Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact - Above Top Secret

meeting of the space committee of the Senate pondered the question first and decided quickly thatNASA should not get involved. The space agency had its public image to preserve and declined tohave anything to do with the subject. So they handed this hot potato to the armed forces committeeof the House.Early in April 1966, the Secretary of the Air Force was reported to be in favor of a scientificanalysis of the 648 cases classified as "unidentified" at that time in the Blue Book files. Late thatmonth, the governor of Florida and several reporters saw an unknown flying object from thegovernor's private plane. These reports created a stir, but the outrage over the Michigan incident hadalready subsided. It was almost two months old and no longer newsworthy. An official coverup wasfalling back into place. A television documentary carried the debunking of the subject to newheights: it showed Harvard astronomer Donald Menzel pouring some benzine over a tankful ofacetone to demonstrate optical properties that were common knowledge since the eighteenthcentury. He was trying to convince the audience that UFOs were nothing but mirages. "Let meknow next time it rains benzine, will you?" I asked my wife. "We'll go out and watch the flyingsaucers!"Menzel's number was followed by a classical interview with a "contactee" who was relied upon toprovide comic relief by describing his meetings with the "space brothers." His edited statementsseemed to be carefully chosen to make him look as crazy as possible. In contrast with this man, thenext interview was an impressive discussion with another astronomer who stated with authority thatextraterrestrial visitations were extremely improbable. The documentary also contained aninterview with a military officer who stated that no UFOs were ever detected on radar screens andan interview with an astronomer who declared that no UFOs were ever seen or photographed bysatellite tracking stations.Both statements were outright lies. It is true that radar never "sees" UFOs, but that is only becausemilitary operators call them something else! In their jargon they speak of UCTs, "uncorrelatedtargets." At the time the documentary was shown, the Western Defense System was recording aboutseven hundred of these baffling UCTs per month! There had even been a suggestion by a highlyrespected astronomer that the military modify their computer program to gather information aboutthese UCTs rather than ignoring them because they didn't fit the trajectory of incoming missilies.The suggestion was not implemented.Scared ScientistsWhy are scientists remaining silent? Many astronomers must know what I knew from my days atParis Observatory, namely that we were tracking unidentified objects and even photographing them.Were professional scientists afraid of the emotional reaction their statements might trigger in agenerally uninformed and credulous public? Or were they simply afraid of losing their reputations?Whatever the reason, it could not justify the deliberate destruction of scientific data. Even the ideaof not saying anything that might cause fear did not hold water. The Michigan incident proved thatfear could spread much faster, and with much more destructive effects, among a population that hadbeen kept systematically ignorant of the facts. Child psychologists know very well that it is better toprepare the child for the idea that his grandfather is not going to live forever than to let him discoverit when death suddenly strikes. Similarly, by denying the existence of the mystery the scientificcommunity is taking serious chances with the belief system of the public. In my opinion, suchattitudes have contributed to the long-term loss of popular support and respect for science, and theseattitudes continue to be one of the factors that drives the public toward the many cults, which plaguethis field.Throughout that period much was happening under the surface, however. We began receiving lettersand phone calls from specialists who wanted to participate in the investigation of the phenomenon.In his absorbing book The UFO Experience, Dr. Hynek has described how this little group grewduring the late sixties and early seventies. If this network ever decided to become visible, a brilliant