfaced, the Combined History of the 509th Bomb Group and an FBI telex, were already known within the UFO community. Civilian UFO researchers were found to be more thorough in their discoveries.

The GAO report noted that a broad range of Roswell Army Air Field records, administrative covering March 1945 to December 1949, and outgoing messages covering October 1946 to December 1949, had been destroyed without accountability. This is seen by some as evidence of a government cover-up, while others suggest it is more indicative of a record disposition foul-up, especially for records of that age.

The author, in researching the "Foo-fighter" phenomenon, inquired about similar records at the National Archives and was assured nothing was on topic. However, during a visit, fifteen documents were located in WW2 files that mentioned "Foo-fighters." The author suggests that the indexing system at the Archives is inadequate and that some Roswell records may still exist, uncatalogued.

The GAO did not have the time to perform a years-long manual search of file boxes, which is deemed necessary to locate potentially hidden records. The article concludes that exploring this and other matters will continue in the next issue.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout this issue is skepticism towards sensational UFO claims, particularly the "Alien Autopsy" film. The editorial stance is critical and investigative, aiming to uncover discrepancies and question the validity of purported evidence. The magazine emphasizes the importance of verifiable documentation and highlights the potential for hoaxes and disinformation within the UFO community and media landscape. There is a clear emphasis on critical thinking and a distrust of claims that lack substantial proof, especially when promoted for financial gain. The issue also touches upon the historical context of the Roswell incident and the challenges of accessing and verifying government records related to such events.