Skeptics UFO Newsletter

Magazine Overview

Title: Skeptics UFO Newsletter
Issue: SUN #41
Date: September 1996
Publisher: Philip J. Klass
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of the Skeptics UFO Newsletter, edited by Philip J. Klass, delves into several controversial topics within the UFO community, including government investigations, alleged alien encounters, and the credibility of prominent UFO researchers.

GAO Revised Its Roswell Report At Congressman Schiff's Request

The lead article reveals that Congressman Steven Schiff (R.-NM) influenced the General Accounting Office (GAO) to revise its initial report on the Roswell incident. The initial report supported the USAF's 1947 explanation that the debris found was from a weather balloon and radar target. Schiff, who believed it was a government cover-up, met with GAO investigators. Following Schiff's query, the GAO checked for outgoing teletype messages from the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) after the July 8, 1947, press release. They discovered that messages from October 1946 through December 1949 had been destroyed, despite being designated 'permanent' records. Schiff 'suggested' the GAO revise its report to mention these 'missing records.' The revised draft included a statement about the destruction of these permanent records. However, the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) Chief Archivist challenged the accuracy of this statement, leading the GAO to delete the erroneous claim from the final report. Despite this deletion, Schiff's office apparently issued a press release based on the erroneous second draft, claiming the Air Force acknowledged the vehicle was not a weather balloon, a claim the newsletter suggests Schiff did not verify by studying the USAF's report.

The article also notes that the GAO report omitted any comment on the accuracy of the USAF's own investigation into the Roswell Incident, which concluded the debris was from Project Mogul balloons and radar targets. SUN suggests Schiff may have avoided asking the GAO to evaluate the USAF report for fear it would endorse it.

Foot Doctor Heads MUFON's Investigation of "Alien Implants"

Dr. Roger K. Leir, a podiatrist and MUFON investigator, presented findings on alleged 'alien implants' surgically removed from two patients. These small objects, covered in a gray biological membrane, showed no visible scar or port of entry. Leir noted they appeared magnetic and fluoresced green under ultraviolet light. One subject reported a UFO experience during which she was eight months pregnant, later told it was a 'false pregnancy.' Another subject, Pat Parrinello, had a lump in his hand for 17 years, which x-rays initially identified as a cyst, but a 'metal stud-finder' later indicated it was metallic and emitted an intense magnetic field. The magnetic field was detected outside the body, but disappeared after the object was removed. Leir expressed optimism about the ongoing analysis of these objects by a renowned laboratory, with potential further analysis by an academic institution.

The article mentions that three more implant removals were witnessed by notable figures in ufology, including Whitley Strieber and Robert Dean. These implants were found in the jaw of a male patient and the legs of two female subjects, with the leg implants being near 'typical abduction scoop marks.'

Leir also reported a remarkable claim that abductions can cause structural deterioration in homes, citing examples like nails working out of wood, rain gutters ripping, and internal seams coming apart. SUN humorously suggests readers search their own homes for such effects.

Brazilian Government Reportedly Captures Two Live ETs

This section reports on claims that the Brazilian government captured two live extraterrestrials in Varginha. The incident reportedly began when three girls saw a strange creature with red eyes and horns. The story gained notoriety months later, leading to an investigation by Brazilian UFOlogists who claimed the army captured two ETs, now held in an underground facility. They also claim ETs have been attacking Brazilian natives. Several American UFOlogists, including John S. Carpenter, Stanton T. Friedman, and Dr. John E. Mack, have endorsed the case. However, Brazilian military and government officials deny the capture, which Gevaerd attributes to the global UFO cover-up directed by the U.S. government.

Friedman Reveals Secret Of His Success As A UFO Lecturer

This article critiques Stanton Friedman, a prominent UFO lecturer and physicist. It suggests his success is due to his credentials as a nuclear physicist, which lends him credibility, rather than the validity of his claims. Friedman's book, "TOP SECRET/MAJIC," promotes the MJ-12 papers. The article notes that Friedman last held full-time industrial employment as a nuclear physicist over a quarter-century ago. It also mentions his brief employment at McDonnell Douglas to 'reverse-engineer' flying saucers. The newsletter points out that if a crashed saucer had been recovered in 1947, determining its propulsion system would not have taken 22 years and required hiring an 'itinerant nuclear physicist.'

Friedman is also criticized for praising the Battelle Memorial Institute's Project Blue Book Special Report #14 but omitting its conclusions, which denied MJ-12 claims and stated there was a 'COMPLETE LACK of ANY VALID EVIDENCE of PHYSICAL MATTER' in reported unidentified aerial objects.

Travis Walton "Speaks With Forked Tongue"

This section contrasts Travis Walton's accounts of his legal troubles before and after his alleged 1975 UFO abduction. His 1978 book described minor brushes with the law, including writing bad checks, for which he paid restitution and was put on probation. However, his new book, "Fire In The Sky," claims only 'isolated brushes with the law, mostly traffic offenses, but nothing that left me with any record.' The article presents court records showing that in 1971, Walton and Charles Rogers pleaded guilty to breaking into the Western Molding Company and stealing checks, leading to a two-year probation.

Hopkins Unveils "New Witness" To Linda "Beam-Me-Up-Scotty" Case

Abductologist Budd Hopkins reported a new witness to the alleged 1989 abduction of Linda Napolitano. The witness, Cathy Turner, who died two years prior, claimed to have seen a UFO over Manhattan. Turner's account is described as having discrepancies, including the location of the UFO and her ability to see it while driving. Hopkins suggests an 'electromagnetic force' put Turner and her companion, Robert, in a state of suspended animation. Unlike other witnesses, Turner did not report seeing Linda and ETs being beamed up. Her companion, Robert, now only admits to seeing something that reminded him of the rising sun, which Hopkins attributes to trauma from the Vietnam War.

Linda Napolitano herself claimed that 'screened' memories of dogs chasing her were actually aliens, and that she was kidnapped by government agents. The article notes the curious behavior of Linda, who claimed anonymity but appeared publicly multiple times.

Short Shrift

This section provides brief updates:

• "Alien Autopsy" Cameraman: Ray Santilli's promised interview with the alleged 'Alien Autopsy' cameraman (AAC) for Robert Kiviat and Bob Shell has been delayed. Shell expressed increased skepticism about the film's authenticity.
• Dr. John Mack in South Africa: Dr. John Mack admitted criticism from fellow psychiatrists regarding his UFO-abduction work. He presented a video interview with Credo Mutwa, a Zulu 'medicine man,' who described an alien encounter involving sperm extraction and a lack of human-like warmth from the alien.
• TWA Flight 800 Tragedy: Cartoonist Don Addis suspects the TWA flight 800 tragedy might cause delays in future UFO abductions.
• Penthouse Magazine: Penthouse claims to have the 'World's First Authentic Photograph' of an ET, but SUN wonders if it's actually a model from the Roswell International UFO Museum.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The Skeptics UFO Newsletter, through its editor Philip J. Klass, consistently adopts a critical and skeptical stance towards UFO claims. Recurring themes include scrutinizing the evidence presented by UFO researchers, questioning the credibility of witnesses and investigators, and highlighting inconsistencies in alleged UFO events and government reports. The newsletter emphasizes the need for rigorous scientific investigation and often debunks or casts doubt on extraordinary claims, particularly those involving government cover-ups or extraterrestrial contact. The editorial stance appears to favor rational explanations and exposes what it perceives as sensationalism or deception within the UFO field.