Just Cause - Vol 1 Issue 02 - Old Series

Magazine Overview

Title: JUST CAUSE
Issue: Vol. 1 - No. 2
Date: May 1978
Publisher: Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS)
Type: Official newsletter

CAUS Files Appeals to NASA and State Department

On May 8, 1978, Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS) filed appeals to Robert Frosch, Administrator of NASA, and Charles Hinkle, Director of Freedom of Information and Security Review at the Department of Defense. The NASA appeal concerned a response to a CAUS FOIA request dated March 18, 1978. Miles Waggoner of NASA's Public Information Services Branch had previously indicated that a NASA report titled "UFO Study Considerations" was prepared in cooperation with the CIA. However, in his April 26 response, Waggoner denied any CIA involvement, stating there were "no formal meetings (sic) or any correspondence with the CIA." CAUS's appeal, filed on May 8, asked Administrator Frosch to examine Waggoner's conduct, deeming his response capricious, arbitrary, inaccurate, and inadequate. As of the publication date, Frosch had not replied.

The State Department appeal is part of an ongoing effort to obtain classified UFO documents. This struggle began with a CAUS request on January 19, 1978, submitted by Peter Gersten. Despite Gersten providing specific details like date-time-group and message-serial numbers, the State Department's FOIA Center claimed it could not locate the document after repeated searches. On February 28, 1978, the CAUS Director provided additional information. After a month without acknowledgment, a phone call to Mary Spruell, a FOIA Center employee, revealed that three messages had been found and sent to the Department of Defense's Office of Security and Review for clearance. Spruell stated her department had no objection to their release and promised a follow-up call. However, no call was received. Two weeks later, a call to the Security and Review Office indicated they had not received any documents from the State Department for clearance. Spruell then asserted she had sent the documents to DOD and would check, but again, no notification was received. This prompted CAUS to take more drastic action.

A copy of an undated NICAP UFO Investigator was included with CAUS's May 8th appeal. The lead article, "UFOs Force Government Action," suggested NICAP had access to the three documents CAUS was seeking. The article quoted State Department documents describing UFO incidents in Morocco on the same evening as the Iranian incident on September 20, 1976. It also referenced a message sent by then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to the Moroccan government. CAUS argued that since NICAP had revealed most of the contents, the Security and Review office should clear the documents without delay. CAUS also requested a waiver of search and reproduction fees due to the delays, citing subsection (4)(A) of the FOIA. As of this date, CAUS had received no response to its certified letter.

GSW Suit Against CIA Moving Along

The Ground Saucer Watch, Inc. (GSW) FOIA suit against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), despite funding issues, is heading towards a showdown in Washington, D.C. CAUS's legal consultant, Peter Gersten, who is also retained by GSW, disclosed plans to file a discovery motion in early June. This motion will include an interrogatory of approximately 670 questions about the CIA's involvement with UFOs from 1946 to the present, along with 100 document requests based on information from CAUS Director of Research Brad Sparks. After filing, Gersten will give the CIA 30 days to respond before moving for summary judgment, aiming to force the CIA to reveal its role in UFO cover-ups. GSW Director William Spaulding has reissued an appeal for donations to support the lawsuit, as a lack of funds has caused delays.

Recent Navy Radar/Visual Sighting Causes Press Flurry

This article, by Steve Stoikes, examines a recent radar-visual UFO sighting that garnered significant press attention. The incident occurred on Sunday night, May 14, 1978, at the Pine Castle Electronic Warfare Tracking Station in central Florida, a restricted U.S. Navy bombing range near Orlando. The base is equipped with an advanced "Tracking Acquisition" computer system (MSQ-102). At approximately 10:30 PM, radar personnel were alerted by phone calls from residents reporting an object hovering near the bombing range. Mobile radar van personnel observed an object hovering just above the horizon, about 5,000 yards away, for an hour and five minutes. After warming up their radar, they managed to get a single sweep of the object. Ten minutes later, the object, seen as a multitude of lights resolving into three horizontal bands of red, green, and white through binoculars, was visually spotted from an observation tower. The radar unit could detect the object but not lock onto it. Moments later, the target disappeared visually and on radar.

Several minutes later, the radar picked up the UFO again, observed moving southbound at over 500 knots, three to four miles northwest of the base at a higher altitude. The object maintained this speed for five seconds, accelerated for two more, then appeared to stop for one second approximately 15 miles south of the base. During these maneuvers, two men in the control tower visually tracked the object with binoculars, witnessing the stopping maneuver and closing run reported by radar personnel. The object then disappeared visually and on radar within five miles of the base. Initially, it was speculated that the radar personnel might have been tracking Jupiter, but further investigation lessened this probability, as all personnel were aware of planetary positions and reported seeing Venus and Jupiter as well. The radar operator denied the possibility of anomalous propagation. A follow-up investigation is being conducted by the Navy and Al Hendry of IUR and the Center For UFO Studies, who is attempting to secure radar image data. CAUS will monitor the situation to ensure no evidence is suppressed.

EME At Miramar and a UFO Crash Near Palm Springs?

On March 27, 1978, three Navy planes crashed near San Diego under mysterious circumstances: an F-14 Tomcat, an A-4 Skyhawk, and an S-3A anti-submarine plane. The following day, March 28th, two men overheard a phone conversation detailing an incident involving "footprints leading from the site but none to it," Geiger count readings, and an object detected on radar for less than two seconds before touchdown. The speaker mentioned "Miramar lost three planes" and that "everything in the planes went haywire in the same part of the stratosphere." The speaker was briefing someone addressed as "General" and mentioned reporting to "Washington" and a "General Kelly" who would investigate. The two men contacted media outlets and eventually the UFO Report Center of Orange County, affiliated with Dr. Hynek's Center For UFO Studies. Professor Alvin H. Lawson of California State University at Long Beach, who operates the Center, began making FOIA requests to Navy and Air Force installations. As of this date, Lawson had not received confirmation of the overheard conversation's veracity, and CAUS's own inquiries to confidential sources yielded negative responses. The pilot of the A-4 Skyhawk, Lt. Evan Chanik, stated the accident was attributed to a unique malfunction and did not report any unusual difficulty prior to crashing, such as EME or disruption similar to the Iranian F-4s incident.

Crashed UFO In Bolivia?

Details are sketchy regarding a reported UFO crash in Bolivia. CAUS learned of this through a brief article in a Madison, Wisconsin newspaper on May 16, 1978, citing a UPI story that NASA was investigating a physical evidence case involving a UFO that had "exploded" in Bolivia. On May 18th, CAUS contacted NASA, but many in the Public Affairs Office were reportedly out sick. Debbie Rahn, an assistant to NASA Public Affairs officer Ken Morris, provided information about a message from the U.S. embassy in La Paz, dated May 15th. This message was based on a Bolivian newspaper account reporting an object crash near the Bolivia/Argentina border, prompting an investigation by the Bolivian Air Force.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of JUST CAUSE are government secrecy surrounding UFO phenomena, the challenges of obtaining information through FOIA requests, and the reporting of specific UFO sightings and incidents. The newsletter's stance is clearly in favor of transparency and against what it perceives as obfuscation and suppression of evidence by government agencies. CAUS actively pursues information and encourages public awareness of UFO-related events and investigations.

Title: JUST CAUSE
Issue: Vol. 1, No. 2
Date: May 25, 1978

This issue of JUST CAUSE focuses on an alleged UFO incident in Bolivia and the subsequent investigations, particularly questioning NASA's involvement.

NASA's Alleged Investigation Denied

The article begins by addressing a UPI allegation that NASA was investigating an incident in Bolivia. Rahn is quoted as stating that, based on their information, NASA had not sent anyone to Bolivia and labeled the UPI report as "false." She explained that NASA was included on the distribution list because the State Department wanted to know if anyone else had information. The initial La Paz report provided no details about the object or the sighting itself. CAUS was directed to Colonel Robert Eddington in the State Department for further information.

State Department's Perspective

CAUS contacted Colonel Eddington, who confirmed that his office had received numerous inquiries regarding the incident and had been contacted by NASA. His office is part of the "Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs" and monitors launches. Regarding the purported crashed UFO, Eddington stated that while they had received communications from their personnel in Bolivia who had seen newspaper accounts, they lacked any first-hand information confirming the object's existence. He relayed second-hand information from newspaper accounts describing an object about four meters in diameter. Some accounts suggested the object was "egg-shaped" and possibly "solid." Eddington speculated that if it were solid, it might be "some bit of tankage" from a booster, such as a large spherical liquid oxygen/hydrogen tank. However, his department could not correlate the reported object with the reentry of any known space debris. CAUS requested to be kept informed and subsequently submitted a FOIA request for all La Paz traffic related to the incident.

Further Developments and Expert Input

Eddington's office was contacted again on May 25, 1978, but personnel indicated no further information or developments were available. Meanwhile, Len Stringfield, described as a leading crashed saucer expert, provided CAUS with details from a recent Cincinnati Enquirer article. According to the article, the incident occurred near a village called "Padcaya" on May 6, 1978. The object was described as a "large lighted object" that crashed on a 13,000 ft mountain. An expedition of Bolivian scientists and military was reportedly mounted to recover the object, but the operation was delayed by bad weather. The article also noted that Bob Pratt, the National Enquirer's UFO expert, was reportedly in Bolivia investigating the story.

Acknowledgements

CAUS expresses gratitude to Al Hendry, described as a prominent figure in UFOlogy, for a mention in the International UFO Reporter and for his cooperation. Hendry is praised as an objective and intelligent UFOlogist, and his forthcoming book is anticipated as a valuable researcher's guide.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are government transparency (or lack thereof) regarding UFO/UAP incidents, the role of various agencies (NASA, State Department) in investigating such phenomena, and the reliance on media reports and expert analysis. The editorial stance appears to be one of diligent investigation, seeking factual confirmation, and holding official bodies accountable through requests for information, as exemplified by the FOIA request. There is a clear skepticism towards unsubstantiated reports, balanced with an open pursuit of credible evidence.