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The Way of the Explorer
flying fraternity of the harassment, ridicule, and other difficulties suffered
by those who did claim such sightings.
Claims and denials have continued unabated for decades. At the time
of this book, however, there has yet been no hard, undeniable, physical
evidence available in the public domain to substantiate such claims. But
the circumstantial evidence has continued to mount as unusual sightings
and bizarre events are reported and investigated by credentialed professionals.
A significant number of persons, many quite elderly, formerly in
military intelligence and government service, have privately dropped intriguing
pieces of their stories on the ears of serious investigators, in hopes
of getting the true story revealed, and in hopes of achieving amnesty from
tough, punitive secrecy oaths they were forced to sign. In addition, certain
documents from the presidencies of Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower
have surfaced that add to the controversy about ET visitation and government
cover-up. In this intriguing environment of claims, counterclaims, and
denial, one might easily conjecture that even SETI, although it enjoys a
certain scientific respectability today not in evidence when originally
funded, was initially advanced as a smokescreen and diversion from the
real activities taking place behind the scenes. Garnering funds and political
support for an advanced science project is nearly impossible without
strong concurrence in the scientific community, and there was no strong
scientific support in the 1960s.