SUN 07 (Jan 1991)

Magazine Overview

This issue of Skeptics UFO Newsletter, dated January 1991, is published by Philip J. Klass and is identified as SUN #7. The cover headline focuses on the Moore/Shandera MJ-12 report, suggesting it reveals significant information but also withholds more.

Analysis of the Moore/Shandera MJ-12 Report

The newsletter critically examines "The MJ-12 Documents: An Analytical report" by William L. Moore and Jaime H. Shandera. Klass argues that the report, while extensive, attempts to bolster the MJ-12 papers by including other suspect UFO documents, but that this approach is flawed, as the chain of evidence is only as strong as its weakest link.

Klass suggests that many of these documents trace back to Moore himself, or to his associate Richard C. Doty, a former sergeant in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). The report claims that Doty was selected as a liaison-courier by a highly placed intelligence source codenamed "Falcon" in September 1980. Falcon's alleged goal was to find a way to change the government's UFO cover-up policy and release facts to the public without breaking laws. Klass questions why Falcon would choose Moore, a less influential figure than prominent investigative journalists, and suggests Falcon might be "a dum-dum."

Richard C. Doty's Alleged Role

The newsletter details Doty's military career, including his service as a gatehouse guard and military policeman. It highlights an incident in early 1978 where an anonymous letter sent to the National Enquirer, claiming a UFO encounter at Ellsworth AFB, was investigated and found to be counterfeit. The M/S report acknowledges Doty's awareness of this operation but claims he was only "peripherally involved." M/S suggests this counterfeit document was part of a program to train USAF personnel in disinformation techniques.

Doty was later transferred to Kirtland AFB, where his AFOSI job involved investigating criminal matters. In July 1980, APRO received an anonymous letter about a UFO incident, which Moore, then an APRO official, investigated. The M/S report states Moore's investigation found the letter was "loosely based upon an actual UFO case," but Klass points out that there was no UFO landing or photos, and Doty had written the spurious report.

Moore later admitted at a 1989 MUFON conference that he decided to "play the disinformation game" to learn who was directing it and why. Klass implies that the disinformation supplied to UFOlogist Paul Bennewitz was provided by Doty.

The "Executive Briefing" and "Carter Briefing Notes"

In March 1983, Moore allegedly received an 11-page "Top Secret" document titled "Executive Briefing, Subject: Project Aquarius," dated June 14, 1977. This occurred after a "cloak-and-dagger trip" where a courier gave him 19 minutes to examine the material. The M/S report refers to this as "The Carter Briefing Notes."

Barely a month later, in April 1983, Linda Moulton Howe met with Sgt. Doty at Kirtland AFB. Howe claims Doty showed her typed pages titled "Briefing Paper for the President of the United States about the subject of unidentified flying vehicles." Howe remembered classified project names like Aquarius, Sigma, Snowbird, and Pounce. In 1987, Moore and Shandera released three of the eleven sheets of the "President Carter Briefing Notes," which included these project names.

Klass questions whether Moore's cross-country trip was necessary if Doty already had the documents and showed them to Howe a month later, suggesting it might be part of Moore's admitted disinformation efforts.

Doty, in a letter after retiring from the USAF, denied showing Howe any Presidential briefing paper, though Howe maintains her account under penalty of perjury.

Allegations of Deception and Disinformation

In Doty's letter, he stated he knew of no secret government investigation of UFOs or any agency that investigates them. However, the M/S report's section on "The Carter Briefing Notes" does not mention Howe's claim that Doty showed her the document. Klass notes this as another example of "coverup" in the M/S report.

Klass recounts his own attempt to interview Doty in late 1987. Doty told him he had an affidavit signed by Bill Moore stating Moore "never, ever received anything from me other than some bits and pieces of information about an incident that happened at Kirtland in 1980." Doty refused to send a copy of this document.

In early 1985, Doty was transferred to West Germany for counter-intelligence work. Klass speculates that if Doty were Falcon's trusted liaison, Falcon would have used his political clout to keep Doty in the US. Shortly before Doty left Albuquerque, M/S reportedly received the MJ-12 papers, mailed from Albuquerque.

While in West Germany, Doty's superiors became suspicious of his reports. He flunked a "lie detector" test and was dropped from AFOSI, transferred back to Kirtland AFB, and ended his USAF career as a "food services specialist." This escapade and his final position are not mentioned in the M/S report.

On a TV show, Shandera stated that "Falcon's position gives him access to the MJ-12 Infrastructure." Yet, he has not supplied M/S with the name of a single current MJ-12 member. The original members listed in the MJ-12 papers were conveniently deceased by the time the documents were released.

Falcon's Revelations and Identity

During the TV show, Falcon, with disguised voice and appearance, made startling revelations about live ETs in U.S. custody, stating they enjoy music, especially ancient Tibetan style, and eat vegetables and ice cream. Robert Hastings reported that a TV show staff member identified Falcon as Richard C. Doty. Associates of Doty at Kirtland who viewed a video tape of Falcon concluded it was indeed Doty.

Moore claimed that after the MJ-12 papers were released in May 1987, he and Shandera dropped "subtle hints that 'Falcon' might in fact be Doty." Moore suggested this ploy would help protect Doty's identity, while Doty could simply deny it if asked. Klass questions this, noting that if Falcon is Doty, then M/S are using "disinformation techniques" when their report claims they met "with Falcon and Doty."

The "Hilltop" Case and FBI Interview

According to the M/S report, on January 28, 1983, Falcon agreed to fly to Los Angeles to be video-taped revealing classified UFO secrets. The taping was done in the presence of a "CBS executive and an investigative reporter." Later, Falcon allegedly handed Moore a piece of paper stamped "Secret" describing an alleged UFO landing, the "Hilltop" case, which was still under investigation.

Barely a month later, on March 1, 1983, Moore was interviewed by two FBI agents. According to an unclassified portion of his FBI file, Moore declared he had "never had in his possession any classified documents from any government agency."

Klass points out the contradiction: according to the M/S report, Moore claims he was given a "Secret" report on the "Hilltop" case by Falcon on January 28, 1983, just a month before his FBI statement. He questions whether Moore lied to the FBI or knew the documents were counterfeit.

Other Articles and Reviews

Jerry Clark's View

Jerry Clark, editor of International UFO Reporter, is impressed with the M/S report, stating it "looks as if Moore, Shandera and their associates have all but obliterated every skeptical argument to date... With this report MJ-12 moves again to a central role on the UFO scene."

M/S Report Availability

The M/S report is priced at $30 and can be ordered from The Fair Witness Project. Klass contrasts this with Stanton Friedman's report, which cost $16,000 and is priced at $12.50.

"Out There"--Out Where?

This section reviews Howard Blum's book, which claims a Top Secret group was created by the DIA to investigate UFOs. Whitley Strieber characterizes the book as "stunning" and "explosive," predicting that it will lead other journalists to investigate and discover that elements of the U.S. government know more about UFOs than they admit.

U.S. News & World Report Prediction

Klass recalls a prediction from the April 18, 1977, issue of U.S. News & World Report that the Government would make "unsettling disclosures" about UFOs. He offered 100:1 odds that this would not happen within the next 14 months, and no one took the bet.

MUFON Astronaut Poll

The MUFON UFO Journal reported on a poll of NASA astronauts regarding a Congressional UFO investigation. None of the 91 current astronauts responded, but 11 out of 56 former astronauts replied "No."

Dr. David Jacobs on Abductions

History professor Dr. David Jacobs, an associate of Budd Hopkins in the "UFO-abduction" field, reports having a subject abducted in 1934, predating the first widely reported UFO sighting by Kenneth Arnold. Jacobs dismisses prosaic psychological explanations for abduction tales, stating that anyone who believes in them is "going off into the wild blue yonder."

When asked about his new book on UFO-abductions, Jacobs stated it would bring more people with vague memories forward, as all published articles have done. He describes the book as a second-by-second account of an abduction sequence. He also confirms finding correlating patterns among his subjects, noting they all "say the same thing."

Ed Walters and Double-Exposure Hoaxes

Ed Walters, known for his Gulf Breeze UFO photos, admits that double-exposure hoaxes are easy with the old Polaroid camera he used. He claims it's impossible with the newer Model 600 film because it ejects the photo immediately. Dr. Bruce S. Maccabee, who endorsed Walters' photos, admits double-exposures are possible but took him a month to figure out.

Klass recounts a demonstration by a Florida friend, a former USAF photo-analyst, who used a Model 600 camera to create a double-exposure photo of a caricature of Margaret Thatcher. This was done to test Walters' claim, proving that double-exposures are indeed possible with Model 600 film.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently adopts a skeptical stance towards UFO claims, particularly those involving alleged government cover-ups and disinformation. Philip J. Klass, the editor, meticulously analyzes reports and statements, pointing out inconsistencies, questioning motives, and seeking verifiable evidence. The recurring themes include the alleged disinformation campaigns surrounding UFO phenomena, the credibility of key figures in the UFO community like Moore and Doty, and the potential for hoaxes and misinterpretations in UFO evidence, such as the double-exposure technique used in some photographic cases. The editorial stance is one of critical inquiry, aiming to debunk unsubstantiated claims and expose what Klass perceives as manipulation within the UFO field.