You are on page 1of 9

INrnnnrrroNar.

Upo
REpoRTnn

Editor:
JeromeClark

AssociateEditor:
Nancy Clark

ConsultingEditor:
RichardHall

Contributing Editors:
Bill Chalker

./ fzt^4,-(
GeorgeM. Eberhart
Richard F. Ilaines
JennyRandles
V rsro-re86
Mark Rodeghier
Chris Rutkowski /
JennieZeidman

Artist:
Don Schmitt

EDITORIAL:Trivial pursuit

Debunking,Sovielslyle by PaulStonehill
.....-.............- 15
Harveslingusefuldatatrom crop circles by Chrisqutkowski..................... 16
Airships: 20

International UFO Reporrar (SSN,0720-174X) is published Address all subscription correspondence to Intematioral UFO
bimonthly by dre J. Allen Hgrek Center for UFO Studies,2457 Reporter,2457 West Petelson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
West Peterson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659. All righb 60659.
reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohib- The l^tenntional UFO Reporter rs a.benefir publication
ited. Copyright@ 1991 by the J. AUen H)mek Center for UFO mailed to Associates of the Center for a contribution of $25.00
Studies. Third class postage paid at Glenview, Illinois. or more. Foreign Associates add $5-00 for delivery. All
Address all editorial corresponderrce to Inlenational amounts in U.S. frmds. Other publications also available for
UFO Reporter, Jerone Cl6rk, edito\2457 West Peterson contibutors of larger anounts. For details, write to the
Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659. J. Allcn Hynek Center for UFO Studics, 2457 West Peterson
Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659, USA. Postmaster: Send
Form 35?9 io CUFOS, 2457 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois 60659.

2 IUR March/April1991
I rememberBlueBook
by JennieZeidman

I r Jennie Zeidman,author of ,4 Heltcopter-UFoEn- Bookreallyfit into the largerschemeof the UFo hierar-
counter Over Ohio (1979),is a CUFOSboard member chy. Enlighteningdiscussions of thesemattersappearin
and a contributingeditorto ,UF. Hynek'sTheHynekUFO Report(1977)andDavid M.
J^cobs'TheUFO Conroversyin Amcrica(1915)-T\e
rcmarksthatfollow rcflectmy personalinvolvementand
interpretations
asHynek'sassistant betwccn1953and
he darkrecesses of theCUFOSarchiveshave 1956.
yieldedup a papertltledReportto Storkon Blue
BookLlenry.ThebyJine is my own; the dateis ProjectStork
August1953.
The documentis a compendiumof 148"FLYOB- Let us stanwith ProjectStork.I doubt,38 yearslater,
RPIS" (flying object reports)and their cursory analyses thatI'll ruffle any featherswith thatname.Heaven
astheypassedfrom the Air TechnicalInteligenceCenter knows,it's beenmentionedin print, andfrom time to
(ATIC)thrcughthe handsof J. Allen Hynek(andme) timeI've comeacrosspersons(theremusthavebeen
betweenJanuaryandJuly 1953.(Seeillustrations1 and2 thousands of us.worldwide)who workedon various
for examples.)The reportalsosummarizes correspon- phasesof it. The fact is thatthemissionof Storkwasto
dencewith the 35 amateurasftonomicalsocieties,19 ascertainthecapabilityof the SovietUnion to cngagein
GroundObserverCorpsFilter Centers,and48 CAA (now technologicalwarfare.The specific inl.erestfor our
FAA) Control Towers which were contactedwith the purposeis that the group at Battelle Memorial Institute
objective that they would or could provide corroborating whichproducedthe (in)famousProjectBlue Book
(or disconfirming)informationfor lhe official reports, SpecialReport14 wasassociated with hoject Stork.
specificallywith regardto phenomena suchasbright Okay,let's not beataroundthebush.SpecialReportI4
meteorsfireballs,normalaircraft,or meteorological wasa productof ProjertStork.
phenomena. DoosthatmsanthatthegovcmmentthoughtUFOS
The reportitself is of litde import.The Air Force mightbe Soviettechnology? Or doesit meanthatthe
favoredastronomicalanswers,andHynekwasableto governmentalreadyknew (hve yearsafter the Roswell
provide many from the selectedraw reportspresentedfor incident) what UFOSrepresented,wantedto seewhat the
his analysis.(Seebar gaph.) The extremelyhigh number Storkstatisticians cameup with, andthenmadesurethat
of unknowns(22 percent)andcasesof insufficientdata the "analysis"met with govemment"standards"? (Shades
(another10.8percent)reflectnot so muchthe high of theCondonCommittce15 yearslater.)
strangeness of the informationpresented astheinade- The answeris: probablynot. The CondonCommit-
quacyof thereportingmechanism. Oneparagaphof tee'sblatantobjectivewasto pacify thepublic,whereas
teletypedtidbils was supposedto provide enoughinfor- SpecialReport14,within Battclle/Stork,wasTop Secret.
mation for a justified, probable,or at leastpossibleidenti- It didn't needto be created(for publicconsumption)if
fication.Of courseit couldn'tbe done.I don't recallour the answerwasalreadyknown-in other words, that tlle
criteriafor differentiationbetween"unknowns"and empiricalcharacteristics of UFo reponswerestatistically
"insufficientdata."The only certaintyI canseein differentfrom thoseof repoftsthatwereultimately
perusingthis reportis thatVenuswasin eastemelonga- resolvedinto mundanephenomena. Or wasStorkperhaps
tion duing thattime periodandthatlots of people,even merelya convenientfundingvehiclefor 14, a legiti-
thosefrom collegephysicsdepartrnents, couldn'tidentify matelyaskedquestion,a relativelysmalleffon thatcould
it. be justified (or hidden)underthe scopeof the Stork
Of greaterinterestthan the report may be some mission?Regardless, Battellewasthe right placefor the
associated memoriesof thoseheadytimes:theconvolu- work to be done.It is a superbgroupof scientistsand
tionsof fundingof UFo research,thedesperate emphasis engineers scrupulously devotedto excellence.
on hush-hush amidan environment of ludicrouslyslip- Battelle'sinvolvementwith thefringe subjectof
shodsecurity,andthe unfoldingmysteryof where UFoswasthereforea souce of greatembarrassment to it
Hynek'sconsultancyto the Air Forceon ProjectBlue -a family secret,a skeletonin the closetequivalentto

t9g1
IUR March/ADril
Grandpa'salcoholismor UncleRay'spenchantfor little with the contentsof thereportper se.If Venuswasin
boys.Oneabsolutelydid not menl.ionBattellein connec- westemelongation,therewouldbe a wholeslewof
tion with UFos-And since I had no needto know, the fact reportsofa bright white light in the predawneast,and
of ttrisinvolvement(in spiteof my Secretclearance) was Hynekwould chuckleandmutterabouthow damed
kept from me for over a year. uneducated the publicwas.Whenwe would get a report
In the springof 1987I foundmyselfat a dinnerparty of high strangeness,he wouldscratchhis chin-beardless
seatednext to a Battelleexecutive-an old timerwho I until thefall of 1953-and saythis mighrbearlooking
knew hadworkcdon J4 asa memberof ProjectStork.I into.we would outlinetheinformationwe wantedto
askedhim if after34 yearshe hadanythingho wantedto have,andwe wouldpassthaton to Blue Book. But it
sayaboutit. hardlyeverfollowedup for us.If we really wantedsome
My questionmadehim uneasy."We werecon- wewouldhaveh gooutandtryt0getit
information,
cemed," he said. He was referring to fic dataand to the ourselves.
Battellesciendsts'interpretation of ihosedala.He was Hynek waspaid to investigateonly reportsallocated
referringto the thoughtsof his fellow scientists
on the to him by Blue Book.Thatmeantthatif we heardof a
questionof "What arellFos?" "We wereconcerned," he casein someotier way-if someonecalledthe observa-
said,andhe would say no more. tory, say,or therewasa newspaper story-we couldnot
count as it an official case,and any expenses incurredby
ProjectHenry Hynekor me werenot reimbursable. Many timeswe
askedpeopleto senda report in to Wright-Pattersonso
During thc first month(January1953)I workedfor him, that a casewe werealreadyworking on (privately) and
Hynek went to Washingtonto attendthemeetingof the had spentmoneyinvestigatingcould become"official."
RobertsonPanel.He wasan associate member,a second Sometimes it worked;sometimes it didn't.
stringer,which wasoddbecausehe hadbeenworking Hynekwent!o Wright-Patterson two or threetimesa
directlywith the datafor aboutfive years.I rememberhis month,andaboutoncea monti I wentalong.The Blue
retum on a cold, wintry day.I expectcdhim to announce Book facility building263,not Hangar18--{onsisted
therewould be a majorscientificundertakingon the of thleecramped,crummylittle offices.Thepaintwas
subject.Instead,he told me,"They're not goingio havea peeling,andthe file cabinetswerewarped.Therewerea
scientific investigation.For somestrangereasonthey UnitedStatesmapwith pins stuckin it, a sergeant gofer,
votedit down.They didn't eventakea decentlook at the a gum-cracking, beehive-hairdoed secretary(a civilian),
data,and tiey decidedto discredithem." anda dried-outcoffeepot on the window sill. This was
Perhapshe neededsomelevity thatday whenhe beforecomputers, of course,so drecaseswerefiled
lookedup from his coffeeandcrackersandsuggested that chronologically. If you knew thedate,fine. If you knew
we shouldhavea namefor his consultancy project, only the location,try thecardindex,and lotsaluck. No
"somethingthatcapturesthe ideathatthesethingsflit wonderI neversawCapt.Ed Ruppelt,the Blue Book
aroundthe sky." An old-Limepopularinsecticidewas head,smile.(I rememberhim asa by-the-booksober-
calledFlit, andits trademarkshoweda hand-pumped sides.I don't recalla humansideof him, evenwhenwe
sprayerand,I believe,a harriedwomanv/hohadjust werehavingan informallunch.But I seemto remember
beenscaredby a bug."Quick, Henry,theFlit!" sheis intenseblue-grayeyes.)
shouting.Hynek latchedon to theword Flit, andthus In the earlydaysof my association wi r Hynek,my
ProjectHenrywasnamed(Flit beingtoo obviousand titls wasresearchassistant, OSUdepartrnent of physics
ProjectInsecticidesomewhatcumbersome). Readers andastronomy.I workeda few hoursa day,spending
familiar with Hynek'ssenseof humorknow I couldn't abouthalf my time on UFOmattersandtherestas
possiblyhavemadethis up- teachingassistantfor Hynek's undergraduateastronomy
This is the way Henryworked: courseandgeneralGirl Fridayfor osu's McMillin
About oncea weeka courierfrom Wright-Patterson Observalory.(I wasalso carrying 15 hoursin my second-
Air ForceBase(I assumzdhewu from Wright-Patterson) to-lastundergrad quarter.)As theyearprogressed I
wouldarriveat Hynek'soffice at Ohio StateUniversity graduated, my Secretclearance camethrough,I worked
with a manilaenvelopestuffedwith TWXs teletype full time,andmy UFOwork increased proportionately.
UFo-sightingreportsreceivedfrom military facilities The 1954flap wasunderway,andoneday I asked
aroundthe world. Hynekhow it wasthatOSUwaswilling !o keepme on as
Were tiey all of the reports Blue Book received-the research assistant whenmostof my work wasfor ATIC.
total numberit took in? Surelynot. (Hynekoftensaidhe "You're not workingfor ATIC," Hyneksaid.
knew the bestcaseswerewithheld.)I usuallylooked "You're working for a contractor."
themover beforeHynekdid. I hada Secretclearance by I hadno ideawhathe meant."A contractor,"he
then(mid-1953),but only a few wereeverclassified repeated. "A contractorwho doesn'twantto be known.
beyondResFicted,andthe sensil.ive materialusuallyhad But don't worry aboutit. I've alreadytold you too
to do with the installationor facility of reponorigin,not much."

8 IURirarch/Aoril
199'1
a/d#;-'
ry_ -*
aur*rnnt,
,,.q"qjlirP,-l$lf,li".
,: Lc
ATR gO8
RR JEDI,IPJEDEN222
DE JEPHAI79C
R 2g22tgz
FM HQ USAFITASHDC
TO JEDIJP/CGAMCIJRIGHTPATTERSON
AFB OHI O
INFO JEDEN/CCADC ENT AFB COLO
/ C O N F I D E N T I A L/FROI , IA F O I N' 4 5 6 5 CG A MCP A S S T O CG A T I C
ACTION ON MESSAGE OUOTEDBELOI,'FROMHQ ADC ENT AFB COLOIS TRANSFERRED
T O ATIC C MA THE ORGA NIZA TIO N HA V I NGP RI MA RYRE S P O NS I B I L I T YF O R UT O
P R OG R AM . NO A DDITIONA L INFO A V A I L A B L ET HI S HO . ME S S A G ERE A DS
CMANUMBER COC86 DTG2AA53Z. OURAP RADIONEWSSERVICEMS
AP 182 5TH T5 MIN SUMMARY CMATE]]TTTTEE_E
STATESTHATLUMINOUS OBJECTS TRAVELINGAT SPEEDS FASTERTHANSOUND
HAVEBEEIf_OBSERVED AND TRACKED ON RADARWITHINPASTFEWDAYSIN
PORKCHOPAND OLD BALDYHILLS AREAWESTERN NOREAN FRONT.
/,TH 15 MIN SUMMARY SIGNEDDY 1028 PFS TAI.-I1\J_VIEIdOF RADAR
SIGHTINGotr.POSSIBLySIMILAITSIFERSONIc OBJECTS LAKESUPERIoR
AREA2A/Q135 TO zg/g2ofrZ APR FURTHERINFO OR EVALUATION OI TfIIS
nF ncF6FFTSREoUESTED
DENTIAL
CONFI
!NFOllf{ATloN
CURITY fifr- /7f/- /
But I did worry aboutit. My paychecks saidOhio 1952.(This wasa privatchip; I paid for it myself.)
Sl.ateUniversity.The phrase"laundercdmoney"wasnot Tombaugh,who in 1930discovercdtheplanetPluto,had
in commonusagein thosedays. himselfexperienced an extraordinaryUFo sightingin
I stewgdover this for a few days-not moretlan a 1949.A large,trarsparentfuselagewith lightedwindows
weekor two-and thentle couriercamewith theweekly hadsailedacrosshis view ashe enjoyedthc cveningin
rcports.Sameman,samecar-a Chevythatbiliousshade his backyard.
of GI green.For somsreasonI walkedhim backout to I arrivedat White Sandsaftera cold andmiserable
his car,anddid an incredibledoublc-takeashe drovc pre-dawnbusridc from El Paso,andTombaughsent
away.It wasn'ta govemment car.It washisown car, someoneout to Lhegateto escortmc to his office.We
with Ohio platcs.This man'sinitialswereV.E.,andlhe walkedthroughhangarsandofficesandlaboratorics.
car liccnseplatewasVE-29.Whata stoke of luck: a "Oooh,what'strat?" I asked.Therewererocketsand
spookwith vanityplates! fancyinstruments andequipmentlying all over theplace.
Furthermore, he wasfrom Columbus.The local "That's the new Nike," my escortsaid,"and thatoneover
Chevydealer'snamewason thelicense-plate holder. thcre'stheHonestJohn."I wascarryingno documentsto
Within five minutesI hadracedover to the main identifymyselfasafnliatedwith ATIC.No oneaskcd
OSUlibrary,pulleddown theColumbuscity dircctory, whatkind of cleamnceI had.And at thattime.December
and foundthe man'snameandhis placeof employment: 1952,I hadnone.
Battelle.ConfrontingHynekwith my intelligencecoup
resultedin a few daysof negotiations with Storkfollowed The fifth horseman
by an incrcasedwork load.
I went.on a numberof field trips for Henry,andthe Hynekalsoarrangedfor me to meetwith Lincoln LaPaz,
securitysituationwasalmostinvariablydeplorable. theeminentmeteoriticistat the Universityof New
Hynekarrangedfor me to visit astronomer Clyde Mexico.LaPazhadbeenconsultedby theAir Force
Tombaughat White Sandshoving Ground,New Mexico, duringthe spatcof geen-fireballsightingsover the
duringa trip i hadpreviouslyplannedfor winterbrcak Southwest. It wascommonknowledsethathe was

IUR March/April
1991 9
,;f,'
4,' RESTRICTID
coPr #
10 Max 53
- t- *
FMC0 49Tr{rTn INTCPSQ LoW BAI'IGOR
MAINE

T0 JDPflQ,/HQ
USAI'WISH25 DC

rEcHrNTcurrmvin\urpArrERsoN
ruro.rnr.,wnl-a,rR arB0rrro ,,.-o .Y{
d{,t
,, 1*;,
F'ft*r,".l nl,j
'/nr sr Rr cr " " *r':T 1:]:'"'r'"*t:1::'**"too"'u'
\ ,r"F

usAI.. ATTN ATIA.A-2C, AIR TECH Ill'rlfTr.IGtsI{CE C TlXt !ciri,.i.;.:+a.e.,:-.

rNrEr 3-3i. unldentlfled objecr sightea\t.q2ozi if'il"i';ilj"ibg:'"'.r.-


near Kent l{ILl, Maine. It was described {A a big red bqll of fjr-e .j
:;,.;ni' (f
going vest-north-r.est a.Ddvas observed- for bQgut 12 .f1111'';"'':t"n* '?
it disappeared beyond observed

ar, OITOOZ,I l'lar , a953 High speed, no naneuvers, no exhaust.

was a visual o frol. lhe. eround-u1'th"no-electro*:.X.,1}p-

ment used. The Ib. Van Ethen,

lIlI[ Acaderry, Hes locd north.


,.+t4."r.d.-,r-r4$i.d.c.!,

He estinated that the obj 40 to 60 rniles away and Bky.

The object vas obgerved by three faculty s arrd ten students of the

acaderoy. I?re veather vas cold arrd clear wlth no wild. No physical

evidence available, no interception action taken arrd no knor,rnai.r

trafflc i:r the area.

og/zzooz I,IARJrrfii

SECIIRITT INI'ORMATION
RESTRICTID
t0 IUR March/April
1991
-3-
NESTRICTED
\r r - - . ---
-

Bi{EAKDOnliOF THE 1]rB tsIJOBRPIS


.ti0cErriED iri10t1ATIC
15 Jan - 15 Jul

V E NUS J [@ /'
VENUSP TffiiI ll
!'IREBAT,TS JSffiSSdS&il ra
FriraBAlrs PgaisH,
&ILLOONSJ EUNEls4
BALLOOilSP MITfiffi
'}
}.IIIIAGES P T
rnsuFDArA HEffimaiHl;{r.
B]RDS trEIZ
RENIECTIOISgilM{
OTIHEIASTRO.imFlt|*rt
i,iEf,EOROI,OG.
EgI''
RADIIR.ilN0i/i. EE?
UNKNGINS*
''
Iro.{x El'
UNCoM/EN
A/cm*iFlml,3

,t. Folloer up requesteti

J Justified by da+,a
P Probabfe

IUR [4arch/April
1991 tt
interestedin UFOs.(LaPazis mentionedprominendyin OSU)wheremy work for StorkalsoinvolvedtheIGY.
Ruppelt'slhe Reporton UnidenttfiedFlying Objects The subjectof UFoswasncvermentioned.
t1e56l.)
I foundLaPazin his office at the university.I Blue Book and beyond
rememberthe formalityof the room,he behinda large
woodendesk,I in a straightchairat right angles.In ThoughI wasofficially removedfrom Blue Book
confast to theeasy-goingTombaugh(andhis family, business. HynekandTconLinued n communicate regu-
who ueatedme to a Mexicanlunch),LaPazwasa larly aboutUFo matters.
formidablepresence, We
andI felt a bit uncomfortable. At midnighton March26, 1966,my husbandgot me
discussed UFosin generalterms.He chosehis words out ofa showerfor a call from Hillsdale,Michigan.It
carefully,suggesting thattheU.S. governmentknew wasHynek,pleadingwith me not to get upsetwhenI saw
pler,) aboutUFos.I broughthim up to dateon Hynek's the momingpapers.The Air Forcehadbackedhim intrca
work andthegeneralskepticismthatI felt pcrvaded comer.Saysomething, he wastold. So he hadsaid
Hynek'sphilosophy(andmine,too). something.He hadsaidthatswampgaswasa possibility
LaPazlistenedto whatmusthavcbeenmy naive asa naturalexplanationfor somelights over a marshy
jabberings.Thenhe pinnedme wift a solemnstare. area,andthepressjumpedon it. The swamp-gas incident
"UFOs are theFifth Horsemanof the Apocalypse,"he distressed him terriblybecausein effectthe Air Forcehad
said,andI wassoondismissed. forcedhim to compromise his scientificintegrity.
Pestilence, War, Famine,Death,and,. . ? As the Blue Book foldedthe endof 1969following the
yearshavepassed,LaPaz'schilling pronouncement has publicationof theCondonReport.Within a few months
causedme growingconcern.His nameis not listedon the of he stalt of the Coloradoproject,Hynekhadiold me
controversial MJ-12document.But if sucha group,or its he knewit hadbeendecidedthatthe findingswould be
cquivalent,existed,he would havebeena logicalcandi- negative.For yearshe hadunderstood thathe wasbeing
datefor membership. keptout of the innercircle,thatevenwith his high
Back in Ohio the summerof 1953produceda securityclearances it wasjudgedthathe hadno needto
changingof the guard.For a few monthsRuppeltwas know \rhat wasreallygoingon. He knew he hadbeen
away,andLt. Bob Olssonwasin chargeof Blue Book.At used.He seemedactuallyrelieved,then,whenhis Blue
someUmein thatintervalHynekwasgoingout of town, Bookwork wasover.Now he wasfreeto pusue UFO
ard he told me to expect.a visit from somepeopleftom research from a purelyscientificviewpointwithoutthe
Wright-Patterson. Olsson(whomI alreadyknew)came restictionsimposedby his governmentcontract.
in, with the sergeantgoferandanotherman,probably But wasHynek'sgovernmentUFOwork really over?
alsoa lieutenant,to whomI wasnot evenintroduced. In October1973he calledme to pick him up at
It wasa hot, stuffy day sansair conditioning.The rvright-Pattersonandbring him to Columbus.It was the
soldierstook me into Hynek'sinnerofficeat theobserva- height of the Yom Kippur war, andWright-Pattersonwas
tory, andthe lieutenantarrangcdtlle chairs:a straight on highestsccurityslatusbecausesuppliesfor Israelwere
chairin thecenterof the room-for me-and threeother beingflown from there.I took a wrongtum nearthe Air
chairsat 10,two, andsix o'clock positions.The anony- ForcemuseumenEanceandwoundup driving out onto
mouslieutenantandOlssonfacedme,andthe sergeant theperimeterof the field. I drovehalf a mile out on a taxi
satout of my vision with a clip boardandpencil. stripbeforeI couldtum around.No challenge.No one
They askedme how thingsweregoingwift the cameafter me.
project.What wasHynek'sattitude?Whatwasmy I finally got rmrientedanddroveup to whereI was
attitude?How did I like thework?What did I think of supposed to pick up Hynek.It wasa smallone-storey
this caseor that?My uttcr disingenuousness carriedme building,andHynekwasstandingin the doorwayasI
thrcughthis ordeal.In my naiveteI wasprobablyeven droveup. Anothermanappeared from thebuilding.He
flatteredto be tlle objectof so muchattention.In relro- wasin dressuniformandmayhavebeena major.I got
spectthe third man remindsme of thatnuttyCIA manin out of the car,andHynekmadeit a point to introduceme.
theM.A.S.H. televisionseries-the ludicrousparanoid Of courseHynekwasalwayspolite,but he easilycould
who wasforeverfinding deviousplotsin themost havejust gotteninto thecar with no introductions.It
innocentsituation. seomedto me thattheinfoduction wasa purposefulact
I liked Bob Olsson.He oftenincludcdhis own whichI assumed hadsomethingLodo with the facl thatI
evaluationsanda friendlynoteon thercportssentto us, wasa UFo associate.
andI felt he wasgenuinelyinterested andconscientious On our way to ColumbusI askedHynekin general
in his work. Perhapsthat'swhy he lastedonly a few termswhatwasgoingon. He wouldnot tell mc anything
monthsat Blue Book. aboutwhathe wasdoingat Wright-Patterson. In faceof
By mid-1956Hynekhadmovedto Harvardfor his his reluctanceto explain,I felt I couldnot pursuethe
workedon lhe InternationalGeophysicalYear,ard I had subject.Bu[ he wasagitatedon thattrip andseemed
movedto Lhemain Battellecampus(abouta mile from continuedon page2j

t2 IURMarch/April
1991
Blue Book-continued frompage12 circleresearchin termsof havinghistoricaldatafor
comparison, but theymay tendto be biasedin favor of
preoccupied with whateverhadoccurredearlierthatday. theUFo explanation.Similarlymeteorologists maybe the
Of courseWright-Pattersonhousedother projectsthan mostversedin weafterexplanations, but tiey vr'iUnot
thoseunder the Foreign TechnologyDivision. havethe advantageof agdcultual experiencepossessed
But Hynek l"as working for FTD.ResearcherBrian by farmers.This aII suggests a mullidisciplinaryapproach
Parkshasrecentlyobtained,throughthe Freedomof In- to cropcirclesmaybe the bestanswer.It would not hurt
formationAct, Hynek'srecordof employmentasFTD to havepoliceandotherlaw-enforcement officials
consultantfrom 1970ao1974.He worked only a few days involved.either.
eachyear,but it wasan ongoingconsultancy, an execu- The surveyconductedin Manitoba was of limited
tive appointrnent, beginningin April 1970,lessthansix scope,andsimilarstudiesin otherregionsmay yield
monthsafterBlue Book's official closure.Wasthiswork differentresults.It would be bestto haveas largea
relatedto UFos?At thispoint we still do not know. databaseaspossibleto draw upon for information, but
On December26, 1976,in thefront third-flooroffice sincethe su'-veygatheredonly opinions for the mostpart,
of the Hynekhomein Evanston,Illinois, HynekandI tho amountof useful information gainedfor crop-chcle
were talking theory as we had so many times over the researchis minimal.
years.Hynek wasnot a manto makebold statements, and Crop-circleresearchersare encoungedto draw upon
I recognizedtheremarksof a manwhosethinkinghad a wide varietyof resources in their investigations andto
evolved with reluctanceand deliberationover 28 years. communicatelieir ideasand discoveriesto other inter-
"It's very definitelyconnected with intelligence estedpersonsandorganizations.Data aboutcircles
somewhere," he said,not with excitementandawebut shouldbe exchanged freely,especiallybecause circles
with acceptance andresignation. I seemto be a globalphenomenon. More important,
researchers shouldnot feel committedto any onethoory
until more datahavebeenexaminedand expertsin the
Debunking-continued trcmpage15 fieldsof agriculture,meteorology, andlaw enforcemena
aswell aslocal farmersshouldbe consultedin investiga-
Russianslove to read,andRussianslove to dream. trons.
Foodshortages will not stopthemfrom gazing into the Cropcirclesnrcybe explainedassimply ashoaxes,
skies,looking for an explanationof who we are and but we would thenbe in a positionto askthe sociological
whencewe all come.As the SovietUnion opensup, the questionwfty, the psychologicalquestionwho, and the
ranks of thosewho seekexplanationsfor UFosand for mechanical quesdonftow. If the circles(andtriangles
the riddlesof antiquityexpand,andthepaceof publish- andrectznglesandspirals)arecausedby aliens,thenwe
ing in tlese areasquickens.Coundessnew magazines canaskwhatis their motivation(thoughrealizingthatwe
dealwith the UFOphenomenon, sproutinglike mush- haveno way of comprehending extratenestrial logic).If
rooms in a rain-drenchedforest. In trying to bashthese the crop circles are weathereffects,why havethey
heresies, Kondratov,Shilik, andtheirilk havefleir work appearedrecently in suchnumbers?If they are a rare
cut out for them.I phenomenon, thentheyshouldnot haveincreased so
dramaticallyin number.If theyare so common,thenwhy
wouldtheyconcentrate in Engtand,andwhy havesome
CfOp CifCf eS-continued frompage19 farmerswith many decades'experienceinsistedthat Lhe
circlesresemblenothingin recentmemory?I
long,constructivecommentsuggested parameters for
sEtisticalstudiesandan exchangeof information.A AifshipS-co ntinuedfrompage24
commentabouttourismwasnot unexpected but revealsa
naive view of the placeswhere circles are located, Vallee, Jacques.Passporl lo Magonia: From Folklorc to
especiallyin Canada.As for peoplewho enjoybeing"in Flying Saucers.Chicago:Henry RegneryCompany,1969.
the spotlight,"it is a fact thatmanyownersof fieldswith Wagner,Audrey M. Letter to JeromeClark (l.lovember23,
cropcirclesavoidpublicityanddo not evenreportthe 1990).
circles for fear of ridicule. On the other hand,souvenir Wagner,Audrey M. "Repon from the Readen:
standsat crop-circlesitesin EnglandandCanadahave Disappointed." Fate43,7 (July 190): 9-100.
beensetup (andsomefield ownersarechargingadmis- Welsch, Roger L. "'This MysteriousLighr Calledan
Airship,' Nebraska'Saucer'Sightings,189'7."Nebraska
sion).
History 60,1(SprinS1979):92-113.
The surveyshowsthatagriculturistsarelessthan
Wieland, Fred.l,etter to National InvestigationsCommit-
expenson the phenomenonof crop circles. Their exper- tee on Aerial Phenomena(January10, 1961).
tise in examining field markings,however,makesthem Wi iams,RichardW. "Summaryof Findingsin CSI's
usefulsourcesfor investigations andresearch. Ufologists First220 SightingRepor:o,"C ivilion Sau.erI nvestigation
probablyhavethe mostextensivebackgrounds for crop- QuarterlyRniew 1,,1(September 1952):1,6.

IUR lllarch/ADril1991 23

You might also like