For UFO Study? - The Black Vault

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letters from the approximately 400Q initial Reports. Of the 2199 reports, the partel, such as those made by Condon and m deemed 213 (9.7%) as excellent sighting I self/ 757 (34.5%) as good, 794 (36%) as doubtful From time to-time, newspapers carry and 435 (19.8%) as poor sightings. Each stories headlined about as follows: reliability group was further analyzed to "UFO's Gaining More Attention Among • determine what fraction could be ex- Scientists." The story may sound con- plained, for example, astronomically or as vincing, except when one reads the names balloons. The findings were remarkable, of the individuals promoting the idea or Of the 213 excellent sightings, 33.3% .participating in some scientific confer- remained unidentified after evaluation. . ence, one will find that the propaganda Similarly, 24.8% of the good reports reoriginates again and again from the same mained unknown, while only 16.6% of the group of dedicated ufologists, trying to poor and 13% of the doubtful sightings drum up financial support for their in- were unexplained. In other words, the vestigations. more reliable the sighting, the more un- Letus keep PHYSICS TODAY for science likely that the object could be identified! and not for mysticism. If we are to open One quarter to one third of the best its columns to ufology, why not to astrol- sightings remained a mystery. And good ogy, a current fad even more popular than and excellent sightings comprised nearly UFO's in their day? What about alche- one-half of the total number evaluated my? The N-rays, the Allison Effect, during that period. Mitogenetic Radiation, and hundreds of However, there was not any follow up. other once popular fads? The phenom- Nowhere in the text was this figure even enon of the UFO is not "baffling," except discussed. The study merely concluded to those whose wish to believe in the re- that "a critical examination of the figures ality of the phenomenon amounts almost will show that no trends, patterns or corto a religious mania. relations are to be found..." Criteria for If this note appears in "Letters," I reliability estimates are not mentioned. predict that "Party Liners" will send The summary released to the press did vigorous protests^ perhaps citing the no- not discuss that analysis. Rather, it torious boo-boo of the French Academy mentioned that since 1954, better invesin 1790, when they refused to recognize tigation had reduced the ratioof the total the cosmic origin of meteorites—a deci- number of unidentifieds to the total sion they reversed only 13 years later. I number of sightings to 3% (it quoted 9% most certainly do not wish to hinder !e- es the&gure for 1953 to 1954). We must gitiuiate scientific inquiry. But I see conclude tn&ttoitrier the number of "unnothing in UFO's that merits the con- identifieds" had actually been high but tinuing support—moral or financial— decreased or that more sightings were now eagerly sought by the ufological fraternity, being vectored into the category "insuf- For reliable information on the subject, I ficient information." The above trend commend the recent book, UFO's Ex- was simply ignored. plained, by Philip J. Klass, published by .-,' Others, beside Menzgl, had access to Random House. . official UFO files. Edward Ruppelt, Di- DONALD H. MENZEL rector of Project Blue Book from 1951 to Center for Astrophysics 1.953, writes 2 "to one who is intimately Cambridge, Massachusetts familiar with UFO history it is clear that . Project Grudge (the second USAF project, 1949 to 1951) had a two-phase THE AUTHOR COMMENTS: Itisunfor-' program of UFO annihilation. The first tunate that Donald' Menzel chooses to phase consisted of explaining every litapromulgate the view that UFO's are only /j cs added] UFO report. The second dealt with by a small, clandestine group phase was to tell the public how the Air of "avid ufologists" and "believers." It is Force had solved all the sightings. This, precisely the attitude that PHYSICS Project Grudge reasoned, would put an TODAY should refrain from publishing end to UFO reports." Ruppelt goes on to UFO material that has relegated such quote an Air Force colonel, whom he dereports to folklore and the popular press, scribes as directing the UFO project in Without opportunity for the exchange of 1950, as saying "it's all a bunch of damned information in which some confidence nonsense ... there's rio |uch thing as a ( may be taken, half truths and cultists flying saucer." The ctftonel felt that "all flourish. people who saw flying saucers were jokers, If there is something in UFO reports crackpots or publicity hounds." Pilots worth studying, why has nothing surfaced who saw UFO's "were just fatigued" (see over the past 28 years? pages 84 and 108-112)., Most reports In 1^55, tjie Air Force released a study 1 ., .Jndicate otherwise. $?• . > « of the reports'received between June 1947 This type of bias cannfc precipitate a and December 1952. Contained within, strong, impartial examination of whatever figure 8 shows the "Distribution of Object facts have accrued. It indicates a sur- Sightings by Sighting Reliability Groups prising attitude for an investigative body, with Evaluation Distributions for Each I chose to criticize Condon for similar ut- Group," based upon 2199 cases selected J^ continued on page 76 . ;.*•
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Page 4 and 5: And finally, this remark from the i
Page 6 and 7: several former members Scientist Ca
Page 8 and 9: Tlying Saucer Hysteria' Over, Scien
Page 10 and 11: o-iN i.A^!l N ;:ttil&Iit IOV3) blJ&
Page 12 and 13: to know about everything that -. go
Page 14 and 15: The REGISTER Wednesday, March 27, ;
Page 16 and 17: • f»n- IIFtfV-al ,»33?^ A^LJ^kh
Page 18 and 19: the position and length of shadows
Page 20 and 21: p o - ..... Sun., Jan. 19, 1969 SIL
Page 22 and 23: i? ; 'Friday, January 10, 1969 'On
Page 24 and 25: • UFO Report Rejects Nonterrestna
Page 26 and 27: i • . : ' • . ' . . • • . '
Page 28 and 29: ; . , By Neal Stanford -.'; •' ,
Page 30 and 31: The Arizona Republic 9 Phoenix;, Sa
Page 32 and 33: * ,..^\,~"'^ &-•/•: ' An army p
Page 34 and 35: p I- TO A Sun., Nov. 17,1968 ; ,ST
Page 36 and 37: ST.LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Sun -. J»*-
Page 38 and 39: ) f -i969-Green Boy Press-Gazette..
Page 40 and 41: I • • - " •'. ,' • •' ,__
Page 42 and 43: '.THE NEW YORK TIMES, FRIDAY, JANUA
Page 46 and 47: iaiii^a^^ 0 * * • • " . : . •
Page 48 and 49: sea ma eos, am C9SRMQ57 I APRIL 196
Page 50 and 51: Chester Buchanan checks photo analy
Page 52 and 53: Strange items of UFO lore like "spa
Page 54 and 55: English UFO hoaxers exhibit mold th
Page 56 and 57: HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS ISSUE: OCTOBER 1
Page 58 and 59: The glow in the sky in upper right-
Page 60 and 61: arc, created when a wet branch slap
Page 62 and 63: A DAVIS PUBLICATION VOL. 40, NO. 5;
Page 64 and 65: upon it, few scientists would dare
Page 66 and 67: ~ Coifflon Eeportt Dr - H y nek > w
Page 68 and 69: "^erence*material—but that's all.

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