Ufology

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Ufology (derived from UFO , abbreviation for unidentified flight object , and Greek λόγος logos , "teaching") is, depending on your point of view, a proto or pseudoscience that deals with the investigation and study of UFO sightings and dealing with related phenomena. Ufology is not a recognized academic science and is largely operated by private organizations (often founded by scientists) and individual researchers. Ufology is particularly well represented in the USA ; in Germany there has been a relatively limited number of ufology since the late 1970s.

From the beginning, scientifically oriented ufology has distinguished itself from sightings that cannot be adequately verified or that have not been documented by competent observers and technical observation instruments, and so in particular from reports and theories that can be found in the area of ufo belief , i. H. have mythological or religious or pseudo-religious aspects. Exceptions are those UFO research work that explicitly deals with the question of whether traditional mythological or religious documents contain representations that - taking into account the inadequate understanding and language options at the time - could remind one of modern UFO sightings ( pre-astronautics ).

history

Search for a “ghost rocket” in Lake Kölmjärv, 1946, Sweden

As early as World War II , American military pilots saw UFOs, which they called " foo fighters " or "herb fireballs". According to the reports, these balls of light are said to have circled and accompanied the fighter pilots, which is why they were sometimes mistaken for observation missiles of the enemy. After the Second World War it was the so-called " ghost rockets " in Sweden and finally the sighting of the American pilot Kenneth Arnold of " flying saucers " in 1947 that drew public interest to the UFO phenomenon.

The history of ufology begins with the attempts to clear up these sightings . At first it was mainly the military that investigated. The US military feared secret aircraft from the USSR behind the sightings - possibly based on captured German technology. So it was very interested in research.

In the early 1950s, however, the US military changed its strategy - at least in public - UFOs were now downplayed and ridiculed, also with the help of the secret services . One reason is the fear of hysteria and panic among the population. The US secret services suspect that this could be used by the Soviet Union for psychological warfare. The media also had to keep sightings of the secret US spy plane Lockheed U-2 . Another reason was that the responsible authorities did not have a clear answer to the phenomenon - questions about it were therefore undesirable. At the latest with the Condon Report , UFOs were branded as "crazy" in the public perception. Officially, the US has not dealt with the subject of UFOs since then.

This also applies to most other countries in the world. To date, it is primarily various private groups and researchers who are active in the field of ufology. An exception is France, which with GEIPAN (formerly GEPAN, SEPRA; see below ) has been maintaining an official agency for UFO investigations since 1977. Various states have continued to secretly collect UFO reports against the backdrop of the Cold War , despite official denials . These files are partially released today (see Released government files ).

Ufology is not particularly well represented in Germany. There are some private organizations that deal with the topic, the number of members of all organizations together (according to their own information) is a few hundred. There is officially no state research or a competent authority for the investigation of UFO reports in Germany.

In Siberia, shamans of the indigenous Hezhen and Ultschen have taken up the ideas of ufology, among other things, as a reaction to the forced Russification by the Soviet Union: Since then they have been claiming to carry out their ecstatic “journeys to the hereafter” with flying saucers.

background

Ufology describes a field of activity - the term says nothing about the beliefs of a person who calls himself a ufologist. There are several currents and explanatory models within ufology. Various ufologists also take the view that all UFOs can be cleared up conventionally .

In addition to the pure preoccupation with UFO sightings, phenomena that are supposedly related to UFO sightings are also included in the field of ufology, such as crop circles , so-called cattle mutilation or reports of kidnapping by aliens .

Serious ufology requires interdisciplinary expertise and approaches: So the will for the identification of objects knowledge of astronomy , meteorology , air and space needed for the analysis of traces and physical interactions with the environment knowledge of physics , chemistry and biology , for the evaluation of Testimony Expertise in perceptual psychology and neurology . The evaluation of indirect documents may require a. Knowledge of image analysis and radar technology . Serious, comprehensive ufology can therefore hardly be carried out by individual researchers, but only by organizations that have the appropriate resources.

Since there is no academic training that includes a degree as a "ufologist", the term is not associated with fixed scientific standards. There are only guidelines suggested by individual researchers that should be followed within Ufology for examinations and studies in order to meet the demands of scientific research.

So recommends z. B. Peter A. Sturrock for studies in the field of ufology at least the following points:

  1. On-site investigations leading to case descriptions and the measurement or collection of physical evidence
  2. Laboratory examinations of physical traces
  3. Systematic collection of data ( descriptive and physical) to identify patterns and significant facts
  4. The analysis of the data collected (descriptive and physical) to identify patterns and significant facts
  5. Developing theories and verifying those theories on the basis of the facts

More serious ufologists usually assign themselves to the border sciences , but regard groups of other ufologists as dubious and count their activities among the parasciences or pseudosciences . Some UFO researchers therefore reject the term “ufology” entirely and argue that there is no ufology in the true sense of the word.

The traditional scientific community generally rejects ufology as frivolous. Apart from individual researchers, they do not deal with topics from the field of ufology. In the media, too, ufology is mostly portrayed as dubious, ridiculous and pseudoscientific - this is also reflected in public opinion .

Studies, inquiries and conferences

Project Sign, Project Grudge (US, 1947-1949)

The first official investigations on UFOs by the US Air Force were Project Sign (1947-1949) and its successor Project Grudge (1949). Several hundred incidents were investigated. Most of them could be cleared up conventionally. However, some credible incidents remained unexplained. However, the information was not sufficient to confirm or exclude unknown aircraft as an explanation of such sightings.

For ufology it is particularly interesting that various internal reports and memos - contrary to the official final report - speak of UFOs as real, unknown, flying objects. The Twining Memo and the Schulgen Memo are worth mentioning .

→ Project Sign can be accessed online, see under web links / documents .

'Flying Saucer' Working Party (GB, 1950–1951)

The Flying Saucer Working Party is the UK Government's first investigation into the phenomenon . Alarmed by the increasing number of UFO reports, the English Ministry of Defense set up the 'Flying Saucer' working group to investigate them. The working group consisted of personnel from the secret services, the Ministry of Aviation, the Admiralty and the Ministry of Defense. The work involved analyzing a few hundred UFO reports.

In the final report from June 1951 with the title "Unidentified Flying Objects: Report by the 'Flying Saucer' Working Party" the authors write that the data situation makes it impossible to scientifically confirm or refute extraterrestrial aircraft as the cause. However, it is possible to explain most of the sightings conventionally. The authors further noted that no progress in research is to be expected unless much greater research effort is made.

→ The "Report by the 'Flying Saucer' Working Party" can be accessed online, see under web links / documents .

Project Blue Book (USA, 1951-1969)

As the successor to Project Sign and Project Grudge, Project Blue Book was launched in 1951 under the direction of Edward J. Ruppelt . Project Blue Book was under the US Air Force and had two main goals:

  1. to clarify whether UFOs are a national security threat, and
  2. the scientific analysis of UFO incidents.

Project Blue Book was discontinued on December 17, 1969 following the report of the Condon Committee (see below). By then, 12,618 incidents had been investigated; most of them could be explained conventionally (clouds, planets, planes, etc.). However, 701 cases remained “unidentified”, which corresponds to 6%.

→ Project Blue Book can be accessed online, see under web links / documents .

Battelle Memorial Institute Report (US, 1952–1954)

Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus

The Battelle Memorial Institute Report (also known as Project Blue Book - Special Report No. 14 ) is the result of the collaboration between Project Blue Book and the Battelle Memorial Institute . The collaboration was initiated by the then head of Project Blue Book, Edward J. Ruppelt . from 1952 to 1954, 2,199 object sightings were categorized and analyzed by staff at the Battelle Memorial Institute. 434 objects were assigned to the “unknown” category - the origin or type of the object could not be identified. Contrary to expectations, the percentage of “unknown” objects increased with the reliability of the information about a sighting. In the highest quality category “excellent”, 33.3% remained inexplicable, compared to 12.2% in the worst.

Regardless of the statistical irregularities, the US Air Force saw the report as confirmation of its official assessment that UFOs can in principle be explained conventionally. Edward J. Ruppelt criticized this evaluation of the report in his book " The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects " published in 1956 and claims that the report was misused for political purposes without going into the contents.

Robertson Panel (USA, 1953)

In late 1953, the CIA joined the Air Force's UFO Commission. She formed a scientific body, called the Robertson Panel (also known as the Durant Report , the final report), which was supposed to deal with the UFO problem for several days. The task of the panel was to assess the threat to national security posed by the sightings of UFOs and to develop procedural recommendations with regard to the approach to UFOs. The committee came u. a. concluded that the general interest in UFOs should be reduced through a targeted PR campaign of "debunking" and vilification.

Condon Report (USA, 1969)

1966 to 1968 investigated the UFO phenomenon at the University of Colorado on the basis of a 500,000 dollar contract on behalf of the US Air Force as an independent research team under the direction of the quantum physicist Edward U. Condon . In the final report, Condon concluded:

Edward U. Condon
"In the past 21 years, UFO research has contributed nothing to our scientific knowledge ... Therefore, continuing UFO research can probably not be justified with the expectation that it will bring scientific advances" .

On this basis, the Air Force completed Project Blue Book in 1969 and found that

"After twenty-two years of investigation ... none of the disclosed and investigated unknown objects posed a threat to our national security."

However, the investigation ended in a minor scandal because of the publication of the so-called 'low memorandum' in the press. The memo from Robert Low, a Condon employee, described the plan to make the UFO investigation appear objective, but ultimately to arrive at a predetermined result.

Condon's summary was also somewhat inconsistent with the data contained in the report. The meteorologist Joachim Küttner wrote in 'Aeronautics and Astronautics': “One is happy to read the judgment of such an experienced man ... but one finds no support for it in the report” (A&A, Nov 1970, p. 49); D. Greenberg described the study as a "heavenly Bay of Pigs landing " (Science, vol. 162, Oct 25, 1968).

In 1972, J. Allen Hynek , who had been the astronomical advisor to Project Blue Book from 1947 to 1968, published the book "The UFO Experience - A Scientific Inquiry," in which he reached very different conclusions than Edward Condon pulled and sharply criticized the commission of inquiry. Hynek is still considered one of the leading figures in the UFOlogen scene. The atmospheric physicist James McDonald , who had also made a name for himself in UFO research , had already made similar criticism in a hearing of the US Congress.

Officially, after the Condon Report, the US government has not carried out any further investigations into the UFO phenomenon and has no further interest in the phenomenon.

→ The Condon Report can be accessed online; see under web links / documents .

Project Identification (USA, 1973-1980)

In 1973 Harley D. Rutledge, a physicist at the University of Missouri , tried to prove the existence or non-existence of the UFO phenomenon through a scientific field study . Several hundred helpers with mobile observation vehicles and technical equipment (including cameras, electromagnetic frequency analyzers, sound detectors, radar) observed an area near Piedmont (Missouri) , which was known for repeated UFO sightings. In a total of 427 hours of observation between 1973 and 1980, 157 objects were registered that could not be identified. According to Rutledge, this was evidence of the existence of the UFO phenomenon. Further scientific investigations are necessary and appropriate for conclusive statements.

Studies by GEPAN, SEPRA & GEIPAN (F, 1977 – today)

In 1977 the state-owned Groupe d'étude des phénomènes aérospatiaux non-identifiés (GEPAN - in German study group for unidentified aerospace phenomena ) was founded. This is (since 2005 under the name GEIPAN ) a subdivision of the French space administration CNES and has the task of collecting and analyzing UFO reports. In the first detailed report from 1978, which covers the years 1974 to 1978, GEPAN was unable to clear up 263 of the 678 cases examined. This corresponds to 38% (cases with insufficient data are not included).

The GEPAN was established in 1988 in Service d'expertise des phénomènes de rentrée atmérique (SEPRA, in German expert department for re-entry phenomena in the atmosphere ) and in 2005 in the current name Groupe d'Etudes et d'Information sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non identifiés (GEIPAN , in German study group for information on unidentified aerospace phenomena ) renamed.

In current statistics from 2007, the number of unidentified cases since the group was founded is 448 out of 1,600, which corresponds to 28%. Officially, GEIPAN does not favor a hypothesis to explain the UFO phenomenon, but tries to encourage the scientific community to conduct further research. Jean-Jacques Velasco, longtime head of SEPRA, published a book in 2004 in which he clearly advocates the extraterrestrial hypothesis.

UN panels (1977-79)

At the suggestion of the Prime Minister of Grenada , Eric Gairy , the United Nations General Assembly dealt with the issue in the late 1970s. On July 14, 1978, u. a. Gordon Cooper , Jacques Vallée and J. Allen Hynek the then UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim . As a result, Resolutions A / DEC / 32/424 and A / DEC / 33/426 were adopted, proposing that the member states establish a UN body to investigate UFOs and related phenomena. However, due to the lack of support from the member states, this did not take place and the investigations were referred to the national level.

Study of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (USSR, 1979)

UFOs have also been observed in the Soviet Union. In 1979 the Institute for Space Research of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in Moscow published a report entitled "Observations of Anomalous Atmospheric Phenomena in the USSR: Statistical Analysis" . It is emphasized that the work was drawn up on the recommendation of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR . The authors are the physicists LM Gindilis from the Sternberg Institute for Astronomy , DA Menkow from the Physics Institute for Engineering and IG Petrowskaja from the Institute for Space Research .

The report deals with 207 cases with 457 objects from the period 1957 to 1979. Only cases were selected that could not be explained. In the study, the sightings were evaluated statistically , e.g. B. shape of the object, physical interactions, number of witnesses, occupations of the witnesses, etc. The study concludes that the nature of the phenomenon remains a mystery. Further documentation and investigation of future cases is recommended.

Project Hessdalen / Project EMBLA

Since 1981, unidentified, flying, glowing objects have been observed frequently in an area near the Hessdalen mountain valley in Norway . This so-called Hessdalen phenomenon has already been the subject of scientific field studies twice: The project Project Hessdalen (1983–1985, as well as 1995 to today) was u. a. supported by the Norwegian Defense Research Association ( Forsvarets forskningsinstitutt ) and was operated as an automatic observation station by the Østfold University from 1995 . The EMBLA project (1999-2004) was carried out by an Italian team of scientists led by Massimo Teodorani, astrophysicist at the Institute for Radio Astronomy ( Istituto di Radioastronomia , IRA) in Florence , and Gloria Nobili, physicist at the University of Bologna .

Both studies confirmed the presence of the phenomenon and were able to record it with cameras as well as with various technical devices such as radar, laser or infrared. However, they were unable to clarify the nature or origin of the phenomenon. Project EMBLA researchers speculated about the possibility of atmospheric plasma as the origin of the phenomenon, as well as about extraterrestrial intelligence. In order to understand the phenomenon, the researchers point to the need for further research with far better resources than the previous studies.

→ Project Hessdalen / Project EMBLA can be accessed online, see under web links / documents .

Investigations by the Uruguayan Air Force (ROU, 1989-present)

The Uruguayan Air Force ( Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya ) has been collecting UFO reports systematically since 1989 and analyzing them in its own department. In 2009, the previously secret files were released. Around 2100 cases were analyzed by 2009. This includes military and civil reports as well as the analysis of physical traces. No conventional explanation could be found for 40 cases. The head of the department, Colonel Ariel Sánchez, stated on the release of the files (June 2009): “ The UFO phenomenon exists in this country. I must emphasize that the Air Force is also considering the extraterrestrial hypothesis based on our scientific analysis. "

Project Condign (UK, 1996-2000)

The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) published a report in 2006 entitled “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defense Region / Scientific & Technical Memorandum 55/2/00” (better known as Project Condign ). The report is from December 2000 and was previously top secret. The British reports of UFOs (the MoD used the term Unidentified Aerial Phenomena , UAP) in the period from 1959 to 1997 are dealt with. According to the summary preceding this report, the task of the investigation was a) to create a statistical overview, b) the Answer the question of any relevance for defense and c) determine the "atmospheric and terrestrial conditions" of the occurrence of UFOs wherever possible. Another task was to investigate all inexplicable plane crashes with regard to the possibility of their being caused by UFOs. Almost without exception, the investigation was based on the agency's own material in order to ensure an unbiased analysis. That is, media reports or publications by UFO researchers were not taken into account. The authors expressed that every detail, no matter how small, was relevant for an analysis and regretted that a detailed investigation of the UFO reports by the responsible authority (DI55) had not been carried out since 1967, so that the present one Analysis therefore had to be based exclusively on the UFO reports submitted.

Ministry of Defense, London

The report concluded that UFOs exist. While most UFO reports are largely based on confusion between natural and conventional phenomena (a table for the period from 1959 to 1967 names satellites, balloons, celestial bodies, meteorological matters, airplanes, miscellaneous), there is a proportion that cannot be explained in this way. A large space (para. 13-14) was devoted to the effects of the “close” presence of UFOs: burns of human skin or materials such as wood etc. as well as the temporary failure of car engines, radios, navigation instruments in aircraft etc. Both for these and for them Other bizarre observations related to UFOs, the report cited recent plasma research (ie, charged, ionized gas with unusual properties) as a possible way to explain it, but at the same time emphasized the immaturity of the plasma theory.

The report also says there was no evidence of any connection between any nation and the UFOs or evidence of hostile intent. It was concluded (para. 9) that there was no “significant interest” in defense. However, a number of technological aspects have been discovered that could be of potential defense interest.

The tables show a total of 796 UFO reports for the years 1959 to 1968, of which 10.4% (83 reports) remained unexplained. In the period from 1959 to 1996, a total of 10,189 UFO reports were received.

Until 2009, the British MoD operated a hotline investigating alleged sightings.

→ Project Condign can be accessed online, see under web links / documents .

Sturrock Panel Report (USA, 1997)

From September 29 to October 4, 1997, a workshop to investigate selected UFO incidents was held in New York . This was initiated by the physicist Peter Andrew Sturrock from Stanford University . Sturrock was dissatisfied with the work of the Condon Report and was of the opinion that the phenomenon should be studied further. After many years of research on the UFO topic, he succeeded in 1997 in winning a group of scientists for an independent investigation into selected UFO incidents. Above all, the "physical traces" of UFO incidents were examined.

In the final report of the workshop, which was published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration in 1998 and is entitled "Physical Evidence Related to UFO Reports" , the following conclusions were drawn: In the cases presented, there is no clear evidence for the existence of unknown physical phenomena or for the work of an extraterrestrial intelligence. However, it is recommended that you carefully study UFO sightings in the future.

→ The Sturrock Panel Report can be accessed online, see under web links / documents .

COMETA Report (F, 1999)

The COMETA ( " COM ité d ' ET udes A pprofondies" in German for "Committee for detailed studies" ) is a private group from France, which is composed mainly of the French Ministry of Defense. In 1999 COMETA published a 90-page report entitled “UFOs and defense - what do we need to prepare for?” ( “Les Ovni Et La Defense: A quoi doit-on se preparer?” ). Contributors to the report included:

  • Michel Algrin, Doctor of Political Science
  • Denis Blancher, Chief Inspector of the Gendarmerie in the Ministry of the Interior
  • Bruno Le Moine, retired Brigadier General D. of the French Air Force
  • Edmond Campagnac, Technical Director of Air France
  • Joseph Domange, General of the French Air Force
  • Jean Douglas, engineer in the Ministry of Landscape
  • André Lebeau, head of the French state space agency CNES
  • Denis Letty, retired major general D. of the French Air Force
  • Christian Marchal, chief engineer in the Corps des mines, research director at ONERA , the French national research institute for space .
  • Bernard Norlain, 4-star general and former commander of the tactical air force of France
  • Alain Orszag, retired Brigadier General D. of the armaments engineers' corps, doctor of physics
  • Jean-Jacques Vélasco, head of the French investigation service for re-entry phenomena in the atmosphere, SEPRA - now GEIPAN

Various UFO incidents were analyzed. The report comes to the conclusion that UFOs are real, complex flying objects and the extraterrestrial hypothesis is most likely the explanation for the UFO phenomenon. It is further recommended that the government adjust to the reality of the phenomenon and advance research in this area.

Critics doubt the COMETA Group's competence to even evaluate UFO incidents.

→ The COMETA report can be accessed online; see under web links / documents .

Press conference "Disclosure Project" (USA, 2001)

National Press Club, Washington DC

On May 9, 2001, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, twenty witnesses from military and civilian organizations appeared before the public to share their experiences regarding UFOs and secrecy. The press conference was initiated by Steven Greer , doctor of medicine and founder of the Disclosure Project , the aim of which is to disclose the alleged UFO secrecy.

Most of the witnesses were from military and intelligence circles, but former FAA head of accident investigation John J. Callahan and attorney Daniel Sheehan (an attorney on the Watergate and Pentagon Papers affairs) were also present.

The aim of this press conference was to build up public pressure through the media to get a hearing in the US Congress . Although the media witnesses i. A. were accepted as credible and also reported by large US media, interest quickly ebbed away again. A hearing before the Congress was therefore not held.

→ The “Disclosure Project” press conference can be accessed online; see under web links / documents .

Press conference "New investigation into the UFO phenomenon" (USA, 2007)

A press conference was held on November 12, 2007 at the National Press Club in Washington DC, presided over by former Arizona Governor Fife Symington . 19 pilots, military and government employees shared their experiences with UFOs and asked the US government to re-investigate the phenomenon.

Among other things, General Parviz Jafari reports to the Iranian Air Force about an incident in 1976 over Tehran , Air Force General Wilfried De Brouwer of the Belgian Air Force about the Belgian UFO wave and the former governor of Arizona, Fife Symington , about the 1997 sightings of Phoenix , the so-called Phoenix Lights .

→ The press conference “New Investigation of the UFO Phenomenon” can be accessed online; see under web links / documents .

Press conference "UFOs and nuclear weapons" (USA, 2010)

Organized by the book author Robert Hastings, a press conference on "UFOs and nuclear weapons" took place on September 27, 2010, again at the National Press Club in Washington DC Six former officers and a pilot of the US Air Force appeared before the press, representing over 120 Statements by other military officers that Hastings has compiled and published on the subject. The aim of the press conference was to discredit the official position of the US government on the UFO issue. Officially, no UFO incident investigated has ever presented a threat to national security. The witnesses presented at the press conference were supposed to show the opposite. For example, the former air force officer Robert Salas spoke of a UFO incident that is said to have occurred in 1967 over the US air force base Malmstrom in Montana . Salas was responsible for monitoring ten nuclear ICBMs . In the incident, a red-hot UFO appeared directly above the base. At the same time, all ten rockets had become inoperable and would not have been able to be launched for hours. The other witnesses at the press conference reported similar incidents where UFOs were seen at or affected by military nuclear facilities.

→ The press conference “UFOs and nuclear weapons” can be accessed online; see under web links / documents .

Citizen Hearing on Disclosure (USA 2013)

From April 29 to May 3, 2013, a hearing was held in front of former members of the US Congress at the National Press Club in Washington DC. 40 witnesses such as As the former astronaut Edgar Mitchell and former Defense Minister of Canada Paul Hellyer reported Roscoe Bartlett , Merrill Cook , Darlene Hooley , Mike Gravel , Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and Lynn Woolsey on their experiences and observations.

Selected Ufology Cases

These are some of the most interesting cases in ufology research. The cases are the subject of controversial discussions to this day .

Roswell Incident (U.S., 1947)

In what is probably the most famous UFO incident, an extraterrestrial flying object is said to have crashed near the small town of Roswell (New Mexico) . The flying object and its occupants are said to have been recovered and transported - in secrecy, which is said to continue to this day. The Roswell incident is assessed contradictingly by researchers to this day. Skeptical investigators see it merely as a conspiracy theory that should not be taken seriously .

The "Washington Nationals" (USA, 1952)

Air Force document (page 2/3) on the 1976 Tehran incident

From July 13-29, 1952, there was a major wave of UFO sightings over Washington, DC Authorities received numerous reports on a daily basis. This UFO wave - which became famous in the USA as the "Washington Nationals" (also Washington flap or Washington National Airport Sightings ) - mainly played out over Washington National Airport . The objects were recorded both visually and with the radar. After the Air Force initially had no explanation, later temperature inversions were given as the cause of the radar detections and the visual sightings were explained as simple misinterpretations.

Tehran Incident (Iran, 1976)

On the morning of September 19, 1976, an unknown, brightly shining object was sighted over Tehran ( Iran ) and also detected by radar. Two fighter planes rose to intercept the object, but had to turn back after failure of the on-board systems. The case remained unsolved and was confirmed by the testimony of senior Iranian military officials and documents released by US intelligence agencies via the FOIA .

Rendlesham Forest Incident (UK, 1980)

From December 26-28, 1980, several brightly glowing UFOs were reportedly observed by military personnel in Rendlesham Forest , Suffolk , England . In one case, according to witnesses, a landed object was sighted. A witness claims to have circled the object, touched it and made signs on its surface before it flew off again. At the supposed landing site, military personnel later found impressions and measured increased radioactivity . The witnesses are all military personnel, including the deputy commander of the nearby Bentwaters military airfield , Lt. Col. Charles Halt. A released military document proves that Col. Halt reported the sightings to the high command .

Skeptical investigators come to the conclusion that the witnesses only succumbed to misinterpretations (nearby lighthouse, rocket reentry ) or simply lied.

Belgian UFO wave (B, 1989–1990)

During the night from March 30th to March 31st, 1990, several thousand people saw UFOs in the airspace of Belgium , which were also photographed and recorded by radar. Two F16 fighter jets tried to intercept the objects - without success. The objects seemed to move away quickly as they approached. The Belgian Air Force could not identify the objects. Skeptics suspect microlights as an explanation, which the Belgian Air Force rules out .

Phoenix Lights (USA, 1997)

On March 13, 1997, thousands of residents of the City of Phoenix, Arizona claimed to have seen a giant, V-shaped object that flew over parts of Phoenix. The witnesses include a. then the governor of Arizona, Fife Symington . The official explanation is flares that were dropped during parachute exercises. However, since the flares were fired between 9:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and the V-shaped object was seen at 8:30 p.m., this explanation is largely rejected.

state of research

Ufology is a heterogeneous field in which people and groups meet with very different and sometimes even contradicting views. UFO researcher Illobrand von Ludwiger tries to summarize the broad spectrum in two groups:

  • "One group assumes that the problem of unidentified objects in flight is a pseudo-problem that only exists in the mind of the witnesses. Hence, the investigation would have to be to find out why people are producing such reports." By Ludwiger, he means here the skeptic movement ; CENAP is the main representative in Germany in the field of ufology .
  • "The other group believes that most of the Witnesses describe what they actually observed and that it needs to be explained what it is about."

However, it turns out that only the skeptics are considered a homogeneous group and the field is perceived very differently by different actors. Important judgment criteria when structuring the scene are the "belief in the existence of UFOs within the framework of non-conventional explanations", the "empirical-scientific vs. ideological orientation" and a "popular vs. elitist orientation". While most of the protagonists in ufology claim to be scientific, there are numerous discussions about the extent to which this claim is actually met.

While the international (and especially also the German) mass media , politics and the public see the UFO question as resolved and follow the opinion of the "skeptics", most studies accept the presence of unidentifiable flying objects. Some of these studies favor a certain unconventional explanation (Project Condign, COMETA Report), the rest are not specific and refer to further research needs ('Flying Saucer' Working Party, Project Identification, GEIPAN studies, study by the Institute for Space Research, Hessdalen project / Project EMBLA, Sturrock Panel Report). Only the studies commissioned by the US Air Force and the CIA come to results that conform to the “skeptics” (Project Sign / Project Grudge, Battelle Memorial Institute Report, Robertson Panel, Condon Report).

A dialogue between the two groups listed by Illobrand von Ludwiger is difficult; one accuses each other of unscientific work and incompetence. So it happens that both camps now largely act separately: While the group of "skeptics" continues to strictly deny the existence of UFOs, the second group sees this question as long out of date and is primarily concerned with the origin of the phenomenon.

Hypotheses of origin

Among the researchers who exclude a conventional explanation of all cases, three hypotheses are popular as explanations for the origin of the phenomenon, the former being particularly popular. The theses are in detail:

  • Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH): It is assumed here that space-faring extraterrestrial civilizations travel to Earth . The spaceships are then perceived by observers as UFOs. Since modern astronomy and exobiology almost exclude extraterrestrial, intelligent life within our solar system , the origin is assumed to be on planets outside our solar system.
  • Extra-dimensional hypothesis : It is assumed here that UFOs originate from an area outside of our spacetime structure. Variants of this attempted explanation are the " time travel hypothesis" (these are beings who, for example, travel back to the past from the future of the earth) and the " parallel universe hypothesis" (here it is assumed that beings from adjacent rooms are affected by the Access earth).
  • Plasma hypothesis : UFO sightings, which cannot be explained conventionally, are attempted to be understood as phenomena with the spontaneous formation of plasma under previously unexplained conditions. This could explain the bizarre flight characteristics of the objects, but also some physical interactions (heat, influence on electrical systems).

Different manifestations of UFOs

Another result of UFO research is the realization that certain manifestations occur particularly frequently. Here is a selection.

Triangular UFO

Photograph of a "triangular UFO", taken in 1990 during the Belgian UFO wave .

Triangular UFOs or black triangles are those unknown flying objects that have a triangular shape. Often they arise from the illusion of the belonging of independent lights in the night sky to an object. They have been sighted repeatedly, primarily over the US and UK , since the 1940s . However, the number of sightings has increased significantly since the 1990s.

The dimensions of these flying objects are often compared to those of a football field . Appearances of this kind are usually described as suddenly appearing. It is reported that the objects mostly move calmly at heights over 30 meters. In some cases, however, flying objects of this type are said to have moved very suddenly.

Popular sightings of UFOs of this form include the sighting and alleged landing of a UFO near the American military airfield in Rendlesham Forest on December 27, 1980, the Belgian UFO wave in 1989 and 1990, and the independent sighting of a UFO by five different Illinois police officers on January 5, 2000.

Flying saucer

So-called flying saucers are the most common form of unfamiliar flying objects. They have been sighted by various witnesses around the world since the 1940s, although the alleged size of the objects varies greatly.

Classification of UFOs

In the course of time, various systems for the classification of UFOs have been established in ufology. The best known are the following.

Classification according to J. Allen Hynek

  • Distant Sighting Categories (500 feet (150 m) and more):
    • Nocturnal Lights (NL): Abnormal lights in the night sky
    • Daylight Discs (DD): abnormal objects in daylight (not necessarily disc-shaped)
    • Radar / Visual cases (RV): Abnormal objects that are visually observed and registered by radar at the same time.
  • Categories for close encounters (CE stands for close encounter to German close encounter )
    • Close encounter of the first type (CE-1): Unidentified flying object is observed from less than 500 feet (150 m) away.
    • Close encounter of the second type (CE-2): Unidentified flying objects create physical interactions with the environment (e.g. burns, marks in the ground, interference with electrical devices, extremely strong magnetic fields).
    • Close encounter of the third kind (CE-3): In addition to landed strange flight objects, inmates are observed who make no attempt to communicate and seem to feel rather disturbed by the presence of the witnesses.
    • Close encounter of the fourth kind (CE-4): The witnesses feel that they have been kidnapped and medically examined by UFO inmates.
    • Close encounter of the fifth type (CE-5): This type of encounter is characterized by mutual communication rather than one-sided.

Classification according to Jacques Vallée

J. Allen Hynek (l.) And Jacques Vallee (r.)
  • Jacques Vallee distinguishes sightings into four categories:
    • Anomaly (AN)
    • Flyby (FB)
    • Flight maneuvers (MA)
    • Close encounter (CE)
  • These are in turn combined with up to five sub-categories:
    • Sighting
    • physical effects
    • alien beings
    • Transformation into another reality
    • Injuries up to and including death

Allen Hendry classification

  • General type of sighting
    • UFO - Unconventionally explainable, anomalous, atmospheric phenomena.
    • IFO - Conventionally Explainable Sightings.
    • Hoax - fraud or forgery without the presence of a stimulus.
    • Fantasy - A psychologically conditioned perception without the presence of a stimulus.
    • Exception - Exceptions that cannot be classified, such as insufficient data, unreliable witnesses, inadequate observation or no connection with UFOs.
  • Hendry adds another differentiation to the UFO classification:
    • Near IFO - cases that are similar to a conventional phenomenon, but cannot be assigned to a clear stimulus and still contain a slight strangeness.
    • Problematic UFO - cases that do not suggest a clear conventional explanation due to essential strangeness, but do not completely exclude an explanation.
    • Good UFO - cases with several strange features and only a minimal possibility of a conventional explanation.
    • Best UFO - cases with a high degree of strangeness and reliability, which almost exclude a conventional explanation.

Approved government files

Various governments have made their files on UFOs accessible, at least in part, for research. Many of the files were previously secret. The following countries are included (with a link to the documents, if available online):

  • Brazil ( online )
  • Denmark ( online )
  • France ( online )
  • Great Britain ( online in the National Archives )
  • Italy
  • Ireland
  • Canada ( online / selected cases )
  • New Zealand
  • Uruguay
  • Spain
  • Russia ( online )
  • Ukraine ( online )
  • Germany: In 2009, at the request of MEP Gitta Connemann , the Scientific Service of the German Bundestag prepared two studies with the titles The search for extraterrestrial life and the implementation of UN resolution A / 33/426 on the observation of unidentifiable flying objects and extraterrestrial life forms (WD8-3000- 104/2009) and The European Union and its handling of the topic of "unidentifiable flying objects" (WD11-148 / 09). The elaborations were not published, whereupon a plaintiff applied to the Berlin Administrative Court in 2011 to inspect the studies due to the Freedom of Information Act . On December 1, 2011, the Berlin Administrative Court decided in a judgment ( VG 2 K 91.11 ) that the plaintiff should be allowed to inspect the documents. After an appeal, the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg decided in November 2013 that the Freedom of Information Act did not apply to documents from the scientific services and that the elaborations would not be published. According to Gitta Connemann, the question was not about whether and how the federal government stands on extraterrestrial life, but about whether and how a decision by the UN panels has been implemented at European and German level. In June 2015, the Federal Administrative Court decided that the drafting of the VD must be published.

Connection between ufology, esotericism and right-wing radicalism

In her study Mother Earth, Magic and Politics. Between fascism and new society. the authors Eduard Gugenberger and Roman Schweidlenka documented the connection between ufology and a newly developing right-wing radicalism. On the one hand, there are interdependencies on the journalistic level, for example in that right-wing extremist leaflets and writings proclaim alleged prophecies of aliens. On the other hand, the theosophical root race doctrine and the world ice doctrine, including all their modifications, are being rehashed in National Socialist historiography. In the so-called "esoteric ufology" there are extremely hierarchical structures. In their racial concepts, the idea of ​​higher quality, better developed beings comes into play, according to which the UFOs only address the "mature" peoples, namely the Europeans and the North Americans. Thereby one pays homage to the doctrine of karma and presents the extraterrestrials coming from the Pleiades as convinced anti-Semitic ethnic Germans .

For example, the American author Milton William Cooper, who is close to the radical right-wing militia movement , claimed in a book published in 1991 that extraterrestrials had long been manipulating humanity. In doing so, they made use of various secret societies , namely the Order of the Illuminati , but also various new religious or satanist groups, in order to establish a New World Order of general bondage. In his portrayal, he gave the evil aliens recognizable features based on anti-Semitic stereotypes . From 1995 onwards, Cooper revised his claims and stated that the ufological conspiracy theories were only a camouflage maneuver by an earthly "global elite" who wanted to divert attention from their plans for world domination . The British esotericist David Icke spreads the conspiracy theory that reptilian aliens from the constellation of the dragon have been present on earth for thousands of years to enslave humanity. In a book published in 1997, the German conspiracy theorist Jan Udo Holey describes something similar about Aldebarans , which he also relates to the myth of the Nazi UFOs .

Well-known book authors, ufologists and organizations

German-speaking organizations

German-speaking researchers and authors

  • Johannes von Buttlar (* 1940), popular science author on a wide variety of topics, from astrophysics to controversial titles from the field of esotericism , UFOs, and the Bermuda Triangle
  • Erich von Däniken (* 1935), Swiss writer on the subject of pre-astronautics .
  • Axel Ertelt (* 1954), author of numerous articles on Paleo-Seti and the UFO phenomenon, for many years a member of the Society for Research into the UFO Phenomenon (GEP) eV in Lüdenscheid and author of the book (2014) Der UFO-Fall Reiner Haupt - Incredible UFO maneuvers over Lüdenscheid
  • Michael Hesemann (* 1964), author of numerous books and articles on the UFO phenomenon
  • Illobrand von Ludwiger (* 1937), astrophysicist, former chairman of MUFON-CES , today active in IGAAP; is primarily dedicated to researching the physical interactions of UFOs with their environment
  • Hans-Werner Peiniger (* 1957), first chairman of the GEP ; UFO researcher focusing on witness interviews and field research
  • Hans-Werner Sachmann (* 1951), founding member of the German Research Society for Archeology, Astronautics and SETI (AAS) and author of various articles on extraterrestrial civilizations and ufology.
  • Werner Walter (1957–2016), founder of CENAP ; dealt critically with the subject of UFOs

International organizations

  • Archeology, Astronautics and SETI Research Association (AASRA), founded in 1973 as the Ancient Astronaut Society
  • Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), founded in 1973
  • The Disclosure Project, founded in 1993, organization of Steven M. Greer, which takes the view that the military-industrial complex in the USA has been hiding the existence of extraterrestrial life from the public for about 50 years.
  • Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR), founded in 1979
  • Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), founded in 1969
  • National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), founded in 1956
  • The Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena (UAP) Observations Reporting Scheme, a project initiated as part of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy
  • Departamento de Investigación de Fenómenos Aéreos Anómalos (DIFAA, Peru ), a division of the Peruvian Air Force for the investigation of unidentified airspace phenomena .

International researchers and authors

  • Thomas Townsend Brown (1905–1985), USA, physicist and discoverer of the Biefeld-Brown effect , founder of the UFO organization NICAP in 1956
  • Stanton Friedman (* 1934), USA, nuclear physicist and author of the UFO crash near Roswell.
  • Timothy Good , UK, author of numerous books focusing on secrecy
  • J. Allen Hynek (1910–1986), USA, professor of astronomy and astronomical advisor to the UFO Commission of Inquiry of the US Air Force 'Project Blue Book' (1947–1968), author of the book UFO Experience (1972) and founder of the UFO Organization CUFOS (1973)
  • David M. Jacobs , USA, professor of history at Temple University , author of several UFO books and known for his study of the phenomenon of alien abductions
  • Donald E. Keyhoe (1897–1988), USA, Major in the US Marine Corps, author of several UFO books, director of the UFO organization NICAP (1957–1970)
  • John E. Mack (1929-2004), USA, a psychiatrist and author, professor of psychiatry at Harvard University , worked on the phenomenon of alien abductions
  • James McDonald (1920–1971), USA, professor of the Atmospheric Institute of the University of Arizona, one of the initiators of congressional hearings on UFOs, member of the Condon Committee, submitted a statement to the UN on the UFO problem (June 7, 1967)
  • Nick Pope , UK, long-time MoD employee , from 1991 to 1994 director of the department responsible for UFOs. Author of several books and articles on the UFO phenomenon
  • Kevin Randle (* 1949), USA, captain of the US Air Force, author of various UFO books (including UFO crash near Roswell)
  • Jacques Vallée (* 1939), F, various book publications on the UFO phenomenon

See also

literature

Essays
Books
  1. Main band. 1997, ISBN 0-7607-0627-1
  2. A thirty-year report. 2000, ISBN 08108-3881-8 .
  • Christian Heermann : Secret weapon flying saucers: crooks, jugglers, gangsters. A crime report on business and crime with stupidity , 2nd edition Berlin (Verlag Das Neue Berlin) 1983.
  • Joachim Herrmann : The wrong worldview. Astronomy and superstition. A critical investigation into astrology, world ice theory, hollow world theory, habitability of the sun, flying saucers and other astronomical heresies. Updated paperback edition. Dtv, Munich 1973, ISBN 3-423-00958-6 .
  • Michael Hesemann : UFO is a secret. The real story of the unknown objects in flight. Verlag Silberschnur, Neuwied 1994, ISBN 3-923781-83-0 .
  • ders .: UFOs over Germany. A practical manual. Falken-Verlag, Niedernhausen / T. 1997, ISBN 3-635-60319-8 .
  • ders .: UFOs. A picture documentation. Visitors from outer space. Könemann Verlag, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-8290-8403-X .
  • Paul R. Hill: Unconventional Flying Objects. A Scientific Analysis. Hampton Roads Publ., Charlottesville, Va. 1995, ISBN 1-57174-027-9 .
  • J. Allen Hynek : The UFO experience. 1972
  • David M. Jacobs: UFOs and Abductions. Challenging the Borders of Knowledge. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence 2000, ISBN 978-0-7006-1032-7 .
  • CG Jung : A modern myth. On things that are seen in the sky , Zurich (Rascher) 1958.
  • Donald E. Keyhoe : The Flying Saucers Are Real . New York 1950.
  • ders .: Flying Saucers From Outer Space. 1953
    • Space is getting closer to us. Blanvalet, Berlin 1954.
  • Helmut Lammer, Oliver Sidla: UFO close encounters . Unidentifiable flying objects leave traces. Military encounters, physical effects, radar signals, video and photo analyzes. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-13033-2 .
  • Paul A. Laviolette: Secrets of Antigravity Propulsion. Tesla , UFOs and Classified Aerospace Technology. Bear & Company, Rochester, Vt. 2008, ISBN 978-1-59143-078-0 .
  • Illobrand von Ludwiger (Illo Brand): Unidentified flying objects over Europe. Scientific evidence from radars, optical sensors and military air surveillance. Herbig, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-7766-2110-9 .
  • ders .: The state of UFO research. 4th edition. Zweausendeins-Verlag, Frankfurt / M. 1994, ISBN 3-86150-057-4 .
  • ders .: UFOs the unwanted truth. Alarmed military, uninterested scientists and the other reality of the foreign visitors. Verlag Kopp, Rottenburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-938516-84-3 .
  • Curtis Peebles : Watch the Skies: A Chronicle of the Flying Saucer Myth , New York (Berkley Books, pp.) 1995. ISBN 0-425-15117-4 .
  • Marina L. Popovič: UFO glasnost. A secret is revealed. Weltbild-Verlag, Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-89350-983-6 .
  • Harry O. Ruppe : The limitless dimension. Space travel. ECON, Düsseldorf 1980/82.
  1. Opportunities and problems. 1980, ISBN 3-430-17884-7 .
  2. Tool and world. 1982, ISBN 3-430-17849-5 .

Web links

Commons : UFO  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Documents

Archives and databases

Organizations

Individual evidence

  1. Richard L. Thompson: Encounter with extraterrestrials , Munich 2000. Another point of view is represented: Brenda Denzler: The Lure of the Edge . Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs. University of California Press, 2001, ISBN 0-520-23905-9 , pp. 155 ff .
  2. ^ Brigadier General George Schulgen: Schulgen Memo. US Air Force, October 28, 1947, accessed June 11, 2009 : "the object sighted is being assumed to be a manned aircraft, of Russian origin, and based on the perspective thinking and actual accomplishments of the Germans." , "There is also a possibility that the Horten brothers' perspective thinking may have inspired this type of aircraft"
  3. Dirk Pohlmann: UFOs, Lies and the Cold War. (Video) (No longer available online.) Arte TV, June 8, 2005, archived from the original on November 7, 2007 ; accessed on June 8, 2009 (German). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / video.google.de
  4. Gerald K. Haines: CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90. Central Intelligence Agency , April 14, 2007, accessed June 13, 2009 .
  5. Wolfgang Schäuble: Answer from Wolfgang Schäuble to Ralf Volmer's request from 02/11/2008. parliamentwatch.de, April 4, 2008, accessed on March 11, 2010 (German).
  6. Klaus E. Müller: Shamanism. Healers, spirits, rituals. 4th edition, CH Beck, Munich 2010 (original edition 1997), ISBN 978-3-406-41872-3 . P. 118.
  7. ^ Peter A. Sturrock: The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence . Warner Books, 1999, ISBN 0-446-52565-0 , pp. 163 .
  8. Illobrand von Ludwiger, "UFOs - the unwanted truth", KOPP, January 2009, p. 20
  9. Illobrand von Ludwiger, UFOs - the unwanted truth, KOPP, January 2009, p. 97ff.
  10. Wolf-Dieter Roth: UFOs, Lies and the Cold War. Heise Online, June 6, 2005, accessed on June 11, 2009 (German): ““ Sensible citizens turn away, amused or disgusted, when they discuss 'flying saucers' and think that ufologists no longer have all the saucers in their cupboards . ""
  11. ^ US Air Force: USAF Briefing Report. roswellfiles.com, April 27, 1949, accessed May 31, 2009 .
  12. ^ Project Sign: First Estimate. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Ufoscience.org, July 30, 1947, pp. 31–35 , archived from the original on October 29, 2008 ; Retrieved on May 31, 2009 (English): "Appendix 1:" This 'flying saucer' situation is not all imaginary or seeing too much in some natural phenomenon. Something is really flying around "," The surface of these objects is metallic "" Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ufoscience.org
  13. Read the Twining Memo online: http://www.roswellfiles.com/FOIA/twining.htm
  14. Read the Schulgen Memo online: http://www.roswellfiles.com/FOIA/Schulgen.htm
  15. Illobrand von Ludwiger, "UFOs - the unwanted truth", KOPP, January 2009, p. 36
  16. 'Flying Saucer' Working Party: Unidentified Flying Objects: Report by the 'Flying Saucer' Working Party. (JPG) Ministry of Defense, UK, June 1951, accessed June 11, 2009 .
  17. US Air Force: USAF Fact Sheet 95-03: Unidentified Flying Objects and Air Force Project Blue Book. CUFON, June 1995, accessed June 12, 2009 .
  18. Harley D. Rutledge, "Project Identification: The First Scientific Field Study of Ufo Phenomena," Prentice Hall Trade, March 1982
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  23. ^ Richard M. Dolan: UFOs and the National Security state - the cover-up exposed 1973-1991. Keyhole Publishing, Rochester 2009, ISBN 978-0-9677995-1-3 , pp. 143-144
  24. Photograph of United Nations meeting on UFOs, July 14, 1978 ufoevidence.org, (access = February 26, 2010)
  25. Helmut Lammer, Oliver Sidla: UFO close encounters - unidentifiable flight objects leave traces; military encounters, physical effects, radar signals, video and photo analyzes. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-13033-2 , p. 132ff, fig. 31
  26. A / DEC / 32/424 Establishment of an agency or a department of the United Nations for undertaking, co-ordinating and disseminating the results of research into unidentified flying objects and related phenomena UNBISnet- United Nations Bibliographic Information System, Dag Hammarskjöld Library ( access = February 26, 2010)
  27. A / DEC / 33/426 , UNBISnet, (access = February 26, 2010)
  28. Recommendation to Establish UN Agency for UFO Research - UN General Assembly decision 33/426, 1978 www.ufoevidence.org, (access = February 26, 2010)
  29. Marina L. Popovič: UFO glasnost - a secret is revealed. Weltbild-Verl., Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-89350-983-6 , p. 218
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  40. COMETA Report, Part 1: UFOs and Defense: What Should We Prepare For? (PDF; 773 kB) (No longer available online.) Ufoevidence.org, July 1999, pp. 2,4-5 , archived from the original on July 6, 2010 ; accessed on May 31, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ufoevidence.org
  41. Denis Letty: The Birth of COMETA. in: Leslie Kean: UFOs - Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record . Harmony Books, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-307-71684-2 ; S122ff.
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  43. COMETA Report, Part 2: UFOs and Defense: What Should We Prepare For? (PDF; 2.1 MB) (No longer available online.) Ufoevidence.org, July 1999, p. 39 , archived from the original on July 16, 2009 ; accessed on May 31, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ufoevidence.org
  44. CENAP: CNES-GEIPAN: More about the French UFO files! CENAP, March 29, 2007, accessed on May 31, 2009 (German): "" "Altenherren-Runde" [sic], who [...] read UFO books and magazines in the officers' club [sic] to build their ideas out of the theory of those publications ""
  45. ^ John J. Callahan: The FAA Investigates a UFO Event "That Never Happened" in: Leslie Kean: UFOs - Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record. Harmony Books, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0307716842 . Pp. 222-229
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  48. Rob Watson: UFO spotters slam 'US cover-up'. BBC News, May 10, 2001, accessed June 8, 2009 .
  49. ^ Bonnie Malkin: Pilots call for new UFO investigation. Telegraph, November 14, 2007, accessed June 8, 2009 .
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  51. ^ Robert Hastings: UFOs and Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites . Author House, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4343-9831-4 .
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  53. Jeff Schogol: UFO expert: Aliens cautioning humans on nukes. Stars ans Stripes, September 27, 2010, accessed November 29, 2010 .
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  56. Visitors From Outer Space, Real or Not, Are Focus of Discussion in Washington nytimes.com; Believe in UFOs? Highlights of the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure washingtonpost.com; Ex-congressmen form panel to investigate UFOs telegraph.co.uk
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  59. See memo from Lt. Col. Charles Halt to the RAF / CC on January 13, 1981. Quote: "Beta / gamma readings of 0.1 milliroentgens were recorded with peak readings in the three depressions and near the center of the triangle formed by the depressions."
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  61. Werner Walter: CENAP Report No. 2, December 2002. (PDF; 430 kB) CENAP, December 2, 2002, accessed on June 25, 2009 .
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  65. n24 / the secret look into the UFO file
  66. Illobrand von Ludwiger: The state of the UFO research. Zweiausendeins, Frankfurt 1994, p. 17.
  67. ibid.
  68. Edgar Wunder: The perception of the structure of the German-speaking UFO scene: a multidimensional scaling of expert judgments, in: Zeitschrift für Anomalistik 1 (2001), 75-101, here 98.
  69. Shadow view editorial staff: CENAP vs. MUFON-CES - feud in UFO research. (No longer available online.) Schattenblick, November 1, 2007, formerly in the original ; accessed on June 12, 2009 (German).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.schattenblick.net  
  70. from the 48th minute in the video: Interview: Illobrand von Ludwiger on scientific evidence for UFOs Archived copy ( memento of the original from February 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / video.google.de
  71. http://www.ianridpath.com/ufo/rendlesham.htm
  72. http://www.ufocasebook.com/illinoissightings.html
  73. ^ J. Allan Hynek, "UFO Report - A Research Report", 1978, Munich: Goldmann TB
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