- OPEN LETTER
-
- History Channel
- 235 East 45th St.
- New York, NY l0017
- USA
-
- December 21, 1999
-
- Subject: December 13, 1999
- program Roswell: Secrets Revealed
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- Dear History Channel
-
- As the nuclear physicist who began the civilian investigation
of the Roswell Incident back in the 1970s, who has co-authored a book "Crash
at Corona: The Definitive Story of the Roswell Incident" and numerous
papers about Roswell, and, of course, was the first to talk to many of
the key witnesses (almost all of whom you somehow missed), I naturally
viewed the subject program with great interest, especially since I was
in Roswell on December 13... I must congratulate you on providing a Masterpiece
of Misrepresentation. A splendid example of propaganda, excellent for teaching
purposes . You demonstrated the primary rules such as selective choice
of data, false reasoning, positive and negative name calling. You also
demonstrated the 4 basic rules of UFO debunkery:
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- Many thanks for making many of my points here. I should've
just waited for this posting first! On the ones you don't make you might
direct the History Channel to see the July 1997 MUFON issue that was dedicated
to Roswell. Might give them some other folks to talk to.
-
- .. You have blindly accepted a fairly recent statement
by Cavitt to Colonel Weaver about him recalling it was just a balloon covering
an area only 20' square and easily fitting in one vehicle. Apparently Cavitt
wasn't told it was supposed to be a MOGUL balloon which included 23 standard
helium filled neoprene balloons (at 20' intervals) and a whole bunch of
radar reflectors, sonobuoys, ballast tanks, etc all strung together. Some
small pile. Of course Cavitt hadn't remembered that simple fact when asked
many times by many people for the previous 15 years, even denying that
he had been on the base at the time.
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- Was is Marcel a better witness than Cavitt? Is it because
Cavitt doesn't agree with you?
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- How ridiculous. Cavitt could have told his new simple
tale to any of the many people with whom he spoke over a 15 year period.
Surely it wasn't security that made him avoid speaking?
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- Talk to Kevin Randle, Don Schmitt, William Moore, Billy
Cox about their conversations with Cavitt.He at one time was trying to
say he wasn't even at the base in early July 1947. He not only made up
this explanation or thought he was supposed to give it but lied when he
said he went to the scene with Rickett and Marcel and never saw the rancher.
There was no way for him to reach the debris field without the rancher
being involved. Marcel's story has been validated by others. and we have
many newspaper stories to check it against.
-
- ... He issued the press release because he was ordered
to do so by Colonel William Blanchard, Commander of the 509th and of Roswell
Army Air Field. Before suggesting he must have been incompetent, as have
some who haven't done their homework, I should add he was a member of
the West Point All Star class of 1938, became a 4 star general by the time
he was 48 and was Vice Chief of Staff of the USAF when he died of a massive
heart attack at the Pentagon in 1966. There was ,of course, a lengthy obituary
in the NY times. Doesn't sound much like he was thought to be incompetent,
does it?
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- My... He did fly high!
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- D. Why do you show only the Roswell Daily Record? After
all there were front page headline stories in the Chicago Daily News, the
Sacramento Bee, the Los Angeles Herald Express, the Spokane Chronicle,
etc all evening papers for July 8. The West coast papers in general had
done a lot of checking before publishing detailed articles. Too bad you
did none.
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- Yes. It was all over and _everybody_, including the Soviets,
took notice.
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- So what??
-
- ...Has the air force invented time travel? There is no
other way to get crash test dummies, all of whom were the height and weight
of pilots, back to 1947 from 1953 ...this is flat out fiction.
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- I agree
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- G. Why did you not talk to others still alive who had
first hand involvement such as Jesse A. Marcel Jr. , a medical doctor,
who handled wreckage, has served on military aircraft accident investigative
teams and was a pilot? Or Loretta Proctor, neighbor of Mack Brazel, who
handled wreckage? or Mack Brazel's son Bill who found strange (thin strong
memory material) wreckage out in the pasture? How about the sheriff's two
daughters? All this testimony has been readily available for many years
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- One dead and mistaken; two not grown; the rest only heresay.
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-
- What is the basis for saying mistaken?
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- Cavitt is also dead, Bill Brazel was married at the
time, Loretta handled wreckage, the sherrif's daughters were in Roswell
at the time at his office. Perhaps you ought to view the 105 minute video
Recollections of Roswell (only 20$ from UFORI, POB 958, Houlton, ME 04730)
which includes testimony from 27 witnesses including Judd Roberts, Bill
Rickett, Jesse Marcel (all now deceased) etc Your explanations seem to
be worse than hearsay. They are creative fiction.
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- H.One of the first things Major Jesse Marcel told me
is that there was nothing conventional to be found on the debris field..
No wires, no vacuum tubes, no rivets. He was very familiar with aircraft
and aircraft wreckage and balloons and radar reflectors and rockets. The
notion that he wouldn't have recognized balloon wreckage or radar reflectors
is frankly absurd.. You are also implying that Blanchard, who had also
served in the Pacific, would have ordered the press release and the B-29
flight with the wreckage brought back from the ranch and Marcel to Fort
Worth is equally absurd, if all there was was totally conventional stuff.
You know of any materials such as the I-beam like pieces with strange symbols
that couldn't be cut, burned, or broken? Or memory metals that were like
foil but couldn't be cut and, when folded over and over, would unfold on
their own? Why couldn't the USAF find any of that toymaker tape in the
pictures taken in Ramey's office?
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- I. Brazel didn't make his discovery on July 5. It was
earlier. He did go to the store-pool hall in Corona on the 5 th which is
when, not having electricity or a phone or a radio, he first heard about
all the saucer sightings and a reward and was told he ought to go to the
Sherif in Roswell which he did on the 6th NOT on the 7th as you claimed..
You made it sound as though Sherif Wilcox looked in the phone book to find
a nearby Air Base. There was a standing arrangement that anything that
might effect the military would be reported to Roswell Army Air Field.
There was no other base in the area.
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- J. I have met with Dr. Schirmer, Dr. Moore, Mr. Gildenberg.
They haven't investigated the case. They have made proclamation after proclamation
about 2nd and third hand testimony. Why use the term "conspiracy theorist"
so many times without ever justifying it? Who are these theorists? I began
the investigation and have always provided evidence for the claims that
I make which is more than can be said for your trio. They have actually
created a conspiracy theory namely that a bunch of stupid UFO researchers
and lying witnesses have created a fantastic story for fun and profit.
This, of course, ignores the fact that loads of testimony was obtained
by us serious researchers long before the cameras started rolling. My phone
bills used to run several hundred dollars a month.
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- By the way, I do know something about security having
worked as a nuclear physicist on a wide variety of highly classified advanced
nuclear and space system programs for such companies as General Electric,
General Motors, Westinghouse, TRW Systems, McDonnell Douglas, and Aerojet
General Nucleonics.. I have also been to 19 different government document
archives. Just how much experience with security has Dr. Schirmer had?
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- K.What was this nonsense about a 1956 plane crash somehow
confusing Glenn Dennis about bodies at the base in 1947? A few years ago
I went with Glenn to the Ballard funeral home. We reviewed records with
full permission of the operator there who obviously respected Glenn. There
were a number of military plane crashes for which he handled the bodies
even after bad fires. That was his job. No possible way such a crash could
have confused him. Yet another false conspiracy theory from your trio.
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- I notice you don't mention the other part in the History
Channel where they basically say that Glenn is lying about the nurse he
knows who saw the alien bodies; that no one can even find she ever existed!
On that alone he is open to challenge on everything he says. Do not do
so is "selected journalism."
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- You mean like their leaving out crucial witnesses?There
were a number of items I didn't mention partly because the letter was longer
than intended and partly because I don't have a copy of the program.
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- L. At one point early on in the program the word UFO
was used. Sorry. It was not used until after 1951. Several times when showing
balloons and talking about Mogul you showed tear drop shaped polyethylene
balloons. Round standard Neoprene balloons were used for all MOGUL launches
before July... The same kind that Mack had retrieved. And that rapidly
diisintegrate in the sun.
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- Like your 1947 remark about me using "USAF".
It doesn't matter; they used the term UFOs as that is what "flying
saucers" have become.
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- In summary then, the History Channel has presented myth
and propaganda in the guise of truth.
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- You have supplied misrepresentation instead of investigative
journalism. You should be ashamed and should apologize to your audience.
It seems to me you have also violated FCC rules with regard to fairness,
honesty, and accuracy in so doing. My colleagues and I would be happy to
debate your trio of amateurs any time. I would suggest that they do their
homework first.
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- Cordially,
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- Stanton T. Friedman
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- Enclosures.
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- They have nothing to apologize for. I found it the most
enlightening and encompassing documentary on Roswell done. With the exception
of the "dummy" story, excellent!
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- This would seem to be a clear indication that you haven't
done your homework
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- Stan Friedman
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