Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and the National Reconnaissance Office

Background

The To The Stars Academy (TTSA) recently announced that Chris Herndon was joining their Advisory Board. Herndon initially worked as a Department of Navy civilian, supporting a variety of agencies, including the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO.)

This made me ask myself, what did I know about the NRO? Like many other long-time researchers, the NRO had popped up on my radar from time to time. So I decided, that in this blog post, I would take a look at what I could find out about any relationship between the NRO and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP.)

Introduction

Firstly though, what is the NRO's role? According to their website:

"The NRO, is the U.S. government agency in charge of designing, building, launching and maintaining America's intelligence satellites. From our inception in 1961 to our declassification to the public in 1992, we have worked tirelessly to provide the best reconnaissance support possible to the Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD.)"

Its workforce consists of Dod and intelligence community staff, plus workers from private industry. It is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, and maintains ground stations at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado; Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and White Sands  Missile Range, New Mexico. It also has a presence at the Joint Defence Facility, Pine Gap, Australia.

I found a number of mentions of the NRO in the UAP literature, and the following provided details about my findings.

Valerie Ransone

Our first hint of the NRO and UAP, comes in the form of an individual named Valerie Jean Ransone. In 1976, Ransone, who was said to be a former CBS correspondent and a Washington power broker, established herself as President of The Information Network - an alternative radio network. In that year, Ransone also met Andrija Puharich and spent several months with him, exploring every site where research on extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation was being conducted. Because ELF waves can penetrate seawater they have been used to communicate with submarines.

By 1978, she was organising trips to go watch for UFOs. Jacques Vallee ("Forbidden Science: Volume Two'" 2009. Documatica Research LLC, San Francisco) in a diary entry dated 11 June 1978) told how she was establishing "a company to disseminate messages she believes to be of extraterrestrial origin." It was also at about that time, that Ransone became associated with astronaut Gordon Cooper. In December 1978, she warned Cooper that there was trouble associated with aspects of the Space Shuttle program; apparently advice from an extraterrestrial source.

In the late 1970's Cooper and Ransone set up a company devoted to free, worldwide energy transmissions and advanced medical devices.

A number of researchers, including Jacques Vallee, John Schuessler and Richard Niemtzow, met and interacted with Ransone, who appeared to be both a "contactee" and a very intelligent woman, interested in ELF and the work of Tesla.

What is the NRO connection? Vallee, ("Forbidden Science: Volume Three," 2012. Documatica Research LLC, San Francisco) in a diary entry dated 30 July 1989, stated:

"Schuessler tracked her down through his channels at McDonnell-Douglas. It turned out she was an agent for NRO, working with the Navy."

1984 - "Clear Intent"

In exploring which US Government agencies might hold data on UAP, two US researchers, Larry Bryant and Barry Greenwood ended up writing a book titled "Clear Intent" (1984. Fawcett, L & Greenwood, B J. Prentice-Hall, Engelwood Cliffs, NJ.) On page 219, they wrote:

"One other potential source of UFO data has not been mentioned only because it has been relatively unknown until recently by the New York Times.

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is an intelligence agency whose very existence has been classified Top Secret...How might the NRO's operations relate to UFO research?

Photo-reconnaissance satellites have advanced to such a degree that even individuals can be specifically identified from orbit one hundred miles up. If strange aerial activity were to be detected in space as has been done in the past by NORAD, a photo-reconnaissance satellite could be expected to be pressed into duty by taking high resolution photographs of the UFOs. Significant strong evidence for UFOs may current exist on the NRO's files but accessing it would be virtually impossible under present security provisions..."

1987 - Timothy Good

A UK researcher, Timothy Good also wondered along the same lines as Fawcett and Greenwood. On page 299 of "Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO Cover-up" (1987, William Morrow & Co., New York) we find:

"There is another agency, hidden in Air Force Intelligence but run by the CIA whose very existence was denied by the US government until comparatively recently. I refer to the most secret intelligence agency in the United States: the National Reconnaissance Office. The NRO was established in 1961, and although its primary function is the operation of spy satellites, its estimated annual budget of $3 billion and staff of 50,000 could easily allow for secret UFO investigations. There is no evidence of this so far, however, and my Freedom of Information request for documents in 1986  not surprisingly drew a black..."

1988 - Vallee

I recalled a couple of relevant items from Jacques Vallee's dairies ("Forbidden Science: Volume Three," 2012. Documatica Research LLC, San Francisco.) In a diary entry dated 13 March 1988, Vallee, writing about how researcher Richard Haines had attended a briefing to staffers of an Amy Under-Secretary on UFOs noted:

"Dick was able to attend the presentation that followed his own briefing: An intelligence officer spoke about objects detected by certain satellites.

American satellites on low orbits, known as "slow walkers" are often catching luminous objects in groups of two or three that make right-angle turns or even reverse course. These observations according to Dick, stunned the Army folks, who had been unaware of these "fast walkers."

Australian researcher Paul Dean, in a blog post titled "NORAD And The UFO Smokescreen: Part 9" dated 10 July 2016, provided what is known of these "fast walkers."

Later, in a diary entry dated 28 June 1988 Vallee wrote:

"Hal has seen a 2-inch thick file that details UFO observations by infra-red satellites: 'The objects arrive 3,000 miles above the Earth,' he told me. 'The satellites pick them up as they come near the surface and going away the same manner as they came in. Their infra-red signature shows a level of energy 15 times that of an aircraft carrier. But the data is so tightly classified nobody wants to talk about it.' I wonder if these are really "our" UFOs, or natural phenomena of near space, still undiscovered, or even plain energy discharges."

1997 - Greer and the NRO document

Before the well known 10 April 1997 meeting between researcher Steven Greer and Rear Admiral Thomas Wilson, Greer had forwarded a purported NRO document to Wilson's team. Greer claimed that Wilson recognised one of the groups mentioned in a distribution list.

1997 - the Haines study

Gerald K Haines published a study titled "CIA's role in the study of UFOs: 1947-1990," which first appeared in the publication "Studies in Intelligence." (Volume 1, Number 1.)

The author, Haines, is there stated to be the National Reconnaissance Office historian. Why he should be writing an historical piece about the CIA has never been explained.

2000 - Daniel M Salter

Around the year 2000, US researcher Nick Redfern met an individual named Daniel M Salter, now deceased. Salter had written a book titled "Life with a Cosmos clearance" and during conversations with Redfern, informed Redfern that he, Salter, was a recently retired employee of the NRO.

In the book, Salter claims that in 1969 he was transferred to the NRO and worked in the Counterintelligence Unit of the Interplanetary Phenomenon Scientific and Technical Intelligence Unit. In addition, that the NRO had a campaign to weaponize space called the Development of Conscious Contact Citizenry Department.

However, in his obituary in the 16 October 2007 issue of the Tao News, it states that Salter worked for the USAF (1947-1968) in the field of electronics and radar. Then he went to the Mountain View College in Dallas, Texas, where he was head of Pilot Technology (1968-1990.) He then retired in 1990 and lived in Tao, New Mexico. There is no mention here of him working for the NRO. 

At the same time, Steven Greer's "Disclosure Project Briefing Document " (Greer, S M & Loder, T C, 2001, Crozet, Virginia.) has a mention of the "Testimony of Master Sergent Dan Morris, USAF (Retired)/NRO Operative - September 2000."  This document notes:

"After leaving the Air Force, he was recruited into the super-secret National Reconnaissance Organization, or NRO, during which time he worked specifically on extra-terrestrial connected operations."

From what I have read, it appears to me that Daniel M Salter and Dan Morris are the same individual.

2009 - Richard Dolan

On page 390 of Dolans' book "UFOs and the National Security State: Volume 2 - 1973-1991" (2009.  Keyhole Publishing. Rochester, New York,) I found:

"However, considering its extreme secrecy even among America's officially acknowledged intelligence agencies, the NRO could well have taken on other missions, such as those related to UFOs. Indeed, its capabilities, make it ideally suited for this."

2011 - Anthony Bragalia

In an article titled "Secret U.S. Intelligence agency holds UFO answers" Bragalia explores the role of the NRO. Braglia found that although not exempt from the FOIA, that a search of the Black Vault website failed to locate any FOIA requests to the NRO, and that the relevant FOIA request log showed only two requests re the subjects of UFOs, namely one dated 7 May 1998 and 27 April 2001.

Bragalia also wrote:

"...this author had made the recent acquaintance of a former agency employee now retired and  living nearby in Florida in ill health. This intelligence officer has tacitly indicated that clear, detailed and revealing images of UFOs have indeed been obtained by the super satellites of the NRO - and that many of them are not made by man."

I have heard nothing further about this potentially interesting source.

2015 - the Black Vault

US Researcher John Greenewald submitted an FOIA request to the NRO. In a response letter dated 5 November 2015, the NRO responded, in part:

"Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, you are requesting "records, electronic or otherwise pertaining to the Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) phenomenon..."

The topic of your request is outside the scope of NRO responsibilities, furthermore, the NRO has conducted numerous searches relating to UFOs in the past, and has located no records."

Update: 3 August 2019

A correspondent from the US who wishes to remain anonymous writes:

"Gerald Haines was in the CIA from 1989 becoming Deputy Chief of CIA History Staff in 1995, left briefly to set up the NRO History Office in 1996-1997, returned to become CIA Chief Historian. It is relevant because it makes sense that Haines would write a CIA history (in this case on UFOs) when he was still a CIA historian in 1994-95 and only briefly went to the NRO in 1996-1997 when the CIA history just happened to be published."

Valerie Ransone - some further insights

Background

Some interesting individuals come and go in the field of UAP research. One of these, is an American woman named Valerie Jean Ransone. She moved in high circles in the USA in the 1970's and 1980's, and was associated, among others, with US astronaut Gordon Cooper.

I first wrote about her in a post in 2011; after my former co-blogger, Pauline Wilson, mentioned Ransone's name in connection with Dr Christopher (Kit) Green. After finding additional information, I provided an update. Later, after locating Ransone in Hawaii; and several unsuccessful attempts to engage her in dialogue, I published a 'final post.'

Since Novermber 2012, as various individuals have read my posts about Ransone, I have been provided with additional snippets of information by some people; while others have merely been curious, as to whether or not, Ransone ever contacted me.

A timeline

For such enquirers, I now provide a timeline of information, together with a source.

1950 - Ransone born in the Chicago area of the USA. (Vallee, 2009, 'Forbidden Science Volume Two,' diary entry dated 9 July 1981.)

Image courtesy of Amazon Books

1971 - Studied journalism at NorthWestern University. (Vallee, 2009, diary entry 9 July 1978.)


1971-1976 - PR person for an energy information group - meets Wes Thomas (Vallee, 2009, 9 July 1978.)


1976 - Thomas introduces Ransone to Dr Puharich. (Vallee, 2009, 9 July 1978.)


June 1976 - Ransone in Hong Kong. (http://www.jmdigitalscrapbook.com/HKTVTimes/HKTVTimes.shtml.) Viewed in 2011, but currently not available.


March/April 1977 - Ransone and Puharich met Bob Beck. (Vallee, 2009, 19 May 1978.)


May 1978 - Kit Green visits Ransone in Houston. (Vallee, 2009, 19 May 1978.)


9 July 1978 - Thomas says he has known Ransone for years. (Vallee, 2009, 9 July 1978.)


11 June 1978 - Ransone establishes a company 'to disseminate messages she believes to be of extraterrestrial origin.' Center for Advanced Technology - 'reportedly financed by Security Around the Globe, an industrial protection and private detective firm.' (Vallee, 2009, 11 June 1978.)


8 August 1978 - Ransone organising 'Signs of the Spirit' conference - Washington - December 1978. Ransone aims to 'establish a foundation for those who will meet space people in December.'  (Vallee, 2009, 6 August 1978.)


14 October 1978 - Ransone said to be holding files labelled 'Soviet Research' and 'Military Intelligence.' FBI reportedly conducted an investigation. (Vallee, 2009, 14 October 1978.)


December 1978 - Cooper's 'shuttle problem.' ( http://www.jamesoberg.com/gordon_cooper-et-shuttle-flaw.pdf )


Late 1970's - Cooper/Ransone research company fails.( http://www.jamesoberg.com/gordon_cooper-et-shuttle-flaw.pdf )


Late 1970's - Ransone lectures. (Maccabee - http://brumac.8k.com/ashtar.html )


1980 - 'Interplanetary Network.' California. Valerie Jean Ransone. (MUFON Journal, December 1980, p.20.)


1982 - Ransone founds the Mai Kalani Foundation. (Lyra Ransone Facebook page.) Viewed in 2011, currently not on the public Facebook page.


1996 - Ransone publishes 'The Universal Intelligence Consortium:Conversations with an Interdimensional Correspondent on the Coming Earth Changes.' ( https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Intelligence-Consortium-Conversations-Interdimensional/dp/B00S97U2FE )

Image courtesy of Amazon Books

2011 - Ransone active on a forum dealing with the works of Nikola Tesla. ( http://www.teslaworks.net/resources.html ) Forum accessed 2011, but now longer on that site.

Finding Ransone

After writing the 2011 blog posts, I wondered if it was possible, to find out if Ransone was still alive, and if so, what she was currently doing? Via a combination of internet websites on genealogy; snippits on various Internet forums, and some 'out of the box thinking' on my behalf, I located Ransone still alive, and living in Hawaii.

I found:

1. A Facebook page in the name 'Lyra Ransone,' Ransone's full name being Valerie Jean Lyra Ransone. This Facebook page stated that this Ransone had studied at NorthWestern University and was from Kenilworth, Illinois, very close to Chicago in the USA. This information is consistent with that given by Vallee in 1978.)

Image courtesy of Facebook

In addition, the Facebook page at that stage, mentioned this Ransone was the President/Founder of the Mai Kalani Foundation, founded in 1982. A search for information on the Foundation revealed that its 'Mission Statement,' 'Is to contribute to world understanding through Transformational initiatives that enhance self-discovery, encourage open and direct contact with Universal Intelligence, and to develop and distribute well-researched educational materials that encourage life-long learning and reinforce a positive World view full of possibilities and promise.'

2. I found that a 'Lyra Ransone' had contributed to an American website forum, discussing the work of Nikola Tesla.

I was already aware, that in the 1970's, Gordon Cooper had looked into starting up a company using some of Tesla's ideas, according to Bruce Henderson, co-author of Cooper's book 'Leap of Faith.' Valerie was cited as Cooper's business partner in this venture.

Image courtesy of Amazon Books

I was therefore fairly certain that the 1970's and 1980's Valerie Ransone, was the same person as the 2010's Lyra Ransone. I therefore attempted to contact Lyra Ransone via snailmail; email; Facebook and the Tesla forum. I advised her that, I simply wanted to find out what she had been doing since the 1980's. I never received any response to any of my communications.

Enter Vallee 2016

I had not intended to write anything further about Ransone. However, just recently I received and read, a copy of Jacque Vallee's new book 'Forbidden Science Volume Three.' This book covers the time period 1980-1989, and fills in more gaps of our knowledge of Ransone.

There are several diary entries concerning Ransone.

1. 22 October 1980 p.52

'On my way through D.C. I spoke to Kit at length at the Marriott in Dulles. He told me that UFO contactee Valerie Ransone was in La Jolla after some sort of crisis.'

2. 22 February 1981 p.59

'Kit came to see me last night...Little has changed: news of contactee Valerie Ransone.'

3. 23 June 1985 p.189

Dr Richard Niemtzow. '...Richard went on to tell me about his activities with John Schuessler in Houston in the days when Valerie Ransone was stirring up ufology. "When we entered the offices of the organisation where she worked all phone conversations stopped; no documents were visible on the desks. We were asked about our research, and left with no new information, convinced the group worked for a clandestine outfit."'

4. 30 July 1989 pp 411-412

Richard Niemtzow. 'This lead us to a wide ranging discussion of the role of various agencies in the UFO business and we came to talk about Kit. Richard reminisced about the time when he and John Schuessler were almost 'recruited' by a woman who claimed to be working for a private investigation service in Houston. When they came to her office for a meeting about UFOs they found a dozen people working behind desks which were so neat and devoid of paperwork as if to seem unnatural, and they quickly came to a conclusion the whole thing was a setup.

"Was the woman named Valerie Ransone?" I asked Richard.

He seemed puzzled to find that I knew her and her operations.

"Did you ever find out who she was working for? he asked. I confessed that I did not.

"Schuessler tracked her down through his channels at McDonnell-Douglas. It turned out she was an agent for NRO, working with the Navy. Kit, who took care of her medically, once told me that she was amazing; she knew four times as many people as the both of us did."

I laughed at that" "She also looks a lot better than both of you guys." I pointed out. "A woman as beautiful and articulate as she was would have no difficulty being invited to lunch by any company president. That didn't necessarily mean she had access."

"There's something else Jacques. When I revealed to Kit, over lunch, that I knew her affiliations, he practically chocked on his food. He told me not to mention her again at the restaurant. I've only had that reaction from him twice in all the time I've known him."

5. 24 August 1988 (should be 1989) p.424

'Kit's involvement also appears in connection with Valerie Ransone. According to Niemtzow he was her medical handler. It is through her that Niemtzow met Kit; she put them in touch with each other...Then following the famous episode in which Schuessler and Niemtzow found themselves being recruited by Valerie's outfit in Houston.'

6. 17 September 1989 pp 435-436

'Speaking of trying to locate evidence of an active 'Black project." What about Valerie Ransone?'

7. 14 December 1989 p.468

Speaking of Kit. 'There are several burning questions I would like to put to Kit: Who was Valerie really working for?'

Notes

1. Presumably the NRO referred to in Vallee's diary entry dated 30 July 1989, is the National Reconnaisance Office. Its current website states that 'The NRO is the US government agency in charge of designing, building, launching and maintaining America's intelligence satellites.'

2. I have not been able to find out anything about the private investigation firm, Security Around the Globe.

3. I am aware of several researchers who have, in recent times, tried to communicate with Ransone. I have not heard of anyone who has been successful.

4. A check of Facebook, conducted on 21 September 2016, revealed that the 'Lyra Ransone' account is still active.

5. A check of the internet using various key words located only one piece of information which I had not found previously. Amazon books website revealed that they listed a work titled 'The Universal Intelligence Consortium: Conversations with an Interdimensional correspondent on the coming earth changes' authored by Valerie Jean Ransone, with a publication date of 1996.

Have any blog readers further information about Valerie Jean Lyra Ransone?

Contactee Valerie Ransone - the final post

Hi all,

I previously posted details about a fascinating 1970's contactee named Valerie Ransone (click here and here.) Ransone disappeared from the scene in the early 1980's. Recently I located an individual who appears to be Ransone.

Details given on a Facebook page, which is in a different name, not that of Valerie Ransone, agree with those provided by Jacques Vallee in a diary entry on Ransone, in his book "Forbidden Science-Volume Two." This Facebook page led me to further Internet sources.

Ransone created a Foundation in 1982, which still exists. Part of the Foundation's Mission Statement, shows that Ransone continues to pursue contact with what she calls the "Universal Intelligence."

As late as November 2011 Ransone was still interested in the inventions and work of a famous twentieth century inventor. In the late 1970's Ransone formed a company with former NASA astronaut Gordon Cooper, using some of that inventors ideas, according to Bruce Henderson, co-author of Cooper's book "Leap of Faith."

I emailed Ransone, providing links to my two previous posts about her, and asked if she would be willing to share details of what she had been doing since the early 80's. Two weeks later, I have not received a response. I take this to mean that Ransone does not wish to provide us with such details. This is a pity, as whatever you think about the contactee movement, it has been a part of the living history of the UAP phenomenon.

I am therefore closing my research into this fascinating individual. Unless she decides to tell the second part of her story, the full extent of her journey will remain unknown.

2016 update

http://ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/valerie-ransone-some-further-insights.html

Valerie Ransone - an update

Hi all

Valerie Ransone was a 1970's contactee who featured in accounts by both former astronaut Gordon Cooper and ufologist Jacques Vallee. I previously posted a piece on this blog about Ransone, dated 22 January 2011.

This post provides an update on two additional pieces of Internet information which have been located since. The first was found by blog reader Mic who ascertained that ufologist Bruce Maccabee had encountered Ransone at one stage (although he recorded her name as Ranson.)

In the winter 1997-1998 issue of the International UFO Reporter, Maccabee published an article "You Don't Mess with Ashtar!" It concerned the concept of channelled information from elsewhere.

"Many years earlier I had gone to a public lecture by a lady, Valerie Ranson, who in the late 1970's was travelling through the USA trying to raise money for a project to usher in the new age of space brothers etc.

She was a trance channel and did channeling during the lecture. She talked about the ancient powers and Atlantis and destruction of the earth and saving souls etc. I was one of the lucky persons to get to ask a question to whoever it was she was channeling at the time (I forget the name.) I asked whether or not life in the universe had been "seeded" by "panspermia." She didn't recognise the word so I gave a brief explanation ...she mumbled and spluttered a bit and then made some comment to the effect that I shouldn't ask such incomprehensible questions and then went on to the next question. I, of course, didn't think it was incomprehensible and beside I figured the source of her information should "know everything." As far as I was concerned she flunked the "channel test."

(Source: http://brumac.8k.com/ashtar.html)

I found the second item in the MUFON Journal, December 1980, page 20. In the "In Other Words" column by Lucius Farish there was the following:

"The October 7 issue of National Inquirer reports that a California-based group, the Interplanetary Network, claims that more than 1,500 people around the world have been contacted by extraterrestrial beings. Valerie Jean Ransone of the Network termed the contact "part of a precise program of communication" on the part of the aliens."

(Source: http://www.theblackvault.com/encyclopedia/documents/MUFON/Journals/1980/December_1980.pdf

These two items add further details to those revealed in my original post.

Have any readers come across a reference to "The Interplanetary Network.?"

2016 update

http://ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/valerie-ransone-some-further-insights.html

Valerie Ransone - a 1970's contactee

Hi

Introduction:

One of my current research projects is looking at contactee/abductee accounts (the other is researching Australian UFO "cold cases.") When I read in a recent post by Pauline on this blog, that in May 1978 Dr Christopher (Kit) Green was visiting Houston "...where Valerie Ransone and a group of contactees have promised he would witness materializations..." I became intrigued and decided to undertake a little research on Valerie Ransone.

Why would I be interested in a 1970's contactee case?

(1) It was many years ahead of the Internet which clouded the issue with an overload of material.
(2) Unlike many other contactee cases, it involved some high profile people, e.g. US astronaut Gordon Cooper.
(3) The contactee herself was said to be high profile, although until I conducted this research I can't say that I had heard of her.

The Hawaii-Five-O connection:

I initially found a reference to Ransone in 1976. The located document stated that it was from the Hong Kong TV Times (18-24 June 1976.) The piece (found at http://www.jmdigitalscrapbook.com/HKTVTimes/HKTVTimes.shtml.)
included:

"The day began with breakfast, early for the locals but late for the visitors, at the Furama with Chun Kam Fong, Five-O's super sleauth, Chin Ho, who is as celebrated here as MacArthur.

"Other members of the party included MacArthur's friend, the lovely Valerie Ransone, former CBS correspondent and Washington power broker, who was putting together the Far Eastern Links in a new alternative radio service, The Information Network, of which she is President, principal shareholder, chief correspondent and board chairman. It also included the Dutch photographer Hugh Van Es ( see piece in New York Times KB) who speaks American English with the tones of a Five-O villain...It had been noticed that during the run from the jewellers, Valerie was limping. Unlikely as it sounds for such a beautiful and healthy young lady, she seemed to be suffering from the gout."

The MacArthur in the piece was James MacArthur, the actor in Hawaii-Five-O, a police drama set in Hawaii.

Enter Jacques Vallee:

I next picked up the story in Jacques Vallee's book "Forbidden Science Volume Two" where I located six diary entries between 19 May and 14 October 1978.

19 May 1978

"Upon my return from Los Angeles I met with Ira Einhorn at his hotel. We spent several hours discussing Bob Beck, Puharich and Valerie Ransone, a contactee who has worked in Washington for Nixon's WIN (anti-inflation) campaign. She is active in high-level circles, organising trips to the desert in hopes of watching UFOs.

" Confirming what I'd heard from Kit, Ira told me that Valerie and Puharich had gone over to see Beck in March or April 1977. Beck claims he can take his ELF generator to a coffee shop, turn on the device and cause every child in the place to start crying; conversely he'll tune it to a frequency that includes euphoria...

"Some German executives are said to have a device that shields a person against such waves. In a letter to Ira, Beck writes that 'competent authorities' have asked him not to reveal the frequency in question."

My notes:
(1) Ira Einhorn according to Vallee was a "radical thinker...a youth leader turned management guru whose destiny would include an ugly accusation for murder..." (p.9.)
(2) Dr Andrija Puharich was a "New Age researcher." (p.164.) (See his son's website.)
(3) Bob Beck "researches brain wave entraining..." (p.426.)

11 June 1978

"Valerie Ransone is setting up a company to disseminate messages she believes to be of extraterrestrial origin. Since networks are now at the cutting edge of information sciences, she's also building up a Center for Advanced Technology that plans to use conferencing. The whole thing is reportedly financed by Security Around the Globe, an industrial protection and private detective firm.

"Valerie is an attractive 28-year old woman with a brilliant mind. She's being helped by high-powered executives, captains of industry, impeccable business leaders she calls her "silver foxes." One of them arranged for her to meet the director of the Scripps Institute and Gordon Cooper, who's made curious statements lately about witnessing the retrieval of crashed saucers. She's also in touch with a fellow who owns a lot of real estate in San Francisco,

"Journalist West Thomas who heads up Valerie's computing center, has called from her office to enlist my help. Valerie got on the line to assure me of the seriousness of her project. I declined to become involved, bothered by all their pseudo-science."

9 July 1978

"Wes Thomas was waiting for me at Kennedy. He spoke about Valerie. He';s known her for several years, having met her when she was the public relations person for an energy information group. Her family came from the Chicago area and she studied journalism at Northwestern. Wes introduced her to Puharich two years ago. She spent several months with him, exploring every site where ELF research was going on. This particular topic of extremely low frequency seemed to fascinate her. "I think Puharich convinced her that she was a contactee," said Wes. "I'd never heard her mention it before she met him.""

12 July 1978

Kit was waiting for me at Dulles, driving a Volvo full of kids, so we were not able to talk seriously until after dinner. Once we were alone I brought up my concerns. "It's obvious there's a secret project somewhere," I insisted. "Take a case like Tehran...someone must be working on it, even if you guys don't. Also, I've been thinking about our discussion with Jim Irish. He evaded all our questions about the death of his colleagues on Mount Baldy, didn't he?

'You may be right," Kit finally said, "about a secret project."

"What about Security Around the Globe? Where does Valerie come into all this?"

"SAG is owned by a lady and her two sons. They've had a private detective agency in Nevada for 15 years. She has lots of contacts."

6 August 1978

"On Friday I set up a computer conference with Valerie Ransone in Houston, Wes Thomas on Long Island and Brendan O'Regan in San Fancisco. It took a curious turn when Valerie announced that her purpose was to select 13 individuals who would be invited to her "Signs of the Spirit" conference in Washington next December. She said "My goal is to establish a foundation for those who will meet space people in December." I reminded her that two years ago Puharich had already predicted massive landings "within 18 months." Later on he revealed that "The Direction" had decided to land invisibly! Always the same absurd stories."

14 October 1978

"The Valerie Ransone saga continued. The woman who owns Security Around the Globe"" became intrigued and upset when she saw the folders Valerie brought to her for safekeeping, like "Soviet Research" and "Military intelligence." So she called the Houston office of the FBI, who went through the papers. They initiated an investigation that reached into every corner of Washington.

"Among the papers in question was a letter claiming that Earth was now under control of the aliens...On Wednesday evening I had a cup of coffee with Valerie at the Capitol Hilton. She was with Jill Duvall, a level-headed woman. They've opened an office in Washington, and their "Information network" is now registered as a Californian company thanks to money invested by a friend of hers in California. Valerie told me the Aliens didn't want me to call my next book "Messengers of Deception." I answered, "Let's see how they will stop me."

Enter Gordon Cooper:

Vallee's reference to astronaut Gordon Cooper brought up two internet pieces. The first I found on James Oberg's website.

"There could be trouble with the space shuttle."
It was December 1978.

"What kind of trouble? I asked her [Valerie Ransone] over the phone. Valerie was at her office in Washington. I was at mine in California.

"Technical flaws," she said. "Something to do with the heating or cooling system. It's pretty sketchy."

"The warning had come during one of her 'transmissions.' She had no idea when they would arrive--the telepathic messages she believed were from extraterrestrial source of intelligence...She made a point always to document the details as soon as possible, usually typing up the complete messages.

"Four months after mentioning the vague possibility of a problem with the space shuttle, Valerie was in Los Angeles and came to my office. She was worried about new and more detailed information she had received. She showed me a single typewritten page of notes she'd made after receiving the transmission...The source of information professed to being concerned that the future of manned space travel not be jeopardised by such events.

" I'd been around Valerie long enough to find her knowledgeable and trustworthy, and I wasn't about to discount her transmissions. In addition her telepathic powers had been proved time and time again...I felt certain she was getting good information from somewhere: from where and whom I couldn't say for sure...I flew to Houston to see Bennett "Ben" James, and experienced engineer and supervisor in NASA's Flight Operations...I now told him it was possible that my business partner was in contact with "higher powers somewhere who may have better information than we do..." NASA engineers immediately went to work examining the space shuttle's cooling system,. looking at the detailed scenarios I laid out for them. They quickly identified and within days, fixed the potential problem with the cooling system-just as outlined in the transmissions I carried in my briefcase...Was I surprised that the cooling system fault existed? Not really. With Valerie Ransone, I had moved beyond surprise. But the experience gave me another shot of confidence that the source we were getting technological assistance from was for real."

The second reference was on the website for Bruce Henderson, who, on the cover of "Leap of Faith" is shown as co-author.

" In the late 1970's, Cooper unsuccessfully tried to launch a research company devoted to free worldwide energy transmissions using Nikola Tesla's discoveries, as well as advanced medical devices and other projects. His partner in this venture Valeries Ransone, claims top receive scientifically useful telepathic transmissions from extraterrestrial sources.

"The story gets weirder, as Cooper agrees to joining Ransone in the Arizona desert for a telepathically arranged rendezvous with a UFO. Joining them at this alleged meeting (which was cancelled) was Atlas missile aerospace engineer Dan Fry, who claims to have flown over Texas on board a UFO in 1950..."

My comments:

Are we any further along in understanding the Vallee quote about Kit green going to Houston to witness materializations? Henderson's quote re cooper agreeing to meet Valerie Ransone "in the Arizona desert for a telepathically arranged rendezvous with a UFO" might be a clue. Are the "materializations" referring to a "UFO materializing?"

Alternative views:

As with any area of knowledge there are alternative viewpoints and I came across a suggestion that "Were the "higher powers" mentioned by astronaut Gordon Cooper spies, feeding him information in a counter-intelligence scheme..." (See the website here.)

Before dismissing this suggestion out of hand, take a look at Nick Refern's book "Contactees: A History of Alien-Human Interaction," referred in a post by Pauline on this blog on 25 April 2010.

Information timeline:

From the information gained we are able to compile the following information:

1950 Valeries Ransone born in the Chicago area.
? Studied journalism at Northwestern.
? PR person for an energy information group.
1976 Introduced to Dr Puharich by Wes Thomas.
1976 Spent several months with Puharich exploring ELF research.
June 1976 In Hong Kong with James MacArthur.
Mar/Apr 1977 Ransone and Puharich meet with Bob Beck.
1978 Interactions with Vallee.
Dec 1978 Warning Gordon Cooper about shuttle problems.
Late 1970's Business partner with Cooper.

Appeal:

Has any reader come across any other information about Ransone? If so, please share.

The library system in my home state has one copy in its catalogue of "Leap of Faith," however, when I enquired about access I was informed the only copy was lost. If any reader has a copy, is the material from the book, accurately quoted above?

2016 update

http://ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/valerie-ransone-some-further-insights.html