CSICOP, now CSI: UFO Debunkers Kendrick Frazier and James Oberg

By Robert Hastings
© 8-31-08

From Robert Hastings’ new book
UFOs and Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites

     (This is Part 2 of an earlier posting, titled, “Reporter Duped by UFO Debunkers”, in which I described how Albuquerque Journal reporter John Fleck was badly misled about the reality of UFO activity at nuclear weapons sites, by two of the leading UFO debunkers affiliated with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, who dismissed my own well-documented findings.)

Over the years, I have found that a great many of the debunkers in my UFO lecture audiences had one thing in common: they had read one or more of the supposedly objective articles on UFOs which routinely appear in Skeptical Inquirer magazine, published by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP)—which has recently renamed itself the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).

Although most of the debunkers I encounter tout Skeptical Inquirer as a source of credible, scientific information on UFOs—which it is not—when I question them, I find that virtually none of these UFO critics know anything about those responsible for publishing this “skeptical” magazine. I, on the other hand, made it my business long ago to find out exactly who was so intent on fervently debunking UFOs, year after year, decade after decade. I must say, what I discovered surprised me. At the same time, I was not at all surprised.

As noted in an earlier posting, the Executive Editor of Skeptical Inquirer is Kendrick C. Frazier. Many years ago, I discovered that Frazier was in fact employed—beginning in the early 1980s—as a Public Relations Specialist at Sandia National Laboratories, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Yes, the same Sandia Labs that has been instrumental to the success of America’s nuclear weapons program since the late 1940s, through its “ordinance engineering” of components for bomb and missile warhead systems.

In my opinion, Frazier’s affiliation with Sandia Labs—he recently retired after working there for over two decades—is highly significant, given the hundreds of references in declassified government documents, and in the many statements by former military personnel, which address ongoing UFO activity at nuclear weapons sites over the past six decades.

Considering these disclosures—which clearly establish a link between UFOs and nuclear weapons—I find it interesting, to say the least, that the longtime editor of the leading debunking magazine—whose pages routinely feature articles discrediting UFOs and those who report them—worked for over 20 years as a public relations spokesman for one of the leading nuclear weapons labs in the United States.

Interestingly, Skeptical Inquirer's publisher's statement, or “masthead”, which appears at the beginning of each issue, never once mentioned Frazier's employment at the highly-secretive, government-funded laboratory. Instead, the magazine merely listed, and continues to list, his profession as "science writer"—a reference to his having written several books and articles on various scientific subjects. Also curious is the fact that various online biographies on Frazier—including one written by himself—also fail to mention his two-decade tenure at Sandia Labs. An odd omission indeed.

Over the years, Frazier has been quick to dismiss the astonishing revelations about UFOs contained in government documents declassified via the Freedom of Information Act. He claims that researchers who have accessed thousands of U.S. Air Force, CIA, and FBI files have consistently misrepresented their contents. In one interview he stated, “The UFO believers don't give you a clear and true idea of what these government documents reveal. They exaggerate the idea that there is a big UFO cover-up.”

Just as Frazier strives to minimize the significance of the declassified revelations about UFOs, it is likely he will also attempt to downplay the relevancy of his former employment with one of the U.S. government's top nuclear weapons labs, as it pertained to his magazine's relentless debunking of UFOs. He will presumably assert that his skeptical views on the subject are personal and sincere, and were in no way related to, or influenced by, his public relations position at Sandia National Laboratories.

However, regardless of his response, I believe that Frazier’s long-term employment at Sandia is very relevant, and raises questions about his impartiality, if nothing else, given his long track-record of publishing stridently anti-UFO articles in Skeptical Inquirer.

One such article, an attempted debunking of the Big Sur UFO Incident, was earlier discussed at length. As noted, two former U.S. Air Force officers have unequivocally stated that, during a 1964 weapon systems test, a UFO disabled an experimental dummy nuclear warhead in mid-flight as it raced downrange toward its intended target. My own well-documented investigation of the dramatic incident has now thoroughly discredited the factually-inaccurate article by Kingston A. George featured earlier in Skeptical Inquirer. If one compares the first-person accounts provided by the two former Air Force officers with the badly-flawed, highly-misleading synopsis of the incident published by Sandia Labs PR Specialist Frazier, one might reasonably ask whether a cover-up of sorts—a disinformation scheme—was behind the debunking article. But the reader may judge for him- or herself.

Furthermore, the CSICOP-Nukes Connection does not end with Kendrick Frazier. James Oberg, one of CSICOP’s leading UFO debunkers, once did classified work relating to nuclear weapons at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, located on Kirtland AFB, less than a mile from Sandia Labs. From 1970-72, Oberg was an Air Force officer whose assignments with the Battle Environments Branch at the weapons lab involved the development and utilization of computer codes related to the modeling of laser and nuclear weapons—according to one of Oberg’s own online resumes.

Oberg had also been a “Security Officer” while at the weapons lab, meaning that he was responsible for monitoring the security procedures used to safeguard the classified documents generated by his group. As I discuss in my chapter on the Big Sur UFO Incident, Oberg once privately chastised Dr. Bob Jacobs—one of the former Air Force officers who leaked the amazing story—for releasing “top secret” information relating to the case. Once a security officer, always a security officer, I guess.

After Bob Jacobs went public with the UFO shoot-down story, Oberg wrote to him, chastising Jacobs for revealing “top secret” information. In his MUFON UFO Journal article, Jacobs wrote that after he broke his silence, “I was contacted by a variety of investigators, buffs, cranks, proponents and detractors alike. James Oberg, a frequent ‘mouthpiece’ for certain NASA projects and self-styled UFO Debunker wrote to disparage my story and to ask provocatively, ‘Since you obviously feel free to discuss top secret UFO data, what would you be willing to say about other top secret aspects of the Atlas warhead which you alluded to briefly...?’ I told Mr. Oberg where to put his misplaced cynicism.”

Despite Oberg’s charge, Jacobs has correctly pointed out that because Major Mansmann had told him that the UFO encounter “never happened”, he had no personal knowledge of the classification level attached to the incident.

In any event, it is almost certain that Oberg would not have criticized Jacobs for exposing “top secret UFO data”, had he known that Jacobs would subsequently publish his remark. So, here we have one of CSICOP’s leading UFO debunkers—whose public stance is that UFOs don’t even exist—angrily asking Jacobs in a private letter whether he would also openly discuss “other” top secret aspects of the missile test…

I first became aware of Oberg’s “skeptical” stance on UFOs after he wrote an article for the December 1978 issue of OMNI magazine, in a column called “UFO Update”. A superficial review of Oberg’s comments in that article might lend the impression that he was even-handedly covering the UFO controversy. Far from it. A closer examination reveals Oberg’s subtle but persistent use of anti-UFO propaganda, not to mention his failure to identify himself to OMNI’s readers as an active-duty Air Force officer.

Fortunately, these tactics and omissions did not go unnoticed. In the following issue of OMNI, in a letter to the editor, Robert Barrow wrote, “C’mon James Oberg. If you plan to continue writing your skeptical UFO articles under the guise of proper scientific literature, please be fair. First, the OMNI readership should be aware that not only are you working with NASA but you are a U.S. Air Force officer in fine standing as well. In fact, while I knew you as Captain Oberg, I shouldn’t doubt you are now Major Oberg. As a former USAF staff sergeant, I can appreciate that and wish to congratulate you if you have achieved a higher rank...Your consistently skeptical articles are probably making some of your superiors far happier than anything you might write to the contrary...”

Not surprisingly, Oberg’s published response to Barrow’s letter rejected the inference that he was writing skeptical articles about UFOs to please his superiors. He wrote, “...I don’t have any idea what my Air Force superiors think about my UFO activity, since I have never had any directives, one way or another. It’s easy to reject any unwelcome opinions as part of a ‘government plot’, and you’re welcomed to that paranoia if it suits you. It also is a direct smear on my honesty and motives…”

Well, first, Barrow did not say that Oberg was a part of any government plot. He was merely pointing out that, given the longstanding controversy over the U.S. Air Force’s handing of the UFO problem, Oberg should have candidly acknowledged his affiliation with the Air Force in his OMNI article—in which he debunked UFOs, exactly as the Air Force had for decades. As such, Barrow’s comment was a perfectly valid criticism. I might also note here that Oberg’s failure to inform OMNI’s readers about his active-duty military status—until after it had been exposed by Barrow—is reminiscent of Kendrick Frazer’s own failure to inform Skeptical Inquirer’s readers of his two-decade-long affiliation with the U.S. government’s nuclear weapons program—in the magazine’s masthead, which appears in each issue—at the same time he was publishing article after article debunking UFOs, including at least one highly important sighting directly related to nuclear weapons.

Moreover, Oberg’s indignation over being “smeared” by Barrow is laughable, given his own countless public attacks on UFO proponents over the years, in which he frequently questions the sincerity and motives of those who report or investigate UFOs.

In another letter responding to Oberg’s article, journalist Terry Hansen, wrote, “How sad to see such a poor article on UFOs in OMNI’s first issue. James Oberg is certainly [not an objective] authority on the subject. His article tries to come across as unbiased, but even someone with a superficial knowledge of the issue can see that it is laced with distortion and innuendo...If ‘UFO Update’ is representative of the type of coverage controversial issues will receive in the future, then OMNI has little to offer a questioning mind.”

Years later, Hansen later went on to write an excellent book titled, The Missing Times: News Media Complicity in the UFO Cover-up, which I highly recommend to anyone wishing to better understand how the type of information contained in my own book could have been successfully kept from the American people—scientists and laypersons alike—for so long. In fact, I put Hansen’s book on my short list of “must-reads” as far as the official government cover-up of UFOs is concerned.

Part 3 of my examination of CSICOP/CSI will be posted in the near future.

--Robert Hastings--

http://ufohastings.com

Hastings444@att.net

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A Rare Phenomenon is ReportedJune 6, 1797

By Daily Nor'Wester
12-10-1894

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Mysterious UFO Captured on Film

By Wigan Today
8-29-08

     A keen-eyed Wiganer has captured this UFO in the skies above Wigan on his video camera.

The man in his 30s, who only revealed his first name as Geoff, filmed the strange object hovering near to junction 27 of the M6 at Shevington Moor last month.

So shocked at what he saw he didn't know who to tell or what to do with his footage until he showed it to a friend, who urged him to contact the local press to see if anyone else had reported it.

The footage clearly shows a strange object hovering in the sky for several minutes before vanishing into thin air.

Geoff said: "I was driving through Shevington when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye hovering above some houses. My first thought was that it was a helicopter, but after a while I noticed it wasn't moving at all and wasn't making any sound. And it looked to be in two pieces.

"I pulled over and kept watching it and it was the strangest thing. Then a chinook helicopter flew close by, followed by another type of helicopter – it might be me but they seemed to be checking it out.

"I had my video camera in my car with me, so I took some footage of the object. It was there in the sky perfectly visible then it just disappeared from my viewfinder."

This sighting is the latest in a long line of sightings from across the country of strange objects in the sky, but it is made all the remarkable because it is captured on film.

Last year a young man from Hindley captured a UFO on his mobile phone whilst standing outside his local pub, but the footage is poor compared to Geoff's amazing video. "I've shown it to a few people," said Geoff.

"Some think it's a UFO, others think it's just a kite or balloon. But if it was a kite where was the line and how on earth was it so still for that length of time – and where did it disappear to all of a sudden?

"I don't particularly believe in little green men and all that, but I am open-minded enough to know that whatever it was, it was not a conventional flying machine."

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Planes Cause Town's 'UFO' Scare

"The UFO Subject is Alive and Well"

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REPORTER DUPED BY UFO DEBUNKERS

By Robert Hastings
http://ufohastings.com/
© 8-27-08

     On August 11, 2008, I sat down with Albuquerque Journal reporter John Fleck to discuss my extensive research on nuclear weapons-related UFO activity and the publication of my 600-page book, UFOs and Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites. Over the last 35 years, I have interviewed nearly 100 former or retired U.S. Air Force nuclear missile personnel, including launch officers, targeting officers, maintenance personnel and security guards. These individuals report ongoing UFO surveillance of our strategic weapons sites, as well as the occasional disruption of those weapons’ functionality, just after UFOs were observed to be in their vicinity.

To verify these veterans’ statements to me, I provided reporter Fleck with copies of verbatim testimony from a few of them, a copy of my book which contained the testimony of a great many more, and four pages of USAF/NORAD documents, declassified via the Freedom of Information Act, which describe multiple UFO incursions at Minuteman missile sites outside of Malmstrom AFB, Montana, in November 1975.

In spite of this well-documented presentation, Fleck subsequently wrote an exceedingly biased and dismissive article about my research, titled “Book Links UFOs to Nukes,” in the August 25, 2008 issue of the Journal, which concluded that my contentions of a UFO-Nukes Connection were “wrong” based on the statements of “independent experts.” More on those alleged experts in a moment.

During my interview with him, Fleck told me that he was especially interested in the so-called Big Sur UFO case. which I will now briefly summarize: Early one morning in September 1964, an Atlas D Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) was launched from Vandenberg AFB, California, carrying aloft an experimental enemy radar-defeating system and dummy nuclear warhead. Shortly after nosecone-separation, as the warhead raced toward a targeted splash-down at Eniwetok Lagoon, in the Pacific Ocean, it was approached by a disc-shaped UFO. As the saucer chased and then circled the warhead, four bright flashes of light emanated from the unknown craft whereupon the warhead began to tumble, eventually falling into the ocean hundreds of miles short of its intended target downrange.

Science fiction? Not according to the former USAF officer tasked with filming the Atlas launch through a high-powered telescope located at Big Sur, California. Then Lt. (now Dr.) Bob Jacobs—who was assigned to the 1369th Photographic Squadron at Vandenberg, and held the title Officer-in-Charge of Photo-instrumentation—states that the entire encounter was captured on motion picture film. According to Jacobs, while the UFO’s maneuvers were readily discernable, other minute details—including the object’s domed disc-shape—were only discovered during a in-depth optical analysis conducted at Vandenberg.

Following the dramatic incident, says Jacobs, a 16-mm version of the amazing film was shown to a small, select group at Vandenberg. At the conclusion of this meeting, which he attended, he was told to “forget” the filmed events and to never mention them again. Years later, Jacobs learned that after he left the room, the crucial frames were cut out and quickly confiscated by two “government agents”—possibly working for the CIA—who had been among those in attendance.

Importantly, Jacobs’ account—relating to both the UFO incident itself and the subsequent cover-up—has been entirely endorsed by another officer, retired Major (later Dr.) Florenze J. Mansmann, Jr. At the time, Mansmann had been assigned to Vandenberg AFB’s Office of the Chief Scientist, 1st Strategic Aerospace Division. It was Mansmann who had carefully analyzed the amazing film which, he said, showed a “classic disc” shaped object circling the dummy warhead, shooting four beams of light at the warhead as it did so. It was also Mansmann who had ordered Lt. Jacobs to attend the restricted screening of the film in his office at the division’s headquarters building.

Because reporter Fleck expressed interest in this case, I provided him with copies of private correspondence between Jacobs and Mansmann, from the early 1980s. In those letters, Jacobs and Mansmann were obviously still stunned by, and marveling over, the Big Sur UFO incident—some 20 years later. It is important to note that this correspondence was never intended for publication, to support the validity of the case. Rather, it represents the private musings of two former USAF officers—involved and knowledgeable insiders—who had experienced what was obviously a life-changing event for each of them.

At the conclusion of my interview with Fleck, he told me that he would be contacting Kendrick Frazier, the longtime editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine—which has for decades featured articles debunking UFOs and the notion of a U.S. government UFO cover-up—to get Frazier’s point-of-view on the Big Sur case. Skeptical Inquirer is the publication of the self-styled Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) which recently renamed itself the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).

One of the articles published by the debunking magazine, written by Kingston George, an engineer who worked with Bob Jacobs on the telescope project at Vandenberg AFB, claimed that Jacobs’ statements about having filmed a UFO shooting down a dummy nuclear warhead were just “ weird claims” having no basis in reality.

However, when I researched the Big Sur case myself, I discovered that George had badly misrepresented Jacobs’ remarks, repeatedly, and had made other crucial factual errors. Indeed, if one compares his article with Jacobs’ and Mansmann’s published and private statements on the Big Sur incident, it becomes glaringly obvious how erroneous and misleading George’s article really is. Nevertheless, Skeptical Inquirer editor Frazier published the badly-flawed piece, apparently without comparing George’s claims about what Jacobs’ supposedly had said with what he actually had said. Curiously, George’s debunking article contains not a single word about Major Mansmann’s unequivocal endorsement of Jacobs’ account.

Frazier subsequently included Kingston George’s badly-flawed article in one of his own books devoted to debunking UFOs, thereby further disseminating George’s misstatements and factual errors to an unsuspecting public. Incompetence all around, at the very least, on the part of the debunkers—if not something more suspicious. As I write in my book:

“I consider it noteworthy that George’s article was published in CSICOP’s in-house magazine, Skeptical Inquirer. At first glance, this is hardly surprising, given CSICOP’s tireless crusade to discredit UFOs. However, because the Big Sur incident reportedly involved a UFO disabling—shooting down—one of the U.S. military’s experimental nuclear warhead systems, Skeptical Inquirer’s strong endorsement of George’s attempted debunking of the incident is particularly interesting.

Why? Many years ago, I discovered that Kendrick Frazier was in fact employed—beginning in the early 1980s—as a Public Relations Specialist at Sandia National Laboratories, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Yes, the same Sandia Labs that has been instrumental to the success of America’s nuclear weapons program since the late 1940s, through its “ordinance engineering” of components for bomb and missile warhead systems.

Interestingly, Skeptical Inquirer's publisher's statement, or “masthead”, which appears at the beginning of each issue, never once mentioned Frazier's employment at the highly-secretive, government-funded laboratory. Instead, the magazine merely listed, and continues to list, his profession as "science writer"—a reference to his having written several books and articles on various scientific subjects. Also curious is the fact that various online biographies on Frazier—including one written by himself—also fail to mention his two-decade tenure at Sandia Labs. An odd omission indeed.

Consequently, here is the situation: In what is arguably the most dramatic nuclear weapons-related UFO incident ever revealed, two former U.S. Air Force officers insist that one of our experimental nuclear warheads was actually shot down by a flying saucer. And who is responsible for publishing the first debunking article about the Big Sur incident, in which it is claimed that the UFO encounter never happened? Why, a PR guy working for the U.S. government’s nuclear weapons program!

…Ironically, over the years, a great many UFO skeptics have used the supposedly accurate “facts” presented in George’s article to dismiss the UFO link with nuclear weapons in general, and the Big Sur UFO Incident in particular. Needless to say, very few of those same skeptics will ever buy a book called, UFOs and Nukes, so they will mistakenly continue to believe that Kingston George’s article is the last word on the Big Sur case.

Furthermore, the CSICOP-Nukes Connection does not end with Kendrick Frazier. James Oberg, one of CSICOP’s leading UFO debunkers, once did classified work relating to nuclear weapons at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, located at Kirtland AFB, just down the road from Sandia Labs.

From 1970-72, Oberg was an Air Force officer whose assignments with the Battle Environments Branch at the weapons lab involved the development and utilization of computer codes related to the modeling of laser and nuclear weapons. Oberg also served as a “Security Officer” while at the weapons lab and was, therefore, responsible for monitoring the security procedures used to safeguard the classified documents generated by his group.

After Bob Jacobs went public with the UFO shoot-down story, Oberg wrote to him, chastising Jacobs for revealing “top secret” information. In his MUFON UFO Journal article, Jacobs wrote that after he broke his silence, “I was contacted by a variety of investigators, buffs, cranks, proponents and detractors alike. James Oberg, a frequent ‘mouthpiece’ for certain NASA projects and self-styled UFO Debunker wrote to disparage my story and to ask provocatively, ‘Since you obviously feel free to discuss top secret UFO data, what would you be willing to say about other top secret aspects of the Atlas warhead which you alluded to briefly...?’ I told Mr. Oberg where to put his misplaced cynicism.”

Despite Oberg’s charge, Jacobs has correctly pointed out that because Major Mansmann had told him that the UFO encounter “never happened”, he had no personal knowledge of the classification level attached to the incident.

In any event, it is almost certain that Oberg would not have criticized Jacobs for exposing “top secret UFO data”, had he known that Jacobs would subsequently publish his remark. So, here we have one of CSICOP’s leading UFO debunkers—whose public stance is that UFOs don’t even exist—angrily asking Jacobs in a private letter whether he would also openly discuss “other” top secret aspects of the missile test…

For his part, CSICOP’s chief UFO-debunker, the late Philip J. Klass, aggressively hounded Dr. Jacobs after he published the warhead shoot-down story, going so far as to write a derisive letter to Jacobs’ department chairman—Dr. R. Steven Craig, Department of Journalism and Broadcasting, University of Maine—in which Klass accusingly questioned professor Jacobs’ fitness as a representative of the academic community.

Jacobs’ understandably indignant response to Klass, titled, Low Klass: A Rejoinder, may be found online. It is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand the behind-the-scenes battle that ensued after Jacobs went public with the UFO incident.

Among other subjects, the rejoinder touches on acrimonious correspondence between Jacobs and Klass. At one point, after Dr. Jacobs ignored Klass’ repeated demands that he respond to the debunker’s charges, Klass offered character references, citing Admiral Bobby R. Inman (USN Ret.)—the former Director of the National Security Agency, who also held Deputy Director positions at both the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency—and Lt. General Daniel O. Graham (USA Ret.), the former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Klass not only provided Jacobs with their names, but home addresses as well, and told him, “Both men have worked with me and gotten to know me in my efforts for Aviation Week."

The character references provided by Klass are certainly interesting, given his stock response over the years to those who questioned his motives. Whenever he was confronted with the charge that he was not really a UFO skeptic, but a disinformation agent for the U.S. government, Klass would always recoil indignantly and ridicule the notion. So who does he choose to present as character references in his letter to Jacobs? Two of the top intelligence officers in the U.S. government.”
Major Florenze Mansmann’s last written remarks on the Big Sur UFO incident are to be found in a letter to Curt Collier, a producer for the television series, Sightings. Dated November 15, 1995, the letter began, “Dear Mr. Collier, Responding to your Fed Ex letter of November 14, 1995 regarding the validity of the January 1989 MUFON [UFO] Journal story by Dr. Robert Jacobs, it is all true as presented. And yes, I have also responded to other researchers in the past, but only after Dr. Jacobs released the details of these sightings [sic] negating my secrecy bond.”

Mansmann continued, “The Image Orthicon camera system we used in capturing the Unidentified Flying Object on film had the capacity to photograph the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the missile launch and its super sonic flight...In retrospect, I now regret not being able to evaluate the film for more than 3 showings. The only people in attendance of the viewing were: The Director of the Office of the Chief Scientist and his assistant, two Government Agents, Lieutenant Jacobs and myself. [i.e. Kingston George was NOT present! –RH] The two Government Agents confiscated the film and placed it in a briefcase and departed after I had checked their authorization to leave with the film. I was instructed later by the Office of the Chief Scientist, the Judge Advocate General’s office and my Commanding Officer to consider the incident top secret.” Mansmann concluded his letter to Collier, “I am writing to confirm Dr. Jacobs’ account...”

In other words, more than 30 years after the top secret incident and more than six years after Jacobs’ article appeared in the MUFON UFO Journal, Dr. Mansmann was once again unreservedly verifying Bob Jacobs’ report of a UFO shooting down a dummy nuclear warhead over the Pacific Ocean, in September 1964.

Florenz J. Mansmann, Jr. died on July 4, 2000, but he remained adamant to the end that the extraordinary encounter—involving an extraterrestrial spacecraft—had occurred and was classified Top Secret.

My own definitive, extremely well-documented article on the Big Sur incident is available at my website, ufohastings.com/. Had reporter John Fleck read it, or the Jacobs-Mansmann letters I provided him, before he wrote his inept and biased article on my research, he would have saved himself a lot of criticism and embarrassment.

Although Fleck knows almost nothing about UFOs, he seems unwilling to learn about the subject, even when provided with credible and documented information derived from declassified government files and the testimony of former military personnel. Instead, he readily swallows the unfounded and suspiciously spun claims of Frazier, Oberg and their ilk—hook, line and sinker. In short, Fleck is the perfect mark—uninformed and vulnerable to misinformation—just the way UFO debunkers prefer their journalists to be.

Robert Hastings hastings444@att.net

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MY UFO EXPERIENCE: Witness Recounts Multiple UFO Sightings

Reader Submitted Report
[Unedited]
8-27-08

     In the fall 2005 I saw a translucent very large triangle (cloud level) above my house in Melvindale, MI. The triangle was turned on its side (the underside was visible?) and it had light gray rectangles along its outer edge while the rest of the craft was a transparent milky color (the outline was still visible). The size was about 1/3 an IMAX movie screen.

The craft was stationary and made no sound. The night was partly cloudy and no lights were seen on the craft. I don't remember being scared just puzzled and amazed seeing such a strange craft. Whether any time loss was experienced - don't know?

In the spring 2006 I saw a disc (size of a baseball at arms length) which had a black outline in the clear night sky and showed two red lights around its perimeter when it dipped toward me. When the disk resumed a horizontal plane a white light flashed to one side (this tipping scenario and white flashing light happened twice). This sighting was at my work parking lot in Redford, MI ~ 10PM (no one else around).

In the summer of (July) 2006 my daughter and I saw two silver ovals materialize 90 degrees over head in a clear sky in our backyard. The ovals were silver dollar size at arms length and had no lights. The ovals started very close together and angled apart E / SE (toward Fermi nuclear power plant?).

My daughter was startled and I was just happy for a fellow witness of such an event. Although my daughter had her own UFO sighting in the summer 2004 in Green Oaks TWP at my sisters house during a sleep over very early in the morning: a silver sphere (size of a 45 lb Olympic weight) that had green lights all around the circumference.

In the fall of 2006 I saw a bright light sphere (quarter at arms length) materialize 90 degrees above in a clear night sky and slowly accelerate 30 degrees, disappear, than re-appear the same place and repeat the slow to fast trek (twice)!

Next I saw what looked like a swarm of these spheres (though not as bright) circling the night sky like bees in a wide arc (city block). The sighting was so strange that I said "this is too weird" and walked back into my house. To this day my hair stands on end remembering this event.

In summer 2008 have seen star sized lights transverse the clear night sky (my backyard):

1. June 24 12:30 AM 15 degree arc (90 degrees above) slow moving S / SE {ISS visible too}

2. June 25 12:10 AM 10 degree arc (90 degrees above) slow moving S / SE {ISS visible too}

3. Aug 07 04:25 AM 60 degree arc (80 degrees above) slow moving N / NE {no satellites}

Sorry about no video - when funds permit will capture events for scientific study.

See Also:

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MY UFO EXPERIENCE: Metallic Sphere Cruising 'Low 'n' Slow in Holland

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UFOs & Nukes: Robert Hastings Sets The Record Straight!

By Robert Hastings
ufohastings.com
8-26-08

Editors Note: Recently an article, penned by a staff-writer appeared in the Albuquerque Journal, entitled, Book Links UFOs to Nukes; as is often the case the reporter was ignorant to the subject matter at hand and apparently made no attempt to do any homework.

The piece was filled with erroneous statements, innuendo and the writer’s predisposition was transparent. Although this is commonplace for mainstream media, in this instance I view it as “aftereffects” of Robert Hastings efforts in regards to disseminating information regarding the activity pertaining to UFO activity at US military installations—specifically—nuclear bases! In short he continues to make waves!

Unfortunately, as it was by his recent appearance on The Larry King Show, with guest skeptic, “Bill Nye,” Mr. Hastings has to waste time attempting to educate the unwitting, as is the case here. For clarity’s sake regarding Mr. Hastings’ rejoinder the a fore mentioned article is published in toto—FW

Book Links UFOs to Nukes

By John Fleck
The Albuquerque Journal
Journal Staff Writer
8-25-08


Robert Hastings is nothing if not persistent in his pursuit of a connection between UFOs and the world's nuclear weapons programs.

For more than three decades, the Albuquerque resident has collected evidence and spoken around the country. He self-published a book of his findings this year, "UFO and Nukes." Last month he appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live."

The core of his argument is that visitors from space are monitoring our nuclear weapons operations, likely trying to warn us about their dangers, and that the government is covering it up.

"I believe the American public has a right to know the facts," Hastings said in an interview.

The problem, according to independent experts, is that Hastings
is wrong.

"It's preposterous," said Kingston George, a retired physicist and engineer who worked on weapons systems in the 1960s and is an eyewitness to one of Hastings' favorite cases.

The events Hastings describes have "plausible, prosaic explanations," said noted space historian James Oberg.

Oberg, who has studied much of the same space and nuclear history as Hastings, says the umbrella of secrecy surrounding common nuclear weapons system malfunctions in the past creates much of the uncertainty that leads to UFO claims today.

People responsible for secrecy surrounding nuclear weapon system malfunctions were happy to have them misinterpreted as UFO incidents because it made keeping the real secret easier, Oberg said.

The Big Sur Incident

Hastings says his UFO curiosity began as a teenager, when his father worked at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Hastings worked three nights a week in a radar tower, and one night he watched as a radar operator tracked five unknown objects. "That sparked my interest," he said.

To Hastings, an event off the coast of California in September 1964 is one of the most important events of the nuclear age. He believes an alien spaceship destroyed a dummy nuclear warhead during a U.S. missile test. The story has dark undertones of Central Intelligence Agency operatives and disappearing film.

It is, Hastings wrote last year in an article in the International UFO Reporter, "an unparalleled example of UFO interest in — and interference with — our nuclear missile systems."

George, now retired and living in Santa Maria, Calif., has heard this before. In 1964, he headed up the team responsible for filming the missile test.

Fifteen years ago, George first tried to explain what he says really happened — a missile malfunction, misunderstood and amplified in the retelling until it has taken a place in UFO lore.

Unbowed, Hastings was on "Larry King Live" last month, talking about how the missile test fits what, in an interview, he called "a systematic pattern of activity at nuclear sites."

The Big Sur Incident, Hastings' telegenic case, happened when an Air Force team led by George set up a telescope at Big Sur on the California coast to film missile tests from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

According to an account by Air Force photographic team member Bob Jacobs, the film showed an alien spacecraft darting around the missile as it flew, ultimately sending it tumbling into the sea short of its target.

In 1993, George wrote an article for Skeptical Inquirer, which describes itself as "the magazine for science and reason," offering a more prosaic explanation.

George was in charge of the photographic team and held a higher security clearance than Jacobs. According to George's account, the film actually showed a malfunction that would have left the missile vulnerable to Soviet countermeasures. When the problem was discovered, the film and information about the event was immediately classified "top secret," according to George.

That explains the extreme secrecy imposed on the film, according to George. Without the proper security clearance, according to George, Jacobs would never have been given the real reason.

A tough sell

Hastings' largest area of research involves UFO incidents at U.S. nuclear missile bases. He claims repeated incidents in which UFOs were reported at bases at the same time missile systems malfunctioned.

Oberg, an expert on the history of U.S. and Soviet missile technology, calls Hastings' missile malfunction cases "intriguing," but not for the same reason as Hastings.

A more likely explanation for the malfunctions, Oberg said, is the "persnickety" launch control systems of the day.

At the time, unusual sights in the sky were not uncommon, and in the distance of history, the two linked, Oberg argues.

"They connect the two in the time-honored logic that people have," Oberg said.

Hastings acknowledges he has no documentary evidence linking the alleged UFOs and the missile malfunctions for any of the cases described in his 602-page book.

He said he stopped filing federal Freedom of Information Act requests in 1984 after concluding that the government was withholding information about the events in which he was interested.

Instead, Hastings said, he has focused on finding former military personnel willing to describe their experiences.

He acknowledged that his thes is is sometimes a tough sell. "People resist new ideas," he said.

Hasting's Response
What an inaccurate, misleading article! I guess I will have to go on a few radio and TV shows to straighten things out. I am scheduled for two major national interviews in the near future and will definitely mention your inept and biased reporting. I will now begin calling the local Albuquerque stations too.

You quote Kingston George, who made lots of factual errors in his Skeptical Inquirer article on the Big Sur incident—as documented in my IUR article, which you have, but obviously did not read carefully—but failed to note that Major Florenze Mansmann, Vandenberg AFB's photographic interpretation officer said that his own contemporary analysis of the film showed "a classic disc" shaped object with a dome circling the dummy warhead and shooting beams of light at it. He also said that CIA agents confiscated the film.

Jacobs corroborates all of that. Can Kingston George produce another witness who viewed the film to support his take on things? Nope! Don't you "professional" media guys prefer a corroborating source for stories? Jacobs has his! Where's George's?

You also failed to mention that Skeptical Inquirer's editor, Kendrick Frazier, was a PR guy working for the U.S. government's nuclear weapons program, at Sandia Labs, at the time he gladly published George's attempted debunking of the Big Sur case. Frazier consistently failed to mention that fact in his skeptical magazine's masthead—for the entire 20-plus years he worked at Sandia—and in his own online biography, both facts I mentioned to you. In my view, he seemed to be shy about acknowledging having a PR job with the U.S. nukes program the whole time he was feverishly debunking UFOs and the government's cover-up of them. I wonder why?

On another topic, you said that I had no documentation for any of the cases I mentioned in my book. Do you recall the four pages of USAF/NORAD logs, released via the FOIA, which describe in detail UFOs hovering over Minuteman missile sites at Malmstrom AFB in November 1975? As you know, the jets sent up to chase away the UFOs were unable to intercept them. I devote an entire chapter in my book to those cases. I even gave you a hard copy of those logs. And yet, rather than acknowledging the Air Force's and NORAD's own declassified information—by devoting a few words to the logs—you chose to quote debunker James Oberg, who has never investigated those cases. Or did he tell you that he had?

I will simply end my email with a relevant excerpt from my book:

Americans cannot rely on our media institutions to routinely cover UFO sightings, or with the same degree of objectivity [found in the foreign press]. I earlier mentioned the book, The Missing Times, journalist Terry Hansen’s excellent exposé on the negatively-biased and uninformed coverage on UFOs typically offered up by the elite American media. Hansen’s book should be required reading for any professional reporter, especially those working for the high-profile organizations based in New York and Washington. Will that ever happen? Probably not. Regardless, if the pundits ever decide to become serious about covering, and perhaps actually investigating, the topic of UFOs, rather than knowingly or unwittingly serving as mouthpieces for the Pentagon and the CIA (which appears to be their current role) they can begin by interviewing the ex-military personnel who were directly involved in one nuclear weapons-related UFO incident or another.

To that end, I will happily provide my sources’ contact information to any reporter or assignment editor who asks for it. But I won’t hold my breath while waiting for those inquiries. Perhaps I am wrong, but I suspect that most of the alleged reporters-of-record will instead continue to dismiss the accounts by military UFO sighting witnesses as being either fanciful or fraudulent. If they do, those journalists will betray the public they supposedly serve, and history’s verdict on their complacency—or, in some cases, complicity—is bound to be harsh.

More . . .

See Also:

Excerpt From UFOs and Nukes by Robert Hastings: 'Like a Diamond in the Sky'


Launch in Progress!


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International UFO Museum and Research Center

By James Murdock
The Archtectual Record
8-25-08

UFO Museum Has Close Encounter of the CAD Kind

     Have intelligent beings from other planets visited Earth? The International UFO Museum and Research Center, in Roswell, New Mexico, lacks a definitive answer, such as an alien spacecraft—but it does have plenty of intriguing photographs and affidavits from people who say they have seen one. “If visitors walk out of here with more questions than they had when they came in, that’s all we ask,” says executive director Julie Shuster.

In designing a new home for the institution, Kevin Schopfer, AIA, a principal of Boston-based Ahearn-Schopfer Associates, also sought to arouse curiosity. Although his 18,000-square-foot, one-story building features a rectangular footprint and mostly rectilinear concrete volumes, a warped plane cants from the west elevation and soars nearly 90 feet above the main entry. This surface, which will likely be gel-coated fiberglass, folds over on itself while a funnel-shaped hole connects the top and bottom facets.

“The concept is that this is a found object emerging from a file cabinet, kind of like information hidden in a drawer somewhere,” Schopfer explains, referring to the purported government cover-up of extraterrestrial evidence. “It’s meant to grab your attention and question what it is.”

The funnel represents a wormhole, he continues, which some physicists hypothesize is a shortcut between distant parts of the universe—and that ufologists believe extraterrestrials use to visit Earth. It’s a billboard building that “entices people from the roadway,” Schopfer admits, but it avoids the ubiquitous alien and UFO iconography common in Roswell, an isolated desert town whose name is synonymous with the alleged crash of a flying saucer there in July 1947.

What the museum lacks on its exterior it will contain inside. A large mock-up of a flying disc will hang from the ceiling in the lobby. It’s this “iconic moment” that visitors will remember afterward, hopes Penny Sander, senior associate and project manager at Cambridge Seven Associates, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is designing the exhibits.

Chances are there will be many visitors. Annual attendance has grown from 3,000, when the museum opened in 1992, to more than 160,000—one reason why it has already moved twice into bigger accommodations. It is now raising $15 million for construction of the new building and hopes to break ground in early 2009; later phases might include a 30- to 40-room boutique hotel.

Schopfer learned that the museum needed a new home while watching a TV program about the Roswell crash. The project allowed him to pursue his interests in architecture and outer space. “UFOs make a great story,” he says, “and the subject matter is really endless.”

More . . .

See Also:

Is The Roswell UFO Museum & Annual UFO Festival Becoming a Thing of The Past?

Follow up: Is The Roswell UFO Museum & Annual UFO Festival Becoming a Thing of The Past?

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Man Wants to Give Obama UFO Briefing

By UPI
8-23-08

      DENVER, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A man who wants to form an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission in Denver says he would like to meet with Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Jeff Peckman is pushing a ballot initiative that would create the panel. He has offered to give the Illinois senator a briefing on space aliens, The Rocky Mountain News reported Friday.

"I can get him information that I believe is better than what he would get as president," Peckman said. He added that a meeting with Obama is unlikely. Obama will be in Denver to accept the Democratic presidential nomination next week.

"I don't expect anybody to let me meet him in person," Peckman said.

In addition to a meeting with Obama, he is also asking the Democratic Party to include a plank in their platform that includes holding "open, secrecy-free hearings on the UFO/extraterrestrial presence on and around Earth."

More . . .

See Also:

"Jeff Peckman May be Spaced Out, but Alien Expert Stan Romanek is The Real Little Green Man"

Jeff Peckman, Proponent for ET Commision Chats with David Letterman

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More UFO Sightings Reported

By Isaac Ashe
The LoughBorough Echo
8-21-08

     UFOS? Or a load of hot air? The Echo has this week been alerted to a spate of UFO sightings, as well as being contacted by several sceptics.

Last week the Echo reported on an orb spotted silently hovering in the skies above East Leake by a number of residents on August 4, at around 10pm.

More East Leake residents have contacted us to confirm the sighting, bringing the total of people who saw the UFO to at least seven, and residents in Mountsorrel, Barrow-upon-Soar, Birstall and Loughborough have made contact to say they have seen similar orbs in their areas this month.

Ten "flickering" lights were seen, again moving west to east, were seen over Mountsorrel by residents around 10.45pm on August 1.

Resident Derek Morrish said: "As the two lights came over it was noticeable that they were making no sound at all.

"We watched them pass over the house flying towards Sileby but they had not gone far before they disappeared."

And on August 4, the same night as the East Leake apparition, lights were seen over Barrow.

One resident said: "At 10.30pm I saw 10 of the orbs travelling from an easterly direction, then turning northerly, at about two minute intervals."

And four Birstall villagers saw an orb over Watermead Park at 9.50pm on August 9: "It wasn't making a sound. It was large and orange, we didn't know what it was."

However a Loughborough sighting was rubbished by Neil Gibson, who saw an orb in Loughborough on August 17 near to Churchgate: "I could not identify the object. After 10 minutes of research on the internet I pretty much confirmed it was a fire balloon."

And East Leake resident John McLean also contacted the Echo with an explanation for the phenomenon.

He said: "I was going for a walk at the time and I watched three of these things lift off from the ground.

"Someone had either made or bought some lanterns with candles in that acted as miniature hot air balloons.

"Because it was clear when it was high up in the sky it did appear to be a UFO.

"Personally I do believe there are UFOs, and I have seen some peculiar things in the sky, but you've got to sort the wheat from the chaff."

u Are the orbs lanterns, or something out of this world? Have you seen any other UFOs? If you can help, contact reporter Isaac Ashe on Isaac_Ashe@MRN.co.uk, or have your say on the www.loughboroughecho.net forums - the truth is on there!

More . . .

See Also:

Orange Rugby Ball-Shaped UFOs Seen in Winchmore Hill

"UFOs Stopped Traffic and Left Residents Staring Skyward in Disbelief!"

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Chile Promotes UFO Tourism

By The Times
8-20-08

     Santiago - When it comes to attracting tourists to a remote region in central Chile, the town of San Clemente is aiming high - playing up its reputed connection to visitors from outer space.

The Andean municipality, 240 kilometres south of Santiago, has opened the country’s first UFO trail, a 30-kilometre long stretch that takes in a supposed landing site for flying saucers and optimal lookouts for extraterrestrial craft.

Sernatur, Chile’s tourism service, is backing the initiative.

"We support the creation of this UFO trail because experts say that it is a ’hot zone’ for watchers," the service’s director, Oscar Santelices, told AFP.

However, just in case hordes of foreign tourists of the terrestrial variety turn up expecting to get a close encounter of a first, second, third or - heaven forbid - fourth kind (alien abduction) out of their trip, Sernatur had a bucket of cold water.

"In no way can we guarantee that a tourist coming to San Clemente will see a UFO," it said in its brochure.

The Chilean town has long been am unofficial destination for UFO-watchers in the know, though mainstream curiosity-seekers looking for a bit of interplanetary mystery have been more often drawn to neighbouring Peru to see the Nazca Lines, those centuries-old gigantic representations of animals in a desert which can only be fully appreciated from the air.

UFO researchers say hundreds of UFO sightings have been reported in San Clemente since the mid-1990s.

Rodrigo Fuenzalida, president of the Chilean Grouping for UFO Research (AION), said between January 1995 and the middle of 1996 there was around one sighting per week.

The last unidentified flying object spotted was in the third week of February this year, he said.

"It was an orange object located about 400 meters (1,312 feet) in the distance, with oscillating movements," he said.

A site of special interest is a flat zone of huge volcanic blocks known as El Enladrillado, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from San Clemente and at an altitude of 2,300 meters (7,546 feet), which locals claim is a UFO landing pad.

"There, sightings have been made of shining spheres going into the water and into wooded zones without any human explanation," Fuenzalida said.

El Enladrillado, which can only be accessed after hours of trekking over rough terrain, forms the central part of the UFO trail.

Other points along the path include signs detailing sightings, as well as restaurants, camping sites, hostels and cabins to serve hungry or weary Earthlings, Juan Carlos Cerro of the local tourist office said.

More . . .

See Also:

Tenth International Ufology Conference: Military Photographs and Videos Were Revealed

Chile UFO Landing Under Analysis

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Video: Bigfoot Claim Is Just a Big Hoax

By AP
8-20-08

See Also:

Has Bigfoot Been Found?

"I Saw Bigfoot Get into a UFO"

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Orange Rugby Ball-Shaped UFOs Seen in Winchmore Hill

By Hannah Crown
Enfield Independent
8-19-08

      A STREAM of orange, rugby ball shaped UFOs making their way purposefully through the skies has been seen in Winchmore Hill.

Mystified Alison Moynihan, of Hillcrest, said she was watching television with her husband at 10.30pm on Sunday 10 when she first caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a procession of lights.

She said: "My husband saw this bright orange light. We ran up to the loft to have a look and it suddenly zoomed out and up. It was like a bright orange rugby ball and it had a sort of halo around it like a street light. It moved up and to the left quite swiftly."

Describing the lights as being only about 300 yards away, she said it wan't until about half an hour later that she and her husband caught sight of the second light which also appeared to be travelling from the south to the north and appearing on the right hand side of their field of vision.

She said: "It disappeared into the clouds. Then soon after another one did exactly the same at the same point in the clouds. There were four in all."

Mrs Moynihan, who works for a city investment company, said she lived in a flight path but had never seen anything like that before. She said: "I got onto the internet after it happened and so many people have seen similar things. I don't think it was a Chinese lantern because we would have seen a flame underneath it. We thought maybe it was some military plane. But we couldn't hear any engine at all. I have never seen anything like it in my life. I hadn't been drinking alcohol I promise! I am the first one to be sceptical of anything like that."

More . . .

See Also:

Mystery of Orange UFOs

"UFOs Stopped Traffic and Left Residents Staring Skyward in Disbelief!"

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MY UFO EXPERIENCE: Metallic Sphere Cruising 'Low 'n' Slow in Holland

Reader Submitted Report
[Unedited]
8-13-08

     My name is Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, I’m from Holland. I am 36 years old. In my profession I am a Sr Business Intelligence Analyst. I´m happily married and a father of a 4 yr old daughter.

I would like to share my 2 sightings with you.

1.I was standing in my backyard, looking at the stars round 9 pm. It was clear and I was looking straight up, focusing on nothing really. Then all of a sudden, a big white ball of light – like a star yet bigger and brighter, literally shoots from behind me, over my head, to the horizon in front of me, stops and vanishes at once !! Now, I have been breaking my brains on this one, but I simply can’t come up with a decent explanation for it. It only leaves me concluding there’s a hell of a lot we do not know about, but what is around nevertheless..

2.I was driving home from a day’s work on a sunny and clear day, and suddenly I saw in an object moving through the sky. I immediately parked my car along the road and got out to take a good look at it. It was sliding in the air at a ridiculously low speed, it looked as if it was on a train rail! It wasn’t lifted, or flown by some other air vehicle, it made absolutely no noise. The object itself looked like an iron ball with an opening in it, like a big shiny metal motorcycle helmet. Or like a big metallic pacman! It was moving very slowly and very consistently, and it traveled at a straight line until it flew out of sight behind the city buildings. I know it wasn´t me going mad, since there were people across the street at a bus stop, who were looking at it as well. The frustrating thing however, is that I came home, really hyped up, and I couldn’t do anything with it ! Where to go to ? Who to tell? What now? Nothing! I just have to accept yet another mystery... that makes me think we really don’t know what’s going on after all…

That’s my 2 weird experiences.

See Also:

YOUTH RECORDS UFO OVER MEXICO CITY

Extraterrestrial Sighting, Described By The French Government

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FOIA Request re CIA UFO Cover-up

TO: Freedom of Information Manager
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Washington, DC 20511

FROM: Larry W. Bryant
3518 Martha Custis Drive
Alexandria, VA 22302

DATE: August 13, 2008

John J. Callahan -- a retired U. S. Federal Aviation Administration official (and now also one of several recent UFO-cover-up whistleblowers) -- has publicly revealed his and other FAA employees' participation in a 1987 special meeting at FAA headquarters in Washington, D. C., to discuss and evaluate certain official evidence of the intrusive UFO encounter experienced on Nov. 17, 1986, by the Japanese flight crew (No. 1628) of a 747 cargo jet during that night in Alaskan sky. Also taking part in the 1987 meeting were representatives from President Reagan's scientific staff and three personnel from the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency. At the meeting's conclusion, one of the CIA attenders announced, "This event never happened; we were never here; we're confiscating all this data . . .."

Accordingly, I hereby request that you furnish me a copy of the following CIA-received and CIA-generated records:

(1) As pertain to the convening, attendance roster, briefings, minutes, and all other related documentation of the above-identified meeting;

(2) As pertain to all other similar cases of airborne UFO encounters reportedly occurring since Nov. 17, 1986, to date.

Since I submit this request as a representative of the news media (principally as a columnist for the monthly newsstand periodical "UFO Magazine"), I ask that you waive all records-search/review fees incident to your fulfilling this request. For a sampling of my free-lance publication credits, see the author's blog at http://ufoview.posterous.com .

By snail-mail, I'm sending to you a signed printout of this e-formatted letter.

LARRY W. BRYANT
Director, Washington, D. C., Office of Citizens Against UFO Secrecy

Copies furnished to:

Editor, UFO Magazine

Chairman, Select Committee on Intelligence, U. S. Senate

Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, U. S. House of Representatives

More . . .

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“Is Anyone Accountable for Records?”

"All UFO Secrets Must Be Disclosed"

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Barack Obama: Advancing the Frontiers of Space Exploration

By spaceref.com
8-16-08

A ROBUST AND BALANCED PROGRAM OF SPACE EXPLORATION AND SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY

Over the past 50 years our civilian space program has embodied the adventurous spirit that lifted this nation to greatness and inspired people around the world. At the same time, America's leadership in space has provided the United States with a scientific and economic edge. Barack Obama believes the United States should maintain its international leadership in space while at the same time inspiring a new generation of Americans to dream beyond the horizon. Barack Obama believes that what President Kennedy said about space more than 45 years ago remains valid today: "The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space. . . . We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained . . . and used for the progress of all people."

THE CHALLENGE

Historically, the U.S. space program has inspired people the world over with its feats on behalf of all humankind. This leadership can continue; indeed, the Bush administration set an ambitious agenda for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), but has since failed to provide adequate funding or leadership to move forward with that agenda. As a result, key programs have suffered. Poor planning and inadequate funding are leading to at least a five-year gap after the retirement of the Space Shuttle. During those years, the United States will have to depend on foreign rockets and spacecraft to send Americans to orbit. NASA has had to slash its research budget, including its aeronautical research, its programs to study climate change, microgravity research that can yield new technologies, and even the robotic exploration of the outer solar system and the universe beyond. Many other countries are moving forward in space; the United States cannot afford to fall behind.

A COMPREHENSIVE VISION

As president, Barack Obama will establish a robust and balanced civilian space program. His NASA not only will inspire the world with both human and robotic space exploration, but also will again lead in confronting the challenges we face here on Earth, including global climate change, energy independence, and aeronautics research. In achieving this vision, Obama will reach out to include international partners and to engage the private sector to amplify NASA's reach. Obama believes that a revitalized NASA can help America maintain its innovation edge and contribute to American economic growth

There is currently no organizational authority in the Federal government with a sufficiently broad mandate to oversee a comprehensive and integrated strategy and policy dealing with all aspects of the government's space- related programs, including those being managed by NASA, the Department of Defense, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Commerce Department, the Transportation Department, and other federal agencies. This wasn't always the case. Between 1958 and 1973, the National Aeronautics and Space Council oversaw the entire space arena for four presidents; the Council was briefly revived from 1989 to 1992. Barack Obama will re-establish this Council reporting to the president. It will oversee and coordinate civilian, military, commercial and national security space activities. It will solicit public participation, engage the international community, and work toward a 21st century vision of space that constantly pushes the envelope on new technologies as it pursues a balanced national portfolio that expands our reach into the heavens and improves life here on Earth.

SPACE SCIENCE AND EXPLORATION

Closing the Gap

Since 1981, the Space Shuttle has been NASA's workhorse. Its retirement will leave NASA without human spaceflight capability until the first elements of the Constellation program are operational, some five years later. This gap between the retirement of the Space Shuttle and the entry into service of its replacement is a serious concern. Barack Obama is committed to making the necessary investments to ensure we close this gap as much as is technically feasible and to minimize reliance on foreign space capabilities. He also will work with the space industry to ensure retention of workforce and technical capabilities during the transition from the shuttle to its successor.

• Retaining Options for Additional Shuttle Flights: Barack Obama supports Congressional efforts to add at least one additional Space Shuttle flight to fly a valuable mission and to keep the workforce engaged. He will work to ensure there is adequate funding to support that additional flight so that it does not interfere with developing the Shuttle's successor.
• Speeding the Next-Generation Vehicle: Obama will expedite the development of the Shuttle's successor systems for carrying Americans to space so we can minimize the gap. This will be difficult; underfunding by the Bush administration has left NASA with limited flexibility to accelerate the development of the new systems.
• Using the Private Sector:Obama will stimulate efforts within the private sector to develop and demonstrate spaceflight capabilities. NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a good model of government/industry collaboration..
• Working with International Allies: Obama will enlist international partners to provide International Space Station (ISS) cargo re-supply and eventually alternate means for sending crews to the ISS.

Completing and Enhancing the International Space Station

The International Space Station is an outstanding example of what can be accomplished through international cooperation. Though we have spent billions to build the station, the microgravity research it was intended to facilitate has fallen victim to funding cuts. Barack Obama would ensure that NASA and other federal agencies are fully utilizing the ISS to conduct research that can help address global challenges such as public health and energy independence and can develop technologies that can provide economic benefits to Earth. Obama also will enable research on the ISS to support long-term human exploration and planetary research needs.

• Partnering to Enhance the Potential of the ISS: Barack Obama will enlist other Federal agencies, industry and academia to develop innovative scientific and technological research projects on the ISS.
• Enabling Human Exploration: Obama will use the ISS for fundamental biological and physical research to understand the effects of long-term space travel on human health and to test emerging technologies to enable such travel.
• Enhancing International Cooperation: The ISS has been a model for international cooperation to achieve peaceful objectives in space, helping develop positive relations with Russia during the 1990s. America must take the next step and use the ISS as a strategic tool in diplomatic relations with non traditional partners.
• Retaining Options for Extended Operations: Barack Obama will consider options to extend ISS operations beyond 2016. After investing so much in developing the ISS, it would be a shame not to utilize it to the fullest possible extent.

Embracing Human Space Exploration

Human spaceflight is important to America's political, economic, technological, and scientific leadership. Barack Obama will support renewed human exploration beyond low earth orbit. He endorses the goal of sending human missions to the Moon by 2020, as a precursor in an orderly progression to missions to more distant destinations, including Mars.

• Continuing Research and Development Investments to Support Future Missions: Barack Obama will support a robust research and technology development program that addresses the long-term needs for future human and robotic missions. He supports a funding goal that maintains at least 10 percent of the total exploration systems budget for research and development.
• Drawing in International Partners: Obama will encourage a cooperative framework for the conduct of a long-term and sustainable international exploration initiative. This will enable the United States to leverage its resources and to use space exploration as a tool of global diplomacy. As this framework is developed, Obama will continue NASA's architecture studies and advanced planning to ensure the American space workforce remains engaged and that America can lead the world to long-term exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond, in a collaborative and cost-effective way.
• Partner to Improve Basic Capabilities: Obama will evaluate whether the private sector can safely and effectively fulfill some of NASA's need for lower earth orbit cargo transport.

Conducting Robotic Missions

Exploring our solar system and the universe beyond has helped us address profound questions. Barack Obama supports a robust program of robotic exploration that supports the major cross-cutting themes and the recommended new missions established by the decadal survey of the National Research Council.

• Leveraging Robotic Capabilities to Explore the Solar System: Obama supports increased investment in research, data analysis, and technology development across the full suite of exploration missions including the Mars Sample Return mission and future missions to the Moon, asteroids, Lagrange points, the outer Solar System, and other destinations.
• Supporting Space-Based Observatories: Platforms like the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X- Ray Observatory, the Gamma Ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope have yielded some of the greatest scientific discoveries of the last century. Obama is committed to a bold new set of such platforms and programs to expand our knowledge of the cosmos.

EARTH-ORIENTED RESEARCH

Studying the Earth and Monitoring Climate Change

Understanding how Earth supports life and how human activities affect its ability to do so is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Because of decades of investment in research satellites, scientists now better understand and can better predict natural phenomena such as hurricanes and weather patterns. However, many of our current monitoring and research satellites are expected to end their operational life between now and 2026. Given the urgency of climate-related monitoring, and considering the time required to design, develop, and deploy Earth observation satellite systems, the Obama administration will lean forward to deploy a global climate change research and monitoring system that will work for decades to come. The recommendations in the recent National Research Council decadal survey on Earth observations from space will guide his priorities in this regard.

• Stopping Political Interference: Barack Obama will strengthen baseline climate observations and climate data records to ensure that there are long-term and accurate climate records. He will not use climate change research data for political objectives.
• Supporting Global Food and Water Needs: The Global Precipitation Measurement mission is an international effort to improve climate, weather, and hydrological predictions through more accurate and more frequent precipitation measurements. Obama will work to launch this mission without further delay.
• Enhancing Earth Mapping: Obama will continue support for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, which allows study of the earth's land surfaces and provides valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use.

Maintaining Leadership in Aeronautics Research

A strong national program of aeronautics research and technology contributes to the vitality of the United States aeronautics industry, the efficiency of the U.S. air transportation system, and the economic well-being and quality of life of our citizens. Barack Obama believes that Department of Transportation, NASA, and other agencies have important roles in assuring the best possible air transportation system and developing related technologies that enable products and services to compete effectively in the global marketplace.

• Supporting Fundamental Research: Barack Obama will pursue more long-term fundamental research to reduce the risk associated with advancing the state of the art.
• Advancing Future Transportation Needs: The Obama administration will support aeronautics research to address aviation safety, air traffic control, and noise reduction.
• Promoting Fuel Efficiency: Rising oil prices not only impact motorists at the pump, they are also squeezing airlines and even the U.S. Air Force, which spent $5.8 billion on fuel in 2006, up from $2.8 billion in 2004. Advanced aeronautical research at NASA could dramatically improve the fuel efficiency of military and civilian aircraft, reducing costs for passengers and taxpayers alike. Barack Obama will support such research.

Better Coordination with Other Federal Agencies Involved in Space

The Department of Defense (DOD) invests heavily in space assets to provide troops with weather, communications, navigation, early warning, space surveillance and other information critical to conducting military operations. In fiscal year 2008 alone, DOD expects to spend over $22 billion dollars to develop and procure satellites, launch vehicles, and other space systems. This is more than NASA's annual budget. The National Reconnaissance Office operates satellites that provide information essential to national security and global stability. In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operates an array of weather satellites that provide billions of dollars of benefit to the U.S. taxpayer. Barack Obama believes that NASA can work more closely with other federal agencies to take advantage of their expertise and technologies. This includes sharing research and technical information as well as better coordination of acquisition programs. Ensuring an integrated and fully coordinated national space program will be the major responsibility of the re- established National Aeronautics and Space Council. Obama will also work to better integrate NASA in a better coordinated national science policy. Obama will appoint an Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Policy who will report directly to the president, and be deeply involved in establishing research priorities that reflect the nation's needs based on the best available advice from experts around the country.

PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND KEEPING SPACE SECURE

Collaborating with the International Community

Space exploration must be a global effort. Barack Obama will use space as a strategic tool of U.S. diplomacy to strengthen relations with allies, reduce future conflicts, and engage members of the developing world.

• Collaborating on Exploration: The United States needs to fully involve international partners in future exploration plans to help reduce costs and to continue close ties with our ISS partners. NASA has been working with 13 other space agencies to develop a globally coordinated approach to space exploration; Barack Obama will not only continue but intensify this effort. Human exploration beyond low-earth orbit should be a long-term goal and investment for all space faring countries, with America in the lead.
• Collaborating on Climate Change Research: Barack Obama will expand and deepen American collaboration with international partners on climate research, both to increase understanding of climate challenges and to demonstrate American leadership in this arena.

Emphasizing an International, Cooperative Approach to Space Security

Keeping our space assets free of threats of disruption will be an Obama priority. This is not only a military concern, but also an issue relevant to commercial and scientific operators. Developing an international approach to minimizing space debris, enhancing capabilities for space situational awareness, and managing increasingly complex space operations are important steps towards sustaining our space operations.

• Negotiating Agreements on "Rules of the Road": Barack Obama will work with other nations to develop "rules of the road" for space to ensure all nations have a common understanding of acceptable behavior.
• Opposing Weaponization of Space: Space assets are increasingly important to our national security and our economy, but they are also extremely vulnerable. China's successful test of an anti-satellite missile in January 2007 signaled the beginning of a potential new arms race in space. Barack Obama opposes the stationing of weapons in space and the development of anti-satellite weapons. He believes the United States must show leadership by engaging other nations in discussions of how best to stop the slow slide towards a new battlefield.
• Protecting America's Space Assets: Recognizing their vulnerability, Obama will work to protect our assets in space by pursuing new technologies and capabilities that allow us to avoid attacks and recover from them quickly. The Operationally Responsive Space program, which uses smaller, more nimble space assets to make US systems more robust and less vulnerable is a way to invest in this capability.

DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Expanding Public/Private Partnerships to Advance Leading Edge Technologies

The commercial space sector plays an essential role in the lives of normal Americans, contributing more than $100 billion to the global economy. Commercial satellites support direct-to-home television and digital audio services to over 30 million U.S. subscribers, high-speed Internet, traffic and weather monitoring, rapid transfer of financial data, and the imagery essential to natural resource and city planning. Technologies developed to meet the challenges of space exploration have found more than 30,000 commercial uses in products ranging from tennis shoes to medical equipment, bar codes, pacemakers and sunglasses, to technology that makes air travel safer and more efficient. Barack Obama knows that advanced space and aeronautics research can help catalyze economic growth. He will encourage public/private space technology partnerships to spur innovation.

• Enhancing the Role of NASA as a Premier Institution of Innovation: Engineers and scientists at NASA have developed state-of-the-art innovations across the technological spectrum in areas ranging from solar cells and imaging to communications and aeronautics. Barack Obama will renew NASA's commitment to innovation-driving basic research that the private sector can use to develop new products for American consumers.
• Increasing Commercialization Benefits: Obama will promote cost sharing initiatives between government and industry to increase the state of the art in various technical areas, such as micro- electromechanical systems, nanotechnology, and biotechnology. Obama will establish multi-agency programs that focus on rapid maturation of advanced concepts and transfer to industry for commercialization.
• Jumpstarting Consumer Technology: Obama will expand the use of prizes for revolutionary technical achievements that can benefit society, and funds for joint industry/government rapid-to-the- consumer technology advances.
• Supporting Commercial Access to Space: Obama will stimulate the commercial use of space and private sector utilization of the International Space Station. He will establish new processes and procurement goals to promote the use of government facilities. We must unleash the genius of private enterprise to secure the United States' leadership in space.
• Revising Regulations for Aerospace Export Control: Some sections of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) have unduly hampered the competitiveness of domestic aerospace industry. Outdated restrictions have cost billions of dollars to American satellite and space hardware manufacturers as customers have decided to purchase equipment from European suppliers. While protecting our national security interests, Barack Obama will direct a review of the ITAR to reevaluate restrictions imposed on American companies, with a special focus on space hardware that is currently restricted from commercial export. He will also direct revisions to the licensing process to ensure that American suppliers are competitive in the international aerospace markets, without jeopardizing American national security.
• Expanding the American Skill Base in Science and Engineering: Barack Obama fully supports efforts to advance new frontiers in technical areas, such as advanced structures, power generation, communication and navigation systems, and biomedical systems. These efforts address the requirements for exploration, but also have high potential for technological benefits in the private sector as well as in training the next generation of scientists and engineers.

EDUCATING THE PUBLIC

Engaging the Public and Inspiring the Next Generation

Fifty years after Sputnik, science, math, and engineering education in America is facing a crisis. As the National Academy of Sciences' Rising Above the Gathering Storm report concluded, a "danger exists that Americans may not know enough about science, technology or mathematics to contribute significantly to, or fully benefit from, the knowledge-based economy that is already taking shape around us." Barack Obama believes that NASA can inspire students to learn about mathematics, science and the applications of engineering and technology.

• Establishing Educational Access to Government Programs and R&D: Obama's NASA will develop K-12 education activities to translate the successes of our civil space programs, particularly our nation's scientific discoveries, our technology developments, and space exploration activities, into instructional programs for our children.
• Inspiring Learning through Participatory Exploration: Technology is allowing students in an American classroom to remotely control a camera on the International Space Station and may someday enable them to control a rover on the Moon. This type of participatory exploration can inspire students to study mathematics, science and engineering.
• Establishing Teacher/Researcher Fund for High Schools: Barack Obama will support nontraditional approaches, such as student design competitions and internet-based collaborations to engage students and develop the next generation of scientists and engineers.
• Increasing Opportunities for College Students: Obama will support university programs that partner NASA, DOT, DOD and NOAA with academia to provide hands-on training experiences at the college level.
• Supporting Open Government Initiatives: Obama will engage our public servants in two-way dialogs with the public to discuss the national agenda for space, to show how their tax dollars are being used, and to solicit feedback how to better address the needs of the nation.

More . . .

See Also:

NASA: "UFO Was Not Russian Space Debris"

UFO Detected Near Space Shuttle Atlantis

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