OVNI - 2001 05 - May-June

Magazine Overview

Title: OVNI
Issue: May/June 2001
Publisher: Journal of the Phenomenon Research Association
Country: UK
Price: £1 plus postage

Dr. Steven Greer's Great Disclosure - But Nobody Wants to Know!

This article details the 'Disclosure Project' conference held on May 9th, 2001, at the National Press Club in Washington DC, organized by Dr. Steven M. Greer. The project aimed to disclose information about UFOs and extraterrestrial events through testimonies from nearly two dozen military, intelligence, and government witnesses. Since 1993, the non-profit research effort has identified hundreds of witnesses worldwide, with over 100 videotaped and 70 transcribed. The evidence presented, including government documents, reportedly establishes the reality of extraterrestrial life forms and advanced technologies derived from studying these vehicles, which could lead to a sustainable civilization. The conference was to be followed by a symposium on May 12th.

The author expresses disappointment at the lack of mainstream media coverage in the UK following the conference, contrasting it with the potential impact of Orson Welles' 'War of the Worlds' broadcast. Despite anticipating minimal coverage, the author found none, with the press focusing instead on an election battle, Ronnie Biggs, and the foot and mouth epidemic.

Media Reaction and Criticism

The article highlights a critical review of the conference by journalist Joel Achenbach in 'The Washington Post', titled 'Aliens and UFO's: The Likely Scenario'. Achenbach's article is described as sad and ill-conceived, sarcastically noting that the conference established 'beyond the shadow of a doubt' that people believe in UFOs. He described the event as an attempt to incite the government to admit UFOs are piloted by alien creatures, and characterized the witnesses as 'grey-haired men' who had retired years ago from the military.

Several prominent personalities and readers responded to Achenbach's article with criticism. An anonymous retired journalist from the UK questioned Achenbach's investigative approach, suggesting it's easier to rubbish than investigate. Another reader, identifying as a professional engineer and former senior government official, defended the witnesses, stating they were highly trained observers with above top-secret clearances and that their testimony was credible.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Charles L. Brown recounted seeing 'two inexplicable objects' two years prior. Retired Navy pilot Graham Bethune described seeing a glow near Iceland in 1951 that turned into a circle of lights with a dome. Retired Air Force captain Robert Salais reported a 'bright glowing red object' hovering outside a nuclear weapons site in Montana in 1967, causing the weapons to go into a 'no-go' condition.

E-mail Responses to Joel Achenbach

Further criticism of Joel Achenbach's article is presented through a selection of e-mails. One e-mail argues that it is easier for a journalist to rubbish than investigate and questions if Achenbach considered the possibility of the witnesses' claims being real. Another e-mail, from Colin Andrews, author/broadcaster/researcher and President of C.P.R. International, criticizes Achenbach for his 'jokey piece' and for perpetuating 'sneering ignorance'. Dr. Jean-Noel Aubrun, a physicist with 30 years in the aerospace industry, also wrote to Achenbach, stating that the Disclosure conference was entertaining but wrong and a disservice to readers. He defended the credibility of the witnesses, emphasizing their military backgrounds and impeccable records, and suggested that Achenbach's disrespect for the facts was unwarranted, especially given the prevalence of close encounters reported by commercial pilots.

Frederick Taylor forwarded an e-mail from Dr. Jean-Noel Aubrun, who expressed sympathy for Achenbach but also criticized his article. Aubrun, a physicist, found the conference amusing but wrong and a disservice to readers, highlighting the credibility of the witnesses who were retired military personnel with impeccable records. He also pointed out that commercial pilots frequently report encounters with non-terrestrial crafts and questioned Achenbach's disrespectful tone.

A Summing Up of the 'Disclosure Project'

George A. Filer, Director of MUFON, provides an overview of the 'Disclosure Project', calling it an 'Initial Success'. He commends Dr. Greer and his staff for their efforts in bringing together twenty former government employees to present their UFO knowledge. Filer notes the excellent evidence presented, including FAA tapes and government documentation, and praises the witnesses as knowledgeable and credible. He describes the press conference as excellent, with a large turnout of reporters who stayed for hours, indicating a potential shift in their mindset and a newfound respect for the subject. Filer believes the event gained powerful allies and made a significant impact globally, encouraging other UFO organizations to hold similar briefings.

The main goal of the project, according to Filer, was not to reveal 'smoking gun' evidence but to request immunity for witnesses and obtain Congressional hearings. He urges other UFO organizations to follow suit and contact their Congressmen. Information on the testimony and future events is available at www.disclosureproject.org.

A Further Report on the Cardenas Family

This section details Santiago Yturria's ongoing investigation into the Cardenas family's UFO experiences. The investigation has revealed surprising events, suggesting interaction between a UFO and Mrs. Patricia Cardenas.

The Texas Road Encounter

In December 2000, the Cardenas family (Juan, Patricia, and their three sons) experienced a spectacular UFO encounter while traveling on a road to San Antonio, Texas. They encountered a huge, luminous tubular-shaped UFO that approached them over a desolate stretch of road. This encounter was captured on video by Mrs. Patricia Cardenas.

Subsequent Sightings and Video Evidence

Following the initial encounter, Yturria advised the family to be prepared for further sightings. In January, the family experienced another UFO sighting on the same Texas road, with multiple eyewitnesses, but they were unable to record it as their camcorder was not fully recharged.

Upon returning to Washington State, Mrs. Cardenas reported seeing something above their home on two separate occasions. She did not record these events, stating they happened too quickly and were too bright. Yturria urged her to try and tape such events for substantiation.

Mrs. Cardenas subsequently obtained a new video camera and tripod. In February, she reported a peaceful month followed by a strange feeling of restlessness. On February 20th, at approximately 7:10 pm, she felt a premonition and asked her husband Juan to go outside to the backyard. A red oval light appeared over a neighbor's house roof, which she taped. The object moved from right to left and backwards for about half an hour before fading away. She expressed excitement, stating, 'I've got it Juan, I told you. Look at the video, it was a UFO.'

From that day on, Mrs. Cardenas had two more sightings in February, which she also taped. She described similar unusual sensations and was able to see the objects at a distance, noting that confronting a UFO is a different experience from identifying known objects like airplanes or stars.

Nightly Visitations

Patricia Cardenas began to experience nightly visitations by a huge kind of blue plasma UFO right above her home on a periodic basis. This suggests a continuing interaction and has significantly escalated the importance and complexity of their case.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently focuses on UFO phenomena, extraterrestrial encounters, and related investigations. There is a strong critical stance towards mainstream media's handling of UFO topics, often portraying them as dismissive or ignorant. The publication champions the efforts of researchers and witnesses who are trying to bring UFO information into the public domain, particularly highlighting the 'Disclosure Project' and its goal of achieving official recognition and hearings. The editorial stance appears to support the reality of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation, encouraging further investigation and public awareness.

This issue of OVNI magazine, dated May 2001, features a cover headline "The Evening Sky" and includes articles on UFO sightings, secret aircraft, and astronomical phenomena. The publication is based in the UK, with Walter Berg listed as the publisher.

Patricia Cardenas's UFO Encounters

The issue details the story of Patricia Cardenas, who reported two significant sightings of a UFO she called the 'Blue One'. The first sighting occurred on the night of March 2nd, where she observed a blue luminous object in the sky from her room. She described it as having a blue luminosity different from others she had seen and noted that it made her feel relaxed. She questioned its distance, and though it increased in size and moved, it returned to its original size.

On the night of March 5th, Mrs. Cardenas had a more impressive sighting. She had been thinking about the blue UFO and, with her husband Juan, went to the backyard for a skywatch. While the videocamera was left mounted on the tripod, she felt a sensation and went out to find the 'Blue One' very close and bright. While taping, she experienced the same relaxing sensation. The object then began to change its shape, grow, move, and increase its luminosity, becoming 'really big'.

Investigator Santiago Yturria questioned Mrs. Cardenas. He noted that it seemed only Mrs. Cardenas could interact with the blue UFO, as it would not appear in the presence of Mr. Cardenas. Yturria concluded that the complex nature of these events did not yet permit a definitive conclusion, and his investigation was ongoing.

Secret Aircraft Buried at Area 51

Another significant section of the magazine discusses secret aircraft allegedly buried at Groom Lake, known as Area 51, located 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Aviation writer and historian Peter Merlin is a key source, having obtained declassified flight documents and interviewed personnel involved with Groom Lake programs since 1955. Merlin states that aircraft that crashed or failed were hauled to the bottom of deep holes and covered overnight. These included predecessors to the F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter and the SR71 Blackbird.

A former Groom Lake worker, speaking anonymously, described watching an earthmover excavate a burial site in 1982. He also mentioned a classified plane being kept in a 'Scoot-N-hide' shed before being scraped off a flatbed truck into a hole and buried. The wreckage was described as being 'shattered like an egg'. Merlin estimates that over a dozen aircraft, worth between $600 million and $1 billion, are buried there, and this practice of disposing of high-tech equipment continues.

The article notes that Area 51 is a 38,400-acre installation cloaked in secrecy by a presidential order. Merlin highlights that cutting-edge technology, including three generations of spy planes like the U-2s, A-12s, and SR-71s, were demonstrated at Groom Lake. Even former Soviet bloc aircraft, such as the MiG-23, were tested there.

The 1982 burial site was near a gravel-pit road and trenches used for burning secret documents and toxic coatings. A lawsuit by former base workers alleged illnesses from toxic fumes, but the Air Force declined to release documents citing national security. John Pike of Global Security Org commented that burying mistakes at Groom Lake 'makes sense'.

Several specific aircraft are mentioned as being buried or having crashed at Groom Lake: four U2s from the 1950s, an F-101 chase plane that crashed in 1965, two Have Blue airframes used to demonstrate F-117A technology, and a MiG-23 that crashed in 1984. Officials attempted to retrieve a Have Blue airframe but were unsuccessful. A unique surveillance aircraft, Tactic Blue, was rescued and placed in the USAF museum instead of being buried.

The magazine also recounts the crash of the first production F-117A, tail No 785, on April 20, 1982, piloted by Robert Riedenauer. The plane cartwheeled during takeoff at Groom Lake. Riedenauer described his escape, having only four seconds to react. While the exact location of the crash is debated, sources indicate it was at Groom Lake. The damaged aircraft was salvaged and returned to Palmdale, California, not buried.

Bob Pepper, a spokesman for the F-117A unit, explained the policy for disposing of wrecked stealth aircraft is to store them temporarily and then dispose of them securely to prevent foreign countries from obtaining secret materials. Unclassified aircraft are taken to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, chopped up, and melted down.

A former base worker described the 1984 crash of a MiG-23, stating, “I saw that thing explode... The plane came apart. The wings came off it and he punched out.”

The Evening Sky - May 2001

This section provides an astronomical guide for May 2001. It notes that all naked-eye planets are visible. Mercury is visible near the Sun at evening twilight. Jupiter shines in the northwestern sky after sunset, with Saturn to its lower right. Both are disappearing from view. Mars becomes the main attraction, rising around midnight in the southeastern sky, and appears stationary by the 11th. Venus is the bright morning star in the eastern sky, moving from a crescent to 'half-Venus'. Full Moon occurs on May 7th.

The article also touches on cosmology, mentioning that the Milky Way galaxy had existed for a comparable amount of time as the solar system's formation. It notes the Milky Way is swallowing a dwarf galaxy and that the Andromeda Galaxy is moving towards it, with a collision predicted in about six billion years. It also discusses the eventual coalescence of all galaxies into large, amorphous systems.

Pagan and Celtic Calendar

The issue briefly explains the pagan and Celtic division of the year into four equinox and solstice days (quarter-days) and four cross-quarter-days. These cross-quarter-days were seen as 'power points' of the year, marking seasonal turns.

Tale Enders - News Briefs

This section contains several short news items:

• Bonsall, Derbyshire (UFO Hot-Spot): The village was the subject of a BBC Radio Derby broadcast. A Mr. Joe Elkes claimed to have caught a UFO on video while filming a model aircraft. The video showed a model aircraft and then a 'diamond' shape, which the editor attributed to a light reflection.
• Californian Flying Triangle: On April 27, 2001, a witness in Alpine, California, saw a dark, three-sided object moving horizontally at tremendous speed, described as half the size of a hand at arm's length.
• Jupiter's Moon Ganymede: NASA's Galileo spacecraft found evidence of large lakes under Ganymede's surface, possibly harboring primitive life due to hydro-thermal vents.
• Ice Pictogram Found in Maryland: An ice ring, a circle with a short rectangular extension, was found in Churchville, Maryland, in February 2001, estimated to be 30 feet in diameter.
• Nuclear Connection in Crich, Derbyshire: Residents are concerned about Rolls-Royce dumping depleted Uranium waste in Hilts Quarry. Speculation links this to UFO sightings in the area.
• Scientists Report Alien Life: Scientists in Wales discovered a primitive alien life form, a strain of bacteria unlike any on Earth, in a high-flying balloon filter operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 29th, at 8 pm at the Royal British Legion, Allenton, Derby, featuring 'UFO Chronicles' and video shots. Members pay £1, non-members are welcome.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of OVNI magazine demonstrates a continued focus on UFO phenomena, particularly personal sightings and investigations, as exemplified by the detailed account of Patricia Cardenas. There is also a strong interest in government secrecy and advanced technology, evidenced by the extensive coverage of alleged secret aircraft burials at Area 51. The magazine also incorporates astronomical news and other unexplained phenomena, such as crop circles and potential extraterrestrial life, suggesting a broad scope within the realm of the unusual and unexplained. The editorial stance appears to be one of reporting on these phenomena, often citing witness accounts and historical data, while maintaining a degree of cautious analysis, as seen in Santiago Yturria's concluding remarks. The disclaimer at the end states that articles and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the PRA.