Robert Hastings and My OMNI Letter

Bushels of UFO-related books seem to appear every year, and there are probably only a few worth the effort. I used to review books, and I saw (and ignored) worthless clunkers routinely. As you might suspect, these days I not only don't review UFO books much, I really don't even keep up with them. I guess that Stanton Friedman has a new one out about UFOs and physics, and that should be worth reading. Nor have I seen the book written by Betty Hill's niece, though I'm absolutely sure that one's a keeper.

Nevertheless, I tend to perk up on those rare occasions when an author devotes a few lines to mention something about me. Me? Good grief, you mention my name in your book and it's as if I received an Academy Award. I guess I'm easily entertained.

This time around, I do feel honored to apparently occupy a small space in UFO researcher Robert Hastings' new book, UFOs and Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites (see cover). I've read with interest some of his previous writings about this subject (see his paper posted at NICAP.org, just check his name at the on-site search engine), and now that a few passages from his new book have been posted online at various sites, I expect that Hastings' privately published book is one of those rare worthwhile contributions to UFO literature -- a perfect complement to former Air Force Capt. Robert Salas' book, Faded Giant, a personal account of his own dramatic UFO experience at a nuclear base (see cover, and also check out my previous posting months ago about Capt. Salas -- refer to web page search engine above).

Hastings references a 30-year-old issue of OMNI Magazine in which my letter to the editor criticized UFO debunker James Oberg for not disclosing his then-current Air Force affiliation as he excoriated UFO researchers, cases and witnesses. My letter was followed by a blistering response from Oberg, but in his book Hastings defends my comments and soberly takes Oberg to task for his own (needless to say, I'm quite content to find myself on the happy end of Hastings' literary weapons of admonishment).

As a matter of fact, to include something here that I never felt worth the mention previously, when I taught a few sessions of a noncredit UFO course at Onondaga Community College in NY in the late seventies, somebody known personally by Oberg attended a semester faithfully. He was a very pleasant man, listened intently to everything I said and most assuredly informed James of all essential information. Yes, I did feel a tad uncomfortable when broaching a segment on famous skeptics and debunkers and, by virtue of James Oberg's popularity as a UFO debunker at that time, needed to offer a few criticisms to the class while the person sat in silence just a few feet away from me. Oh, how I wished at that moment that James was a chicken rancher or vacuum cleaner salesman devoid of UFO interest or notoriety -- anything but, by necessity, the subject of my classroom lecture.

John McCain: Missing Words in Dayton

A few months ago, we posted a letter received several years back from Sen. John McCain, and I'm sure that little spark of publicity helped him ascend to the top of the Republican presidential candidate pile. Hmm, yes, yes, I also posted an older letter from Democratic candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich, and his campaign fell flat on its face. Well, don't blame me. Anyway. . .

So, I watched TV Friday while John McCain presented Alaska's Gov. Sarah Palin to the nation as potential VP. Okay, blah, blah, blah. But, hey, wait! Where did all of this take place? Why, in Dayton, Ohio, home of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and once the very location of Project Bluebook headquarters. How perfect, I thought, how perfect for McCain to add a little postscript in his speech. Given the opportunity, here's the little addendum I would have included:

"My friends, you know where I stand on a variety of issues, and we'll explore them further at the national convention next week. But today, on my 72nd birthday, and on Governor Palin's 20th wedding anniversary, in addition to my nomination of her as my vice-presidential candidate, I want to extend the many definitions of this day in one more direction.

"We meet proudly here today in Dayton, Ohio, the home of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, once noted as the location of Project Bluebook, an official government inquiry into reports of so-called UFOs -- unidentified flying objects, also known as 'flying saucers.'

"The subject of UFOs has long been the subject of controversy, speculation and ridicule and, in fact, the University of Colorado was given a government contract in the sixties to look into this matter. Their conclusions didn't really tell us much, but the study seemed to indicate absolutely no reason for concern. However, there were allegations of dishonesty at the project's highest levels, and even today, as people in this country and around the world continue to report observations of unusual things in the sky, the UFO issue remains unsettled among the public.

"When you elect me President, I will make you this promise: Just as other nations have been releasing their files on this subject recently, the United States, too, will strive to make sure that the American people know everything our government knows about this subject. I will issue an executive order to release all UFO-related information that doesn't involve national security, and if there are questions in this regard we will make double and triple-sure that national security really enters into this release of information.

"Let's finish the work that Project Bluebook and its predecessors began. Let's clear up, once and for all, the rumors, the absolute fiction and the truth about this issue. If we determine that the evidence warrants a new scientific study sponsored by the government, and if we determine there is important scientific knowledge to be gained from a new project, I will ask Congress for funding and initiation of a comprehensive project to be conducted fairly and strictly in compliance with the American people's right to know.

"The truth is, Project Bluebook's original chief, Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt, felt there was considerable importance attached to the phenomenon of UFOs in the early fifties, as did other high-ranking personnel who monitored the project. Over the years, a number of military personnel and an impressive base of other witnesses have claimed encounters with UFOs. The ongoing controversy and alleged evidence associated with this issue requires a measured and honest response from our government.

"Even in the House and Senate, I've known colleagues who expressed concern about this subject. The late President Gerald Ford became very energized about an investigation in the sixties when his home state of Michigan experienced UFO sightings. The late Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, a military member and pilot himself, believed there was far more to the UFO topic than even he could access. And, of course, President Carter revealed his own sighting publicly.

"Since the 1940s, the question of UFOs has troubled many factions of society, and will continue to do so unless and until we get some firm answers. At a time in our history when we demand new sources of energy and an intricate understanding of our planet and the universe itself, even the tiniest possibility that the UFO phenomenon might hide a grain of knowledge essential to our lives is reason enough to explore this subject.

"As your President, I promise to do everything possible to get the facts out there, if there's anything whatsoever to reveal, because the American people have the right to know the truth and to deal with that truth openly and logically. Thank you."

An unlikely scenario? Of course. Republicans, Democrats, The Elite? Change, change, change-a-roo, clippity-cloppity, chippity-choppity change. Yes, we can? No, we can't. The Freedom of Information Act. The Freedom of Misinformation Act. The Freedom of Disinformation Act. How murky the waters. We, out here, shall dream this newest little uninspired dream of conducting science yet unconducted and of releasing information still unreleased, anticipating nothing, simply because the Temple of Nevermind remains open for business 24/7, conveniently and intently serving up the American public's right to know little of importance since the forties and fifties.

Bio Notes on Ivan T. Sanderson

I never met Ivan Sanderson, but was a member of the organization he founded in the sixties, the Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained (SITU). For some reason, probably in the early seventies, I received a three-page bio about him, and it probably came directly from SITU. I made a brief note regarding his death in 1973.

There's so much to say about Ivan, his prolific writing and extraordinary life, and even a lengthy bio can only hint at the things he saw and events he explored. Even in death, however, he remains a rather controversial figure in terms of sorting out some of the truth and fiction about his life. For those familiar with his work and for those who wish to become so, I'll post the bio today. Otherwise, I fear that scans of this specific document may remain unavailable on the Web.

Redundancy on the Edge

In a grand attempt to rush information and visuals to my "U.F.O." movie blog (ufothemovie.blogspot.com), I've finally caught up. While the last several entries concentrated on promotional material, I do want to remind new readers that a proper understanding of this 1956 motion picture's importance will best be appreciated by reading chronologically from the start -- and be sure to check out the links, particularly the oral interviews available at the Project 1947 site (Al Chop and Capt. Willis Sperry).

Unless something further turns up, I've included all the visuals in my small collection for now -- and, again, I hasten to add that a lot of rare photos were "lost on the mail" (not in my opinion, however) in the seventies when I sent an article to Saga Magazine's UFO Report.

With everything on display, my remaining option is to provide some analysis regarding changes in the script, from inception to production. The 1954 script underwent significant alterations by the time "U.F.O." reached theater screens in 1956, and as time permits I'll attempt to comment. In the meantime, I only hope that this small tribute to the movie and the former military and government people "who lived the story of the UFO" is worthwhile historically and of interest to the readers.

Gort and Klaatu's Excellent Adventure

I've wondered for years why the fifties movie,"The Day the Earth Stood Still" wasn't remade. After all, it was popular, came in handy to sooth and/or frighten a post-war world, and then there are the obvious and confirmed biblical relationships. And frankly, if you're ever to stand face-to-face with an alien, the tall Michael Rennie sort seemed a good choice over a four-foot gray entity who prefers the cold and clinical approach to conversations enjoyed in perfect English.

But, finally, the remake is on, due for release in December. Keanu Reeves in the lead role? Maybe he'll blow us away. I'm curious about how Gort will be portrayed. What will the ship look like inside? Will the obligatory child actor be annoying and able only to say things like "wow" and "gosh" every time he speaks? Will there be a plot twist this time where the phrase, "Gort, Klaatu Barada Nikto" actually means "Gort, Klaatu commands you to bite off every human head on the planet?"

I hope the movie turns out well and faithful to the original story and/or the 1951 motion picture, for I'm not crazy about Hollywood turning out another film about warm and fuzzy aliens and their robots, (and we have heard things about this new version -- Klaatu and Gort may be a couple of the harshest, no-nonsense dudes ever to traverse space fiction).

I bring this up only because I harken back to a phone conversation with the late Coral Lorenzen when the film, "E.T." came out, and how outraged she was that aliens were portrayed as kind and benign toward us -- because the real UFO evidence and terror involved with alleged abductions indicate quite another story. Maybe 2008's "The Day the Earth Stood Still" will reinforce the caution that encountering those things of alien identity isn't necessarily akin to winning the lottery. Experience the fictional alien. . . but absolutely beware the allegedly real one.