SUN 49 (Jan 1998)

Magazine Overview

Title: SKEPTICS UFO NEWSLETTER
Issue: SUN #49
Date: January 1998
Publisher: Philip J. Klass
Focus: Critical analysis of UFO-related claims and publications.

Review of Philip J. Corso's "The Day After Roswell"

The lead article in this issue of Skeptics UFO Newsletter, authored by editor Philip J. Klass, provides a scathing critique of "The Day After Roswell," a book co-authored by former Lt. Col. Philip J. Corso and William J. Birnes. Klass asserts that the book is "the most factually flawed and self-contradictory book on the subject ever published," despite endorsements from MUFON and a brief stint on The New York Times best-seller list. Klass attributes many of the errors to Corso's "aging recollections" but points out that even basic historical facts are misrepresented.

Several specific factual errors are highlighted:

• Roswell Debris Location: Corso claims the debris was shipped to Fort Bliss, Texas, headquarters of the 8th Air Force. However, other sources correctly place the 8th Air Force headquarters at Fort Worth Army Air Field, with Fort Bliss being over 500 miles away.
• Suppression Timeline: Corso states the crash story suppression was in full operation by the morning of July 8, 1947. Klass notes that Gen. Ramey's explanation was not made until that evening.
• ARPA Founding: Corso incorrectly states the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was founded in 1958, then contradicts himself on the next page by stating it was formed in 1957.
• Hawk Missile Guidance: Corso describes the Army's Hawk anti-aircraft weapon as a "heat-seeking missile," when it is actually radar-guided.
• Stealth Technology Disclosure: Corso claims the public first heard of Stealth technology during the 1976 Carter-Reagan campaign. Klass corrects this, stating the first limited disclosure of the B-2 bomber occurred four years later during the Carter-Reagan campaign.

Corso's Claims About U-2 Flights and ET Technology

Corso, who claims to have served as an Army intelligence officer for the National Security Council, makes several controversial assertions about U-2 flights over the USSR during the mid-1950s.

• U-2 Objectives: Corso claims these flights had objectives beyond monitoring Soviet missile programs. He alleges they were intended to test Soviet radar accuracy, provoke missile launches, and "search for any evidence of extraterrestrial spacecraft landings or crashes." He further suggests the U.S. wanted to see if the Soviets were "harvesting" alien technology.
• ET Technology Exploitation: Corso's central claim is that debris from the Roswell crash contained advanced ET technology, including semiconductor microcircuits, fiber-optics, and particle-beam weapons. He states this debris sat in an Army file cabinet for 14 years because the Army didn't know how to exploit it without revealing its extraterrestrial origin, until Corso was tasked with developing a plan.
• Trudeau's Involvement: Corso claims Lt. Gen. Arthur Trudeau tasked him with finding a way to exploit the ET technology. Klass questions this, noting Corso lacked a science or engineering degree and that competent scientists were available within Army R&D.
• Inter-service Rivalry: Corso suggests the Air Force, Navy, and CIA all wanted the Roswell debris, with the Navy also interested in Unidentified Submerged Objects (USOs).
• Reverse Engineering Strategy: Corso's alleged plan was to covertly provide pieces of the debris to defense contractors and Army labs for analysis, disguised as "Foreign Technology" obtained from the USSR or allies. He claims a similar strategy was adopted by the USAF in the late 1950s, leading to prototypes of alien craft at Norton Air Force Base.
• Semiconductor Microcircuit Claim: Corso claims he found a 2-inch-diameter wafer in the Roswell debris that was a semiconductor device. He states that von Braun recognized it and suggested it be shown to Bell Laboratories. Klass refutes this, noting that solid-state research was under wraps for patent protection in mid-1947, and the first transistor operation was in December 1947. He also points out that Texas Instruments and Fairchild Semiconductor pioneered integrated circuits years after Corso claims he introduced the Roswell microchip.

Corso's Pentagon Duties and Dubious Accounts

Klass challenges Corso's account of his military service. Corso claims he headed the Foreign Technology desk for two years, but his record shows only one year of service in that division, with only the last three months in a leadership role. Corso's claim that he and Gen. Trudeau "helped change the course of history" is contrasted with his early retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Corso's account of his duties monitoring the Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile (ABM) program is also questioned. Klass notes that Corso incorrectly claimed that Soviet warheads could not be tracked by early warning satellites and that the Nike Zeus radar couldn't track maneuvering ICBM warheads, citing a demonstration of such capability in December 1961.

Corso also claims he recommended a redesign of ICBM guidance systems, a responsibility that belonged to the USAF. Klass suggests this proposed design would have made ICBMs vulnerable to jamming.

Alleged Alien Craft Downed Over Germany

Corso claims that in May 1974, the U.S. shot down an alien craft over Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany using an anti-aircraft missile. The craft was allegedly retrieved and flown to Nellis Air Force base in Nevada. Corso links this event to President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), claiming it was designed to defend against UFOs and that HELs and directed particle-beam weapons are a result of his and Trudeau's work in 1962. Klass strongly refutes this, stating the U.S. has no missile-launched high-energy lasers or directed particle-beam weapons.

Corso's Dislike for the CIA

The newsletter notes Corso's strong animosity towards the CIA, alleging infiltration by Soviet moles and cooperation with the KGB. Corso claims CIA agents monitored his movements, but offers no reason. He also mentions a friendship with a Soviet KGB agent.

Corso recounts an incident where he allegedly confronted Frank Wiesner, described as a friend of the KGB, by throwing a pistol on his desk and threatening him if CIA agents continued to tail Corso. Wiesner later allegedly explained this was part of a recruitment process.

Senator Thurmond's Involvement

Senator Strom Thurmond initially agreed to write an introduction for Corso's book, tentatively titled "I Walk With Giants." However, Thurmond's office later issued a harsh denunciation of the book and withdrew permission for the foreword, stating that the original outline contained no mention of UFOs or government conspiracies.

MUFON's Endorsement and Skepticism

Despite the numerous factual flaws highlighted by Klass, Dr. Robert M. Wood, MUFON's director of research, strongly endorsed Corso's book in the MUFON UFO Journal, predicting it would become an important book on UFOs.

Japanese UFOlogist Jun-Ichi Takanashi Dies

The newsletter reports the death of Jun-Ichi Takanashi, director of the Japan UFO Science Society, at the age of 74. Takanashi was known for his rigorous investigations, often providing prosaic explanations for UFO sightings. His notable contribution to UFOlogy was discovering evidence that the "Eisenhower Briefing Document" of the MJ-12 papers had been typed by William L. Moore.

This evidence stemmed from Takanashi's observation of an unusual date format in the MJ-12 document (e.g., "24 June, 1947" with a superfluous comma) and the use of leading zeros for single-digit dates (e.g., "07 July, 1947"). Takanashi recalled seeing this format in letters from Moore. Further investigation by Barry Greenwood, using Moore-retyped documents from his "The Mystery of The Green Fireballs" report, confirmed that Moore had altered dates to match this unusual style.

John Ford, LIUFON Leader, Sent to Mental Institution

John Ford, founder of the Long Island UFO Network (LIUFON), has been found "delusional" and sent to a New York state psychiatric center. Ford was charged with plotting to kill local government officials, whom he believed were covering up three crashed-saucer incidents on Long Island. Two of his partners pleaded guilty. Ford claimed the U.S. had recovered ET craft in 1989 and 1992, and accused officials of collaborating with the federal government to cover up these events. Ms. Elaine Douglas of MUFON defended Ford as a persecuted UFO investigator and formed a "John Ford Defense Committee." Ford also claimed to have been a CIA agent for 30 years and that AIDS and Ebola viruses were brought by ETs.

Dubious Claim About President Clinton and UFOs

The recent book by Webb Hubbell, a friend of President Bill Clinton, claims that Clinton, as Associate Attorney General, asked Hubbell to investigate UFOs and the assassination of President Kennedy. Hubbell states Clinton was "not satisfied with the answers" he was getting. Klass finds this claim dubious, suggesting it might be a publisher's ploy. He argues that if there were a genuine ultra-top-secret government UFO cover-up, the Justice Department would not need to know, and the President should have tasked the Director of Central Intelligence, John Deutch, instead.

Short Shrift Section

• Corso Lawsuit: Philip Corso, Jr. is being sued by Hollywood film producer Neil Russell. Russell alleges Corso Jr. demanded excessive money for movie rights to "The Day After Roswell" and interfered with interviews, assaulted Russell and a publicist, and threatened Russell's life.
• Balloonists Near Brazel Ranch: Dick Rutan and Dave Melton, attempting to circumnavigate the globe in a high-flying balloon, parachuted near the Brazel ranch in New Mexico, the site of the 1947 Roswell incident. This is noted as ironic.
• Mexico City UFO Video: A video purportedly showing a giant saucer-shaped craft in Mexico City is featured. While praised by some, the newsletter predicts it will turn out to be a hoax, possibly inspired by TV shows about UFOs. The disclaimer on one such show, "The following program is based on speculation and conjecture," is highlighted.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The Skeptics UFO Newsletter consistently adopts a critical and skeptical stance towards UFO claims, particularly those involving alleged extraterrestrial technology, government cover-ups, and sensationalized accounts. The newsletter prioritizes factual accuracy, historical context, and logical reasoning, often debunking popular UFO narratives by presenting counter-evidence and questioning the credibility of sources. The editor, Philip J. Klass, frequently challenges the assertions made by prominent figures in the UFO community, including Philip J. Corso and William L. Moore, by meticulously examining their claims against established records and scientific understanding. The publication aims to provide a rational counterpoint to what it perceives as unsubstantiated or misleading information within the UFO field.