Filer's Files #34 -- 2000, MUFON Skywatch Investigations
George A. Filer, Director, Mutual UFO Network Eastern
August 28, 2000, Sponsored by Electronic Arts, C. Warren Webmaster.

NATIONAL POLICY OF DEBUNKING UFOs BEGAN WITH ROBERTSON PANEL

Jeff Challender who is doing excellent work with the NASA
Shuttle footage wrote, "Have you ever thought of doing a
story on the now little known Robertson Panel of January,
1953? This is the origin of the official policy, of
ridicule and debunking at all costs, against those of
"credible stature" who might dare to report UFOs or
"uncorrelated targets". Yet few in the public are aware
of this Panel and its' recommendations. People should
know about this. IF there is "nothing" to the UFO
phenomenon, it doesn't make sense to create a policy of
aggressive attacks on witnesses. Why work so hard, expend
so much energy and time, and spend so much tax dollars to
counter "NOTHING"?

Well Jeff. there really is a national policy to ridicule UFO
reports. The US government's own historical documents
obtained through the Freedom of Information Act explain why
it became US government's policy to debunk, mock, and
discredit anyone who provides good evidence for UFOs. In
the late 1940s early 1950s, the numerous reports from high
quality witnesses was putting the government in a precarious
and embarrassing position. Leading the revelations were
Major Donald Keyhoe and Vice Admiral Roscoe Hillenkotter the
third director of the CIA (1947 to 1950) who declared UFOs
were real. UFOs were reported in headlines buzzing
Washington DC and flying at will over our military bases.
The Cold War with the Soviets and Communist countries was
heating up. Strange craft were reported all over our skies,
and the news media was critical of government's
explanations. Many thought the craft belonged to the Soviet
Union or perhaps aliens bent on invasion. There was fear
the Soviets could use UFO propaganda to discredit the US
government. There was genuine concern that a national panic
could occur. Whether UFOs were real or not, the situation
made the president nervous, the military and the various
intelligence agencies look bad. Plenty of good reports were
leaking out and thousands of military aircraft were
crashing. Stories started leaking out these aircraft were
crashing while chasing UFOs. The crashes were explained has
training accidents and mechanical failures but the news
media was starting to tie the two types of reports together.
Best selling books were claiming the UFOs were real and
might signal a Soviet or alien invasion. The situation
whether real or unreal was deteriorating. The Robertson
Panel was formed at the request of the White House to quell
the situation. It was not unlike the Warren Commission or
Waco Hearings where the public wanted answers. So powerful
forces in the CIA, Air Force and the scientific
establishment came together to cool the UFO state of
affairs.

CIA documents reveal five members of the Scientific
Advisory Panel who were known skeptics were given several
poor UFO cases to examine and came to the conclusion that
"there was no evidence of a direct threat to national
security in the objects sighted. Flying saucer reports
were overloading emergency reporting channels with false
information, clogging up communication lines, causing
alarm, and realistically even if they were real there was
little we could do about them. Further the government was
losing the confidence of the people. Our science and
aircraft seemed to be confronted by far superior
technology. The Robertson Panel discussions and
recommendations centered around the main problem of
eradicating belief in these unidentified flying objects.
Ways of bringing in the news media, and movies were
discussed. CIA documents reveal, one of the panel's
recommendations was that a policy of debunking UFO reports
should be instigated. This would result in reduction in
public interest in flying saucers which today evokes a
strong psychological reaction. This media such as
television, motion pictures, and popular articles. Basis
of such education would be actual case histories which had
been puzzling at first but later explained. As is the
case of continuing tricks, there is much less stimulation
if the secret is known. Such a program should tend to
reduce the current gullibility of the public and
consequently there susceptibility to clever hostile
propaganda."

The CIA reports reveal a national policy of debunking UFO
reports. Like was instigated and the power of the government was
set in motion to debunk the field. The panel discussed the
various insidious methods that could be implemented to execute
such a program: It was felt strongly that psychologists familiar
with mass psychology should advise on the nature and extent of
the program. These national programs resulted in the National
Policy became to debunk any valid sighting even if it resulted
the embarrassment of pilots and government employees. UFO
reports were denied, debunked and those who see them ridiculed.
Timothy Good in his book Above Top Secret writes:
Another sinister recommendation of the panel was that civilian
UFO groups should be watched "because of their potentially great
influence on mass thinking if widespread sighting s should occur.
The apparent irresponsibility and the possible use of such groups
for subversive purposes should be kept in mind." The panel
concluded that "the continued emphasis on the reporting these
phenomena does, in these parlous times, result in a threat to the
orderly functioning of the protective organs of the body
politic," and recommended:

a. That the national security agencies take immediate steps to
strip the Unidentified Flying Objects of the special status they
have been given and the aura of mystery they have unfortunately
acquired.
b. That the national security agencies institute policies on
intelligence, training, and public education designed to prepare
the material defenses and the morale of the country to recognize
most promptly and to react most effectively to true indications
of hostile intent or action. P. 338

Shortly thereafter every effort of the government went into
debunking UFOs even if it would mean embarrassing its own people.
It soon became known the best way to destroy your military career
was to report a UFO. Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, Chief of the
Aerial Phenomena Branch at the Air Technical Intelligence Center,
said that the CIA ordered the Air Force to debunk sightings and
debunk witnesses. "We're ordered to hide sightings when
possible," he told Major Keyhole, but if a strong report does get
out we have to publish a fast explanation--make up something to
kill the report in a hurry, and also ridicule the witness,
especially if we can't figure out a plausible answer. even have
to discredit our own pilots." P.339

The millions of dollars spent by the Air Force to debunk the
Roswell report show this policy is still strongly in effect.
It's an uphill climb to bring out the reality of the situation.
If a group of military people observe a UFO and the case has
merit, they are quickly transferred or retired to keep the
observers from talking and told to keep quiet with various
threats. Every time I see a strong debunking article that tears
at the reputation of a courageous UFO researcher, I wonder
who the debunker is working for? If you study Ufology, you soon
discover in almost every important case there will be an attempt
to ridicule those who bring the pro UFO evidence forward. The
better the case the stronger criticism. Frequently this is led
by a small but ferocious group who seem to claim every sighting
is the planet Venus or a hoax. Everyone is entitled to their
opinion, but they usually attack the researcher rather than the
data. The attacks are vindictive towards the person rather than
his research or sighting. I always wonder if the attackers are
paid to conduct these character assassinations? One favorite
tactic is to attack the person for any attempt to obtain a
financial reward for researching UFOs. Some how in every other
field its all right to make a living accept in Ufology. I'm
happy to stand up in court to testify or debate anyone on the
reality of UFOs. The Cold War is over, so now many who were
once government employees are questioning these methods. The
intensity of the government actions tend to prove UFOs exist.
Perhaps the policy needs review. Almost fifty years have gone by
since these debunking methods and ridicule became national
policy. I feel its time for a change.

INVISIBLE RESIDENTS

It should be realized that about half of UFO reports involve
oceans, lakes and rivers. UFOs are frequently seen going to and
from water, entering and leaving the water or traveling under the
water. For example, Ivan T. Sanderson writes, "The trawler Star of
Freedom (70 tons) from Fleetwood, Lancashire, struck an unidentified
object in the early hours of February 3, 1965. She was steaming at the time
at nine knots in 80 fathoms, 15 miles E.S.E. of Barra, Scotland. The crash
lifted the bow out of the water. A distress call was sent out, and the crew
manned the pumps. Eventually the badly holed trawler was beached in
Castlebay harbor. Skipper George Wood is convinced that he hit a
surfacing submarine, but both British and American naval authorities
denied that any of the their submarines had been involved. "Invisible
Residents" The book has hundreds of accounts of underwater craft
not believed to be operated by humans.

It is interesting to note that the Russian Navy and government is
still insisting that the most likely cause of the Kursk sub
disaster was a collision with a foreign submarine. The Norwegian
Seismic Institute indicates that explosions were detected at
11.28 AM and 11.39 AM Russian time on August 12, in the vicinity
of the sub. The second was a powerful explosion that registered
3.5 on the Richter scale. It is possible that some type of
underwater collision could have caused events that led up to the
second large explosion that apparently blew a hole in the front
of the sub. The Russians claim the last contact with the vessel
was on August 11, when the Kirsch's commander Gennady Lyachin,
successfully test-fired a missile during a military exercise. He
asked permission to fire again on Saturday morning. The missile
that may have exploded in its launch tube is a rocket-propelled
anti-submarine weapon an SSN15 or an SSN16. The missile is
fired like a torpedo but its rocket launches it to the target
area where it reenters the water and destroys the enemy sub.
This offensive action may have caused the unknown foreign sub to
respond by taking offensive action against the Kursk. If the sub
accidentally hit an underwater object the torpedo rocket may have
exploded causing heavy damage to the sub. We may never know what
exactly caused the accident in relatively shallow water not much
deeper than the length of a football field.

We should not forget almost three quarters of the Earth is
covered by water that averages two miles in depth. That is 280
million cubic miles of water. Most of this area has never been
explored by humans. We know that life forms lived in the oceans
hundreds of millions of years before life came to land. Human
embryos go through development that infers we were fishlike at
one time in the distant past. It is possible a civilization
millions perhaps a billion years older than our own developed
with intelligent aquatic creatures. I'm writing this story from
the New Jersey shore whereas far as I can see is the ocean. I
went swimming this morning and found strange creatures in the
water. At least they were strange to me. One I photographed
had the shape of a disc and was made of a type of a hard clear
plastic like substance. Apparently it was from the jelly fish
family but enlarged hundreds of times this material could be made
into a unique underwater city. It could withstand tremendous
pressure without collapsing. Close by was a small crab with
pinchers holding a small fish. Porpoises and whales are said to
possess intelligence equal to man. Equipped with pinchers or
fingers they would have the ability to manufacture objects.
Those who live under the sea may be either air breathing or
liquid breathing. Looking at these creatures from the ocean I
wondered if over millions of years an underwater civilization
could have advanced to build flying objects. UFOs may be from
this planet or from somewhere in space but they are frequently
seen plunging through our atmosphere and diving into the ocean.
We actually know very little about what is beneath the sea and
if someone lives there they may not want to be found.

PENNSYLVANIA TWO UFOs PHOTOGRAPHED

GETTYSBURG -- Marilyn J. Ruben writes: "I thought you would
enjoy seeing the UFO photo I took Sunday afternoon August 20,
2000, at 3:09 PM. while our family was on vacation in Gettysburg.
We were driving the route through the Civil War battlefields of
Gettysburg and periodically got out of the car to take pictures.
I was using the Sony digital still camera. The photo is a
close-up of what is known as the "Copse of Trees" (meaning clump
of trees). It is in the middle of a large field in Gettysburg in
an area where 20,000 confederates charged across this field to
attack union soldiers hiding in the "copse of trees." About one-third
of the Confederate soldiers were killed here in July of 1863.
Pickett's Charge was a turning point in the Civil War. I
found the battleground to be as moving an experience. After
reviewing the photos today, I was surprised to discover two
UFOs hovering in on either side of the "Copse of Trees." The
two UFOs were not there when I took the picture, since I had
been watching he skies continuously for UFOs. It seemed as
if the UFOs were watching over Gettysburg. The photos can
be seen at the Alien Abduction Experience and Research web site
http://www.abduct.com/. Editors Note: The objects are rather
small, but enlarged they appear to be discs with domes.

GEORGIA UNUSUAL AIRCRAFT SPOTTED

RINGGOLD - On August 15, 2000, I was driving down one
of the major roads that connects Ft Oglethorpe to Ringgold at
01:50 AM. I noticed a ball of light moving across the sky that
was too fast and low to be a plane, and too slow to be a falling
star. The light moved across the sky and started to disappear
behind some tree tops, but made a huge U-turn back toward me.
As it turned, I noticed it had two lights on it, but as it came
closer I saw three white colored lights. Two larger ones
were on the sides, and other was in the middle. Higher up
was a small red flashing light in between the three white ones.
It was hovering in the air above a house while I was stopped.
I then decided to hightail it home. I kept looking back for the
object but I didn't see it. As I neared my home, I put my turn
signal on and saw the aircraft was directly above my driveway.
I could clearly see the three lights and the flashing light. The craft
had some kind of blue and red reflective checkerboard
pattern on the bottom. I stopped my car at the top of my driveway
and watched the craft as it made it's way across the sky and slowly
flew over the top of my car, and crept off over my house until it
disappeared into the darkness. I waited in my car
for a few minutes to make sure it was gone, and ran inside.
Thanks to Peter Davenport NUFORC www.ufocenter.com

MINNESOTA LIGHTS

MINNESOTA RIVER - MUFON's William I. McNeff reports
that a witness observed lights while night fishing on August 5, 2000,
at 11:45 to 12:10 PM three miles east of Le Sueur. The witness says,
"I was watching the catfish lines and the frequent falling
stars, when I looked north to the lowest part of the spoon in the
Big Dipper constellation. I watched a light become bright as it
moved in what would become a southerly direction. I assumed,
that the increase in light intensity was due to the sun's
reflection on a satellite. I noticed that it was a slower speed
than any of the other six satellites I had observed earlier that
evening. I saw another light appear behind it that was maybe
1/2" at arm's-length. From the time I saw the first, until the
second appeared, was 20 seconds. The speed of one was erratic
at best. Using the stars in the background, I was able to verify
that they traveled less a trajectory, but rather in a meandering
direction, neither holding a constant speed. The second never
passed the first. Then, as they were at a point I would describe
as 11 O'clock, I saw the third. They seemed to "inch-worm"
across the sky, all wavering slightly in direction, in a loose
formation. The second seemed to act as a "chase-plane", like the
Tigers that follow the Shuttle's entry. Sometimes, the second
would slow to alongside the third, making equilateral triangle,
sometimes drop behind, but not for long. It seemed intent on
trying to hold its own position in the formation. I watched them
for 5 minutes, as they crossed the arc of the sky. They faded
out of light in the S-SE, as would a satellite re-entering the
Earth's shadow. That's one of the reasons I say their altitude
was orbit-level. Thanks to Jeffrey Pekarna.
Le Sueur and MUFON's William I. McNeff

WASHINGTON LIGHTS

SEATTLE -- I saw Linda Lull's report Filer's Files #32 that
remind me of the sighting I had on July 23, 2000, around 4:30 PM.,
I was driving north on Interstate 5, near the Shorline district
of Seattle. The sky in front of me was crystal clear blue.
Looking up I saw a very bright light in the north west sky that
was 1/16 of an inch held at arm's length. My impression is that
the object was metallic and the brightness was caused by the
reflecting sunlight. The object appeared to be stationary
although since I was in a moving vehicle that can't be confirmed.
I watched the object for perhaps two minutes when it suddenly
just vanished or "winked out" as it is sometimes described. I
probably would not have made the report to NUFORC if it hadn't
been for the unusual fact that it just vanished before my eyes
after being so prominently in view.
Thanks to Gary Val Tenut at [email protected]

SCOTLAND UFO REPORT FROM THE YEAR 1767

Ilias Chrissochoidis writes, "As a doctoral student in the Humanities,
I've been spending much time reading 18th-century British periodicals.
In one of them I have found a report of an unexplained phenomenon.
I leave it to your judgment and experience to decide its merits as a UFO sighting.
Extract of a letter from Edinburgh, Sept. 8, 1767 follows:

"We hear from Perthsire, that an uncommon phaenomenon was
observed on the water of Isla, near Cupor Angus, preceded by a
thick dark smoke, which soon dispelled, and discovered a large
luminous body, like a house on fire, but presently after took a
form something pyramidal, and rolled forwards with impetuosity
till it came to the water of Erick, up which river it took its
direction, with great rapidity, and disappeared a little above
Blairgowrie. The effects were as extraordinary as the appearance.
In its passage, it carried a large cart many yards over a field of
grass; a man riding along the high road was carried from his horse,
and so stunned with the fall, as to remain senseless a considerable
time. It destroyed one half of a house, and left the other behind,
undermined and destroyed an arch of the new bridge
building at Blairgowrie, immediately after which it disappeared.
As few appearances of this kind ever were attended with like
consequences, various conjectures have been formed concerning
it. Thanks to Ilias Chrissochoidis Ph.D. candidate Stanford University

PAKISTAN UFO RECOVERED

DERA GHAZI KHAN -- On August 26, 2000, law enforcement
agencies on Friday visited Khumbi Thalang in Tuman Gorchani
tribal area of Rajanpur district where an unidentified flying object
(UFO) crashed a few days ago. The Bahawalpur corps
commander reportedly visited the site on Thursday.
He along with other army officers inspected the 10-foot long
piece of metal. The wreckage was taken away to unknown
place in a covered container. The UFO was spotted flying over
Balochistan on August 15. It was seen flying over Rajanpur,
Loralai, Barkhan and Fort Munro area last week. It crashed
some 20 kilometers away from Farid Air Base used by the
Pakistan Air Force for exercises. According to local tribesmen,
when it crashed at Khumbi Thalang, sky remained illuminated
for about one minute. Editor's Note: The shape of the object
would indicate it is some type of missile.

GREEN METEORITE FIREBALLS

Michael O'Connor writes, The numerous stop-light green
meteorites, fireballs or spheres seen in our skies are space
ships. The drive inductor sucks in gravity in the front and
pushes it out the back, propelling the craft. Elements in the
air are caught in this flow and tend to build-up on the front of
the craft. Gravity, now flowing through this build-up, induces a
great friction creating a tremendous heat. The now molten build-
up migrates under the craft and drips off, lending itself to the
ancients description of a "Fiery Chariot". The molten and still
glowing drippings were the "Burning Lamps" that fell from the
sky. This "Coating" must be dispersed or else the functionality
of the ship is impaired. It is blocking up the intake! The
drippings cool as they fall through the air and when they hit the
ground, they flatten a little, but still maintain their rounded
edges. These drippings provide ample, but as yet unrecognized,
evidence of extraterrestrial space craft.

People fall over them daily. Some are used as garden ornaments.
Kids try to skip them over water, but they are commonly referred
to as River Rocks. Scientists reveal that River Rocks are formed
by tumbling or by the action of water, but have you ever seen a
half formed River Rock? No. Why? Because they do not exist.
These drippings were also responsible for the Chico mystery,
where warm rounded rocks rained down on an old warehouse just
outside of town. This phenomenon lasted for two years from 1921
through 1923. Are you interested in these things? Thanks to:
Michael O'Connor [email protected] (Michael O'Connor)

MARS CYDONIA

I asked LAN Fleming, "Do you have any thoughts about my
comments that there seems to be a road, passageway, or canal
between various sights at Cydonia?" The face, pyramid, and fort
all seem connected. They also remind me of similar sites in Egypt
and Mexico. One artifact can be explained away, but not the whole
site.

Lan Fleming writes, "Yes, it's been noticed by other people that
there are features that look like they could have been roads near
some of the landforms, like the "Fort." Of course, they aren't
definite enough to be totally sure they're not of geologic
origin, but as you say, it's the totality of features in Cydonia
that is compelling. Rather than monotonous repetitions of the
same basic forms with minor random variations as is seen in most
purely natural landscapes, there is a variety of puzzling
features of sharply different form that seem to be related to
each other in various ways, all in a very small region of the
planet. We probably won't be certain what meaning, if any, is
behind these apparent relationships until Cydonia is excavated in
the way that Egyptian and Mayan ruins have been. I'm afraid that
won't happen in our life time, though.

CYNTHIA HIND DIES

With sadness and regret, I am passing along the news that
extraordinary South
African UFO researcher Cynthia Hind has passed on after a lengthy
illness.
She was a totally marvelous person who was a great asset to the
field of Ufology with her dignity and grace and solid intellect.
We all will miss her.


BEFORE YOU BUY OR SELL A HOME SEE MY FREE REPORT

All real estate agents are not the same? Some real estate agents or
sales representatives are part timers and inexperienced. Others are
experts with an excellent experience and capabilities. When you are
selling or buying your home, you need to make sure you have the best
real estate agent working for you before you make any important
financial decisions on one your biggest investments! Remember, the
majority of people do not know the right questions to ask, and what pit
falls can cause major problems. Picking the right real estate agent can
be a wonderful experience, and picking the wrong one can be a big
mistake that can waste your time and cost you thousands! Find out, "
What you need to understand before hiring any real estate agent!"
These are the questions that many agents do not want you to ask. Learn
how you can obtain the best real estate agent for your needs. To get a
free copy of this report, just call (609) 654-0020 or e-mail us at
[email protected]. We can also help you with your own or corporate
Worldwide Relocation to Australia, Benelux, Canada, Cayman Islands,
England, France, Guam, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand,
Northern Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, and US.

PHOTOGRAPH BOOKLET of some of the best UFO shots available
and data on their propulsion systems by US Navy Commander Graham
Bethune.. $10.00. Send check or money order to G. Filer 222 Jackson
Road, Medford, New Jersey 08055

MUFON UFO JOURNAL -- For more detailed monthly investigative
reports subscribe by contacting [email protected]. Mention I
recommended you for membership. Filer's Files is copyrighted 2000 by
George A. Filer, all rights reserved. Readers may post items from the
files on their Web Sites provided that they credit the newsletter and its
editor by name and list the date of issue that the item appeared. Send
your letters to [email protected]. Sending mail automatically grants
permission for us to publish and use your name. Please state if you wish
to keep your name, address, or story confidential.