SUN 66 (Nov 2000)

Magazine Overview

Title: Skeptics UFO Newsletter
Issue: #66
Date: November 2000
Publisher: Philip J. Klass
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of the Skeptics UFO Newsletter critically examines various aspects of the UFO phenomenon, focusing on the authenticity of purported UFO-related documents, the nature of UFOlogy as a field of study, and reviews of recent books and media concerning UFOs and abductions.

Circumstantial Evidence Suggests That Woods Are Withholding Data That Question Authenticity Of Tim Cooper's Majestic Documents

The lead article questions the authenticity of 'Majestic Documents' obtained by Tim Cooper, which Robert Wood and his son Ryan hired Speckin Forensic Laboratories to analyze. Speckin specializes in dating ink and analyzing typewriter fonts. While the Woods provided new documents to Speckin prior to Robert Wood's MUFON conference paper, no specific results of the ink analysis were reported on the Woods' website by mid-November. The article notes that the Woods were slow to report negative evidence, citing the example of Timothy Cooper's flunked polygraph test, which was only reported nearly four months later. Speckin also analyzes typewriter fonts, and a previous analysis by James Black suggested the typewriter used for a purported 1952 'Majestic 12 Project 1st Annual Report' was the same as that used by Cooper for letters in 1991. However, Black concluded that it was a Royal bar typewriter, and that fast typists might not hit the capitalization bar uniformly. The newsletter offers to underwrite half the cost of a Speckin analysis to determine if the same typewriter was used for the '1st Annual Report' and Cooper's 1991 letters.

Firmage Displeased With TV Documentary Effort

Joe Firmage, a supporter of the Woods and the 'New Majestic Documents,' has called for a new start on a TV documentary about UFOs. Firmage questioned the credulous endorsement of the Cooper documents and convened a meeting of UFOlogists. The result was the decision to replace the scriptwriter with Jim Marrs. The documentary aims to demonstrate that the US government has engaged in an orchestrated deception regarding UFOs.

"New Evidence" Which Woods Claim Validates Majestic Documents

The Woods' website suggests they are seeking evidence from sources other than Cooper. A press release highlights a new witness, June Crain, who claims to have handled wreckage at Wright-Patterson AFB and taken dictation from Werner von Braun, validating the 'Majestic Program.' Crain's story, reported to UFO researcher James Clarkson, details her employment at WPAFB and her recollections of UFO sightings and crashed saucers. However, the newsletter points out that Crain's employment dates at WPAFB predate the 'Roswell Incident' by several years, and her later recollections of UFOs in 1951-52 occurred after the Roswell event. The newsletter notes that Crain's tale, while presented by the Woods as validation, challenges their claims due to the timeline discrepancies.

BUT CRAIN'S TALE CHALLENGES THE WOODS' CLAIM

This section elaborates on June Crain's recollections, detailing her employment at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in different periods. Her first stint was from July 1942 to June 1943, five years before the Roswell Incident. She returned to WPAFB in May 1948, nearly a year after the Roswell Incident, and resigned due to ill health. She worked there a third time from March 1951 to May 1952. Crain reported hearing about UFOs on her second day back in 1951, with colleagues discussing sightings at White Sands Missile Range and mentioning three crashes. She also recalled a Master Sergeant Clarence who allegedly flew two dead 'little green men' to WPAFB. During the same 1951-52 period, Crain was shown a piece of a crashed ET craft. She and others were required to sign an oath of secrecy regarding this 'rumor.' Crain also recalled Hap Arnold, whom she described as a 'damn good looking man' and possibly a lieutenant colonel at the time, though Arnold was a four-star general who headed the Army Air Corps and retired in 1946, dying in 1948.

No Mention Of "Roswell Incident" In "Top Secret" 1948 UFO Report

The newsletter discusses a declassified 1948 USAF 'Top Secret' report, AIR 100-203-79, which analyzed flying object incidents. The Woods became aware of this report recently and made it available on their website. Their summary highlights the report's statement that if UFOs are foreign, they exhibit performance efficiencies not yet realized in US technology. However, the Woods' summary intentionally omitted a crucial part of the report stating that the origin of the devices was unascertainable, with possibilities including domestic or Soviet sources. Critically, the report, written over a year after the Roswell Incident, makes no mention of it or any recovered crashed saucers. The Woods explain this by stating the authors lacked access to 'real evidence' and confined their discussion to lights in the sky and radar-visual cases. The newsletter questions why the authors and officials would be denied access to Roswell Incident information if they had the necessary clearance and 'need to know.'

Frustrated CAUS Director Gersten Becomes Slightly Skeptical

Gary Lowery of Bakersfield reported frequent visits by 'insectoid-type' ETs to his bedroom. Peter Gersten, head of Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS), offered to serve as Lowery's attorney and launch a campaign to reveal the truth. However, Lowery later signed a contract giving exclusive rights to his story to Christopher Wyatt of 'UFO Community.com.' This led Gersten to denounce Wyatt, suggesting Lowery is more interested in financial gain than public knowledge, and that his actions might indicate fabrication.

Late Lt. Col. Corso's Son To Reveal More Of Dad's (Alleged) Secrets

Philip J. Corso, Jr., son of the late Lt. Col. Philip Corso, claims his father's book 'The Day After Roswell' revealed only about 10% of his alleged knowledge of crashed UFOs and reverse-engineering of ET technology. Corso Jr. has established a website, 'Corsofiles.com,' promising to release all of his father's information by April 2003. Subscribers to the 'Insider's Club' can view handwritten manuscript pages that were 'modified' for the book. The newsletter notes that some of Corso's wilder tales, such as an encounter with a live ET in a mine in 1957, were omitted from the book. Corso Jr. also revealed his father's statement that he would have taken this information to the grave if not for a pact among high-ranking officials to bring the truth to light.

MICROCIRCUIT PATENTS CHALLENGE CORSO's CLAIMS

This section challenges Lt. Col. Corso's claims that a 2-inch microcircuit chip recovered from the Roswell crash was provided to Bell Laboratories and Motorola for reverse-engineering. The newsletter points out that while Bell Labs invented the transistor in late 1947, Motorola did not enter the semiconductor field until the mid-1950s, and neither company pioneered microcircuits. The first microcircuit patent applications were filed in 1959. Recent FBI files also suggest Corso had a poor reputation for truthfulness, with one memo accusing him of 'downright lies.'

Is UFOlogy A Science Or A Religion?

This section, based on a post from the Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS) website by Michael Davis, argues that UFOlogy is more akin to a religion than a science. Reasons provided include: believers viewing aliens as god-like, the existence of 'holy places' like Roswell and Area 51, the requirement of faith, the anger of 'true believers' towards questioning, the focus on validating beliefs rather than seeking truth, the presence of evangelists, and the concept of martyred 'saints.' The argument concludes that UFOlogy is a religion because it has 'messiahs' who claim to have met with aliens, UFO sightings are likened to apparitions, and it possesses a rich, flexible mythology.

New UFO-Abduction Book Flops

The book "UFOs and Abductions: Challenging the Borders of Knowledge," published by Kansas University Press, is reviewed. The newsletter cites a Kirkus Reviews assessment that the book's evidence is far from compelling and that the abduction phenomenon is more related to the study of mass delusions than to space travel or alien biologies. The review suggests the book will only persuade those who are already believers.

What Really DIDN'T Happen At Roswell

Grizzly Adams Productions' documentary "What Really Happened At Roswell" is criticized for its scripting. The newsletter notes that Karl Pflock, who became a skeptic after investigating the incident, appeared only briefly, and evidence that made him a skeptic was omitted. The documentary presented the late Lt. Col. Philip Corso as having 'impeccable credentials,' and an actor playing Mack Brazel stated the debris was a 'weather balloon,' contradicting Brazel's earlier statements. The show also featured an interview with Kevin Randle endorsing the ET autopsy story, which Randle later repudiated as a 'tall tale.'

UFO-Abduction Guru Budd Hopkins Discloses New Book Plans

Budd Hopkins's next book will focus on undiscussed patterns of UFO abductions, which he believes are not beyond the realm of scientific possibility. He suggests that UFO research offers the best means of learning about alien presence, and that the 'sober minds' in the field can overcome the 'lunatic fringe.' Hopkins also discussed 'selective invisibility,' the alleged ability of ETs to make themselves, their craft, and abductees visible or invisible.

Filer's Files Promotes Popular Myth

George A. Filer's 'Filer's Files' is criticized for promoting a myth about US Government UFO policy. Filer claimed the Robertson Panel instigated a policy of ridicule and debunking. The newsletter refutes this, stating the Panel was formed to quell growing UFO reports and concluded there was no direct threat to national security. The Panel recommended stripping UFOs of their 'special status' and 'aura of mystery,' which the newsletter interprets as the basis for the claim of a government debunking effort. The newsletter challenges Filer to provide any US government agency statements that 'attacked' or 'ridiculed' UFO reports.

Short Shrift:

• MUFON's Director of Abduction Research Sold Case Files: John S. Carpenter sold 140 UFO-abduction case files to Robert Bigelow for $14,000. MUFON's Executive Committee is investigating the appropriateness of this action and whether NIDS will focus more on UFO-abduction reports.
• "UFO Fleet Seen by Thousands in Afghanistan and Pakistan": CAUS reported sightings described as missiles and flames. The report failed to mention the Perseids meteor shower was underway.
• ET To Return Next Year: A "spiffed-up" version of Steven Spielberg's movie "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" will return to theaters on its 20th anniversary.
• Words of Wisdom: David M. Jacobs advises researchers to take everything they and others say with a 'BOULDER of salt' due to the lack of UFO research standards.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The Skeptics UFO Newsletter consistently adopts a critical and skeptical stance towards UFO claims, particularly those involving purported documents and anecdotal evidence. The editorial stance emphasizes the need for rigorous scientific analysis, challenges unsubstantiated assertions, and highlights inconsistencies or lack of evidence in prominent UFO cases and theories. The newsletter frequently contrasts sensational claims with documented facts and scientific principles, often questioning the motives and methodologies of UFO researchers and organizations. The recurring theme is the debunking of what the editor perceives as pseudoscience and the promotion of critical thinking within the UFO community.