Are We Alone Research Paper
Professor Coan
ENGL 135
29 October 2006
Are We Alone? Since humans first walked the earth we have looked up and wondered if it is possible to be alone in the vast universe in which we inhabit just one small planet. Often while gazing up the skies man has seen things he could not explain, and for the last fifty years or so these things have taken on the label "UFOs." As years passed, sightings and other extraterrestrial encounters became progressively more common around the world; igniting the UFO phenomenon and controversy which surrounds it. Many skeptics and non- believers say the sightings, testimonies, and photos are hoaxes. I feel the existence of aliens and proof of their visitation to earth is clear. The countless sightings, abduction …show more content…
cases, evidence, and the government conspiracy that is slowly being uncovered leaves little doubt. UFO was originally an abbreviation for the Air Force term "Unidentified Flying Object"; UFO has become a synonym to most people for an "Alien Spaceship." A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any flying object that isn’t recognizable or can’t be determined by the observer. Though UFOs come in all shapes and sizes, sightings are commonly described as geometrical objects, disc or oval shaped, maneuvering or whirling lights, and cigar-shaped or rocket-like objects. Sightings and alien encounters were once regarded as almost exclusively an American phenomenon; UFO sighting have now been reported from every country in the world. In fact, many of us would be surprised to learn the number of UFO sightings that have occurred. In modern times there have been approximately 120,000 documented sightings, of which 20,000 have been described as landings (UFOEvidence). There isn’t a region on earth that hasn’t had reports of UFO encounters. More importantly, “Almost 50 percent of Americans, according to recent polls, and millions of people around the world believe that UFOs are real” (Jennings). There are accounts of these unexplained objects in the sky throughout history, but Kenneth Arnold started the modern UFO controversy on June 24, 1947. Arnold was a search and rescue pilot from Boise, Idaho in Washington State searching for a downed military aircraft. He was flying his plane near Mount Rainier in Washington when he spotted nine silvery, crescent-shaped objects flying in a pattern over the mountain at an estimated speed of over 1,600 miles per hour. Arnold later described the craft as moving like "a saucer skipping across the water," and thus the term "flying saucer" was born (Berliner). Since Kenneth Arnold’s encounter, there have been over 3,500 documented sightings of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena by military, civilian, and commercial airline pilots (UFOEvidence). Pilots are among the most experienced observers of the sky; few occupations require more knowledge of weather, other aircrafts, and unusual activities that might occur in the sky. Therefore, it is significant that pilots have reported such a large number of unexplained UFO sightings. Reported sightings and encounters with extraterrestrial aircraft were so common that members of the science community wanted more to be done in order to study this phenomenon.
Accordingly, on Sept 1, 1968 five famous scientists recommended to Congress that they seriously plan to give its support to an intensive international study of UFOS (Ufologie). Theses five scientists brought their testimonial to a UFO symposium sponsored by the House Committee on Science and Astronautics. The scientists included Dr. Robert L. Baker Jr of the Computer Sciences Corporation; Dr. Robert L. Hall, professor of sociology at the University of Illinois; Dr. James A. Harder, professor of civil engineering of the University of California with Berkeley; Dr. James McDonald, senior of physics at the University of Arizona, and Dr. Carl Sagan, astronomer from Cornell University. Dr. McDonald spoke about what he learned while studying more than 300 UFO cases: “The number of UFO sightings being accompanied by some form of interference with the ground networks of electrical power distribution convinced him”, he said, “UFOS are perfectly real, with a strong possibility that we are under the monitoring of extraterrestrial intelligences… No service has ever studied that, and however”, told McDonald, “it could be the answer to all the questions about UFOS” (Ufologie). Another respected scientist takes the topic so seriously he approached the United Nations about it. On November 27, 1978 Dr. J. Allen Hynek said: "Mr. Chairman, I have not always held the opinion that UFOs were worthy of serious scientific study”. “I began my work as Scientific Consultant to the U.S. Air Force as an open skeptic, in the firm belief that we were dealing with a mental aberration and a public nuisance; only in the face of stubborn facts and data similar to those studied by the French commission... have I been forced to change my opinion"(Ufologie). These six scientists were only several of many well educated
professionals that believe the UFO phenomenon is real and requires more time and money spent toward its research. More than 50 years of public interest spawned many Ufologists and believers who dedicate their time and efforts to discover the truth. A Ufologist is anyone who studies reports, sightings, physical evidence, and other UFO phenomena. Although there are many small groups and organizations that have assembled SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) are the two largest organizations dedicated to the research of extraterrestrial life in our universe. The mission of the SETI Institute is to explore, understand and explain the origin, and nature and prevalence of life in the universe (SETI). The SETI Institute is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research, education and public outreach. The Institute employs about 130 people, primarily scientists, in a variety of fields including all science and technology fields of astronomy and the planetary sciences, chemical evolution, the origin of life, biological evolution, and cultural evolution. The SETI Institute has an intriguing and very useful project in the works. With help from the Radio Astronomy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley they are constructing the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). This is a Radio Interferometer that will be dedicated to astronomical and simultaneous search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Using the technology of this telescope, SETI will be able to further prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Similar to SETI, MUFON is an organization created to investigate UFO sightings, collect the data for use by researchers, promote research on UFOs, and educate the public on the UFO phenomenon and its potential impact on society (MUFON). With help from these organizations and the advancement in technology, there is no doubt the truth and controversy regarding UFO sightings and the existence of aliens will be made public. After almost 20 years of eye witness testimony describing UFO sightings, suddenly in the mid 1960s, thousands of people started to come forward with stories of being abducted by aliens. According to David Jacobs and John Mack, authors of Secret Life: Firsthand, Documented Accounts of UFO Abductions, most alien abduction stories begin with the abductee being awakened in the middle of the night by a bright light flashing into their room. The abductee sees the light, but somehow becomes paralyzed and unable to move or scream. Moments later, alien beings enter the room and take the abductee to their craft where they will perform some sort of medical examination on them. After the examination, the aliens would erase the event from the abductee’s brain, and return them to their bed. In the course of several weeks, the abductee will gradually recover their memory of the event through dreams, flashbacks, and the aid of hypnosis. The abductees often described the aliens as being 4 to 5 feet tall, with large heads and large black eyes. Skeptics claim that alien abduction is not real, and is instead the result of alcohol or drug use, hallucinations, dreams, hoaxes, or sleeping disorders. One relevant point that critics make is that most abductees describe the exact same scenario (being awakened in their bed, taken away, medically examined, and returned). This raises the possibility that some abduction stories may be hoaxes. Also, most abductees can recall specific aspects of the abduction only through the use of hypnosis, and critics are quick to point out that hypnosis is certainly not a truth serum. Still, some aspects of the abduction phenomenon demand attention. The most credible piece of evidence is the physical marks that are left on abductees. Some of these marks are bizarre and would be difficult to duplicate using conventional methods. Furthermore, some abductees claim that the aliens place tracking devices in their bodies, and some of these people have had surgery to remove these implants. There are many signs of the abduction phenomena that could signal that a person may have been abducted aliens: An episode of missing or unexplained loss of time, having reoccurring nightmares about aliens and UFOs, having odd marks on the their body, having repeated UFO sightings, and suddenly waking in the middle of the night with what seems like paralysis. The case that appeared to be the beginning of the alien abduction phenomena, at least known to the public, was the report from Betty and Barney Hill. Their incident occurred on the night of Sept. 19, 1961(Fox). They were driving in the White Mountains of New Hampshire when they saw a light that seemed to grow larger and larger. Back home, they found what appeared to be shiny spots on the car 's exterior, and they could not account for a two-hour segment of their trip. The Hills later saw a psychiatrist, who put them under hypnosis. Slowly, the story of the couple 's lost hours came out. They remembered many times that a group of short gray beings stopped their car and took them aboard a spaceship. The Hills said on that ship they were subjected to rigorous medical examinations. Betty and Barney Hill’s report seemed to unleash a wave of people coming forward with their own accounts of alien abduction. Numerous skeptics and none believers say there is no evidence of earth being visited by aliens. However, Ufologists continually to produce evidence to the contrary. One of the better and most recognizable forms of proof is crop circles. Crop circles are areas of crops flattened to form geometric shapes. To date, theses have been reported in 29 countries, and have appeared in wheat, barley, canola, trees, ice, rice paddies, even linseed; crop circles can be massive size some occupying areas as large as 200,000 sq ft (Silva). In real formations it is said that the plant stems are not broken. They are bent about an inch off the ground near the plant 's first node; in other cases, the stems are bent six inches from the top of the seed head. According to Freddy Silva, the world’s foremost crop circle expert, “some eighty eyewitnesses – as far flung as British Columbia and Australia – have reported crop circles forming in under twenty seconds; these witnesses describe sightings of incandescent or brightly-colored balls of light which either precede a crop circle or are actively involved in its creation; in some cases shafts of light have descended onto a field and swirled the crop into a geometric shape in less than fifteen seconds.” Skeptics and debunkers try to argue that crop circles are elaborate hoaxes created by a few people with boards and ropes. The skeptics apparently haven’t seen crop circles, because the formation of these are so precise, immense, and created so quickly it would be impossible to produce one let alone over 10,000 in 29 different countries. Although some say the occurrence of crop circles are as old as the earth, in the early 1980s serious attention was finally given to the phenomenon. At this time most designs appeared as simple circles, and circles with rings. By the late 1980s crop circles began to appear with straight lines, creating pictograms similar to glyphs found at ancient sites around the world. After 1990 crop circle designs developed in their complexity, and today it is common to come across crop glyphs mimicking computer fractals and elements expressing fourth dimensional processes in quantum physics (Silva). Similarly, astronomer Gerald S. Hawkins, now retired from Boston University, said he noticed that some of the most visually striking of these crop-circle patterns embodied geometric theorems that express specific numerical relationships among the areas of various circles, triangles, and other shapes making up the patterns (Crop circles). Hawkins also commented, “Some patterns displayed exact numerical relationships, all of them involving diatonic ratios, the simple whole-number ratios that determine a scale of musical notes; these designs demonstrate the remarkable mathematical ability of their creators.” There are numerous examinations like this that leave little doubt concerning the authenticity of crop circles. Yet, somehow many remain skeptical. The U.S. Government has known about the existence of UFOs and aliens since the end of WWII, and continues to withhold the truth from the public. Slowly the Freedom of Information Act is allowing us to view government documents which prove our government’s knowledge and interest in the phenomenon for over 50 years. An important piece and good example of the cover-up theory is Project Blue Book. From 1947 until 1969, the United States Air Force (USAF) “supposedly” investigated reports and sightings of UFOs under a program called Project Blue Book. The USAF investigated 12,618 UFO sightings and 701 of those sightings remained unidentified (Randle). Ufologists and researchers feel that the investigations of UFO sightings were unprofessional and unscientific. Furthermore, a study of the Blue Book documents by Dr. James McDonald, a senior physicist at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics and professor in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Arizona, found in his review that 30 – 40% of the 12,000 cases were unexplained or about 3,600 to 4,800 (Randle). Many say that members of Project Blue Book used poor research methods and they were eager and often encouraged to label unexplained sightings as identified. UFO organizations believe that members of Project Blue Book were pressured to identify UFO sightings to calm the public hysteria about UFOs. According to Kevin Randle, UFO researcher and author of five novels, “it seems that Project Blue Book was just a low level collection and disinformation program created to control the public.” Another set of documents considered important in the government cover-up theory are the Majestic 12 documents. Also known as MJ-12, this was a code name of a secret committee of scientists, military, leaders, and government officials formed in 1947 by president Harry Truman (Randle). The purpose of this group was to investigate the UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and recover the aliens and their spacecraft. The documents proving the existence of this committee were discovered in the early 1980s, and a set of highly censored copies have been released through The Freedom of Information Act. Although one can not determine much from the censored copies released by the government, some claim to have copies of the originals proving the existence of the Majestic 12 Committee. Skeptics and debunkers are non-believers who aim to discredit any and all accounts of aliens and UFOs. They try to ignore the past 50 years of eye witness testimonies, evidence, and government cover-ups. Debunkers try to explain UFO sightings as flocks of birds, planes, weather balloons, satellites, meteors, or even delusions and mass hysteria. A constant problem that believers face is ignorance regarding the UFO phenomenon; skeptics are most often the least knowledgeable. Undoubtedly, there is something happening around our planet that has many of us wanting to know the truth about aliens and UFOs. The truth is we are being visited by aliens. The thousands of photographs, documented sightings, and abductions cases are proof. Once the government conspiracy is uncovered the truth will be known. This UFO and alien phenomenon is real because, so many people have experienced it, reported it, and even recorded it.
Work Cited
Berliner, Don. “UFO Briefing Document: The Best Available Evidence.” Dell. 2000
Crop circles: “Theorems in wheat fields”. Science News.12 Oct 1996. Vol. 150. pg. 239
Fox, Margalit. “Betty Hill, 85, Figure in Alien Abduction Case”. New York Times. 23 Oct 2004: pg. A. 18
Jacobs, David, Mack, John, “Secret Life: Firsthand, Documented Accounts of UFO Abductions”. Fireside. 1993
Jennings, Peter. “The UFO Phenomenon – Seeing is Believing”. ABC News. Feb 2005. Online. Internet. (20 Sep 2006)
MUFON, “Mutual UFO Network”. Online. Internet. (18 Oct 2006)
Randle, Kevin. “Conspiracy of Silence”. Harper Perennial. 1997
SETI, “The SETI Institute”. Online.Internet. (18 Oct 2006)
Silva, Freddy. “Crop Circle Secrets” Online. Internet. (12 Sep 2006)
UFOEvidence. “In-depth, quality and scientific research on the UFO phenomenon”. Online. Internet. (20 Sept 2006)
Ufologie. “Science and the UFO phenomenon”. Online. Internet. (10 Oct 2006)
ENGL 135
29 October 2006
Are We Alone? Since humans first walked the earth we have looked up and wondered if it is possible to be alone in the vast universe in which we inhabit just one small planet. Often while gazing up the skies man has seen things he could not explain, and for the last fifty years or so these things have taken on the label "UFOs." As years passed, sightings and other extraterrestrial encounters became progressively more common around the world; igniting the UFO phenomenon and controversy which surrounds it. Many skeptics and non- believers say the sightings, testimonies, and photos are hoaxes. I feel the existence of aliens and proof of their visitation to earth is clear. The countless sightings, abduction …show more content…
cases, evidence, and the government conspiracy that is slowly being uncovered leaves little doubt. UFO was originally an abbreviation for the Air Force term "Unidentified Flying Object"; UFO has become a synonym to most people for an "Alien Spaceship." A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any flying object that isn’t recognizable or can’t be determined by the observer. Though UFOs come in all shapes and sizes, sightings are commonly described as geometrical objects, disc or oval shaped, maneuvering or whirling lights, and cigar-shaped or rocket-like objects. Sightings and alien encounters were once regarded as almost exclusively an American phenomenon; UFO sighting have now been reported from every country in the world. In fact, many of us would be surprised to learn the number of UFO sightings that have occurred. In modern times there have been approximately 120,000 documented sightings, of which 20,000 have been described as landings (UFOEvidence). There isn’t a region on earth that hasn’t had reports of UFO encounters. More importantly, “Almost 50 percent of Americans, according to recent polls, and millions of people around the world believe that UFOs are real” (Jennings). There are accounts of these unexplained objects in the sky throughout history, but Kenneth Arnold started the modern UFO controversy on June 24, 1947. Arnold was a search and rescue pilot from Boise, Idaho in Washington State searching for a downed military aircraft. He was flying his plane near Mount Rainier in Washington when he spotted nine silvery, crescent-shaped objects flying in a pattern over the mountain at an estimated speed of over 1,600 miles per hour. Arnold later described the craft as moving like "a saucer skipping across the water," and thus the term "flying saucer" was born (Berliner). Since Kenneth Arnold’s encounter, there have been over 3,500 documented sightings of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena by military, civilian, and commercial airline pilots (UFOEvidence). Pilots are among the most experienced observers of the sky; few occupations require more knowledge of weather, other aircrafts, and unusual activities that might occur in the sky. Therefore, it is significant that pilots have reported such a large number of unexplained UFO sightings. Reported sightings and encounters with extraterrestrial aircraft were so common that members of the science community wanted more to be done in order to study this phenomenon.
Accordingly, on Sept 1, 1968 five famous scientists recommended to Congress that they seriously plan to give its support to an intensive international study of UFOS (Ufologie). Theses five scientists brought their testimonial to a UFO symposium sponsored by the House Committee on Science and Astronautics. The scientists included Dr. Robert L. Baker Jr of the Computer Sciences Corporation; Dr. Robert L. Hall, professor of sociology at the University of Illinois; Dr. James A. Harder, professor of civil engineering of the University of California with Berkeley; Dr. James McDonald, senior of physics at the University of Arizona, and Dr. Carl Sagan, astronomer from Cornell University. Dr. McDonald spoke about what he learned while studying more than 300 UFO cases: “The number of UFO sightings being accompanied by some form of interference with the ground networks of electrical power distribution convinced him”, he said, “UFOS are perfectly real, with a strong possibility that we are under the monitoring of extraterrestrial intelligences… No service has ever studied that, and however”, told McDonald, “it could be the answer to all the questions about UFOS” (Ufologie). Another respected scientist takes the topic so seriously he approached the United Nations about it. On November 27, 1978 Dr. J. Allen Hynek said: "Mr. Chairman, I have not always held the opinion that UFOs were worthy of serious scientific study”. “I began my work as Scientific Consultant to the U.S. Air Force as an open skeptic, in the firm belief that we were dealing with a mental aberration and a public nuisance; only in the face of stubborn facts and data similar to those studied by the French commission... have I been forced to change my opinion"(Ufologie). These six scientists were only several of many well educated
professionals that believe the UFO phenomenon is real and requires more time and money spent toward its research. More than 50 years of public interest spawned many Ufologists and believers who dedicate their time and efforts to discover the truth. A Ufologist is anyone who studies reports, sightings, physical evidence, and other UFO phenomena. Although there are many small groups and organizations that have assembled SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) are the two largest organizations dedicated to the research of extraterrestrial life in our universe. The mission of the SETI Institute is to explore, understand and explain the origin, and nature and prevalence of life in the universe (SETI). The SETI Institute is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research, education and public outreach. The Institute employs about 130 people, primarily scientists, in a variety of fields including all science and technology fields of astronomy and the planetary sciences, chemical evolution, the origin of life, biological evolution, and cultural evolution. The SETI Institute has an intriguing and very useful project in the works. With help from the Radio Astronomy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley they are constructing the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). This is a Radio Interferometer that will be dedicated to astronomical and simultaneous search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Using the technology of this telescope, SETI will be able to further prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Similar to SETI, MUFON is an organization created to investigate UFO sightings, collect the data for use by researchers, promote research on UFOs, and educate the public on the UFO phenomenon and its potential impact on society (MUFON). With help from these organizations and the advancement in technology, there is no doubt the truth and controversy regarding UFO sightings and the existence of aliens will be made public. After almost 20 years of eye witness testimony describing UFO sightings, suddenly in the mid 1960s, thousands of people started to come forward with stories of being abducted by aliens. According to David Jacobs and John Mack, authors of Secret Life: Firsthand, Documented Accounts of UFO Abductions, most alien abduction stories begin with the abductee being awakened in the middle of the night by a bright light flashing into their room. The abductee sees the light, but somehow becomes paralyzed and unable to move or scream. Moments later, alien beings enter the room and take the abductee to their craft where they will perform some sort of medical examination on them. After the examination, the aliens would erase the event from the abductee’s brain, and return them to their bed. In the course of several weeks, the abductee will gradually recover their memory of the event through dreams, flashbacks, and the aid of hypnosis. The abductees often described the aliens as being 4 to 5 feet tall, with large heads and large black eyes. Skeptics claim that alien abduction is not real, and is instead the result of alcohol or drug use, hallucinations, dreams, hoaxes, or sleeping disorders. One relevant point that critics make is that most abductees describe the exact same scenario (being awakened in their bed, taken away, medically examined, and returned). This raises the possibility that some abduction stories may be hoaxes. Also, most abductees can recall specific aspects of the abduction only through the use of hypnosis, and critics are quick to point out that hypnosis is certainly not a truth serum. Still, some aspects of the abduction phenomenon demand attention. The most credible piece of evidence is the physical marks that are left on abductees. Some of these marks are bizarre and would be difficult to duplicate using conventional methods. Furthermore, some abductees claim that the aliens place tracking devices in their bodies, and some of these people have had surgery to remove these implants. There are many signs of the abduction phenomena that could signal that a person may have been abducted aliens: An episode of missing or unexplained loss of time, having reoccurring nightmares about aliens and UFOs, having odd marks on the their body, having repeated UFO sightings, and suddenly waking in the middle of the night with what seems like paralysis. The case that appeared to be the beginning of the alien abduction phenomena, at least known to the public, was the report from Betty and Barney Hill. Their incident occurred on the night of Sept. 19, 1961(Fox). They were driving in the White Mountains of New Hampshire when they saw a light that seemed to grow larger and larger. Back home, they found what appeared to be shiny spots on the car 's exterior, and they could not account for a two-hour segment of their trip. The Hills later saw a psychiatrist, who put them under hypnosis. Slowly, the story of the couple 's lost hours came out. They remembered many times that a group of short gray beings stopped their car and took them aboard a spaceship. The Hills said on that ship they were subjected to rigorous medical examinations. Betty and Barney Hill’s report seemed to unleash a wave of people coming forward with their own accounts of alien abduction. Numerous skeptics and none believers say there is no evidence of earth being visited by aliens. However, Ufologists continually to produce evidence to the contrary. One of the better and most recognizable forms of proof is crop circles. Crop circles are areas of crops flattened to form geometric shapes. To date, theses have been reported in 29 countries, and have appeared in wheat, barley, canola, trees, ice, rice paddies, even linseed; crop circles can be massive size some occupying areas as large as 200,000 sq ft (Silva). In real formations it is said that the plant stems are not broken. They are bent about an inch off the ground near the plant 's first node; in other cases, the stems are bent six inches from the top of the seed head. According to Freddy Silva, the world’s foremost crop circle expert, “some eighty eyewitnesses – as far flung as British Columbia and Australia – have reported crop circles forming in under twenty seconds; these witnesses describe sightings of incandescent or brightly-colored balls of light which either precede a crop circle or are actively involved in its creation; in some cases shafts of light have descended onto a field and swirled the crop into a geometric shape in less than fifteen seconds.” Skeptics and debunkers try to argue that crop circles are elaborate hoaxes created by a few people with boards and ropes. The skeptics apparently haven’t seen crop circles, because the formation of these are so precise, immense, and created so quickly it would be impossible to produce one let alone over 10,000 in 29 different countries. Although some say the occurrence of crop circles are as old as the earth, in the early 1980s serious attention was finally given to the phenomenon. At this time most designs appeared as simple circles, and circles with rings. By the late 1980s crop circles began to appear with straight lines, creating pictograms similar to glyphs found at ancient sites around the world. After 1990 crop circle designs developed in their complexity, and today it is common to come across crop glyphs mimicking computer fractals and elements expressing fourth dimensional processes in quantum physics (Silva). Similarly, astronomer Gerald S. Hawkins, now retired from Boston University, said he noticed that some of the most visually striking of these crop-circle patterns embodied geometric theorems that express specific numerical relationships among the areas of various circles, triangles, and other shapes making up the patterns (Crop circles). Hawkins also commented, “Some patterns displayed exact numerical relationships, all of them involving diatonic ratios, the simple whole-number ratios that determine a scale of musical notes; these designs demonstrate the remarkable mathematical ability of their creators.” There are numerous examinations like this that leave little doubt concerning the authenticity of crop circles. Yet, somehow many remain skeptical. The U.S. Government has known about the existence of UFOs and aliens since the end of WWII, and continues to withhold the truth from the public. Slowly the Freedom of Information Act is allowing us to view government documents which prove our government’s knowledge and interest in the phenomenon for over 50 years. An important piece and good example of the cover-up theory is Project Blue Book. From 1947 until 1969, the United States Air Force (USAF) “supposedly” investigated reports and sightings of UFOs under a program called Project Blue Book. The USAF investigated 12,618 UFO sightings and 701 of those sightings remained unidentified (Randle). Ufologists and researchers feel that the investigations of UFO sightings were unprofessional and unscientific. Furthermore, a study of the Blue Book documents by Dr. James McDonald, a senior physicist at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics and professor in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Arizona, found in his review that 30 – 40% of the 12,000 cases were unexplained or about 3,600 to 4,800 (Randle). Many say that members of Project Blue Book used poor research methods and they were eager and often encouraged to label unexplained sightings as identified. UFO organizations believe that members of Project Blue Book were pressured to identify UFO sightings to calm the public hysteria about UFOs. According to Kevin Randle, UFO researcher and author of five novels, “it seems that Project Blue Book was just a low level collection and disinformation program created to control the public.” Another set of documents considered important in the government cover-up theory are the Majestic 12 documents. Also known as MJ-12, this was a code name of a secret committee of scientists, military, leaders, and government officials formed in 1947 by president Harry Truman (Randle). The purpose of this group was to investigate the UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and recover the aliens and their spacecraft. The documents proving the existence of this committee were discovered in the early 1980s, and a set of highly censored copies have been released through The Freedom of Information Act. Although one can not determine much from the censored copies released by the government, some claim to have copies of the originals proving the existence of the Majestic 12 Committee. Skeptics and debunkers are non-believers who aim to discredit any and all accounts of aliens and UFOs. They try to ignore the past 50 years of eye witness testimonies, evidence, and government cover-ups. Debunkers try to explain UFO sightings as flocks of birds, planes, weather balloons, satellites, meteors, or even delusions and mass hysteria. A constant problem that believers face is ignorance regarding the UFO phenomenon; skeptics are most often the least knowledgeable. Undoubtedly, there is something happening around our planet that has many of us wanting to know the truth about aliens and UFOs. The truth is we are being visited by aliens. The thousands of photographs, documented sightings, and abductions cases are proof. Once the government conspiracy is uncovered the truth will be known. This UFO and alien phenomenon is real because, so many people have experienced it, reported it, and even recorded it.
Work Cited
Berliner, Don. “UFO Briefing Document: The Best Available Evidence.” Dell. 2000
Crop circles: “Theorems in wheat fields”. Science News.12 Oct 1996. Vol. 150. pg. 239
Fox, Margalit. “Betty Hill, 85, Figure in Alien Abduction Case”. New York Times. 23 Oct 2004: pg. A. 18
Jacobs, David, Mack, John, “Secret Life: Firsthand, Documented Accounts of UFO Abductions”. Fireside. 1993
Jennings, Peter. “The UFO Phenomenon – Seeing is Believing”. ABC News. Feb 2005. Online. Internet. (20 Sep 2006)
MUFON, “Mutual UFO Network”. Online. Internet. (18 Oct 2006)
Randle, Kevin. “Conspiracy of Silence”. Harper Perennial. 1997
SETI, “The SETI Institute”. Online.Internet. (18 Oct 2006)
Silva, Freddy. “Crop Circle Secrets” Online. Internet. (12 Sep 2006)
UFOEvidence. “In-depth, quality and scientific research on the UFO phenomenon”. Online. Internet. (20 Sept 2006)
Ufologie. “Science and the UFO phenomenon”. Online. Internet. (10 Oct 2006)