1995 03 00 OMNI - Project Open Book - UFO crash

Magazine Overview

This Collector's Edition of OMNI magazine, dated March 1995, is dedicated to the 'Project Open Book,' a comprehensive guide for UFO investigators. The cover features a striking illustration of a futuristic city and spacecraft, with the main headline "EXPANDED PROJECT OPEN BOOK: HOW TO SEARCH FOR UFOS."

The Omni Open Book Field Investigator's Guide: Part One

This section, written by Dennis Stacy, serves as the first of twelve chapters in the Omni Open Book Field Investigator's Guide, aiming to equip readers with the tools to hunt and investigate UFOs. It begins by highlighting the Levelland, Texas sightings of November 2, 1957, where ranch hands Pedro Saucedo and Joe Salaz reported a torpedo-shaped object that caused their truck's motor and headlights to fail. The object was estimated to be traveling at 600-800 miles per hour and generated significant heat. The incident garnered national attention, prompting an investigation by the Air Force's Project Blue Book.

The article critiques Project Blue Book, describing it as a public relations disaster that was understaffed and underfunded. It notes that the Air Force often classified cases as 'unknown' or 'insufficient data' and sometimes dismissed sightings with explanations like 'ball lightning' or 'swamp gas.' The article also touches upon the controversial MJ-12 documents, which purportedly detail a top-secret government group investigating UFOs since the 1950s.

Overcoming the Ridicule Factor

Dennis Stacy addresses the primary obstacle for UFO investigators: the fear of ridicule. He emphasizes that many UFO sightings go unreported due to this factor. Stacy suggests two basic rules for investigators: first, to ask people about their UFO experiences, and second, to ask those who have the most confidence in you, such as family and close friends. He shares a personal anecdote about interviewing his former colleague, Rudy, a WWII bombardier, who, despite initial reluctance, recounted a sighting of a circular, flying object near New Braunfels, Texas, in late 1950.

Finding UFO Cases

The guide provides methods for finding UFO cases, including searching through print media (especially local newspapers and UFO clipping services), attending national and regional UFO conferences, and utilizing online resources like bulletin boards and the internet. It also suggests digging into historical archives and past newspaper clippings, referencing the work of researchers like Jan Aldrich and Ted Bloecher who examined the 1947 UFO wave.

The Century's Best UFO Books

This section offers a curated list of eleven recommended UFO books for aspiring investigators. These range from historical accounts and scientific studies to more controversial works. Notable entries include:

• "The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects" by Edward J. Ruppelt
• "The UFO Controversy in America" by David Michael Jacobs
• "The UFO Experience" by Dr. J. Allen Hynek
• "Anatomy of a Phenomenon" by Jacques Vallee
• "Passport to Magonia: From Folklore to Flying Saucers" by Jacques Vallee
• "The UFO Encyclopedia" by Jerome Clark
• "Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects" (The Condon Report)
• "Observing UFOs" by Richard F. Haines
• "Project Blue Book" edited by Brad Steiger
• "The Interrupted Journey" by John G. Fuller
• "Missing Time" by Budd Hopkins

Project Open Book Update: Crash at El Indio

This article by Dennis Stacy investigates the alleged crash of a UFO on December 6, 1950, along the Texas-Mexico border near El Indio, Texas, and Guerrero, Mexico. Stacy, along with investigative aides, made multiple visits to the area. The incident is significant because it is mentioned in the MJ-12 documents, potentially linking it to the Roswell crash and suggesting a clandestine government recovery operation. The article details the investigation, including interviews with local residents like Rosendo Flores, who claimed to have witnessed a "ball of fire" crash and subsequent military recovery. Despite finding a "mystery hole" on the alleged crash site, the investigation did not yield definitive proof, but it highlights the persistent rumors and the difficulty in verifying such historical events.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the challenges and methodologies of UFO investigation, the historical context of UFO phenomena in the United States, and the critique of official government involvement (or lack thereof) through Project Blue Book. The magazine adopts a stance that encourages serious, albeit cautious, investigation into UFO reports, emphasizing the need for critical analysis, witness interviewing skills, and historical research. It positions "Project Open Book" as a tool to empower individuals to conduct their own investigations, filling the void left by the defunct government programs. The editorial stance is one of open inquiry, acknowledging the complexity and enduring mystery of the UFO phenomenon, while also warning against unsubstantiated claims and hoaxes.

This document is an excerpt from "PROJECT OPEN BOOK UPDATE," published by OMNI, specifically issue number 60. It details an investigation into a mysterious hole found in a field near Guerrero, Mexico, exploring the possibility of a UFO crash.

Investigation of the 'Mystery Hole'

The investigation began with a salesman for The Psychological Corporation and a man named Yates visiting Guerrero. They were led to a shallow depression in a field, approximately 20 feet in diameter, by a local ranch foreman named Jose Garcia. Despite a search with a metal detector, no unusual artifacts were found, and Garcia could offer no historical context for the hole. The authors initially assessed it as a natural sink-hole phenomenon, possibly due to the porous limestone beneath the silt.

Further efforts to connect the hole to a reported fireball event described by a witness named Flores were unsuccessful. Interviews with over 40 people on both sides of the border yielded no direct links. Tom Deuley is quoted suggesting that unusual events can sometimes be explained by an 'investigator effect,' where people try to be helpful by recalling local legends or strange occurrences that may not be related to UFOs.

Discovery of a Terrestrial Crash

An alternative avenue of investigation led the researchers to two retired historians in Fort Clark Springs, Texas. While they had no UFO stories, one historian, Ben Pingenot, recalled a plane crash in the area. He provided a reference to the book "Wings Over the Mexican Border: Pioneer Military Aviation in the Big Bend" by Kenneth Baxter Ragsdale.

According to Ragsdale, on January 16, 1944, a Civil Air Patrol Stinson spotter plane crashed seven miles from Guerrero, Mexico. The crash resulted in the deaths of Lieutenants Harry Hewitt and Bayard Henderson. The incident received only a brief mention in the Laredo Times and was promptly hushed up. The article speculates that the international aspect of the crash and the possibility of it being 'friendly fire' from a gunnery school accident were reasons for the secrecy. A restricted gunnery range zone is still marked on aeronautical maps of the area.

The recovery of the bodies and wreckage likely involved joint Mexican-American military cooperation, which could have contributed to bureaucratic secrecy. Hewitt's widow struggled to obtain a cause of death and only received survivor's benefits after legislative action.

Ragsdale concluded that "the facts will probably never be known. The military keeps its secrets well."

Conclusions and Speculation

The authors conclude that it is unlikely they will ever know with certainty if an extraterrestrial object crashed near Guerrero in December 1950. However, they confirm that a real terrestrial object did impact near the same town in January 1944.

They pose the question of whether a much-younger Rosendo Flores might have witnessed the 1944 plane crash, and if his memory of specific dates became blurred over time. The article suggests that the crash of the Civil Air Patrol plane and its subsequent military retrieval could have easily generated UFO rumors along the Rio Grande, especially depending on who was interviewed and how questions were phrased.

Ultimately, the article states that it's impossible to prove a negative – that a UFO did not crash there. However, the investigation leans towards a terrestrial explanation for the mystery, likening the search for definitive UFO evidence to finding a needle in a haystack or a hole in the ground.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this piece are the investigation of unexplained phenomena, the potential for misidentification of terrestrial events as UFOs, and the role of government secrecy in obscuring the truth. The editorial stance appears to be one of cautious skepticism, prioritizing documented evidence and plausible explanations over unsubstantiated claims, while acknowledging the enduring mystery and the difficulty of definitively disproving extraordinary events.