For UFO Study? - The Black Vault

~ Coifflon Eeportt
Dr - H y nek > who heads the Department of
Astronomy at Northwestern University and
(Continued from page 40)
also is Director of the' Dearborn Observato
investigate those cases more thoroughly tory, did not want to comment prematurely
they could probably be explained on reason- on the Condon Report. But he did tell me
able terms?
one thing: "It seems to me that if you really
"Yes," Dr. McDonald admitted. "He read Dr. Condon's recommendations carestates
that. But since he has not explained fully, you'll find that they're not as hidethem
and since he has had at his disposal bound as the newspaper reports make them
. half a million dollars to do so and also since out to be. And that, I think, is something
there are large numbers of similar rniex- < that should be emphasized." -
• plained cases that he hasn't confronted at The Report also stated that believers in
all, that old ploy—familiar to anyone who's UFOs as well as UFO-sighting reports are
followed Project Blue Book's statements on of special interest to "the social scientist and
the problem—is quite unsatisfactory." communications specialist." Additionally, the
'Dr. McDonald continues: "My study of Report includes this sentence: "Scientists
the Report, up to the present, indicates that with adequate training and credentials who
the actual contents by no means warrant the do come up with a clearly defined, specific
negative conclusions that Condon has proposal (for the study of the UFO phestressed.
And the press has now picked up nomena) should be supported." In other
those conclusions." Here, again, Dr. Me- words, Dr. Condon's study does not rule out
Donald concurs with Dr. Saunders. But he future scientific investigation of the problem -
also disagrees mildly with the Colorado —provided that a recognized scientist or
scientist: "Actually, in fairness to Condon group of scientists can present-an effective
and in fairness to the state of the problem, scientific case for their investigation,
it's disappointing that virtually no reporters Yet obviously, Dr. Condon himself does
gave, any attention to the proviso that Dr. not feel this would be possible. For in the
Condon has written into the concluding Report he writes: "Our general conclusion
chapter of the Report, that proviso being is that nothing has come from the -study of
that there are still certain unsettled problems UFOs in the past 21 years that has added
of atmospheric physics and radar propaga- to scientific knowledge. Further extensive
tiori through the atmosphere—and these do study of UFOs probably cannot be justified
warrant support by existing scientific agen- in the expectation that science will be adcies
because they're intertwined with reports vanced thereby."
of unidentified flying phenomena.
Is this a healthy scientific attitude? I
"But nobody in any editorial of the press asked Dr. McDonald what his thoughts were
—and I've read about fifteen such editorials on this question. "No," he said. "No, I don't
so far—or in any news story based upon the believe it is. But here I'd rather be quoted
.Report—including Walter Sullivan's stories in Science & Mechanics as speaking for
in The New York Times—has made note myself alone. Materially, I think the Report
of or stressed this important proviso at all. is not an open-minded analysis of the case.
And I think that it's an anchor to windward I don't think it's a good thing. I think it's
that Condon has placed in his Report be- a mixed bag. It has many sections that are
cause, scientist that he is, he is aware that done in a workmanlike fashion that are kind
there are some really puzzling elements to of unrelated to the crucial questions that tho
the UFO problem. Everybody seems to be Condon Committee was asked to consider.
forgetting that it was his scientific instincts In a half-dozen well-done chapters there'ls
that caused him to include this proviso in no reference to UFOs at all. These chapters
the Report.
discuss the scientific purpose of releasing
"The proviso is actually discussed at some various kinds of balloons into the atmos-
. length, but the difficulty with its positive phere, the optics of mirages, radar-propastand
is that it is sandwiched in between gation anomalies and so forth. If you wanted
such emphatically negative points, the rest to be carping about it, you could say that
of the whole chapter is so negative, that it these chapters are 'padding' because, alseems
to have been lost on most -writers." though they are interesting and informative,
In agreement with this was Dr. J. Allen they don't contribute a thing to the main
Hynek, who for some 20 years has been subject of UFOs. They do contribute to a
scientific consultant to Project Blue Book, saleable book, since they contain good ref-
86 SCIENCE & MECHANICS