180 lines
8.8 KiB
Plaintext
180 lines
8.8 KiB
Plaintext
SUBJECT: MUFON 1990 A ORGANIZATION AT RISK FILE: UFO1668
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
107/125 24 Jul 90 10:36:00
|
|
From: Jim Speiser
|
|
To: All
|
|
Subj: Christensen Article (1/3)
|
|
Attr:
|
|
------------------------------------------------
|
|
MUFON, 1990 - An Organization At Risk
|
|
|
|
by Marge Christensen
|
|
|
|
The Gulf Breeze case has recently come crashing down around the
|
|
investigators and proponents of the case, and when the aftershocks cease
|
|
and all of the pieces settle, there is a good chance that many of the
|
|
fragments will have MUFON written on them. For the past three years,
|
|
this case has torn Ufologists and UFO organizations apart, and it is
|
|
likely that the damage will not be repaired in the near future, if
|
|
ever. Can MUFON survive this crisis and salvage any semblance of
|
|
credibility or is this the beginning of the end for MUFON?
|
|
|
|
Let's examine the facts. In May, 1988, Walt Andrus stated (concerning
|
|
the Gulf Breeze case) in the MUFON UFO JOURNAL, "...if the investigation
|
|
discloses that a hoax has been perpetrated upon the UFO community, MUFON
|
|
will be the first to acknowledge and announce this revelation." Then, in
|
|
the August, 1988 MUFON UFO JOURNAL, Walt Andrus announced that it was no
|
|
longer necessary to preface the Gulf Breeze Case with a disclaimer that
|
|
it is either one of the most incredible cases in UFO history or a
|
|
fantastically orchestrated hoax. Andrus concluded, "The overwhelming
|
|
evidence is in. Gulf Breeze is indeed one of the most incredible cases
|
|
in modern UFO history." He further commented, "Gulf Breeze is a solid
|
|
case and you read it first in the MUFON UFO JOURNAL."
|
|
|
|
At that time, in response to statements such as those quoted above,
|
|
various persons in MUFON leadership positions, including this author,
|
|
spoke out and called for a much more cautious and objective stand on the
|
|
part of MUFON in regard to the Gulf Breeze case, at least until all of
|
|
the evidence was in. In the December, 1988 issue of the MUFON UFO
|
|
Journal, Richard Hall warned that Walt Andrus, Budd Hopkins, and Bruce
|
|
Maccabee had apparently already had their minds made up and were helping
|
|
Ed Walters to write a book. Hall pointed out, rightly so, that their
|
|
approach "departs drastically from long-established scientific procedure
|
|
(including published MUFON procedure)."
|
|
|
|
At that time, I voiced similar objections to both Walt Andrus and Don
|
|
Ware to no avail. Both of them responded that they felt that these
|
|
sightings were proof of extraterrestrial visitation. They accused me of
|
|
being too conservative, and Walt Andrus then announced the appointment
|
|
of a new Director of Public Relations to replace me.
|
|
|
|
Even more damaging comments are found in Ed and Frances Walters' book,
|
|
THE GULF BREEZE SIGHTINGS, published this year by William Morrow & Co.,
|
|
Inc. In the chapter, "Investigation and Photo Analysis," Dr. Bruce
|
|
Maccabee, optical physicist, writes: "Having studied these sightings
|
|
`every which way' for more than a year I have concluded that they are
|
|
proof of the existence of UFOs." Dr. Maccabee adds that UFO sightings
|
|
have been reported for over 40 years but have been ignored or publicly
|
|
disputed because of a lack of thoroughly convincing proof that UFOs are
|
|
actually flying in our skies. Now, he adds, "that proof is here."
|
|
|
|
[continued]
|
|
|
|
--- FD 1.99c
|
|
* Origin: -=<SWAMP GAS>=- ParaNet[sm] Zeta-Reticuli Scottsdale AZ (1:114/37)
|
|
|
|
|
|
108/125 24 Jul 90 10:37:00
|
|
From: Jim Speiser
|
|
To: All
|
|
Subj: Christensen Article (2/3)
|
|
Attr:
|
|
------------------------------------------------
|
|
In Appendix 3 of the book, Walt Andrus speculates on the solution to the
|
|
UFO enigma occurring in Gulf Breeze and paints a possible scenario that
|
|
might be unfolding. That scenario includes Ed Walters, "successful
|
|
businessman and civic citizen was probably selected for the ultimate
|
|
disclosure so that the events and evidence would be thoroughly
|
|
investigated and hopefully accepted by the scientific community as
|
|
factual and not easily ignored as an obvious hoax."
|
|
|
|
Perhaps the most farfetched claim of all, though, is that of Donald
|
|
Ware, MUFON State Director for Florida and Eastern States Director for
|
|
MUFON. Ware's position statement on the Gulf Breeze sightings,
|
|
published in Appendix 3 of Walters' book, reads as follows: "I am
|
|
convinced that these sightings are proof of alien visitation. The level
|
|
of technology demonstrated indicates they can come and go at will and can
|
|
reside in a variety of places: the bottoms of our oceans, inside major
|
|
high-altitude ice fields, in earth orbit, on the moon, on Mars, etc..."
|
|
Ware adds that the feels that the UFOs deliberately allowed Ed to have
|
|
18 photographic sessions because the aliens want people to see the
|
|
photographs.
|
|
|
|
Clearly the statements above are not based on any scientific principles
|
|
and are in direct contradiction to the MUFON policy page included in
|
|
each year's MUFON UFO Symposium Proceedings. This policy page states
|
|
that MUFON is "an international scientific organization composed of
|
|
people seriously interested in studying and researching the UFO
|
|
phenomenon..." It goes on to hail the MUFON Board of Consultants which
|
|
is comprised mostly of PhDs and MDs in a wide variety of areas of
|
|
expertise. It continues, "In order that only qualified, competent and
|
|
sincere people may become involved, membership in MUFON is by invitation
|
|
only."
|
|
|
|
The statements of persons discussed above make a mockery of published
|
|
MUFON policy and of all that MUFON claims to stand for. Furthermore, in
|
|
light of the recent revelations regarding the hoax behind the Gulf
|
|
Breeze case, the implications of these three individuals' statements are
|
|
even more damaging to the credibility of the MUFON organization.
|
|
|
|
In my opinion, it is bad enough that trained investigators, including a
|
|
respected optical physicist and photoanalysis expert, and a former USAF
|
|
Col. were totally deceived by a con-man such as Ed Walters. However, it
|
|
is worse yet that these same trained investigators rushed to judgement
|
|
and made such rash claims not only publicly, but in print. Moreover,
|
|
these statements were made by these persons not merely as individuals,
|
|
but as MUFON officers and investigators. Is this serious, scientific
|
|
investigative methodology? Hardly. Furthermore, making these statements
|
|
as MUFON representatives is a direct violation of the MUFON public
|
|
information policy guidelines.
|
|
|
|
In short, _the party's over and it's time for the charade to end._
|
|
|
|
[continued]
|
|
|
|
--- FD 1.99c
|
|
* Origin: -=<SWAMP GAS>=- ParaNet[sm] Zeta-Reticuli Scottsdale AZ (1:114/37)
|
|
|
|
|
|
109/125 24 Jul 90 10:37:00
|
|
From: Jim Speiser
|
|
To: All
|
|
Subj: Christensen Article (3/3)
|
|
Attr:
|
|
------------------------------------------------
|
|
Let's face the facts. MUFON is _not_ a serious, scientific research
|
|
organization. Rather it has become nothing but a pop club for people
|
|
with the mutual interest in reading good stories about UFO cases.
|
|
|
|
In my opinion, it will not be possible for MUFON to be in reality a
|
|
serious, scientific research organization unless there is new
|
|
leadership of the organization. Since that appears to be extremely
|
|
unlikely, I see no alternative but to resign from the MUFON Board of
|
|
Directors and to resign the post of Director of Public Education at this
|
|
time.
|
|
|
|
Interestingly, at the 1988 MUFON Symposium at the University of
|
|
Nebraska, in my paper, entitled "Hynek's Last Wish for Ufology," I
|
|
suggested that the goal for ufologists to strive for in 1988 should be
|
|
_professionalism_. I pointed out that the major UFO organizations do
|
|
have established statements of values, standards, goals and objectives,
|
|
but in many cases, the membership does not take them seriously. I
|
|
further added that it isn't enough to pay lip service to these
|
|
statements or to make the organizations appear scientific and
|
|
professional on paper. We must make that commitment to put those
|
|
statements and values into action in our work in the UFO field.
|
|
|
|
Although I received a great deal of positive feedback on my paper from
|
|
those in attendance, it is obvious that while MUFON leaders approved of
|
|
the talk, to them it was just that -- talk. Unfortunately, there was no
|
|
real commitment of action to back up the philosophy expressed in that
|
|
paper.
|
|
|
|
A highly respected colleague recently commented that MUFON is much more
|
|
than these few individuals who have been acting in an unscientific
|
|
manner. There are many people who are doing good work for us. The
|
|
question now is: Are there enough good people in the organization to put
|
|
MUFON back on course to renewed credibility and continued existence?
|
|
|
|
-end-
|
|
|
|
--- FD 1.99c
|
|
* Origin: -=<SWAMP GAS>=- ParaNet[sm] Zeta-Reticuli Scottsdale AZ (1:114/37)
|
|
|
|
**********************************************
|
|
* THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo *
|
|
********************************************** |