Full Transcription of
Cometa Report
UFOs and Defense:
What Should We Prepare For?
-An independent report
on UFOs written by the French association COMETA.
This report details the results
of a study by the Institute of Higher Studies for National
Defence.-
This paper originally appeared in a special issue of the
magazine VSD published in France in July 1999.
"Stripping the UFO
phenomenon of its irrational layer"
Forward by
Professor Andre Lebeau,
Former chairman of the Centre National d'Etudes
Spatiales (CNES)
[French National Center for Space Studies]
It is not looked on highly in
certain scientific circles to be preoccupied with phenomena that
are deemed to come under the heading of popular mythology or
that are, at any rate, outside the realm of science. Such was
the case with [the theory of] stones falling from the sky, which
was long considered in our country to be the stuff of fable.
However, the day that a meteorite shower over the town of Laigle
permitted a collective and indisputable observation, it entered
into the domain of science. One century later NASA, no doubt
hastily, elevated these stones to proof of the existence of
primitive life on Mars.
Phenomena of this type pose a preliminary problem for the
scientific approach: does a scientific fact exist?
When the phenomenon is a matter of experimentation, the
criterion to be used is simple; the reproducibility of the
experiment is the touchstone and furnishes the fact that must
then be interpreted. But the situation is more difficult when
the phenomenon is not open to experimentation, when repeated
observation is the only basis on which one can go, as is the
case in astronomy and for the most part in geophysics. However,
when the fact, albeit rare, is collectively and indisputably
visible, it is easy to elevate it to the status of scientific
object.
The existence of eclipses, comets, and novas has been
recognized since ancient times, even though their interpretation
long contained - and sometimes still contains - a religious
dimension. Thus collective and simultaneous observation plays
the same role as the reproducibility of experiments.
This is not true when the event is not only rare but discrete as
well, and when there is a very small amount of evidence at each
occurrence, which opens the door to various suspicions.
Unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, fall into this category.
One runs up against additional difficulties in the case of UFOs,
firstly that of how many human activities, especially since the
beginning of the space age, have generated atmospheric phenomena
the origin of which is not immediately ascertainable by those
who observe them. In any case, UFOs, the origin of which cannot
be attributed to either a human source or a natural mechanism
that has been identified by science, are mixed in with a
background noise the origin of which, although difficult to
identify, is not at all mysterious.
Moreover, and above all, the existence of unexplained
manifestations, both in the atmosphere and occasionally on the
surface of the earth, inevitably gives rise to a fundamental
question: are we alone in the universe? Could some of these
phenomena be the work of extraterrestrial beings? This question
gives the UFO issue a sociological, media-related, end even
religious dimension in a domain that is not that of science and
scientific methods. And it is the very existence of this
dimension that elicits reactions of rejection in the scientific
community.
However, a dispassionate examination of the situation should
lead those who believe in the value of scientific method to
consider that the very existence of a strong irrational
environment is another reason to apply the precepts of this
method to the issue of UFOs.
COMETA has tried its luck at this in the report that it is
presenting, supported, namely, by the work performed by GEPAN,
which later became SEPRA. The significant place granted to
sightings, to testimonies, end to the analysis of cases that
have been explained shows the major role played here by the
establishment of facts. But we also find in this document a
reflection on the hypothesis of extraterrestrial intelligence
and of the importance that it could have if the work came
together to confirm it.
This report is useful in that it contributes toward stripping
the phenomenon of UFOs of its irrational layer. When all is said
and done, the question of determining whether or not those who
created this layer believe in the existence of extraterrestrial
visitors, concealed in a variety of phenomena that are
surprising in appearance but commonplace with respect to their
cause, is of no real importance. What a scientist believes is
important in the conducting of his research because this is what
motivates and drives him.
But his belief is not important to
the results of his research nor does it have any effect on those
results if he is meticulous.
Back to Contents
"Concrete
problems are raised that call for a response in terms of action"
by General Bernard
Norlain Former director of the
Institut des Hautes Etudes de Defense Nationale [Institute for Advanced National Defense Studies (IHEDN)]
When General Letty visited me in
March 1995 at my office at IHEDN to explain to me his project
for creating a new fact-finding committee on UFOs, I assured him
of my interest and referred him to the management of the IHEDN
Auditors Association (AA), which gave him its support. Knowing
that some twenty years earlier the AA had produced and published
a preliminary report on the subject in its bulletin, it was but
time to update it.
Denis Letty seemed to me to be the perfect one to spearhead this
task; one month earlier, in February, he had organized, within
the framework of the Ecole de PAir [Air Force Academy] Alumni
Association, a conference on unidentified aerospace phenomena.
Before a large public, some of our comrades, former pilots,
spontaneously related their encounters with UFOs.
The person in
charge of studying these phenomena at the CNES then presented
his papers, and a well-known astronomer described a
scientifically acceptable version of the extraterrestrial
hypothesis.
The fields of knowledge affected by the UFO phenomenon are very
diverse, and General Letty was able to find within the AA, but
on the outside as well, numerous experts whose efforts he
coordinated. This list of high-level civilian and military
degrees of the members of his committee is very impressive:
officers, engineers, and specialists in the physical scientists,
life sciences, and social sciences were able to deal with all
aspects of the study.
This is not a purely academic study. Concrete problems are
raised, and not just for civilian and military pilots, that call
for a response in terms of action. The makeup of COMETA
[Committee for In-Depth Studies], which is the name of the
committee, took these into account. Almost all of its members
have, or had during the course of their careers, important
responsibilities in defense, industry, teaching, research or
various central administrations.
I express the wish that the recommendations of COMETA, which are
inspired by good sense, will be examined and implemented by the
authorities of our country. The first report of the AA favored
the creation within CNES of the only civilian government agency
known in the world dedicated to the study of UFOs. May this new
report, which is much more in-depth, give new impetus to our
national efforts and to indispensable international cooperation.
IHEDN will then have well served the
nation and, perhaps, humanity.
Back to Contents
"Consider
all of the hypotheses "
by Denis Letty
Air Force General, 2nd
Section, AA (35)
The accumulation of well-documented sightings made by credible
witnesses forces us to consider from now on all of the
hypotheses regarding the origin of unidentified flying objects,
or UFOs, and the extraterrestrial hypothesis, in particular.
UFOs are now a part of our media environment; the films.
television broadcasts, books, advertisements, etc., dealing with
UFOs amply demonstrate this.
Although no characterized threat has been perceived to date in
France, it seemed necessary to the former auditors of the
Institut des Hautes Etudes de- Defense Nationale (IHEDN) to take
stock of the subject. Along with qualified experts from
extremely varied backgrounds, they are grouped together to form
a private in-depth fact-finding committee, which was christened
COMETA.
This committee was transformed into a COMETA association, which
I chair. I would like to thank General Bernard Norlain, former
director of IHEDN, and Mr. Andre Lebeau, former chairman of the
Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, without whom COMETA would
not have been born.
In addition, I wish to acknowledge the various people who agreed
to give their testimony or to contribute to this study, and
namely:
-
Jean-Jacques Velasco, Head
of SEPRA at CNES
-
Francois Louange, Chief
Executive Officer of Fleximage
-
Jean-Charles Duboc,
Jean-Pierre Fartek, Rene Giraud, civilian and military
pilots
-
Edmond Campagnac, former
technical director of Air France at Antananarivo
-
Michel Perrier, Squadron
Commander, Gendarmerie Nationale
-
M. Soun, of the Direction
Generate de r Aviation Civile [Civil Aviation Agency]
-
Joseph Domange, Air Force
General, Auditors Association delegate general.
I must also thank the commander of
the Air Force Air Operations Command Center for its
participation during the investigation into flight AF 3532 on
January 28, 1994.
Among the members of COMETA who spared no effort for close to
three years, it is possible for me to list:
-
Michel Algrin, State Doctor
of Political Science, attomey-at-law, AA (35), (I)
-
Pierre Bescond, Weapons
Engineer General, 2nd Section, AA (48),
-
Denis Blancber, Chief of
Police, Police Nationale, Ministry of the Interior,
-
Jean Dunglas, Doctor of
Engineering, Honorary Engineer General, Rural, Water,
and Forest Engineering, AR (48)
-
Bruno Le Moine, Air Force
General, 2nd Section, AA (41),
-
Francoise Lepine, Fondation
pour les Etudes de Defense [Foundation for Defense
Studies], AA (33),
-
Christian Mftrchal, Chief
Mining Engineer, Research Director at ONERA [National
Aerospace Study and Research Office],
-
Marc Merlo, Admiral, 2nd
Section, AA (35),
-
Alain Orszag, Doctor of
Physical Sciences, Weapons Engineer General, 2nd
Section.
(I). AA or AR xx: auditor of
national or regional promotion no. xx.
Back to Contents
INTRODUCTION
In 1976, a committee of the Institut des Hautes Etudes de
Defense Nationale (IHEDN) chaired by General Blanchard of the
Gendarmerie Nationale opened the unidentified flying objects
file. The objective: to make proposals for organizing research
and the collection of data on these phenomena.
The goal was
achieved, because the recommendations of this committee were
followed in the creation of the Groupe d'Etude des Phenomenes
Aerospatiaux Non Identifies (GEPAN) [Unidentified Aerospace
Phenomena Study Group], the precursor to the current Service d'Expertise des Phenomenes de Rentree Atmospherique (SEPRA)
[Atmospheric Reentry Phenomena Consulting Department], an agency
of the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), which is in
charge of this file.
Twenty years later, it seemed useful
to us to take stock once again of the knowledge regarding these
sightings, which are becoming of greater and greater interest to
a large public that is often convinced of the extraterrestrial
origin of UFOs. Just look at the number of films or television
broadcasts on this subject.
For the sake of convenience with respect to language, we will
use the term UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) generally instead
of the more scientific term UAP (Unidentified Aerospace
Phenomenon).
Without a doubt, the phenomenon remains and the number of
sightings, which are completely unexplained despite the
abundance and quality of data from them, is growing throughout
the world. On the ground, some sightings, like the Trans-en-Provence
sighting in 1981, have been the subject of in-depth studies
proving that something did in fact land on the ground and parked
there. Civilian and military pilots have provided gripping
testimonies, often corroborated by radar recordings, as was the
case recently in France. In view of the lack of irrefutable
proof regarding the origin of these phenomena, the need for
understanding persists.
We will devote the first part of this report to several
particularly remarkable French and foreign cases.
In the second part, after having recalled the current
organization of the research on these phenomena in France and
abroad, we will evaluate the work being done by scientists
worldwide who are interested in UFOs and are proposing, as we
will see, partial explanations that are based on known laws of
physics.
Some of these (propulsion systems, non-lethal weapons, etc.)
could become realities in the short, medium and long term.
We will review the principal global explanations proposed,
focusing on those that are in keeping with the current
scientific data, which range from secret weapons to
extraterrestrial manifestations.
The UFO phenomenon involves defense in the broad sense and calls
for a certain number of measures, which we will examine in the
last part:
-
[providing] civilian and
military pilots with sufficient information to teach them
adapted conduct when faced with these phenomena and, more
generally, [providing] the public and decision-makers with
information,
-
developing the actions of SEPRA
and promoting supplemental scientific monitoring, or even
research, actions,
-
considering the strategic,
political, and religious consequences of a possible
confirmation of the extraterrestrial hypothesis, the bizarre
connotation of which it is advisable to eliminate here and
now.
Back to Contents
PART I
Facts and Testimonies
-
Chapter 1 Testimonies of French
Pilots
-
Chapter 2 Aeronautical Cases Throughout the World
-
Chapter 3 Sightings from the Ground
-
Chapter 4 Close Encounters in France
-
Chapter 5 Counterexamples of Phenomena That Have Been Explained
Before going further, it seems worthwhile to us to present
several facts and testimonies that in themselves justify the
interest of the in-depth study that we are going to develop
below:
-
three testimonies of French
civilian and military pilots who encountered UFOs in flight,
-
five major aeronautical cases in
the world,
-
three sightings from the ground,
-
four cases of close encounters
in France.
These few examples are among the
hundreds of remarkable, that is to say credible and
well-documented, cases observed around the world in recent
decades. None of these cases has been explained, whereas the
majority of times the investigations enable the origin of the
phenomena observed by the witnesses to be determined; we will
give two significant examples of this.
CHAPTER I
Testimonies of French Pilots
Three French pilots who encountered UFOs in flight came to
testify before the committee. Their testimonies are all the more
interesting because they can be evaluated better than other
aerial phenomena since they pertain to the aeronautic world.
1.1
M. Giraud, Mirage IV pilot
(March 7,1977)
The sequence of events of this incident was reconstructed from
radio exchanges between the pilot and the controller, which are
routinely recorded and kept for a specific period of time in
accordance with the procedure in force at all control centers.
The incident occurred on March 7, 1977, at around 2100 hours
local time during the Dijon flyover when the Mirage IV was
returning, the autopilot system engaged, to Luxeuil after a
night mission. [The aircraft was] at an altitude of 9600 m and
approaching the speed of "Mach 0.9."
The flight conditions were
very good. The pilot (P), Herve Giraud. and his navigator (N)
observed a very bright glow at "3 o'clock" (time code) from
their aircraft, at the same altitude, coming on a collision
course and approaching very rapidly. We will designate it
"assailant" (Al) in the rest of the account. P queried the
Contrexeville military radar station that controlled them to ask
whether they had a radar contact on the aircraft coming towards
them. In fact, P and N thought that it was an air defense
interceptor, as is current I \ being used, that was seeking to
intercept their aircraft to then identify it with its
identification beacon.
The radar controller (C), who did not have a corresponding radar
contact on his scope, gave a negative response and asked the
pilots to check their oxygen. This request on the part of the
controller is a standard emergency procedure; it shows that the
controller is so surprised by the crew's question that he
suspects an oxygen problem capable of causing a "hallucination."
"Assailant Al" maintained its course towards the Mirage IV. P
initiated a bank to the right toward Al, a bank which he was
forced to keep tightening {3 to 4 g) in order to try to maintain
visual contact on Al and to keep it from positioning itself to
the rear. Despite this maneuver, Al moved behind the Mirage IV
at an estimated distance of 1500 m.
At this point P reversed his
bank to regain visual contact on Al. He saw the glow move away
to "11 o'clock." He resumed course to Luxeuil. But 45 seconds
after he resumed course to Luxeuil, feeling like he was being
"watched" according to his own words, P told N, "you wait and
see, it's going to come back. "
And in fact, an identical glow,
which we will call A2, appeared at "3 o'clock."
P then initiated a very tight bank (6.5 g) to disengage his
aircraft from what he now considered to be a real threat. The
glow followed the Mirage IV's maneuver in order to position
itself to the rear at an estimated distance of 2000 m. P
reversed, as before, and once again saw the glow disappear under
the same conditions. C still did not have a radar contact on
"assailant A2." P and N continued their flight and returned
normally to the Luxeuil base.
Those are the facts. Two points should be emphasized:
-
only a combat aircraft could
have had performance comparable to that of Al and A2 (speed,
maneuverability). In this case, C would have had a radar
contact on this aircraft, especially at that altitude, a
contact that he would have seen all the better since there
was no other traffic in the vicinity of the Mirage IV.
-
given the apparent maneuvers of
Al and A2, regardless of whether or not they were the same
craft, their speed could only be supersonic, which, in the
case of combat aircraft, would be manifested on the ground
by a very loud sonic boom due to the phenomenon of the
focusing of the shock wave generated by the bank. This would
have been noticed in the surrounding area, especially since
it was nighttime. But no sound was heard in the region.
1.2 Testimony of a Fighter Pilot
(March 3,1976)
Since this pilot (P) wanted to preserve his anonymity, the
following lines are extracted from the written deposition that
he wished to send to us (he revealed his name subsequently; he
is Colonel Claude Bosc). On March 3, 1976, P, then a student
pilot at the Combat Flight School at Tours, was making a solo
night flight in a T-33 training aircraft. The mission consisted
of navigating at an attitude of 6000 m following a
Rennes-Nantes-Poitiers itinerary, then landing at Tours. Several
aircraft were following the same itinerary at 5-minute
intervals.
The night was dark but cloudless,
and the towns could be detected very clearly at the flight
altitude in question. Visibility was greater than 100 km. While
he was flying stabilized at an altitude of 6000 m, at a speed of
460 km/h, P first saw straight ahead, very far off in the
distance (at the detection limit of lights on the ground) what
he at first thought was the launching of a green signaling
flare.
In 1 to 2 seconds, this flare exceeded the altitude of his
aircraft by 1500 m and seemed to level off in space before
descending in his direction. It approached at a dizzying speed
on a collision course with the aircraft and filled the entire
front windshield of the cockpit. Thinking that impact x was
inevitable, P let go of the joystick and crossed his arms in
front of his face in a reflex protection gesture.
The aircraft was completely
enveloped in a very bright and phosphorescent green light. P saw
a sphere (S) that avoided his aircraft at the very last moment
and passed over his right wing grazing it, all within a fraction
of a second.
P retained the following memory of
this incident:
-
S was not very large (1 to 2 m
in diameter),
-
S was extended by a tail, which
was comparable to that on a comet, that was also a
fluorescent green color,
-
the center of S consisted of a
very bright white light (magnesium-fire type),
-
the sighting lasted a total of
less than S seconds.
P. who was very shocked by this
phenomenon, informed the radar controller, ensuring the control
of the mission on the ground; the controller had not detected
anything on his radar scope. Upon return, two other pilots who
had followed the same itinerary as P stated that they had seen
the phenomenon, but from a distance.
1.3 Air France Flight AF 3532
(January 28,1994)
Jean-Charles Duboc (P), captain of Air France flight AF 3532,
was assisted by Copilot Valerie Chauffour (CP) in making the
Nice-London connection on January 28, 1994. At 1314 hours, while
they were cruising at an altitude of 11,900 m in the vicinity of
Coulommiers in Seine-et-Marne [Department] under excellent
meteorological conditions, the chief steward, who was present in
the cockpit at the time, pointed out a phenomenon that appeared
to him to be a weather balloon. His sighting was immediately
confirmed by the copilot. P, who in turn saw it, first thought
that it was an aircraft banking at a 45° angle. Very quickly,
however, all three agreed that what they were seeing did not
resemble anything that they knew of.
The excellent visibility and the
presence of altocumulus clouds permitted P to estimate that the
phenomenon was at an altitude of 10,500 m and at a distance of
approximately 50 km. Taking into account its apparent diameter,
they deduced that the craft was large. They were struck by the
changes in the shape of the craft, which first appeared in the
form of a brown bell before transforming into a chestnut brown
lens shape, then disappearing almost instantaneously on the left
side of the aircraft, as if it had suddenly become invisible. P
reported to the Reims Air Navigation Control Center, which had
no information on any mobile air presence in the vicinity.
However, following the existing
procedure, Reims informed the Taverny Air Defense Operations
Center (CODA) of the sighting made by the crew and asked P to
follow the "'Airmiss" procedure upon landing.
CODA did in fact record a radar track initiated by the Cinq-Mars-la-Pile
control center at the same time that corresponded in location
and time to the phenomenon observed. This radar track, which was
recorded for 50 seconds, did cross the trajectory of flight AF
3532 and did not correspond to any flight plan filed. It should
be noted that the phenomenon disappeared from the view of the
crew and the radar scopes at the same instant.
The investigations conducted by CODA
enabled both the hypothesis of a weather balloon to be ruled out
and the precise crossing distance of the two trajectories to be
determined, consequently bringing the approximate length of the
craft to 250 m in length.
It should be noted that the Northern
Regional Air Navigation Center (CRNA), which handles 3000
movements per day, has investigated only three cases over the
last seven years, one of which was that of flight AF 3532.
CHAPTER II
Aeronautic Cases Throughout the World
It is appropriate to specify that those cases that have been
sighted from aircraft are considered to be aeronautic cases.
This chapter describes five significant cases that occurred in
different parts of the world and which were the subject of an
investigation by the authorities of the countries in question.
In four cases, the objects were detected both visually and by
radar.
In the fifth case, they were observed by a number of
independent witnesses.
2.1 Lakenheath (United Kingdom)
(August 13-14,1956)
The joint USAF - U.S. Air Force - and RAF [Royal Air Force]
military bases of Lakenheath and Bentwaters are located 30 km
northeast of Cambridge with respect to the first and near the
coast to the east of this city with respect to the second.-
Unknown aerial objects followed by their radars during the night
of August 13 to 14, 1956, were judged "unidentified" by the
report published in 1969 by the Condon Commission tasked with
evaluating the research of the U.S. Air Force on UFOs (cf.
Chapter 9).
In September 1971, the magazine Astronautics and
Aeronautics published a study of the case by Thayer, the radar
expert on the Condon Commission, which was based in part on a
study presented in 1969 by Professor MacDonald, an atmospheric
physicist. For the record, we point out that on several
occasions, and namely in 1976, Philippe Klass, editor of the
journal Aviation Week and Space Technology, attempted to
criticize this work and to reduce the case to a series of
ordinary events (meteorites, radar propagation anomalies, etc.).
The incidents began at the Bentwaters base, preceded, between
2100 and 2200 hours, by unusual sightings of the approach
control radar [center], which we will not go into in further
detail.
They took place as follows:
-
At 2255 hours, the radar detected an unidentified object
moving east to west passing over the base, always almost into
the wind at an apparent speed of 2000 to 4000 miles per hour
(mph), or 3200 to 6400 km/h. No sonic boom was mentioned. The
personnel of the Bentwaters control tower said they saw a bright
light flying over the ground from east to west "at an incredible
speed" at an altitude of approximately 1200 m. At the same time,
the pilot of a military transport plane flying over Bentwaters
at an altitude of 1200 m stated that a bright light passed under
his plane tearing east to west "at an incredible speed. " The
two visual sightings confirmed the radar detection.
-
The Bentwaters radar operator reported these concurring radar
and visual sightings to the shift supervisor at the Lakenheath
[air] traffic radar control center, an American noncommissioned
officer to whom we are indebted for a quite detailed report of
these sightings and those that follow. The report, which was
sent to the Condon Commission in 1968 by the then retired NCO,
is coherent and does not contradict the documents in the USAF
[Project] Blue Book file except in a few minor points: among
these documents, the regulation telex sent by Lakenheath to the
Blue Book team on the day of the incident and the report
forwarded two weeks later to that same team by American Captain
Holt, an intelligence officer at Bentwaters.
-
The shift supervisor at the Lakenheath base alerted his radar
operators. One of them detected a stationary object
approximately 40 km southwest of the base, almost in the axis of
the trajectory of the supersonic object seen at 2255 hours. The
shift supervisor called the Lakenheath approach radar [center],
which confirmed the sighting.
The radar technicians at the air
traffic control center suddenly saw the object immediately go
from immobility to a speed of 600 to 950 km/h. The shift
supervisor notified the base commander. The object changed
direction several times, describing line segments ranging from
13 to 30 km, separated by abrupt stops for 3 to 6 minutes; the
speed
always went from a value of zero to a value of some 950 km/h
without any transition.
Visual sightings were made from the ground and confirmed the
high speed and astounding accelerations. The regulation telex
sent by Lakenheath concluded: "The fact that rapid accelerations
and abrupt stops of the object were detected by radar and by
sight from the ground give the report definite credibility. One
can only believe that these sightings may have some
meteorological or astronomical origin. "
-
After 30 to 45 minutes, the RAF sent a night fighter, a Venom
two-seater, in pursuit of the object. The Lakenheath air traffic
radar control center guided it in the direction of the object 10
km east of the center. The pilot acquired the target visually
and on radar, then lost it. The center then directed the plane
16 km to the east of Lakenheath; the pilot again acquired the
target and said, "my machine guns are locked onto him. " A short
time afterward, he once again lost his target; but the target
was followed by the radar operators at the center.
They informed
the pilot that the object had made a rapid movement to position
itself behind him and was following him at a short distance. The
pilot confirmed [this]. Watched by the radar technicians, the
pilot tried every maneuver for about 10 minutes in order to move
back behind the object (steep climbs, dives, sustained turns),
but he didn't succeed: the UFO followed him at a constant
distance according to the ground radars.
Finally, low on fuel,
he returned to base, asking that someone tell him whether the
object continued to follow him. The UFO did, in fact, follow him
for a short distance, then came to a standstill. The radar
technicians then saw the object make several short moves, then
leave in a northerly direction at about 950 km/h and disappear
from radar range at 0330 hours.
-
A Venom sent to replace the first had to quickly return to
base due to mechanical problems before having been able to
establish contact with the object.
Thayer concluded his article in the journal Astronautics and
Aeronautics in this manner:
-
"If one considers the strong
credibility of the information and the coherence and continuity
of the reports, as well as their high degree of "strangeness, "
this UFO case is certainly one of the more troubling cases known
to date. "
2.2 The RB-47 Aircraft in the United
States (July 17,1957)
This case, which appears as "unidentified" in the Condon report,
has been cited and studied extensively for 40 years. Physicist
James MacDonald published the results of his investigation in
1971 in the journal Astronautics and Aeronautics. Philippe Klass,
the aforementioned journalist, then endeavored in 1976 to
trivialize the facts, which was highly contestable from the
outset. The bulk of this interpretation was refuted at the end
of 1997, upon completion of an in-depth investigation contained
in a memorandum from the aerospace technology researcher Brad
Sparks.
We will summarize here the important sequences of events of the
case, which show a luminous unidentified flying object detected
at night not only by sight and on radar, but also by pulsed
microwave emissions coming from its direction:
-
The RB-47 was a bomber the bomb bays of which had been converted
to hold three officers each equipped with means enabling
emissions from ground radars to be detected and their azimuth
direction, but not their distance or the nature of the signals,
to be specified. In the south central region of the United
States, where the aircraft was making a training flight that
day, numerous radar stations were emitting signals the
frequencies of which were close to 3000 MHz and the pulses of
which lasted 1 microsecond and occurred every 600 microseconds.
The radars scanned the horizon four times per minute.
-
Three other officers (pilot, copilot, navigator) were in the
cockpit and, as a result, could
themselves see out of the aircraft. The six officers were
questioned by MacDonald in 1969.
They related that:
-
The first incident took place above Mississippi, probably at
around 0930Z (0330 local time). when the aircraft, going back to
the north from the Gulf of Mexico, was approaching the coast a
little to the east of the Mississippi delta, flying at Mach
0.75. Captain MacClure detected on his screen a blip
corresponding to a pulsed microwave source located behind and to
the right of the RB-47 (at "5 o'clock") that rapidly passed the
aircraft and turned around it, departing again on its left in
the other direction (between "6 o'clock and 9 o'clock").
The
source was therefore airborne and supersonic. MacClure noted the
characteristics of the signal: they were those of the
aforementioned ground radars, with the exception of the length
of the pulses, which were 2 microseconds. He did not report this
incident immediately, thinking that it was perhaps a malfunction
of the electronics. As Klass writes, at the time there were no
supersonic aircraft either in the United States or in the USSR
large enough to transport a radar the signal from which
possessed the characteristics that were observed.
-
The following incident occurred at 1010Z in Louisiana, when
Commander Chase, pilot, and Captain MacCoyd, copilot, saw an
intense bluish-white light aim at the aircraft from "11
o'clock." then jump from their left to their right and disappear
while it was at "2 o'clock." Klass showed that this object was
perhaps a meteorite the trajectory of which caused an optical
illusion, but, at the time, Chase and MacCoyd wondered whether
it wasn't a UFO. Hearing them, MacClure remembered his prior
detection and looked for a signal of the same type.
-
He found this signal at 1030Z, which was identical to the
previous one and, perhaps by coincidence, came from "2 o'clock."
This signal was confirmed by Captain Provenzano, whose detector
was itself also able to operate at around 3000 MHz. It could not
have been the signal from a fixed radar, because its "2 o'clock"
direction remained unchanged when the aircraft followed its
route to the west for several minutes. The aircraft entered
Texas, then came within range of the "Utah" radar [center]
located near Dallas. The crew reported to Utah, which detected
both the aircraft and an object maintaining a constant distance
of 18 km from it.
-
At 1039Z, still in Texas, Commander Chase perceived a large
red light, which he estimated was moving 1500 m below the
aircraft at approximately "2 o'clock." The aircraft was flying
at an altitude of 10,500 m, and the weather was perfectly clear.
Although the commander was not able to determine either the
shape or the size of the object, he had the distinct impression
that the light was emanating from the top of the object.
-
At 1040Z, he received authorization to pursue this object and
notified Utah. He slowed down, then accelerated; Utah informed
him that the object was mirroring his movements, all the while
maintaining a constant distance of 18 km.
-
At 1042Z, Chase accelerated and saw the red object turn to the
right in the direction of Dallas; this was confirmed by MacClure.
-
At around 1050Z, a little to the west of Dallas, the object
stopped and simultaneously disappeared from the view of the
radars (Utah and the onboard radar that had just detected the
object when the RB-47 had approached it) and from MacClure's
screen (the disappearance of an object from a radar screen is
less surprising nowadays; it calls to mind the active stealth
technologies currently in development and even in operation).
The aircraft then banked to the left. MacClure picked up a
signal that was perhaps the one from Utah. Visual and radar
contact were regained.
-
At 1052Z, Chase saw the object drop to around 4500 m. He had
the RB-47 make a dive from 10.500 to 6000 m. The object then
disappeared from his view, from the Utah radar, and from MacClure's screen simultaneously.
-
At 1057Z, still near Dallas, the object reappeared on MacClure's screen, and Utah indicated
that it had prepared a "CIRVIS'" (Communications Instructions
for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sightings) report, a secret
urgent radio report sent to the Air Defense Command, which is
mandatory in the event of a sighting by the Air Force of an
unidentified aerial object.
-
At 1058Z. the pilot regained visual
contact at "2 o'clock." A few minutes later, seeing his fuel
reserves drop, he decided to return and headed roughly north
toward Oklahoma City. The object then positioned itself behind
the aircraft at a distance of 18 km, as reported by Utah, which
tried to send fighter jets in pursuit of the unknown [object].
The object, flowing lower than the RB-47 and behind it. could
not be seen from the cockpit, but it was detected on MacClure's
screen until Oklahoma City, well outside the range of the Utah
radar. Then it suddenly disappeared from the screen at 1140Z.
2.3 Tehran (September 18 to 19,1976)
This incident took place during the night of September 18 to 19,
1976. Different newspapers worldwide reported it more or less
accurately:-for example, France-Soir in the September 21st
issue. An American citizen took laborious steps with the U.S.
authorities to obtain a report, invoking the freedom of
information act. He finally obtained it from the Defense
Intelligence Agency (D1A). Other U.S. documents have been
obtained since then.
Interviews with generals and the Iranian air [traffic]
controller involved in this affair enabled the DIA report to be
confirmed and supplemented a bit, namely with the mention of
proper names.
The following summary resulted from a reading of
the all the information:
-
At around 11:00 p.m. on September 18, the Tehran airport
control tower received several calls reporting a strange
immobile luminous object in the sky above the Shemiran
residential district in the northern part of the capital. The
person in charge of the night shift, Hossain Perouzi, went out
to look at the object with binoculars. He testified that he saw
a rectangle, probably corresponding to a cylindrical object, the
ends of which pulsed bluish-white lights.
In the middle of the
object, a small red light described a circle. Perouzi reported
this strange sighting to the Imperial Air Force Command, which
alerted General Youssefi, the third in command of this air
force. He went out on his balcony and saw an object similar to a
star, but much bigger and brighter; he ordered a Phantom F-4
reaction aircraft, the mission of which he directed through
Perouzi as intermediary.
When the F-4 came to 45 km from the object, its flight
instruments and all its means of communication (radio and
intercom) suddenly stopped working. The pilot aborted the
interception and headed for his base. The crew then regained use
of their instruments and means of communication.
-
A second F-4 was sent by General Youssefi. The UFO's echo on
its screen was similar to that of a Boeing 707. The F-4
approached the UFO at a relative speed of 280 km/h. When it came
to 45 km from it, the UFO accelerated and maintained a constant
distance of 45 km from the F-4. The crew was not able to
determine the size of the object because it shone so intensely.
Its brightness came from lights arranged in a rectangle,
changing rapidly from glue to green, to red, and to orange.
-
Suddenly a bright object with an apparent diameter one half or
one third of that of the moon exited the UFO and headed rapidly
for the F-4. The pilot tried to shoot a Sidewinder missile at
the object, but at the *ame instant his fire control console-and
his-means of communication (radio and intercom) became
inoperable. He promptly initiated a bank and a dive, but the
object changed direction and pursued the aircraft at a distance
of approximately 6 km. Finally, the object moved
inside the F-4's bank and departed in order to reenter the UFO
from which it had exited.
-
A short time afterwards, an object again exited the UFO and
rapidly headed straight down to the ground. The F-4 crew waited
to see it explode, but the object seemed to touch down gently
and shine a very bright light over an area 2 to 3 km in
diameter. The crew, momentarily blinded, orbited long enough to
recover their night vision before landing at the Tehran
airfield.
It noted that it lost communications (radio and
intercom) whenever their aircraft crossed a certain zone. It
should be pointed out that a civilian aircraft also lost
communications when it crossed that zone. The next day, the crew
was taken by helicopter to the place where the object had
apparently landed, a dried up lake, but it didn't find any trace
[of the object].
An attached note from D1A was just as astonishing as the report
itself; it indicated that the information had been confirmed by
other sources and ended with this assessment:
"A remarkable report. This case is a classic that meets all the
necessary conditions for a legitimate study of the UFO
phenomenon:
-
the object was seen by multiple witnesses in different
locations...,
-
the credibility of many of the witnesses was strong (an
aviation general, qualified crews, and experienced air navigation crews),
-
the visual sightings were confirmed by radar,
-
similar electromagnetic effects were reported by three
different crews,
-
several crew members experienced physiological effects floss
of night vision due to the
brightness of the object),
-
an extraordinary degree of maneuverability was demonstrated by
the UFOs."
The attempt by Klass to trivialize this case shows
how solid it is.
2.4 Russia
(March 21,1990)
This case took place at night in the Pereslavl-Zalesski region
east of Moscow. It was reported in an article by Aviation
General Igor Maltsev, Air Defense Forces commander, which
appeared in the newspaper Rabochaya Tribuna ("Workers' Tribune")
on April 19, 1990, entitled "UFOs on Air Defense Radars " (cf.
the book by Marie Galbraith referenced in Chapter 9.1).
The article mentions the dispatch of combat aircraft on a
mission to intercept the UFOs detected.
General Maltsev, who
summarized over one hundred visual sightings collected by unit
commanders, stated:
"I am not a specialist in UFOs, and therefore I can only link
the data together and express my own hypothesis. Based on the
data collected by these witnesses, the UFO was a disk 100 to 200
meters in diameter. Two lights were flashing on its sides... In
addition, the object turned around its axis and performed an
S-shaped maneuver in both the vertical and the horizontal
planes. Next the UFO continued to hover above the ground, then
flew at a speed two to three times greater than that of modern
combat aircraft...
The objects flew at altitudes ranging from
100 to 7000 m. The movement of the UFOs was not accompanied by
any type of noise and was characterized by an astounding
maneuverability. The UFOs appeared to completely lack inertia.
In other words, in one fashion or another they had overcome
gravity. At present, terrestrial machines can scarcely exhibit
such characteristics. "
2.5 San Carlos de Bariloche
(July 31, 1995)
Source SEPRA
Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR 674, a Boeing 727 en route from
Buenos Aires, was 140 km from San Carlos de Bariloche, a tourist
resort in the central Andes where it was preparing to land. At
that precise instant, a power outage plunged the town into
darkness, and the pilot received the order to stay on standby
for a few minutes before making his final approach.
When he
began his approach, the pilot noticed a strange star. At the
same time, the control center put a second airplane that had
arrived in the sector on standby. Flight AR 674 continued its
approach, but when it had completed its turn and was in the axis
of the runway, an object resembling a large aircraft appeared on
its right side and flew parallel to it! This object had three
lights, one of which was red. in the middle of it. The airport
lights failed again, and the runway and approach ramp lights
also went out. The airplane on standby observed the same
phenomenon from its position.
Since the pilot could not land, he pulled up and turned again in
order to reposition himself in the axis of the runway. At that
moment, the object, which had become luminous, moved behind the
airplane, stopped, ascended vertically, and once again stopped.
It moved back in front of the airplane before finally
disappearing in the direction of the Andes Cordillera. The crew
and passengers of flight AR 674, those on the other airplane,
the airport controllers, and some of the inhabitants of San
Carlos watched this unusual aerial ballet dumbfounded.
This case is interesting in more than one respect:
-
the sighting was corroborated by multiple independent
observers both in flight and on the ground,
-
the phenomenon lasted several minutes,
-
there were different trajectories, some of which closely
followed those of the airplane,
-
there was an observation of an electromagnetic phenomenon (the
lights of the town and the airport went out) directly related to
the presence of the object.
Chapter III
Sightings from the Ground
This chapter deals with sightings from the ground, two of which
were reported to the committee by direct witnesses of the
phenomena observed. Here again, their testimonies are all the
more interesting since they pertain to the aeronautic world and
the phenomena were observed during the day.
3.1 Phenomenon Observed by Numerous Witnesses at Antananarivo
(August 16, 1954)
Testimony before the committee
Edmond Campagnac (C), a former artillery officer and former
chief of technical services for Air France in Madagascar who is
now retired, came to testify before the committee. The
phenomenon described below occurred on August 16, 1954, in
Antananarivo. It was seen by several hundred witnesses.
At 1700 hours, when the personnel of the Air France office were
waiting for the mail to arrive, someone spotted a "large" green
"ball" in the sky moving at high speed. The first thought of the
witnesses was that it was a meteorite. The phenomenon
disappeared behind a hill, and they thought that the green ball
was going to crash into the ground and that they were going to
feel the impact.
However, it reappeared after a minute. In passing directly over
the observers, it revealed itself to be "a sort of metal rugby
ball preceded by a clearly detached green lensf-shaped portion]
with sparks issuing from the rear. " In the estimation of the
witnesses, the "ball" was the length of a DC4 airplane, or some
forty meters long. The green lens[-shaped portion] separated
itself [and remained] a little less than 40 m out in front, with
fairly long sparks [coming out] in the rear.
The craft flew over
Antananarivo at an estimated height of 50 to 100 meters, an
estimation that was made possible by comparison with the height
of a nearby hill. When the craft was moving, shop lights went
out. and animals exhibited a real anxiety.
After having flown over Antananarivo, the craft departed in a
westerly direction. When it flew over the zebu park in the town,
the craft caused a violent fright reaction among them.
This is a
surprising detail, since normally these animals do not show any
agitation when Air France planes pass by. Two or three minutes
later, an identical craft was observed 150 km from there above a
farm school. There, too, the herds were overcome with panic. If
the craft sighted was the same one as the one in Antananarivo,
its speed would have had to be on the order of 3000 km/h.
According to C's account.
General Fleurquin, Commander-in-Chief
in Madagascar, assembled a "scientific commission" to conduct an
investigation into these phenomena. No trace of this
investigation could be found in the Air Force archives; however,
GEPA (Groupe d'Etudes des Phenomenes Aerospatiaux [Aerospace
Phenomena Study Group]) bulletin no. 6 of the 2nd half of 1964
described this sighting.
3.2 Sighting by a Pilot of a Saucer Close
to the Ground (December
9,1979)
GEPAN/SEPRA investigation and testimony before the committee
At the time of the incident, former Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel
Jean-Pierre Fartek (F) was a Mirage III pilot in the 2nd fighter
squadron at Dijon. F is currently a pilot for a private company.
F was living, and still lives, in the same village near Dijon.
His house is located at the end of a housing development looking
out onto fields. Approximately 250 m away is a grove of trees
with an average height of 15 m at maximum.
On December 9, 1979,
at around 9:15 a.m., F and his wife saw an unusual object
(hereinafter called M) in the field near their house. The
weather and visibility were excellent. M, the dimensions of
which they estimated to be 20 m in diameter by 7 m thick, was
hovering approximately 3 m above the ground in front of the
grove of trees, which partially concealed it.
In complete
agreement with his wife, witness F described it as:
-
having the shape of two superposed saucers with very distinct
contours inverted one on top of the other and not exhibiting any
portholes or lights,
-
being metallic gray on the upper portion and darker (bluish)
on the lower portion, with a perfectly delimited separation
between the upper side and the underside of the craft. This
color difference could not be due to a difference in lighting
given the position of the sun,
-
in constant motion as a result of three slight oscillations,
the frequency of which was not very rapid, like something trying
to balance,
-
not making any noise,
-
not causing any turbulence on the ground either when it
hovered or when it departed,
-
not having left any trace on the ground.
After observing it for a period of time which was hard for him
to determine, F saw M oscillate faster; he had the impression
that M tilted slightly forward (as a helicopter does after
lift-off when it
begins level flight). F saw M leave in a horizontal direction at
a very low altitude without making any noise, without leaving
any trail, and at a very high speed and disappear on the horizon
in a few seconds.
F reported [the incident] to the Gendarmerie
de l'Air at the Dijon air base. He thought he knew that other
people had seen the phenomenon but had not dared to go report
it. name K. his neighbors and their children, who reportedly made
the same sighting.
This sighting by a pilot professionally well informed of
aeronautical phenomena was never explained.
3.3 A Case of Multiple Witnesses at a Russian Missile Base
(July
28-29,
1989)
Heading the UFO reports declassified by the KGB in 1991 is a
file relating to an army missile base near Kapustin Yar in the
region of Astrakhan, which was related in Marie Galbraith's book
(cf. Chapter 9.1).
The English-speaking public learned of it
through the Muscovite journal A URA-Z of March 1993. Military
personnel from two centers on the base prepared written
depositions of their visual sightings, which were made under
good visibility conditions. The file, which is incomplete, does
not mention any possible radar detections.
It begins with a
brief summary of the case, the author of which was an anonymous
KGB officer, followed by an account of seven written
testimonies:
-
Five testimonies from the first center were provided by
Lieutenant Klimenko, two corporals, and two soldiers. On the
night of July 28 to 29, these military personnel sighted UFOs
between 2215 and 2355 hours at a distance of 3 to 5 km. Up to
three objects were seen simultaneously.
One object silently made
jerky movements, with very abrupt starts and stops, and periods
of immobility. All of the witnesses saw a fighter jet attempt to
approach one UFO, which escaped at lightning speed, "giving the
impression that the aircraft was hovering. " Only the noise from
the aircraft was heard, whereas the UFO must have reached
supersonic speed.
-
Two other testimonies from a center near the first one concern
the sighting of a UFO from 2330 to 0130 hours at a distance
ranging from a few kilometers to 300 m. This UFO was described
by Second Lieutenant Volochine as a disk 4-5 m in diameter,
surmounted by a brightly lit hemispherical dome. The second
lieutenant attached a sketch of the saucer to his deposition.
The saucer sometimes moved abruptly, but soundlessly, and
sometimes remained immobile 20-60 m above the ground. In the
company of soldier Tichaev, Volochine saw it emitting a
phosphorescent green light, hovering 300 m from them and some 20
m above a missile depot; it illuminated this depot for several
seconds with a moving beam of light.
In a report that was consistent with the report of his superior,
soldier Tichaev stressed the lack of noise made by the object,
even when a short distance away, which prevented him from
confusing it with a helicopter.
The two witnesses, who were
joined after some time by the guard team, had watched the
maneuvers of the object above the center and the surrounding
area for two hours.
Chapter IV
Close Encounters in France
4.1 Valensole, AIpes-de-Haute-Provence [Department]
(July 1, 1965)
In-depth investigation by the Gendarmerie Nationals
At Valensole on July 1, 1965, Maurice Masse, who left his home
at 5:00 a.m.. headed for his lavender fields located on the
plateau near the village. Before starting his tractor at around
6:00 a.m., he lit a cigarette and at that moment heard a hissing
sound that attracted his attention. Emerging from behind a
screen,
he saw an object resting in his field approximately 90 m from
him. Its shape was reminiscent of that of a "Dauphine"
automobile standing on six legs with a central pivot.
He
approached it with caution, at a distance often meters or so,
thinking he might surprise people about to steal his lavender
from him. He then saw two small beings, one of whom, who was
turned in his direction, reportedly pointed a tube at him that
he took from a son of bag hanging on his left side. Maurice
Masse indicated that he was totally immobilized in place, numbed
and paralyzed, but completely aware of the events that were
unfolding before his eyes.
The two beings then got back in their
craft. He watched them while they were behind a sort of dome,
and he heard a heavy noise when the object lifted up off the
ground. He also remarked that the tube that was under the
object, touching the ground, began to turn, as well as the six
legs, which retracted under the machine. The object then
ascended in a vertical direction before tilting diagonally and
disappearing more rapidly than a jet.
Maurice Masse remained
immobilized in this manner for about 15 minutes before coming
to, then resuming his work and going to tell his story in the
village, where the gendarmes, having learned of the incident,
questioned him during the day.
The Valensole gendarmerie force, then the Digne investigations
squad, investigated this case for several days. The
investigations of the gendarmerie established the existence, at
the spot indicated by Maurice Masse, of a depression impressed
into the ground, which had been soaked in that place. In the
center of it was a cylindrical hole 18 cm in diameter and 40 cm
deep with smooth walls. At the bottom of the hole were three
other bent holes 6 cm in diameter.
Along the object's axis of
flight, over some one hundred meters, the lavender beds were
dried up. This phenomenon lasted for several years, during which
time the witness tried in vain to replant the plants within a
radius of several meters around the tracks.
Despite a few contradictory elements in Maurice Masse's account,
the data collected by the two gendarme brigades confirmed the
plausibility of the facts, particularly the effect on the
environment and on the witness himself, who slept twelve to
fifteen hours a night, followed by the paralysis of which he had
been a victim, for several months.
The investigation into the
witness's character did not turn up any specific information
that would permit one to suspect him of mythomaniac behavior or
of staging a hoax.
4.2 Cussac, Cantal [Department]
(August 29, 1967)
GEPAN/SEPRA investigation
The Cussac incident has occupied a special place among the UFO
cases, since a counter-investigation was conducted in 1978, as an
example, at the request of the GEPAN scientific council. On
August 29, 1967, at around 10:30 a.m., during a beautiful sunny
morning on the high plateaus in the center of France, two young
children were watching the family's herd. The dog that
accompanied them alerted them that a cow was getting ready to
jump over the low wall of the enclosure.
The boy, who was 13
years old at the time, got up to make the cow come back, when he
spotted four children whom he did not recognize on the other
side of the road. Surprised by what he saw, he called his
sister, when he noticed an extremely bright sphere back behind
the unknown children. They then realized that these were not
children but small black beings whose height did not exceed 1.20
m. Two of them were standing next to the sphere, another was
kneeling before it, and the fourth, who was standing, held in
its hand a sort of mirror that blinded the children. The boy
tried to call out to them, but the small beings then hurriedly
returned to the sphere.
The children saw them rise from the
ground and penetrate the ball from the top, diving in head
First. The sphere took off with a hissing sound, then rose into
the sky describing a continuous spiral movement at high speed.
The dog barked, the cows started to moo, and a very strong odor
of sulfur filled the air. The counter-investigation began in 1978
with a team of investigators from GEPAN and qualified outside
advisors, one of whom was a former examining magistrate.
The highlights of this counter-investigation did not have to do
with the facts or the account, but with new elements such as
secondary witnesses found at the site who provided supplemental
information and strengthened the credibility of the case. In
particular, a gendarme who arrived on the scene immediately
following the incident found tracks on the ground at the place
indicated by the children and noted the very strong odor of
sulfur. Likewise, another witness also came forward who admitted
being in a granary close to the site and clearly remembered a
hissing sound very different from that of a helicopter of the
time.
The reconstructions at the site in the presence of the two main
witnesses confirmed both the descriptive accounts and the
circumstances that followed the sighting. At the time the
children gave off a strong odor of sulfur, but, above all, they
suffered from physiological disorders, and their eyes ran for
several days. These facts were certified by the family doctor
and confirmed by their father, who was mayor of the village at
the time.
In the conclusion of this counter-investigation, the
judge gave his opinion on the witnesses and their testimony:
"There is no flaw or inconsistency in these various elements
that permit us to doubt the sincerity of the witnesses or to
reasonably suspect an invention, hoax, or hallucination. Under
these circumstances, despite the young age of the principal
witnesses, and as extraordinary as the facts that they have
related seem to be. I think that they actually observed them. "
4.3 Trans-en-Provence, Var [Department]
(January 8, 1981)
CEPAN/SEPRA investigation
In Trans-en-Provence on January 8, 1981, at around 5:00 p.m., a
man who was building a small shed for a water pump in his garden
reportedly was witness to what is perhaps one of the most
unusual cases ever observed and studied in France. A reflection
of the sun on something moving in the sky supposedly attracted
his attention, allowing him to observe the descent, then the
abrupt landing on a platform of earth located below his house,
of a silent metal object.
The object, which was ovoid in shape,
did not exhibit any apparent projections, wings, control
surfaces, or engine that would permit one to liken it to some
type of aircraft. The object rested on the platform of earth for
a few short seconds, still without emitting any noise, then it
took off and disappeared at high speed in the azure blue sky.
The account could stop at this simple visual sighting if there
hadn't been visible mechanical tracks and imprints in the shape
of a crown, which pushed the case into the domain of the
unexplained.
The gendarmerie and then GEPAN conducted an in-depth
investigation including numerous interviews with the witness and
his neighbors. The expert's appraisals of the ground - the
taking of soil and plant samples followed by analyses - showed
unequivocally that it really was a case of an unidentified heavy
metal object that had actually landed on the platform of earth.
The analyses of plant samples taken at the site indicated that
they were not dealing with any type of [known] aircraft, or even
a helicopter or military drone, which were hypotheses that were
considered and analyzed.
The vegetation at the landing site - a
sort of wild alfalfa - had been profoundly marked and affected
by an external agent that considerably altered the
photosynthesis apparatus. In fact, the chlorophylls, as well as
certain amino acids of the plants, exhibited significant
variations in concentration, variations which decreased with the
distance [of the plants] from the center of the mechanical
track. These effects disappeared completely two years later,
thus revealing a specific and particular type of trauma.
According to Professor Michel Bounias of the ecology and plant
toxicology laboratory of INRA [National Institute for Agronomic
Research] who performed the analyses, the cause of the profound
disturbances suffered by the vegetation present in that
ecosystem could likely be a powerful pulsed electromagnetic
field in the high frequency (microwave) range. Studies and
research are still being conducted in regard to this case and
numerous leads have been explored.
None of these leads has been
able to satisfy all of the conditions that would enable the
object that landed in Trans-en-Provence on January 8, 1981, to
be identified with certainty, and this is all the more true with
respect to the determination of its origin.
4.6 Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle
[Department], the so-called "Amaranth" Case
(October 21, 1982)
GEPAN/SEPRA investigation
The "Amaranth" Case concerns the sighting during the day by a
witness, a cellular biology researcher, of an object that
hovered above his garden for 20 minutes. The testimony recorded
by the gendarmerie less than 5 hours after the sighting is
summarized as follows:
-
The witness was in his garden in front of his house at around
12:35 a.m. after work on October 21, 1982; he saw a flying
craft, which he first took for an airplane, come from the
southeast. He saw a shiny craft. He indicated that there were no
clouds, that the sun was not in his eyes, and that visibility
was excellent.
The craft's speed of descent was not very great,
and he thought that it was going to pass over his house. Once he
realized that the trajectory of the craft was bringing it toward
him, he backed up 3 to 4 meters. This craft, which was oval in
shape, stopped approximately one meter from the ground and
remained hovering at this height for about 20 minutes.
-
The witness stated that since he had looked at his watch, he
was absolutely certain about the length of time the craft
hovered. He described the craft as follows: ovoid in shape,
approximately 1 m in diameter, 80 cm thick, the bottom half
metallic in appearance like polished beryllium and the upper
half the blue-green color of the inner depths of a lagoon. The
craft did not emit any noise, nor did it seem to emit any heat,
cold, radiation, magnetism, or electromagnetism.
After 20
minutes, the craft suddenly rose straight up, a trajectory which
it maintained until it was out of sight. The craft's departure
was very fast, as if it were under the effect of strong suction.
The witness indicated, finally, that there were no tracks or
marks on the ground and the grass was not charred or flattened,
but he did remark that when the craft departed, the grass stood
straight up, then returned to its normal position.
The interest of this sighting, apart from its strangeness, lies
in the visible traces left on the vegetation and, namely, on an
amaranth bush, the tips of whose leaves, which had completely
dried up. led one to think that they had been subjected to
intense electrical fields. However, despite short time delays
before intervention, the sampling conditions and then the
storage of the sample did not permit this hypothesis to be
verified definitively.
Based on an earlier study on the behavior
of plants subjected to electrical fields, it emerged that:
-
the electrical field, which was what probably caused the
blades of grass to lift up, had to have exceeded 30 kV/m,
-
the effects on the amaranth that were observed were probably
due to an electrical field that had to have far exceeded 200
kV/m at the level of the plant.
Chapter V
Counterexamples of Phenomena That Have
Been Explained
The cases reported in the preceding chapters have remained
unexplained, despite the richness of their data. Such cases are
in the minority. Many sightings of aerial phenomena made in
France that the witnesses could not understand and reported to
the gendarmerie have been explained after a short investigation
by the gendarmerie and/or GEPAN/SEPRA: the causes of these have
been the moon, planets, aircraft, weather balloons, reflections
from automobile headlights on clouds, etc.. and, very rarely,
hoaxes. Sometimes the investigation yielded more unusual
explanations.
We will give two examples.
5.1 A Strange Object Crosses a Highway
(September 29, 1988)
GEPAN/SEPRA investigation
An auto mechanic driving on the Paris-Lille freeway saw an
enormous red ball cross the road a few dozen meters away from
him and roll down below the road. Casting reflections of light
and enveloped in dense smoke, it finally came to a halt in a
field. Troubled by this disturbing observation, the auto
mechanic apparently reported it to the highway gendarmes. On the
chiefs orders, the gendarmerie then sealed off the freeway and a
zone several kilometers around the object.
The principal witness
and his family were taken to the hospital, where they underwent
a series of examinations. Civilian and military security
officers went to the site of the incident, equipped primarily
with Geiger counters. At that time, in fact, they were waiting
for the Soviet satellite Cosmos 1900, which was equipped with a
nuclear power generator, to fall, and precise instructions had
been given. When consulted, CNES very quickly informed them that
Cosmos 1900 was over-flying the Indian Ocean at that very moment.
Did the red ball come from space?
Advancing with caution,
monitoring their nuclear radiation detectors, the security
specialists drew near a sphere approximately 1.50 m in diameter.
Under the bright light from the searchlights, they saw that it
bore no sign of the considerable heat build-up or mechanical
effects that atmospheric reentry would have produced. It
appeared to be intact, and small mirrors covered its surface. No
smoke or radioactivity were detected near it.
It was later learned that this sphere, which was intended to
serve as a decoration at a Jean-Michel Jarre concert, had fallen
from the truck that was carrying it to London.
The small mirrors
stuck to its polystyrene casing were for reflecting the show's
lighting effects...
5.2
A Bright Glow in a Village in the Dombes Region
(March 10,1979)
GEPAN/SEPRA investigation
On March 13, 1979, the local [gendarmerie] force of a small
village in the Dombes region was alerted by an inhabitant who
said he had seen an unidentified flying object over the town
during the night of March 10 to 11. In the course of its
investigation, the (gendarmerie] force recorded a total of four
testimonies, three of which were totally independent of one
another.
The first witness, a restaurateur in the village,
described the phenomenon as a bluish and purplish luminous mass
slightly oval in shape and around 15 meters in length. The light
was so bright that the village square was lit up as if it were
broad daylight, to such a degree that the public lighting, which
goes on automatically, went out. Two other witnesses, who were
in a car close to the village, reported that
this luminous mass preceded their vehicle on the road about 2 m
ahead of them.
They informed the gendarmes that this light went
out suddenly after an orange-colored light appeared on each side
of the glow. Finally, a fourth witness, a fish farmer, said he
had been awakened that night by a dull noise and had seen a
bright bluish glow. The next day, all the fish in one of his
fish hatchery tanks. catfish, were found dead. The presence of a
power line hanging over the tank enabled the gendarmes to focus
their investigation on phenomena of an electrical origin.
GEPAN/SEPRA did the same during the investigation that it
conducted on the site a few days later. It discovered very
quickly that the 10-kV power line hanging over the tank had
melted. The information provided by [the French electricity
company] EDF enabled them to demonstrate that since this line
was some thirty years old, it was very likely that corrosion and
oxidation of the aluminum wires had caused a power arc effect in
the line, probably in conjunction with a corona effect.
This
would explain, on the one hand, the bluish glow and the noise
heard by the witness and, on the other hand, the public lighting
going out. The glow was, in fact, bright enough to trigger the
photoelectric control cell, which was located close to the
melted line.
Finally, the fish died as a result of being poisoned by drops of
aluminum that fell in the tank for several minutes.
Back to Contents
Part II
The Extent of Our Knowledge
-
Chapter 6 Organization of the
Research in France
-
Chapter 7 Methods and Results of GEPAN/SEPRA
-
Chapter 8 UFOs: Hypotheses, Modeling Attempts
-
Chapter 9 Organization of the Research Abroad
Chapter 6
Organization of the Research in France
In 1977, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales was tasked with
the mission of setting up a permanent structure for the study of
unidentified aerospace phenomena (UAP): the Groupe d'Etudes de
Phenomenes Aerospatiaux Non Identifies (GEPAN). This
establishment had within it the skills and resources appropriate
to this mission, in particular, engineers and personnel with
high-level technical knowledge who were in close touch with
scientific circles.
A scientific council chaired by Hubert Curien and composed of twelve members who were representative of
the social and exact sciences guaranteed that this complex and
delicate subject would be handled with all the necessary
precision. This council had the job of guiding, organizing, and
reviewing the work of GEPAN annually.
Three phases can be distinguished in the progression of the
activity connected with the study of UFOs in France, which
culminated in 1988 in the creation of the Service d'Expertise
des Phenomenes de Rentre Atmospherique (SEPRA), which succeeded
GEPAN, still within CNES:
-
a phase that consisted of setting up the organization and
defining the procedures for the collection and processing of
data, which is described in this chapter,
-
a phase that consisted of defining the scientific method for
studying cases,
-
a phase that consisted of implementing the previously defined
methods and procedures, the last two of which are discussed in
the next chapter.
SEPRA plays a more limited role in the study of UFOs than does
GEPAN, the scientific council of which has accomplished its
mission
6.1 The Setting Up the Organization Phase
GEPAN's first job was to form a partnership among the different
public, civilian, and military agencies with a view to
organizing the collection and analysis of reliable data. The
Gendarmerie Nationale, the civil and military aviation
authorities, the National Weather Service, etc., were approached
and brought together in this organization via agreements and
protocols established with GEPAN.
The first goal set was the rapid acquisition and provision of
data collected at the sites where a phenomenon was sighted.
To
do this, in accordance with the directives of the scientific
council, GEPAN was tasked with the mission of forming teams of
specialized investigators for the collection of psychological
and physical data, such as, for example, taking samples of
tracks in the ground.
In parallel to this organization, various
civilian and military research laboratories were asked to
participate in expert's appraisals and analyses of the data
collected in investigations, such as, for example, the
processing of photographic documents and radar recordings.
6.2 Participation of the Gendarmerie Nationale
It was in February 1974 that the first instructions were given
tasking the Gendarmerie Nationale with the job of collecting and
centralizing spontaneous testimonies on UFOs. Previously, these
testimonies had been collected on an occasional basis in the
regional [gendarmerie] forces and rarely gave rise to the
drafting of reports or to in-depth investigations (the Valensole
case in [ 1965]). The administrative or technical authorities
did not process or use these documents.
Beginning in May 1977, one of the six copies of the report
drafted by the regional gendarmerie forces was forwarded to
GEPAN, which from then on became the recipient of all
information collected on UFOs.
6.2.1 Role and Action of the Gendarmerie Nationale
Each gendarmerie force possesses a manual, the "gendarmerie
handbook," which contains all of the instructions on the
procedures to be followed in the collection of data on
unidentified aerospace phenomena.
Depending on the degree of
complexity of the case reported, the level of intervention may
range from the simple transcript of a testimony to an actual
investigation, which may be conducted jointly with the GEPAN/SEPRA
departments at the locations of sightings and often results in
an in-depth report.
6.2.2 Use of Data Collected by the Gendarmerie Nationale
Once the information has been collected locally by the
gendarmerie, it is forwarded in the form of a report to the
Gendarmerie Nationale headquarters in Paris, which issues a copy
of it to GEPAN/SEPRA.
The latter processes it at two different
levels:
-
at the first level, the report is analyzed, then entered into
a database, and perhaps is processed statistically for the
purpose of establishing classifications and typologies of
phenomena,
-
at the second level, which relates to more complex "UAP D"
(category D unidentified aerospace phenomena) cases, the
investigation in the field generates a set of research
activities with respect to elements for further processing that
results in the drafting of a detailed, in-depth investigation
report; the report may be used for track interpretation studies.
6.2.3 Assessment and Results of the Cooperation with the Gendarmerie
Nationale
Since 1974, over 3,000 gendarmerie reports representing an
average of [three] spontaneous testimonies per document have
been collected and forwarded to GEPAN/SEPRA. Added to this are
some one hundred investigations and interventions in the field,
conducted jointly with the local [gendarmerie] forces. All of
these have permitted the characterization of a set of rare,
natural and artificial phenomena that have occurred with varying
frequency which would not have been able to be identified
without this type of organization.
Thanks to this collaboration,
it has been possible to study UFO cases like the Trans-en-Provence
and "Amaranth" cases (see Chapter 4) under excellent conditions,
showing that there was a remnant of events the nature of which
had yet to be identified. A volume of information describing the
objectives sought by CNES in the study of UFOs was widely
disseminated to all of the regional [gendarmerie] forces.
Supplemental information and training, [end of line cut off]
direction of officers and lower-level gendarmes, is regularly
provided by the Gendarmerie Nationale schools to sensitize the
[gendarmerie] force commanders to this subject.
The results of this collaboration could be more effective.
Regular updating of the data collection procedures would be
desirable, as well as shorter time delays before intervention
for investigations between the time the local [gendarmerie]
force learns of the case and the time when SEPRA intervenes. This
reduction in the intervention time would considerably diminish
the loss of information, particularly with respect to effects on
the environment. It would also be important for the gendarmerie
forces to be routinely informed of the results of work and
investigations carried out by SEPRA.
However, the resources
currently available in terms of personnel and budget allocations
do not permit a response with the efficacy desired.
6.3 Participation of the Air Force
Just after World War II. the first reports of French aeronautic
UFO sightings were collected and archived by the Air Force Chief
of Staff s Office of Planning and Studies (EMAA/BPE).
When GEPAN was created, a memorandum of understanding defined
the respective roles of the two agencies for the processing of
information relating to cases of military aeronautic sightings.
In principle, all UFO sightings must be reported to the military
air [traffic] control center in question, which forwards the
information to the Air Operations Center (CCOA) in Taverny.
The
latter is responsible, in collaboration with the Air Force Chief
of Staffs Space Office, for forwarding it to GEPAN/SEPRA. At the
same time, all radar information is recorded in the radar
control centers and kept for a minimum of one month and longer
on request. This information is made available to investigators
if needed.
A protocol established with the Army defines the conditions for
the forwarding of information collected in flight by pilots of
the Army Air Corps (ALAT).
6.4 Participation of the Civil Aviation Authority
The same type of organization and procedures is used by the
civil aviation authority to collect and process the information
relating to UFO sightings made by civilian pilots. A protocol
signed between the Civil Aviation Directorate (DGAC) and CNES
permits GEPAN/SEPRA to have access to UFO sighting reports
drafted by national and foreign airlines crews.
To this end, a
sighting report form prepared jointly by DGAC and GEPAN/SEPRA is
made available to crews at the air [traffic] control centers of
the civil aviation authority and airlines. In addition, the
radio conversations between the crew and the air [traffic]
control [center] are routinely recorded and attached to the
detailed sighting report.
There is also a regulation concerning flight incidents that
could involve safety. In this case, the flight captain must
follow the "Airmiss" procedure, which routinely triggers an
investigation by the DGAC.
6.5 Additional Research Resources
Numerous civilian (public or private) and military bodies
contribute to the expert appraisals performed in investigations
and work by GEPAN/SEPRA. This involvement takes place at two
levels, either in the collection of data in the field and the
utilization of sighting reports or in the
analysis of data after the expert's appraisal and the
theoretical and experimental research that are deemed necessary.
Cooperation agreements have been established, particularly with
various bodies that can benefit in return from the results of
investigations of interest to their own area of study, for
example:
-
lightning (EDF, CEA [French Atomic Energy Commission), the
National Weather Service. ONERA, CEAT [Toulouse Aeronautic Test
Center]),
-
meteors (CNRS [National Center for Scientific Research], DGA
[French General Delegation for Armaments]),
-
line disturbances (EDF, France Telecom [French
telecommunications company]),
-
group sociology and, in particular, sects (CNRS,
universities),
-
photography, the study of films, the processing of satellite
imagery (Fleximage).
The following three applications should be emphasized:
6.5.1 Sample Analysis GEPAN/SEPRA is supported by various civilian and military
laboratories, including those of the Etablissement Technique
Central de PArmement [Central Technical Armaments Institution] (ETCA),
for analyzing soil and plant samples collected during the course
of investigations.
6.5.2 Use of Photographs Image processing work was performed at ETCA between 1981 and
1988. This work enabled the techniques and procedures, listed in
GEPAN technical memorandum no. 18, for studying supposed UFO
photographs to be defined. Diffraction filters were installed in
the gendarmeries to permit the collection of information over
the light spectrum emitted.
6.5.3 Sky Surveillance System A system called "ORION" was studied and deployed by [the
Ministry of] Defense for the purpose of monitoring, identifying,
and predicting the passage of satellites, particularly over
national territory. It should meet, at least partially, the need
for the surveillance of UFO-type light phenomena.
The system
consists of:
-
the current surveillance and tracking radar systems and
listening antenna on the ship Monge,
-
two radar and optical surveillance systems and one optical
imaging system:
-
the "GRAVES" surveillance radar system, which will be capable
of detecting objects from 1 m^ [in size] at a distance of 1500
km,
-
the "SPOC" [Sky Observation Probe System] optical surveillance
system, which uses CCD cameras to detect and determine the
trajectory of orbiting satellites or magnitude 7 to 8 space
debris (the installation of equipment at two sites is currently
under way),
-
finally, the development of the 4 m diameter "SOLSTICE"
telescope, which may be provided
with adaptive optics, for the observation of objects in
geostationary orbit (36,000 km).
Chapter 7
Method and Results of GEPAN/SEPRA
7.1 Method Developed by GEPAN
GEPAN developed an original method for studying rare, randomly
occurring phenomena. Meteorites are among these phenomena.
Scientists have long refused to consider sightings of stones
that have fallen from the sky, which are generally reported by
rural inhabitants. Fortunately, in 1803, the physicist Jean-Baptiste
Biot conducted an in-depth investigation in the village of
Laigle in Orne [Department] about three weeks after someone had
reported stones that had fallen from the sky.
Biot examined
numerous stones and certain evidence (broken branches,
perforated roofs, fires) and questioned many independent
witnesses. He prepared a convincing report that gave scientific
existence to meteorites.
The method developed by GEPAN was approved by its scientific
council. It basically consists of identifying initially unknown
phenomena and performing a joint analysis of four types of data
concerning:
-
witnesses: physiology, psychology, etc.,
-
testimonies: accounts, reactions to questions, general
behavior, etc.,
-
the physical environment: weather, air traffic, photographs,
radar data, traces left on the environment, etc.,
-
the psychosociological environment: readings and beliefs of
witnesses, possible influence of the media and various groups on
these witnesses, etc.
Gendarmerie reports often contain sufficient data in order to be
able to identify the phenomenon sighted. In many cases, the
phenomenon turns out to be an airplane, a planet, a satellite,
etc. In other cases, a fairly large supplemental investigation
is conducted by GEPAN/SEPRA. An in-depth study can take up to
two years. The analysis of traces left on the environment may
result in specialized laboratories being called on for
assistance (see the Trans-en-Provence and "Amaranth" cases in
Chapter 4).
Finally research was conducted in collaboration with the
universities in order to perfect the investigation method. CNES,
out of a concern for scientific precision, adopted the term "UAP"
instead of the term UFO. which is more well known but more
restrictive. GEPAN is the group that studies UAPs.
7.2 First Classification of UAPs (Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena)
After a study is conducted, each case is classified by GEPAN/SEPRA
into one of the following four categories, depending on the
extent to which it has been identified:
-
Category A: completely identified phenomenon,
-
Category B: phenomenon that can probably be identified but
which cannot be identified with certainty due to a lack of
evidence,
-
Category C: phenomenon that cannot be identified due to a lack
of data,
-
Category D: phenomenon that cannot be identified despite the
abundance and quality of the data.
Category D UAPs represent 4 to 5% of the cases and are called
UAP Ds. They include sightings of phenomena, some of which were
close to the ground a few meters from the witnesses.
The
strangest and most mysterious cases in this category are
generally labeled CE3s (close encounters of the third kind)
according to the classification proposed by Professor A. Hynek,
an astronomer and consultant to the USAF, within the context of
the Blue Book Project (cf. Chapter 9.1).
7.3 Typology of UAP Ds
The detailed statistical analysis of UAP Ds enables a precise
determination of the distribution of their physical
characteristics: speed, acceleration, silence, shape, effects on
the environment. It is interesting to note that statistical
studies in the USSR yielded distributions comparable to those
determined by Claude Poher, the first head of GEPAN, from some
200 French cases, or 1,000 cases worldwide.
It would be
desirable to be able to develop UAP D statistical studies in
France.
7.4 Investigations of Remarkable Cases
Around one hundred investigations have been conducted by GEPAN/SEPRA.
Some of them have highlighted rare physical atmospheric
phenomena associated, for example, with lightning; others have
revealed unusual psychological behavior of witnesses caused, for
example, by taking hallucinogenic drugs.
Several very in-depth
investigations based on analyses of evidence have demonstrated,
in the end, the physical presence of a phenomenon the nature and
origin of which remain unknown. Two cases related in Chapter 4
stand out in our minds, the Trans-en-Provence case of January 8,
1981, and the "Amaranth" case of October 21, 1982. The
investigations lead us to believe that double-saucer-shaped
objects were close to the ground for some time, then departed
toward the sky leaving traces on the vegetation and, in the
Trans-en-Provence case, on the ground itself.
They are detailed
in GEPAN technical memoranda no. 16 and no. 17 (see the
reference list in Chapter 6).
7.5 Aeronautical Cases
7.5.1 Data on French Aeronautical Cases
-
Twelve French aeronautical cases have been brought to the
attention of GEPAN/SEPRA; only three or four of these can be
considered to fall into category D.
-
The first UAP D case identified dates back to 1951. It
involved Vampire military aircraft in the Orange area. In two
other very extraordinary sightings, which are presented in
Chapter 1, military pilots reported the presence of objects with
aeronautical performances inconsistent with the maneuvers of
classic aircraft over the region of Tours in 1976 and of Luxeuil
in 1977. However, not until January 28, 1994, was the crew of a
regularly scheduled Air France commercial airplane able to
collect the first case of a visual sighting correlated with a
radar detection over 50 seconds lone (see Chapter 1.3).
7.5.2 Aeronautical UAP D Cases Worldwide
The aeronautical UAP D cases known since 1942 were initially
enumerated in a document entitled Rencontres dans le del
[Encounters in the Sky], by Dominique Weinstein, the French
portion of which SEPRA contributed to. The list of sightings
worldwide includes the description of 489 well-documented cases
of aeronautical UAP D sightings the sources of which were duly
verified.
Most of the information on these aeronautical UAP Ds
is drawn from official sources, government authorities, the Air
Forces of different States, or agencies like SEPRA.
This list offers a classification according to criteria with
respect to the quality of the sighting. It ranges from simple
visual sightings, describing the specific performances or
maneuvers of the phenomenon observed (speed, acceleration,
maneuverability, silence, etc.). to more elaborate sightings,
mentioning environmental disturbances caused by the aeronautical
UAP Ds. such as radio interference or radar jamming, navigation
instrument malfunctions, or even physical effects on the crew
(heat, blinding, etc.).
Between 1947 and 1969, that is, during the time of the U.S. Air
Force
Blue Book Project on UFOs, 363 sightings were identified.
1952 is the year in which the greatest number of sightings were
recorded: 68. A total of 63 countries are cited as having been
the scene of at least one aeronautical sighting.
7.5.3 "Radar/Visual" Cases Worldwide
"Radar/visual" cases are those in which a visual sighting is
associated with an onboard radar and/or ground radar detection.
It is noted that:
-
the first sightings in Japan and the USSR date back to 1948,
-
30 of the 68 countries cited in the list reported
"radar/visual" cases,
-
of the 489 cases in the report, 101 were
"radar/visual" cases (21%),
-
of the 363 cases in the Blue Book report, 76 were
"radar/visual" cases (21%).
-
in 1952, 16out of 68 cases were "radar/visual" cases (23.52%).
In conclusion, we can clearly establish that from 1942 to 1995,
at least 500 well-documented and recognized aeronautical UAP D
sightings were identified throughout the world, nearly 20% of
which were "radar/visual" cases.
They furnish proof of a
physical reality of phenomena that exhibited paradoxical
maneuvers.
7.6 The Physical Reality of UAP Ds
7.6.1 An Initial Report as Early as September 1947 in the United
States
We have seen that the work of GEPAN/SEPRA showed that there was
an entire category of rare physical phenomena occurring at
varying frequency that could not be classified as known natural
or artificial phenomena.
These phenomena, UAP Ds, which we have
highlighted, both in the aeronautical sphere (military and
civilian aeronautical cases) and close to the ground (cases of
close encounters), support other cases of welt-documented
sightings that have been verified by official authorities
throughout the world. It is interesting to note that as early as
November [sic] 1947, right at the start of the very first wave
of modem UFO sightings, in the United States.
General Twining.
head of the Air Material Command, drafted a report on "flying
disks, " the conclusions of which are very explicit:
-
The phenomenon reported is something real; it is not a matter
of visions or imagination.
-
Disk-shaped objects the size of which is comparable to that
of our aircraft do exist.
-
It is possible that some sightings correspond to natural
phenomena.
-
The very high rate-of-climb observed, the maneuverability,
and the escape maneuvers when the disks are detected lead one to
assume that they are piloted or operated by remote control.
-
Most witnesses describe objects with a metal surface that are
circular or elliptical in shape, the upper portion of which is
dome shaped, flying without making any noise in a formation of
three to nine objects...
7.6.2 GEPAN/SEPRA's Work
We do not have irrefutable tangible proof in the form of
material, either whole or in fragments. that confirm the
physical nature of UAP Ds and their artifactual character.
Nevertheless, the collection and expert appraisal work carried
out at GEPAN/SEPRA for over 20 years confirms the statements
General Twining made in 1947.
7.6.3 French Aeronautical Cases
The study of French military aeronautical UAP D [sightings]
(Orange in 1951, Tours in 1976. Luxeuil in 1977) support General
Twining's conclusions, namely the fourth one.
The testimonies of
the pilots do in fact lead one to assume that the objects were
"either piloted or operated by remote control": all of the
pilots reported that it was "the object" that appeared to be
moving toward them and not the other way around. Moreover, all
of them considered the maneuvering abilities of the object to be
far superior to those that they were familiar with.
7.6.4 Cases of Close-Up UAP D Sightings in France
For their part, the cases of close-up UAP D sightings in France
are very much in keeping with Twining's conclusions 4 and 5. In
Trans-en-Provence (Chapter 4), the expert appraisals made at the
site support the local testimony and show that the object with a
metallic appearance and circular shape landed, then took off
silently within a very short space of time not very far from a
wall 2.5 m in height.
No modem aircraft is capable of these
silent maneuvers, nor of this degree of precision when landing.
It is hard not to imagine a piloted or remote-controlled flying
machine, or else one having highly advanced cybernetics.
The other French cases of close encounters described in Chapter
4 also strongly suggest the existence of an intelligent
[civilization] behind the UAP Ds. In the Valensole, "Amaranth"
and Cussac cases, once the witness or witnesses are brought face
to face with the UAP D, everything generally happens very
quickly, and the object escapes without having shown the
slightest aggressiveness toward the witnesses.
7.6.5 Foreign Cases - Conclusion
The study of certain foreign cases leads to conclusions similar
to those drawn from the French cases. One may reread in this
spirit the description of the aeronautical cases presented in
Chapter 2. We could also relate foreign cases of close
encounters, such as the Socorro (New Mexico) case, which is
similar to the Trans-en-Provence case, but the critical overview
of which would needlessly weigh down this report.
One strong conclusion emerges from this set of facts: some UAP
Ds do seem to be completely unknown flying machines with
exceptional performances that are guided by a natural or
artificial intelligence.
Chapter 8
UFOs: Hypotheses, Modeling Attempts
8.1 Partial Models
Credible sightings of aerial objects can be reinforced by
plausible technical explanations of the phenomena reported.
Among the most striking observations in relation to the current
state of our knowledge, we cite:
-
aerial movements carried out silently with very rapid
accelerations and/or very high speeds.
-
the shutting off of the engines of nearby land vehicles,
-
the locomotor paralysis of witnesses.
Insofar as the sightings that are the most well documented, and
the most credible owing to the obvious competence of the
witnesses, come from aircraft pilots, it is their sightings of
aerial movements, sightings which are, moreover, supported by
radar plots, that should be explained first.
8.1.1 Travel
There are, from the standpoint of the concept, various
principles of propulsion that do not require propellers or jet
engines that could thus be silent. The most advanced uses
magneto-hydrodynamics, abbreviated MHD, but many others can also
be considered.
We will review these.
8.1.1.1 MHD Propulsion The principle of MHD propulsion, which cannot be envisioned in a
vacuum, consists of causing an electrical current to flow in the
medium surrounding the rotor. At the same time, the rotor emits
a magnetic field.
According to Laplace's law, this field exerts
a force on the current and thus on the medium in which it is
flowing; this is the principle of most electric motors. The
medium being displaced in this way in relation to the rotor, it
is in fact the latter that undergoes, by reaction, a force that
enables it to be propelled.
You still have to cause the
necessary field and current to appear:
-
for the magnetic field, this is easily accomplished by
installing windings (like those in electric motors), over which
a suitable electrical current travels, in or under the walls of
the rotor,
-
for the electrical current, it all depends on the medium.
In sea water it is easy to cause a current to flow using
electrodes positioned on the rotor housing. This is why MHD
propulsion has been experimented with, so far successfully, in
the United States and Japan on both surface and submarine ship
models.
In air, which is naturally insulating, it is more difficult to
cause an electrical current to flow, but it is known how to make
air conducting by using, for example, strong electrical fields
generated here as well by suitable electrodes (air, when
rendered conducting, can become more or less luminous, which has
frequently been observed around unknown objects). As for the
magnetic field, this can be created as for boats.
However,
propulsion is much more difficult to achieve in air, since it
must not only propel the rotor but first of all compensate for
its weight. The electrical and magnetic fields required are
therefore much stronger than for a ship and, in practice,
obtaining the very strong fields that are essential is scarcely
conceivable without having recourse to superconducting windings.
Still theoretical until a only few years ago, their use in an
aerial vehicle
has been a credible prospect since 1991, with the discovery of
superconductors capable of operating at near-ambient
temperatures.
Propulsion in the atmosphere without propellers or jet engines
is, therefore, completely possible in principle with MHD, and
the calculations show that the power necessary is not in certain
cases. incompatible with our current aeronautical engines. The
fact that no cooling system has been seen (or heard) on the
objects that have been observed close up can be explained as
long as the length of the craft's flights does not exceed a few
dozen minutes. Furthermore, other motors that we already use
-electric motors, due to energy stored on board or to inertia if
they are not yet powerful enough - would not need immediate
cooling, which duly proves that this problem is not
insurmountable.
Numerous witnesses have been struck by the silence accompanying
the maneuvers of the objects. which do not create a "bang" even
at supersonic speeds {cf. Part 1, Chapters 1, 2, and 3). MHD
propulsion could account for this silence: preliminary
experiments in noise reduction by eliminating the wake and shock
wave, albeit under very special conditions, are encouraging.
There has been extensive work on the different aspects of MHD
propulsion of aircraft abroad: in the United States at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy (NY), and according to
the journal New-Scientist (February 1996), in Great Britain and
in Russia.
To sum up, based on the current state of our knowledge, an MHD
aircraft model is conceivable in the short term, while the
creation of a craft having the same movement capabilities as the
aerial vehicles described by the witnesses seems quite likely to
us within a few dozen years. For the time being, only the quasi
absence of perceptible air flow and noise while hovering close
to the ground pose problems.
8.1.1.2 Other Propulsion Methods In a vacuum, the absence or scarcity of molecules or atoms
prevents current flow in the medium as well as the projection of
a mass of sufficient substance pulled from this medium. MHD
propulsion is therefore not possible, and it is necessary to
formulate other hypotheses.
Jet propulsion by means of chemical
reactions, comparable to our rocket engines - even though its
performance is more advanced - should not be ruled out a priori.
In fact, the space phase of the travel of unknown objects takes
place very far from sight. In addition, skins for stealth purposes render them invisible to
telescopes and radars beyond a few kilometers or a few dozen
kilometers.
Consequently, at these distances, these objects
could very well use classic propulsion systems without being
detected. Mainly, then, problems with respect to power
consumption and mass to be expelled are raised, but the method
reviewed below in 8.1.1.3 would enable these problems to be
partially solved.
More advanced technologically are propulsion systems that call
for very high velocity exhaust -a considerable fraction of the
speed of light - of particle beams. Due to the extremely high
exhaust velocity, the mass expelled is low and expulsion can be
continued for a very long time. Such particle beams that can be
loaded on board satellites have been developed for space warfare
in the former USSR (at the von Ardenne laboratory in Soukhoumi,
Georgia) and the United States, especially at the Argonne
National Laboratory.
At present, of course, these beams are much
less powerful than what would be necessary here, but they are
already of interest as low-power engines once out of the
proximity of planets. The U.S. probe "Deep Space 1", which
should narrowly miss asteroid 1992 KD on July 29, 1999, was
equipped with an engine of this type.
Other methods of space propulsion are being studied very
actively: nuclear propulsion using Fission ("NERVA," "ORION,"
and "DAEDALUS" projects) and, more recently, fusion, which would
offer respective gains of one and over two orders of magnitude
in comparison with the best engines at present. Beyond this, the
use of power stored in the form of antimatter - which has become
credible since CERN [European Council for Nuclear Research]
created an antihydrogen atom and demonstrated the means for
storing it - will offer gains even one hundred times greater.
This is why a growing number of research centers are doing work
on this subject: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lawrence
Livennore Laboratory, the Air Force Astronautical Laboratory
(Edwards Air Force Base), where antigravitation is also being
studied, according to the June 10. 1996 issue of Jane 's Defence
Weekly. The latter topic is reportedly also being pursued in
Great Britain and in the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent
States].
8.1.1.3
Use of Planetary or Stellar Impulse Closer to our current technologies, even though, strictly
speaking, it does not have to do with propulsion, the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory imagined, in 1961, that a spacecraft
sling-shooting off of the potential [gravity] wells of suitably
selected planets could attain higher and higher speeds without
expending any energy. This method is now routinely used for
missions to the remote planets in our [solar] system.
One can
then envision that by using "reflections," not only off of
planets but also off of stars, as Dyson proposed in 1963,
considerable speeds could be attained (limited only by escape
velocities) and interstellar distances could be crossed using
relatively little energy at the price, of course, of the time
necessary for the departure and arrival slingshots.
This method would lead to intersidereal voyage lengths probably
figuring in thousands of yours, thus with an order of magnitude
greater than lengths anticipated for the envisioned antimatter
propulsion.
8.1.1.4
Conclusion Regarding Travel To sum up, for travel both in the atmosphere and in space, we
can formulate reasonable hypotheses on flight without any
apparent means of lift in the first case and on the crossing of
great distances, up to an interstellar scale, in the second.
8.1.2 The Shutting Off of Land Vehicle Engines
To explain this phenomenon, which has been reported frequently
abroad, it is necessary to visualize a remote action. [Since] no
beams of light appear to be associated with these engine
immobilizations, we can imagine radio-frequency radiation, such
as microwaves, which we know can cause effects of this type and
which can be easily formed into beams to act from a distance.
Under these conditions, microwave emissions from unknown objects
would be likely to create an electrical field around the craft
strong enough for the ignition voltages, in being added to it,
to cause ionization of the air around the high voltage circuit
of the engine ([ignition] coil, distributor, spark plug
wire),1husshert-eircuiting the firing pulses to the engine mass
and shutting it off.
Since electronic ignition came into widespread use in the 70s,
the action of microwaves, apart from the mechanism previously
described, may be exerted directly, paralyzing the electronic
circuit generating the high voltage. We can therefore envision
the action of unknown objects on land vehicles, including
nowadays those with diesel engines, which are made vulnerable
due to their very
often electronic regulation circuit.
Let us recall that the
ability to generate microwave beams that can act from a distance
is within the capabilities of our own technologies, as
demonstrated by the intensive work being carried out in the
United States and the former USSR to develop microwave weapons
intended precisely to destroy or immobilize enemy electronic
systems from a distance, and even to act on personnel. In
France, high power microwave generators that can be used for
this purpose are being studied.
This does not rule out the possibility of other types of
radiation being used. Charged particle beams would be capable of
analogous effects, passing through, if necessary, living matter,
such as the bodies of some witnesses, without being felt by the
latter or leaving any notable or lasting sequel.
This can be
illustrated by the beams of accelerators used in proton therapy,
which begin by passing through tissue without causing too much
damage and becoming destructive only when their energy falls
below a certain threshold as a result of their penetration.
This mode of action corresponds, moreover, to certain
testimonies that report the observation of beams of light
passing through physical obstacles; in fact, by ionizing the
air, proton beams generally do become visible in the form of
truncated beams of light the length of which is a function of
their initial energy.
8.1.3 Locomotor Paralysis of Some Witnesses
This phenomenon is less common. It is remarkable in that the
paralyses reported only affect certain voluntary movements, but
not respiration or posture (balance, in particular, is not
compromised; the witnesses do not fall down) or eye movements.
From the standpoint of concepts, it can be remarked that in
human beings posture and respiration are controlled by the
cerebellum, an organ that is independent of the cerebrum, which
governs voluntary movements. The paralysis effects observed can
reasonably be attributed to microwaves acting from a distance on
certain parts of the human body (this is also one of the
objectives of the work mentioned above on microwave weapons).
We
should note that these effects, among others, are being studied
at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory at Kirtland AFB.
8.2 Modeling and Credibility
The fact that we can formulate a credible hypothesis on the
propulsion of the objects sighted is obviously only a positive
indication, but not proof of their existence, no more than that
of their conformity to the model that we imagine.
In this regard, the history of the technique teaches humility,
but it can also yield quasi certainties:
-
humility in noting prognostic errors committed in the past. It
suffices to recall the affirmations (or readiness to
[affirm]...) of several very great scientists: "You cannot
breath in tunnels, " "science is almost finished," "something
heavier than air cannot fly," etc. It would therefore be
presumptuous to claim to foresee, based on our knowledge and our
current accomplishments, what might be technologies that are
only slightly more advanced than our own - or our own
technologies in one or two centuries.
Let us consider that only
150 years ago, engines, electricity, the existence of the atom,
and Hertzian waves were unknown! We can also reread Jules Veme:
Paris au XXs siecle [Paris in the 20th Century] or Hier et
demain [Yesterday and Tomorrow]...
-
certainties, since scientific and technical progress can only
continue, supported by more scientists and engineers than there
have ever been, spurred by competition among nations. This
competition, which is now "closed" in our world, will focus on
all of the resources that once were free: potable water, the
deep sea, the polar regions, air, space, radio frequencies, etc.
Although it is risky to predict the results of an increasingly
accelerated scientific and technical development, it is, at
least, almost certain that our own knowledge will have advanced
greatly even within a few decades.
There's no telling what
progress will be made beyond that time! Under these
circumstances, we can conclude with a high degree of certainty
that movements of objects that at present are just beyond our
capabilities will be technically possible within a few decades,
or even a few centuries, even if the knowledge put into play is
not what we are predicting.
To the extent that the preceding conclusion is acceptable, let
us go further and comment that only a few million years will
have elapsed (barring a catastrophe) between the appearance of
man and the future stellar expeditions of our descendants {cf.
Chapter 8.3.6 and Appendix 4). This interval between the
appearance on earth of a conscious intelligence and the time
when we will be able to perform the same feats as those
performed by the objects we are dealing with here is
infinitesimal (one to two thousand years) compared with the age
of the earth or even with the 600 million years that separate us
from the appearance of the first living organisms at the
beginning of the Cambrian period.
But the development of other intelligent [beings] on other
worlds cannot have taken place at exactly the same rate as on
earth. If the age of these other worlds, like that of the earth,
is on the order of 4 billion years, and if a conscious life
[form] appeared, neither the rate of its development nor the
epoch in which that world was created cannot have been exactly
the same as ours.
Under these conditions, even a minuscule deviation of 0.1%, for
example, in regard to these initial data would make it possible
to place such a civilization between several million years ahead
of ours and several million years behind ours.
Thus the probability of the extent of development of two
civilizations in the universe, and the same solar system, being
equal appears to be very low, and in all likelihood we have only
two possibilities;
-
our "neighbors" are several thousand or several million years
behind us (or do not yet exist as a conscious species), and it
will be we who discover them,
-
our neighbors are ahead of us, but then the probability is
that this advance figures in the thousands of years or more,
rather than in years or even hundreds of years, and if we can
judge from the rate of our own development, their level of
development would certainly exceed our forecasting capabilities
in every domain.
8.3 UFOs - Overall Hypotheses
For several dozens of years, the systematic collection and
scientific study of unusual atmospheric phenomena have permitted
a number of major advances. Of course, on analysis, a good
proportion of the sightings have proven completely explicable:
satellite reentries, sounding balloons, etc. This has
furthermore enabled the precision of the observers, as well as
the veracity and consistency of the testimonies, to be tested.
Cases of hoaxes are, on the whole, very rare and quite easy to
detect. The majority of the observers provide reliable reports,
although it is necessary to taken into account the problems of
diverse assessments.
Most of the sightings of all types have also enabled the
credible and well-documented sightings called UAP Ds (category D
unidentified aerospace phenomena) for which no explanation has
been found to be classified separately. However, these phenomena
are often attested by means of
consistent testimonies all the way up to visual sightings
coupled with radar sightings.
Of course, if there had only been
ten or so UAP D [sightings], this ambiguous file could just have
been classified as "no action," but we are no longer at that
point and are far beyond that. Thus we are forced to seek
plausible explanations.
All sorts of hypotheses have been
constructed, and they may be classified as follows:
8.3.1 Ascientific Hypotheses
"We are being manipulated without realizing it" (by a very
secret, very powerful, and very knowledgeable group of people;
by strange, unknown, or even extraterrestrial beings; by
spirits; by the devil; by our psychological fantasies; etc.).
Obviously, we cannot say a priori whether these hypotheses are
true or false [since] they cannot be proven; their main drawback
is that they aren't much good to us.
Parapsychological phenomena and collective hallucinations should
be classified in this category. The same is true of the idea
that is sometimes expressed that the futuristic craft sighted
are actually products of the future activity of humanity. Our
descendants of the distant [future], who have found the way to
go back in time, come to observe us...
It is obviously classic to try to reconstruct and observe the
past via any of the traces that it leaves, and one could
theoretically observe it directly (for example, by discovering a
well-oriented mirror on a planet located a few light years a
way). It is, however, out of the question for such an
observation to be able to influence a bygone time in any way,
except by being detectable.
8.3.2 Secret Weapons of a Superpower UAP Ds would then be piloted or remote-controlled craft of
terrestrial origin. There is no lack of observers to believe
that the object with fantastic performances that they saw
maneuvering in the sky is the state of the art of military
progress, which would explain the secrecy in which they are
cloaked. Certainly studies such as those regarding the stealth
aircraft or magneto-hydrodynamics actually lead to impressive
progress.
But besides the fact that it would be extremely unwise
to expose to the eyes of laymen and foreign experts in this way
what there has been so much interest in concealing, it can be
added today that throughout the decades during which these
phenomena have occurred, the secret would have inevitably come
out, especially if the political upheavals of recent years are
taken into account.
8.3.3 Disinformation Attempts Into this category fall special effects and montages, which are
generally accompanied by a lot of media publicity. Some
researchers believe that without necessarily lending themselves
to the manufacture of ultramodern weapons, the performances of
high-tech craft might serve to brainwash public opinion in the
same way as other propaganda techniques. Of course, this point
of view is a direct result of the cold war period. Any means
were good at that time for destabilizing the other camp,
including fear of an invasion by extraterrestrials or the
instilling of doubt about leaders "who hide anything manifestly
serious from us. "
This type of hypothesis is even less satisfying than the
preceding ones because it runs up against the objections to each
of those.
8.3.4 Holographic Images At the junction between disinformation attempts and
extraterrestrial hypotheses lies the technique of holographic
images, whether they be the work of a superpower or
extraterrestrial crews. In actual fact, this technique is
difficult to employ. It requires considerable preparation
because air is very transparent and diffuses light only very
poorly. Therefore it is necessary to have large equipment
covering the optical field used or at least to project an
appropriate screen on it. for example, a film of water.
The first method corresponds to theoretical holographic images,
while the second is simpler and is frequently used for
spectacular effects, but it obviously leaves traces behind... We
can also envision using clouds or a curtain of rain, but this,
of course, poses multiple hazards. Without necessarily being
able to judge them at present, the method of holographic images
and associated methods have only very limited use.
8.3.5 Unknown Natural Phenomena This hypothesis cannot be ruled out completely and must
therefore be cited. However, it is difficult to support in cases
where the UFO sighted behaves in an apparently intelligent
manner (approach, pursuit, evasion, and escape maneuvers, etc.).
8.3.6 Extraterrestrial Hypotheses A large number of people today are convinced that UFOs are
piloted by intelligent beings who have come from a very remote
part of the universe and are tasked with watching us and even
initiating contact with us. As appealing as they may be. these
hypotheses run up against all sorts of huge difficulties. The
hypothetical Martians only recently disappeared from the realm
of possibility, and apart from earth, the solar system appears
to be totally unable to have produced organized life and even
more unable to have produced an advanced civilization. It is
therefore necessary to look farther, to the stars, but the
closest star is already one hundred million times further away
than the moon.
The only contacts that we may try to establish from such
distances at present are radio contacts. Astronomers have
attempted contacts via message transmission and radio listening
in the "SETI" and "MEGASETI" programs. Although some enthusiasts
have suggested futuristic ideas to "bypass" the vast expanse,
such as, for example, the use of "black holes," the crossing of
interstellar distances by possible extraterrestrials has
elicited much skepticism and the majority of astronomers
reiterate that "to date there has been no UFO case that is
sufficiently well established to imply that it came from an
extraterrestrial civilization. "
Two professional astronomers, Jean-Claude Ribes and Guy Monnet,
have, however, proposed a scenario in our future in space that
includes plausible interstellar voyages. In this scenario, which
is summarized in Appendix 4, they envision the establishment of
large communities in verdant "islands in space, " enormous
artificial structures orbiting the earth, as described by the
physicist O'Neill, and even inside large asteroids,-where an
abundance of different materials, including water and oxygen, as
well as ready protection against meteorites and cosmic
radiation, are found.
Later on, when our descendants have
mastered the production, storage and use of antimatter as
energy, they will utilize it to propel some of their habitats to
another solar system. They will settle in an asteroid belt,
start families there, and then visit the planets of the
receiving system aboard craft that are perceived by any possible
natives the same way we perceive UFOs today.
This scenario, which in essence relies only on laws of physics
that are currently well accepted,
gives the extraterrestrial hypothesis a certain degree of
plausibility; it is possible to imagine thai a civilization that
came from somewhere else colonized the region of our asteroid
belt and used it as a staging base to our planet. Current
progress in the conquest of space and physics reinforces this
idea.
We should point out that some people envisage another
hypothesis, which is much debated: the UFOs do belong to a
civilization located in the asteroid belt, but this civilization
itself comes from our planet. Older than any known terrestrial
civilizations and highly advanced, it supposedly disappeared
from earth (nuclear war, radioactivity, pollution, etc.) but
resettled in the solar system.
Both hypotheses have to their credit the fact that they place
the UFO problem outside the realm of the paranormal and promote
thought about the future of our planet.
Chapter 9
Organization of the Research Abroad
9.1 Organization of the Research in the United States
The subject of UFOs is presently very popular in the United
States. This is evidenced by the number and success of fiction
films such as Independence Day, Men in Black, and Contact, which
deal with this topic. A survey conducted in June 1997 for Time
magazine showed that nearly one American in four believes that
an extraterrestrial craft crashed at Roswell {New Mexico) at the
beginning of July 1947.
A professor of psychiatry at Harvard,
Dr. Mack, treats the problem of the temporary abduction, whether
real or imagined, of his fellow countrymen by UFOs very
seriously. In view of the public's expectations, what are the
authorities doing?
They deny that the UFO phenomenon poses a threat to national
security, or that it is evidence of an extraterrestrial origin.
This position has been taken almost continuously by the Air
Force, which was tasked with the study of UFOs from 1948 to 1969
within the framework of a project which bore the overall title
Blue Book.
It was confirmed in the summary and conclusions of
the university commission in charge of evaluating the Blue Book
[Project], the Condon Commission. The physicist Condon wrote in
his conclusions that the study of UFOs had little chance of
advancing science. All official studies thus came to a halt in
the United States as of December 1969, and the Air Force
referred those who were curious to private ufological
associations.
Although it was endorsed by the Academy of Sciences, the Condon
report was harshly criticized by numerous scientists,
particularly at the powerful AIAA (American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics). The latter justly pointed out
that the summary and conclusions of the report, which were
drafted by Professor Condon himself, conflicted with a number of
analyses within its body. The AIAA recommended moderate, but
continuous scientific work on UFOs.
An amendment to the Freedom of information Act (FOIA) passed in
1974 permitted declassified official documents on UFOs to be
obtained as of 1976. One of these, in particular, attracted
attention. It was a letter from Air Force Brigadier General
Bolender from October 1969 stating that the imminent conclusion
of the Blue Book Project would not put an end to military
reports concerning UFOs that constituted a threat to national
security.
These were not part of the Blue Book system and would
continue, as in the past, to be handled in accordance with the
directive JANAP 146 and Air Force Manual 55-11.
"As Regards Authenticity, Only
Negative Conclusions Are Definitive"
by Francois Louange
Chief Executive Officer of Fleximage
Among the investigations conducted on the subject of UFOs,
photograph analysis
represents one of the more delicate areas. In fact, in the
public's eyes, photographs constitute indisputable proof par excellence of the
existence of the phenomenon,
which gives them a very special emotional factor.
But
photography is in reality a field where one still finds many
errors and hoaxes, because many natural or technical effects can
give rise to surprising documents: it is becoming easier and
easier for a specialist who has computer equipment to produce a
doctored negative that stands
I up well to investigations.
This can sometimes even prove
lucrative.
Francois Louange
Moreover, experience shows that most of the negatives that stand
up to analysis contain only extremely poor and unusable
information, often limited to a saturated bright spot on a black
background or vice versa, which makes this area of investigation
relatively disappointing.
For about forty years, alleged photographs of UFOs. which are
sometimes renowned in ufological circles, have occasionally been
the subject of expert appraisals on the part of specialists
interested in this topic. The physical and technical fields that
come into play are quite varied, ranging from atmospheric
propagation to photography or video and including digital image
processing.
The analysis of a photographic document or video is broken down
into two steps:
-
Establishing or disproving authenticity, uncovering hoaxes,
fake maneuvers or parasitic phenomena that could have affected
the photographing equipment or the original data storage medium
(film, video cassette). This concept of authenticity is
furthermore completely relative, because only negative
conclusions are definitive and in the best of cases a document
can stand up to analyses at any given moment.
-
With respect to a document deemed to be authentic,
extracting the maximum amount of information permitting a known
phenomenon to be identified or a phenomenon that is a priori
inexplicable to be characterized (size, position, speed, albedo,
energy emitted, etc.). This phenomenon will then be compared
with other unexplained phenomena in order to draw possible
parallels.
It is important to emphasize that the photographic as well as
the video documents available come only from fortuitous
witnesses; there arc very few opportunities for significant data
to be exploited by reason of simple statistical considerations:
the chances of being witness to a rare phenomenon, the
likelihood of having [camera] equipment in hand ready to use,
the probability of being able to make the proper adjustments and
calmly take professional quality photographs, etc.
In any case, it seems reasonable to limit in-depth
investigations to cases in which the following two conditions
are met:
-
The original document (negative, slide, video cassette,
etc.) is available.
-
There is at least one other independent source of
information (visual testimony or another sensing device).
Trick of the eye: lens-shaped clouds
Central bulge.
Broad and narrow disk, this is the definition of lenticular galaxies.
It is also the definition of a type of
cloud, cirrocumulus lenticularis, which forms above 7000 m
altitude and up to the limits of the troposphere.
Their very
specific shape is due to factors such as pressure, temperature,
turbulence, and very strong winds.
But this shape is definitely
open to every interpretation for those who wish to see it as a flying
saucer...
When military craft play UFOs
Left:
Photographed in 1989 offshore from Los Angeles, this unpiloted
surveillance unit is a Canadair CL-227 Sea Sentinel military
drone. Right:
This Sikorsky
"Cypher"
surveillance
drone is used by
the U.S. Army in
urban conflict
situations.
JANAP (Joint Army, Navy, Air Force Publication) 146 applies to
military personnel but also to some civilians (flight captains
of commercial aircraft, merchant marine captains) in the United
States and Canada.
It stipulates that an urgent report should be
filed with certain authorities, which must in turn file a
report, namely with the Air Operations Command (now NORAD [North
American Air Defense]) in Colorado Springs, when objects
requiring very urgent defensive action and/or an investigation
by the armed forces of the United States or Canada are sighted.
Among these objects, UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) are
listed along with missiles and hostile or unidentified
submarines, etc. Disclosure of the contents of these reports is
subject to the penalties of the laws cracking down on espionage.
JANAP 146 entered into effect in recent years and perhaps is
still in force. This regulation may explain the frequent
reticence of American military personnel, aviators in
particular, to bring up the subject of UFOs.
The members of American ufological associations number several
thousand. These associations are used to fill the gap left by
the public authorities in the field of "UFO" studies. The FOIA
brought them a resurgence of activity, showing them that
contrary to their statements, the Air Force and various special
departments, namely the CIA, are very much interested in the
subject of UFOs and have been for some time.
It permitted them
to learn of certain spectacular cases, such as the over-flights
of missile bases in 1975, or the 1976 Tehran incident related in
Chapter 2.
DIA deemed this a "radar/visual" case:
"A classic
case that meets all the conditions required for a legitimate
study of the UFO phenomenon."
In recent years, the three main ufological associations have
been brought together by a leading U.S. personality, Marie
Galbraith, to conduct a joint study. She is the wife of Evan
Griffith Galbraith, who was U.S. ambassador to France from 1981
to 1985. Thus she is well-acquainted with our country and our
language, since she lived on Avenue Gabriel. Supported both
morally and financially by Laurance Rockefeller, brother of the
famous David Rockefeller, she traveled the world to meet the
principal scientists interested in UFOs and to collect the best
cases.
She then oversaw the drafting of a clear and documented book
entitled Unidentified Flving Objects, Briefing Document, the
best available evidence, which was endorsed in 1995 by the
chairmen of the three associations CUFOS [Center for UFO
Research], FUFOR [Fund for UFO Research], and MUFON [Mutual UFO
Network]. She had this work sent to more than a thousand
prominent figures throughout the world and, namely, to a large
number of U.S. congressmen. Her goal is to get the U.S.
government and possibly other governments to end the secrecy
surrounding UFOs.
For the editors of the book, this secrecy is
essentially military in origin: the nation that is first to
reproduce the exceptional characteristics of UFOs will dominate
the world. The secrecy was justified during the cold war, but it
is no longer justified now given the scientific and technical
breakthroughs useful to humanity that one can expect [to obtain]
from the study of UFOs.
On the whole, Marie Galbraith's book is descriptive. It does not
interpret the phenomena sighted (physical modeling or hypotheses
regarding the origin of the objects). Such was also the spirit
of the international scientific colloquium organized in
September 1997 by
Laurance Rockefeller at Pocantico, near West
Point, on the property of the Rockefeller Bros. Fund. Moderated
by astrophysicist Peter Sturrock, this colloquium focused on
physical evidence concerning UFOs.
Specialists on radar, the biological effects of microwaves,
photography, etc., who often were not very familiar with the UFO
problem, formed a scientific council there that judged the
papers presented by the UFO researchers. French participation
was quite noteworthy; it consisted of the head of SEPRA and two
members of the scientific council.
A summary document expressed
the desire that many countries have a UFO research organization
comparable to that of France.
Colonel Corso's theory
In July 1997, for the fiftieth anniversary of the Roswell
incident, an astonishing book entitled
The Day After Roswell was
published. It was written by
Colonel Corso, who from 1953 to
1957 was the military member of the National Security Council
Staff and thus was in constant contact with President
Eisenhower.
The forward of this book was written by Strom
Thurmond, the current chairman of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, who, already a member of this committee. appointed Corso as congressional
attaché when he left the Army in 1963.
The author states that the object found at Roswell was indeed an
extraterrestrial vessel.
He reportedly saw for himself, in July
1947, the cadaver of one of the occupants preserved in a glass
coffin. From 1961-1962. as chief of foreign technology in the
Army R&D Department, he apparently was tasked with discretely
allowing U.S. industry to benefit from the extremely high-tech
objects found in the wreckage (according to him: printed
circuits, a laser, light intensifier, etc.).
Colonel Corso affirms that high-ranking military officers and
some U.S. congressmen know about the existence of
extraterrestrial craft in our skies. They have concealed it from
the public to avoid panics, but full disclosures are going to be
able to be made, because the United States, which has been
striving to do this for 50 years, reportedly now has the means
to counter a possible UFO attack.
Some of these claims are
surprising at the very least, but the entire contents of the
book cannot be easily dismissed when one considers the
remarkable career of its author and Senator Thurmond's tribute
to him. It is true that the latter requested that his forward
not appear in reprints of the book, a request that was granted.
The author allegedly had not told him that the book was about UFOs...
But it is difficult to believe that the forward
writer, the third in line in the U.S. Government to succeed the President, and the publisher, Simon &
Schuster, were not acting with full knowledge of the facts at
the time of the first printing. As soon as the book came out,
the U.S. Air Force published a second report on Roswell again
denying the plausibility of the hypothesis of the crash of an
extraterrestrial craft. The first report, which was published in
1994, was presented as the first official study on UFOs since
the end of the Blue Book [Project] in 1969 (see "Roswell and
Disinformation" in Appendix [5]).
This reaction is not
incompatible with Colonel Corso's theories: it may be intended
to reassure those whom Corso's revelations might worry.
9.2 Organization of the Research in the United Kingdom
Great Britain has been the scene of several remarkable cases. We
presented the Lakenheath "radar/visual" case (1956) in Chapter
2. The RAF and the Ministry in charge of it therefore became
interested in UFOs very early on, but we do not possess much
information on their work.
Since its creation in 1964, the
British Ministry of Defence (MOD) has had a UFO study unit,
whose [designator] abbreviation Sec(AS)2a stands for Department
2a of the Secretariat (Air Staff) division. Its activity was
recently described by Nick Pope, who was its head from 1991 to
1994, in a warning book. Open Skies, Closed Minds.
This department receives telephone calls or letters from
witnesses, but more generally reports prepared from the
depositions of these witnesses taken at police stations,
airports or RAF bases. It conducts classic investigations if it
deems them useful. They then question radar stations or weather
stations, the RAF space object surveillance base at Flyingdales,
other RAF bases, the Greenwich Observatory, etc. Its unique
mission is to determine whether the reports are of interest for
defense purposes ("area of defense significance").
Nick Pope, who is currently a MOD career employee, has broken
new ground in comparison with his predecessors. He has given
interviews to the press and participated in television programs.
He has cooperated with the ufological associations, giving their
address and phone number to witnesses who have written to him. In his letters of response
he admitted that a small proportion of UFO sightings defied
explanation and that the MOD was keeping its mind open regarding
these.
His predecessors wrote:
"If we had sufficient data, all
of the cases could undoubtedly be explained. "
In his book, Nick
Pope evokes various hypotheses to explain certain unidentified
cases that were the subject of credible and detailed reports. He
strongly favors the extraterrestrial hypothesis and expresses
the desire that his ministry take seriously the potential threat
that UFOs represent in his eyes.
Is there a department that is further developed than his (where
he is alone) in the Ministry of Defense that would conduct
secret studies on the UFO phenomenon? His statements on the
subject are contradictory (pp. 129 and 181). Ralph Noyes, who
was one of Nick Pope's predecessors from 1969 to 1972 and ended
his career at MOD in 1977 as Undersecretary of State for Defense.
considers the existence of such a department likely. Lord
Hill-Norton, Admiral of the Fleet, who was Chief of Defense
Staff from 1971 to 1973, shares this opinion.
This information
is found in a book the forward to which was written by Lord
Hill-Norton himself (Above Top Secret, by Timothy Good). Admiral
Hill-Norton was among some thirty lords active in a House of
Lords intergroup studying UFOs in the 1980s. If this secret
study department does exist, it can be presumed that it works in
collaboration with the United States (Above Top Secret, pp.
48-49).
9.3 Organization of the Research in Russia
The Academy of Sciences of the USSR has conducted studies on
UFOs since 1979 at least. During that time, Vladimir Migouline,
a member of this academy, expressed his opinion in La Recherche
regarding the sightings made in the Soviet Union of luminous
phenomena and unusual objects:
"The vast majority of these
sightings correspond to real phenomena just about the same as
those sighted in other countries. But there is no indisputable
proof that some of them involve technological manifestations of
a highly developed civilization. It is also necessary to try to
connect them with atmospheric phenomena, " he said.
This is the goal that his assistant Platov aimed for in a work
published in 1992. UFOs and Modern Science. At that time,
Migouline and Platov, heads of the expert's group on abnormal
phenomena in the Academy of Sciences, proposed a scientific and
technical cooperation program to SEPRA, but the CNES management
did not follow-up on the offer. It should be noted that in the
Siberian section of the Academy of Sciences, the studies, which
are less well known in the West, do not rule out the
extraterrestrial hypotheses, and even favor it.
During "Glasnost," information was disseminated on the studies
being conducted by both the KGB and by the military. In 1991,
the KGB declassified 124 pages of documents from Cases of
Sightings of Abnormal Events over USSR Territory, 1982-1990,
which covered a total of 17 regions.
One of these cases, which
we detailed in Chapter 3, concerns the extraordinary aerial
maneuvers of three bright disks over an Army missile base near
Astrakhan in 1989. The objects, which were sighted by seven
military members, went from hovering to high speed and back
again all without making any noise. When it was approached by a
Soviet fighter jet, one object escaped so quickly that it seemed
to Jeave the fighter jet standing still in its tracks.
In 1994, Colonel Boris Sokolov sold ABC News a collection of
investigations conducted by military personnel from 1978 to
1988.
Earlier, in 1990, the newspaper Rabochaya Tribuna had
published an article by Aviation General Maltsev, who commanded
the territorial air defense, concerning a well-documented
visual/radar case with multiple witnesses (Pereslav-Zalesski,
the night of March 21, 1990) in which a silent discoid object
went from hovering to a speed two or three times faster than
that of a modern fighter jet. We described this case in Chapter
2.
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