From: Terry W. Colvin <fortean1.nul>
Date: Thu, 3 May 2012 20:03:33 +0700 (GMT+07:00)
Archived: Fri, 04 May 2012 05:55:39 -0400
Subject: Re: UFO Dangers Examined By U.S. News & World


>From: Ray Dickenson <r.dickenson.nul>
>To: <post.nul>
>Date: Thu, 3 May 2012 08:30:09 +0100
>Subject: Re: UFO Dangers Examined By U.S. News & World Report

>>From: Diana Cammack <cammack.nul>
>>To: "UFO UpDates - Toronto" <post.nul>
>>Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 15:30:48 +0200
>>Subject: Re: UFO Dangers Examined By U.S. News & World Report

>>>Source: HuffPo

>>>http://tinyurl.com/8xut8o3

>>>UFO Dangers Examined By U.S. News & World Report
>>>Lee Speigel

<snip>

>[Quotation Begins]

>1969 - the Condon Committee recommended that USAF's 'Project
>Blue Book' be closed down as "UFOs do not warrant further study"
>- paraphrased.

>Even though their accounts showed that "25% of sightings were
>unexplained" (but see below).

>Only later (below) was it said that "up tp 50%" of UFO sightings
>were probably due to secret military - 'spy' and 'stealth' see
>U2 & SR71 - aircraft, covertly flown to test public reactions.

>The Condon Committee 'findings' were anyhow less than accurate;
>i.e due to purposeful mis-classification around 30% - 35% of all
>UFO sightings were probably 'unexplained'.

>Quote: 'UFOs:'The Government Files' - Peter Brookesmith, Brown
>Books, London, 1996 (pp 91-94)

>[Quotation Ends]

>Warning - can't remember how much of that was direct quotation
>and how much was my own paraphrasing.

>However we should be aware that it's easy to rig the ratios:
>just include a lot of rubbish reports (drunks, hoaxes, jokes and
>student rags) in the initial trawl, then the final 'unexplained'
>percentage will automatically go down.

Ray,

Overall I agree with your statistics. When Capt. George T.
Gregory took over Project Blue Book in 1956, and as Jerome Clark
and others relate the investigation went downhill. I am 'working
in' the 1957 and 1958 window, looking over the UFO cases, and
see that the trend was to belittle Ground Observer Corps reports
as well as those in the housewife and blue-collar classes. Below
is the Wikipedia excerpt:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Blue_Book


[Begin Quote]

The Captain Gregory era

Captain George T. Gregory took over as Blue Book's director in
1956. Clark writes that Gregory led Blue Book "in an even firmer
anti-UFO direction than the apathetic Hardin."[10] The 4602nd
was dissolved, and the 1066th Air Intelligence Service Squadron
was charged with UFO investigations.

In fact, there was actually little or no investigation of UFO
reports; a revised AFR 200-2 issued during Gregory's tenure
emphasized that unexplained UFO reports must be reduced to a
minimum.

One way that Gregory reduced the number of unexplained UFOs was
by simple reclassification. "Possible cases" became "probable",
and "probable" cases were upgraded to certainties. By this
logic, a possible comet became a probable comet, while a
probable comet was flatly declared to have been a misidentified
comet. Similarly, if a witness reported an observation of an
unusual balloon-like object, Blue Book usually classified it as
a balloon, with no research and qualification. These procedures
became standard for most of Blue Book's later investigations;
see Hynek's comments below.

[End Quote]


One of my experiments is to send UFO cases from the PBB files to
two military mailing lists. There are quite a few pilots, co-
pilots, navigators, and other aircrew on these lists. There is
interest, usually of the back channel type, where comments are
made about the air/ground radar, air visual (CIRVIS), and EMI
(electromagnetic interference). My comments are very basic, not
even in the category of preliminary analysis.

The UFO cases that go into intelligence back channel would
be fascinating, that is, if we access to those files. It
is my opinion that these do exist as there are hints of
compartmenting based on the inclusion of air intelligence
service squadron addressees, reference to air intelligence
information reports that are not in the files, and just a
feeling that the more exotic disappear into this realm.

Of course I have to balance this with the fact that
administrative errors do occur, that is, loaning out files that
are never returned, misplacing in the files under a different
geographic location, and most of all the gargantuan task of
photocopying.

As well as the air defense mission of identifying enemy and
unknown aircraft was very much a part of the 4602nd and later
the 1006th Air Intelligence Service Squadron's work.


Terry



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