Larry W. Bryant’s UFOview

LWB note: Never noted for any magnanimous treatment of right-to-know activists seeking to peek at some more of its storehouse of UFO-related records dating back to the 1950s, the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency, in its quaint but testy bureaucratic paternalism, once again is asserting its presumed right to thwart the spirit and letter of the now-beefed-up U. S. Freedom of Information Act.

This self-destructive mind-set manifests itself within the content of the following letter of Oct. 28, 2008, to me from the agency's FOIA coordinator:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Dear Mr. Bryant:

Reference: F-2008-01781

We received your 3 October 2008 letter appealing our 30 September 2008 final response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for "the following CIA-received and CIA-generated records:

"(1) As pertain to the convening, attendance roster, briefings, minutes, and all other related documentation of the 1987 special meeting at FAA headquarters in Washington, D. C.;

"(2) As pertain to all other similar cases of airborne UFO encounters reportedly occurring since Nov. 17, 1986, to date."

Specifically, you appealed our determination to deny you status as a representative of the news media, and to deny your request for a fee waiver.

Initially, please be advised that FOIA requesters have no appeal rights regarding an agency's fee category determination. Please also be advised that since records responsive to the subject of your request have been previously released, and no additional searches were conducted following receipt of your request, you would be responsible for copying costs associated with this request regardless of fee category determination. As we noted in our final response letter of 30 September 2008, copying costs are ten cents per page less the first 100 pages. These copying fees would apply even if we were to place you into the representative of the news media fee category.

With regard to your request for a fee waiver, Agency regulations are clear that fee waiver appeals will be accepted within forty-five (45) days of our initial decision subject to the following condition: If processing has been initiated, then the requester must agree to be responsible for costs in event of an adverse administrative or judicial decision. This regulation is codified in 32 C.F.R. Sec. 1900(d). Since you neither agreed to this condition in your initial FOIA request, nor in your appeal letter, we cannot accept your fee waiver denial appeal.

As noted in our final response letter [whose content appears in LWB's blog Item 2.9], if you wish to obtain copies of all 2,779 previously released responsive pages, please send me your check or money order for US$267.90, made payable to the Treasurer of the United States, and cite the reference number above to ensure proper credit to your account.

Sincerely,

Delores M. Nelson
Information and Privacy Coordinator
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

LWB comment: Here's an excerpt from my Oct. 31, 2008, e-note to my attorney for this matter, Jonathan L. Katz of Silver Spring, Md. ( http://www.katzjustice.com ):

"COUNSELOR . . . we may have been a tad too optimistic when we thought we had a 50-50 chance of prevailing in Bryant v. Rumsfeld. But, in this case of the CIA's abject/arbitrary denial of my records-search-fee-waiver request (as a 'representative of the news media'), I feel we have at least a 90-percent chance, especially since the Section 3 ('Protection of Fee Status for News Media') of the Open Government Act of 2007 (signed by Bush on 31 Dec 07) has been added to the FOIA's section 552(a)(4)(A)(ii) of title 5, U. S. Code (see the latest text of the FOIA at:
http://tinyurl.com/6bmylw ). What's more: we have ample FOIA case law in my favor -- e.g., the eons-long battle being won in grudging, protracted increments by the National Security Archive against the CIA's similar requester-status stonewalling (see: http://tinyurl.com/rqkcc ).

"Today, I put a Xerox copy of CIA FOIA coordinator Nelson's 28 Oct 08 'get lost' letter into the snail-mail to you, solidifying the exhaustion of my administrative recourse. The FOIA specifies that the court will review the matter de novo, based on the record before the agency. As any rational/reasonable person must conclude, that record speaks for itself as warranting the CIA's acknowledgment of my requester status and my concomitant ENTITLEMENT to the requested fee
waiver."

By Larry W. Bryant

[AUTHOR's note: From my UFOlit archives comes the following essay, which I originally published in "The Realist" magazine for March 1965, under the title "Space Toys for Kids?" Perhaps the article has added relevance today, in light of a growing citizens movement for an international treaty to ban the "weaponization of space" (see the web site of http://www.peaceinspace.com ). And perhaps one of today's enterprising freelancers might wish to revisit this topic by examining and reporting upon the current subculture of space-toy manufacturing, marketing, and consumption. The essay's initial online publication occurred in late 2001, upon the now-defunct web site of http://www.ufocity.com (which was operated for several years by New York-based researcher Peter Robbins). By the way, "The Realist"'s original publisher-editor, Paul Krassner, remains alive (and writing); and he remains one of my literary heroes. For an archived example of his current work ("How the Realist Popped America's Cherry" -- a memoir of his days at "The Realist"), see: http://www.nypress.com/16/34/news&columns/feature.cfm -- published by the New York Press on Aug. 19, 2003.]

"Just turn ray chamber for Alpha, Beta or Gamma ray. Fission Speed Regulators. Tele-Radar Sight. Neutron Release. Electronic Converter. Sonic Ray."

Is this space-age jargon referring to the latest brand of communications satellites, nuclear reactors, or anti-missile missiles? Hardly.

But if your son or daughter is caught up in the latest toy passion, grab your space helmet and take cover! For those impressive terms apply to an equally impressive example of our toy industry's ingenuity (or lack of it, depending on your point of view). In this case, the invention is the "Outer Space Ray Gun," marketed by Tim-Mee Toys, Inc., Aurora, Ill.

"It's 'Super Sonic,' with built-in Buzzer Signal -- shoots Alpha-Beta-Gamma Rays," proclaims Tim-Mee on the pistol's box. Naturally, it's made of colorful plastic, and (not so naturally) "can be used as flashlight." This space gun, unlike most of its competitors, also can be used to transmit Morse Code, making it a fairly innocuous device compared to some I've seen.

Does the advent of armed interplanetary rockets, space guns, and ray guns into the toy-weapons market portend the day when we on the planet Earth ourselves will become the armed invaders of outer space? Do these toys form a breeding ground for violent attitudes in our youth?

These questions, I have found, have no easy solutions. It seems that we do not know yet the full extent of toy space weapons' psychological effects. Nevertheless, having spied upon the stocks of local toy counters and consulted with toy-gun manufacturers, psychiatrists, pacifist leaders, and other authorities interested in the problem, I have discovered some tentative answers.

The dime store labels the new breed of "war toys" (as the pacifists call them) with such names as "Atomic Space Gun" and "Astro Scout." The kid next door compares his just-bought model with his "old-fashioned" .45 cal. Army pistol and marvels at the colored lights and way-out buzz of this addition to his space gun arsenal. Weeks later, the store gets a fresh supply of even weirder portable space weaponry.

Little Johnny down the street, who recently latched onto the "Astro Scout" (a plastic shooter that fires, one at a time, three plastic flying saucers 60 feet, vertically or horizontally), trades it off to big Billy, who has grown tired of his "Giant Saucers" gun, with its "NEW Pull-a-Gear Hand Launcher." Johnny gloats over the "giant" model's ability to "soar up to 100 feet," and pores greedily over the "assembly instructions." But Billy really didn't want the Astro Scout for himself -- he's going to pawn it to his next-door neighbor, Sally Ann, who has a new red-plastic, "Squirt Ray" water pistol shaped like a Buck Rogers spaceship; she wants to trade it only for an Astro Scout.

Then there is the "U.F.O. [Unidentified Flying Object -- officialese for flying saucers] Patrol," complete with telescopic sight, which is described by its maker (Park Plastics Co., Linden, N. J.) as a "palm-size launcher gun with two patrol saucers.) A more elaborate version is Park's "Satellite Interceptor," a "dual-action launcher gun . . . press button and fire saucer, trigger fires dart aimed at flying
saucer."

For a mobile launching station, Park offers us their "Jeep Missile Interceptor: Scale model combat Jeep with missile release mounted in rear. Flying Saucers launched by simple spring device . . . wind and launch." Finally, from Park's, we have the "Astro-Fleet," whose only difference from the Astro-Scout (besides the higher price) is that it shoots a "piloted" saucer.

What will Madison Avenue feed our space-minded innocents with next: a red-white-and-blue Luger that spurts a pseudo-laser beam? As in our real-life missile business, these futuristic weapons of the toy industry can become obsolete almost before they hit the market. They seem to symbolize not only the ability to kill but also the reserve capacity to "overkill" -- to disintegrate that imaginary target which is not a cowboy, an Indian, or a Nazi, but the omnipotent foe from outer space, the "monster" from another world.

From another capitalizing firm -- Palmer Plastics, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y. -- comes the ("Unbreakable") "U.S. Space Probe Bombs (Shoots harmless paper caps)," which are billed as replicas of the Jupiter and Atlas missiles. Note the euphemistic term "space probe." With the word "Bombs," what Palmer ultimately implies is "space conquest."

While casually exploring the toy-gun stand of a local 5-10-25-cent store recently, I discovered a "Made in Japan" version of the Luger I mentioned earlier. Here, our "Junior Spacemen" are offered a metallic "Space Super Jet Gun," which is "friction-powered with sparking." And its maker certifies: "Non-Toxic Colors -- Safe -- Harmless."

Aimed at one consumer level is the so-called space helmet, a probable outgrowth of the TV "Outer Limits" science-fiction series. Whereas the space gun exploits the hostilities of its clientele more than their fears, the space helmet exploits primarily their fears. What a combination!

Our curious children are offered a space helmet put out by Remco Industries, Inc., Harrison, N. J., which calls itself "Hamilton's Invaders" and which pictures a gruesome "space bug" on the container,
with the label "Monster; Science Fiction." It was Remco's president, Saul Robbins, who, at the 1964 American Toy Fair, contended that there has been no evidence that gun toys instigate crime among their owners.

Although the "Outer Limits" series has tended to portray its spacemen or monsters as the "good guys" (in contrast to most of Hollywood's earlier science-fiction movies), there is no indication on the space helmet's container that the "Hamilton's Invaders" represent peaceful entities.

In fact, Remco also offers in its space arsenal "The Battle of the Giants (Horrible Hamilton [a multicolored beetle sporting a stringy hump on its back], Torpedo Tank, and six Defenders [Earthlings])." Here, in Remco's own words, we may have the epitome of the psychology of toy
space weaponry; the monster-image conjured up by Remco's ad writer could actually foster the sociological phenomena of mass panic and mob violence:

"Out of the eerie, unknown world of Science Fiction stalks Horrible Hamilton, eyes a fiery red antennae a-quivver . . . spine-chilling, thrilling. At the tug of a lanyard, this giant insect leader of the Invaders advances menacingly upon the 'earth.' He lumbers and lurches blindly ahead. His jaws actually close on the poor Defenders -- bringing squeals of pretended terror from every youngster who watches, delightedly breathless and disbelieving. Quickly, the 6 Defenders are brought into play -- strategically spotted to halt the invasion. Then the foot-long electric torpedo tank goes into action. Beneath the transparent hatch, the driver sits. Two torpedos snake forward 20 feet. And so the game goes on, for hour on hour of out-of-this-world adventure! Horrible Hamilton spring-motorized -- no batteries needed."

Why does the kid next door, or your own boy or girl for that matter, choose from these futuristic toys instead of the conventional toy weapons [see Realist issue No. 48]?

First, there was the bow-and-arrow and the rifle; then the torpedo and the fighter plane; now the missile and the space gun. If this is a natural and inevitable progression of weaponry down through the ages, it is because of one psychological fact: Man seeks pleasure and avoids pain. Thus he is required, when confronted by a competitor, to develop new weaponry either for furthering or for protecting his pleasure quest.

If his competitor is an Earthly non-human, fine; for the dumb animal, of course, cannot match Man's manufacturing skills. But if the non-human happens to be a sapient creature from outer space, Man is seized by fear that his conventional weapons will be inadequate to maintain his security.

The Earthling now convinces himself that he should avoid being pained by the possible natural superiority of the spacemen. Hence, Man's development of the neutron ("death ray") bomb, the laser beam, and, possibly, the ultra-toxic gas spray gun. The toy representation of such weapons probably signifies subconscious transmission of the adult's space-war phobia into the child's otherwise carefree existence.

Expressing his opinion as to why these new toys appeal to our youth, Dr.
R. Leo Sprinkle, a Guidance Education professor at the University of
Wyoming, states, in a letter to me:

"I see the ray guns, etc., as an extension of the "cowboys and Indians" and "cops and robbers" of the era in which I grew up. If they are related to extraterrestrial creatures, I believe it is more of a
reaction to fear of the unknown -- rather than as a positive step to become warlike.

"I may be overly optimistic, but I believe that human violence is based more upon ignorance than upon perversity or cruelty. I hope that further knowledge of other planets will prepare for the day when mankind is introduced officially to other civilizations."

Recently, while grocery-shopping with my 8-year-old son, I realized that the toy space-gun makers have finally seized upon the most obvious means of advertising their wares directly to our youth. Upon arriving at the cereal counter, my son started scanning the colorful boxes strictly to ferret out the latest sales gimmick. His selection was "Frosty-O's," not because he had eaten some in the past, or had heard how delicious they were, but because of the "Giant Flying Saucer Offer"
emblazoned over the entire back side of the box. Yes, it was Park Plastics' product with the "Pull-a-Gear Hand Launcher."

Here is how the "Frosty-O's" ad prescribed two uses of "Giant Saucers":

"(1) Space Duel. First player launches saucer. Then other player tries to knock it down with one of his own.

"(2) On Target. Stand 10 steps from a target and see how many times you can hit it in 10 tries. (Suggested targets: trees, telephone poles, fences.)"

If it is true, as some observers have said, that 80 to 90 percent of all toy guns sold are bought for the small fry by their parents, then we may blame the adult for the DEMAND FOR as well as the supply of the weapons.

The toy-gun manufacturers claim they market only what appears to them to be in public demand, whether it be a Davy Crockett musket or a Titan ICBM. We the adult population create the demand via our addiction to violence, this addiction being portrayed profusely in the various communications media. Real space weapons themselves (such as the satellite-bomb interceptor, the death-ray bomb and the laser-beam rifle), therefore, may be simply the reflection of our violent attitude toward the unknown dangers supposedly lurking in outer space.

The tragic part of this is that the toy space weapons, if not also the real ones, along with the communications media, can seduce youth into the violent posture we the adults have assumed.

I wrote to the director of the U. S. National Institute of Mental Health, posing the question of whether the space-gun toys do in fact symbolize a space-war neurosis in our society. The director's
information officer, Ed Long, replied as follows:

"Although there is an increasing amount of psychological research into factors influencing man's aggressions and hostilities, there has been little investigation into the influence of toys of any kind.

"Very close to this, however, there has been a rising concern, along with a rising number of investigations supported by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, over the possible influence of comic books, motion pictures, and television on abnormal development and delinquency among children. Although investigations have shown that crime and violence depicted through these media can influence child behavior, there have been no conclusive demonstrations as to what extent
these influences may be detrimental to normal development."

When I canvassed several of the larger organizations representing the 100,000-odd pacifists in our country, however, I found the consensus to be that, as Rev. R. Franklin Terry, an official of the Methodist Peace Fellowship put it, "the distribution of toy weapons of any kind does tend to foster the notion of armed conflict in the minds of our children."

One of the strongest pacifist positions is the one taken by Victor H. Gavel, president of the Baptist Peace Fellowship, which is affiliated with the 13,000-member Fellowship of Reconciliation:

"As I feel the use of any type of gun, pistol, rifle, etc., as toys in the hands of children to be extremely detrimental to the growth toward the idea of world peace, or peace as Jesus taught it, so I feel that the use of space guns of whatever sort would in a like manner develop a feeling of hostility toward any possible life on other planets."

Mr. Gavel's opinion is in keeping, no doubt, with the fact that in rearing his two sons and three daughters "we never had a gun or any shooting equipment in our home." One of his sons, for that matter, was a conscientious objector.

But not so critical as Mr. Gavel is the secretary-treasurer of the Lutheran Peace Fellowship, Rev. Lloyd A. Berg:

"Personally, I should think that the matter of toy 'space guns' would most essentially be a branch of the whole question of making toys out of lethal weapons. I tend to react negatively to this whole idea, but I know there are sincere peace-oriented psychologists who rather believe such toys provide a healthy and relatively harmless outlet for anger and aggressiveness."

One such psychologist may be Dr. Stanley B. Williams, chairman of the psychology department of the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. For Dr. Williams wrote me:

"It is clear that the effect of any one experience depends on the context of related experiences; hence, a toy gun may or may not instigate hostility, depending on parents' attitudes, etc."

In the educated opinion of another Virginia psychologist, Dr. Donald P. Ogden of Norfolk's Old Dominion College:

"It is possible that toy weapons of any sort may serve as relatively harmless objects through which general feelings of frustration and hostility may be drained off, but this may be at the expense of possibly creating negative attitudes toward extraterrestrial creatures.

"Although I can't see how space guns, etc., do children any particular good, I do not feel that the likelihood of developing long-lasting negative attitudes of this sort is very probable. For instance, despite my early years of 'cowboys and Indians,' I do not now harbor negative attitudes toward Indians. Do you?"

Perhaps one might estimate the probability of this negative-attitude development by reviewing still another example of our war-toy technology: the "Astro Ray . . . Space-Age Gun for the Space Ace" is
marketed as a "Flashlight Target Gun" by its maker, Ohio Art Co., Bryan, Ohio. It competes with Tim-Mee Toys' brand in that it is capable of shooting six rubber-tip darts at an accompanying metal target board. The board projects the planets of our solar system as the numbered targets.

Let's try to answer Dr. Ogdon's question by turning to a group that claims to be "innovator, catalyst, gadfly" among united pacifists -- the 50-year-old Fellowship of Reconciliation itself, spoken for by Acting Executive Secretary Glenn E. Smiley:

"I suppose our only hope in this matter is the fact that children seem to be able to survive the most ghastly influence on their lives. As a pacifist, I recall distinctly playing with toy weapons, lining sticks up in trenches and 'killing' them by throwing rocks at them. Of course, my childhood days were spent during the First World War or in the years immediately following it. I was also taught 'the manly art of self defense' by my father, and hunted as a child for small game on my father's plantation.

"It is encouraging to me to realize that all of this experience had very little effect upon me although I realized at the same time that in my childhood the whole society was not violent in kind as is ours. We did not have television, the toy weapons were not as attractive nor as curiosity-encouraging as are the slick toys of today."

Mr. Smiley's reminiscence reminds me of one of my own childhood pastimes: building stick-and-stone houses in order to blow them apart with "harmless" firecrackers that I imagined as blockbusters. Now my own boy is doing the same thing with the more sophisticated "Space Probe Bombs."

But in contrast, another pacifist leader has an almost apathetic view of the problem. David McReynolds, field secretary of the War Resisters League, writes:

"I suppose someone might seriously get concerned with the dangers of toy space weapons to interplanetary peace. If so, we really can't be of any help. I don't think any of our members are losing sleep on the matter."

Probably the most militant response to the emergence of space-age toy weapons is voiced in a recent issue of Peace Education Newsletter, published by the New York-based Women's Strike for Peace. This contribution from the feminine approach to pacifism seems to take issue with the indecision of the psychologists and the lethargy of the male-dominated War Resisters:

"As you mothers have probably observed, the time-honored games of cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians have given way to mock guerilla warfare with very sophisticated and very violent death-dealing weapons. The TV blasts away with commercials showing children throwing grenades,
pilots dropping bombs on cities, Polaris subs firing missiles -- even the boy-child's favorite toy train now comes equipped with missiles.

"Most parents have anxiety when they first see their tiny one point a toy gun and shout, 'Bang, you're dead' . . . or, 'I'll shoot you.' They question the authorities (the teacher, the nursery school educator, the doctor, the psychologist, etc.); and, of course, they have been quietly reassured that this action reflects the natural hostility in the child, that it is part of his natural developmental process. The seeming violence means different things to the child; they [the authorities] say it is his way of overcoming fears and dealing with his own hostility.

"This popular theory may still be useful, although there is increasing disagreement by professionals in the behavioral sciences about the meaning of these actions. However, even if one assumes that the theory is correct, is our way of dealing with this behavior pattern right? When the tot lifts his tiny finger to kill his inner or outer fears, should we put a grenade in it . . . an atomic bomb? Are not weapons of total extermination already too horrible for many adults to comprehend, too horrible for children as well? Do we not actually interfere with his natural efforts to deal with his anxiety at his own level? In fairy tales or cowboy battles he can easily distinguish between play and reality, but how can you help a child pretend that bombs and missiles aren't real when he hears news reports and adult discussion to the contrary?"

Psychology professor T. L. Engle of Indiana University Fort Wayne Regional Campus has considered "making a survey of toy stores and toy departments in order to measure the percentage of space devoted to toys suggesting killing and the percentage of toys suggesting peaceful occupations."

Since his textbook "Psychology: Its Principles and Applications" has become a standard in use by high-school psychology teachers across the nation, Dr. Engle may well be in a sound position to evaluate the significance of toy space weapons even though he is not a social psychologist. "It is my opinion," says he, "that war toys do have a very real and marked influence on the attitudes of children who will be the makers of war in a few years. I wish that there were more toys suggesting the brotherhood of man and the values of peace."

If the pacifists and peace-loving psychologists can and do remove the warlike toys from the market, what can be furnished as a replacement? Well, if the production of war tools is motivated largely by fear of the unknown, then we can dispel most of this emotion by making toys more peacefully communicative and thus more constructive. The toys I have in mind can represent togetherness arrived at through person-to-person communication and transportation. (We already have the toy telephone and truck, for instance.) We can still appeal to the adventurousness (and aggressiveness, since it needs an outlet) of our children through the following space-weapons substitutes:

(1) A model radio astronomy kit.

(2) A mental-telepathy competition game.

(3) A teaching machine for the long-sought universal language.

(4) A simulated perpetual-motion machine.

(5) A space-age gyroscope.

(6) A doll-size bathysphere.

(7) A space-medicine kit.

If the "flying saucer" is in fact a mode of transportation used by non-Earthlings, then by all means let's construct toy models of it -- even flyable ones -- as long as we abstain from depicting it primarily
as a weapon. Granted that our space rockets are a form of transportation; but it seems the toy makers emphasize the military or destructive potential of these vehicles.

On the positive side, however, we have one manufacturer that does not play up the military aspect of its replica of the Army's "Flying Platform" -- namely, Sydney A. Tarrson Co., Chicago, Ill.

Meantime, as the day approaches for face-to-face meetings with non-Earthlings, let not my little Johnny, your big Billy, our neighbor's Sally Ann, or any other potential "space cadet" be swayed by propaganda of the space-weapon peddlers. If we cannot eliminate them entirely, we can at least reduce any of their war-mongering effect by continually exposing such ostensibly harmless advertisements as the following:

"Out of the swirling mists of the future comes the Hamilton Ray Gun. At the touch of the trigger -- ZZZZ -- sound waves penetrate, light rays dazzle! Four wildly colored beams are flicked at the foe. Change from one sizzling ray to another at the turn of the turret. All the weird wonders of Science Fiction in one harmless weapon."

(From the August 2006 issue of "UFO Magazine")

By Larry W. Bryant

"Dr. [J. Allen] Hynek of [USAF Project] Blue Book fame was very knowledgeable about the existence of MJ-12 and extraterrestrial contact."

-- Richard C. Doty, former USAF counterintelligence/security operative privy to
inside knowledge of the government cover-up of the UFO experience (as
quoted in the newly expanded tell-all book "Exempt from Disclosure," by
retired USAF captain Robert M. Collins)

Ex-USAF-OSI agent Rick Doty's revelation fails to provide any proof of this claim that Hynek knew more about UFO reality than he'd professed in public pronouncements. But, hey, this kind of claim permeates every page of the book, casting its trio of contributors -- Collins, Doty, and Timothy S. Cooper (C-D-C) -- as either extreme disinformation specialists or as surrogate UFO-cover-up whistleblowers of heroic proportion.

As you wade into this most disjointed UFOtome of all time, however, I suggest that you suspend critical judgment just so as to take the ride of your life into Possibilityland -- the entertaining (if not enlightening) possibility that C-D-C has disclosed some officially indisclosable UFOtruth. During your ride, you'll see how this book further polarizes two camps of readers: those who love UFOlit steeped in the lore of gossip, behind-the-scenes intrigue, and conspiracy/rumor-mongering -- and those who loathe it. I prefer to navigate somewhere near the middle of the road.

Next to Philip J. Corso's 1997 memoir "The Day After Roswell," I've placed this second edition of the C-D-C expose on the same shelf of my vast collection of UFOlit. Maybe I should label that shelf "Classic secrecy-busting works revealing what our government agencies would learn about UFO reality were they to read their own UFO-related documents."

But let's not turn this month's essay into a formal book review. Doty's unsubstantiated claim about Hynek's supposed UFO-MJ-12-E.T. awareness, along with Doty's admitted role in the warrantless, NSA-directed search of the late UFO researcher Paul Bennewitz's home, has fueled Doty's lack of credibility among some veteran UFOlogists. Worse yet, we have this (unintended?) insight about his governing end-justifies-the-means mind-set, as expressed in his chapter 4 of the book:

"It is even quite legal to lie [to the public] if there is no way to avoid revealing the existence of certain types of classified 'black projects.'" Wrong, Herr Doty! As Nixon's Watergate scandal amply showed, no government official has a right to lie to the public in the performance of his/her official duty. As a New Mexico state trooper sworn to abide by the public trust, you should disabuse yourself of that notion right now. That notion has prompted me to seek out any whistleblower-derived evidence that may shed additional light on your UFO-related activities and associations.

Now, then: when, in the course of UFOlogical events, we come to a fork in the road, that omniscient sage of American culture Yogi Berra would urge us to . . . well, take it! Today, such a fork presents itself to us in C-D-C's handbook of UFO politics, so aptly titled "Exempt from Disclosure: The Disturbing Case about the UFO Coverup." Whichever way we turn, we end up right back at the starting point -- not quite burned out or permanently disillusioned, as we await further revelations from new insider sources allegedly feeding morsels of leads/data to the gaping mouths of the C-D-C investigative team. (Better watch yo' phone/e-mail lines, pals -- lest the NSA/CIA/DIA/OSI/FBI pounce on both your sources and yourselves; and get that avian code of yours upgraded!)

It was back in the late 1950s that I began "taking" every UFOfork I'd encounter as a member of the now-defunct public-interest group National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. My road less traveled there in the industrial-port city of Newport News, Virginia, led me to establish a NICAP-friendly group called the Air Research Group. In a move to recruit membership, I sent a classified advertisement about the group to the printer of the nearby Langley Air Force Base's weekly newspaper, the "Flyer." In short order, I received bad news from the printer: he'd been prohibited from running the ad, by the base public affairs officer. When I queried the PAO about this, one Capt. Gregory H. Oldenburgh explained that his decision had derived from the USAF-wide policy (enunciated in AF Reg. 200-2) that official UFO information must be kept within USAF channels. Basically, he feared that any LAFB personnel tempted to join (or otherwise cooperate with) my group might also be tempted to share their knowledge of UFO reality. So much for freedom of speech/inquiry in the military.

With the passage of four decades, things have come full circle, forks or no forks.

My series of whistleblower-solicitation ads aimed at readers of various U. S. military installations' weekly newspapers got its impetus from my July 1983 federal lawsuit against the secretary of the Air Force, titled Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus Extraterrestrial. Filed in U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the petition sought the whereabouts of any and all retrieved occupants from the wreckage of crash-landed "flying saucers." Though I lost the case on jurisdictional grounds, I nevertheless managed to elevate the "what if" factor to worldwide awareness. What if those bodies still exist (living or dead -- and, if you can accept the C-D-C revelations, one or more of them did exist at that time); shouldn't we try something else to get at them? (See my retrospective essay about the case in the August 2004 issue of FATE magazine [which now is republished in this blog as Item 4.1].)

My "something else" consisted of inaugurating a campaign for UFO-cover-up-whistleblower solicitation ads. When some of the targeted military public affairs offices started rejecting the ads, I once again had to turn to court for relief -- this time to the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria Division). The ensuing consent decree of 1987 in Bryant v. Weinberger, et al. was supposed to settle the matter, allowing me to submit the ads without any further PAO interference. But, alas, the government's naked emperor of free-speech denial has proved to be a stubborn foe.

When, several years ago, I broadened the subject matter for my ad campaign -- switching to such topics as NASA activities and the military's retaliation against whistleblowers -- the censorial arm of the Defense Department again swung into action. In particular, in June 2003, the Army PAO in charge of the "Pentagram" newspaper at Fort Myer, Virginia, felt highly offended by my Iraqnam-related ad "Blow the Whistle on Bush's 'Gulf of Persia' Resolution!" Among other points, the ad had called for Pres. Bush to undergo a polygraph exam as to his veracity about the controversy surrounding Iraq's alleged possession of "weapons of mass destruction." The result of the "Pentagram"'s rejecting my ad: Bryant v. Rumsfeld, et al., filed on June 30, 2004, in USDC-DC.

Even as that case proceeded through litigation, I persevered in submitting other ads to such papers as the U. S. Military Academy's "Pointer View" and the U. S. Air Force Academy's "Academy Spirit" -- all of which chose to reject the ads. And the result here? Bryant v. Rumsfeld - II, filed in January 2005. The two cases have been consolidated, and you can view some of the litigation papers posted upon my attorney's web site: http://www.markskatz.com/militarycases.htm [now under the URL of http://katzjustice.com/militarycases.htm ].

Enter Langley. When, in the fall of 2005, I submitted my "Exempt-from-Disclosure"-related ad to the LAFB PA office for prepublication review, I encountered a case of what I call deja PEW(ee)! By the way, this very same ad, shown below, happens to have been accepted for publication by the Arnold AFB, Tenn.'s "High Mach" newspaper:

"BLOW THE WHISTLE ON THE NEO-UFO WHISTLEBLOWERS!

"Two members of a reinvigorated crop of reputed UFO-coverup
whistleblowers -- former USAF intelligence officer Robert M.
Collins and former USAF-OSI agent Richard C. Doty -- have
teamed up to produce a brand-new book, titled 'Exempt from
Disclosure: The Disturbing Case About the UFO Coverup' (
http://www.ufoconspiracy.com ). Does the book constitute a
confirmable case of insider knowledge of what our government
knows (and when it knew it) about UFO reality? Or does its
foray into the bowels of the world's Deepest Secret merely
regurgitate a form of official disinformation --
'disUFOmation' -- made (in)famous back in the 1980's via the
Kirtland AFB's Bennewitz Affair? If you (or someone you
know) reliably can corroborate or discount the Collins-Doty
revelations, please contact me at: Larry W. Bryant, 3518
Martha Custis Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302; e-mail:
overtci@cavtel.net ."

But the ostrichlike PA folks at Langley happen to have a different notion as to what can pass as freedom of speech for their base personnel. In their rejection notice, they aver, as they pummel the free-speech tarbaby: "Based on results of Project Blue Book, it is clearly not within our scope to publish material contrary to the government interest."

So, Langley's renewed, futile/fatal exercise in viewpoint discrimination not only violates the consent order in Bryant v. Weinberger; it also invites me to summon Mr. Rumsfeld's third appearance in my second home -- that First Amendment briar patch called the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia. [LWB update for Oct. 5, 2008: both the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia and a 3-judge panel of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit now have ruled against me (the latter, on July 15, 2008, affirming the lower court's ruling that these military-owned newspapers, including their classified-ad pages, constitute nonpublic fora).]

TO: Director, U. S. Central Intelligence Agency
ATTN: Chairman, Agency Records-Release Panel
Washington, DC 20505

FROM: Larry W. Bryant
3518 Martha Custis Drive
Alexandria, VA 22302

DATE: October 3, 2008

This letter appeals the Sept. 30, 2008, decision of CIA information and privacy coordinator Delores M. Nelson to deny my FOIA-requester status as a representative of the news media as regards my FOIA request of August 23, 2008 (CIA reference F-2008-01781 -- sent originally on August 13th to the Director of National Intelligence).

Ms. Nelson's below-quoted denial invokes warmed-over official UFOlogical history to deflect the crux of my request -- i.e., that any action taken by any CIA personnel to unlawfully suppress/dissuade public exposure of UFO reality (as was done in the case the Alaskan UFO encounter of 1986) has contemporary news value, thus warranting your waiver of all records-search fees.

Ample evidence defining my requester status remains posted upon my blog site of http://ufoview.posterous.com . Applicable federal case law (most notably the years-old lawsuit waged against your agency by the Washington, D.C.-based National Security Archive) confirms that no "representative of the news media" need justify his/her FOIA request as seeking records "likely [to] contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the United States government." What's more, the package of previously released CIA-maintained UFO-related records would be a most unlikely repository for such agency-incriminating documentation as that pertaining to the 1986 Alaskan case.

By this appeal, I hereby characterize my records-search-fee-waiver "request" as a DEMAND, in light of the current edition of the U. S. Freedom of Information Act's dictum as expressed in subparagraph (a)(4)(A)(ii)(II), namely: "fees shall be limited to reasonable standard charges for document duplication when . . . the request is made by . . . a representative of the news media." Accordingly, I intend to file suit in U. S. District Court to challenge any denial of this appeal.

As you process and grant this appeal, I also ask that you forward a copy of all its related correspondence to the CIA inspector general for him to investigate the circumstances, principals, and activities related to former FAA official John J. Callahan's revelation that one or more CIA personnel have unlawfully applied official pressure upon Callahan's right not to engage in any CIA-directed/supported cover-up of the 1986 Alaskan case. Your complying with this IG-referral request not only would contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency; it also would help secure accountability for any CIA policy/practice that interferes with the public's stakeholdership in pursuit of UFOtruth.

By snail-mail, I'm sending to you a signed printout of this e-formatted letter.

LARRY W. BRYANT

Copies furnished to:

Editor, UFO Magazine
Jonathan L. Katz, Esq.
Chairman, Select Committee on Intelligence, U. S. Senate
Director, U. S. Government Accountability Office

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

TEXT OF MS. NELSON'S LETTER TO LWB (30 Sep 08):

Reference: F-2008-01781

Dear Mr. Bryant:

This is a final response to your 23 August 2008 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, received in the office of the Information and Privacy Coordinator on 28 August 2008, for the following CIA-received and CIA-generated records:

(1) As pertain to the convening, attendance roster, briefings, minutes, and all other related documentation of the 1987 special meeting at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C.;

(2) As pertain to all other similar cases of airborne UFO encounters reportedly occurring since Nov. 17, 1986, to date.

We have assigned your request the reference number above. Please use this number when corresponding so that we can identify it easily.

On the general subject of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), there is no organized CIA effort to do research in connection with UFO phenomena, nor has there been an organized effort to collect intelligence on UFOs since the 1950s. At that time, the Air Force, specifically the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, had the primary responsibility for the investigation of all reports of UFO sightings. The CIA's role was in connection with a Scientific Advisory Panel, established to investigate and evaluate reports of UFOs. The panel was concerned only with any aspect of UFO phenomena which might prove to present a potential threat to the United States national security. The panel later issued a report of its findings, the Report of the Scientific Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects dated 17 January 1953, also known as the Robertson Report. The report was released by the Air Force Office of Public Information on 9 April 1958. The Air Force investigation, called Project Bluebook [sic], was terminated in 1969. We understand that the Air Force turned its records on this subject over to the National Archives and Records Administration where they are currently available for inspection and purchase. There is currently no CIA program to actively collect information on UFOs, although since the time of the Robertson Report there have been sporadic instances of correspondence dealing with the subject, and we occasionally receive various kinds of reports of sightings of objects in the UFO category.

As of this date, however, the Agency has released to numerous previous requesters 1,022 pages of UFO-related documents under the FOIA. Most of this material was located as a result of a previous search for records conducted on behalf of an earlier requester for information regarding UFOs up through 1979, and as a result of a recent updated search for records conducted on behalf of an earlier requester for information regarding UFOs from 1979 through 15 March 1990. Any releasable material as a result of these earlier, thorough searches is included in this package. These documents are not indexed, and most of the material deals with matters related to the report by the Scientific Advisory Panel. We should advise you that most of the reports dealing with the UFO sightings considered by the Panel originated with other government agencies such as the Air Force, and that much of the later CIA-originated reports concern sightings as reported in the foreign news media. In accordance with our enclosed fee schedule, the material referred to above costs ten cents per page less the first 100 pages as a requester in the "all other" category.

Also, as a result of former Director Woolsey's 14 December 1993 radio interview, a recent further release of 1,757 pages has been made bringing the total amount of pages to 2,779. Therefore, should you wish to purchase this package, please send us your check or money order for US$267.90 to me, made payable to the Treasurer of the United States and cite the reference number above to ensure proper credit to your account.

You also have the option of reviewing the initial release of 991 pages on the CIA's electronic FOIA internet site. The access for this site via homepage URL is: http://www.foia.ucia.gov .

I must consider your request for a fee waiver under the standards the Agency FOIA regulations outline, which you will find at Part 1900 of Title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). I have reviewed your request under those standards and determined that your petition does not meet them because disclosing the information you seek is already in the public domain and its re-release would not likely contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the United States Government. I therefore deny your request for a fee waiver.

You may appeal this decision, in my care, within 45 days from the date of this letter. Should you choose to appeal the denial of your request for a fee waiver, you are encouraged to provide an explanation supporting your appeal. Agency regulations also specify that if the Agency has started to process a request, the Agency may only accept an appeal of a fee waiver denial if the requester agrees to be responsible for the costs in the event of an adverse administrative or judicial decision.

In an effort to assist you further, enclosed is a copy of an article from the CIA's internal magazine Studies in Intelligence, Summer 1997, entitled "CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90." This item is being provided at no cost since it is under 100 pages. We trust that the information enclosed and that provided above will be helpful.

Sincerely,

Delores M. Nelson
Information and Privacy Coordinator

Enclosure

(From the March 2007 issue of "UFO Magazine")

By Larry W. Bryant

As a 20-year-old during the late fifties in these United States of Advertising, I was operating as a UFO activist in the wolf's clothing of what today we would call a "culture-jammer." Who knew?!

It wasn't until 30-some years later that I became aware of the term culture-jamming -- a still-thriving dogma (and practice) dear to young people's hearts, mostly. A Google-produced definition tells us that it means "billboard alteration and other forms of media sabotage." (For some historical perspective and philosophical discussion about it, see the web site of http://tinyurl.com/2doux3 .) A culture-jammer, the definition goes on to say, is a communication guerrilla, whose chief goal is "to counter the overpowering signs of corporate advertising."

Now that our nation's governmental institutions, policies, and practices have become so blatantly public-relations-driven, we have every reason to accept the extension of culture-jamming (C-J) to all affairs of self-governance (ever heard of the Internet-fueled "freeway blogger," for instance? Check it out at http://www.freewayblogger.com ).

That UFO-C-J project of mine in the late fifties happened to challenge the status quo of both the private sector and the public sector as regards the content of advertising. As a local UFO researcher in Newport News, Va., I'd begun trying to recruit new members for the Washington, D.C.-based National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. "How about soliciting local military personnel to join my newly formed pro-NICAP study group, the Air Research Group?" I asked myself. So, I fired off a small classified ad to the contract printer of the Langley Air Force Base's weekly newspaper, seeking airmen's participation in my group. In short order, the printer notified me that the base public information officer had rejected the proposed ad, on the grounds that running it might encourage Langley personnel to violate the USAF regulation on dissemination of UFO-sighting data. Of course, that rejection violated my First Amendment right of freedom-of-speech/press, but my meager experience with bureaucracy, along with nonexistent legal funds, conspired to delay justice in what I now call "Bryant's 'Bleak House'" -- the most protracted series of interrelated First Amendment lawsuits in U. S. history (see the related, ongoing litigation in Larry W. Bryant v. Donald H. Rumsfeld, et al. -- http://www.katzjustice.com/militarycases.htm ). [LWB 2008 note: Unfortunately, on July 15, 2008, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied my appeal of the U. S. district court's ruling against me (and, in effect, against anyone else desiring to place "political" advertising in a military-published newspaper), thus bringing to a close this chapter of "Bryant's 'Bleak House.'"]

UFOlogical culture-jamming requires few resources, no membership dues, no group bylaws, minimal organizational skills, little supervision, and not much follow-up to actions planned/taken. Your basic tools include the First Amendment, the U. S. Freedom of Information Act, a keen grasp of irony, a fertile imagination, a decent track record of creativity, and (perhaps) a heightened sense of social outrage. Today's Internet serves as a force multiplier for those tools. For example, whenever one of my UFO-coverup-whistleblower solicitation ads got rejected by a military base newspaper, you could bet that word of that censorship would show up somewhere on the Internet.

The latest episode of UFO-C-J came to my attention via the e-mail bloglist run by Victor G. Martinez in California. One of the list's correspondents -- Bill Ryan of the UK-based UFO research team of Bill Ryan and Kerry Cassidy ( http://www.projectcamelot.org ) -- dispatched a Feb. 8, 2007, e-message titled "Echelon -- proof at last :)." The message wryly announces:

"This dramatic little paragraph was sent out on its own, with no context or explanation. Echelon [a data-mining system managed by the U. S. intelligence community] promptly grabbed it. It was withheld for 3 hours and 40 minutes and has only just arrived. The other mails we were sending back and forth [to each other from England to the States] -- rather more innocuous -- were all delivered straight away.

"Presumably, all the alarms went off and some junior clerk reported it right up the line until someone with some experience identified it for what it was :)."

Ryan explained to his fellow "listers" that he and partner Cassidy were, at that particular time in cyberspace, working on proposed text for a UFO-related video program being edited by Cassidy. They found amusing the (presumed) Echelon-intercepted/delayed transmission of what some researchers will recognize as an excerpt from the so-called Special Operations Manual 1-01 (April 1954) -- part of the various documentation "leaked" during the past 20-some years about the alleged UFO-related findings and conclusions of the supersecret panel of government scientists/military leaders known as Majestic-12 (see: http://www.majesticdocuments.com ):

"Any encounter with entities known to be of extraterrestrial origin is to be considered a matter of national security and therefore classified TOP SECRET. Under no circumstances is the general public or the public press to learn of the existence of these entities. The official government policy is that such creatures do not exist, and that no agency of the government is now engaged in any study of extraterrestrials or their artifacts. Any deviation from this stated policy is absolutely forbidden."

Some observers of this episode in the perennial politics of UFOlogy point out that, at the very time of Ryan's e-transmission of the one-paragraph excerpt, several of the Internet's key servers were undergoing major attack from hackers. But the question remains: why didn't this attack interfere with the more mundane e-mail being exchanged between him and Cassidy?

On a broader scale, some of these same observers may view Project Camelot's exploration of the controversial revelations from "Project Serpo" ( http://serpo.org ) as being, in part, a massive exercise in UFOlogical culture-jamming -- perpetrated by either bona fide whistleblowers or by government disinformation specialists (or via a joint mission of both parties?).

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Larry W. Bryant's latest entry into governmental culture-jamming consists of his e-book "The Bu$ch-Cheezey Impeachment Chronicles," which is being serialized upon the web site of http://www.bushbusiness.com/Bryant_OP.htm .

(From the May 2006 issue of UFO Magazine)

By Larry W. Bryant

"Once a writer is born into a family, that family is doomed." -- Lithuanian poet Czeslaw Milosz (as quoted in David Bouchier's introduction to his book "Writer at Work: Reflections on the Art and Business of Writing")

Of course, we can apply Milosz's hyperbole to the fate of UFO researchers' families -- for writers and UFOlogists do indeed have much in common: they all collect, analyze, digest, and disseminate data; in the process, some become more creative, proficient, and successful than others, but they all crave, and can benefit from, encouragement and cooperation (especially when bestowed by their family members).

Ahhh, encouragement: the backbone of a writer/researcher's will to stay afloat in a roiling sea populated with large and small monsters bent on thwarting our goals. You know the drill: it includes forms of DIScouragement, from tacit ridicule of our efforts to passive/active resistance to them. How can we not only survive but also thrive amidst such a challenge to one's sanity? I grapple with that question more often than I'd like to admit.

Though we may never achieve enough satisfactory answers, let me offer one here. It derives from one of the "servings" in the best-selling series of books called "Chicken Soup for the Soul." In this case, I refer to the one titled "Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul: Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Writers" (published in 2000 by Health Communications, Inc., of Deerfield, Fla.). Since the world has yet to acquire a comparable anthology of inspiration and encouragement aimed precisely at UFOlogists (would YOU like to help compile it?), we'd do well to begin with the one aimed at writers. For example, in reading and re-reading chapter 4 ("Finding Your Voice"), I've gained much comfort from its two-page "Counsel from a Veteran of the Writing Wars" (Irving Wallace) -- e.g., his concluding remark: "The world around you is different from the world Shakespeare wrote about -- your world today has trod on the moon, by God. For every new writer [and for every new UFO researcher -- LWB], every new year remains unexplored until he or she explores it."

If there be a cultural divide called the "UFO Wars" (a subset, perhaps, of today's "infowar" waged by the military-industrial complex?), then, by all means, treat my essay here as a call to arms. Arm yourself with one weapon at a time as you explore and write about current UFOlogical affairs. From here in the trenches, I suggest that your primary weapon consist of the Power of Focus. As with the writing profession, it takes lots of time and effort to develop and hone that power, but it does get stronger and more effective as you exercise it. I recommend that every new UFOlogist apply the Power of Focus in this manner: select a local UFO encounter that ignites and perpetuates your passion for investigation and research, one that would serve you were you asked, "What one case of your personal involvement convinces you that the UFO issue merits serious, sustained attention by scientists, forensic researchers, journalists, and academicians?"

My own answer to that question centers on a case study dating back to the twilight hours of Monday, Oct. 19, 1959. On that date, two teen-aged boys had ventured out into an old bombing range in Poquoson, Va., near Langley Air Force Base. There, armed with 12-gauge shotguns, they witnessed the arrival of a metallic disc about the size of a Volkswagon. The 15-year-old, Mark Muza, proceeded to fire upon the aerial visitor as it descended in a hovering mode. He heard the shot ricochet off the craft. Two more shots later, the visitor apparently decided it had had enough of this "welcome" and proceeded to zoom straight up and out of sight. Twenty-four years later, in an interview with a reporter from a Norfolk newspaper, Muza, then a detective with the Newport News police force, recounted his feelings about the event, adding that he remembers the frightening encounter "as if it happened yesterday."

For some in-depth discussion of the Muza case, I refer you to two sources:

(1) A 2000 monograph in researcher Loren E. Gross's seminal series of The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse -- UFOs: A History (Year 1959 -- October-December), wherein he devotes pages 11--18 to the case (including a discussion of the USAF Project Blue Book's unsupported conclusion that the two witnesses had fabricated the event);

(2) My own retrospective review as posted upon the Internet, circa Jan 6, 2001 (e.g., via http://www.niburu.nl/index.php?showarticle.php?articleID=1707 ), under the title "The UFO Attack of Oct. 19, 1959: Echoes of the Shot UNheard 'round the World."

In retrospect, I wish I'd kept a better focus on the passage of time-and-place as to the fate of the case's two principals -- Muza and his neighbor down-the-street Harold Moore, Jr. No-one seems to know the latter's current status [LWB 2008 note: since this publication, I've located Moore, who's granted me an interview]. As for Muza, I'd wanted to re-interview him for my update piece cited above, but I soon learned that, according to his nephew, he had died in the late 1990's. Unseasoned UFOlogists can learn from my lapse: strive to keep up to date on the comings and goings of the principals in your pet case. Wouldn't you just hate being a victim of such missed opportunities in this dynamic field of inquiry? It's akin to a writer's lament over a colleague's phenomenal success with a book recounting, say, her career as a dental-assistant-cum-concubine . . . "Wow, I could've written that one, darn it!"

Now that time and toil have taken their toll on most of my family members, and now that my No. 1 cheerleader happens still to be my daughter, I have little anxiety or frustration in my dual role as writer-UFOlogist. From now on, Mr. Milosz, my family shall remain undoomed by that role.

Meantime, some readers might wish to honor me by visualizing this essay as my Introduction to the yet-to-be-written book "Chicken Soup for the UFO Researcher's Soul."

(Published as an appendix to the 2005 edition of "UFO Politics at the White House: Citizens Rally 'round Jimmy Carter's Promise" -- http://www.galdepress.com )

By Larry W. Bryant

If you can judge by the various letters written to him by citizens
during his terms in office, President Harry S. Truman truly was "The
People's President." And nowhere is this judgment more apropos than
when you consider the letters sent his way by persons convinced that
the subject of "flying saucers" deserved his direct, serious attention.

The collected letters -- or at least that portion that somehow escaped
referral to the Department of Defense for reply -- now reside at the
Truman Library in Independence, Mo. There, they share the shelves with
such missives as (1) citizens' requests that Truman lift the embargo on
arms shipments to Palestine; (2) a women's group's telegram seeking a
personal interview with Truman to discuss the status of proposed
legislation aimed at setting up a U.S. Customs Border Patrol so as to
improve the enforcement of anti-smuggling laws in relation to narcotics;
and (3) parents' pleas that their sons be released from military prison
so they can rejoin their families.

Amidst that potpourri of issues and concerns major and minor to a
president who united the nation during wartime transition, what's so
special about the correspondence on things that go swish in the night?
For one thing, Truman might have been the only president ever to have
received a formal briefing on the "UFO problem" from Air Force
intelligence experts -- if you can accept that revelation as voiced in
a l956 book by former USAF "Project Blue Book" chief Edward J. Ruppelt.
For another thing, Truman resided in the White House during the famous
UFO-sighting "flap" near Washington, D.C., back in 1952. Third, it was
Truman who was instrumental in establishing the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency, which to this day insists on denying public access
to some 57 of the UFO-related documents that surfaced some years ago
via litigation under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

Then there are the letters themselves -- a cross-section of views,
concerns, suggestions, and explanations about a problem so touchy (and
sometimes zany) that only a few citizens dared confide in their
president. Lucky for them (and him), in retrospect, that this man
Truman was so attuned to the American psyche that he was able to weather the
growth of UFO interest with just the right mix of detachment and
solicitude. (Maybe his approach has served ever since as the model for
presidential response to the UFO problem.)

Although most of the letters wound up being referred to the Defense
Department (Air Force) for direct reply to the writer, a few did remain
in the White House files. Apparently, each of them underwent indexing
upon arrival -- under the writer's name, address, and date. A White
House staffer synopsized each letter in a cross-reference log. Here
are some excerpts quoted from the log; for most entries, I've added a
commentary from my perspective as an historian of the "politics of
UFOlogy":

Pioneers Petition the President

Kenneth Arnold of Boise, Idaho (4/6/48): In a telegram, the man whose
UFO encounter of June 24, 1947, sparked the coinage of "flying saucers"
as a household word had this advice for Truman: "Your Honor, I
understand there is enough evidence on hand by our intelligence and the
people of your great country to announce that flying disks, flying
saucers and other reported strange missiles that are being seen by
reliable people throughout the world daily are aircraft from outer
space. You know we are not making or flying these aircraft and the
United States is the most scientific nation on earth. Why should not
America be at least the first to announce this great discovery?"

Although the White House never acknowledged the telegram, Arnold felt
obliged to communicate once more: on Dec. 13, 1951, he sent a copy of
his booklet "The Flying Saucer as I Saw It." At the time of the
telegram, he was 31 years old. He died in January 1984 -- never to see
the resolution of a public issue that rages on throughout the world.

* * *

Meade Layne of San Diego, Calif. (4/7/50): Writing as the founding
director of Borderland Sciences Research Associates, this True Believer
in extraterrestrialism announces: "It is our earnest hope that, as a
matter of public interest and policy, you will find time to examine the
enclosed booklet. It is not necessary to point out to your Excellency
that an extremely difficult situation may develop at any hour, in
connection with the phenomena referred to in this booklet.

"Allow us to assure you that we serve no selfish interests in this
matter, and stand ready to comply with any request for information or
service which may be in our power to give."

The 38-page booklet, which remains part of the Truman papers, is titled
"Flying Discs -- The Ether Ship Mystery and Its Solution." This
hodgepodge of metaphysical discussion and interpretation on the
origin, purpose, and scope of the reported flying saucers ended up being
referred to the National Academy of Sciences. On May 1, 1950, the
Academy's executive secretary wrote back to Truman's secretary, stating
that Layne's organization apparently deals with phenomena outside the
field of the Academy, and suggesting that if Layne's communication "is
to be given serious consideration it be referred to some philosophical
organization." With that, Truman's secretary, then William D. Hassett,
sent this reply to Layne: "Your interest in making available to him
[Truman] the enclosures which accompanied your letter is very much
appreciated and you may be sure they will be given careful attention."

* * *

Leon Davidson of Arlington, Va. (9/7/52): This tenacious,
indefatigable prober-polemicist requested, as described by the
correspondence log, "a list of the official statements or press
releases made by the President, or the White House, on the subject of Flying
Saucers since 1947. States if the statements are long, a mere
reference to the date of issue would be sufficient." In later years, Davidson
won fame for his persistence in prying loose from the Air Force a copy of
its Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14, which he reprinted for
wider distribution in a never-ending campaign to prove that most of the
"saucers" were man-made, experimental devices. His persistence in
going after CIA UFO documentation gave that agency heartburn long before its
current headaches over the power of the Freedom of Information Act.

* * *

Robert Spencer Carr of Clearwater, Fla. (7/31/52): From the log:
"Writer encloses miscellaneous material relative to 'flying saucers' --
suggestions for contact. Respectfully referred to the Department of
the Air Force for appropriate handling."

It was Carr who, back in the early seventies, traveled the lecture
circuit and radio talk-show route in a short-lived effort to convince
the public that the government has all the information it needs about
the saucers -- based on the USAF retrieval of crash-landed discs and
some of their crew members. That contention thrives in some
UFO-research circles today, of course.

The Roots of Official UFO Secrecy

Carr's fixation with retrieved saucers might have got its impetus from
the notorious 1950 book by Hollywood columnist Frank Scully, "Behind
the Flying Saucers," which was cited by a man in New Orleans (11/19/51).
From the log: "Requests President's comment re this. Threatens to
publicize his letter if he does not receive an answer. Critical of the
Pentagon. (consideration and appropriate handling.)"

* * *

Then there's a fellow from Cleveland (8/9/52): "The writer relates a
personal experience which happened in October, 1947, near Reno, Nevada,
at which time he saw a formation of shining globular objects from which
something, perhaps a parachutist, catapulted to the earth. He
disapproves the theory of interterrestial [sic] bodies and advances his
theory that the source of these objects is Eurasia and suggests that
they are being used as a means of enemy infiltration. Whatever the
source, the writer feels that as full a disclosure as possible should
be made by official Washington since these saucers may present a serious
military threat about which the American public deserves to know."

* * *

Someone (gender unknown) from Waurika, Okla. (8/26/52), enclosed
clippings: "One article [was] by a Navy officer who said he knew the
location of a saucer but was not permitted to tell where it is as the
United States and Mexico hid it. Also refers to article about a man in
Florida who claims his hair was singed by a flying saucer. Would like
an explanation regarding these articles."

* * *

A man from Chicago (10/29/52) "refers to the Air Force report re flying
saucers as well as article by Robert S. Allen on this subject dated
Sept. 26. States he does not believe that such matters should have to
be investigated by private citizens. He hopes the secrecy of the Air
Force will be lifted, etc."

* * *

From Dinuba, Calif. (7/30/52), a man "urges that the Air Force inform
the public as to the results of the investigation."

* * *

Then, a woman from Tucson (7/28/52) "opposes the secrecy in re to the
Flying Saucers. Believes the public should be given a complete
report."

* * *

Finally, from Baltimore (9/13/50): a man "refers to article entitled
'Flying Saucers' appearing in the October 1950 issue of Pageant
Magazine, and feels the American people should be told the truth about
the saucer reports. He asks if a cover-up attempt is being made on the
part of the Air Force and Department of Defense."

Echoes of "The Roswell Incident"

One White House file-record sheet identifies letters from eight
separate persons -- all written during the time frame July 5 -- 9, 1947, which
coincides with the reported crash-landing of a disc(s) near Roswell,
N.M. (as recounted in the 1980 book "The Roswell Incident," by William
L. Moore -- Grosset & Dunlap, New York; and thereafter in several other
Roswell-focused books/articles/docudramas). Each of these letters was
"respectfully referred to the War Department for consideration."

To Kill or Not to Kill

A woman (with others not named) from Los Angeles (7/29/52) requests
"that the Air Force not fire on the 'flying saucers,' as they have not
attempted any harm upon any persons or properties."

* * *

Likewise, another woman, from Ocean Park, Calif. (8/1/52), "opposes the
recent order from the War Department to fire upon the 'flying saucers.'
Gives her views re the 'saucers' and offers suggestions re same."

* * *

From Albany, Ga. (7/28/52), a man "urges the Air Force to refrain from
attacking the so-called 'flying saucers.'"

* * *

In her letter from Hollywood, Calif. (7/29/52), a woman "comments on
reports of the so-called Flying Saucers and suggests they may contain
highly intelligent humans and that an effort should be made to contact
them in a friendly manner."

* * *

Echoing that sentiment was a man from Indio, Calif. (7/30/52):
"Referring to the report that our armed planes have been ordered to
shoot down a flying saucer for investigation, the writer suggests that
we had better cultivate the friendship of the space visitors and
perhaps save ourselves from annihilation. Says that a friendly gesture would
be supplied if the President were to issue a proclamation ordering our
military and all private citizens to welcome space visitors and treat
them with the utmost consideration should they choose to land among
us."

* * *

For his part, an irate New Yorker (7/29/52) "requests by what
authority,orders to shoot down the so-called 'flying saucers' were given --
states that the makers and operators of these devices are vastly more powerful
than the United States -- such orders would be equivalent to a
declaration of war. Requests and urges President to immediately
countermand these orders. States further, that unless he is informed
promptly, that such orders have been countermanded, his letter will be
given to the Press."

* * *

A telegram from a man in Glen Ellyn, Ill. (7/29/52), "suggests that no
offensive action be taken against the objects reported as unidentified,
which have been sighted over the nation -- (Flying Saucers) --
offensive action might result in grave consequences -- alieniating [sic] US from
beings of far superior powers -- suggests friendly contacts."

* * *

But then we have the sentiments of a resident in The Green Killaloe, Co
Clare, Eire, Ireland (6/22/52): "Writer states she read about Flying
Saucers seen over New York. 'Don't be too easy with them, bring them
down, show no mercy.' Comments that to make airplanes noiseless, cover
their engines with felt and rubber."

Miscellany

The draft of this report contains too much material to include with
this printing. Sections omitted here are titled "Inventors Invite
Investigation" (several letters proposing this or that means for
duplicating saucers' construction/propulsion); "UFO Curios" (referring
to some 3-dimensional items sent to Truman); "The Theory File" (letters
showing the wide range of citizens' theories on the origin/purpose of
the saucers); "Words of Wisdom from the Children" (letters that show
the sincerity -- and intensity -- of society's younger seekers of UFO
knowledge).

Wanted: UFO Pen Pals

A male graduate student in journalism at the University of California
(Los Angeles) (4/5/50) wrote this inquiry to Truman's secretary,
Charles G. Ross:

"I am currently engaged in research for a graduate dissertation which
will attempt to analyze the sociological and psychological implications
of the flying saucer phenomenon.

"In the light of the forceful radio commentary by Henry J. Taylor and
the article which appeared in the 'United States News and World
Report,' both of which declared or implied the saucers are aircraft of unusual
design developed in the United States, I was interested to learn the
reactions of Mr. Truman to the reports.

"I understand that the Navy and the Air Force have issued qualified
denials to the reports. Does the White House feel such reports are
baseless?

"I wish to thank you in advance for your interest and help. You may be
assured that I will appreciate any information you may be able to give me."

Ross's reply of April 11th contains what turns out to be form-letter
phraseology from the Truman White House: "The president has expressed
no opinions concerning these reports other than that he has no information
of any kind about flying saucers."

And So It Goes . . .

Many of these UFO-oriented letters, of course, have something in common
with the hundreds of other letters sent to any given president: the
naive expectation that somehow the president himself not only will read
them but also will respond to them. That form of faith in the
paternalistic, omnipotent majesty of the Oval Office has carried over,
for example, from the Truman days to the Jimmy Carter era of UFO
awareness. Incidentally, the content of the Truman letters is echoed
by the scores of UFO-related letters received by the Carter
administration. Would Carter's staff have received far fewer such
letters had Truman chosen to read his UFO-related correspondence and
thus decided to transfer official UFO investigation from military hands
to civilian control -- in an aim reflective of his move to assure
civilian control of nuclear weapons?

(Originally published in -- and copyrighted by -- the June 2004 issue of the monthly newsstand magazine FATE ( http://www.fatemag.com ))

By Larry W. Bryant

"Beyond UFO Secrecy: The Story of 'The Black Vault's' Pursuit of the Truth," by John Greenewald, Jr. (Northridge, Calif.; 2002, softcover, 252 pages) [Now available in an expanded edition from Galde Press, Inc. -- http://www.galdepress.com .)


When in the course of cosmic events a new generation of researchers descends upon the UFOlogy scene, it's time for old-timers like me to take formal notice, and to pass along at least part of the baton.

Not a difficult task in the case of California's John Greenewald, Jr., who reached his 23rd birthday during the inaugural X-Conference on the weekend of April 17--18, 2004, near Washington, D. C.

His presence there amidst mostly seasoned researchers, scholars, and UFOtruth-seekers added both some intellectual fresh air and a challenge for me to actually read his book Beyond UFO Secrecy. Had all attenders at this UFO-disclosure conference been given a copy of Greenewald's UFOIA (UFO Freedom of Information and Accountability) handbook upon their registration, they would've brought home a timeless road map to conferring and networking -- as well as to furthering the cause (aka CAUS) of ending the government cover-up of the UFO experience.

So, in preparation for next year's event (X-Con II?), I'm offering this review as a primer for all researchers who've yet to adopt the book as their UFOIA field guide.

Greenewald focuses this self-published tome on his exploits as the founding director -- circa 1996, at age 15 -- of an Internet web site aptly called "The Black Vault" (http://www.blackvault.com). He sprinkles (and comments upon) selected Freedom-of-Information-Act-acquired documents throughout the work to illustrate the endless stream of official UFOana awaiting the uninitiated reader. Once bathed in this teasing light of initiation, the reader cannot but beg for more (have you a sequel in the works, John?).

The preponderance of that info-stream lies in the computer-scanned gigabytes of agency UFOlit archived upon blackvault.com -- some of it remaining truncated, to this day, by agency censors. In my own (overgrown) library of UFOlit, this volume sits right up there with several titles (e.g., "Clear Intent" -- 1984) that help answer the question "What would the government know about UFO reality were it to read its own UFO-related documents?"

Right from his Introduction, the author sets the tone and scope for this instant classic in the annals of anti-UFO-secrecy literature: "As you can see from the table of contents, the book is laid out in two parts. The first part is how The Black Vault came to be. The second part is the research itself. Laid out by the agency, and is in the order of relevance for proving the massive cover-up."

A key stimulant for the Black Vault project occurred on Sept. 19, 1976 (five years before Greenewald's birth) -- in, of all places, Iran. It consists of a FOIA-acquired UFO-sighting report from the U. S. Defense Intelligence Agency, detailing how two Iranian air force jet interceptors were outwitted by a huge UFO in the nighttime skies of Tehran. Greenewald proceeds in Chapter 7 to chronicle the history and aftermath of that seminal, though slightly censored, report.

For me, the most intriguing part of Beyond UFO Secrecy lies in Chapter 10 ("It [the government's UFO-investigation program] Never Stopped"), especially the following passage quoted from the May 14, 2002, edition of USAF Manual 10-206; its Chapter 5 ("Communications Instructions [for] Reporting Vital Intelligence Sightings (CIRVIS)") amplifies/localizes the UFO-encounter reporting requirements/format published in the sporadically revised Army-Navy-Air Publication No. 146 (bearing the same title):

"5.7.4. Make every effort to document sightings with as many photographs as possible. Send undeveloped film or prints and negatives, with a brief written report and other identifying information, to the Director of Naval Intelligence, Department of the Navy, Washington, DC 20305. The Department of the Navy will process the film and return one copy of each print and a roll of new film to the individual."

Well, how about it, Mr. Greenewald: let's make sure someone's regularly FOIA-seeking some of those CIRVIS-generated photos from the Navy's own Deep-Black Vault of UFOlore!

The author's eight-year-long quest for UFOtruth -- and for public acceptance of his labors -- has come at some intellectual expense, as he candidly points out in Chapter 2 ("The Growth and Troubles Ahead"):

"My priorities, my passion and my life have always been in the archive I was building. It was number one in my life; letting other, probably more important things, slide to number two.

"I was a kid with a hobby, and I did not want to let it go. School should have been my number one priority, but instead I found it much more interesting to uncover a government secret than learn the formulas of geometry."

As long-time FATE readers know, the original "UFO mystery" of the fifties has evolved into the political "UFO problem" of the 21st century. Accordingly, Greenewald's paperback companion to, and snapshot of, the Black Vault rightfully takes its place beside another classic -- journalist Mort Young's 1967 tome "UFO: Top Secret."

In the course of his UFOlogical research, Young somehow had gained access to some files generated by the old USAF Project Blue Book (not a mean feat back in the mid-sixties). Of course, he realized, as does Greenewald today, that those files represent only the tip of the official UFOiceberg -- as epitomized by his closing observation: "Because all UFO material is supposedly available to the public, the field of inquiry is open to every citizen of the United States. Yet when the government is contacted and asked about UFO's, the knowledge gained is not about UFO's, but about how the government really operates day to day."

Thus has Greenewald come full circle to Young's "Catch-22"-ish conclusion. (He even provides an appendix listing various federal agencies' FOIA points-of-contact for those who would dare follow in his FOIA-warrior footsteps.) His youthful journey may not match the polished prose of veteran reporter Young, but his continuing passion, stamina, and vision will help us all look into and "Beyond UFO Secrecy" (and any of its sequels) for answers too long denied us by the keepers of the Ultimate Secret.

(Originally published in -- and copyrighted by -- the October 2004 issue of the monthly newsstand magazine FATE ( http://fatemag.com )

By Larry W. Bryant

"The Roswell Dig Diaries (A SciFi Channel Book) --
SciFi DECLASSIFIED," edited by Mike McAvennie
(Pocket Books (New York); 2004,
Trade Paperback, 264 pages)

When the news broke that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson recently had
authored the foreword to this classic of Roswell-ana (in which he asserts
the desirability -- nay, the need -- for reopening a formal, in-depth
investigation of the Roswell Incident (R.I.) of July 1947), I
instinctively recalled a prescient moment of commentary in post-R.I.
time.

It occurred a few years ago in St. Louis, on the weekend of a special
UFO-reality "disclosure conference" at which several seasoned UFO
researchers had gathered to hold forth on their latest projects/findings.

For my part, I'd joined Stanton T. Friedman and Richard Dolan as special
guests of radio talkmeister George Noory in a live broadcast from the
local AM station, KTRS. At one point in the discussion, I turned to the
ever-avuncular Stan and referred to the R.I. case as "the dead horse that
never dies." His wry chuckle revealed a hint, as if to say, "There's
more to come of Roswell, fella!"

And, indeed, if you can judge from this liberally illustrated chronicle
of the archeological "testing" conducted near Roswell, N. M., during a
1-month period by experts from the University of New Mexico at the behest
of cable TV's SciFi Channel, then Stan's tacit promise of "more to come"
has been far from empty. The tie-in brainchild of a documentary series
called "SciFi DECLASSIFIED," The Roswell Dig Diaries rounds out my
collection of several books, videotapes, and numerous articles about R.I.
events, controversies, and personalities -- an instant collector's item
as well as a launch pad for further research.

In particular, I find the book's Introduction ("Digging up the Truth" --
by Roswellian researchers Thomas J. Carey and Donald R. Schmitt) to be
especially useful -- to both the R.I. aficionado and the tyro amongst us
-- as an insightful tone-setter and field guide for the detail-laden
content to follow. In Carey-Schmitt's words: "[The UNM archeologists et
al.] agreed that the dig should be undertaken, given its historical
import to the state of New Mexico as well as its potential payoff -- the
definitive answer to one of the great mysteries of all time, and the
possibility of proof that we are not alone in the universe."

Also especially useful for any reader trying to gain (and retain) an
overall picture of the what/why/where/when/who/how aspects of the Roswell
story and its ongoing aftermath will be the post-Intro section called
"The Story So Far . . . a Time Line" -- which occupies the next 17 pages
of the book.

Then ensues a chronology from the SciFi DECLASSIFIED staff, tracing the
dig project's progress from its inception in the spring of 2002 to its
conclusion that fall. For me, the most interesting part of this section
consists of background correspondence (including various
behind-the-scenes e-mail messages) from the project's planners,
executors, and documentalists. Along the way, the chronology highlights
relevant official UNM documentation and key federal paperwork generated
during the planning/execution stages. (Some of this material, by the
way, remains quite familiar to me, since I'd acquired it via
freedom-of-information requests sent to UNM records officials and to
their counterparts at the U. S. Bureau of Land Management (which has
oversight authority on anything occurring at the reputed UFO-crash debris
field on what used to be called the Foster Ranch, in Lincoln County).)

Those who revel in vicariously reliving historical events -- and the R.I.
scratching-around certainly will add to New Mexico's history -- will find
especially appealing the series of first-person accounts that spawned the
book's very title: the dig's selected participants' diaries. Here's an
excerpt from volunteer Chuck Zukowski's notes:

"Today starts as usual -- in front of Wal-Mart by 6:30 a.m. This time,
however, the SciFi crew stays in town to tape interviews. After a cup of
Joe and gas for the vehicles, we make pretty good time getting to the
dig; Dr. Bill [Doleman, UNM-based project chief] likes to drive fast."

Even for the most casual reader, the R.I. dig saga offers other levels of
interest, such as --

-- The reported results of a SciFi-commissioned Roper national poll
conducted in August 2002 to ascertain "Americans' Beliefs and Personal
Experiences" as regards "UFOs and Extraterrestrial Life." The percentage
of those "who believe government does not tell everything it knows about
UFOs" came in at 72.

-- The SciFi Channel's commissioning of a public-service initiative to
use the U. S. Freedom of Information Act for ferreting out suppressed UFO
data from such USAF operations as Project Moon Dust and Operation Blue
Fly. Included in the initiative was a high-profile statement of the case
against official UFO secrecy, delivered at the National Press Club in
Washington on Oct. 22, 2002, by Pres. Clinton's former White House chief
of staff, John Podesta.

-- The TV-broadcast milestone of the Nov. 22, 2002, SciFi Channel's
"original special," titled "The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence"
(as based on the R.I. dig project).

-- Dr. Doleman's "Final Report" on the R.I. "archeological testing"
project, as submitted, in July 2003, to the SciFi Channel. For some (as
yet-to-be explained) reason, BLM FOIA officials have yet to send me a
copy of the report in response to my months-old request for it.

Of course, for me the most compelling level of neo-R.I. interest happens
to be that anti-secrecy initiative supported by Podesta with input from
his brother's public-relations firm in Washington. In that regard, I've
taken a cue from Gov. Richardson's comment quoted on page 169: "I don't
think the U. S. government has fully disclosed everything they know
[about the Roswell Incident]."

Indeed, governor -- and that's why, on Aug. 18, 2004, I sent to you an
"open letter" reminding you of New Mexico's constitutional provision for
the empaneling of a state grand jury upon a given county district court's
receipt of the requisite several hundred citizens' signatures on a
petition calling for that empanelment. In the case of Roswell, this
specially empaneled grand jury in Chaves (or Lincoln) County would
exercise its investigatory-and-reporting function as a sort of Truth
Commission focusing on various R.I.-related questions (not the least of
which would be: "What harm has come to any New Mexico citizen via any
acts of commission and/or omission on the part of any official associated
with the crash-retrieval operation?").

As the SciFi Channel continues to promote every tie-in, spin-off, and
rehash available from its initial $25k investment in the Roswell Dig,
how can we not conclude that the dead horse of Roswell remains no mere
gelding?