SUN 04 (July 1990)

Magazine Overview

This issue of Skeptics UFO Newsletter, dated July 1990, is authored by Philip J. Klass and focuses heavily on debunking the controversial Gulf Breeze UFO case. The newsletter presents a critical analysis of the evidence, particularly the claims made by Ed Walters, and highlights investigations that suggest the case may be a hoax.

The Gulf Breeze UFO Case: A Debunker's Perspective

The lead story details charges made by Ed Walters of Gulf Breeze, Florida, who claimed that a small UFO model found in his former home by its new owner was planted by "debunkers" to discredit the UFO phenomenon. Walters' list of "debunkers" includes pro-UFOlogists like Dr. Willy Smith, Zan Overall, and Bob Boyd, who, while still UFO-believers, consider the Walters photos a hoax.

Klass reports that the small UFO model was constructed from materials Walters had used for a house plan. Walters claimed the "debunkers" had stolen his house plan from his garbage and that it was prepared nearly two years after his first UFO photos were taken, implying a conspiracy. However, an investigation by Gulf Breeze city officials, including Mayor Ed Gray and Police Chief Jerry Brown, revealed that Walters prepared the house plan in the spring of 1987, at least six months before his first UFO photos were taken. Mayor Gray informed MUFON of these findings.

The discovery of the model was publicized just before the MUFON's 1990 convention in Pensacola, where Ed Walters and his wife Frances, along with UFO-abductionist Budd Hopkins, were featured speakers. The event drew significant media and attendee turnout.

Further undermining Walters' claims, Tom Smith, Jr., son of a Gulf Breeze lawyer, testified that he participated with Ed Walters in creating hoax UFO photos. Smith stated that Ed asked him to take 35mm hoax UFO photos to the Gulf Breeze Sentinel newspaper and claim he took them. Smith's father advised against it. Walters later claimed Smith had photographed a "genuine" UFO and concocted the hoax story due to family "religious convictions."

MUFON, through its international director Walt Andrus, announced a reopening of its investigation into the Ed Walters case, emphasizing a presumption of innocence. Bob Oechsler, who had previously endorsed the photos, examined the new photos provided by Smith and stated they appeared to be of the same object. The model itself has not yet been examined for fingerprints.

Mayor Ed Gray also revealed that Walters had discussed his alleged UFO sightings with him before the photos were published in 1987, but Walters never called the Mayor when he claimed to have subsequent sightings.

Stanton T. Friedman gave an unqualified endorsement of the Walters photos and abduction claims at the MUFON conference. Jim Moseley, editor of Saucer Smear, also supported Walters, doubting he would forget to remove a planted model.

Klass points out inconsistencies in Walters' claims, including his admission in his book of possessing firearms despite being a convicted felon, and his contradictory statements about UFO benevolence versus his own claimed experiences of being harmed by a UFO's "blue beam."

Bruce Maccabee, who claims he decided the Walters photos were not a hoax before being offered $20,000 to write a chapter for Walters' book, continues to support Walters' explanations, believing the model was the work of debunkers. Klass notes Maccabee sees no conflict of interest in his financial involvement.

While figures like Andrus, Friedman, Maccabee, and Moseley endorse Walters, many long-time UFOlogists have denounced the case as a hoax. Marge Christensen resigned from MUFON's Board and as Director of Education in protest against MUFON's "unscientific" handling of the case.

Don Schmitt of CUFOS published a report indicating Ed Walters used double-exposure techniques with his Polaroid camera, a method he later claimed not to know how to do. The report suggests that double exposures can be made by not advancing the film after the first exposure.

Klass further details a trick photo taken by Walters at a teen-age party, which he claimed showed a ghost-like image. While Walters and Maccabee attributed it to a chance reflection, enhanced prints by Dr. Willy Smith suggest otherwise. Walters admitted knowing how to take trick photos by defocusing his lens but denied accidentally making double exposures.

The newsletter mentions a CUFOS report titled "Gulf Breeze Double Exposed" available for purchase. Jerry Clark, editor of the CUFOS International UFO Reporter, previously described the Gulf Breeze case as "legitimate and significant."

Pro-UFOlogist Jim Speiser urged Walters to "come clean" about how he perpetrated "one of the greatest hoaxes in [UFO] history." Despite these challenges, Walters' book is generating royalties, foreign editions are planned, and an ABC-TV mini-series is expected.

ET Females Are Sexually Active With Abductees--But Not ET Males

This section discusses Budd Hopkins' views on ET-human sexual encounters. Hopkins states that male abductees report sexual intercourse with alien females in several cases, but only a few marginal cases involve female abductees reporting sex with an ET male. Hopkins' own book "Intruders" discussed a case where a woman named "Andrea" became pregnant after dreaming of sex with a "funny looking" bald-headed man, which Hopkins concluded was real and involved an ET.

During a MUFON conference session, Hopkins discussed ETs exhibiting "voyeuristic tendencies." He described cases where unrelated male and female abductees were forced into sexual acts, which he found difficult to comprehend but numerous enough to be disputable.

Regarding ET species, Hopkins stated that about 85% of ETs are described as short, bald, with large eyes, while the other 15% have "wide ranging" descriptions, including "lizard-like" beings. He also noted that in many cases, multiple types of ETs cooperate on the same ship.

Hopkins' biography was published in the 1990 MUFON conference proceedings, and a film version of his book "Intruders" is scheduled. His book is available in multiple languages.

PJK Psychic Prediction suggests ET abductions will spread to Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Holland, and Japan, but not to Bulgaria, Poland, Rumania, or China until Hopkins' book is translated there.

Hopkins is co-authoring a new book, "A Crack in the Universe--The Psychological Impact of UFO Encounters," with Penelope Franklin. Klass speculates if this book will reveal Hopkins himself is an abductee, noting that other researchers like Dr. Leo Sprinkle and Ray Fowler have reported being abducted.

Klass humorously notes his own desire to be abducted for fame and fortune during a bus tour of Gulf Breeze.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

This section reports on Stanton Friedman's $16,000 year-long investigation into the authenticity of the "MJ-12" documents. Friedman concluded that the documents are genuine, passing a "scientific screening." Klass criticizes this conclusion, comparing Friedman's selection to hiring a fox to guard chickens. Friedman's report challenges Klass's claim that the "Harry Truman" signature on the MJ-12 letter is suspiciously similar to a genuine Truman signature, arguing that accidental scratch marks on the MJ-12 signature indicate it is a counterfeit photocopy.

Friedman "forgets" to mention that he himself noted the "match" between the signatures. Klass also notes that Friedman dismisses the expertise of handwriting forgery expert Albert S. Osborn, who died before the Xerox machine was invented, by claiming Osborn's comments applied to traced signatures, not photocopies.

Friedman's approach is to place the burden of proof on those who claim the documents are forged. Klass interviewed Dr. Roger Wescott, described by Friedman as an authoritative linguistic expert, who stated that authentication "isn't something I usually do" and that the MJ-12 documents were the first in which he was asked to do anything official, adding that "This [authentication] is not my specialty."

Klass suggests that if the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR) sued Friedman for obtaining money under false pretenses using his report, they would likely win. Copies of Friedman's report are available for purchase.

More Moore MJ-12 "Fingerprints" Discovered

Japanese UFOlogist Jun-Ichi Takanashi identified a pattern in documents retyped by William L. Moore for his "Green Fireballs" paper that matches the MJ-12 Hillenkoetter briefing document. Takanashi noted an unusual hybrid civil-military date format with a superfluous comma, and the insertion of a zero before single-digit dates, which Moore used in his personal letters. Takanashi questioned whether this format was present in the original documents or introduced by Moore during retyping.

Barry Greenwood, editor of the Just Cause newsletter, brought this matter to attention. Moore's microfilm copy of Project Blue Book UFO files included letters that Moore had retyped, showing the date "9 February 1949" typed as "09 February, 1949," and the addition of a "superfluous comma" after the month in other dual-digit dates.

New Book by Former N.Y. Times Reporter Claims Defense Intelligence Agency Launched Top-Secret UFO Study in 1987

This section previews a book titled "Out There: The Government's Secret Quest for Extraterrestrials" by Howard Blum, a former N.Y. Times reporter. The book, published by Simon & Schuster, is described as a "true story" verified by the author. It is slated for a four-hour TV mini-series on NBC and has TV commitments from "60 Minutes" and "Oprah." Blum is also undertaking a 10-city author tour.

Klass notes that in one chapter, Blum describes his career in unflattering terms, finding 25 factual errors in five pages. Despite only talking by phone, Blum describes Klass as "jaunty, pencil-thin" for 40 years. Klass concludes that even if the book were labeled fiction, it would still be criticized for its numerous and easily checkable errors.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are skepticism towards UFO claims, particularly the Gulf Breeze case, and a critical examination of evidence presented by UFO proponents. Philip J. Klass, the author, consistently employs a debunking approach, highlighting inconsistencies, potential hoaxes, and questionable methodologies within the UFO community. The editorial stance is clearly that of a skeptic, prioritizing factual verification and scientific scrutiny over anecdotal evidence and unsubstantiated claims. The newsletter also touches upon the controversial MJ-12 documents, framing Stanton Friedman's investigation as biased and flawed. The discussion of Budd Hopkins' work on abductions, while reporting his findings, is also presented with a subtle undercurrent of skepticism regarding the nature of ET interactions and the potential for researchers to become involved in the phenomena they study.