"The true believers"

Hi readers

Adelaide's Mediterranean style climate is spot on this winter. A Mediterranean climate is one which has hot summers and rain mainly in the winter. Today it has been raining steadily since the early hours of the morning. Now to the subject of this post.

Belief in the paranormal has been examined from a number of directions. In a recent issue of "Australasian Science" (Volume 31 number 6), Krissy Wilson, who is a Psychologist lecturer at the University of Tasmania, looks at yet another direction.

The article, which is titled "The true believers" poses the question "Are we pre-programmed to believe in weird and wonderful things that lack any significant scientific basis, and are some of us more likely to believe than others." (p.18.)

"...we have recently examined the relationship between emotional intelligence, self-esteem and belief in the paranormal. One hundred and fifty one students from the University of Tasmania between 18 and 49 years of age took part in the study. Each participant completed a battery of self-report questionnaires to assess paranormal belief, self-esteem and the ability to understand, regulate and reason with emotion. We found that paranormal belief correlated moderately with emotional intelligence, which in turn correlated with self-esteem...preliminary findings suggest that belief may act as a coping mechanism enabling modern humanity to deal with the rigours of life..." (p.19.)

I wonder if there is any relevance to abductions here?

Can researchers spot an IFO?

Hi readers

It was a wet and windy night last night in Adelaide. Travelling from home to the local library this morning there were broken tree branches littering the roads. Still, it is winter.

I was browsing a number of blogs the other day and came across one where the blogger was lamenting that today's UFO researchers cannot properly investigate cases.

Looking at the websites of Australian UFO groups I quickly saw cases listed there as "UFOs", which clearly, had conventional explanations e.g. the recent observations of the Falcon 9 rocket launch. There were others that were clearly aircraft and even satellites.

I thought back to the recent seminar of the Australian UFO Research Association where researcher Keith Basterfield spoke of his belief that Australian UFO researchers today have an IFO clear up rate of about 10%, compared to the generally accepted 90-95% clear up rate showing cases due to mundane explanations.

I then thought back to some of my earliest days reading my first UFO books - mainly bought in second hand bookshops here in Adelaide. One book should be on every UFO re searcher's bookshelf -or in my case by my bed.

The book was written by one Allan Hendry, who was employed by the J Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies in Chicago, USA, as an investigator for the Center for one year. The publisher was Doubleday, New York, 1979. ISBN 0-385-14348-6. You can still find the odd copy through secondhand bookshops, ebay or Amazon.

Hendry spent one year looking in to 1,307 US UFO cases- a typical sample of incoming raw UFO reports. What did Hendry's diligent research find?

88.6% of all the reports did have a conventional, non ETH cause.

Using the Hynek UFO classification system, Hendry categorised the reports, as Nocturnal Lights etc. Many of the NLs were due to stars, planets, advertising aircraft, meteors etc.

The daylight discs were mainly caused by advertising aircraft, stars and general aircraft.

He had some CE2s which turned out to be due to stars and aircraft.

There were even some CE3s reporting the observations of entities. One woman watched the planet Venus and thought she could see a lighted object with occupants inside. Another was an advertising plane perceived as a dome with little men inside.

Hendry's meticulous work revealed that a large percentage of raw cases were indeed attributable to mundane causes. Everyday citizens reported conventional objects as UFOs due to a variety of causes e.g. objects seen from unusual angles; glimpsed for short periods of time; noted when people were tired; and attributed actions such as stationary objects appearing to move; satellites appearing to deviate from a straight line etc.

It seems to me that today's UFO researchers could learn many lessons from reading how Hendry went about his task.

What do you think, are we collectively in need of some good investigatory skills? Have we become complacent in our research?

Contactees - abductees of their time?

Hi readers

It was in the 1950's that Contactees were one of "the" topics of UFO research. These were the "abductees" of that era. They were people who claimed to have met and interacted with aliens.

One of the books which has been sitting in my "must get around to reading" pile by my bed is Nick Redfern's "Contactees: A history of alien-human interaction." The book is published by The Career Press Inc of Franklin Lakes, NJ this year 2010. I had to get my copy through special order via Dymock's Bookshop in Adelaide. I couldn't see any copies on any shelves of my usual bookshops.

On page 15 Redfern sets the scene. "The aliens in question are usually seen dressed in tight-fitting one-piece outfits while sporting heads of lush, long, and flowing blond hair...they are deeply concerned by our warlike ways. They wish us to disarm our nuclear arsenals, live in peace and harmony with one another, and elevate ourselves to whole new spiritual levels."

Comment: As a passing note, this reminds me somewhat of the current arguments of the Exopolitics movement - disarm, have peace and you will be welcomed into the Galactic Federation.

Redfern looks at the stories of such famous contactees as George Adamski; Truman Berthurum; Orfeo Angelucci and George Van Tassel. Their stories make fascinating reading, with some of Redfern's source material coming from FBI files.

After reviewing the accounts of these and other lesser known contactees, Redfern writes "...one of the most significant aspects of countless contactee driven accounts is the fact that the experiences at issue occurred in significantly altered states of mind, and while the contactees were often situated in distinctly isolated locations." p163.

Redfern then reviews scientific information on hypnagogic states; channelling; meditation and mind altering substances and how these topics might relate to contactees.

Following this, is a look at US Government files that were kept on contactees such as George Adamski. Redfern comments that the threat of communism and possible infiltration of contactees and their followers, and flying saucer groups "...may help to explain why a significant degree of concern was shown at an official level about the politics of the players on the scene..." p177.

In the United Kingdom Redfern found that the Special Branch of the British Police Force kept files on "George King of the Aetherius Society..." pp177-178.

In chapter 19 titled "Manipulating the mind" Redfern says "Although many UFO researchers who have immersed themselves within the world of the contactees have been content to conclude that the claims at issue are either basically untrue or manifestly bogus, there is yet another avenue that may have a key bearing ...namely, that of U.S. military-sponsored "mind control." p181.

Refern ponders whether U.S. Government agencies' concern about contactees acting as "mouthpieces for communism" (p186) might have closely investigated contactees and perhaps went so far as to, for example "...seduce Angelucci into a drug-fuelled state..." p186.

Comment:

Many UFO researchers of today will probably not have studied the contactee era, seeing no value in these stories. I must say, I was one of these researchers. However, Redfern's work has given me a starting point for examining the accounts from that time.

Hush hush it's a UFO

Dear readers

Adelaide continues with its cold spell. Rain and hail yesterday. With the temperatures this low it has been an ideal time to revisit parts of my recent read "The UFO Files: The Inside Story of Real-Life Sightings" by David Clarke.

I was interested in the concept that although authorities knew the cause of a UFO sighting, the general public was kept in the dark, due to security concerns.

One example, given by Clarke, occurred on 3 November 1953 when a Vampire aircraft from RAF West Malling at 20,000 feet saw a "...very bright object straight ahead at a much higher altitude...shaped like a doughnut with 'a bright light around the periphery.'" A newspaper found that "...a Territorial Army Unit tracked 'a very large echo' on their radar moving at 60,000 feet over London." page 58.

The Secretary of State for Air said "The object seen on radar over London...has been traced to balloons released by the Meteorological Office..." page 58. Clarke comments "A declassified history of balloon operations by the USAF Missile Development Center in 1958 reveals that balloon launch number 175, launched from Holloman, New Mexico, on 27 October 1953, failed to drop into the Atlantic at the end of a scheduled 12 hour flight. Six days later it was this, cruising at high altitude over Kent, that was spotted by the RAF crew and which prompted flying saucer questions in Parliament " page 62.

What interests me was that "A former member of the Skyhook project staff,Duke Gildenberg, revealed in 2004, that British intelligence concluded this UFO was the Skyhook balloon but could not reveal the truth because the project was classified top secret at the time." page 62.

Another example noted, was when 43 Squadron in RAF Nicosia in July 1958 "...tried to intercept an unidentified, high flying aircraft, [at an estimated height] of 65,000 feet over the Mediterranean...crews assumed the aircraft which had 'a short stubby fuselage with very high aspect ratio wings' was the U-2 but the RAF could not confirm this identification as the project was highly classified at the time." page 63.

One wonders how often this type of behaviour occurs?

UFOs and British Intelligence agencies

Hi readers

It's a rainy day in Adelaide. I've just been out for a long lunch at a pub in the City and am feeling rather comfortable. My brain is back into UFO phenomenon mode, after a busy week at work. Do you sometimes wish that you could give up your day job and study UFOs full time? I do!

So, to the subject of today's post. I am returning to a topic dear to my heart - intelligence agencies and the UFO phenomenon. If you are new here, you might wish to go back over any posts dealing with intelligence agencies, to get up to speed with what comes next.

I have finally managed to re-read the book "The UFO files: The inside story of real-life sightings" by English researcher, Dr David Clarke. The book was published late last year by The National Archives in the United Kingdom. The ISBN number for those who might wish to go out and purchase the book is 978 1 90561550. My copy, surprisingly, comes courtesy of my local Council library.

Introduction:

David's book is a look at UFOs, as described in official Government documents held by the National Archives of the U.K. As he says in the introduction "The sightings described in this book were mostly made by ordinary people, from all walks of life who felt they should report their experiences to the authorities." David's work describes some of these sightings and the response to them by the authorities.

Although I found the entire book fascinating, and an absolute must read, it was the mention of the actions of the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), and specifically its intelligence areas, which was the main focus of my attention.

Why did the Government look at UFO reports?

"The MoD states that it examines UFO reports solely to establish if what was seen has any 'defence significance.'"

This post will therefore note some of David's comments about the MoD's intelligence agencies' response.

1950

Writing about Sir Henry Tizard - Chief Scientific Advisor to the MoD, "It was as a direct result of his influence that the British Government was persuaded to set up a small working party to investigate the mystery, reporting to the Directorate of Scientific Intelligence/Joint Technical Intelligence Committee (DSI/JTIC), part of the Ministry of Defence." (p41.)

1953

"...a decision was taken in 1953 that the Air Ministry should investigate UFO reports...and responsibility was delegated...to a section of the air technical intelligence branch, DDI (Tech)." (p51.)

1955

"An analysis of 80 reports received to the end of 1954 formed the basis of an article in a classified publication known as the Air Ministry Secret Intelligence Summary ..." (p60.)

1967

"A number of Defence Intelligence Staff branches were secretly involved in UFO investigations, but from 1967 all unexplained incidents were reported to DI55. Their primary role was to collect intelligence on Soviet guided missiles and satellite launches that were occasionally reported as UFOs." (p70.)

In 1967 there was a UFO flap in the U.K. including a case where two police officers in Devon chased a UFO. "...DI55 sent a scientific officer, Dr John Dickison, to interview the two Devon police constables." (p74.)

Also in 1967, The MoD "...assembled a small team of experts drawn from the RAF and the Defence Intelligence Staff, who were placed on stand-by to make field investigations of credible reports." (p75.)

1980

The U.K. Government files on the Rendelsham Forst case were released in 2001, "They reveal the Defence Intelligence staff were unable to explain the sightings, but offered to follow up the unusual radiation readings described by Holt. " (p106.)

1985

Writing of English crop circles , "An Army team, led by Lieutenant Colonel G.J.B. Edgecombe, visited the field...Lieutenant Colonel Edgecombe's report and photographs were sent to the UFO desk and then on to the Defence Intelligence staff branch DI55..." (p113.)

1993

"...a RAF Wing Command, working for the Defence Intelligence Staff lobbied MoD officials at a Whitehall briefing on the need for a properly funded study of UFOs..." (p138.) "The Wing Commander said the key priority for the MoD was 'Technology Transfer,' which he explained in this way,'if the reports are taken at face value then devices exist that do not use conventional reaction propulsion systems, they have a very wide range of speeds and are stealthy. I suggest we could use this technology, if it exists.'" (p139.)

1996

"...senior intelligence officers...reluctantly agreed to earmark 50,000 pounds of public money from an existing defence contract for a UFO study." (p140.)

"The UFO study was hidden by the codename 'Project Condigm.' (p140.)

"Its foundation stone was a sample of UFO sightings taken from reports held in defence intelligence files." (p140.)

"A copy of the Condigm report was released under the Freedom of Information Act in 2006." (p141.)

"The 'Summary of findings' led the author to conclude that although UFOs, or 'UAPs' certainly existed, they posed no threat to defence..." (p143.)

"...the Condigm report's key recommendation was that UFOs had no intelligence value and that the Defence Intelligence Staff should cease to receive the reports..." (p145.)

"The completion of the Condigm report in 2000 brought to an end half a century of intelligence interest in UFOs that began officially in 1950 when Sir Henry Tizard asked the MoD to set up a Flying Saucer Working Party..." (p145.)

Is this the end? "In Britain the MoD's UFO desk continues to receive sightings and every year a small number are sent to the Directorate of Counter Terrorism and UK Operations for expert scrutiny. Today it is this branch that is responsible for the air defence of the UK, and their responsibility to decide if any UFO report should be investigated further..." (p146.)

In summary

"Today British intelligence agencies have washed their hands of UFOs while the MoD approaches the subject as more of a public relations than a defence problem." (p150.)

Comment:

To me, this book is an incredibly fascinating review of the U.K. Government's response to the UFO phenomenon. The approach of the intelligence agencies within the MoD is mirrored in the response of the Australian Government's Department of Defence's appraoch to UFOs. If readers have not yet read the final report of the five year long Disclosure Australia Project, I would urge you to do so. It can be found here.

If you have taken note of David Clarke's comments above you will experience a sense of 'deja vu" when reading the Australian experience.

Adelaide UFO seminar

Hi readers

Yesterday I attended the UFO seminar put on by AURA, the Australian UFO Research Association, in Adelaide, which I mentioned in a previous post.

The six hour event featured talks by Roger Koch; Bill Chalker and Keith Basterfield.

Roger's talk was titled "UFO phenomena: A riddle within an enigma" and opened with him showing the famous Hubble space telescope deep space image featuring an incredible number of galaxies, which means there are a awful lot of stars out there, with possible planets which might just support life. Roger's talk provided an overview of the UFO phenomenon, which would have satisfied the newcomer to the subject, as well as refreshed those of us who already have some knowledge.

Bill Chalker, over from Sydney, broke his presentation "An Alien Life" into two sessions, between which Keith Basterfield spoke. Bill's sessions covered his personal research in both Australia and Asia; and specifically his DNA research and the abduction phenomenon. He emphasised that real science can be undertaken into the subject, which was music to my own ears. The Peter Khoury "alien hair" analysis was excellent.

Keith Basterfield's presentation provided a number of personal tips on how one could retain a long term interest in the topic - covering such areas as read widely; take breaks from time to time; publish your research; and like Kylie Minogue or Madonna reinvent yourself from time to time.

All in all, the six hours flew by; I learnt a great deal about how to properly research the topic; and was delighted by the entire event.

The Extraterrestrial answer book

Dear readers

Sorry for my absence in the last week but the winter influenza bug struck! However, one good thing about an enforced period in bed is that you can still read. The book I have been digesting is "The Extraterrestrial Answer Book: UFOs; Alien Abductions and the coming ET Presence." The author is Jim Moroney. Published by Hampton Roads, Charlottesville, VA. ISBN 978-1-57174-620-7. 222 pages. 2009.

Moroney's experiences began in 1987 in Canada when "I began to have a strong premonition that the aliens were around and that our first physical contact might actually occur. " (p2.) This event followed an incident a few weeks before when, after a vehicle accident an image formed in his mind, of a human face. He also received a message "We're here to help you."

He describes pulling into a truck stop. A blue light shone on him and he became paralysed. (p6.) He noted that this "...paralysis as the same kind of paralysis that I had experienced at various points in my life-time." He felt he was out of the car "Suddenly I was back in the car and as the paralysis began to vanish, the lights began to move off to the right." (p8.)

Two months later he decided to undergo hypnosis which revealed that he travelled out of his car, accompanied "...by an excruciating pain..." (p11.) to find himself "Standing beside my car inside a 50 foot diameter, circular, amphitheater-type of room..." (p11.) Six, uniformed beings were present. They were 4.5 feet tall with large heads. Jim's response was to yell at them.

He asked if the being he had visualised, was on the ship and "...all six of them burst out laughing." (p12.) He was walked around the ship and then "I went through a series of painful medical procedures. " (p16.) He met two 9.5 feet tall alien in black uniforms and another being 5ft 2in tall in a beige outfit. Finally, he recalled being in his car.

This personal introduction is followed by an overview of the UFO phenomenon. Jim had begun "...searching for accounts made by other people who I thought were highly credible, and trying to relate their experiences to mine." (p55.) One of these people was Whitley Strieber.

The next section of the book looks at "Why abduct People Anyway?"; "Why take people at night"; "Who is chosen?"; "How many people are affected?"

At this point in the book he reveals that while on the ship he saw 70 beds, 20 of which "...were occupied by other people." (p63.) and "They built this huge craft specifically to deal with human beings." (p67.)

Jim does question "Are the Memories Real?" noting that "...most contact encounters take place in an altered state of consciousness." "It appears that during some contact episodes, the aliens induce a powerful alternate state of consciousness..." (p79.)

Later he moves on to the topic of implants "I do know that telling someone that an alien put something in my brain is pretty crazy." (p86.) "To my knowledge, no one has yet recovered any object from a contactee's body that has proved, without doubt, to be an implant." (p87.)

Through this section of the book he touches on other experiences of his own.

He explores "missing fetuses" and what the aliens are looking for "...at the core of the abduction phenomenon is the aliens struggling for a relationship." (p97.)

Wondering about the question of spirituality Jim states "Since at least part of the reason that the aliens are here is to initiate a rapid spiritual development in humans..." (p121.)

Chapter 7 is titled "Government." Noting the release of UFO files by some governments he says "...there will be individuals within the space agencies or that nation's military or government who are aware of the extraterrestrials." (p129.)

After pondering on the scientific method, and a search for physical evidence Jim poses the question "Are you a contactess?" (p176.) He points to a number of "symptoms" which may suggest an individual is contactee.

In closing, Jim asks "What can ordinary people do?" His response include "Demand the truth" from Government and "...ask for objective press coverage."

Comment:

I previously posted on a full length book by Mike Oram, an English contactee. This book by Jim Moroney also provides an in-depth look at an abductee/contactee. I am troubled by the lack of depth in his exploration of his paralysis episodes. He does not provide the reader with any current medical knowledge of sleep paralysis, which might cast a far different perspective on his paralysis.

Jim is however to be congratulated for his willingness to tell his story to the world, which gives readers such as me, an opportunity to decide for themself what interpretation to place on his account.