Just Cause - Vol 1 Issue 01 - Old Series

Magazine Overview

Title: JUST CAUSE
Issue: Vol. 1, No. 1
Date: April 1978
Publisher: Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS)
Type: Official newsletter of Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS).

Editorial Staff

• Editor: W. Todd Zechel
• Associate Editor: Steven Stoikes
• Legal Consultant: Peter A. Gersten, Rothblatt, Rothblatt, Seijas & Peskin, Bronx, N.Y.
• Technical Consultant: Brad Sparks
• Offices: 191 E. 161st St., Bronx, N.Y. 10451

CAUS Picking Up Where GSW and NICAP Left Off

This section details the proactive stance of CAUS in pursuing government UFO secrecy. Ground Saucer Watch, Inc. (GSW) initiated a precedent-setting lawsuit against the CIA in September, marking the first time in over a decade a civilian UFOlogical organization directly challenged government cover-up efforts. The article draws a parallel to NICAP's past lobbying efforts under Major Keyhoe and Dick Hall, which successfully led to the end of UFO secrecy in the mid-1960s. However, GSW's current approach leverages the amended (1974) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a tool not available to NICAP. While acknowledging FOIA is not a perfect solution, it provides citizens the unique opportunity to obtain previously inaccessible government documents and allows for legal redress in U.S. District Courts through 'in camera inspection' if access is denied.

The process for filing a FOIA suit is outlined: initial request, denial of access, appeal to the agency's review board, final denial, and finally, filing suit in U.S. District Court. The article notes that FOIA suits can be costly, typically ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 in legal fees. However, the Act allows for plaintiffs to have their legal expenses rebated if they 'substantially prevail.' An example cited is Judith Campbell Exner, former mistress of President Kennedy, who was awarded over $10,000 after successfully suing the FBI for the release of 86 documents concerning her.

GSW's suit against the CIA is framed as a test case to establish a precedent, aiming to prevent the Court from allowing FOIA exemptions for UFO-related documents. CAUS hopes to use the government's own findings to argue that agencies cannot lawfully classify or withhold UFO documents. The government, to prevail, would need to establish UFOs as a national security concern, which contradicts previous government statements. The CIA faces a dilemma: to uphold exemption (b)(3) (revealing intelligence sources and methods), they must demonstrate legal authority to investigate domestic UFO sightings.

CAUS Expands Legal Action

With the GSW suit's decision pending for months and the CIA reportedly delaying, CAUS plans to broaden its offensive against UFO secrecy. They intend to file suits against the Air Force, which is described as having 'gotten away with murder thus far,' and other agencies. This expansion is contingent on support from the UFOlogy community, with the article urging contributions and loans to CAUS to fund these legal actions.

The article connects the current year, 1978, to the UFO phenomenon, especially following the release of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' It calls for UFOlogists to demonstrate resolve and fortitude to end government cover-ups rather than perpetuate the mystery. The author laments that many significant UFO cases have been lost due to the unwillingness of UFOlogists to unite and demand an end to government secrecy.

The Fate of UFOlogy and the Need for Unity

The piece reflects on the legacy of prominent UFOlogists like James McDonald and Ed Ruppelt, who died without answers. It questions how many more must pass before a united front is formed and how long UFO evidence will remain stagnant in agency files. The author criticizes the infighting and debates within the UFO community, suggesting it plays into the hands of agencies like the CIA.

A new generation is seen as injecting renewed vigor into the UFO movement, but the article emphasizes that the future of UFOlogy still rests with the older generation who founded and control existing organizations. It poses questions about whether these 'founding fathers (and mothers)' will be remembered for perpetuating myths or for contributing to solving the mystery, concluding that time will tell if there is any time left.

Nuts and Bolts Making a Comeback

This section shifts focus to 'nuts and bolts' physical evidence cases, noting a resurgence of interest despite a previous drift towards more speculative theories. Crashed saucer stories, once considered anachronisms, are reappearing, partly due to the influence of motion picture companies like Sunn Classics and available funding. A favored story within CAUS circles involves a crashed saucer reported by Charles Herbert B and his uncle Sgt/Maj Edward B, concerning the involvement of Col. John B in cordoning off an impact area during a recovery operation in the late 1940s. The story is considered credible due to the witnesses' backgrounds as loyal NSA employees and their generally reserved nature.

Another significant 'nuts and bolts' case involves an incident related by Major P, a former Air Force Intelligence officer. In early 1957, four F-86Ds on a practice bombing mission off Ieshima Island to Okinawa were involved in a mid-air collision with a large UFO that emerged from cloud cover. The lead F-86 was destroyed, and the pilot was lost. The UFO reportedly flew back into the clouds undamaged. Major P interviewed the three surviving pilots and prepared a report, including witness sketches, which was submitted to General William Hipps. General Hipps confirmed the incident and the mid-air collision but refrained from labeling the object a UFO, stating, "Since we didn't recover the wreckage, I don't know what it was."

Major P. also appeared on a CBS-TV affiliate in Phoenix, recounting the 1957 collision incident. The article criticizes mainstream UFOlogical thinkers for focusing on speculative theories and faulty memories, while ignoring well-documented 'nuts and bolts' cases that conflict with these hypotheses. It suggests that the inability to assemble facts leads to the invention of 'ghost-like phenomena' that discourage scientific investigation, transforming the original UFO crusade into a 'sideshow' appealing to base instincts.

Air Force and CIA Persuade NASA Not To Open UFO Project

This article reveals a conspiracy between the Air Force and CIA to prevent NASA from becoming a 'focal point for UFOs,' thwarting a White House request initiated by Dr. Frank Press. NASA officials were reportedly opposed to the proposal from the outset. A key piece of evidence is a letter from Col. Charles Senn (Air Force Office of Information) to retired USAF General Duward Crow (a NASA official), expressing hope that Crow would be successful in preventing the reopening of UFO investigations. Crow had apparently helped rewrite NASA's initial response to the White House regarding UFO inquiries.

The CIA's role involved NASA querying them about classified data sources pertinent to the White House request. NASA indicated that a November 8, 1977, report by Noel Hinners, Associate Administrator for Space Science, titled "UFO Study Considerations," was prepared in coordination with the CIA. However, NASA stated that no classified data sources were identified.

The article concludes that the Air Force and CIA conspired to prevent the establishment of an impartial UFO program, thereby allowing them to continue suppressing UFO evidence and avoid disclosing their knowledge on the subject. The words of Col. Frank McKenzie, originator of the Iranian message, are quoted: "More information will be forwarded when it becomes available."

GSW Publishing NICAP Expose

This section announces an ongoing investigation into the events leading to NICAP's decline in 1969-70. The investigation uncovered that a prominent NICAP board member was a former CIA covert operative, identified as Col. (Ret.) Joseph Bryan, III, who confirmed his affiliation in a recent interview. Bryan was preceded at NICAP by two other alleged CIA operatives, Bernard J.O. Carvalho and Nicolas de Rochefort, who joined in 1956 and left abruptly when Donald Keyhoe took over in 1957. The article anticipates that GSW will publish further details in their April bulletin, despite expected denials, and suggests more damaging information regarding the NICAP changeover will emerge.

CAUS Seeks Support

Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS) is presented as a non-profit citizens' action group being incorporated in New York. CAUS aims to involve the general public and UFO enthusiasts in an effort to end government suppression of UFO evidence. The organization will focus on cases involving military and civilian government employees that have been shrouded in secrecy, without professing any particular UFO ideology. Case selection criteria will be based on significance, reliability, and provability. A Board of Directors will be established to vote on policy decisions and case selection. CAUS is soliciting support, guidance, and friendship, and requests donations to help obtain evidence needed to solve the UFO mystery. Letters of invitation to join CAUS and serve in various capacities will be sent out soon, along with a charter and structural chart.

Acknowledgements and Predictions

Editor W. Todd Zechel expresses gratitude to Peter Gersten, Brad Sparks, and Steve Stoikes for their significant contributions and friendship to CAUS. He particularly commends Steve and Brad for their diligent work, often unrecognized. Zechel singles out Peter Gersten for special praise for his near single-handed effort in putting together the lawsuit against the CIA for GSW, predicting that Gersten's contributions to UFOlogy will be the most important and significant of all.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The primary theme of this issue is the active pursuit of UFO-related information and the dismantling of government secrecy through legal means, specifically the Freedom of Information Act. The newsletter strongly advocates for unity within the UFOlogy community to achieve this goal, criticizing internal divisions and infighting. There is a clear editorial stance favoring 'nuts and bolts' evidence over speculative theories and a belief that government agencies have actively suppressed UFO information. The publication positions itself as a proactive organization, CAUS, seeking public support for its legal challenges against perceived government cover-ups.