UFOs Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record (47 page)

Through its persistent recurrence, the UFO phenomenon makes its own demands on scientists, who should no longer be allowed the luxury of denial. We have always been an evolving species seeking to understand the unknown, and we will handle whatever changes come from radical new discoveries. As Kuhn said many years ago, “when paradigms change, the world itself changes with them.”

Over the years, debunking organizations have developed the slogan “Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence” as a kind of mantra, rolling all their objections into one, which is used to dismiss UFOs out of hand. They’re claiming that there is not sufficient evidence to support the “claim” that UFOs exist.

This book has accomplished, in my view, the presentation of some of the very compelling evidence—only a slice of it, we must remember—that UFOs
do
exist. We have seen that there are solid, three-dimensional objects of unknown origin flying in our skies, stopping in midair and zooming toward outer space, which are apparently not natural or man-made. They’ve come very close and landed as well, leaving physical traces in soil while shriveling the leaves of nearby plants. They interact with aircraft and have physical effects upon them. Photographs have captured their image on film, and radar blips have done the same on tracking monitors. Thousands of people from all walks of life in every continent have seen these objects, including many pilots and military officers. The group represented in this book, myself included, understand that what the skeptics love to call a “claim”—the existence of unknown objects in the sky—is actually an established fact. There is more than enough evidence to determine that
something physical
is there.

We in this group are also “militant agnostics”: we don’t know what this something is, nor do we know what it is
not
. We are not making an extraordinary claim, because we’re not claiming anything beyond the reality of a physical phenomenon, and the five premises that stem from this reality as outlined in the introduction to this book. Yes, that phenomenon is definitely extraordinary. The basic misunderstanding underlying the skeptics’ catchy buzz-phrase—“Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence”—is, once again, the equating of UFOs to extraterrestrial spacecraft by definition. When the debunkers rally around this battle cry and dismiss all the evidence with a wave of their hand, this is really what’s on their minds; otherwise, there would be no need for them to be so blindly defensive, and even hostile.

Their concern is understandable, even if it’s dealt with dishonestly. The COMETA group pointed out at the very beginning of this journey, and many of our contributors have stated as well, that the extraterrestrial hypothesis is the most likely one to explain what we know. That’s a very loaded proposition, but we’re stuck with it. And actually, it is not an extreme position, in comparison to the two polarized positions that are so common in the culture: either we know already what UFOs are (alien spacecraft), or they can’t possibly exist at all, and therefore don’t. These two extremes are the
real
extraordinary claims.

We ask those on the two sides of this outmoded contest between unwavering believers and nonbelievers to realize the fallacy of both positions, and to accept the logic, necessity, and realism of the agnostic view. Scientists must disavow the untenable claim that we have no evidence other than eyewitness reports, which are to them—of course—unreliable. That is another “extraordinary claim” that doesn’t hold up, as this book attests.

The time has come to proceed logically. Given that we know we have a physical manifestation of something highly unusual of unknown origin, isn’t it time to acquire the additional evidence needed to find out what it is? If we need extraordinary evidence, then let’s do our job and go get it. We Americans will have the cooperation of other scientists from around the world who have already invested their limited resources into such an endeavor. And so a new slogan is in order: “An extraordinary phenomenon demands an extraordinary investigation.”
¹¹
The world’s scientists are entirely capable of devising the methodologies and manufacturing the technology needed to solve this extraordinary mystery.

As the contributors here have shown, there is too much at stake to continue stonewalling. At the same time, we can’t deny the fact that there is a risk in moving forward. The phenomenon itself has placed us in a precarious situation that we have not chosen, and that we can do nothing about. We must strive to learn what we can, for it’s in our deepest nature and best interest to do so—to simply want to find out. Perhaps this discovery will be a turning point in our history. Perhaps not. But most likely, there’s something supremely important locked up in the UFO phenomenon that could be transformative for all of us. It’s time now, finally, to open our eyes and find out what that might be.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I’d like to thank the eighteen distinguished contributors whose pieces form the essential core of this book, and who made it all possible. It has been a privilege to work with this exceptional group. My deepest thanks to each of them for their trust and for their diligent work on many drafts. These men have courageously gone on the record about the reality of UFOs, and I hope others in comparable positions will now be moved to do the same.

I extend a special appreciation to John Podesta for his eloquent foreword and for his ongoing public support of the Coalition for Freedom of Information (CFi). His brilliance and honesty are inspiring. Others made major contributions to the text: Yves Sillard of GEIPAN wrote an important commentary, and André Amond, J. Dori Callahan, Julio Chamorro, Anthony Choy, Jean-Pierre Fartek, Will Miller, and Robert Salas provided interviews and helpful material. I am very grateful to former Arizona governor Fife Symington III for his encouragement, which helped launch the book.

Phyllis Wender, my agent from the Gersh Agency in New York, believed in this project from the outset. I thank her wholeheartedly for her appreciation of the approach embodied by the book and her unwavering determination to see it published. Her wise advice has been indispensable, and her assistant Lynn Hyde also deserves my thanks. At the Crown Publishing Group, I am indebted to Shaye Areheart for her vision, leadership, and commitment to the book, and to my enthusiastic editor, Kate Kennedy, who guided me throughout the lengthy publishing process and made many significant editorial contributions that improved the manuscript.

A special thanks goes to my close friend Budd Hopkins for providing daily, steady support as I dealt with the myriad personal and professional challenges inherent in producing this book. He dutifully read and reread every word of the manuscript at its various inceptions and offered many perceptive edits and suggestions. I’m also grateful to David M. Jacobs, Paul McKim, and Lloyd Garrison for reading parts of the manuscript and providing useful feedback.

I cannot overlook two key colleagues who profoundly influenced my life before I was unexpectedly confronted with the issue of UFOs. Burma activist and writer Alan Clements inspired me with his compassionate activism and commitment to a people’s struggle, and opened up a new world to me. Investigative reporter Dennis Bernstein, host of
Flashpoints
on Pacifica radio, taught me the principles and craft of advocacy journalism, leading me into the world of freelance publishing and, eventually, radio broadcasting. I can’t thank my dear friends Alan and Dennis enough for giving me the foundation that made it possible for me to later take on the risky subject of UFOs.

At the beginning of my UFO explorations, Ralph Steiner helped me navigate and offered much reassurance, Stephen Bassett was supportive, and Clifford Stone, Steven Greer, and Grant Cameron provided me with hundreds of government documents released through the Freedom of Information Act. I thank
Boston Globe
editor Chris Chinlund and Robert Whitcomb from the
Providence Journal
for publishing my first UFO articles.

I am very grateful to Larry Landsman, my partner in the CFi, for opening so many doors for me, and for his consistent advice and comradeship over all these years. Without Larry, this book would never have been born. I also appreciate the invaluable education provided by Ed Rothschild, senior public affairs strategist with the Podesta Group. And I extend my thanks to James Fox, Stan Gordon, Lee Helfrich, and Jeff Sagansky and the team at Break Thru Films for the meaningful opportunities they provided me.

Many skilled investigators have spent decades collecting data on UFOs, and I relied on their work continuously throughout the book. I pay special tribute to veteran researcher Richard Hall, who died of cancer in 2009, and who was always available to answer my questions. Along with others already mentioned, I’m also personally indebted to researchers Jerome Clark, Peter Davenport, Richard Dolan, Stanton Friedman, A. J. Gevaerd, Timothy Good, Bernard Haisch, Bruce Maccabee, Mark Rodeghier, Ted Roe, Brad Sparks, Peter Sturrock, Rob Swiatek, and Nancy Talbott.

Pituka Heilbron and Andrea Soares Berrios spent much time translating both text and many e-mails. Thanks also to Jean-Luc Rivera and Oscar Zambrano for translations, and to Jean-Claude Ribes, Valery Uvarov, Ruben Uriarte, and André Morin. Others assisted with various aspects of the book: Yvan Blanc, Joaquim Fernandes, Kelly Fox, Seth Keal, Phil Imbrogno, Charles Miller, Gustavo Rodríguez, Susan Stanley, and Bernard Thouanel; and at Crown, thanks to Mark Birkey, Jill Browning, Lenny Henderson, Kyle Kolker, Elizabeth Rendfleisch, Kira Walton, and Campbell Wharton.

Finally, I thank my mother, Ellen S. Kean, and my father, Hamilton F. Kean, for their steadfast, unconditional support and genuine enthusiasm for this project, despite the taboo nature of its subject matter. Thanks for having faith in me.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

RAY BOWYER has been a flight calibration inspection pilot, and continues as a commercially qualified airline pilot. He has flown for ten airlines operating in Europe and the Middle East, including Jersey European, Channel Express, Regionair, BusinessAir, and Farner Air. From 1999 to 2008, he was a Line Captain for Aurigny Air Services in the Channel Islands, flying inter-island and international routes based in Guernsey. He currently flies as a captain for a Channel Island–based corporation throughout Europe and has a total flying time of 7,000 hours.

WILFRIED DE BROUWER spent twenty years as a fighter pilot in the Belgian Air Force. He was then appointed to the Strategic Planning Branch of NATO in 1983, while a Colonel. After that, he became Wing Commander of the Belgian Air Force Transport Wing and, in 1989, chief of the Operations Division in the Air Staff. Promoted to Major General in 1991, De Brouwer served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Belgian Air Force. Beginning in 1995, after retiring from the Air Force, he worked for more than ten years as a consultant for the United Nations to improve the UN Logistics rapid-response capabilities during emergencies.

JOHN J. CALLAHAN has over thirty years of experience at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) specializing in the air traffic control centers. As Automation Branch Chief, he supervised the design, programming, testing, and implementation of all air traffic control facilities software programs. From 1981 to 1988, he was Division Chief for Accidents, Evaluations, and Investigations at Washington Headquarters, where he was responsible for the quality of air traffic service provided to FAA users. After retiring, Callahan was employed as a Senior Analyst for Washington Consulting Group and Chief Executive Officer for Crown Communications Consulting Company. He now owns and operates Liberty Tax Service in Culpeper, Virginia.

RAYMOND DUVALL is Morse-Alumni Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. His co-edited publications include
Power in Global Governance
(Cambridge University Press, 2005) and
Cultures of Insecurity: States, Communities and the Production of Danger
(University of Minnesota Press, 1999). His recent articles have appeared in such scholarly journals as
International Organization
(2005–06),
Millennium
(2007),
Review of International Studies
(2008), and
Political Theory
(2008). Dr. Duvall’s teaching and research focus on facets of critical international relations theory, including the productive effects of social practices.

RODRIGO BRAVO GARRIDO is a captain and pilot for the Aviation Army of Chile. In 2000, at age twenty-four, he was assigned to conduct an internal study titled “Introduction to Anomalous Aerial Phenomenon and Their Considerations for Aerospace Security,” involving previous case reports of military planes’ encounters with UAP. He has since continued this research and now works in cooperation with the Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena (CEFAA), a branch of the General Administration of Civil Aeronautics, Chile’s equivalent of our FAA.

JÚLIO MIGUEL GUERRA became a pilot with the Portuguese Air Force in 1973 and was an operations officer specializing in accident prevention at Ota Air Base. In 1990 he began flying commercially with Air Atlantis, a charter of Portugal’s national airline TAP, Air Columbus, and Air Atlanta, piloting Boeing 737-200/300 jets. Since 1997, he has been a Line Captain for Portugalia Airlines. He is also a private flight instructor and an examiner for the Joint Aviation Authorities, a European body developing and implementing common safety regulatory standards. With 18,000 hours of flight time, Captain Guerra received an Aeronautic Science Degree from Lusófona University in 2009.

RICHARD F. HAINES is a senior research scientist who worked at NASA–Ames Research Center from 1967 to 1988 on projects such as Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and the International Space Station, and managed the Joint FAA/NASA Head-up Display Evaluation Program. He was appointed Chief of the Space Human Factors Office at NASA–Ames in 1986. Dr. Haines has published more than seventy-five papers in leading scientific journals and over twenty-five U.S. government reports for NASA. Since retiring in 1988, he worked as a senior research scientist for the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science, RECOM Technologies, Inc., and Raytheon Corporation. Currently, he serves as Chief Scientist for the National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP).