UFO Documents: Provenance and Credibility

With regard to Keyhoe, he received contemporary documents from known sources. Sometimes, sources were not named but the information was not sensationalized and survived the passage of time. In Flying Saucers- Top Secret, he talked of "Hidden Cases" where they were aggravatingly thin on researchable detail. I spent time over the last three years in the NICAP files looking for these reports but they are missing. Keyhoe was derelict in not having safety copies of these reports in a safe place and now they are lost to history. I asked Gordon Lore about this but he was not in the loop. I guess Keyhoe thought he could live forever!

By Barry Greenwood www.blueblurrylines.com 6-28-20

There was always hoaxing in this subject but the transition of the usual hoaxing to deliberate falsification of government documents crossed a line in the late 1970s. We finally had achieved some sort of credibility in what the government knew about UFOs by gaining access to official inquiry and investigations that revealed they didn't quite know what it was with what they dealt. Then a few fakes appeared followed by one in the military [Richard Doty] who planted fakes in government files and had those officially released via FOIA, a nefarious act that was eventually supported by major names in UFO research. This same source continued to circulate questionable documents as real. But by then every government paper officially released had a taint of "how do you know that is real?" A more effective watering down of what we had achieved, I can't recall and it took little effort.

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See Also:

MJ-12, CIA, NSA, Secrecy & UFOs

MJ-12: New Document Dump, Labeled 'Ultra Top Secret'

MJ-12: The Hoax That Quickly Became a Disinformation Operation

Operation Bird Droppings
The MJ-12 Saga Continues:

UPDATE 1:
Operation Bird Droppings
The MJ-12 Saga Continues:

An Historical Curio re "MJ-12"

Bird Droppings and MJ-12, Stanton Friedman Responds . . .

MJ-12 Debate Continues: Alejandro Rojas Rebukes Stanton Friedman

MJ-12 Debate Continues: Stanton Friedman Counters

MJ-12 Debate Continues: Kevin Randle Queries Stanton Friedman

MJ-12: Stanton Friedman Fires Back; The Disputation with Kevin Randle Continues ...

MJ-12: Kevin Randle Rails Against Stanton Friedman's Rebuttal

MJ-12: Alejandro Rojas Accepts Stanton Friedman's Debate Challenge

MJ-12: Renowned Ufologist, Stanton Friedman Issues Debate Challenge To Naysayers

More False Claims About Majestic 12

The Myth of MJ-12: Appendix A –Pt 1

The Myth of MJ-12: Appendix A –Pt 2

The Myth of MJ-12: Appendix A –Pt 3

"Appendix A: The Myth of MJ-12" An Annotated Commentary By Barry Greenwood

REPORT YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

Bird Droppings and MJ-12, Stanton Friedman Responds . . .

Bird Droppings and MJ-12

By Stanton Friedman
www.stantonfriedman.com
© 4-10-09

     I must say that I am quite disappointed in Robert Hastings recent bird dropping and MJ-12 articles. Robert has done some fine work on the connection between nuclear installations and UFOs. But his recent opus seems to me to be painted with much too broad a brush with too many nasty personal attacks on people (Doty, Collins, Moore, Tim Cooper) and far too little investigation and discussion about the Majestic 12 documents themselves. I saw no mention at all of “TOP SECRET/MAJIC” my 1997 book updated with a 5000 word afterword in 2005. The entire focus is on MJ-12 documents, the reasons some must be labeled as phony and others as genuine. I see no mention of my several detailed MUFON Symposium Papers about MJ-12 or such items as my detailed review of Kevin Randle’s “Case MJ-12” on my website www.stantonfriedman.com .

He says little about archive research. He touts Brad Sparks’ MUFON paper attacking the documents, but not my detailed rebuttal. As anybody who reads my publications would know, I long ago noted that I couldn’t accept any of the Tim Cooper documents. I carefully showed that at least 7 were emulations i.e. retyped slightly changed real documents that had been in print. I had found the originals. I noted flat out wrong statements in others. I have touted the Eisenhower Briefing Document, The Truman Forestall Memo and the Cutler Twining memo as genuine I believe I have successfully rebutted all the arguments against these in my publications. Jan Aldrich is certainly knowledgeable about army procedures and documents, but made the false claim (as did others) that the documents had to have had TOP SECRET CONTROL numbers. Not so.. I quoted archivists from the Eisenhower and Marshall libraries saying they have many TS documents without Control Numbers. Phil Klass noisily challenged me about the PICA type used in the CT memo.. and wound up quietly paying me $1000. for providing 14 documents using the same size and style PICA type.(payment limit was unfortunately 10). A copy of his check is in the MJ-12 Update Chapter in “Flying Saucers and Science” 2008. Joe Nickell of CSI attacked the documents wrongly in the Skeptical Inquirer (Jan/Feb.2009).I will let Bob Wood deal with SOM 1.01

MJ-12 deniers claimed that the typeface for the 1947 TF memo wasn’t used until much later. Mr. Black a professional Forensic Documents examiner, hired by Robert and Ryan Wood, showed that it predated the TF memo by several years.. MJ-12 debunkers claimed the EBD was a hoax because it referred to Rear Admiral Hillenkoetter as Admiral. I showed that the use of generic ranks was very common in White House documents in the 1950s..

Joe Nickell claimed the EBD was a hoax because the data format (18 November, 1952; note the comma after November) violated the government style manual. In my visits to 20 archives I have seen many different date formats. People claimed that UFO debunker Donald Menzel couldn’t have been a member of MJ-12. I discovered at the Harvard Archives, much to my surprise, that Menzel had, unbeknownst to the UFO and Astronomy communities, done a great deal of very highly classified work for the CIA, NSA, and many companies.

I learned a lot not only from discussions with archivists, but also with people like noted historian Forrest Pogue, and George Elsey who worked at the White House all the time Truman was there.

I compiled and published lists of many details that were in the EBD, CT and TF memos that were not known to be true prior to receipt of the documents, but that later investigation proved to be true. How did a hoaxer know? I located Flight logs for General Twining and his pilot substantiating his flight to New Mexico on July 7, 1947, as noted in the EBD, and other relevant flights. Twining’s log had been in a classified box at the Library of Congress Manuscript Division for decades.

None of this is to say that Robert is not justified in some of his attacks on the activities and claims of Doty, Collins, Moore and Cooper. There were games played and I agree with some of his critiques. However, they are really separate from the documents themselves. A major area of difficulty involves claims that this or that date format was never used or was always used or that a certain kind of onionskin paper was always used for Robert Cutler carbons. I found exceptions.. One white crow proves not all crows are black. Guilt by association is not a scientific approach to document evaluation.

More . . .

See Also:

Operation Bird Droppings
The MJ-12 Saga Continues:

UPDATE 1:
Operation Bird Droppings

UPDATE 2:
Operation Bird Droppings

SHARE YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE

UPDATE 2:Operation Bird Droppings

The MJ-12 Saga Continues:

By Robert Hastings
ufohastings.com
© 4-9-09

     This is the second update to my recent article, “Operation Bird Droppings” which may be found at:

www.theufochronicles.com/
In Update 1, which follows the article, I posted an email exchange between Timothy S. Cooper and myself, regarding the cache of MJ-12 “documents” that were allegedly mailed to Cooper between 1992 and 1999. Following the circulation of those supposedly genuine government files within the ufological community, charges arose that Cooper forged the documents, or had otherwise been involved in perpetrating a hoax relating to them. In response to those allegations, Cooper swore out affidavits in which he denied any involvement in a hoax. He also took a lie detector test, which he failed.

In an email to Cooper, dated April 6, 2009, I wrote:

Tim,

First, let me say that one leading researcher who has written to me thinks that you forged the documents you gave to the Woods. Whether that is true or not I do not know, however, I note that you've already failed one polygraph test regarding the “documents” you allegedly received...

Robert

In Cooper’s emailed response, dated April 7, 2009, which he asked me not to distribute or post, he said that the first test was “invalid” and that he had only failed it because he had not slept for 24-hours prior to taking it. However, he declined to submit to a second polygraph test.

In my latest email to Cooper, dated April 8, 2009, I wrote:

Tim,

“Who said it was invalid? The examiner? If so, can you send me his written statement to that effect? It seems to me that you would want to clear your name, once and for all. Why not arrange for a second test, after a good night's sleep. We can discuss the cost; I may be able to pay for it, or most of it, and find others who will pay the balance. Will you agree to this?

Robert

During the course of these exchanges, I emailed respected UFO researcher Barry Greenwood and informed him of Cooper’s recent statement to me, indicating that he now thought the supposedly-genuine documents he received in the 1990s were actually fraudulent. (That startling acknowledgement, which Cooper has never uttered publicly, is reprinted in Update 1.) I also told Greenwood that, despite Cooper’s important admission, he continued to assert that he had no part in the bogus documents’ creation.

In addition to Greenwood’s ground-breaking work on the UFO-Nukes Connection, as published in his co-authored book with Larry Fawcett titled, Clear Intent, later re-titled The UFO Cover-Up, Greenwood also conducted an extensive forensic analysis of the first batch of MJ-12 “documents” released in the 1980s—which he concluded were fraudulent—as well as a more recent analysis of the alleged documents that Cooper claims he received. Those, Greenwood asserts, are fraudulent as well.

In his emailed response to me, Greenwood wrote:

Hi Robert,

Cooper is being disingenuous. He said his documents came in his PO box without evidence of having been mailed and this happened repeatedly. He said they came from a Thomas Cantwheel.

Cooper's [March 1999] affidavit says this:

‘6. That he and others have performed and are now performing due diligence to locate, identify, and bring forward the person AKA THOMAS CANTWHEEL or establish his true identity and credentials.’

So Cooper was receiving what [were] ostensibly classified government documents in his personal PO box, illegally. He was also receiving improperly prepared materials in his mailbox, subverting post office fees without postage due. If Cooper was walking out of the post office with the documents in hand, and saying nothing, he was breaking the law (that is of course if they were genuine).

Did Cooper report the illegal ‘mailing’ to the postmaster or box line clerk at the post office, exercising “due diligence” to locate the perpetrator, Mr. Cantwheel? After all, Cooper could have gone to federal prison for Mr. Cantwheel's alleged actions. How did Cooper know he wasn't being set up for a sting by accepting the papers without question? None of this seemed to have been a concern to him.

Cooper had a PO box. It was a locked box. Only he could get into it, unless he handed out his key to others, inviting abuse. One can't hand a stack of papers to a clerk to put into a PO box for free. They must be in a mailing container with postage. If the clerk didn't do this they would be fired. What mail clerk would repeatedly put classified government documents into a customer's mailbox from a stranger for free, knowing full well that the postal inspection service is always trying to catch illegal acts like this?

Cantwheel was said to approach 90-years-old. Did he break into the post office repeatedly and plant the documents, raising the question again: Did Cooper report the illegal activity to the post office? If not, why not? Only someone who knew they weren't going to get into trouble would approve of this going on, and that would be because this story-line never happened.

So where is the documentation of Cooper's reporting a “crime” to the post office? By Cooper's own words promoting MJ-12, he was outwardly committing a crime if he believed the documents were genuine. If he didn't believe they were genuine, he was committing fraud.

Barry

I should note here that Barry Greenwood worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 38 years, 19 years in computer mail sorting and 19 years in postal finance, overseeing many station operations including postal insurance and post office boxes. He retired in 2008. In a follow-up email he added:

Robert,

You said:

‘I wrote to Cooper again yesterday and asked him to take another polygraph test, and to file an affidavit explicitly stating that he had not forged the documents himself. He declined, saying that he has been ‘out of touch with what's [been] going on for some time.’

You should remind Cooper of his statement in his affidavit:

‘12. That he is willing to submit to vetting and polygraph examination to establish his character and truthfulness in matters pertaining to allegations that he is a hoaxer, forger and fabricator of documents and signatures.’

Or is this just more deception?

If Cooper is tired of this, also remind him that he started ‘New MJ-12!’ Some people are still fraudulently deriving income from this so there is no reason to let him off the mat until he does way better than what he is doing now.

Barry

I agree entirely. In my opinion, Mr. Greenwood raises some very valid points which Tim Cooper has yet to adequately address. This is an unfolding situation and I will provide further updates as warranted.

Tim Copper's March 1999 Afidavit Re MJ-12 Docements
- click on image(s) to enlarge -

See Also:

UPDATE 1:
Operation Bird Droppings

Operation Bird Droppings
The MJ-12 Saga Continues:

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UPDATE 1:Operation Bird Droppings

The MJ-12 Saga Continues:

By Robert Hastings
ufohastings.com
© 4-5-09

     One day after “Operation Bird Droppings”, my latest article on the MJ-12 hoax was posted online, I received the following email from Timothy Cooper, a leading figure in the ongoing MJ-12 controversy. (One may google his name, combining it with MJ-12 and/or SOM 1-01 for some background information.)

In any case, much to my surprise, the once-pro MJ-12 Cooper has now disavowed all of the MJ-12 material, including the many “documents” anonymously sent to him.

Here is Cooper’s email to me. I have highlighted the key sentences:

----- Original Message -----
From: timxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.com
To: hastings444@worldnet.att.net
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 10:24 PM
Subject: Re: My new article on MJ-12 and Serpo

Read your posting and as one who was foolishly taken in by the MJ-12 fantasy (which is what it is) I heartedly agree with your assessment. My father was trained by the OSI in 1949 and held a UFO Program clearance at ADC headquarters from 1957 to 1963 that allowed him to read and duplicate the most sensitve [sic] UFO-related material and never once believed there was a secret cabal group operating by that name. Since ADC was the primary consumer of all military UFO sighting reports while LeMay was Chief of Staff it is unconceivable that government intelligence or the military for that matter as my dad would put it would deliberately hide or mislead senior ADC intelligence officers of an alien threat from the sky and, at the same time, send their intercept pilots into harms way without being briefed of the possible dangers. The MJ-12 documents, and I mean ALL of them (including SOM 1-01), are a hoax and those who promote them as reality know this[,] or should know this. I showed him a copy and he said it was disinformation for the Soviets as the CIA and AF routinely did these kind of things all the time to get the Russians to spend enormous sums of money to investigate this and other "paper" jobs. As regards Serpo... pure science fiction but good science fiction.

As a unwitting dupe in this charade (I must confess I was willing to be led into believeing [sic] it by Friedman and the Woods), I have since distanced myself and have ceased association with Collins after the book EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE (which, I might add, was poorly edited and had my name as co-author air brushed out at my insistence) was released. My only inclusion in the book amounted to Collins taking a speculative piece I wrote for the internet back in 1999 about James Jesus Angleton which he unilaterally edited into the book and was not a co-author in any real sense.

By the way[,] I have your book and found it precise and very informative. If my dad were still alive today he would have confirmed for you some of the incidents you cite but earlier incidents as early as 1963. He was always coy when the subject came up but his Special Citation upon his retirement reflected he knew what ADC was up against.

Thanks for the e-mail.

Tim Cooper

timxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Hastings
To: timxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.com
Sent: Thu, 2 Apr 2009 5:33 pm
Subject: My new article on MJ-12 and Serpo

The attached article has just been posted at:

www.theufochronicles.com

After receiving this message, I responded to Cooper:

From: Robert Hastings
To: timxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.com
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:03 PM
Subject: Re: My new article on MJ-12 and Serpo

Tim,

Thanks for the very informative email. To my knowledge, you have not publicly broken with Doty and Collins and the idea of MJ-12 as something real, or did I miss something?

If you have posted online or emailed information such as you just did to me, please send it my way. I would like to read it.

May I forward your email to Collins and others? I am going to be on the radio next week, on two different shows, debunking MJ-12. Care to join me?

Robert

Despite a follow-up email to Cooper, in which I asked him whether he had received this message, he never responded. I consider this to be an unfortunate response (or non-response) given that Cooper’s highly-publicized involvement with, and advocacy for, the MJ-12 material over the years has further confused the issue relating to the supposed legitimacy of the group MJ-12, and has served to fuel the fires of controversy on this topic. If he has now repudiated his earlier position it is essential for him to publicize that fact far and wide. A single email to one researcher (me) is simply insufficient. I gave Cooper an opportunity to participate in a series of upcoming radio interviews, in which I will be discussing my new MJ-12 exposé, but he has apparently declined.

In any case, someone had to enter this important development in the public record, so I have. Further updates relating to my article will be issued as warranted.

Visit Robert's web-site . . .

See Also:

Operation Bird Droppings
The MJ-12 Saga Continues:

An Historical Curio re "MJ-12

SHARE YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE