SUN 35 (Sept 1995)

Magazine Overview

Title: Skeptics UFO Newsletter
Issue: SUN #35
Date: September 1995
Publisher: Philip J. Klass
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of the Skeptics UFO Newsletter, edited by Philip J. Klass, focuses on the ongoing debate surrounding the 1947 Roswell incident, the controversial "Alien Autopsy" film, and related UFO research developments.

GAO Unable To Find ANY Evidence Of Roswell UFO Crash

The lead article reports on the findings of an 18-month search conducted by the General Accounting Office (GAO) at the request of Congressman Steven Schiff. The GAO failed to find any U.S. government documents indicating that the government recovered a crashed saucer near Roswell in mid-1947. The report uncovered only two documents mentioning the "Roswell Incident." One was a July 8, 1947, FBI teletype from Dallas reporting an object "purporting to be a flying disc" recovered near Roswell, described as hexagonal in shape and suspended from a balloon, resembling a high-altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector. The second document was from the "Combined History of the 509th Bomb Group and Roswell Army Air Field," which stated that the "flying disc" reported was actually a radar tracking balloon.

The GAO also examined classified minutes of National Security Council meetings for 1947 and 1948 and found no mention of Roswell, suggesting that if an extraterrestrial craft had been recovered, President Harry Truman would have been informed.

Congressman Schiff's Focus on "Missing Documents"

Despite the GAO's findings, Congressman Schiff remained unconvinced, issuing a press release with the headline "SCHIFF RECEIVES, RELEASES ROSWELL REPORT (Missing documents leave unanswered questions)." Schiff highlighted that important documents, potentially shedding more light on the incident, were missing. He pointed to the GAO report stating that outgoing messages from Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) for the period were destroyed without proper authority, which he believed would have shown how military officials were explaining events to their superiors.

Newspaper stories, including one from the Associated Press, echoed Schiff's concern, with headlines stating "MILITARY DOCUMENTS FROM ROSWELL INCIDENT ARE MISSING."

RAAF Teletype Messages and GAO's Scope

The newsletter clarifies that Schiff's press release implied outgoing RAAF teletype messages were missing only for early July 1947. However, the GAO report indicated it could not find any outgoing RAAF teletype messages for a three-year period (October 1946 to December 1949). Furthermore, other RAAF records from March 1945 through December 1949 concerning administrative matters were also destroyed without official authorization.

When interviewed, Schiff suggested that Pentagon officials would likely have called the RAAF base commander directly for information rather than sending teletype messages. The newsletter notes that according to "The Roswell Incident" by Berlitz and Moore, Lt. Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg had expressed displeasure to Brig. Gen. Ramey about the RAAF's flying disc announcement.

Schiff's press release dismissed the FBI teletype and 509th Bomb Group documents, suggesting the authors might have been repeating what they were told rather than consciously adding to a cover-up. The newsletter points out that Schiff's claim that the Air Force had discredited the weather balloon story was inaccurate, citing the USAF's own Roswell investigation report.

UFO Researchers Discovered Roswell-Project Mogul Link Before USAF

This section details how UFO researchers independently discovered a link between the Roswell debris and the classified Project Mogul before the USAF officially acknowledged it. Rancher Mac Brazel's debris, recovered by Maj. Jesse Marcel, was flown to Ft. Worth on July 8, 1947. Weather officer Irving Newton confirmed it was likely a weather balloon and radar tracking target. At the time, the Top Secret Project Mogul, involving New York University scientists using high-altitude balloons with acoustic sensors to detect Soviet atomic bomb tests, was underway at Alamogordo Army Air Field.

William L. Moore, researching his book "The Roswell Incident," learned about the NYU balloon project but not its classified objective. He interviewed Dr. Charles B. Moore, a key scientist, who, based on Brazel's description of the debris, initially ruled out a connection to the NYU balloon project.

However, UFO researcher Robert G. Todd later discovered the link. Todd contacted Dr. Moore in 1992, showing him the original debris description from the Roswell Daily Record. Dr. Moore noted similarities. Dr. Moore reviewed his own records and NYU data, which correlated with a Project Mogul launch on June 4, 1947, ten days before Brazel found the debris. The NYU team had launched about two dozen weather balloons with radar targets and acoustic sensors, tracked to within 17 miles of the Brazel ranch.

Karl Pflock, another UFO researcher, also independently uncovered the link in early 1994. The USAF, following a GAO request, launched its own investigation and discovered the possible Mogul link, leading them to contact Dr. Moore and Todd. The USAF's 1994 report concluded that the "most likely source of the wreckage recovered from the Brazel ranch was from one of the Project Mogul balloon trains."

Congressman Schiff, Please Meet Roswell Researcher Pflock

Karl Pflock published a report concluding that the debris was "all but certain" to be from Project Mogul. Pflock presented his findings, stating the evidence was "fairly conclusive." However, Congressman Schiff apparently disagreed. An Albuquerque Journal article quoted Schiff as saying "SCHIFF: ROSWELL UFO A BALLOON," which Schiff challenged in a Letter-to-the-Editor, stating he had never concluded anything about the Roswell crash beyond rejecting the original military explanation of a crashed "weather balloon."

Schiff noted that the GAO investigation had forced the Air Force to change its story and uncovered documents referring to a "radar tracking device," though he suggested the writers might have been repeating what they were told. He also noted that agencies, including the CIA, stated for the first time that they did not have information on the Roswell incident. The newsletter points out that Schiff failed to supply requested drafts of the GAO report and his suggested changes, with no response received after multiple requests.

Roswell-Related Documents That GAO Seemingly "Overlooked"

The newsletter highlights several once Secret and Top Secret documents that GAO investigators seemingly overlooked, which provide insights into the UFO question. These include:

• July 27, 1948: A Top Secret memorandum from Maj. Gen. C.P. Cabell instructing staff to "determine the tactics of [unidentified] flying objects and the probability of their existence."
• Oct. 11, 1948: A Top Secret memo from Col. Brooke E. Allen stating, "It must be accepted that some type of flying objects have been observed, although their identification and origin are not discernible....some of these objects may be of foreign origin" (i.e., USSR).
• Nov. 3, 1948: A Secret memo from Maj. Gen. Cabell stating, "Identification and origin of these objects is not discernible to this Headquarters. It is imperative therefore, that efforts to determine whether these objects are of domestic or foreign origin must be increased until conclusive evidence is obtained."
• Dec. 10, 1948: A Top Secret Air Intelligence Div. Study #203 on UFOs, concluding, "The origin of the devices is not ascertainable. There are two reasonable possibilities: (1) The objects are domestic [U.S.] devices...(2) Objects are foreign, and if so, it would seem most logical to consider that they are from a Soviet source."

These documents were previously described in SUN #26 and #28, and the newsletter notes that Gary Weeter, who headed GAO's Roswell investigation, received every issue of SUN since early 1994.

Karl Pflock also revealed that at the first Air Force Science Board meeting in April 1948, a representative lamented the lack of "hardware [from crashed UFOs]."

The newsletter speculates whether Schiff had asked GAO to delete these "overlooked" documents from its final report, given his failure to provide the requested draft reports.

Roswell "Alien Autopsy" Seen By Millions On Fox TV Network

This section critically examines the "Alien Autopsy" film aired on the Fox TV network on August 28, 1995. The film, acquired by London-based Ray Santilli, claims to show the autopsy of an extraterrestrial recovered from the Roswell incident. Santilli alleges he obtained the film from a former U.S. Army Air Force cameraman who filmed the crash site and autopsy in 1947.

The newsletter questions how the alleged cameraman was able to retain so much of the film, and why facilities in Washington couldn't process it, leading him to store it in a cardboard box. It also questions the use of a cumbersome movie camera for documenting an autopsy, suggesting that a still-frame camera would have provided better resolution and focus. The use of a movie camera, the newsletter posits, makes sense only if the film was produced recently for TV, not as a historic record.

A Skeptical Doctor's Observations

Dr. Gary Posner, a medical doctor and UFO skeptic, offered several observations:

• The right thigh wound was the only potentially fatal injury visible, with no significant trauma to the head, chest, or abdomen. Bleeding appeared to have ceased by the time the autopsy began.
• The right hand appeared nearly severed at the wrist by a clean, perpendicular cut, suggesting a surgical rather than a crash-related injury, with no visible bleeding.
• The emergence of "blood" when a scalpel cut the neck was incongruous, as any remaining blood would have coagulated. Posner felt the "cut" might have been a drawn or painted line.
• The "pathologists" seemed to know in advance that the dark eye pigmentation could be peeled off easily with tweezers, unlike with humans.

The Most Startling Anomaly

Externally, the "alien" resembled a human more than a cow or dog. However, the expert pathologists in the film were puzzled by the bodily functions of "stuff" removed from the ET's abdomen, unable to identify it as normal internal organs. They did not consult with each other and appeared perplexed.

Eastman Agrees To Analyze "Alien" Film If Santilli Provides Sample

Ray Santilli has been given an opportunity to authenticate the "Alien Autopsy" film. Robert Shell, editor of "Shutterbug" magazine, arranged for Eastman Kodak to perform a chemical analysis to determine approximately how long ago the film's emulsion was developed. This analysis is contingent on Santilli providing a 2-inch sample of the film. Santilli reportedly agreed verbally, but not in writing.

Chemical analysis can determine roughly when the film was processed by examining the oxidation of developing chemicals. Eastman Kodak's scientists could determine if the film was processed around 48 years ago, as claimed, or more recently. Eastman Kodak has agreed to perform the analysis free of charge.

Short Shrift:

• Congressman Steve Schiff previewed the "Alien Autopsy" film and found it "certainly elaborately done. It looked real to me."
• Robert Bigelow, a wealthy businessman funding UFO research, terminated his offer of $250,000 a year due to "serious disagreement in management philosophy."
• Leah Haley claims frequent UFO abductions and reported that one of her ET abductors looked like Irish singer Sinead O'Connor. She also claims military personnel abducted her and used electrical shock devices.
• The newsletter awards an "Enema Award" to Ms. Frankie Rowe for her performance on the "Alien Autopsy" show, claiming her father, a Roswell firefighter, saw a live ET and two dead ones. The newsletter notes that no first-hand witnesses report fire or burned areas.
• Fox TV producer Robert Kiviat is also given an "Enema Award" for editing that made it appear Roswell author Kevin Randle endorsed the Santilli film, when he did not.
• The GAO characterized the "MJ-12 papers" as counterfeit, stating it found no evidence to indicate they were authentic. Stanton Friedman is noted as the only prominent UFOlogist who still claims they are authentic.
• NASA is considering outfitting its planned Space Station with a UFO Observation Laboratory, with the acronym UFOOL.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The Skeptics UFO Newsletter, edited by Philip J. Klass, maintains a consistently skeptical stance towards UFO phenomena. The publication critically examines claims, scrutinizes evidence, and highlights inconsistencies or lack of substantiation. The September 1995 issue demonstrates this by dissecting the GAO's findings on Roswell, questioning the authenticity of the "Alien Autopsy" film through expert observations and logical analysis, and pointing out the perceived shortcomings in the arguments of UFO proponents like Congressman Schiff and researchers who accept the "Alien Autopsy" film at face value. The newsletter emphasizes the importance of verifiable evidence and scientific rigor in UFO research, often contrasting it with anecdotal accounts and speculative theories.