- In order to understand how the average person perceives
the "UFO phenomenon today, we must go back to the "reporting
of such events" in recent history.
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- The day after Pearl Harbor, air raid sirens in the San
Francisco Bay Area went off for the first time in U.S. history. A black
out was ordered, Army personnel rushed to get anti-aircraft guns into place,
air wardens rushed from door to door darkening lights in their areas, and
several auto accidents were reported during the pandemonium. People huddled
in fear in there homes awaiting the bombs to fall from the "enemy
planes" reported approaching the west coast.
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- Although trained Army personnel, as well as many civilian
witnesses reported anywhere from 15 to 60 aircraft, and the Navy sent ships
out to investigate, as well as the Army putting Interceptor planes in the
air to chase the "enemy aircraft," nothing was ever found. The
so-called "enemy aircraft" disappeared out to the sea. [ General
William Ord Ryan of the Forth Interceptor Command, who said a large number
of "unidentified aircraft" were turned back at the golden gate.
He said the invading planes vanished to the southwest over the sea. When
asked whether he thought they were Japanese bombers he replied, "
well they weren't army planes, they weren't Navy planes, and you can be
sure they weren't civilian planes."] Front page of The Times Union,
December 9th, 1941.
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- Similar events took place on the east coast during the
same time period. On each occasion defensive forces were put into play.
Ships were dispatched and interceptor aircraft were sent aloft. Not once
were any aircraft identified, or supporting vessels found, i.e., aircraft
carriers etc. In fact, although the "unidentified aircraft" were
visible to radar, there was never any reports of "enemy ships"
at sea confirmed by the same. Moreover, I think a military strategist would
find it difficult to believe that an enemy who just started World War II
with a first strike to Pearl Harbor, with such devastation would take the
time to fly dozens of bombers to his opponents home land for a sight seeing
mission.
-
- Although the commanding Generals on both coasts took
these "sightings" very seriously and said so publicly, Washington
was quick to "deny" both events. [ Washington authorities stated
the two alarms were only tests. ] Front page of The Times Union, December
9th, 1941.
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- One has to remember that during that time period the
phrase "UFO" or "flying saucer" didn't exist. The "unidentified
aircraft," were simply labeled that, and were assumed to be planes.
The interesting thing that took place during these events is how Washington
handled "explaining them." They lied! In fact, this could be
the first "blatant attempt" to cover-up a UFO sighting. What
ever their motivation, the fact remains the same, they denied what the
commanders on site reported to the press. In all fairness, it could be
that officials in Washington didn't want to panic the public by thinking
there was going to be a "repeat performance" of Pearl Harbor
here in the contiguous United States. Or they could have been simply be
trying to stifle "any reports" of those events, because they
didn't know what the "unidentified craft" were, whether enemy
or otherwise. The point is, here is the first "cognizant action"
( by Washington ) concerning "unidentified flying objects" that
would have a direct effect on how the public would perceive a current event,
and how it would be viewed for years to come.
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- In the years to follow, during the war, allied pilots
would begin to report sightings of unidentified flying objects "tailing"
their aircraft. Soon these things were dubbed "Foo Fighters,"
An animated character at the time named Smokey Stover used to say "Where
there's foo there's fire," so someone nicknamed the craft Foo Fighters.
Sightings were varied. Some sightings were lights. Others were silver
discs.
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- The sightings of these UFO's during war time, as one
might imagine caused quite a stir. The Army Air Force put a lid on their
discussion by pilots and the OSS investigated all sightings, as it was
thought at the time that the "Foo Figfhters" could be a new weapon
by the Axis Powers.[The OSS also investigated possible sightings of German
V-1 and V-2 rockets before their operational use during the war.] Jacobs,
UFO Controversy, p. 33
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- Although these UFO's were seen throughout the war, the
"perception" of what they were was controlled by the military,
as personnel and eye witnesses were ordered not to discuss these sightings
for fear they could be a "superior technology" or "weapon"
of the enemy. In fact there wasn't any mention of these sightings in the
media until 1944. Later it was learned that Japanese and German pilots
had been seeing the same things during the war, and speculated that they
were the product of "allied technology."
-
- In 1946 there were reports of what was called "ghost
rockets" in Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea. The West assumed that
the Soviets were testing some new secret weapon, although the Kremlin flatly
denied this was the case. [ Then on 22nd August 1946, the British Daily
Telegraph stated "The discussion of the flight of rockets over Scandinavia
has been dropped in the Norwegian newspapers since Wednesday. On that day
the Norwegian General Staff issued a memorandum to the press asking it
not to make any mention of the appearance of rockets over Norwegian territory
but to pass on all reports to the Intelligence Department of the High Command
In Sweden the ban is limited to any mention of where the rockets have
been seen to land or explode."] Daily Telegraph, 22nd August 1946.
Once again we see an example that "information isn't reported, but
rather regulated by the powers that be."
-
- Then the following summer an event occurred that was
to become known all over the world and would trigger the modern day UFO
phenomena. Businessman and experienced pilot, Kenneth Arnold while flying
his plane across the Cascade Mountains from Chehalis to Yakima in Washington,
he saw a tremendously bright flash, which lit up the surfaces of his aircraft.
Although initially startled, Arnold quickly concluded that the light was
simply a reflection from some other nearby plane. Then he saw another flash.
He observed far to his left and to the north, a formation of very bright
objects coming from the vicinity of Mount Baker, flying very close to the
mountain tops and traveling at tremendous speed.
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- In the months that would follow there would be sightings
witnessed in almost every state in the Union and in several countries all
over the world. The "Central Intelligence Group" (the predecessor
to the CIA) had monitored reports of the "ghost rockets" in Sweden
and the Counter Intelligence Corps or CIC of the Army along with FBI were
investigating reports in this country. There were literally hundreds of
"flying saucer" sightings being reported in newspapers across
the nation. Then it finally happened. One of the "flying saucers"
had finally fallen from the sky, and the Army had possession of it! This
was the first week of July in 1947, outside of Roswell New Mexico.
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- Although the wreckage was examined by trained Army personnel
from the only authorized nuclear attack squadron in the world, located
at Roswell Army Air Field, shortly after the report that was sanctioned
by the base commander went out, it was put to sleep by the "cover-up
report" that the craft was not a "flying saucer" at all,
but only a "weather balloon as verified by a a lowly warrant officer,
Irving Newton. The higher-ups at the time were trying to convince the public
that these very qualified Army personnel, who witnessed launchings of "weather
balloons" almost on a daily basis, could not recognize one after it
came down from its flight.
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- The cover-up reports following the "Roswell event"
were, and still are quite ludicrous. They would be comical if the subject
matter wasn't so serious. The direct results of those actions, that is,
"the manipulation of the facts or data if you will," concerning
those events had a direct effect on the "public's perception"
at the time, and the results can still be seen today. Remember, back in
those days people in general didn't question their government. Americans
just went through a world war, and were very patriotic in regards to the
country and what it stands for. People believed what their government said,
and they had no reason not to.
-
- Had it not been for the work of Nuclear Physicist, Stanton
Friedman who first interviewed Jesse Marcel in 1978, the information pertaining
to "The Roswell Incident" would probably have been "swept
under the rug" forever. Because of that first phone call, back in
February of that year to Marcel, the "public's perception" of
the event was changed once again.
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- From a military and or government perspective, things
were getting out of hand. "Flying saucers" were being seen all
over the country, and were all over the headlines. Also, lets don't forget
the "flavor of the times" the intelligence communities were being
established, along with all the factions of military being merged together.
The National Security Act was passed, Europe and Japan were being rebuilt,
and we were in the middle of a cold war with the Soviets. All this was
going on while unidentified flying objects were being seen around the country,
and being reported around some very sensitive areas.
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- We've seen the evidence of manipulation of information
on a case by case basis, but given the overwhelming amount of activity
from unidentified objects, it wasn't long until the government took a "concentrated"
effort to control what was being said about them. The newly formed Air
Force took on the role of discrediting people who sighted strange flying
objects, and took to explaining what was being seen as swamp gas, mass
hysteria, hallucinations, ball lightening, or heat inversions etc.
-
- Although there is evidence that the CIA was involved
in the investigation of UFO"s since it's inception, they "overtly"
became involved in 1952. [ Although it had monitored UFO reports for at
least three years, CIA reacted to the new rash of sightings by forming
a special study group within the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI)
and the Office of Current Intelligence (OCI) to review the situation. Edward
Tauss, acting chief of OSI's Weapons and Equipment Division, reported for
the group that most UFO sightings could be easily explained. Nevertheless,
he recommended that the Agency continue monitoring the problem, in coordination
with ATIC. He also urged that CIA conceal its interest from the media and
the public, "in view of their probable alarmist tendencies" to
accept such interest as confirming the existence of UFOs.] Gerald K. Haines,
National Reconnaissance Office Historian. ( once again we see manipulation
of information getting to the public )
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- In 1953 a group was put together by the CIA, called The
Robertson Panel, led by its namesake H. P. Robertson, a noted physicist
from the California Institute of Technology, and a distinguished panel
of nonmilitary scientists to study the UFO issue. It included Samuel A.
Goudsmit, a nuclear physicist from the Brookhaven National Laboratories;
Luis Alvarez, a high-energy physicist; Thornton Page, the deputy director
of the Johns Hopkins Operations Research Office and an expert on radar
and electronics; and Lloyd Berkner, a director of the Brookhaven National
Laboratories and a specialist in geophysics.
-
- The Robertson panel appeared to be "eye candy"
for the public, and the end result of their investigation was another decision
to "manipulate information." [ The panel recommended that the
National Security Council debunk UFO reports and institute a policy of
public education to reassure the public of the lack of evidence behind
UFOs. It suggested using the mass media, advertising, business clubs, schools,
and even the Disney corporation to get the message across. Reporting at
the height of McCarthyism, the panel also recommended that such private
UFO groups as the Civilian Flying Saucer Investigators in Los Angeles and
the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization in Wisconsin be monitored for
subversive activities. ] Robertson Report and Durant Report.
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- Although the government today claims there is not any
"official interest" in UFO's and that there has not been any
involvement in the investigation of this phenomenon since the Air Force's
termination of Project Blue Book, and concluding it with the "Condon
Report" in 1969, and people are no longer ridiculed for reporting
strange things in the sky. There is a strange omission by the media of
reporting such events.
-
- UFO's are sighted almost everyday some where in the world.
With todays technology, they are now being photographed and video taped
at an alarming rate. They have been taped by astronauts, and filmed over
the Capitol. They have been chased by our aircraft numerous times. High
government officials have admiited their existance. Polls have revealed
that the majority of the "American public" believes we are not
alone.
-
- Most recently because of the efforts of Dr. Steven Greer,
a small sample (about 20 witnesses) of a larger group of approximately
400 military, government and corporate witnesses of UFO/extraterrestial
events were assembled in Washington on May 9th of this year at The National
Press Club. Even though the list of speakers was quite impressive, and
they all gave testimony concerning the biggest event in human history,
( the fact that we are, and have been, in contact with "alien races
) and stated that they would repeat their testimony in front of Congress
under oath, there was no mention of this on any "mainstream media"
venue! It was not on any front page! It wasn't broadcast on any major network!
This "non-participation" of main stream media also has an effect
on the "public's perception of the UFO phenomenon."
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- Let's for a moment, "imagine" that all the
major networks, and all the major newspapers covered and reported this
event in the way it should have been. What would have been the outcome?
How would the public "perceive" the UFO phenomenon then? I assure
you, that people would have "demanded" answers! The Congressional
hearings requested by Greer and all the distinguished witnessed would surely
been granted.
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- In conclusion, the manipulation and dissemination of
information to the public, has in the past, and currently, effects directly,
the "public's perception" of any event past or present, particulary
regarding the subject of UFO/extraterrestial phenomenon. Moreover, the
effects of such actions have crossed over generations and it has proven
to be an "effective tool" to control the public's thinking.
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