Head of MUFON, Jan Harzan Arrested on 'Crimes Against Children' Charges

In the past two weeks, detectives from the Huntington Beach Police Department's Special Enforcement Bureau have arrested two suspects on two separate incidents involving online crimes against children.

By Huntington Beach Police Department 7-14-20

On July 3, detectives contacted a male by the name of Jan Harzan after Harzan solicited sexual activity from a detective he believed was a 13 year old girl. The suspect solicited the minor to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity, and when the suspect agreed to meet the supposed minor, detectives were there to take him into custody. On July 8, detectives contacted a different male by the name of Norman Powers after Powers also solicited sexual activity from the detective posing as a 13 year old, and also arranged to meet for the purpose of sexual activity. Once he arranged a meet, detectives contacted him and determined he was there to engage in sexual activity with a minor. Both Harzan and Powers were arrested for multiple felonies and transported to the Huntington Beach Jail. Both of the suspects in these cases were specifically targeting minor females online. This is an great opportunity for us to remind anyone who has minor children with access to the internet - predators are out there, and they are looking for victims.

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See Also:

Meet MUFON's New Executive Director Jan Harzan | VIDEO

Another MUFON Head Steps Down as Alliance with French UFO Agency Begins | VIDEO

Self-Proclaimed 'Alien Abductee,' Stan Romanek Arrested for Child Porn

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

MUFON Grievances Lead to Continuing Accountability Issues

A five-page pdf containing grievances about the Mutual UFO Network and titled, MUFON: The Inside Truth, was posted online. The document is dated Jan 17, 2019, and signed by Phil Leech, who identified himself as holding the title of Director Case Review Team, among other MUFON positions. The document contains allegations of events ranging from background checks conducted on witnesses who filed UFO reports to circumstances surrounding an alleged "implant," reportedly removed from an individual and under analysis, possibly involving AATIP and/or TTSA personnel. Additional

By Jack Brewer The UFO Trail 1-22-19

areas of concern expressed by Leech include circumstances surrounding Pennsylvania MUFON; mismanagement of MUFON media; misuse of the organization by a small minority of people for their personal benefit; and the lack of scientific integrity within an organization claiming dedication to scientific study, among other grievances.

The Leech document may be viewed in its entirety at the link above or at the end of this post, where it is embedded. Email statements obtained from individuals, while in some circumstances used in part, may be viewed in their entirety at the end of this post. The time and attention invested by all parties in their comments are appreciated. MUFON Executive Director Jan Harzan did not respond to an email offering him an opportunity to comment for this post.

There's a lot to unpack. Let's get started.

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See Also:

Who's Been Running MUFON?

MUFON, Science and Deception

UFO Community Members Weigh in on Dubious MUFON Speakers

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

Who's Been Running MUFON?

The Mutual UFO Network recently announced a new Director of Research, Dr. Christopher Cogswell. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and "hopes to bring a seriousness and strong research focus to this field," according to the MUFON website. While we wish the doctor the highest degree of success, we would be remiss if we failed to observe the organization where he chooses to volunteer has an infamous history of substantially obstructing the very efforts he claims to undertake. His predecessor, Robert Powell, bailed for reasons reportedly including the MUFON choices of speakers at its annual symposium in 2017. In a nutshell, the organization's mission

By Jack Brewer The UFO Trail 2-12-18

statement of dedication to scientific study is miles apart from many of its actual activities. If Dr. Cogswell is going to help the situation a number of circumstances will need to be addressed, from employing hypnosis as a memory retrieval tool to endorsing psychic channeling, and those are just some of the problems.

A lack of transparency and public accountability has long plagued MUFON. We have explored it at length on The UFO Trail, including posts such as UFO Community Members Weigh in on Dubious MUFON Speakers. Long before Powell's concerns became more widely known, writers and researchers such as Nigel Watson, Frank Warren, Robert Sheaffer, and several more expressed relevant points about the quality of MUFON speakers and contributed to the 2015 post.

Back in 2014 we attempted to obtain explanations of what MUFON termed a collaboration with a French government agency, GEIPAN, that investigates unexplained aerial phenomena. Statements from MUFON leadership arguably were embarrassingly vague, while, in stark contrast, the head of GEIPAN proved quite willing to discuss the circumstances when contacted.

Other posts, such as parts one and two of the 2013 offering, MUFON, Science and Deception, further demonstrated the leadership's lack of willingness to field questions. MUFON's Jan Harzan has been contacted numerous times, including for comment on how an org dedicated to scientific study could promote such entirely speculative notions as Barbara Lamb's claims surrounding ET-human hybrids, but did not respond.

Likewise, Harzan failed to respond to inquiries about the criteria used to grant David Jacobs a lifetime achievement award. Jacobs is a historian who practices hypnosis as a memory enhancer, claimed to have been harassed by an ET-human hybrid that sent him instant messages, and suggested to Emma Woods to wear a chastity belt during a long distance telephone hypnosis session, among numerous other dubious actions.

In preparation for a 2013 article on a reported UFO crash in Casselberry, Florida, attempts were made to consult several MUFON personnel. Multiple emails inquiring about the case were sent to the Executive Director, Director of Investigations, Florida State Director, and a former Florida Chief Field Investigator. None responded. We could go on at length, but the issues run even deeper still than irresponsibly promoting unsubstantiated conjecture under the guise of science or failing to share information about investigations.

From where I sit, it is significant that the Pentagon indirectly admitted funneling funds to MUFON via Robert Bigelow. This was clearly done through Bigelow's now known receipt of funds and subsequent MUFON-BAASS initiative, yet it is virtually a non-story in UFO Land. Community members for years accused MUFON of acting as an arm of the federal government, and are now validated for all practical purposes, yet the wheels of sensationalism continue to turn with hardly a pause. You can't say we weren't warned.

After serving as MUFON International Director from 2006 to 2009, James Carrion wrote in a 2011 blog post that it was not Robert Bigelow who funded MUFON's work for Bigelow Aerospace, but "sponsors" Bigelow revealed to John Schuessler but not the rest of the MUFON Board of Directors. Carrion's statements have aged well (See my post, Pentagon-UFO Story Reflects Fundamental Problems, for further info and commentary).

The Pentagon acknowledges the Defense Intelligence Agency invested money in the UFO community. Up until that time, such interests and circumstances were officially denied. They were taboo, scandalous. It was out of bounds to so much as speculate the IC was in bed with UFO researchers and their organizations. Capital "S" Skeptics cried conspiracy and called for proof. Now it's confirmed and met with a shrug on both sides of the UFO community aisle.

I'd like to direct our attention for a while, please, to the fact the intelligence community has full on acknowledged involvement in the UFO community - this century, here and now. Others told us so and they are now validated, yet it's seemingly not a story, in lieu of analyzing film clips, exchanging opinions on inconclusive claims about alleged aliens, and minimizing its potential significance. In my opinion, if funding sources for one project are called into question, then funding sources for many projects are called into question, especially those involving the same individuals and organizations.

MUFON has a long way to go to gain any credibility, not to mention competently addressing who's been running its organization. Please join me in considering some of the circumstances that brought us to the point in which the Pentagon casually confirmed what amounts to funding the Mutual UFO Network.

Carpenter Affair

The Carpenter Affair. Let's start there.

During the 1990's, the org's lead alien abduction researcher "confidentially," as he put it to me in a series of emails, provided Robert Bigelow - the guy who would later play point man on the DIA's Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program - with data from case files of alleged abductees in exchange for a reported $14,000. John Carpenter, a Missouri social worker and hypnosis advocate, defended his actions, which included choosing not to obtain consent from the 140 people prior to releasing their files to Bigelow and his National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS).

MUFON officials, including John Schuessler, who sat on a NIDS board, primarily chose the stance of silence on the topic. Col. John Alexander, a former employee of the Bigelow-founded NIDS, declined comment in 2013. Alexander was asked about any interest he may have had in the files; why he suspected his employer, Bigelow, may have desired to obtain them; if other alien abduction researchers also shared files with Bigelow as Carpenter claimed may have been the case; and if Alexander was at liberty to discuss any relationships between Bigelow corporations and intelligence agencies. Alexander, a man who has repeatedly presented himself as willing and able to talk inside baseball on UFOs and the intelligence community, didn't want to discuss it.

The above image is a copy of the second page of a 1996 letter apparently composed from Carpenter to Bigelow, discussing copying and sending 140 case files, as well as expressing thanks for payment. The image was obtained from researcher Gary Hart, who included the letter and other items in complaints filed to MUFON and the State of Missouri Division of Professional Registration. Read more in the 2013 blog post on the Carpenter Affair linked above.

NSA Memo

In 2017 I published a post about NSA largely releasing a document via my FOIA request about an NSA assignee's attendance at a UFO symposium. The existence of the document, though previously withheld, was long known to researchers such as Philip Klass. Although we did not previously know its specific contents, Klass confidently suspected it was authored by Tom Deuley. Klass was in all likelihood correct for reasons provided and linked in my 2017 post. The document proved to be a memo, titled Information request solicitation, in which its author informed NSA of events and actions of researchers at the 1978 MUFON Symposium. From the now mostly declassified memo:

Ambient Monitoring Project

In 2014 I did a blog post on the ill-fated Ambient Monitoring Project (AMP). The undertaking was initially titled the Abduction Monitoring Project, but was changed for reasons that reportedly included efforts to increase credibility and attract qualified researchers. The initiative involved placing instruments to measure environmental changes in the homes of individuals reporting alien abductions. It was headed up by long time ufology staple and career intelligence officer Tom Deuley, who likely composed the above NSA memo and served in leadership capacities of multiple UFO organizations, including MUFON. Funding sources for the AMP were not clearly disclosed and details of project results were never released. From the 2014 blog post:

Deuley wrote in the 2008 Journal article that the AMP was jointly proposed to MUFON, FUFOR [Fund for UFO Research] and the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS). The collaboration reportedly resulted in the UFO Research Coalition, or the URC, as Deuley dubbed it. Exactly where the funding originated, however, was not clear, and Deuley did not at all address the amount and specific terms of project funding.

The proposal was given to the Fund for UFO Research, Deuley stated in the article, “with the intention that they in turn offer the idea to some prospective donors who might be interested in this project.”

“Over time,” he continued, “the Fund’s efforts led to sufficient funding for the work.”

“With a good prospect for a sponsor,” Deuley not so clearly explained further, “the URC continued to fine-tune the proposal. After several rounds of changes and negotiation with the prospective funding organization, the proposal for the Ambient Monitoring Project was accepted.”

Who ever the “prospective funding organization” of which Deuley may have been referring, how ever the proposal may specifically have been “accepted,” and where ever reported “sufficient funding” may have actually originated, Richard Hall told UFO Updates List the project was out of money. Hall informed them of that nine months before Deuley's July, 2008, article which suggested funding was in hand and data was in the process of being analyzed.

[...]

In 2008 I emailed inquiries about the project to various board members of the UFO organizations involved. An email was sent to Deuley, who I requested provide details that might be available for public release, particularly concerning such information as final analysis and project personnel. He replied August 2, 2008:

“The analysis is in progress and will include a full report when all of the cases have been analyzed. Until then we feel it is prudent to not publicize who is doing the analysis or where it is being conducted. The report is most likely to be printed in the MUFON Journal, and if extensive to be published for sale by the UFO Research Coalition.”

I sent a similar inquiry to David Boras of CUFOS, who briefly replied on August 3, 2008, “Statistical analyses are ongoing and not yet available.”

Astronomer Dr. John Carlson, also of FUFOR, and I exchanged some brief messages. Even after I made him aware Deuley had just days prior stated in an email to me that AMP data was in the process of being analyzed, Carlson wrote in an August 5, 2008 email there were no funds to analyze the data, so he believed the project was effectively dormant.

Such discrepancies and contradictions within MUFON and UFO orgs have now become common to the point of no longer attracting meaningful discussion. Inaccuracy and a lack of direct answers from leadership have come to be expected.

UFO Research Coalition

Robert Bigelow

It was repeatedly stated by those familiar with and involved in the AMP that it was a collaboration of CUFOS, MUFON and FUFOR. Tom Deuley reported in his 2008 MUFON Journal article that the collaboration resulted in the forming of the UFO Research Coalition. The FUFOR website indicated the Coalition was formed at the suggestion of Robert Bigelow.

"Disagreement over control of the UFO Research Coalition lead to a complete break with Robert Bigelow," the website further stated, indicating the "disagreement" culminated in 1994. The conflict was apparently resolved by the time of the MUFON-BAASS venture of 2009, when many of the same organizational leaders were on deck, as can be explored in detail at the bottom of the 2014 blog post, What Happened to the Ambient Monitoring Project?.

Conclusions

There may be some events of interest under the descriptions of high strangeness or things in the sky. I don't claim to know, and as regular readers are aware, my primary area of focus migrated into social aspects of the UFO community. While I don't profess to conclusively know much about what all is being reported and witnessed, I'm pretty confident you aren't going to get any substantial explanations from the latest crowd of self-proclaimed insiders, researchers, and disclosure activists. We simply have no reason to think so, barring extreme changes of operating procedures. It is more than reasonable at this point, if not arguably naive not to call into question the funding sources and agendas of those directing the UFO research community.

It is also reasonable to desire financial accountability from tax-funded projects, such as the AATIP, and nonprofit corporations, namely MUFON, that collect public financial support while enjoying tax benefits. You are entitled to expect accurate and reasonably transparent reporting of budgets and activities. We clearly have a long, long way to go to achieve such transparency in the UFO community. I am strongly of the opinion its obstruction and the related issues are much more worthy of attention than the unsubstantiated sensational claims promoted by the involved parties.

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See Also:

What Caused the Failure of the BAASS - MUFON SIP Program ?

NSA Declassifies Documents on MUFON Conference

MUFON Unravels

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

MUFON Unravels

A few years ago, MUFON - the largest UFO group in the U.S., and probably the world - seemed to be riding high. Its motto is, "The scientific study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity." Its TV show Hangar 1 on the "History" Channel was attracting attention and new members, in spite of being soundly denounced for its sensationalism by practically every serious student of UFOlogy. Today, MUFON has hit a very rough patch, and seems to be skidding out of control.

By Robert Sheaffer badufos.blogspot.com 8-1-17

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See Also:

MUFON, Racism and Dodging the Questions

MUFON Under Fire for PA Director’s Absurd Racist Rant

Billionaires, UFOs and Satan

UFO Community Members Weigh in on Dubious MUFON Speakers

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

MUFON, Racism and Dodging the Questions

Although the MUFON Inner Circle is announced on MUFON’s website, and there seems to be no attempt to keep the elite organization hidden, very few of the MUFON members I queried had any idea that it existed. It currently is made up of thirteen members, which seems to be more coincidence than design, but that number does seem to have mysterious connotations for some. I don’t believe it significant, only a little bizarre. The thirteen members, in no particular order are: Jan Harzan, Ed L’Heureux, Jennifer Stein, David MacDonald, John Schuessler, Debbie

By Kevin Randle A Different Perspective 6-24-17

Ziegelmeyer, Clifford Clift, John Ventre, JZ Knight, Holly Baker, John Grace, Cindy DuPont and Michael Limotta.

Membership is limited to those who have an extra five grand that they can use each year to buy their place in the Inner Circle. That seems to be the only real qualification for membership. According to MUFON, “The Inner Circle status is obtained through a yearly donation of $5,000. Whether you have had a UFO sighting or are just interested in UFOs, you are welcome to join.”

The site then reports, “Inner Circle members provide advisory guidance to MUFON and are included in annual conference calls, attend private functions and cocktail parties during Symposium time, are afforded reserved seating at MUFON events, and much more!”

It is also noted, “You’ll be joining a very select group of UFO enthusiasts who stop at nothing in pursuit of knowledge about the UFO phenomenon and extraterrestrials. You’ll meet other Inner Circle members at MUFON who are kindred spirits and you’ll participate in Inner Circle-ONLY events.”

The benefits, again, according to MUFON, include access to the MUFON Director’s annual conference call and latest UFO reports, access to the MUFON Director’s live annual post symposium review, including speaker’s comments and personal insights shared with MUFON Director one on one, followed by 30-minute live Q&A session with the MUFON Director. An Inner Circle member also receives free admission to the MUFON Symposium each year of donation, special reserved seating for two in MUFON Director’s section during MUFON Symposium, along with photos with the MUFON Director and Keynote Speaker at the MUFON Symposium. There are three LIVE (emphasis on the website) “Closed Door” conference calls with the MUFON Director, soliciting “your input regarding UFO Research and Public Awareness. Director will also share unpublished current UFO cases with information generally unknown by public or Media.” And finally, it includes a lifetime membership to MUFON which includes the MUFON e-Journal.

At first glance, these perks to membership in the Inner Circle don’t seem to be worth the yearly contribution to MUFON coffers. It might be seen as more of a status thing than as a way to make a contribution to UFO research and some of the members have a rather checkered background. The emphasis on “special reserved seating, photos with the Director and Keynote Speakers and the “Closed Door’ conference calls,” seem to smack of elitism, but then is that such a big deal?

And, at siccolinks.website>back_up>index_058, it says, “Members of this elite group provide insight and direction to the course MUFON takes in it’s [sic] daily activities.” That is a point where this Inner Circle becomes important especially as we look at the list of those who are members of the Inner Circle really are.

I’ve already detailed in another post some of the trouble that John Ventre, who had bought his place in the Inner Circle, brought to MUFON as a whole. His racist rant on Facebook in May 2017, his doubling down by suggesting some sort of demonic component to the UFO phenomenon a few days later, and his overall attitude gives rise to questions about the Inner Circle and the only real qualification to join.

I have also learned that while Ventre was removed as the state director for Pennsylvania and Delaware, he has been assigned duties as the state treasurer and the conference coordinator according to Lon Strickler. I had asked Harzan during my radio interview with him if Ventre had been reduced to “journal subscriber,” but meant it more as a joke, not realizing that Harzan didn’t actually answer the question. Instead he said that anyone was allowed to join MUFON and, of course, he hadn’t been removed from the Inner Circle which seemed to me to be more problematic. That suggested that the monetary contribution to MUFON was the important aspect. But then, Ventre is not the only member who has these bizarre and racist beliefs.

J Z Knight is another of those whose membership might be questioned. She is a “New Age Leader,” who channels a 35,000-year-old Lemurian warrior who apparently participated in the downfall of Atlantis and who endorsed Donald Trump in the last election. (I note here that I would have mentioned if he had endorsed Hillary Clinton.) In March 2011, Knight was on stage addressing hundreds of those interested in what she had to say, which seemed to be nothing more than a drunken rant, according to Susy Buchanan of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Although Knight claimed, or it is suggested the words aren’t hers but rather Ramtha, the Lemurian she channels, he (meaning Ramtha) said, “Fuck God’s chosen people [meaning the Jews]! I think they’ve earned enough cash to have paid their way out of the goddamned gas chambers by now.”

She, or rather Ramtha, added that Mexicans “breed like rabbits,” all gay men were once Catholic priests and in a strange comment, organic farmers have questionable hygiene. I don’t know what that last means.

Buchanan noted that these remarks would have remained private except that in 2012, they were posted to the web, again according to Buchanan, by Knight’s ex-student Virginia Coverdale and a fellow named David McCarthy. This embarrassed Democratic candidates who had received some $70,000 from Knight, which also suggests that she had enough money to hand over five grand to MUFON on a yearly basis so that she can enter the Inner Circle. To their credit, the candidates returned the donations.

In the article cited above, there was a note I found interesting which was that Knight had been borne Judith Darlene Hampton in 1946 in Roswell, New Mexico. (It seems no matter how hard I try, I can’t get away from Roswell which is the only reason I mention this.)

It is also suggested that Knight owes no apologies to any to those she might have offended during her drunken rant because she employs lapsed Catholics, former Jews, a lesbian and a Mexican-born man in her Inner Circle (but doesn’t seem to employ an organic farmer). Somehow her association with them absolves her of any charges of bigotry or racism. She also claims that the videos used as the basis for Buchanan’s article are heavily edited and that “Coverdale couldn’t keep the man she was after for more than three weeks and hated me for it.”

Much of what Buchanan had to say also has appeared on Wikipedia with a long list of sources that can be accessed for additional confirmation. There are also articles from television stations and newspapers that seem to validate the claims of the racist rants that Buchanan raised.

There are others whose backgrounds and comments aren’t quite so dramatic. David MacDonald, who is also a member of the MUFON Board of Directors as well as a member of the Inner Circle, started the Flamingo Air which was sort of a charter service but it had an added component. For a fee, a couple could hire one of the aircraft so that they might join the “Mile High Club,” and yes, it is exactly what you think it is. Is this egregious? Not really, but then, it isn’t exactly something that an organization that works in the UFO field wants its board members (and former Director) to be doing. In fact, a couple of MUFON members said that they had left the organization when they learned about this. It seems to reflect poorly on the organization, but, of course, not as poorly as some of the other activities.

But note here, while the excursions for the Mile-High Club can be seen as little more than a business profit center, MacDonald is also on the Board of Directors. This would seem to negate the claim made by a few that the Inner Circle has no influence with the daily operations of MUFON. While a single board member who is also in the Inner Circle might not hold much power, remember the Jan Harzan, who is the Executive Director and a board member is also in the Inner Circle.

Harzan, however, when questioned about this, said that the Inner Circle exerted no influence on MUFON. This was merely a profit center, what he termed as a donation level perk and that anyone, regardless of their beliefs, their opinions, or their knowledge of UFOs was free to join. All it took was the five grand and for that they received nothing of consequence and they, just as everyone else, could call the Executive Director to chat with him about UFOs. You can listen to Harzan’s interview here.

But the website said, ““Inner Circle members provide advisory guidance to MUFON and are included in annual conference calls, attend private functions…” which sounds like something more significant than just getting together to chat about UFOs. It sounds as if it is more than just someone handing over that kind of money with no expectation of privilege. You might compare it to major contributors to a political campaign or political party. Those people do expect some sort of quid pro quo for the money.

Add to that, “You’ll meet other Inner Circle members at MUFON who are kindred spirits (they might want to remove this given how some of those kindred spirits speak about others) and you’ll participate in Inner Circle-ONLY events…” We don’t know what those other Inner Circle only events might be, but I suspect it is something more than just a party at someone’s house. And, if you are meeting with Inner Circle members who are either on the Board of Directors or are the Executive Director, you have an opportunity to affect MUFON’s direction simply by having the opportunity to meet, one on one, with the Executive Director who certainly does exert influence on the direction MUFON takes.

Also suggesting something more than a donation level as Harzan repeatedly claimed, and that anyone can call the Executive Director, there are “… three LIVE (emphasis on the website) ‘Closed Door’ conference calls with the MUFON Director, soliciting ‘your input regarding UFO Research and Public Awareness.’’

So, while anyone can call the Executive Director, can everyone expect a return telephone call? And, will the Executive Director be interested in their “advisory guidance?” Claiming that the Inner Circle members exert no influence, but attempting to entice people to join by suggesting there will be influence as the Executive Director is “soliciting” their input is somewhat contradictory. If all this Inner Circle does is contribute money, then why is the Executive Director soliciting their input.

While it seems that many of those who have joined the Inner Circle have the best intentions, supporting an organization they believe to be of some benefit, shouldn’t they be troubled by the attitudes of a couple of their fellow Inner Circle members? The racist rants wouldn’t be tolerated in almost any other arena, but here, they are ignored because those holding those extreme views allegedly have no influence on the organization and have Inner Circle status solely based on the size of their wallets, at least according to Harzan.

But when we look in other directions, political campaigns often return money given by those with extreme views. They don’t want to be associated with people who think in the extreme and have the power to purchase a platform.

And to suggest that this is merely free speech, as Harzan did, is to overlook the real trouble here. Yes, you can say whatever you wish, but there are consequences to some of that free speech, especially when directed in an antagonistic way to a specific group. You simply can’t advocate, indirectly, violence against a group because of skin color, religious belief, ethnicity (which is different from skin color) or other less than objective criterion. I will defend your right to say whatever you wish but I will also note that you must take responsibility for that speech. You can’t dismiss a bigoted, racist point of view simply by calling it free speech.

I will add this. While I am exercising my right to free speech here, I know that I am offending some. Those who toil at the lower levels of MUFON, who believe in what is being done, will be annoyed with what I say here. I don’t mean to offend them. They are sort of caught in the crossfire. I do believe that the facts I have laid out here need to be seen and reviewed. I expect nasty comments to the blog (and for those keeping score at home, attack me personally and the comment will not see the light of day… make an argument against my conclusions here and the like, I’ll be happy to post it… free speech), but I am opening a dialogue about all this and accept the animosity as part of the deal. But you’ll notice that I’m not attacking anyone for being black, Jewish, Mexican, Asian, female or white. I am exposing what I see as a hypocrisy at the top of the MUFON food chain. Harzan even joked about it, saying that he’d remove J Z Knight as a state director, but she wasn’t one. He wasn’t concerned about the image that projected to the rest of the world, which I would have thought would have been one of the more important elements of the discussion.

What it boils down to here is this: is the Inner Circle nothing more than a donation level group, or does it actually have a larger function and influential impact as suggested by the Inner Circle information on the web site? Does it help influence the direction of MUFON or is it just a cash cow created to stroke the egos of a few people who have more dollars than sense? There is a contradiction here which suggests that the Executive Director is not overly concerned with the radical and expressed views of some of these people because they have money. He says, on the one hand, they have no influence, but the web site says they do and if they do, then the leadership owes it to the membership to address these concerns.

(I will note here that the situation seems to change day by day, but there hasn’t been the response from the leadership that you would expect… I found some of the things said by Harzan during my interview to be said more as a joke than anything else, including his seemingly tongue in cheek claim that he had sort of bought his position as Executive Director. MUFON needs real leadership and not lip service.)

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See Also:

MUFON Under Fire for PA Director’s Absurd Racist Rant

Billionaires, UFOs and Satan

UFO Community Members Weigh in on Dubious MUFON Speakers

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

MUFON Under Fire for PA Director’s Absurd Racist Rant

The Mutual UFO network headquarters issued a “non-pology” saying they can’t police people’s personal views after PA Director, John Ventre, posted a racist rant on his personal Facebook page about a Netflix series.

By Sharon A. Hill doubtfulnews.com 5-19-17

[...]

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See Also:

The Phenomenon of Don Imus, The Media and UFOs

Anniversary of Barney & Betty Hill's UFO Incident

UFO Disclosure: Why Hollywood Matters

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

UFO Research Against Skeptics | VIDEO

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- For many, UFOs are the stuff of science fiction movies that belong in the same category of little green men and alien abductions - but one Orange County nonprofit begs to differ.

Anabel Munoz abc7news.com 1-5-17

Jan Harzan, the executive director of Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) in Newport Beach, believes that we are definitely not alone in the universe.

"UFOs are real. These are structured, highly technological, structured devices flying in and about our planet under obvious intelligent control that's not us," Harzan said.

[...]



Continue Reading ►

See Also:

Meet MUFON's New Executive Director Jan Harzan | VIDEO

Hangar 1: 'This Series is Slow Suicide for MUFON'

MUFON Censors Their Former International Director?

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

MUFON, Sham Inquiry and the Woods/Jacobs Scandal

By Jack Brewer ufotrail.blogspot.com/ 8-11-15

Recipient of MUFON PA 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. David Jacobs

     Retired historian, author and investigator of alleged alien abduction Dr. David Jacobs will be presented a lifetime achievement award at an upcoming conference conducted by MUFON PA in Philadelphia. Jacobs is also the keynote speaker for the October event. In a bio on his website, Jacobs purports to be "a strong advocate of strict scientific and ethical research methodology," and MUFON purports via its mission statement to be dedicated to "the scientific study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity."

Well, I'm always up for some good strict scientific info on UFOs, so hot damn! This outghta be great, right?

Right?

I emailed MUFON Executive Director Jan Harzan and MUFON PA State Director John Ventre and asked permission to pose a few questions. For the sake of accuracy and context I will share an August 8 email exchange, rather than summarize it, that subsequently occurred with Ventre. I will then present what I interpret to be significant points of interest.

The Email Exchange

My initial email read as follows:

Hello Gentlemen:

Jack Brewer here from the blog, 'The UFO Trail'.

Would it be okay if I email you a few questions about the upcoming MUFON PA conference in Philadelphia and include your responses in a blog post? I would particularly like to obtain information about the selection process resulting in Dr. David Jacobs as the keynote speaker and recipient of a lifetime achievement award as described in the following link:

Philadelphia Speakers | MUFON PA

Thanks for your consideration,

Jack
The UFO Trail

Below is John Ventre's reply and the subsequent exchange between the two of us with minor edits for grammar and clarity.

Jack:

I already answered that question on the UFOinfo forum and don't plan to do that again. There are 3-4 antagonist haters on that site that ruins it for everyone else.

If you are writing an objective article then I will reply.

My response:

Thanks for your reply. I'm not familiar with your forum post, but perhaps you will offer responses to the following items at your convenience:

Who was empowered to select Dr. David Jacobs as a recipient of a lifetime achievement award?

What was the criteria used to select a recipient?

Given the MUFON mission statement of dedication to scientific study for the benefit of humanity, would you please explain specifically what methodology employed by Jacobs was identified as scientific? What makes it so?

Thanks,

Jack

Jack:

I select the speakers for our 3 Pa conferences which you can view at www.mufonpa.com. I have read approx. 30 UFO books in the past year as I try to figure out the origin of the Grey abduction phenomena. The only 3 names referenced multiple times in these books are Mack, Vallee and Jacobs. I was surprised that Kathie Marden who heads up MUFON's abduction research was never mentioned. I tried to book Vallee who said he no longer does conferences and Mack is no longer with us. We also try to recognize a veteran in the field with a lifetime achievement award. In the past, we recognized Stanton Friedman, Linda Moulton Howe, Bill Birnes and Travis Walton. We are also recognizing Loren Coleman at our Pitt Conf in Nov. I also don’t theme my Pa conferences and offer a variety of speakers and topics including Bigfoot and the paranormal etc. You also need to know that MUFON states operate fairly independent of HQ so these were my decisions. Jacobs was a pioneer in this field when there were few. Jacobs and Hopkins basically wrote the book on regressive hypnosis and many of their techniques are still used today. For critics who say he had no formal training, I say he has a PhD and there was no formal training in this field when he started. I think Jacobs is highly qualified and I say to the critics that you can view it as an Elia Kazan 1999 Academy Award. You don’t have to like the man or his methods but his contributions to Ufology stand. I for one absolutely agree that the ETs are not here to help. That is Jacobs' message. I have a different view on who they actually are and you can read all about that in my new book, "Case for UFOs" in September. . . . . .

Thanks
John Ventre

Thanks, John, and I understand that you would obviously be tolerant of Dr. Jacobs' methodology, else you would not have offered him a lifetime achievement award - but that does not address my inquiry about scientific study.

So I would pose the question this way, please:

Did you identify any of Jacobs' methodology as scientific, or did you decide you were not concerned about his lack of practicing scientific study?

Also, would you please offer a quote or two on how you resolve your choice of Jacobs as an award recipient with the Emma Woods scandal?

If helpful, here is a page containing specific quotes and recordings of interactions between Jacobs and Woods during hypnosis:

The UFO Trail: The Woods/Jacobs Tapes and the 'Oral History' Falsehood

Would you please explain, specifically, how you reconcile such statements with presenting a lifetime achievement award from a purportedly scientific research organization?

Thanks,

Jack

Jack:

State conferences do not follow the same criteria as the yearly Symposium. They can be informative, entertaining or instructive. I once had a punk rock band perform a UFO song for us at the end of the conference. I thought it was great. I read Bill Birnes' take on Jacobs and Woods years ago. That’s for the courts to decide, not me. By your logic, we should condemn NASA and the US space program because we recruited NAZI scientists and Wernher von Braun. Not my place. Jacobs has contributed much to the field and is one of the few voices who doesn’t believe abductions are for our benefit and "They" are here to help us. John Wayne and Clint Eastwood were never really great actors but they won academy awards for their body of work.

Be sure to send me a link to your article.

I sincerely do not mean to be overly aggressive on the point of scientific study, John, but you are arguably evading the question.

Did you or did you not consider sound scientific research principles as criteria for potential lifetime achievement award recipients?

Would you please explain your stance on the Emma Woods scandal in relation to bestowing David Jacobs with an award?

Those do not seem like unreasonable questions to me. If you disagree, I am more than willing to quote any explanations you might care to provide as to why the points are not valid or are unreasonable. ...

Continue Reading . . .

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REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

Hangar 1: The UFO Files – 'This is How Low They've Sunk ...'

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Whatever works, obviously ...

By Billy Cox De Void 7-31-15

Robert Hastings

    UFOs and Nukes author/independent researcher Robert Hastings was understandably torqued recently when someone told him he needed to check out an episode of History Channel’s “Hangar 1,” the Mutual UFO Network’s cable television platform for alerting a new generation to its sprawling database. Actually, no, check that, the episode in question aired on H2, History Channel’s second-tier programming subsidiary. Actually, no, check that, it was more like a three-minute clip, not an entire episode. Anything longer than three minutes and your audience is flipping channels.

Anyhow, this compressed accounting of an extraordinary event ran during “Hangar 1’s” premiere season in 2014, and it focused on the underreported malfunction at F.E. Warren AFB near Cheyenne, Wyoming. An alarming 50 nuclear missiles abruptly went offline in October 2010, and the official explanation was that the 319th Strategic Missile Squadron had suffered a brief computer glitch. Naturally, Hastings was interested; his decades-long investigations into UFOs breaching security around America’s nuclear arsenal has prompted well over 100 Air Force veterans to speak out. In fact, the Warren system crash occurred just a month after Hastings assembled half a dozen of those veterans for testimonials at Washington’s National Press Club (see below). The press conference was live-streamed by CNN, but like all UFO stories, big media never followed up and the story died.

In contrast to the Atlantic magazine piece that broke the 50-missile shutdown story, in which authorities said weapons access went dark for just under an hour, Hastings dug around and discovered base personnel who told him, confidentially, control of the ICBMs wasn’t fully restored for nearly 26 hours. Furthermore, witnesses – who ultimately included civilian and law enforcement operatives – reported UFO activity in the vicinity during that time frame, specifically, the overflight of a large cigar-shaped object. Hastings published his findings in 2011, then contributed a followup to the MUFON Journal in 2013.

Hastings bailed on “Hangar 1” after getting his fill of H2's opening episodes' fidgety, hyper-produced sensationalism. After all, he was assembling his own documentary on the nuke/UFO controversy in order to retain editorial control and keep it from becoming, well, another “Hangar 1.” So when he finally watched “Hangar 1’s” spin on the Warren incident, Hastings nearly blew a gasket . Because there was MUFON Executive Director Jan Harzan uttering these scripted words: “Two missile technicians came to MUFON anonymously and reported these objects being seen before and during the actual missile shut down.”

“You know, there’s a guy out there, Jason Colavito, who I don’t agree with very often because he’s a debunker,” Hastings tells De Void. “But when he jumped on Hangar 1 for creating fraudulent documents to make the show sound more official, he absolutely nailed it. This is how low they’ve sunk, saying this is from the MUFON case files without giving me a word of credit. Legally, I think I’m within my rights to contact an entertainment attorney about intellectual theft.”

“Absolutely, Robert should’ve gotten credit for that,” Harzan responds. But it’s complicated. He says “Hangar 1” producers requested everything MUFON had on UFOs and nuclear weapons. The 46-year-old research group complied, and included the Hastings’ MUFON Journal piece in the data dump. “Nowhere in the article does it say Robert isn’t a member of MUFON,” offers Harzan, “so I think the writer just made that assumption. Certainly it wasn’t an intentional omission on our part.”

“Hangar 1's” first season was a critical flop, but it drew the numbers; in fact, the suits were so pleased, they scheduled season two – which ran April through June this year – for a slot in the History Channel rotation itself. But according to Harzan, as a result of season one’s accuracy problems, he told History he needed a MUFON review board to preview each episode to minimize mistakes. Among those sentinel panelists is MUFON communications director Roger Marsh, who also says Hastings should've been credited, but adds that not even prior solves everything.

“There are three groups involved here,” he says. “There’s us, we’re the content providers. There’s the production company, which puts it all together. And then there’s the network – they’re the ones putting out the money and they’re the ones who tell us what they want.” Consequently, says Marsh, MUFON doesn’t always get what it wants. “We don’t need a lot of old stories about Roswell, or Area 51, or alien bases on the dark side of the moon. We have enough good cases over the last five or six years that nobody ever heard of, and those are the ones we’d rather see more of.”

For example, a 2000 incident over southern Illinois in which squad cars from multiple law enforcement agencies gave chase to a triangular UFO made national news. Thanks to recorded chatter between cops, this encounter has become a familiar re-enactment staple on UFO themed shows. Years ago, Marsh found a new witness, a now-retired assistant fire chief who saw the same object, same evening, cruising the skies in next-door Missouri. He had never given an interview until Marsh came along. “To me, putting a new witness in the story was what made it exciting,” he says.

Marsh reviewed what he thought was the final cut and gave it a thumbs-up. When the show aired, however, the fireman’s testimony had been edited out. But Marsh's disappointment was mitigated by a payoff he describes as “huge.”

“When the last two [second season] episodes aired, my phone was ringing off the hook. We got dozens and dozens and dozens of calls about cases I never heard of.”

Bottom line: the dilemma – suspect show quality versus growing eyewitness feedback – is apparently a tradeoff MUFON can live with.

“I really think season two was better than season one,” Marsh says, “but it’s all on Hollywood terms -- it's a medium that's very sexy. and you just have to get used to it. If you’re a stickler for details like Robert is, then it’s just not going to work for you.”

There must be some planet out there where sticklers for detail get a better deal than "Hangar 1."

Continue Reading . . .

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Huge UFO Sighted Near Nuclear Missiles During October 2010 Launch System Disruption

'... Absolute Worst H2 “Documentary ...' | Review of Hangar 1: UFO Files S01E01 'Presidential Encounters'

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UFO & NUKES | F.E. WARREN AFB: UFOS Spotted Over Nuke Missile Sites; One Hits The Ground - Security Teams Dispatched!

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Hangar 1 Strikes Again, Pushing Yet Another Fraudulent UFO Document (SOM1-01)

MUFON Jumps the Shark | Review of Hangar 1: UFO Files

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

MUFON Asst. State Director Requests Ban on Roswell Slides Promoters

By Jack Brewer ufotrail.blogspot.com/ 6-19-15

    MUFON Wisconsin Assistant State Director and Chief Investigator Mark O'Connell published a blog post Tuesday in which he requested the organization remove Roswell Slides promoter Jaime Maussan from its list of speakers for its upcoming annual symposium. O'Connell, who is currently composing a book on the life of the late ufology icon J. Allen Hynek, additionally requested that MUFON ban Maussan and his beWITNESS colleagues Tom Carey, Don Schmitt, Richard Dolan and Anthony Bragalia from its future events.

"There is no place for these people at any gathering that is meant to further the cause of serious UFO study," O'Connell wrote in a message to MUFON International Director Jan Harzan published in the Tuesday blog post.

MUFON has long been under fire from a wide range of sources for what many interpret to be a blatant disregard of its mission statement, "The scientific study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity." More discerning members of the UFO community have frequently voiced strong objections to the organization's choices of speakers given the claimed mission, and the latest decision to offer Maussan a platform is bound to draw more criticism. The theme of the 2015 MUFON Symposium is billed as, "Expanding Ufology: Opening NEW Doors in Academia, Industry and Media."

"Maybe we need to shut a few doors while we're at it," O'Connell wrote in response to the theme.

This writer appreciates O'Connell's initiative. Let MUFON and O'Connell know what you think about his request and the related issues by posting your comments at his recent post, 'Eradicating the UFO Pestilence'.

Continue Reading . . .

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The Roswell Slides – The Child from Montezuma Castle: A Summary

Roswell Slides: It's All Over but the Accountability

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The Roswell Slides: The Seduction of the Will to Believe

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Roswell Slides Aftermath: Odds and Ends

Questions About The Roswell Slides Fiasco Remain

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"Alien Mummy Fiasco in Mexico City Has Pretty Much Played Itself Out"

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Roswell Slides: "The 'Alien' Photograph was Pure Theater"

Roswell Slides UPDATE: Schmitt Caves, Issues Mea Culpa; Blame Game Continues

Roswell Slides: Mexican Media Highlights Condemnation of 'Maussan Mummy Show'

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The Roswell Slides: UFO Researcher Apologizes; 'Dead Alien' Picture is of Child Mummy

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The Roswell Slides: Analysis of The Placard Image Released By Adam Dew

Roswell Slides Final Curtain: Mummified Body of Two Year Old Boy!

The Roswell Slides Reveal: Probable Hoax or Easily Explainable / Misidentified

Roswell Slides Revealed: '... A Smoking Gun It Is Not'

Roswell Slides: Smoking Gun Picture is Child Mummy

Roswell Slides: Photo Unveiling Was 'An epic Fail'

The Roswell Slides Time Bomb: Tick, Tick, Tick (Redux)

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The Roswell Slides and a Little Hypocrisy

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More Info On Roswell Alien Slides; Adam Dew Interviewed By Chicago News Station | VIDEO

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REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE