NEWS 20/05/08
MoD File Release
We’ve had the usual onslaught of media demands about the recent release of 8 MoD UFO files to the National Archives (with 150 more to come over the next 4 years), as previously mentioned in a news update on this site in February. There’s not a lot to be said about this, other than that all the files due to be released will have been classed as of “no defence significance” – that’s why they’re being put in the public domain. Be assured, there will be no proof of flying saucers amongst this lot. They differ little from the more than 7,000 files that BUFORA has in its archives, with one possible exception – most of our cases have been investigated and evaluated, most of the MoD’s have not. Whilst items will be of interest to UFO historians, one cannot help but believe that this is a typical exercise in PR and practical expedience on the part of the Ministry. Log onto http://ufos.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ for further reading.
Brazilian Disclosure?
In a swift follow-on from the excitement about the alleged UN disclosure meeting earlier this year, a senior Brazilian military has come out openly and asked for “disclosure” in an interview with A. J Gevaerd, editor of the Brazilian UFO Magazine. Below is a transcript of the first part of this interview – hopefully we’ll get the second part at a later date.
Click here to read interview part 1
REVIEW 20/05/08
Alien Worlds – The Search for Extra –Terrestrial Intelligence
Finally, a new newsstand publication has arrived in the form of “Alien Worlds”, edited and published by Stuart Miller, long-time independent ufologist and commentator. His stated remit is to produce copy that reflects his three areas of interest – UFOs, SETI and astrobiology, a format that the late UFO Magazine (UK), I’m sure inadvertently, adopted when they ran out of decent UFO material. This is different, however... it’s actually quite interesting.
There are articles and interviews form the usual suspects such as Nick Pope, Nick Redfern and David Clarke, but also essays and comments from less well-known researchers in the astronomy, cosmology and exobiology fields, and contributions in ufology from non-British names such as Paul Kimball and Chris Rutkowski.
I must admit to being more partial to issue #2 (April/May) wherein may be found a fascinating article by Aeolus Kephas (obviously a pseudonym and an interesting mix of ancient languages) about Whitley Strieber and what makes this guy “tick”. There’s a touch of anthropology and palaeontology, an interview with John Lundberg on circle-making and his latest film on Richard Doty (of “the aviary” fame) and an equally interesting interview with Paul Devereux on earthlights, cognitive archaeology and consciousness study, Paul being his usual mildly dismissive and arrogant self.
There are readers’ letters and articles, book reviews and even a “spot the UFO“ competition. In fact it’s a pretty good mixture of this and that, both serious and light-hearted and is visually attractive, with good graphics on quality glossy paper. Stuart is producing this magazine single-handedly, so due respect is given. It’s certainly worth a trip to your local newsagent, price £3.99.
Alternatively you may contact Stuart directly for subscription information (worldwide, but UK cheque account only) on his website: www.alienworldsmag.com. Postal address: Alien Worlds, The New House, Church Bank, Richmond Road, Bowdon, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 3NW, UK.
Couple of minor gripes: I’d prefer more essay formats rather than so many interviews, and perhaps a more robust look at proof-reading might be in order.
Judy Jaafar
19/3/08 NEWS
BUFORA: The UFO community, especially in the States, has been buzzing with the story that a secret meeting took place in February at the UN to discuss imminent alien disclosure. It appears the original story may have emanated from a Michael Salla source (Michael Salla is a US commentator involved in "exopolitics"). The whole thing sounded fishy, right from the beginning. I've included comments from reputable American researchers, but have removed their email addresses. Let's hope this dialogue nips yet another "UFO disclosure story" in the bud. The actual author of this first web report is unknown - his name was not included in the forwarded copy of this report. Here's the gist of it:
United Nations May Recognize Alien UFO Visits
Mr. Gilles Lorant an attaché to the French (CNRS- National Center for Scientific Research ) and a member Institute of Advanced Studies for National Defense (IHEDN - the French Organization that produced the 1999 COMETA Report concerning UFOs) has revealed he participated in meetings the week of February 11, 2008, at the United Nations to discuss UFOs. What follows is a summary report of the UN meetings based on Lorant’s testimony that appears in a newsletter of the FEA and is available in the original French at: http://www.federation-airplane.eu/site/fr/nouvelles/newsletter/suite.php?newsid=70
Mr. Gilles Lorant, reports that on February 12, the US Air Force and the National Guard presented a report on the subject of the UFOs to numerous nations on the consequences of UFO demonstrations on many communities in the United States. This report is regarded as general interest for all industrialized countries; and representatives of several countries were invited to assist with the presentation. Then, at the request of three American senators, a cycle of three meetings followed in the presence of forty representatives of the twenty eight Member States including the Vatican (two nations did not send representatives).
Over these two days, the subject of the UFO was tackled during meetings discussing the causes which can affect the social balance of a nation, and considered the strong probability of economic recession. The attendees were worried about charlatans, religious prophecies and the effects on certain scientists. The meetings were very concerned about social upheaval from continued UFO sightings and the testimonies of individuals claiming to have firsthand knowledge about UFO’s, extraterrestrial life, and future global events. It was reported that adverse public reactions to UFO sightings could have a dramatic economic impact that could lead to recession in some countries.
The UN discussions appeared to match concerns identified in both the 1953 Robertson Panel and the 1961 Brookings Report to the U.S. Congress, over ramifications of UFO reports and the eventual discovery of extraterrestrial life. The year 2009, was raised as the year when an important change in official attitudes concerning the UFO phenomenon could be made. This suggested that the official debunking policy underway since 1953, would be abandoned and more serious study of the UFO phenomenon would occur. This indicated an important policy shift where the study of UFO’s would be officially encouraged. However, certain global conditions would have to be met for the official opening. Most important appeared to be social stability in G-8 countries and the maintenance of liberal democratic systems in developing nations. Lorant also suggested that an official opening in attitudes would only occur if UFO sightings continued to occur at present levels.
This raises the possibility that those presenting information on UFOs/extraterrestrial life deemed to threaten national stability or financial systems, would receive special attention by national security agencies. The meetings results suggest that an official change in government policy from ‘debunking’ to ‘openness’ concerning UFO’s would lead to official approval to narrowly define study of the UFO phenomenon. Those claiming to have firsthand experience of extraterrestrial life would be targeted as charlatans. The UN meeting thereby suggested continuation of policies aimed at exploiting divisions in the UFO community between researchers advocating a strictly scientific study of the UFO phenomenon, and those wishing to discuss testimonies/documentation concerning extraterrestrial life visiting Earth.
Mr. Gilles Lorant’s testimony suggests that governments are being driven to a more open approach to the UFO phenomenon due to the recent increase in sightings. An opening which would take place under two conditions:
1) From here to the end of 2009, that social peace in the G8 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) remains in effect.Together, these countries represent about 65% of the world economy.
2) From here to the end of 2009, that UFO demonstrations persist throughout the world.
Moreover, it was discussed what to do if a non -aligned nation decided to precede the countries joined together on the officialization of the subject.
He states, "The environment was perfectly serious the participants were even implicitly grateful to the presence of "our alien neighbors" in our environment.
Conclusion: The suggestion which was advanced by UN, with the representatives of 28 nations, during these exchanges, is of capital importance for the public recognition of the subject. Thanks to the Newsletter No. 4 of the F.E.A, 25.02.2008 Posted by Jean-Jacques Yvars and Lamar James …
Editor's Note: Expect more revelations concerning UFOs, the ridicule game is starting to crumble as more respected individuals and countries report their UFO sightings. All non-government Ufology research operates on a budget smaller than your local Pizza Shop. Donations to the key research facilities are miniscule. Bill Gates gave billions to India, Obama and 'Clinton received almost $50 million apiece last month to run TV ads for their election. I suggest UFO research is more important than political ads, yet every researcher I'm in touch with is given a few hundred dollars a year at most to carry out his research.
It is apparent a reconnaissance of the Earth is underway by an alien force. My indications are that some aliens are friendly and others may not be. It is time to help Ufology. Your future may depend on it.
BUFORA:
A day later I received a link to an article, where Richard Hoagland is briefed on secret goings-on by Robert Morningstar. Hmm! Copy and paste into your browser: http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0308/briefinghoagland.html
Now here's some further, sensible research on the matter, as posted in an open letter to the UFO community at large:
From: ted roe
Date: March 10, 2008 11:21:25 PM CDT
To: Victor Martinez
Subject: Re: UFO Community: UN Denies meetings took place...have we been suckered?!
Victor,
I do not have the ability to reply to everyone on this list but you may forward this if it is helpful.
I became involved with this discussion on a private list and when I replied to a question regarding my opinion about Michael Salla's crediblity, that response was unscrupulously forwarded to Mr. Salla. Even though it was a private conversation Mr. Salla forced his way into the conversation and accused me of character assassination, sloppy research, etc... I warned him that spreading hearsay first without doing research to verify his claims was not the way to build credibility and his response fell far short of his claims of being an expert at conflict resolution.
Neither myself nor NARCAP have any opinion about aliens or disclosures or UN meetings regarding UFOs though we do have some opinions about making unfounded commentary and the effects of wild claims on the credibility of those who are diligently engaged in careful research.
It is interesting how the story has morphed from Salla's original claim that a disclosure is imminent and an overt alien presence is anticipated in 2013 or 2017 to a claim by Msr Gilles Lorant whose claims are eerily reminiscent of Dr. Vallee's presentation to the UN in 1978 - a public presentation....
It is in the interest of reminding everyone how important it is to keep beliefs in check and follow the rules that are understood by science and journalists when it comes to making claims that I am participating in this discussion at all.
I contacted Dr. Vallee regarding this UN meeting and Msr Gilles Lorant's claims and have provided an introduction and his responses below.
Ted Roe
Executive Director
NARCAP
Hello,
NARCAP EAC member Dr. Jacques Vallee has extensive experience with the UFO matter both inside and outside of government including the United Nations. So I contacted him regarding Michael Salla's claim of a "Secret UN meeting" regarding UFOS that allegedly took place in February of 2008. I asked Dr. Vallee specifically if he knew anything about Gilles Lorant and if he could shed any light on this story.
His comments are below.
To put it simply, Msr. Gilles Lorant is not what Michael Salla claims that he is.
So now we are left with determining the true roots of this story. Michael Salla claims that it arose from the Pickering brothers so the question arises regarding where they acquired it and the veracity of their source.
I contend, and I am sure that many experienced researchers will agree, that such materials need to be thoroughly verified before they are placed in the public domain.
We have watched this story shift from claims of impending "disclosure" and an overt alien presence in 2013 or 2017 to a description that seemed eerily reminicent of Dr. Vallee's own presentation to the United Nations in 1978. While the story has shifted several times, Michael Salla has yet to retract his various claims.
Hopefully the information below will enlighten Michael Salla and others who may be taking this story to heart and he will make a public retraction of this story, cite the fraudulent claims of Gilles Lorant and take steps to protect his credibility.
This type of situation is unfortunate and underscores the need for caution and for verification of information before publishing it. Credibility is everything in this field and it is very, very easy to damage one's own credibility beyond repair.
Ted Roe
From NARCAP EAC member Dr. Jacques Vallee:
Dear Ted:
My friends in France can find no trace of Lorant at CNRS. He now claims he was an "auditor" at IHEDN but is now beyond the age limit.
You'll notice that the story speaks of "the Secret UN Meeting" even though it appears to have been a routine mid-level gathering (non-secret) to prepare an administrative conference. The manipulation is becoming obvious. My advice is to stay away from it.
It seems to me this story is falling apart but the structure is very interesting -- along the lines of a psywar rumor process or what is known around the Internet as a "meme war":
1. You make up a really intriguing story that seems very legitimate by including respected names: UN, French Ambassador, DSK etc. and precise dates.
2. You leave it full of holes so that people will come up with questions, thus revealing who is interested and why.
3. You imply great secrecy, thus dangling new bits of mystery.
4. You slowly retract the story (since a lot of it was made up in the first place out of pure imagination) but you point to a legitimate-looking person (Lorant) who was there.
5. The legitimate-looking person (whose credentials don't check out) "reveals" more details but does not confirm the earlier story, thus gaining additional credibility and "dangling" new information.
6. Legitimate journalists reinforce the apparent story by trying to follow this new trail.
7. You throw in new intriguing names like Ted Kennedy and John McCain through new anonymous sources "who could be in danger if they revealed their names..." thus seducing more recognizable researchers into revealing their interest...
8. You use the Internet to circulate the whole mess to an increasing circle of people, hoping to create a mass effect.
9. At that point, any official denial of the story (or part of it) sounds like a cover-up or skeptical reaction, enabling you to claim that you are the victim of disinformation, etc. etc.
All very clever. Feel free to circulate my analysis. I'd like to know what other people think of this.
Jacques Vallee
Ted:
Oddly enough, some of the arguments of the alleged UN report are similar (although exaggerated) to the testimony I presented quite officially before the political committee of the UN in 1978, along with Dr. Hynek, Claude Poher, Gordon Cooper, Stanton Friedman and a few others in attendance. The meeting was non-secret (it was in fact open to the public and press) and widely reprinted. Therefore I don't even grasp what Messrs. Salla, Lorant etc. are claiming in terms of new information, or why there would be such a pretense of great urgency and secrecy.
Last minute information: Gilles Lorant has been forced to resign from the FEA in France and has confessed that he was not and had never been associated with the IHEDN, which told him in no uncertain terms he would be brought into Court (such false claims and misrepresentation expose you to 100,000 euro fines, plus time in jail in France) unless he made it clear he had no such status.
So the whole thing has collapsed.
Jacques Vallee
Andre Skondras writes:
Victor,
I recieved this email this am and it is clear that the UN does not acknowledge that this meeting took place.
Ted Roe
From: inquiries2 inquiries2@un.org
Date: Mon 10 Mar 2008 17:11:57 GMT+01:00
To:
Subject: Re: Fwd: UN Meeting on UFOs???
Greetings from the UN Public Inquiries Team.
As far as we are aware of there was no meeting concerning UFO's at the United Nations. Attached below are the Journals for those days which lists all the meetings that took place:
Best regards,
Public Inquiries Unit
Public Relations Section
Department of Public Information
United Nations
inquiries2@un.org
BUFORA: I know some people will believe this whole event to be fabricated nonsense, others may find Morningstar's testimony to be compelling, and disbelieve the UN's denials. Still others will see the hand of shady agencies, social-engineering and a "false flag" type operation, as alluded to by Henry Kissinger some time back, as part of a global deception and control agenda. Well, as far as I'm concerned, when it comes to world-shattering claims like this, "the proof of the pudding................," and all that.
Judy Jaafar
06/02/2008 NEWS
Some sad news, I'm afraid, to start off the new year. Our good friend, and one of ufology's more congenial characters, Georgina Bruni, died on January 19th after a long struggle with cancer. Her book, You Can't Tell the People (Sidgwick & Jackson, 2000) was Georgina's attempt to examine and come to some conclusion about one of Britain's most enduring UFO mysteries, the Rendlesham Forest incident of December 1980.
Georgina and I rarely agreed about anything ufological, but that didn't stop us being friends who spent many a happy, champagne-filled hour together discussing topics as diverse as Satanism in the British Establishment (the projected subject of her next book until she discovered all the doors previously open to her were now mystifyingly slammed in her face), designs for racy ladies' underwear and how to put out a "hit" on an errant spouse (she was also a fashion designer and private investigator, amongst other things). She was kind, enormously amusing, compassionate and endearingly vulnerable beneath the professional PR consultant veneer, and I for one will greatly miss her peals of earthy laughter, still ringing strong even when she knew she was dying. It seems clichéd to say that she faced death (and life) with courage and dignity, but that is exactly what she did. I don't doubt she'll be keeping them all laughing wherever she is now.
Judy Jaafar
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Possibly attendant on my appeal for volunteers for the Postal Training Course a few months back, we've received many enquiries from potential candidates, five of whom are now at varying stages of starting or completion. One of those nearing completion is a woman, I'm pleased to add, and it looks like she'll be a great asset to the Association, bringing with her valuable technical skills.
The upsurge in reports we had over the middle part of 2007 has tailed off again, back to the normal steady trickle of two a week, on average. It's not surprising, really - the weather is just too darned cold and miserable for mucking about with Chinese lanterns! However, according to the new Birmingham UFO group just recently set up, they're seeing a veritable plethora of black triangles in the Midlands area. If anyone reading this has seen such activity, we'd be happy to hear from you. Triangles have been a feature of Midlands/North (and some other places too) reports for a very long time now, which suggests to me that they are operating out of military bases in the area. Back in the '80s and '90s the local populace near Machrihanish (Mull of Kintyre) were regularly treated to displays of silent black triangles coming in from the Atlantic and landing on a runway which then descended into the ground, offloaded its cargo and then replaced itself back on the surface. Some witnesses also averred that they had seen triangular craft dive into the sea and (presumably) make their way into the base through a sub- marine entrance. They were also allegedly seen to exit the same way. I cannot vouch for the latter details, but certainly exotic-looking silent craft were seen to use the base flightline in a conventional way. Several investigators known to me suddenly decided to take up golf at the time, as the golf course was adjacent to the MoD property and was the closest one could get to the base without arousing suspicion. Believe me, there are lots of strange goings-on in remote areas of Scotland, but I doubt if any of them is related to an ET presence. The government, of course, is quite happy for people to think otherwise. And talking about the government.....................
Below is the MoD webpage dealing with the Cosford Incident of March 1993. It comprises a two-part downloadable PDF document, and makes for quite interesting reading. The document was made available through FoIA requests.
www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/PublicationScheme/SearchPublicationScheme/UnidentifiedFlyingObjectsufoCosfordIncident1993.htm
The MoD is gradually releasing 160 UFO files (from the '70s till 2007) to the National Archive, Kew, starting in spring 2008. This action is in response to the huge number of enquiries they are having to deal with from members of the public utilising the FoIA. It takes time and man hours to retrieve files for individual enquirers, so the Ministry has decided to effect this block release to the public, and thereafter all enquirers will be directed to the NA where they will have to pay for copies of any documents that might be of interest. Below is a list of the files that will be released.
DAS (Directorate of Air Staff) FILES FOR RELEASE Spring 2008
Prefix File Number Part Title
D/DS8/ 10/209/1 C General Briefs & Reports, UFO Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/1 A Unidentified Flying Objects - Policy
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 A Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 B Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 C Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 D Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 E Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 F Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 G Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 H Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 I Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 J Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 K Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 L Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 M Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 N Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2 O Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Reports
D/Sec(AS) 12/2/1 A UFOs Report of Sighting Rendlesham Forest December 1981
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 A Unidentified Flying Objects - Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 B Unidentified Flying Objects Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 C Unidentified Flying Objects Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 D Unidentified Flying Objects - Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 E Unidentified Flying Objects Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 F Unidentified Flying Objects Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 G Unidentified Flying Objects - Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 H Unidentified Flying Objects Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 I Unidentified Flying Objects Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 J Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) - Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 K Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 L Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 M Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) - Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 N Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 O Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 P Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) - Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 Q Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/3 R Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 12/4 A Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) Parliamentary Questions & Enquiries
D/Sec(AS) 12/4 B UFOs Parliamentary Questions & Enquiries
D/Sec(AS) 12/5 A Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) - Close Encounters, Alien Entities, Abductions
D/Sec(AS) 12/6 A Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) Alleged UFO Incident Crash of Lightning F6 8 Sep 70
D/Sec(AS) 12/7 A Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) - Incident 31 March 1993
D/DAS
(Sec) 64/1 A UFOs Policy
D/DAS
(Sec) 64/1 B UFOs Policy
D/DAS
(Sec) 64/1 C UFOs Policy
D/DAS
(Sec) 64/1 D UFOs Policy
D/Sec(AS) 64/2 H UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/Sec(AS) 64/2 I UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/Sec(AS) 64/2 J UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS
(Sec) 64/2 K Unidentified Flying Objects Sighting reports
D/DAS
(Sec) 64/2 L UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS
(Sec) 64/2 M UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS/ 64/2 N UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS/ 64/2 O UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS/ 64/2 P UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS/ 64/2 Q UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS/ 64/2 R UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS/ 64/2 S UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS/ 64/2 T UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/DAS/ 64/2 U UFOs UFO Sighting Reports
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 A UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 B UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 C UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 D UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 E UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 F UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 G UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 H UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 I UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 J UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 K UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 L UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 M UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 N UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 O UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 P UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 Q UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 R UFOs Public Correspondence
D/Sec(AS) 64/3 S UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 T UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 U UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 V UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 W UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 X UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 Y UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 Z UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 AA UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 AB UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 AC UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 64/3 AD UFOs Public Correspondence & Requests for Information
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/1 A UFOs - Public Correspondence - Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/1 B UFOs Public Correspondence Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/2 A UFOs Public Correspondence Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/3 A UFOs - Public Correspondence - Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/4 A UFOs Public Correspondence Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/5 A UFOs Public Correspondence Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/6 A UFOs - Public Correspondence - Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
-
-
D/DAS/ 64/3/12 A UFOs - Public Correspondence - Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
D/DAS/ 64/3/13 A UFOs Public Correspondence Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/14 A UFOs Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/15 A UFOs - Persistent Correspondent - XXXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/15 B UFOs Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/3/16 A UFOs Persistent Correspondent XXXXXXXXXXX
D/Sec(AS) 64/4 A UFOs Parliamentary Questions & Enquiries
D/Sec(AS) 64/4 B UFOs Parliamentary Questions & Enquiries
D/Sec(AS) 64/4 C UFOs PQs/Pes
D/Sec(AS) 64/4 D UFOs PQs/Pes
D/Sec(AS) 64/4 E UFOs PQs/Pes
D/Sec(AS) 64/4 F UFOs PQs/Pes
D/DAS
(Sec) 64/4 G UFOs PQs/Pes
D/Sec(AS) 64/5 A UFOs Press Cuttings
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 A FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 B FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 C FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 D FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 E FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 F FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 G FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 H FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 I FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 J FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 K FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 L FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 M FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 N FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 O FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 P FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 Q FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 R FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 S FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 T FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 U FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 V FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 W FOI Requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 X Freedom of Information - Requests for Information
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 Y FOI Requests for Information requests
D/DAS/ 10/2/8/13 Z FOI Requests for Information requests
DIS (Defence Intelligence) FILES FOR RELEASE
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/32 UFO - Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/34 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/35 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/36 A UFO - Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/36 B UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/37 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/38 UFO - Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/39 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/40 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/49 UFO - Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/50 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/51 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/52 UFO - Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/53 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15/1/54 UFO Incidents
D/DI55/ 108/15 4 UFO - Policy
D/DI55/ 108/15 5 UFO Policy
D/DI55/ 108/15 6 UFO Policy
Judy Jaafar
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13/10/2007 NEWS
A strange synchronicity has just occurred, revealed as I was writing the above date for this upload. All will become clear later.
Apologies, firstly, for not having updated this page sooner. The fact is that there’s not been a lot of interesting news to share, of late. The ufological world has just been ticking over for quite some time now, like a patient, faithful dog waiting to get his teeth into a really meaty bone.
Having said that, reports to BUFORA have been on the up and up over the last six months, to the extent that we’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time at headquarters just responding to enquiries and processing sighting report forms. The usual high percentage of reports are explicable in mundane terms, many of them being Chinese lanterns, a small residue are under further investigation. Grey, metallic, tube-shaped objects, of varying sizes, are being sighted from diverse parts of the country, often in close proximity to telecommunications masts and pylons, and we’re wondering if they are a new breed of remotely controlled radiation monitors being employed by relevant government departments. This is under investigation, as are several burning balls of light (BOL) sightings, one of which most definitely has all the hallmarks of ball lightning, a rare plasmoid phenomenon.
A sizeable number of photos and videos have been sent in to us for analysis, most of which, after careful scrutiny and consideration, have been satisfactorily explained as lanterns, aircraft, balloons, planets, birds and insects. Some are much more interesting, of course………
Whilst research and investigation continues apace without reference to popular interest or media-driven fads, the same cannot be said of the social side of ufology. Conferences, what few there are, are just not the same these days. The “buzz” of yesteryear seems to have gone, leaving small audiences with a feeling of, “What am I doing here?” Headquarters personnel have conducted informal polls at various gatherings over the last couple of years, and this seems to be the over-riding feeling. The camaraderie, the sense of purpose, being part of a select group who were “in the know” about issues hidden from the general public………..and just the general fun, all appear to have dissipated.
Even Fortean Times, so I’m reliably informed, has finally closed its UnConvention doors. In the past, the UnCon regularly drew audiences of 500+ on each of its two days. At the last two gatherings, however, I detected the same malaise: a jaded feeling of just going through the motions. One panel member last year opined that FT had lost its way and was diverting from the “real” paranormal and flirting with alternative art and culture too much for most devotees’ tastes. I think he was right. But diversifying into other areas may be a symptom and not the cause of the downturn in paranormal attendances. Maybe FT hit the same roadblocks BUFORA did – lack of new research material, lack of speakers with new and interesting information, rising costs of central and professional venues, and a general diminishing of popular interest. Let’s hope something happens to reignite the ufological/paranormal touch paper, soon.
13/10/2007 REVIEW
On a cold, wet day, 13th October 1917, exactly 90 years ago today (see first sentence of this posting for the quite unwitting date synchronicity), something truly remarkable happened outside the little town of Fatima in Portugal, and was witnessed by more than 50,000 people. The sun dislodged itself from the firmament (according to witness reports), approached close to the onlookers and proceeded to “dance” whilst emitting multi-coloured rays that instantly dried soaked clothing on the backs of the stunned witnesses. This “miracle” was the predicted culmination of five previous events that happened on the 13th of each month starting in the May of that same year.
Three peasant children were chosen to witness these first events, and to spread the word that a beautiful, small lady dressed in glowing white and seeming to be 12-14 years of age was appearing to them at Cova da Iria and conversing with them. Immediately, the locals (but not the seers themselves) interpreted the apparition as Our Lady, the mother of Jesus, and this notion was later ratified by the Catholic Church who had inaugurated their own inquiries shortly after the last event in October. The local priest, however, who was living the series of apparitions, was decidedly more ambivalent about the whole thing and actually left the priesthood when the cult of Our Lady of Fatima was supported by the Church.
We finally now have access, in English, to a series of three books on the Fatima events written by two Portuguese researchers, being the culmination of 25 years worth of their research. The parallels with more modern ufological manifestations are astounding, as has been known to serious researchers for quite some time. Now, however, we have access to the original eyewitnesses’ testimony, upon which the authors have built a pretty solid case for the apparitions being not quite what the world was led to believe back in the early year of last century. Every aspect of the manifestations has been studied and analysed, every witness statement thoroughly dissected. The scholarly nature of these books can make for tedious, repetitious reading sometimes and the English translation could most certainly have been more fluent and flowing, but nonetheless this is a hugely valuable and welcome resource for those interested in Marian apparitions and the enormous cultural and religious forces that come into play when anything remotely anomalous happens.
These books have been hard to find, as initially only a small print run in English was done. They’ve been reprinted and are now available on Amazon.com, but I urge interested readers to purchase their copies quickly while stocks last.
BUFORA - “highly recommended”.
HEAVENLY LIGHTS: The Apparitions of Fatima and the UFO Phenomenon Joaquim Fernandes & Fina D’Armada, 2007 Anomalist Books
(Foreword by Jacques Vallee)
CELESTIAL SECRETS: The Hidden History of the Fatima Incident
Same Authors, 2007 Anomalist Books
(Foreword by Jim Marrs)
FATIMA REVISITED: The Apparition Phenomenon in Myth, Religion and Science
Same Authors, 2007 Anomalist Books
24/04/2007 NEWS
At last, the long awaited release of UFO reports by GEIPAN, France's official aerospace study group for the last 30 years. There are around 400 sightings released so far, constituting about 25% of the available reports and representing the majority of GEIPAN-collected sightings over the last 20 years.The site will be regularly updated with new material, as and when it is validated, and will eventually contain photos and videos that are at the moment being indexed.
The site is user-friendly and searchable by a number of criteria, with national and regional statistics being displayed in graphs. There is also a classification graph based on the GEIPAN system thus:
A - Observation explained unambiguously
B - Observation for which the considered GEIPAN hypothesis is highly probable
C - Insufficient information to assess observation
D - Inexplicable, based on current available information
If you wish to read the reports themselves, please have a French dictionary handy, or invite a French-speaking friend round for dinner!
http://www.cnes-geipan.fr/geipan/documentation.html
23/04/2007 BOOK REVIEW
UFO WARMINSTER CRADLE OF CONTACT by Kevin Goodman (Swallowtail Publishing, 2007)
In the absence of something solid upon which ufology can focus its collective attention these days, Warminster seems to have taken its turn in receiving what is fast becoming typical retrospective ufological analysis. Infused with hindsight, wisdom and applied accumulative knowledge so clearly lacking in the early days of ufology, much of the mysterious veneer enthusiastically applied to such locations as Warminster and sundry other classic cases, events and ‘hot spots’ from the early years have now been systematically stripped, exposed and subjected to close critical scrutiny. Naturally enough, and as we might reasonably expect, a high percentage of the accumulated witness testimony, claims and reports from this era have consequently been torn to pieces as a result. Upon such a basis, Warminster has (and I must personally add, regrettably) proven to be no exception to this fast growing trend.
Having received a promotional e-mail from the author of this book via the BUFORA enquiries address recently and with the above awareness in mind, I naturally felt compelled to reply to Mr Goodman in an effort to learn more about where this particular offering was as they say, ‘coming from’ and to perhaps also learn something of the author himself as well. A series of pleasant and interesting exchanges ensued over the course of the follow week or so during which we established a shared fondness for the location and its history as well as an equally shared belief that beneath the shattered illusions, misidentifications and misperceptions surrounding this town and its now legendary ufological history, there still exists a quiet but nonetheless fundamentally unanswered mystery.
I have a personal belief that despite the obvious advantages hindsight and accumulative knowledge offer us in terms of our understanding of the vast array of complex human, cultural and socio-psychological mechanisms behind the subject, we are perhaps missing something important in our eager desire to overlay these advanced templates of understanding upon everything that took place during that halcyon era. Is there in fact, I often wonder, a possibility that we might have committed the cardinal sin of heeling the baby out with its bath water in our current headlong dash towards showing everyone how much we’ve all grown up as an investigative research movement and how we’re subsequently now ready to dismiss anything and everything in the name of ufological maturity?
Within Kevin’s book, however, we have no such attempt to apply a template of greater understanding. Instead we are invited to share the initial journey of three young lads who caught the heady scent of an adventure and engaged it with maximum enthusiasm and minimum real time knowledge or caution. It is a simplistic and unpretentious record of an odyssey undertaken initially by three, then six, enthusiastic and largely naïve and ufologically innocent young men doing everything wrong that can possibly be done wrong in modern ufological terms. The readily apparent errors in their approach don’t so much stand out as jump up and down whilst screaming at you. Their mistakes rub so badly against the grain in fact that you feel compelled to track them all down and cuff their heads repeatedly for being foolish enough to fall into so many obvious traps!
And therein perhaps lies the charm of this simple little book. It isn’t meant to be a critical analysis of either ufological techniques or applied ufological logic. It is the story of the route subsequently taken by six naïve and enthusiastic young men through a wondrous subject filled with humanoid beings and advanced spacecraft clearly not of this world. It is also an honest story about six impressionable individuals who subsequently (and somewhat understandably) became enmeshed in each other’s belief systems, and in doing so perhaps ultimately encapsulated the ethos of both Warminster and 70’s ufology itself.
If you proceed upon such an understanding, then ‘Cradle of Contact’ flows along easily with a familiar flavour of the times, lining the journey with enough nostalgic diversions (including the introduction of the ugly face of ufo politics) to bring a subtle smile to the face of numerous time- served Warminster sky watchers like me (I was in fact only a year or two older than Kevin and the others when I cut my first true ‘ufological’ teeth down there, and our paths may well have unknowingly crossed on some cold, fog-bound night at the ‘white gate’).
Ufology isn’t, nor should it ever be, purely about the systematic and critical deconstruction of anything and everything standing in its path. It should also be about the people who’ve become ensnared in the grip of a promise of untold adventures beyond the fringes of a reality we’ve all equally been brought up to both understand and function within. Kevin Goodman’s book scores here by representing just such an adventure. In doing so it also represents a familiar story for thousands of other people brought up and fed (like me) on countless gushing, gung-ho books, publications and news articles available at the time, most of which actively encouraged and blatantly promoted a full-on mystery wrapped in excitement. For the majority of enthusiasts hand-fed on such material, finding answers wasn’t a primary requirement. The quiet anticipation and excitement generated by the thought that they too might actually get to see a genuine UFO for themselves most certainly was a strong enough motive for them to stand on cold, draughty hilltops all night with likeminded adventurers. Scientific and psychological implications would have been the last of their concerns.
In many ways, it wasn’t simply the enthusiasts who sent ufology looking and thinking in the wrong direction, it was also the explosion of commercially viable ufology and the subsequent lure of earning decent cash from a fast growing subject, along with ‘in house’ kudos on the back of it all, that caused many of the problems that still echo today.
All in all, an honestly written book that has successfully, albeit unwittingly, captured the feeling and the essence of those halcyon days.
Robert.
08/01/2007 BOOK REVIEW
MOONDUST by Andrew Smith (Bloomsbury, 2005)
When you write a book about a specific era such as Andrew Smith has done here, you need to capture its essence as much as the pertinent facts associated with that era. On this basis he has succeeded remarkably well, presenting a read that blends both aspects seamlessly enough to keep the theme flowing without subjecting the reader to an information overload. There is also a somewhat evocative tone in his style, a subtle hint perhaps of the weary hack who lets everyone else chase after the mountain whilst he finds a stool in a specific bar, and waits for the mountain to do what it generally does of a Friday evening around 8.00pm.
The story begins in London, where Smith found himself interviewing Apollo 16 moon walker Charlie Duke for a small magazine article of a type that (he suggests) he generally tried to avoid. He did, however, enjoy the interview with the aging ex- astronaut, during the course of which Duke unfortunately received a call informing him that Pete Conrad (One of the Apollo 12 moon walkers) had just died as a result of injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident a day or so earlier near his California home. Duke’s response to this unfortunate news was delivered, so Smith tells us, in a quiet, even and psalm like way, “Now there’s only nine of us”.
Charlie Duke’s comment implanted a concept in Smith’s mind that ultimately became MOONDUST, a personal quest inspired by Duke’s remark, to track down and interview the other eight surviving moon walkers. The book is set against an historical backdrop of social upheaval and unrest in America during the Apollo era. Having been born and raised there himself until his early teens (whereupon the family then moved to Britain) Smith’s ease with his cultural heritage is evident despite his apparent ex-pat status, though many of his personal observations are delivered with a distinct twist of British humour. He highlights poignant events of the era with a minimum of fuss and manages to link those which directly or otherwise influenced the Apollo initiative and its subsequent endeavours in a simple yet informative way. This retrospective picture-building dovetails nicely into each interview he manages to set up with the surviving moon walkers.
What we learn about each man varies between the briefest of glimpses beneath their (sometimes limited) public images, to more revealing insights into the human being behind the immortalised image of a dusty white spacesuit and gold-plated visor standing upon the surface of another world. Who ultimately conceded what, I’ll leave for the reader to discover through Smith’s concerted efforts. Suffice it to say, however, there are a number of surprises as well as disappointments to be found during the course of his quest that might perhaps sit at odds with possible preconceived notions the reader may have had about the men, their adventure and how they related to life back on a world they left a very long way behind, for just a very short moment in their lives. Smith’s personal conclusion is probably right on the nail and although perhaps no great surprise when you think about it, you don’t actually think about it until it is pointed out!
In all, the salient point of this book is that irrespective of how we ultimately perceive the motives and value of investing so much time, money and effort into putting men on the moon, the surviving moon walkers do represent a unique moment in human history and the time is imminent when the last living embodiment of that moment will be gone, taking with him the supreme experience of what it felt like to stand upon the surface of another world, and look back at a vulnerable little planet we call Earth.
Robert
© BUFORA 2006
11/10/06 NEWS
A Welcome Bequest
Early in 2006 BUFORA received a call from a Mr. Hickling asking if we would be interested in housing a collection of UFO and related titles belonging to his late mother, Mrs. June Hickling.
June had led a very interesting and active life, sometime UK, sometime India, then South Africa and latterly back to UK, where she spent the remainder of her long life, in Basingstoke, to be exact.
The chairman and secretary set off, therefore, on a very wet and miserable day to Basingstoke to meet Mr. Hickling and pick up what turned out to be several large boxes full of books and magazines, some of the books being very old titles indeed - a welcome addition to the BUFORA library.
June, it seems, had had her own very unusual encounters whilst living in South Africa, thus prompting a life-long interest in the UFO subject. Also included in the bequest was a beautiful hand-potted incense/pot-pourri burner, made by a friend of June's in India, and depicting a mystical Himalayan scene with classic "saucers" overing over the mountains. This now takes pride of place on the mantelpiece at BUFORA headquarters.
A very warm thank you to June, and good wishes for her on-going journey of enlightenment.
Judy Jaafar
BUFORA secretary
October 2006