textfiles/ufo/micro.txt

                   MUFONET-BBS network  -  Mutual UFO network
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                       Contributed by: New Jersey MUFON
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                      MICROWAVES AND VEHICLE INTERFERENCE
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By Robert J. Durant [Note: Robert Durant is a member of New Jersey MUFON and a
contributing writer for "The New Jersey Chronicle", the monthly newsletter of
New Jersey MUFON, which this article is from.]

A persistent and puzzling aspect of close encounters is the effect on
automobiles.  Mark Rodeghier of the Center for UFO Studies analyzed 441 cases
in which "...the car, truck, or other motor vehicle in which a witness was
either riding or in near proximity to, was seemingly affected by the presence
of a UFO."

Headlights, radios and even flashlights were also affected, and on occasion the
witnesses reported psychological symptoms such as a prickly, pins-and-needles
feeling, hair standing on end, and unusual sudden heat.

Rodeghier lists a few of the possible means by which an internal combustion
engine may be affected or halted:

(1) An increased resistance in the secondary coil of the ignition coil, which
    will severely decrease current flow to the spark plugs.
(2) The capacitor in the distributor might not charge because of a large
    electrostatic field surrounding the vehicle.
(3) A high magnetic field might saturate the ignition coil and reduce voltage
    to the spark plugs.
(4) Through unknown mechanisms, fuel might be prevented from entering or
    leaving the carburetor
(5) Resistance could be increased through the spark plugs, sufficient to
    prevent sparking.
(6) Ionization of the air will also reduce or prevent sparking (though there
    should be effects upon the witnesses not always reported).
(7) Destruction of connections in the electrical system by excessive heat would
    prevent operation.

Rodeghier summarizes what is apparently the only known controlled attempt to
disable an automobile engine using electromagnetic energy:

"An experiment was done by Watts in England of interest to this subject.  He
found that only an alternating magnetic field (50 cps) produced loss of engine
power in his test vehicle.  A static magnetic field produced no change in
engine operation.  The induced field was on the order of 500 gauss at the coil,
which was placed directly over the engine.  While inexact, the experiment makes
plausible the supposition that an alternating field could cause some EM
effects."

James McCampbell, an engineer and specialist in the "physics" of UFOs, is cited
as follows:

"James McCampbell has demonstrated how microwave radiation, focused onto a
headlight filament by the parabolic design of the reflector, will cause an
increase in filament resistivity.  This increase will be sufficient, given
intense radiation, to stop current flow, thereby causing the headlight to cease
to be illuminated."

Now it appears that the U.S. Government, in a covert research program at Los
Alamos National Laboratory, has perfected the technology to stop cars at a
distance!

In a nationally syndicated article published on November 6, 1989, a Los Angeles
Times reporter recounted the proposals made by Los Alamos scientists to the
Senate Intelligence Committee.  The object was to obtain funding for "Buck
Rogers" projects that might help the "War on drugs."  With defense spending
being slashed, it seems the Los Alamos folks are eager to continue work, and
the anti-drug efforts are an obvious source.

After telling about several exotic ideas that fell flat in practice, the LA
Times states:

Those and other failures in drug detection have convinced many technologists
that the prospects for breakthroughs lie in more aggressive approaches.  One is
called "Soft Kill."

Further: "That idea, included in the Los Alamos White Paper, proposed to
disable traffickers or terrorists by bombarding their vehicles with microwaves
or gases.  Even in low concentrations, the paper says, such weapons directed at
internal combustion engines could leave cars and airplanes powerless."

The part about gases draws a blank.  But the statement about microwaves rings a
very loud bell.

In an effort to get more details, I wrote to Senator Bradley (D-NJ, member of
Senate Intelligence Committee) asking for a copy of the Las Alomos report,
citing the title, authors, date and the Committee to which it was presented.

After a long delay, one of the Senator's aides called me with the news that the
Senate Intelligence Committee denied ever having seen or heard of the document.
I was asked for more details on the document, which I sent, along with a copy
of the newspaper article.  Ten weeks later the Senator's staff sent me a
pamphlet that appears to be a highly sanitized version, without a word about
microwaves and/or stopping cars.  This document had a different author, was
addressed to the Judiciary Committee, was 25% shorter than the one seen by the
reporter, and was dated eight months later than the "real" one.

I have once again asked Senator Bradley to obtain for me a copy of the "real"
report, but have little hope of ever seeing it.  The Senator, it seems, is
doing his own version of a "soft kill" on me and my apparently embarrassing
request.

There is no doubt that the "real" report talks about using microwaves to
disable internal combustion engines.  By now there is also little doubt that it
was shown to the reporter in error, and that at least the portion about
microwaves is highly sensitive.

It may also be that the connection between the Los Alomos White paper microwave
technology and UFOs is more than just a coincidence.

Did the Los Alomos researchers deliberately try to duplicate the UFO EM effect?
Did they have something more specific and substantial than the Rodeghier report
upon which to base their successful efforts?  Or does this tale indicate that
UFOs are terrestrial hardware, "made in the U.S.A."?

For those of you who wish to pursue this intrigue, perhaps with the Freedom of
Information Act, the title of the document is "Role of Technology", the authors
are Terry D. Bearce and John D. Immele, both with the Los Alomos National
Laboratory, it is dated 24 June 1989, it was sent with a cover letter dated 3
August 1989, to the Senate Intelligence Committee and "at least four other
agencies", and it is 16 pages long.  If your luck is anything like mine, what
you will get, after a very long wait, is a sanitized version directed to the
Senate Judiciary Committee, 13 pages long, signed by Immele alone.

My original request to Senator Bradley was dated April 1990, their reply with
the phony document was mailed August 7th, and my request for the "real"
document was sent August 11th.  As of this writing, February 1991, I have not
received a response.  Nor do I expect one.

The Rodeghier paper is entitled "UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference",
published by the Center for UFO Studies, 2457 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois, 60659.  A copy should be in every serious UFOlogist's library.  I am
certain that a well worn copy rests at this moment in the inner sanctum of the
Los Alomos lab.

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