-JOHN KEEL, writing in the March 25th, 1977 issue of "Saucer Glues" (one of the former names of "Saucer Smear)
| EDITOR AND STILL SUPREME COMMANDER: James W. Moseley
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR:
|
NON-SCHEDULED NEWSLETTER Volume 46, No. 8 July 25th, 1999 |
MAILING ADDRESS: P. 0. Box 1709 Key West, FL 33041 |
Durant challenged Cooper to take a lie detector test regarding his claims, and he agreed to do so. The test was given last April 18th by a polygraph expert chosen by the Woods, but unfortunately Cooper flunked it anyhow. Worse, the Woods tried to avoid telling Durant the outcome of the test, even though he had paid for part of it!
The Woods have received many thousands of dollars from computer millionaire Joe Firmage, mainly for a MJ-12 documentary that has not come out yet. We just wonder what Firmage thinks of the above story! ...
In the article, Andrus grumbles about "armchair ufologists"who don't bother to go out into the field to investigate cases, as he did in regard to the alien skeleton. Andrus never quite says that he was taken in by a transparent joke/hoax, but he implies as much.
Anyone can make a mistake; but we can't help observing that it is quite a shock to learn the head of a quasi-scientific organization like MUFON could be fooled so easily!
Apparently unrelated to the above is the fact that an announcement will soon be made that Walt Andrus intends to resign as International Director of MUFON. His temporary replacement will be Deputy Director John Schuessler, whom we have known slightly for many years. The announcement will appear in the August issue of the Journal, according to our highly secret sources. We are told that Walt's age (78) and the health of his wife are the main reasons for the resignation, though the steep recent MUFON membership loss is also a factor. He will be missed!...
Because of this riot, a ceremony by a hundred or so Druids had to be cancelled, and quite possibly may never, be allowed again.
Your editor visited Stonehenge in 1997, and noted that smoking cigarettes was not allowed on the path near the historic stones, for fear that the smoke might damage them. We remember thinking that maybe the British authorities deserved something like this...
In our last issue we published a letter from Paris Flammonde, stating that he used the quote in his 1976 book "UFO Exist!", but he does not remember just what his source was. Now Christopher Allan of England has written in, pointing out this same fact, and also telling us that Truman was on vacation in Key West, of all places, on the date in 1950 when he supposedly had the press conference.
Allan thinks the quote is false, but as previously stated, your "Smear" editor had the opportunity to interview Truman twice about flying saucers, and the quote, whether false or not, accurately represents Truman's view, in our opinion. The key phrase is "given that they exist". Obviously he did not believe that they do exist.
Incidentally, Truman often went on vacation in Key West when he was president, and stayed at a home called the Little White House. After his presidency ended, he continued coming down, and freeloaded with the Spottswood family, who are still prominent (and very wealthy) citizens in Key West ... The Little White House is now a museum here ...
Says Randi on Page 4: "A few years ago, in California, I confronted a UFO fanatic who had come into possession of the blackmail material. He'd written a letter to the FBI and to a group of scientists in Los Angeles, repeating the scandalous drivel he'd chosen to believe. In front of an audience assembled to hear my lecture, I had the great pleasure of punching him out - to a standing ovation."
One wonders why the victim of this physical attack didn't charge Randi with assault. The man's name is John de Herrera. The incident occurred some time in the late 1980s, at Caltech, and we happened to meet de Herrera thereafter, in about 1989. The other day we got back in touch with him, for his version of the event.
De Herrera says he did indeed receive a copy of the Blackmail Tape anonymously, and wrote to the FBI about it. Randi knew about this, and fearing that de Herrera would show up at the lecture, he had armed guards posted at the door. (Uri Geller once did a similar thing, to avoid Randi at a lecture in New Jersey.)
De Herrera says that he sat down quietly in the back row of the auditorium, but after the lecture he went up on stage. Randi rolled up his sleeves dramatically, and took a punch at de Herrera, after which he pushed Randi into a wall. De Herrera's arms were then grabbed by a guard and he was eventually escorted from the hall in an armlock. Rather than "a standing ovation", there was nothing but shocked silence from the crowd.
To us, de Herrera seems neither anti-gay nor fanatical. (Our thanks to Ann Druffel for help on this item.) ...
This was indeed MUFON's 30th anniversary - not quite as good as the National UFO Conference, which will hold its 36th annual convention later this year - but nevertheless impressive. We were amazed to hear MUFON czar Walt Andrus still calling our chosen field "U-F-O-Ology" rather than "Ufology", but then, Walt has always been an amazing guy.
Among the thirteen speakers, veteran researcher Richard Hall gave a rather dull talk entitled "Fifty Years of UFO Politics and Discomfort Zones", whatever that means. Later Hall clashed verbally with arch-skeptic Dr. Gary Posner, who had dared to ask difficult questions at the press conference. The upshot of a complex dispute was that Hall told Posner "You're full of shit", to his face!
Budd Hopkins came up with new material in a talk called "A 1961 Car Levitation UFO Abduction Case", and Stanton Friedman's theme was "Star Travel? Yes!" At least he has finally buried his "Cosmic Watergate" after all these years!
One of our favorites was an attractive Australian lass named Kelly Cahill, who was involved in a multiple witness abduction case several years ago. She was sole speaker at a Sunday morning "brunch", and gave out free copies of her book. In the background, Dr. Bruce Maccabee played a medley of tunes on the piano.
An unscheduled event, vaguely associated with the convention, was a 4th of July barbecue Sunday afternoon, the guests being CIA members (such as Ron Pandolfi) and CIA wanna-be's - among them Bill LaParl and Joe Stefula. This was by invitation only, so obviously your editor was not there.
Much more could be said, but between the information in Karl Pflock's column and the photo captions below, you can get the gist of what went on. Onward and upward!
| 
|
|---|---|
| 
|
| 
|
The author seems to have a sense of humor, but this is a very serious book. The main thesis is that the AIDS epidemic has been caused deliberately by the gray aliens, in order to eventually wipe out the entire population of this planet, so that they and their hybrids can take over.
Duke has been greatly influenced by the alien implant work of Dr. Roger Leir, who wrote the Foreword, and also by the recent book "The Threat" by Dr. David Jacobs. The author believes that cattle mutilations are performed mostly or entirely by aliens, and that most abduction and implant stories are literally true. He realizes that these are "politically incorrect" views, as he calls it, but he insists that no other theory fits all the facts.
The author's one point which we accept as valid is this: Why indeed did the three known strains of the HIV virus begin almost simultaneously in three widely separated parts of the world - Central Africa, Western Africa, and the U.S. East Coast? This fact has not been satisfactorily explained by medical science. But obviously the existence of a valid medical mystery does not necessarily imply an alien origin - especially when neither cattle mutilations (other than by natural causes, i.e., predators) nor abductions have ever been proven to be real.
Duke seems to be very familiar with the terminology of medical science, and his book definitely deserves to be read and reviewed by some more prestigious journal than "Saucer Smear". But the author insists that his work has been almost completely ignored by the leading UFO organizations as well as the medical community. This of course being because his theory is simply "too hot to handle", he claims.
Our comment is - if the aliens are so evil that they really want to wipe us out, there must be quicker and more humane ways of doing it. Or at least let's hope so! ...
Using Air Force files and other sources, Hall has assembled hundreds of interesting cases, beginning with the 1896-1897 airship scare and going on almost up to the present time. There are very few illustrations, but a great deal of documentation in the form of sources, etc. Unfortunately, neither Moseley, Saucer News nor Saucer Smear are mentioned anywhere, but as they say - you can't have everything! - Good book. Read it!
Heckler: Ninety-five percent of science fiction is crap!
SF Writer Theodore Sturgeon: Ninety-five percent of everything is crap!
Just back from this year's MUFON symposium, I'd have to answer my own question. "Maybe" or "Depends on what you mean by 'future' and how you spell 'ufology', with or without a double 'o'".
On the plus side, including day-pass walk-ins, this year's gaggle drew about 700 - more than double the attendance in Denver last year and approaching triple that of '97 in Grand Rapids. It didn't hurt that the con was held a cigar's throw from the White House, easily and cheaply accessible to far more people. But, then, the '95 event was in Seattle and attendance was over 800 (because Yrs Trly was on the program? Nah...) Who can say what these numbers really mean?
Also on the plus side, two prominent booksellers in the "huckster" room, both of whom had been pessimistic about sales, told me business was booming, far exceeding their most optimistic projections. If activity at other tables is any indication, most of the other merchants and cause mongers for a price did very well indeed. This is important. All but lacking research grants and other sources of funding available to Real Scientists, ufologists largely depend upon commercial publication, the lecture circuit, etc., to stay alive. It's beside the point that 95% of what's sold and what's called research is crap. The other 5% is the hope of "single-'o", ufology, and the rest is the price we pay for it.
Concerning which, it seemed to me the wackiness quotient of this year's speaker line-up was much greater than in the past and (mostly) abductions related. There was Eve Francis Lorgen with her "alien dating service", giving philanders a new excuse when caught in flagrante: The aliens made me do it! (Move over, Ol' Scratch.) And Beverly Trout, Iowa MUFON director, excellent speaker and, she believes, lifelong abductee, telling an um-humming and oh-yessing audience her abductors were using her to teach human-alien hybrids country-and-western line dancing. And Betty Andreasson Luca with the latest version of her absurd hash of "science", born-again Christianity, and mawkish sentimentality. And Bruce Maccabee with a surprise: a highly dubious "UFOto" case which he says provides photographic proof of missing time. (Bruce, given your well-known sensahumor, I'm convinced you're just pulling our collective leg - at least I hope you are.)
But the 5% was well represented by Jenny Randles, Eddie Bullard, and a couple of others...
To Be Continued.
"Thanks for yours of May 16th, in which was included 'about as close to an apology as (I am) likely to get'. Actually, I hadn't expected any 'apology' at all, which of course places the one you offered in my 'acceptable' category."Really, my delay in writing this stems more from the fact that I just don't have much to say than it does from anything else. It's been HOT, I've been busy with other things, and my volume of incoming mail has been unusually sparse - all of which has offered little incentive to my catching up with correspondence ...
"You may continue to write to me c/o Burbank as always since my agents there regularly forward mail and, as you have noted, I 'prefer it that way' for reasons which are entirely personal. I expect to be 'here' until at least Fall, and perhaps longer.
"Who the hell is Joe Firmage and what could he possibly have to say that hasn't been said six dozen times already?
"I happened to catch part of the recent series on UFOs which ran on cable, and found myself laughing out loud at people whom I once would have taken seriously. Conclusion: I must have looked equally ridiculous myself once upon a time."
"Your Royal Pain in the Highness:"After reading Karl Pflock's June 5th 'Smear' column, entitled 'Where I Stand', I suggest he take a seat. Of all the cases to single out as apparently 'real', how could he choose the Hill 'abduction'?
"Not all psychiatrists are like Berthold (you omitted the 'r') Schwarz or John (the Pulitzer was a lifetime ago) Mack. The late Dr. Benamin Simon, a rational and respected clinician, examined the Hills and regressed them hypnotically. The sexual symbolisms, etc., in Betty's flowery account, and the paucity of specific detail in Barney's, led to this diagnosis: The incident was Betty's fantasy, which Barney passively absorbed (like second-hand smoke)..."
"...My sources from the MUFON Con tell me that Gary Posner is still extremely upset about my reference to him in my 1992 CSICOP paper! (I owe Jerry Clark a thank you for originally calling my attention to Posner's silliness.)"It has been widely rumored that Posner has been obsequiously pursuing Philip Klass' blessing as the designated heir to the throne of UFO debunkerdom.
"Let's hope that the mantle will be passed to Posner because he certainly has all the needed qualifications. He is a status-conscious, aging white male who seems to be lacking in self-esteem. His rabid skepticism and missionary zeal would bring new excitement to the field of ufoology. He has already accomplished the near-impossible - by comparison he makes Jerry Clark appear calm, level-headed and diplomatic!
"True, Posner's primary claim to fame is being a lowly proof-reader for Klass' SUN, and he lacks the charm, panache, and good humor of Uncle Phil; but his religious fervor will make up for all that!"
"I thought your last issue was well done. You continue to come up with good material while avoiding e-mail and the entire Internet sticky web. You know, it's really quite amazing that 'Smear' is on-line, but Moseley is not!"Speaking of amazing, I'm glad you're toughing it out with Randi again. I always enjoy your reporting on him. If you ever decide to send out those transcripts, put me on your mailing list. I'll send a love donation in return!
"After I read your latest, I looked up Randi's homepage on the web for the first time to see what he might be saying about this latest controversy. Unfortunately, I found nothing about it. But, for the fun of it I went to a section about psychic fraud and found Randi complaining about Kreskin, saying that while on a TV show he couldn't identify the capital of North Dakota. How that counted as psychic fraud wasn't quite clear.
"However, for me, it was synchronicity, a meaningful collision of two unrelated events: Randi's comment and a personal experience. You see, I had dinner with Kreskin one evening in 1970 when I was a reporter and he was appearing in town for a show. The location: Bismarck, the capital city of North Dakota!"
"Another tidbit about that Truman quote: I have now located an earlier source than the one I gave before: The quote appears in 'Science, the Public and the UFO' by the Canadian author Arthur Bray, published in 1967 (page 11). He prints the date of Truman's press conference as April 4, 1960 (presumably a misprint). Now wait for this: Bray also gives the source for the alleged quote as 'Flying Saucer Review', a UK zine, in the issue for Vol. 5, No. 5 (1959). So it will be necessary to look at that issue of FSR to see exactly what it said. Alas I do not possess it. Does any reader have FSR Vol. 5, No. 5 of 1959? That might resolve the matter, but again it might not!"
"...Re the Harry Truman 'quote' cited by Paris Flammonde in the current issue of 'Smear': I don't know if it is accurate or not, but I can cite one from 52 years ago today ( = July 10th). In a press conference a reporter asked: 'Mr.President, have you seen any flying saucers?' Truman then replied: 'Only in the newspapers'."
"... Please give me one more chance ... to clarify my position:"Regarding the Foster Ranch debris field size and shape, it should be noted that the Air Force claimed in its 1994 Roswell Incident report that Project Mogul Flight 4 debris occupied a 600-foot-diameter circle, based on what Mac Brazel supposedly said in a July 9th, 1947 'Roswell Daily Record' article. (Brazil's unquoted description, which involves much less area than the site Major Jesse Marcel described, is disputed because it was given while he was under extreme duress - held incommunicado and questioned at Roswell Army Air Field for up to a week.) Christopher Allan's statement attributing that description to me is wrong.
"In order for Flight 4's wreckage to create the Brazel/Air Force debris field, most of the 54 square feet of torn laminate from its 3 radar targets would have to end up along the circumference of a 283,000-square-foot circle. I showed that this scenario is untenable, first by means of integral calculus ... and later using a very simple comparative-area calculation ...
Bottom line: The Air Force's own explanation for the debris field is woefully inadequate...and Pflock's evaluation of my findings is moot..."
Saucer Smear Index
|
 Please note that letters for Smear editor James Moseley should be snail-mailed to PO Box 1709, Key West, FL 33041, insofar as Cdr. Moseley is proudly computer-illiterate and determined to stay that way. |
Own a genuine artifact of ufological history!
Line your birdcage for pennies a sheet!
Back issues available for the last 43 years!