SUN 26 (Mar 1994)

Magazine Overview

Title: Skeptics UFO Newsletter
Issue: SUN #26
Date: March 1994
Publisher: Philip J. Klass
Focus: Critical examination of UFO claims and alleged government cover-ups, particularly the Roswell Incident.

Schiff Straddles "Crashed Saucer" Fence to Explain Request That GAO Investigate "Roswell Incident"

The lead article addresses Congressman Steve Schiff's (R-NM) request for the General Accounting Office (GAO) to investigate the "Roswell crashed-saucer incident." The newsletter notes Schiff's efforts to explain that he is not primarily interested in UFOs and questions whether an ET craft crashed in New Mexico in 1947. However, Schiff is quoted as saying the government has been accused of cover-up and that he would not ask for an investigation if he were merely curious. He stated that the issue is whether the government is being forthright with the American people, and while he assumes alien bodies at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base would have been discovered, he acknowledges that "anything is possible as long as the government won't talk." In an interview with The Washington Post, Schiff suggested that "whatever it was, it wasn't a balloon" and indicated another government cover-up. On a CBS radio talk show, host Gil Gross introduced Schiff as having asked the GAO to "settle the question" of an Air Force cover-up. Schiff clarified that he asked the GAO to "assist me in locating whatever Air Force, Defense Dept. files would have existed on the subject, or an accounting of what happened to them."

If Roswell Crashed Saucer File Ever Existed, Top Officials Never Saw It

This section presents evidence suggesting that if an ET craft did crash on the Brazel ranch in mid-1947, creating a "Roswell File," its existence was unknown to high-ranking officials. The article points to the rash of UFO sighting reports following Kenneth Arnold's June 24, 1947 report, which prompted USAF headquarters to seek an appraisal of UFOs from Lt. Gen. Nathan Twining, commander of the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AF Base. Twining's "considered opinion" on "flying discs," dated September 23, 1947, stated the phenomenon was "real and not visionary or fictitious." However, the newsletter highlights that Twining's letter also noted "the lack of physical evidence in the shape of crash recovered exhibits which would undeniably prove the existence of these objects." This letter, originally classified "Secret," was declassified over 20 years prior.

Another example cited is "The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects" by Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt, who headed Project Blue Book. Ruppelt recounts that in mid-1948, the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) prepared a TOP SECRET "Estimate of the Situation" concluding UFOs were extraterrestrial craft. However, this report was "batted back down" by USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg, who found it lacked proof and rejected the idea of interplanetary vehicles. ATIC's failure to include a photo of a crashed saucer and alien bodies, if such existed, is presented as evidence that the file was unknown to the USAF chief responsible for national airspace defense.

The article emphasizes that if an ET craft had crashed, Gen. Vandenberg would have been informed and would have flown to Dayton to inspect the debris. By mid-1948, he would have expected an "assessment" of UFO technical characteristics based on crash debris analysis, not an "Estimate" of what UFOs were.

Top USAF/Navy Intelligence Officials Also Unaware of "Roswell File"

Further evidence is drawn from the "TOP SECRET" Air Intelligence Report No. 100-203-79, dated December 10, 1948, prepared by the USAF's Directorate of Intelligence and the Office of Naval Intelligence. This report, declassified in 1985, concluded that the origin of UFOs was unascertainable, with two possibilities: domestic U.S. devices or foreign objects, most logically from a Soviet source, citing German flying-wing aircraft. The newsletter argues that if high-ranking intelligence specialists had seen a "Roswell File" with photos of ET bodies or autopsy reports, they would not have logically concluded UFOs were from a Soviet source.

The Logical Explanation: No "Roswell File" Because No Crashed Saucer

This section questions the recollections of Walter Haut, the former public affairs officer at Roswell AF Base who issued the "flying disk" press release. Haut claims he was told to do so by Col. William Blanchard, the base commander. The newsletter suggests Haut's current recollections may be in error, noting his press release lacked attribution to a senior official. The Roswell Daily Record article of July 8, 1947, stated the intelligence office of the 509th Bombardment group had recovered a flying saucer, with details released by Maj. J.A. Marcel, intelligence officer.

The article then delves into whether Maj. Marcel "Goofed." It suggests Marcel should have considered that the debris might be associated with the Army White Sands Missile Range's testing of captured German V-2 ballistic missiles, as a V-2 had malfunctioned and landed nearby a month prior. Marcel's first action should have been to contact White Sands to check for a connection, but as far as is known, he did not. Alternatively, Marcel should have considered the debris might be from a new type of Soviet reconnaissance craft, which would have warranted immediate alerting of top Defense and Government officials.

Who Was Considered Responsible?

The article notes that Marcel was transferred to a "desk job" in the Pentagon and resigned three years after the "Roswell Incident." Walter Haut resigned less than a year after the incident. Col. Blanchard, however, rose to become a three-star general. The "Roswell Incident" occurred less than three months before the Army Air Force became the independent U.S. Air Force. The incident was seen by some as confirming concerns that the new service lacked maturity. The newsletter concludes that if a "Roswell File" existed, it consisted of embarrassing newspaper clippings that USAF officials would be eager to shred or discard. The publication predicts that GAO investigators are more likely to find "snowballs in hell" than any "Roswell File."

Was Schiff "Led Down The Primrose Path" Or Did He Volunteer?

This section examines Congressman Schiff's background and motivations. Schiff claims he had heard of the Roswell Incident as a resident of New Mexico but was unaware of the books and TV programs about it. However, a senior member of his staff, Mary Martinek, was familiar with the subject, as her husband, Karl Pflock, a long-time pro-UFOlogist, had spent nearly two years investigating the incident, partly financed by the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR). FUFOR had produced a video intended to prompt Congressional inquiry. The article mentions Gerald F. Anderson's claim of stumbling upon a crashed saucer and ET bodies, a story later exposed as a hoax with alleged document forgery.

When Schiff first wrote to Defense Secretary Les Aspin in March 1993, Martinek was to "coordinate all activities." An article in the Albuquerque Journal noted that Pflock (who also moved to New Mexico) denied prodding Schiff, stating it was Schiff's idea because he was "committed to the idea that this is something that should be brought out in public." The Journal also reported that Pflock and researcher Fred Whiting contacted Schiff's staff in August 1992 and compiled a 130-page briefing paper pointing toward a government plot to hide what happened in 1947. This paper was given to Schiff's office and was intended for the GAO. Stanton Friedman also stated he briefed Schiff's staff in August 1992. Pflock is quoted as saying Schiff taking the matter seriously is good reason for others to do so.

Schiff maintains that constituents, not UFO hunters, prompted his initial inquiry, and he enlisted the GAO after receiving terse non-answers from the Pentagon and National Archives.

You Win Some; You Lose Some

Two letters to the editor from the Albuquerque Tribune are presented. Charles Bates commends Schiff's investigation, citing credible testimony and the need for truth. Stan Glenn criticizes Schiff's action as "show-boating" and suggests his vote on the Penny-Kasich deficit reduction bill is more important.

If GAO Sought SUN's Advice (Which It Hasn't)

This section discusses Maj. Marcel's recollection of the debris from the Brazel ranch as "thin, just like tinfoil in a pack of cigarettes," which would not bend, tear, or cut, but could be flexed and wrinkled without creasing. The newsletter suggests this description matches foil-coated parchment paper used for lightweight balloon-borne radar corner-reflectors. It argues that if this "Miracle Material" were from an ET craft, the U.S. Government would have extensively studied and reproduced it for aircraft and rocket-boosters. The absence of such material in subsequent technology implies it was difficult to analyze and reproduce. The article concludes that if the GAO can find even one report on tests, analyses, or replication attempts of this "Miracle Material" in government archives, it would be incontrovertible evidence of a cover-up.

And Still Another Solution to GAO's Quest

Kevin Randle and Don Schmitt, authors of "UFO Crash at Roswell," are publishing a new book with "firsthand eyewitnesses" who claim to have seen a crashed saucer and ET bodies, and possess material from the craft. This material is reportedly unlike the thin foil described by Marcel. The witness has refused to release the material for analysis, but Randle claims other sources have corroborated his story. The newsletter suggests the GAO investigator should obtain the witness's identity and the material from Randle, offering a security deposit. If the witness refuses, Schiff should seek a Congressional subpoena.

Key "Witness" Denies Seeing Linda's (Alleged) Manhattan Abduction

This section addresses Budd Hopkins' claim that United Nations Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar witnessed the alleged UFO abduction of Linda Napolitano. De Cuellar reportedly denied this in a meeting with Hopkins, according to an article in The Independent On Sunday. Jim Schnabel, who worked with Hopkins on his book "Dark White," reported that de Cuellar expressed amusement and amazement, and stated he did not remember anything like it. Sapir, who arranged the meeting, suggested de Cuellar might have been "switched-off" by ETs, challenging Hopkins' hypothesis. Schnabel reports that Hopkins remained convinced of the abduction and de Cuellar's involuntary participation, but has not mentioned the meeting or denial in his lectures.

UFO Coverup: By NSA Or Friedman?

This section critiques Stanton Friedman's use of heavily censored NSA documents, stamped "Top Secret," as proof of a government UFO cover-up. The newsletter explains that NSA's primary function is "Communications Intelligence" (Comint), eavesdropping on and decoding enemy communications. The 21-page document submitted to court in response to a FOIA request by Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS) contained 239 documents, 79 from other agencies. Of the remaining 160, one was an account of a UFO symposium attendance, and 156 were withheld Comint reports from 1958-1979. NSA argued that disclosure of these Comint reports could allow foreign intelligence services to evade NSA's methods. Judge Gesell endorsed this position, sustained by the Supreme Court. CAUS later obtained a heavily censored version of the document. The newsletter notes that NSA accumulated only 156 foreign message intercepts mentioning UFOs over 21 years, an average of fewer than eight per year, suggesting NSA was not actively interested in UFOs. It also points out that if these intercepts revealed important data, unfriendly governments would be unlikely to cooperate in a UFO cover-up.

Former NSA Employee, Now MUFON Official, Speaks Out

Thomas P. Deuley, MUFON's corporate secretary, provided insights into the withheld NSA documents in a 1987 paper titled "Four Years At NSA--No UFOs." Deuley stated that the majority of withheld documents had no scientific value and that the possibility of damage to national security sources and methods far outweighed the value of the information. He confirmed Judge Gesell's assessment and concluded that during his four years at NSA, he saw no indication of official NSA interest in UFOs. The newsletter notes that Friedman was aware of Deuley's paper.

Short Shrift:

• James Woolsey, Director of the CIA, has instructed the agency to review files for previously denied UFO information that could now be released. This was in response to a claim of Roswell cover-up from Elaine Douglass of ORTK.
• ORTK (Operation Right To Know) urges media to contact Congressman Schiff's office and congressional committees regarding the GAO's Roswell investigation. The group plans demonstrations at the Pentagon.
• A Showtime cable film titled "Roswell" is scheduled to air between May and July, produced by Paul Davids, who became interested in UFOs after a sighting.
• Richard Seifried, Director of UFO Investigations for MUFON's Oklahoma chapter, reportedly claims to have been abducted six times.
• George Adamski's "Mother Ship" is mentioned, with Budd Hopkins reporting similar accounts of giant flying saucers with escalators from his abductee subjects.
• A new subscriber asked about the acronym "MUFON," humorously suggesting it stands for "Muddled UFO Nutwork."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently adopts a skeptical stance towards UFO phenomena and alleged government cover-ups. It emphasizes the need for rigorous evidence and logical explanations, often debunking sensational claims. The editorial stance is critical of UFOlogists like Stanton Friedman and Budd Hopkins, questioning their methodologies and interpretations of evidence. The publication prioritizes factual analysis and challenges unsubstantiated narratives, particularly concerning the Roswell Incident, suggesting that conventional explanations or lack of evidence are more plausible than widespread conspiracies. The editor, Philip J. Klass, is presented as an objective investigator seeking to separate fact from speculation.