Observations on Ufology
Walter T. Sheets
Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved
The year 2009 finds UFO investigators and researchers continuing to confront anomalous UFO events via case investigation and interviews with honest, credible and observant American citizens. As most of the public is now aware, personnel of MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) suspect or eliminate about 90+% of all reported cases as being misidentified aircraft/man-made objects, weather and other natural phenomena, celestial bodies observed under unusual atmospheric conditions, satellites, space junk, meteors and hoaxes. This seems like it might indicate UFOs to be a 'Ho-hum, nothing to it' myth (according to our government officials). Nothing could be further from the truth. When the 90+% or so of IFOs (craft determined to be Identified Flying Objects) are subtracted, there is still an amazing number of bizarre UFO occurrences that CANNOT be explained by the investigators, our government or scientists. I'm not talking about distant lights in the sky, but up close and well observed events such as solid structured discs, cylinders, triangular and shape changing objects that; hover silently, fly at thousands of mph, change direction without slowing, accelerate instantly and stop the same way, appear and disappear instantly while being observed, sometimes make noise, leave landing traces, influence motors and other electrical equipment, burn the retina's of witnesses, create radar returns while being observed by ground witnesses or pursued by military pilots. This type of activity and more has been documented by competent investigators coming from credible witnesses (pilots, police officers, doctors, sea captains etc.) in case after case, year after year, since the late 1940's.
To those who have studied the serious UFO literature, there is no such thing as 'believing in UFOs'. Unidentified Flying Objects ARE a fact of life which our government refuses to address for our citizens in a precise and responsive manner. Our government's official statement regarding this phenomena more or less boils down to something like, "our specialists have studied the various UFO reports and have found that Unidentified Flying Objects pose no threat to national security.......the government of the United States does not actively investigate these reports", or words to that effect.
Recent efforts by researchers using the Freedom of Information Act have uncovered MANY hundreds of government documents that indicate just the opposite. Said documents being HEAVILY censored prior to release to the investigators. What's to hide if federal agencies are not 'officially' investigating and these events pose no threat to our security? I could go on and on for many pages regarding the reality of the UFO phenomena, but others more talented than I have already done this in the numerous highly professional and accurate books that make up the serious UFO literature. I think taking a brief look at what some imminent Americans have said and done in relation to the UFO enigma will tell a lot in this limited space.
Gordon Cooper- Astronaut and test pilot, USAF; pursued UFOs over Europe with his fighter squadron; while a test pilot, part of a ground crew actually filmed a landing UFO, turned the film over to Cooper for submission to the Pentagon, and the USAF promptly took this film and later denied to Cooper knowing anything about what happened to it. Astronaut Cooper later briefed a U.N. committee regarding these events and his research into the UFO phenomena.
Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Lunar Astronaut and sixth man to walk on the moon; from information he gathered during his scientific and NASA career, he concluded that an unknown intelligence is behind UFOs and has dedicated much of his subsequent retirement to this research, lecturing all over the USA and world.
Professor Paul Hill, Aeronautical Engineer and mathematician employed by NASA, Langley Research Center; Head, Rocket Section; Head, Aerodynamics Performance Branch; and so on for five pages; Professor Hill conducted personal UFO research throughout his 30+ year career in our space program, interviewing UFO witnesses and himself witnessing UFO activity. He was allowed to use certain NASA facilities unofficially or 'off-duty' in his research as long as he made his findings available for his associates. The late Professor documented this research in his groundbreaking 1995 book 'Unconventional Flying Objects'; it's a REAL tour de force on UFOs by a NASA rocket scientist (!).
Dr. James E. McDonald, Senior Physicist at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Arizona; testified before the House Committee on Science and Astronautics; indicated his belief that the astonishing number of credible witness accounts were overlooked by the general public and required further scientific scrutiny.
Dr. Peter Sturrock, Retired Professor of Applied Physics and Director of Center for Space Science and Astrophysics at Stanford University. His recent panel of investigating scientists concluded that some UFO reports deserve further scrutiny by our scientific community. (1997)
Dr. Robert Baker Jr., Head, Lockheed Astrodynamics Research Center; faculty of Astronomy and Engineering UCLA; Dr. Baker was involved with a classified radar and sensor system, but indicated that it regularly registered alarms that could not be explained as being caused by any known means i.e. natural space objects or man made craft.
Dr. Richard Haines, Retired psychologist with NASA's Ames Research Center, Chief of Space Human Factors Office; Dr. Haines does not beat around the bush, indicating UFOs are a real physical phenomena.
Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Chairman of the Department of Astronomy, Northwestern University, scientific consultant on UFOs to the USAF 1948-1969; Dr. Hynek, by his own admission after retirement, indicated that his USAF job was to 'explain away' UFOs for the USAF using any and all means. After he retired Dr. Hynek, realizing UFOs were a real phenomena, founded the Center for UFO Studies which was dedicated to the scientific investigation of UFOs. CUFOS today remains, along with MUFON, one of the foremost of such legitimate groups
Senator Barry Goldwater, (R-Arizona); before his death the Senator revealed that he had long studied the UFO phenomena and in his official capacity had requested that he be allowed to examine a USAF facility long rumored to be involved in such research. He, as a U.S. Senator and Senior USAF Reserve Officer, was denied access, being told that the facility was classified 'above Top Secret'.
General Nathan D. Twining, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (57-60); ".......the phenomena reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious......"
Admiral Roscoe Hillenkoetter, Director CIA (47-50); "Unknown objects are operating under intelligent control.......imperative that we learn where UFOs come from and what their purpose is".
As for MUFON, it's the largest and oldest (1969) active group in the world dedicated to the scientific investigation of UFOs. The new International Director and founding Board member of MUFON is John Schuessler, a retired Aerospace Engineering executive from McDonnell-Douglas. John was deeply involved in the development of spacecraft environmental systems for NASA i.e. the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.
I could go on for several more pages describing the similar statements and actions of internationally known and respected figures, but I think the above presents a pretty good picture of the situation.
With all of the above, why has there been no full or even partial disclosure from our government? That would take volumes to explain, but the short take is this. From the time of the first widely publicized UFO sightings in 1947, right up thru the early 2000's, our nation and government was involved in a very serious cold war against the Soviet block powers. The mindset that came with that extended to all areas of our technological and scientific research, including all operations associated with UFOs, which is indicated by the MANY hundreds (perhaps thousands) of heavily censored pages released via FOIA in the last 20 years. I feel that we are still victims of this continuing mindset in which the government feels these matters must still remain a secret (albeit a secret hidden in plain open view!). I also believe that our government's secret research into these matters has resulted in highly classified aircraft and weapons systems that are MANY years in advance of the systems possessed by our adversaries around the world and should rightfully remain secret, but, the continued delay in a partial UFO disclosure is making our government look foolish.
Another factor which is still in play are the conclusions reached by the Brookings Institution (a government think tank) in 1959. In the late 1950's everyone realized that the U.S. would be in space within a short time, and various of our 'experts' were concerned about the possible effects on our society if NASA discovered intelligent life in our solar system or galaxy. Enter Brookings. They concluded that such a discovery and disclosure would wreak havoc in all areas of our culture. This is an easy 'out' for our government to take, and since that time, fewer high level government figures have had much of any worth to say about UFOs.
My personal 40+ year study and involvement with the UFO phenomena has made me aware of certain things that I believe frighten the few secret divisions within our government (military-industrial complex?) that do in fact continue UFO research. Any effective governing body does not wish to admit to it's populace that there are forces or elements in the environment that are beyond the powers of officialdom to completely explain or control. If it were something as simple as extraterrestrial visitation, it might not be so difficult to explain or handle. Describing some of the newer theories currently being scrutinized by enlightened UFO researchers would take more pages than I can provide here, and more writing talent than I possess to do it justice. It's suffice to say though, that the UFO phenomena is more complicated and convoluted than the uninformed citizen can even imagine. Things are just not what they seem in the murky world of UFO investigation and the areas related to it. It took me many years to discover this, but I now have a completely different perspective in these matters, and it is rather shocking.
I highly recommend that those wanting to get a quick picture of what is going on read the following books;
1- Above Top Secret by Timothy Good.
2- Out There by Howard Blum
3- All books by Dr. Jacques Vallee
4- The Hynek UFO Report by Dr. J. Allen Hynek
5- Operation Trojan Horse and The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel
6- Grand Illusions by Dr. Gregory Little
7- UFO Briefing Document by Don Berliner (written for issue to Congress regarding future Congressional hearings, now in paperback. This book was used for reference in preparing this release).
MUFON HQ has numerous publications available that can be found no where else. They can be contacted via the International MUFON web site, or for local information in Georgia contact State Director Tom Sheets
About the author: Tom Sheets is the State Director for MUFON of Georgia. After serving in Vietnam with the USMC in the late 1960's, Tom served 25 years in law enforcement with the College Park Police Department, retiring in December of 1995. During his career, Tom served as a patrol officer, homicide investigator, intelligence detective, forensic hypnotist, firearms instructor/tactical officer, Detective Division Commander, then completed his last nine years as Chief of Police.