SUN 31 (Jan 1995)

Magazine Overview

Title: Skeptics UFO Newsletter
Issue: SUN #31
Date: January 1995
Publisher: Philip J. Klass
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of the Skeptics UFO Newsletter, edited by Philip J. Klass, critically examines several key UFO-related claims and testimonies, focusing heavily on the Roswell incident and UFO abductions. The newsletter adopts a skeptical stance, scrutinizing evidence and highlighting inconsistencies in witness accounts and research.

Key Roswell "Eyewitness" Changes Story Significantly

The lead article details how Jim Ragsdale, one of the alleged "first-hand eyewitnesses" cited in Kevin Randle and Don Schmitt's book "The Truth About the UFO Crash at Roswell," has significantly altered his original account. Randle explained at a UFO conference that Ragsdale's new story is "much more exciting" and includes details like pulling an alien helmet off and seeing "big black eyes," which contradicts previous descriptions of aliens. Randle attributes this change to "monetary inducements" and suggests Ragsdale has signed an agreement with another organization to sell his story, implying the changes were "coached." Randle acknowledges that if he were a skeptic, this would be easy grounds to discredit Ragsdale's testimony.

Previously, Randle had placed "enormous confidence" in Ragsdale and Frank J. Kaufmann, claiming they "corroborate one another." Kaufmann's story also evolved; initially stating he was an observer, he later claimed to have seen "any bodies." Randle's article in the HUFON Report noted that this provided the "first eyewitness link between the events in Roswell in July 1947 and alien creatures," sarcastically adding, "R/S HAD STRUCK Oil, OR PERHAPS IT WAS 'SNAKE-OIL.'"

The article also lists various alleged ET body counts from different witnesses cited in the R/S book, including Kaufmann (5 bodies), Ragsdale (3 bodies), Mortician Dennis (3 bodies, 2 mutilated), Frankie Rowe (2 bodies + 1 live ET), Anaya Montoya (3 bodies + 1 live ET), Mary Bush (1 body), and Barbara Dugger (3 bodies + 1 live ET).

Randle Seemingly Endorses, Then Rejects, Project Mogul Explanation

Kevin Randle's stance on the Project Mogul explanation for the Roswell incident is examined. Randle had initially congratulated Karl Pflock on his report "Roswell In Perspective," which concluded that a Project Mogul balloon was likely responsible for the Brazel ranch find. Randle stated that Pflock's report "certainly supports the theory that a Mogul balloon was responsible for the Brazel ranch find" and that the "array of testimony and evidence does seem to lead to that conclusion."

However, just two months later, Randle stated in a radio interview that "there's absolutely no evidence that Project Mogul was responsible for what was found on the [Brazel] ranch," and that it "does not explain the Impact Site some 35 miles from the ranch." During a later talk, Randle suggested that if there were two distinct sites, one could "give [concede] the Air Force Project Mogul on the Brazel ranch...and not damage the Roswell case at all." Randle concluded that the Project Mogul explanation is a "cover story" devised by the USAF "to add an element of confusion," and that the "crashed saucer and ET bodies (allegedly) found at the Impact Site" are part of the same event, but no longer require the Mogul explanation to support the crashed-saucer claim.

The newsletter notes that SUN had previously been "goofed" in its November issue for stating there was no mention of Project Mogul in R/S #2, clarifying that it was listed under "Mogul" rather than "Project."

Hopkins Reports Massive/Group Abductions Into Giant UFOs

Budd Hopkins, a prominent UFO-abduction researcher, reported new discoveries from an October conference in Pensacola. He claimed that "enormous numbers of people are being abducted [and taken] into the same ship." He cited a woman who described a dream of being in a gigantic room with rows of naked people being processed by Aliens, a dream shared by two other individuals. Using regressive hypnosis, Hopkins determined these were suppressed memories of UFO abductions. One woman, Emily, recalled seeing another woman in the craft and described a "very big, long scar at the bikini line," which matched a scar from a bladder operation. The second woman, under hypnosis, described Emily's features, and both confirmed a young man had no chest hair.

Hopkins acknowledged the women were "casual friends" but did not inquire about shared activities like swimming or aerobics. He also reported on a "new witness" to the Linda Cortile "beaming up" case, who claims to have seen Linda Napolitano being beamed up to a UFO. This witness was herself being abducted at the same time, along with 30 or 40 others, a few miles north of Linda's apartment.

Hopkins stated that these are not "just single isolated events" but part of a "mass operation." He admitted being puzzled by the lack of earlier large group abduction reports but suggested they might not have "asked the right questions." He senses an "urgency" in the Alien agenda, implying they are "more and more desperate."

ETs Seem To Have a "Sixth Sense" About Their Implants

Hopkins' efforts to obtain extraterrestrial "implants" inserted by ETs have been frustrated by ETs' ability to make them disappear. He explained that implants are rarely detected by X-ray or CAT-scans, and if they are, they disappear before they can be recovered, as if an "alarm bell" signals their detection.

One of the most astounding discoveries reported by Hopkins is that "HYBRID" creatures, produced using human sperm or ova, "CAN do all of the things the ALIENS CAN DO. THEY CAN PASS THROUGH WALLS. THEY ARE TELEPATHIC. THEY ARE ABLE TO CONTROL PEOPLE'S BEHAVIOR, ETC."

Hopkins believes hybrids are operating among us in the real world, leading SUN to predict they might appear on professional football teams.

Mortician's Tale of Roswell Nurse, ET Bodies Is Seriously Flawed

This section critically examines the story told by former mortician Glenn Dennis regarding ET bodies at the Roswell Army Air Field base hospital in July 1947. Dennis' tale is the only ET-body story endorsed by all prominent pro-UFO Roswell researchers, including Karl Pflock, Kevin Randle, and Don Schmitt. However, the newsletter asserts that Dennis' tale is "RIDDLED WITH Flaws and incoNSISTENCIES."

Dennis, employed by Ballard Funeral Home, which had a contract with RAAF, claims he was involved in mortuary services. Despite being a friend of Walter Haut, who released the "Flying Disk Recovered" press release, Dennis never mentioned the ET-body incident until late 1988 or early 1989. Stanton Friedman also interviewed Dennis in August 1989.

The newsletter details the public disclosure of Dennis' tale, starting with a Las Vegas TV station in November 1989. It highlights discrepancies between the R/S book's account and Dennis' own version, particularly regarding telephone inquiries from "doctors" about preservation techniques and the number of fatalities.

Dennis told SUN that a nurse he knew at the base hospital warned him to leave, stating "You won't believe what happened... You have to give me a sacred oath that you will not ever mention my name or you can get me in a lot of trouble." The nurse allegedly described performing a preliminary autopsy on a "strange-looking creature" and the "mangled remains of two others." She provided Dennis with a sketch of the creatures, noting they had no thumbs and small suction cups on their fingers.

Dennis claims the nurse was quickly transferred and later died in a military aircraft accident. However, Randle/Schmitt's research found no record of such a crash. Dennis also told UFOlogist Anne MacFie that he heard the nurse died in 1988, but this was "only hearsay." He stated he never tried to contact her again. However, a video produced by Mark Wolf suggests Dennis had discussed marriage with the nurse, contradicting his claim of no romantic interest.

Don Schmitt confirmed Wolf's account that Dennis had discussed marriage with the nurse, but Dennis' friend claims these statements are false. Dennis claims he gave the nurse's ET sketch to one person, who then allegedly provided it to R/S without his permission, a claim Randle disputes, stating Dennis supplied the sketch himself.

When Roswell researchers sought the nurse's identity, Dennis provided "NAOMI MARIA SELFF." However, Karl Pflock's report admits that "no official records of the existence of the nurse...or her presence at Roswell AAF in July 1947 have been found." The search continues, but she seems to have "disappeared without a trace," leading to the possibility that Naomi Maria Selff never existed.

Short Shrift

This section contains several brief news items:

• UFO lecturer Robert Dean claims "aliens are mining the moon" and have bases there, echoing George Adamski's discredited claims. Dean asserts that astronauts know this and are having nervous breakdowns, and that NASA ended manned lunar flights because "We were told to get off the moon and stay off." He also states there are four different species of ETs on the moon, one resembling Earthlings.
• Robert Bigelow, a wealthy patron of the paranormal, has offered up to $250,000 for UFO research, to be administered by MUFON, CUFOS, and FUFOR. The Bigelow Foundation previously funded the 1992 Roper Organization "UFO-abduction" survey.
• MUFON officials want to fund a project to scientifically analyze UFO photos and video tapes. Jeff Sainio has "endorsed" all Ed Walters/Gulf Breeze UFO photos and videos, despite their "hokey" appearance.
• Dr. John Mack, Harvard psychiatrist and UFO-abduction author, has largely disappeared from public view, prompting speculation he may have been abducted. His book "Abduction: Human Encounters With Aliens" was reportedly panned by both skeptics and believers and was a commercial flop. Relations between Mack and Budd Hopkins are reportedly strained.
• MUFON Director Walt Andrus sent a memo seeking new UFO sighting reports for the MUFON UFO JOURNAL to demonstrate that UFO sightings are "continuing unabated throughout the world."
• Stanton Friedman has selected "Top Secret Majic" as the title for his book supporting the authenticity of the MJ-12 papers, which the Pentagon considers counterfeit. SUN suggests a more appropriate title: "Gullible's Travels In MJ-12 Land."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The Skeptics UFO Newsletter consistently maintains a critical and skeptical stance towards UFO phenomena and related claims. The primary themes explored in this issue include the unreliability of eyewitness testimony, particularly when influenced by external factors like monetary gain, and the tendency for stories to evolve and become more sensational over time. The newsletter actively debunks or questions official explanations and witness accounts, as seen in its treatment of the Project Mogul theory and Glenn Dennis's Roswell narrative. It highlights inconsistencies, lack of corroborating evidence, and potential motivations behind claims. The editorial stance is to present information that challenges conventional UFO narratives and to encourage critical thinking among its readers, often using sarcasm and direct refutation of claims made by prominent figures in the UFO community.