Roswell Declaration
Information Presented by
The International Roswell Initiative
Last year, I remember when I attended a UFO conference in Chicago that Stanton Friedman and Bob Dean were speaking at organized by MUFON, this group was circulating a document called the Roswell Declaration, asking people to sign to make a formal request of the U.S. Government to share the information and documentation it has on the Roswell Incident in July of 1947. Recently, (please read below) three individuals came together one an American (Mr. Jeffrey, who attended the showing of the purported Roswell Film in London on May 5th) and two German researchers, to start the International Roswell Initiative (IRI). Contained within this page is a series of nine posts IRI made to share information related to the Roswell Declaration. We are please to share this information here to support this initiative and also, if you wish to print out a copy of the Roswell Declaration (either click before or there is another link at the bottom of this page) and send to appropriate party listed in this information. We are including a copy of the page within IRI's post so you can view the form first.In our opinion, with all the witnesses connected with the Roswell Incident, it is just a matter of time before the official agencies will reveal the truth. We trust this initiative will demonstrate to these agencies that the people are ready to hear this Truth.
A special thank to the dedication of IRI and ORTK for helping to further the dissemination of this history making news, even though it is about 50 years too late ........
Illinois
From: joachim.koch@wad.fido.de (Joachim Koch)
Date: 30 Apr 95 22:29:00
Subject: ROSWELL DECLARATIONFrom: koch@wad.fido.de
Subject: Roswell Incident 1947Organization: International Roswell Initiative (IRI)
Hello All!
What follows below is the beginning of the distribution of the material concerning the very successful intenational ROSWELL- INITIATIVE. Step by step we shall give you all the information about this wonderful effort that is by now supported worldwide by many thousand individuals of all age and profession, among them many scientists. As this is a grassroots effort, we would like to ask you to circulate and distribute to other nets what we shall send you from now on.
Please look for the subject :" Roswell Declaration" and we will add No.1... etc. so that you have the material in the same order as it was printed.
Please help to make the ROSWELL-INITIATIVE most powerful by reading and distributing the material. Please sign the Declaration and send it to the adresses the we shall give you in one of the next transmissions. Thank you!
APPEAL FOR SUPPORT OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ROSWELL-INITIATIVEThe year 1995 brings a decisive change in the history of the investigation of unknown flying objects an the question for the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. For the first time ever the world-wide well known organisations MUFON, CUFOS, FUFOR together concentrate their efforts on one goal: to bring to light the truth about the Roswell-Incident of 1947. Independently of these organisations many investigators and scientists in the U.S.A. have shown their will to support this historic initiative and have already signed the "Roswell-Declaration". Now we call upon you who deals with these objectives since a long time to come out to demand your original right: to have to know whether we are alone in the universe - or not.
We all know the way how these questions were handled by the opinion-forming mechanisms in the different countries of the world until now. Therefore it is time to prove with your signature on "Roswell-Declaration" that everywhere many people seriously and scientifically work on the exploration of unusual aerial phenomena or have interest in such investigations. If the people of the countries in this world realize that their scientists and many other serious individuals of all social classes dealing with the investigation of the world-wide repeatedly seen unknown flying objects and the related phenomena since a long time, they can start to place confidence in the reality that is behind these phenomena. So, with your help, Roswell could become the touchstone of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence and their technology.
Now you hold in your hands the material that is distributed with the world-wide initiative. It should be your free choice, independently from your membership in political parties, religion, other groups or external constraints, to sign the "Roswell-Declaration" - or not to sign it. The fears of the past to become ridicule in private, to the employer or the public are of no importance this time - because you are not alone. In this moment world-wide many people study the Roswell material, many have already signed the "Roswell-Declaration", many will follow. Please help to circulate the material. Copy what you think is of interest, use your Fax, modem or write letters. Talk to - male and female - colleagues, friends and relatives. Send the "Roswell-Declaration" to your local media, to institutions or individuals who have at least some interest in treating these items seriously. If you are chairman or member of a UFO organisation please use the various capabilities you have for information of your members. Help to get to know the "Roswell-Declaration" to the public in your country and by this in the whole world.
We, as the co-founders of the world-wide "Roswell-Initiative", are strongly convinced that it will have a result - in this way or another. If we all who are dealing with the various aspects of the UFO phenomenon together state our will by a signed "Roswell-Declaration" to get to know what really happened at that time in New Mexico, it will not be without positive resonance for the clearing up of the event itself, for the consciousness of mankind and for the development of our global society.
The founders of the ROSWELL-INITIATIVE originally are: Kent Jeffrey, Fairfax, California; Joachim Koch, Berlin, Germany and Hans-Juergen Kyborg, Berlin, Germany.
Viele Gruesse
Joachim
IN: koch@wad.fido.de
This is PART 2 of the material distributed with the ROSWELL DECLARATION______________________________________________________________________ ***PLEASE CIRCULATE*PLEASE COPY*PLEASE SIGN THE ROSWELL-DECLARATION*** ----------------------------------------------------------------------TAKING THE OFFENSIVE ON ROSWELL
(Written by Kent Jeffrey)Bringing the Roswell case to light could represent far more than the mere exposing of a government coverup or the creation of a major news story. It could represent one of the greatest revelations in the history of humankind -- the knowledge that we, as intelligent life, are not alone. For this reason, if for no other, it should be pursued relentlessly until an absolute and definitive answer is obtained.
My interest in the Roswell case stems in part from the fact that my father, a retired colonel and former air force pilot (and WWII fighter ace), at one time knew and worked with General William Blanchard, the man who issued the press release announcing that a "crashed disk" (UFO) had been recovered. In 1947, at the time of the Roswell incident, Blanchard was a colonel and the Commander of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell Army Air Field. In the early sixties when my father knew and worked with him, he was a three-star general stationed at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. In my father's opinion, General Blanchard was an extremely sharp individual who would never have made a fool of himself by issuing a press release announcing that the group under his command had recovered something as out of the ordinary as a crashed UFO without being absolutely certain he was correct. I have since had the opportunity to talk with others who knew and worked with General Blanchard and who share that same view. The fact that the military's official denial claimed that what Blanchard and his men misidentified as a crashed UFO was nothing other than a weather balloon strains credibility beyond limits.
Generally, in contrast to the political environment of many other countries, when the United States military puts out an official statement, we as Americans can feel assured we are being told the truth. While such confidence is not ill founded, there are exceptions. For example, because of the nature of his job, my father was once made aware of a "cover story" involving the crash of a top- secret aircraft in the early 1960s. Under the auspices of an intelligence agency, a press release was issued that was false. Cover stories exist.
Former military witnesses have stated unequivocally that Blanchard's "crashed disk" press release on July 8, 1947, was true, and that the subsequent announcement denying it was a cover story. This would mean that the U.S. government has been in possession of the wreckage of an extraterrestrial craft for the last forty-seven years. The right of the American people to know of the existence of such a craft and therefore of extraterrestrial intelligence would be a social or philosophical issue, not one of national security. Suppression of such knowledge, including restricting individuals from testifying about it, would be a form of censorship and therefore contrary to the principles upon which a free and open society is founded.
Researchers have located Roswell witnesses who, in fear of government reprisal, will not allow their testimony to be made public. In an effort to help get the Roswell matter into the open, a prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm has been retained to provide legal counsel to any witnesses (past or present) who have information on the Roswell event or on the subsequent disposition of the wreckage, and who might consider going public with their testimony. As part of this effort, legal research has been done and attorneys from the firm have traveled to New Mexico and interviewed witnesses there.
For legal and other reasons, government reprisal against Roswell witnesses who elected to go public would appear unlikely. For one thing, it would serve to validate their testimony and thereby make them instant heroes in the eyes of the public for having contributed to bringing down the most spectacular coverup in history. This is probably the reason no action was ever taken against Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Marcel, the former intelligence officer of the 509th Bomb Group who went public with his account in 1978.
Furthermore, accusing any Roswell witnesses of wrongdoing for speaking out and bringing the truth to the American people on this subject would be the height of hypocrisy on the part of the government. By doing so it would be tacitly admitting guilt in having deceived its own people. While billions of tax dollars have been spent over the last few decades on lunar, planetary, and deep space exploration, the American people have been kept in ignorance about Roswell and the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Many would consider such blatant omission inexcusable. Perhaps this is why the coverup continues.
As a result of a somewhat chance encounter in Europe a few months ago, I am now involved in another Roswell project, unrelated to the legal effort. It involves MUFON - CES (Mutual UFO Network - Central European Section), an invitation-only group consisting primarily of engineers, scientists, and university professors in the German-speaking countries of Western Europe. Knowing that I frequently travel to Europe because of my work, MUFON'S international director Walt Andrus gave me the phone number of a MUFON - CES member, Joachim Koch, who lives in Berlin and who is a practicing general surgeon there. I gave him a call and subsequently met him and another member of MUFON - CES, Hans-Jurgen Kyborg, in the lobby of the Palace Hotel in Berlin. For over three hours we discussed different aspects of the UFO phenomenon in Europe and in America. They had heard of the Roswell incident but said it wasn't widely known in Europe. They seemed interested in learning more about Roswell, so I left some material with them, including a couple of short papers I had written on the subject.
A few weeks after our meeting, I received a letter from Messrs. Koch and Kyborg. In it they told how those in Europe were very much aware of how the former communist governments in Eastern Europe had prevented their citizens from freely exchanging thoughts and ideas, sometimes by killing them, and how these governments continuously lied to the people. They had always thought that Western democratic governments did not act in such a way, but when they learned about the coverups concerning Roswell and the UFO phenomenon, they could now see how wrong they had been.
They expressed the belief that knowledge concerning man's place in the universe with respect to other intelligent life was not a matter of any nation's national security, but rather a fundamental right of all humankind. They proposed that we work together and asked me to write a "Roswell Declaration" to be used in an international effort to pressure the U.S. government into lifting the secrecy surrounding UFOs and Roswell.
Their proposal is to work with UFO organizations throughout the world in a drive to get signatures, especially from engineers and scientists, in support of the Roswell Declaration. On a yet-to-be-determined day later this year and under a well-orchestrated plan, the news media in different countries around the world would be notified and furnished with material about the Roswell incident in an effort to bring international attention to the case. They discussed the idea with Illobrand Von Ludwiger, a theoretical physicist and the director of MUFON - CES. The proposal was then presented at the annual MUFON - CES conference last October in Austria, where it was well received by the attending members.
In response to their request, I have written a five-page position paper, "Time for the Truth About Roswell," which includes a detailed summary of the Roswell event, an analysis of media and government treatment of it, and arguments for allowing the public to know the truth. The "Roswell Declaration" is taken directly from that position paper and contains an appeal to the Administration for an Executive Order to declassify any U.S. Government information on UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence.
Polls have shown that over fifty percent of adult Americans believe in the reality of UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence. Unfortunately, that interest has never been galvanized into a large-scale grassroots movement. This may now become a reality as a drive is currently underway to collect signatures for the "Roswell Declaration" from U.S. citizens. In addition to the Mutual UFO Net- work, both the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies and the Fund for UFO Research have, in a show of unity, agreed to participate in this effort.
On the same day as the international effort to bring media attention to the Roswell case, a copy of the "Roswell Declaration," along with a listing of the total number of signatories from each of the fifty states as well as from other countries, will be delivered to the offices of all members of Congress and to the White House. Also on that day, if finances permit, a copy of the "Roswell Declaration" will be placed in the first section of the national edition of a major U.S. newspaper.
Since this will be primarily a word-of-mouth, grassroots effort, your help in making copies of the declaration and distributing them to as many people as possible will be of great importance. The declaration and the position paper, "Time for the Truth About Roswell," will also be made available on computer bulletin boards throughout the world. Although it is felt that there is a high probability the U.S. Government is withholding information regarding the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, the primary goal is to get the matter into the open, so that the truth can be conclusively determined, one way or the other. It is hoped, therefore, that all individuals, no matter what their opinion on the subject, will support this effort.
In the event Congressman Steven Schiff of New Mexico is successful in his admirable effort to initiate a Congressional inquiry into the Roswell incident, a large number of signed "Roswell Declarations" from U.S. citizens would undoubtedly have a positive effect on that effort. Whether or not such an inquiry takes place, it is important not to become complacent. There are no guarantees of success. An all-out effort should be made on all three fronts -- Legislative, Judicial, and Executive -- to put the greatest possible pressure on the government. We are engaged in a difficult endeavor, but one that is worthwhile, just, and possible to win. It concerns an issue about which most individuals would want to know and about which all people have a right to know.
This is PART 3 of the material distributed with the ROSWELL DECLARATION______________________________________________________________________ ***PLEASE CIRCULATE*PLEASE COPY*PLEASE SIGN THE ROSWELL-DECLARATION*** ----------------------------------------------------------------------TIME FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT ROSWELL
(Written by Kent Jeffrey)Forty-seven years ago, an incident occurred in the southwestern desert of the United States that could have significant implications for all mankind. The incident was announced by the U.S. military, subsequently denied by the U.S. military, and has remained veiled in government secrecy ever since. Although it is in a category fraught with false claims and hoaxes, it is not a hoax or false claim, but rather a known event that is thoroughly documented. It is the objective here to summarize the details of that event, affirm the right of all people throughout the world to know the truth about what occurred, and propose a course of action that will allow that truth to emerge.
The event took place during the first week of July 1947 and involved the recovery of wreckage by the military from a remote ranch northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. There is now considerable testimony from former members of the military known to have been involved, including two brigadier generals, that the recovered material was not of terrestrial origin. Admittedly, such a claim taxes the limits of credibility for discerning and rational individuals. It also tends to evoke a response of immediate dismissal. The preponderance of evidence, however, indicates the event occurred.
On January 12, 1994, United States Congressman Steven Schiff of Albuquerque, New Mexico, stated to the press that he had been stonewalled by the Defense Department when requesting information regarding the 1947 Roswell event on behalf of constituents and witnesses. Indicating he was seeking further investigation into the matter, Congressman Schiff called the Defense Department's lack of response "astounding" and concluded it was apparently "another government coverup."
Most people are not aware that there exists an event of this nature so well substantiated. In the next year public awareness of the Roswell incident should grow. A new hardcover book has been released, a television movie will premiere, and a serious documentary is forthcoming. Questions, controversy, and a general distrust of U.S. Government policy in this area are bound to increase.
Detailed information on the recovery of the wreckage at Roswell and of related events is extensive. Some years ago investigators were able to obtain a copy of the 1947 Roswell Army Air Field yearbook. This enabled them to locate witnesses throughout the country. Newspaper accounts show that during late June and early July 1947, there was a wave of reports of "flying disks" (UFOs) throughout the United States and Canada. Many of those reports came from credible witnesses, including pilots and other trained observers.
Sometime during the first week of July 1947, a local New Mexico rancher, Mac Brazel, while riding out in the morning to check his sheep after a night of intense thunderstorms, discovered a considerable amount of unusual debris. It had created a shallow gouge several hundred feet long and was scattered over a large area. Some of the debris had strange physical properties. After taking a few pieces to show his neighbors, Floyd and Loretta Proctor, Brazel drove into Roswell and contacted the sheriff, George Wilcox. Sheriff Wilcox notified authorities at Roswell Army Air Field and with the assistance of his deputies, proceeded to investigate the matter. Shortly after becoming involved, the military closed off the area for a number of days and retrieved the wreckage. It was initially taken to Roswell Army Air Field and eventually flown by B-29 and C-54 aircraft to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio.
Roswell Army Air Field was the home of the 509th Bomb Group, which was an elite outfit -- the only atomic group in the world. On the morning of July 8, 1947, Colonel William Blanchard, Commander of the 509th Bomb Group, issued a press release stating that the wreckage of a "crashed disk" (UFO) had been recovered. The press release was transmitted over the wire services in time to make headlines in over thirty U.S. afternoon newspapers that same day.
Within hours, a second press release was issued from the office of General Roger Ramey, Commander of the Eighth Air Force at Fort Worth Army Air Field in Texas, 400 miles from the crash site. It rescinded the first press release and, in effect, claimed that Colonel Blanchard and the officers of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell had made an unbelievably foolish mistake and somehow incorrectly identified a weather balloon and its radar reflector as the wreckage of a "crashed disk."
One of those two press releases had to be untrue. There is now solid testimony from numerous credible military and civilian witnesses who were directly involved, that the "crashed disk" press release issued by Colonel William Blanchard of the 509th Bomb Group from Roswell was true and that the subsequent "weather balloon" press release from Eighth Air Force Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, was a hastily contrived cover story.
Those who knew and worked with William Blanchard say he was a solid, no-nonsense, businesslike individual, and not someone who would make a fool of himself and the Air Force by ordering a press release about something as out of the ordinary and dramatic as the event at Roswell without being certain he was correct. In other words, if Blanchard issued a press release saying there was a crashed disk, there was a crashed disk. Colonel William Blanchard would later go on to become a four-star general and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.
The first witness located by investigators who was willing to testify and allow his name to be used was retired Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Marcel, the intelligence officer of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell. He was a highly competent individual and one of the first two military officers at the actual crash site. In a 1979 videotaped interview, Jesse Marcel stated, "...it was not a weather balloon, nor was it an airplane or a missile." As to the exotic properties of some of the material, he stated, "It would not burn...that stuff weighs nothing, it's so thin, it isn't any thicker than the tinfoil in a pack of cigarettes. So, I tried to bend the stuff. It wouldn't bend. We even tried making a dent in it with a sixteen-pound sledge hammer. And there was still no dent in it."
It is inconceivable that a man of Jesse Marcel's qualifications and experience, the intelligence officer of the only atomic-bomb group in the world, would have mistaken any kind of conventional wreckage, much less the remains of a weather balloon and its radar reflector, for that of a craft or vehicle that in his words was "not of this earth." Even if he had initially made such a gross misidentification, he would certainly have been able to see his mistake later after it had been brought to his attention. When returning to the base, he stopped by his house with a few pieces of the unusual wreckage to show his wife and eleven-year-old son. One piece, a small section of I-beam, had strange hieroglyphic like symbols on its surface. His son, Dr. Jesse Marcel, Jr., now a practicing medical doctor and qualified National Guard helicopter pilot and flight surgeon, remembers the incident well. He has been able to produce detailed drawings of some of the symbols. During his career, Jesse Marcel Sr., went on to other important assignments, including the preparation of a report on the first Soviet nuclear detonation, which went directly to President Truman.
The late General Thomas DuBose was a colonel and General Ramey's chief of staff at Eighth Air Force Headquarters in Forth Worth, Texas, in 1947. Before his death in 1992, General DuBose testified that he himself had taken the telephone call from General Clements McMullen at Andrews Army Air Field in Washington, D.C., ordering the coverup. The instructions were for General Ramey to concoct a "cover story" to "get the press off our backs."
Retired General Arthur E. Exon was stationed at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, as a lieutenant colonel in July of 1947 during the time the wreckage from Roswell was brought in. In a 1990 interview, General Exon said of the testing, "Everything from chemical analysis, stress tests, compression tests, flexing. It was brought into our material evaluation labs. (Some of it) could be easily ripped or changed...there were other parts of it that were very thin but awfully strong and couldn't be dented with heavy hammers...." Of the men that did the testing, he said, "...the overall consensus was that the pieces were from space."
The testimony of Mr. Glenn Dennis leaves little doubt about the nature of what was recovered in 1947. Glenn Dennis still lives in the Roswell, New Mexico, area and is a respected businessman and member of the community. He is down-to-earth and straightforward. In 1947 Glenn Dennis was a young mortician working for the Ballard Funeral Home, which had a contract to provide mortuary and ambulance services for Roswell Army Air Field.
Prior to learning about the recovery of the unusual wreckage at Roswell, he received several telephone calls one afternoon from the mortuary officer at the air field. He was asked about the availability of small, hermetically sealed caskets and questioned about how to preserve bodies that had been exposed to the elements for several days. There was concern about possibly altering the chemical composition of the tissue.
Later that evening, as a result of unrelated events, he made a trip to the base hospital. Outside the back entrance he observed two military ambulances with open rear doors, from which large pieces of wreckage protruded, including one with a row of unusual symbols on its surface. Once inside, he encountered a young nurse whom he knew. At that same instant, he was noticed by military police, who physically threatened him and forcibly escorted him from the building.
He met with the nurse the next day, and she explained what had been going on at the hospital. She was a very religious person and was upset to the point of being in a state of shock. She described how she had been called in to assist two doctors who were doing autopsies on several small nonhuman bodies. She described the terrible smell, how one body was in good shape and the others mangled, and the differences between their anatomy and human anatomy. She also drew a diagram on a napkin showing an outline of their features. That meeting was to be their last -- she was transferred to England a few days later.
Today, the nurse would be sixty-nine years old. Investigators are attempting to locate her. Five nurses are pictured in the 1947 Roswell Army Air Field yearbook. The files of all five are strangely missing from military records.
The main part of the craft apparently came down some distance from the "debris field" at the Brazel ranch. Researchers were only recently able to confirm this second site because few people knew about it. According to witness testimony, this is also the site where the bodies were found. Most of the witnesses to this site have not, in fear of government reprisal, allowed their names to be used. A prestigious law firm has recently been retained to provide legal counsel to any such witnesses who might consider going public with their testimony. Attorneys from the firm have already met with several Roswell witnesses.
In addition to Glenn Dennis, other witnesses were physically threatened or intimidated. According to members of Sheriff Wilcox's family, he was told by the military, in the presence of his wife, that he and his entire family would be killed if he ever spoke about what he had seen. The rancher who originally discovered the wreckage, Mac Brazel, was sequestered by the military for almost a week and sworn to secrecy. He never spoke about the incident again, even to his family. In the months following the incident, his son, Bill Brazel, found and collected a few "scraps" of material, which he kept in a cigar box. The material was eventually confiscated by the military.
This is PART 4 of the material distributed with the ROSWELLDECLARATION______________________________________________________________________ ***PLEASE CIRCULATE*PLEASE COPY*PLEASE SIGN THE ROSWELL-DECLARATION*** ----------------------------------------------------------------------The Roswell event involved a large number of people and has been publicized since 1980. Logic would dictate that had there been a more mundane explanation for the unusual debris, numerous individuals would have come forward to set the record straight by corroborating the "weather balloon" story or by providing some other explanation for the wreckage, such as a V2 missile or experimental aircraft. That has not been the case. Furthermore, records rule out a missile or aircraft. Additionally, the amount and nature of the debris rule out any type of balloon or balloon instrument package, including that from project Mogul -- the most recently postulated prosaic explanation.While it is possible that the Roswell witnesses, who live in diverse parts of the country, have been engaged in a perfectly orchestrated, long-term hoax with no clear motive, it is unlikely. It is true there are a few minor gaps and inconsistencies in some of the accounts, but that is to be expected. There were many individuals involved and it has been a long period of time. Human memory is not perfect. For those familiar with the Roswell evidence, however, it would be hard to imagine a scenario in which the core event was not true.
With Roswell so well documented, the question that arises is why the mainstream media has not pursued the story. Two factors stand out. The first is that of a negative mindset. There is a tendency in human nature to resist anything that challenges our preconceived perceptions of reality. In most cases, such an attitude serves us well and manifests itself as a healthy skepticism. In other instances, it may result in a close-minded refusal by otherwise intelligent people to consider compelling evidence -- especially when that evidence seems to defy common sense or prevailing scientific theory. Many past revelations of science, for example, have met such resistance -- a round earth, evolution, relativity, continental drift, quantum theory, an expanding universe -- to name a few.
The second and most damaging factor is ridicule. Unfortunately, UFOs have long been associated with tabloid stories, hoaxes, and the "lunatic fringe." In addition, people tend to put UFOs in the same category as ghosts, mysticism, magic, and other forms of the occult or the supernatural. As a result, anything even remotely related to the area of UFOs is a difficult subject to broach without risking a loss of credibility. Consequently, members of the mainstream media rarely approach the subject, much less treat it with any degree of seriousness or depth. No one wants to make himself an easy target for cynicism or ridicule.
Moreover, it is not necessary to resort to the supernatural to explain UFOs any more than it is necessary to resort to the supernatural to explain the Space Shuttle. UFOs could probably best be looked upon as an extrapolation of where our own technology might be thousands of years from now. A television, jet aircraft, or nuclear bomb would have seemed magical or supernatural to a person from the Middle Ages. Similarly, by virtue of the fact that they apparently violate the laws of known physics, UFOs are perceived by us as an aberration of reality. They are, however, probably quite explainable under laws of science we aren't even close to discovering yet.
Further exacerbating the credibility problem has been the extreme negative position taken by the U.S. Government. Almost everyone has heard pronouncements from government officials claiming there is no evidence to support the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Ironically, no matter how high their rank or position, those touting this line may be uninformed, yet telling the truth as they know it. With the U.S. Government's high degree of compartmentalization and need-to-know philosophy, chances are that few agencies or individuals would be briefed on or have access to such information.
Agencies in which something might be known, such as the CIA, have refused to cooperate with investigators. When seeking Roswell or UFO-related documents through the Freedom of Information Act, researchers have been repeatedly stonewalled. Claims are made that documents don't exist or can't be released for national security reasons. The few documents that have been released have often been so blacked out that they are rendered meaningless.
By way of contrast, in 1991 the Belgian Ministry of Defense released radar tapes from two Belgian Air Force F-16s that had been scrambled to pursue a UFO detected by four ground-based radar stations and seen by numerous citizens and by police. The tape was impressive-- showing digital readouts of incredible altitude and speed changes made by the UFO. Under present government policy, it is hard to imagine such a scenario ever taking place in the United States. Perhaps the world's greatest democracy could learn a few things about a free and open society from its small NATO ally.
There was actually hope at one time that U.S. policy might change. It came when Jimmy Carter was elected President in 1976. In October 1969 while Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter had reported a UFO sighting . Later, in 1976 as a presidential candidate, he pledged: "If I become president, I'll make every piece of information this country has about UFOs available to the public and the scientists." He then somewhat mystifyingly never said one more word about it publicly after taking office. If he found there was no information to release, why did he not announce it? Doing so would have been a natural and easy way to honor his commitment.
Why the U.S. Government defiantly maintains there is nothing to the UFO phenomenon and why it would want to withhold evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence remain a matter of speculation. Three possible reasons have been suggested: fear of mass panic, perceived national security problems, and concern about offending religious groups. Whether arguments in any of these areas have merit is questionable. Most would agree, however, that whatever reasons there may be for withholding such information, they are far outweighed by those for releasing it.
The classic argument for government withholding of information on extraterrestrial intelligence from the public is that it might cause a response similar to that of the famous 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast. (The program featured a simulated news broadcast announcing an attack by Martians on Grover's Mill, New Jersey, which panicked a small number of listeners who had tuned in late.) The argument, however, is flawed and the comparison is invalid. It is not realistic to compare a simulated emergency news broadcast graphically describing a devastating, ongoing attack or invasion to a low-key, formal announcement confirming that other intelligent life exists in the universe and occasionally visits earth.
Furthermore, we are nearly 35 years into the Space Age and at the brink of the 21st century. This is a generation that until recently lived for years under the threat of nuclear destruction and that now must deal with such threats as AIDS, rising rates of violent crime, international terrorism, etc. The possibility that the confirmation of extraterrestrial intelligence would cause mass panic in this day and age is so remote that it hardly merits mention.
The arguments for maintaining secrecy based on national security are just as specious as those based on mass panic. Assuming the wreckage the military retrieved from Roswell was that of an extraterrestrial craft, it would be understandable that the U.S. Government would want to reverse-engineer the technology. It would be reasonable that the government would want to keep certain details of that technology secret. As with any technology with the potential for misuse, such precaution would be prudent and justified. However, the very existence of such a craft would have profound implications. The mere knowledge by the public of that existence would not pose any kind of threat. Denying the public such knowledge would not be justified and would be an abuse of the power entrusted to those who oversee the country's national security.
When the Carter campaign pledge was not carried out, it was speculated that concern about offending certain religious groups was the reason. If true, it would represent a violation of the principle of separation of church and state. It would also be placing the interests of a small minority above those of the majority.
Like the discoveries of Darwin and Copernicus, the Roswell evidence could have implications that challenge certain religious doctrines. Darwin's theory that there could be fossil evidence linking modern man and other present-day higher primates to a common primate ancestor conflicted with the creationist view on the exalted position of man with respect to other forms of life. Likewise, the Roswell evidence, which would imply the existence of a superior nonhuman intelligence, could be seen as equally threatening to the creationist viewpoint. It could be interpreted as implying that on a scale comparing the evolutionary development of different advanced species throughout the universe, human beings may not rate very high. Such a humbling realization might bother some people, but probably not most.
Copernicus' finding that the earth along with the other planets circled the sun contradicted the teachings of the time that the earth was the center of creation. That notion persists today in that many perceive the earth to be the center of intelligent life in the universe. The Roswell evidence could dispel such an ethnocentric view by confirming that the human race is just one single member in a large community of other intelligent races in the universe. Specific effects, if any, that such a revelation might have on society would be purely a matter of speculation. Generally, however, when knowledge replaces ignorance, the long-term result is positive. There is no reason to think that that would not be the case here. If nothing else, the knowledge that it is possible for a civilization to survive the growing pains of becoming technologically advanced, without completely destroying itself and its environment in the process, would in a sense provide a renewed hope for the future of man and his environment.
Despite the media's inattention to the matter, and contrary to what some in the U.S. Government would like people to think, Roswell is not a figment of someone's imagination or the product of modern folklore. It involves real people and a real event. The man who issued the press release announcing that event, Colonel William Blanchard, was not someone prone to making mistakes, much less monumental blunders. He would go on to achieve the highest peacetime rank attainable in the U.S. military, four-star general. Credible witnesses, including retired generals, have testified that the original press release issued by Blanchard was correct and that the Roswell wreckage was of extraterrestrial origin. A United States Congressman was recently stonewalled by the Defense Department on the matter and has expressed his belief that there is a coverup. Yet the U.S. Government steadfastly maintains it has no evidence indicating extraterrestrial intelligence. Something does not ring true. There is a gross inconsistency here, and it involves an issue of great magnitude, an issue that should transcend domestic politics and that demands an explanation. It is time to lay the cards on the table so that this matter can be resolved, one way or the other.
History has shown that unsubstantiated official assurances or denials by government are often meaningless. Nevertheless, there is a logical and straightforward way to ensure that the truth about Roswell will emerge: an Executive Order declassifying any information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Because this is a unique issue of universal concern, such an action would be appropriate and warranted. It is essentially what presidential candidate Jimmy Carter promised and then failed to deliver to the American people eighteen years ago in 1976. Additionally, it would cost nothing, offend no one, and be applauded by all.
To provide positive assurance for all potential witnesses, the Order would need to be clearly stated and written into law. Security-clearance violations can bring heavy fines and long prison sentences. In addition to the original witnesses from 1947, there are most certainly individuals involved with the Roswell material today who would be affected by such a declassification. Undoubtedly, many of them, along with the original witnesses, would want to see this information shared with others -- be they friends, family, grandchildren, or all mankind.
If, as is officially claimed, no information on Roswell, UFOs, or extraterrestrial intelligence is being withheld, a declassification order would be a mere formality, as there would be nothing for anyone to disclose. What legitimate concern could there be about declassifying "nonexistent" information? If, however, information is being withheld, there could be significant resistance to officially disclosing it. This resistance could range from contriving excuses as to why an Executive Order should not be issued, to ignoring the matter altogether.
In the end, however, whether information is being suppressed or whether it is not, the effect of an Executive Order declassifying it would be positive. If nothing is being withheld, the result of such an Order would be to set the record straight once and for all. Years of controversy and suspicion would be ended, both in the eyes of the United States' own citizens and in the eyes of the world.
If, on the other hand, the Roswell witnesses are telling the truth and information on extraterrestrial intelligence does exist, it is not something to which a privileged few in the United States Government should have exclusive rights. It is knowledge of profound importance to which all people throughout the world should have an inalienable right. Its release would unquestionably be universally acknowledged as an historic act of honesty and goodwill.
This is PART 5 of the material distributed with the ROSWELL_DECLARATION______________________________________________________________________ ***PLEASE CIRCULATE*PLEASE COPY*PLEASE SIGN THE ROSWELL-DECLARATION*** ----------------------------------------------------------------------AN EXPLANATION OF THE ROSWELL DECLARATIONThe Roswell Declaration is part of a worldwide effort to end U.S. Government secrecy surrounding the 1947 Roswell incident. It contains an appeal to the Administration for an Executive Order to declassify any U.S. Government information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. You can help by signing and returning a copy of the Declaration.
The effort is being supported by three independent nonprofit organizations devoted to the serious study of the UFO phenomenon. The membership of the governing committees of these organizations consists primarily of researchers, scientists, and Ph.D.s. The three organizations are the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), 103 Oldtowne Road, Seguin, Texas 78155; the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), 2457 W. Peterson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659; and the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR), P.O. Box 277, Mt. Ranier, Maryland 20712.
UFO organizations throughout the world are involved in a drive to obtain signatures from scientists, professionals, and the general public in support of the Roswell Declaration. On a yet-to-bedetermined day later this year, the news media in different countries around the world will be notified and furnished with material about the Roswell incident in an effort to bring international attention to the Roswell case.
On that same day, a copy of the Roswell Declaration, along with a listing of the total number of signatories from each of the fifty states will be delivered to the offices of all members of Congress and to the White House. In other countries, signed copies of the Roswell Declaration will be delivered to the American embassy for forwarding to the White House. If finances permit, a copy of the Roswell Declaration will be placed in the first section of the national edition of a major U.S. newspaper as well as in other major newspapers around the world.
Polls have shown that more than fifty percent of the people in the United States believe in the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence. Unfortunately, that interest has never been galvanized into a large-scale grassroots movement. With the "Roswell Declaration," this may now become a reality.
Since this will be primarily a word-of-mouth, grassroots effort, your help in making copies of the Declaration and distributing them to as many people as possible will be of great importance. The Declaration is being made available on computer bulletin boards throughout the world. A five- page position paper, "Time for the Truth About Roswell," from which the Declaration is derived, will also be made available. The position paper includes a detailed summary of the Roswell event, an analysis of the media and government treatment of it, and arguments for allowing the public to know the truth.
The position paper and the Declaration were written by Kent Jeffrey of Fairfax, California. Mr. Jeffrey has researched the Roswell event extensively, worked with several of the leading investigators, and interviewed a number of the Roswell witnesses. He is an international airline pilot whose interest in the Roswell case stems in part from the fact that his father, a retired colonel and former air force pilot (and WWII fighter ace), at one time knew and worked with one of the key Roswell figures, General William Blanchard.
Although it is felt by the organizers of this effort that there is a high degree of probability the U.S. Government is withholding information regarding the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, the primary goal is to get the matter into the open so that the truth can be conclusively determined, one way or the other. It is hoped, therefore, that all individuals, no matter what their opinion on the subject, will support this effort.
This is PART 6 of the material distributed with the ROSWELL_DECLARATIONClick here to link to a new Web Page for the express purpose of printing a form to be signed and mailed in.
______________________________________________________________________ ***PLEASE CIRCULATE*PLEASE COPY*PLEASE SIGN THE ROSWELL-DECLARATION*** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================= *********** T H E R O S W E L L - D E C L A R A T I O N ************ ============================================= Forty-seven years ago an incident occurred in the southwestern desert of the United States that could have significant implications for all mankind. It involved the recovery by the U.S. Military of material alleged to be of extraterrestrial origin. The event was announced by the U.S. Military on July 8, 1947, through a press release that was carried by newspapers throughout the country. It was subsequently denied by what is now believed to be a cover story claiming the material was nothing more than a weather balloon. It has remained veiled in government secrecy ever since. The press release announcing the unusual event was issued by the Commander of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell Army Air Field, Colonel William Blanchard, who later went on to become a four-star general and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. That the weather balloon story was a coverup has been confirmed by individuals directly involved, including the late General Thomas DuBose who took the telephone call from Washington, D.C., ordering the coverup. Numerous other credible military and civilian witnesses have testified that the original press release was correct and that the Roswell wreckage was of extraterrestrial origin. One such individual was Major Jesse Marcel, the Intelligence Officer of the 509th Bomb Group and one of the first military officers at the scene. On January 12, 1994, United States Congressman Steven Schiff of Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced to the press that he had been stonewalled by the Defense Department when requesting information regarding the 1947 Roswell event on behalf of constituents and witnesses. Indicating that he was seeking further investigation into the matter, Congressman Schiff called the Defense Department's lack of response "astounding" and concluded it was apparently "another government coverup." History has shown that unsubstantiated official assurances or denials by government are often meaningless. Nevertheless, there is a logical and straightforward way to ensure that the truth about Roswell will emerge: an Executive Order declassifying any information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Because this is a unique issue of universal concern, such an action would be appropriate and warranted. To provide positive assurance for all potential witnesses, it would need to be clearly stated and written into law. Such a measure is essentially what presidential candidate Jimmy Carter promised and then failed to deliver to the American people eighteen years ago in 1976. If, as is officially claimed, no information on Roswell, UFOs, or extraterrestrial intelligence is being withheld, an Executive Order declassifying it would be a mere formality, as there would be nothing to disclose. The Order would, however, have the positive effect of setting the record straight once and for all. Years of controversy and suspicion would be ended, both in the eyes of the United States' own citizens and in the eyes of the world. If, on the other hand, the Roswell witnesses are telling the truth and information on extraterrestrial intelligence does exist, it is not something to which a privileged few in the United States Government should have exclusive rights. It is knowledge of profound importance to which all people throughout the world should have an inalienable right. Its release would unquestionably be universally acknowledged as an historic act of honesty and goodwill. ______________________________________________________________________ I support the request, as outlined above, for an Executive Order declassifying any U.S. Government information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Whether such information exists or whether it does not, I feel that the people of the world have a right to know the truth about this issue and that it is time to put an end to the controversy surrounding it. __________________________ _________ ____________________________ Signature Date Name (Please print) ____________________________ _______________________________________ Address Occupation/Title ____________________________ _______________________________________ ____________________________ Degrees/Credentials (If applicable) Country ______________________________________________________________________Please send signed Declarations to either organisation:MUFON; 103 Oldtowne Road; Seguin, TX 78155. U.S.A.
CUFOS; 2457 W. Peterson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659, U.S.A.
FUFOR; Post Office Box 277, Mt.Rainier, Maryland 20712, U.S.A.
Or to:Kent Jeffrey, 37 Porteous Ave., Fairfax, CA 94930, U.S.A.
Joachim Koch, Stadtrandstr. 550 g, 13589 Berlin, Germany
This is PART 7 of the material distributed with the ROSWELL_DECLARATION
______________________________________________________________________ ***PLEASE CIRCULATE*PLEASE COPY*PLEASE SIGN THE ROSWELL-DECLARATION*** ----------------------------------------------------------------------ROSWELL - UPDATE DECEMBER 1994
(Written by Joachim Koch)The ROSWELL-INITIATIVE is an attempt of rational thinking people to find answers in a matter which others regard as irrational: about UFOs, the secrecy of the Government and especially about the ROSWELL-INCIDENT of 1947. Since the Roswell-Initiative started in May 1994 worldwide, it has become one of the most important efforts in the area of serious UFO research ever since.
The founders of the Initiative proudly present support of a very special kind. It is a letter of Robert Wood, Ph.D., which was originally dedicated to all members of the Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE). In this letter Dr. Wood encouraged the member of the SSE to sign the Roswell-Declaration. The letter now is part of the material which is distributed with the Declaration. The SSE is an organization of more than 400 highly qualified scientists. Dr. Wood is physicist, member of the board of directors of the SSE and recently retired from his occupation at McDonnell Douglas Corporation.
The central document of the Roswell-Initiative is the "Roswell-Declaration". It represents an appeal for an Executive Order to end the secrecy held by the Government on information regarding UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence. The Declaration is not a document of a personal view or belief. It is an active support of an Executive Order to change the law.
The Initiative has grown into a major grassroots movement. Thousands of signed Roswell-Declarations, those of hundreds of scientists included, have been sent to the addresses which are given below. On a special day later this year the Declarations will be delivered to the members of Congress and to the President.
To maintain the credibility of the Initiative is of highest importance. Many who support it are scientist, engineers and members of other professions in highly sensible positions. They are no new-age enthusiasts or religious fanatics.
In the United States the Roswell-Case more and more comes to awareness of many people. Kevin D. Randle and Donald R.Schmitt published their second book on the matter "The Truth About The UFO Crash At Roswell" (ISBN 0-87131-761-3). The movie entitled "Roswell" had premiere in 'Showtime'. The U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) continues the research. This is very important and encouraging for the procedure of an appeal in Congress. Additionally the Roswell-Declaration was presented in many television and radio talkshows. So Kevin Randle had the opportunity to mention the Roswell-Declaration in the 'Larry King Show' on October 1st 1994. Together with Stanton Friedman, Dr. Steven Greer and a local researcher he was invited to attend the show which was broadcasted from a place in the desert not far away from the enigmatic "area 51". So between 20 to 40 millions of Americans might have seen this.
Another important event was the interpretation and publishing of the whole Declaration in the October issue of 'OMNI' magazine.
The Roswell-Initiative is supported in many parts of the world. The Declaration was translated in many languages and many copies have been signed so far. There is special support in Germany and Great Britain where television shows are in preparation. John Holman, a well known British researcher, distributed the Declaration in front of the British Parliament in London. In Russia the former official Government newspaper, ISWESTIA, published and article about the Declaration and the Incident of 1947 to its 1.2 million readers on September 14 and 15, 1994. The newsletter of the Italian UFO research organization, C.I.S.U., will publish the Declaration soon, the Danish 'Nyt Aspekt' magazine published an article and the Declaration in November 1994. In Germany, several magazines, especially the 'UFO-KURIER', published many material. Now we here in Germany are up to start a major campaign towards the mainstream media.
Recently, the 'Newsweek Magazine' called it a "preemptive strike", the U.S. Air Force published a 23 page report with a huge amount of appendixes, claiming the debris of Roswell have been the remnants of a MOGUL balloon. Project MOGUL was a secret program at that time to measure atmospheric radioactivity originating from Soviet nuclear tests. Researchers are analyzing this report and preliminary results show that the Air Force seemed to fail to solve the Roswell-Incident. There are several inconsistencies concerning the time and number of MOGUL balloon launches and it is nearly clear that the debris of McBrazel's ranch was not of a MOGUL balloon as well as the debris shown on the well known photographs is not of such a balloon, too.
This new Air Force report has special importance because after the initial "crashed disk" press release and the subsequent "weather balloon" press release, which represents the greatest fiasco in military press information policy, the Air Force always claimed not to have any information about the incident. Now, after 47 years of absolute silence sudden activities emerge. They have sent out "researchers" to look for "witnesses". To make it very clear: the institution that helped to hide away all the material about Roswell and which has all information in its files, is sending out agents to interview witnesses - in 1994. The investigations for this Air Force report neither have been objective nor complete.
Many of the key witnesses, as there are General Arthur Exon, Glenn Dennis and Dr. Jesse Marcel jr., whose testimony would have contradicted the Air Force, have not been interviewed. Furthermore, only to support their own theory, the Air Force "researchers" suddenly calls in question the credibility and competency of lieutenant colonel Jesse Marcel sr. and General William Blanchard who both are no more with us and cannot defend themselves anymore.
One thing is clear: never before the public pressure concerning Roswell never was stronger than today thanks to the great and worldwide increasing support of the Roswell-Declaration. This pressure caused some nervousness in the Air Force, so one can be optimistic concerning the future of a solution of the Roswell Incident. Who in the Air Force has thought to get rid of a troublesome problem should become set right. Researchers as Stanton Friedman, Kevin Randle and Don Schmitt will unmask the Air Force report as what it is: a new cover-up.
As it is explained in the basic paper of the Roswell material "Time For The Truth About Roswell", it would be possible to unclassify any withheld information - provided they exist - without violating the national security. A policy of frankness in this matter would fit the principles of democracy much more than it is the case with the present Government policy.
If, as it is indicated with the Roswell Incident, information concerning the existence of intelligent life other than ours in the universe is withheld from the peoples of the world, this would represent a grievous abuse of power by those who have to decide about the national security of the United States. It obviously would represent a form of censorship in a nonmilitary subject, a subject concerning our own perspective of the place of mankind in the universe.
Help to bring this historic initiative to success and sign the Roswell-Declaration.
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This is PART 8 of the material distributed with the ROSWELL_DECLARATION
______________________________________________________________________ ***PLEASE CIRCULATE*PLEASE COPY*PLEASE SIGN THE ROSWELL-DECLARATION*** ----------------------------------------------------------------------THE INTERNATIONAL ROSWELL INITIATIVE
UPDATE FEBRUARY 10, 1995An Open Letter to All Those With an Interest in the UFO Phenomenon:
There is presently a large-scale movement underway in the United States to persuade the U.S. government to share what it knows about UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence with its citizens and the people of the world. The effort is known as the "International Roswell Initiative" and has the joint support of the three largest and most respected UFO organizations in the United States -- the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), and the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR). Because government suppression and withholding of information on this subject is a universal concern, organizations in several European countries, including Great Britain and Germany, have joined the effort in an unprecedented show of unity. This letter is an invitation to organizations and people throughout the world with an interest in the UFO phenomenon to join this unified, worldwide movement to end government secrecy on the UFO issue once and for all.
Although definitive answers are being sought on what the government knows about all aspects of the UFO phenomenon, the focus of the effort is the 1947 Roswell incident, one of the best-documented UFO cases in history. The Roswell event involved the recovery of unusual debris from a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico, a press release from the U.S. military stating that a "crashed disk" (UFO) had been recovered, and a subsequent denial by the military claiming that the debris was really only the misidentified remains of a weather balloon. Credible military and civilian witnesses who were directly involved have testified that the weather balloon story is false.
The strategy of the Roswell Initiative is to collect as many signed copies as possible of a one-page document, the Roswell Declaration. The Declaration contains a request for an Executive Order from the President of the United States to declassify any government-held information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. The Declaration is not an endorsement of a position or belief, but rather, a request for a change in the law -- a change that would mandate a policy of openness and candor on the part of the government. Such a policy would far better reflect the will of the people than the present government policy of secrecy, suppression, and denial.
On a yet-to-be-determined date (probably sometime in 1995), signed copies of the Roswell Declaration will be delivered to the U.S. President and all members of Congress. On the same day, UFO organizations throughout the world will deliver signed copies of the Roswell Declaration to the American embassies in their respective countries. (Organizers in Great Britain also plan to deliver copies to both Houses of Parliament.) The objective will be to draw credible media and public attention to the Roswell matter and to the need for a more open and honest government policy concerning the UFO phenomenon in general. Public and media pressure can be a key factor in bringing about change in government policy.
The Roswell Declaration was published in April 1994 in the journals of both the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies and the Mutual UFO Network. The Fund for UFO Research subsequently included a copy of the Declaration with its quarterly newsletter. In July, a copy of the Roswell Declaration was mailed to the members of the Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE), an organization consisting of more than 400 scientists throughout the world. The cover letter for the SSE mailing was written by Robert M. Wood, Ph.D., a member of the board of directors of the SSE, and a strong advocate of the Roswell Initiative. Dr. Wood holds a doctorate degree in physics and is a recently retired executive of McDonnell Douglas Corporation.
In October, the Roswell Declaration and an accompanying story were published in Omni magazine (U.S. circulation, 713,000). The Declaration has also been published in UFO magazine and International UFO Library magazine. It has been placed on a number of computer bulletin boards, as well as on America Online and the Internet, making it available worldwide. Overseas, the Roswell Declaration has been translated into several languages, and a significant number of signed, foreign Declarations have already been received. The Declaration has been featured in publications abroad, including the official government newspaper of Russia, Izvestia (circulation 1.2 million), which published a full-length story about Roswell and the Roswell Declaration in its September 14, 1994, edition. Other foreign publications have also expressed interest in the Roswell Initiative.
Polls have shown that the majority of people believe in the possible existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence. There is, without question, a universal interest in this subject and a strong desire to know the truth. The Roswell Declaration provides a vehicle to galvanize that interest and that desire for the truth into a large-scale grassroots movement. So far, the response has been overwhelming. Declarations have been received from people representing all walks of life and all age groups. Omni magazine recently received a box of 800 Roswell Declarations from a high school in New Hampshire, where the students had made it a class project to collect signed Declarations. Overall, more than 15,000 signed Roswell Declarations had been received as of January 1995, including hundreds from scientists and engineers. People want to know the truth!
In the United States, public awareness of the Roswell event continues to increase. A number of respectable books on the subject are available, and several mainstream network television shows have featured segments on Roswell, including ABC's Good Morning America and CBS's 48 Hours. A major television movie, Roswell, aired on the Showtime network last year and received a Golden Globe nomination for best television movie. The movie is now available on video and will likely be shown on network television and in Europe sometime this summer. Additionally, the Roswell Declaration has been mentioned on three national television programs (including a Larry King special on October 1, 1994), as well as on a number of radio talk shows.
At the request of New Mexico Congressman Steven Schiff, the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) is now conducting an inquiry into the Roswell case. In addition to overseeing fiscal matters, the GAO has the authority to investigate whether proper reporting procedures have been followed by government agencies. While the GAO's inquiry into the Roswell matter is a step in the right direction, it is doubtful whether its investigators will be able to gain access to the information on Roswell if the Air Force -or whatever other agency holds the information -- wants to keep it secret. It may be a year or more before the GAO reports its findings to Congressman Schiff.
On September 8, 1994, in reaction to public and political pressure, and in what Newsweek magazine called a "preemptive strike," the Air Force issued its first official statement on Roswell in 47 years-- a 23-page report stating that the "most likely" source of the Roswell debris was a balloon from a secret program known as Project Mogul. The purpose of Project Mogul was to detect Soviet nuclear tests by using sensitive instruments carried aloft by high-altitude balloons. Contrary to the impression that the Air Force wishes to convey to the public, the conclusion of the 1994 Air Force report represents little change from the original weather balloon cover story issued in 1947. The neoprene (rubber) balloons and radar reflectors used in Project Mogul were the same type used in meteorological observation flights during that time period. The primary difference was that while the weather observation flights generally used a single 350-gram, four- foot-diameter balloon and a light-weight radar reflector (made from balsa wood sticks and reflective foil), the Project Mogul flights used an array of 350-gram balloons and light-weight radar reflectors, and carried different instruments. In effect, a downed Project Mogul balloon should have been no more puzzling to those who found it than a common weather balloon.
It is very important to note that the Air Force report is nothing but speculation, as its conclusion is not backed by files or records specifically documenting the Mogul hypothesis. In reality, it confirmed nothing. Considering the government's penchant for keeping records, it seems incredible that Air Force researchers were unable to produce official records or files showing any of the following significant events: 1) the recovery of the material from the Brazel ranch by U.S. military officers who were acting in an official capacity; 2) the alleged "mis- analysis" of that material as a crashed UFO by officers of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell -a mis-analysis which led to a press release that resulted in spectacular headlines in 30 U.S. newspapers; 3) the transportation of the recovered material from Roswell Army Air Field to Fort Worth Army Air Field by military personnel using military aircraft; 4) the re-analysis of the material at Eighth Air Force headquarters; 5) the highly publicized announcement of the result of that re-analysis at a specially called press conference by the commander of the Eighth Air Force, General Roger Ramey; 7) the ultimate disposition of the recovered material (i.e., the return of the remains of the alleged "Mogul balloon" and its instruments to the Project Mogul team at Alamogordo, New Mexico); and 8) a log entry by the Project Mogul team acknowledging that one of their balloons had been recovered near Roswell by the Eighth Air Force. No official records of any of these events exist, despite the fact that the "crashed disk" press release from the 509th Bomb Group and the subsequent "weather balloon" explanation by Eighth Air Force headquarters constituted one of the biggest U.S. military public relations fiascoes ever!
To those familiar with the Roswell evidence, the 1994 Air Force report is not convincing, much less definitive. The research behind it was neither objective nor complete. Many key Roswell witnesses, such as General Arthur Exon, Glenn Dennis, and Jesse Marcel, Jr., M.D., all of whose testimony would have directly contradicted the Air Force's conclusion, were not interviewed. It is difficult to imagine that such blatant omissions were accidental.
Because much of the mainstream media accepted the Air Force report at face value and dutifully reported its conclusions as fact, the report has resulted in a temporary public relations setback for the campaign to get to the truth on the Roswell matter. However, due to its lack of objectivity, a selective presentation of the facts, and a highly prejudiced point of view, the Air Force report could ultimately backfire and, ironically, become a factor in ending the coverup.
This is PART 9 of the material distributed with the ROSWELL_DECLARATION
______________________________________________________________________ ***PLEASE CIRCULATE*PLEASE COPY*PLEASE SIGN THE ROSWELL-DECLARATION*** ----------------------------------------------------------------------THE INTERNATIONAL ROSWELL INITIATIVE
UPDATE FEBRUARY 10, 1995
- Part 2 -The Roswell case does not stand alone as the only solid evidence of a coverup of UFO information by the U.S. government. In 1980, after having filed numerous Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, a group known as Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS) learned of 156 UFO-related documents held by the National Security Agency (NSA) and of internal references to a large number of UFO-related documents held by other agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). While this was an interesting revelation, researchers believe that it would not be possible through FOIA requests to find even references to the most important UFO documents (such as those relating to Roswell). This information would, presumably, be buried much deeper.
The members of CAUS proceeded with a FOIA request for the 156 NSA UFO documents, but were denied access to all of them. They subsequently filed an appeal in federal court and lost. Interestingly, the National Security Agency did not even allow the judge in the hearing, Gerhardt Gessell of the First Federal Court, District of Columbia, to view the 156 UFO documents. Instead, the NSA submitted a special 21-page "top secret plus" affidavit to the judge, giving its arguments for withholding the documents. An unusual action from a government that officially denies having any knowledge about the existence of UFOs!
It is important to realize that the vast majority of people employed by the U.S. government, even those with top secret clearances, would not have access to classified UFO information such as the 156 NSA UFO documents. In all probability, most of these government employees, like the rest of us, would like to know the truth about UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence. Furthermore, it is doubtful whether any members of Congress have access to such information and, given the size of the government bureaucracy and high degree of compartmentalization that exists within it, it is conceivable that even the President has not been fully briefed on the subject.
For obvious reasons, it is necessary that the military services and the intelligence agencies impose a certain amount of secrecy. In recent decades, however, many observers say that the use of government secrecy has become excessive. Secrecy is tantamount to power and, like power, lends itself to abuse. Behind the shield of secrecy, it is possible for an agency or service to avoid scrutiny and essentially operate outside the law. Accountability to the taxpayers, and to the Congress, can be conveniently avoided. Perhaps this is a major reason the U.S. annual "black budget" (government spending on secret programs) has climbed to a staggering $25 billion a year. The 1995 budget for the National Security Agency alone is projected at $3.5 billion according to the publication Defense Week.
Secrecy, like power, is not readily relinquished. Traditionally, those in power tend to vehemently resist change of any type, including change that would be in the public interest. Anything that might upset the status quo is perceived as a potential threat to entrenched position or power. For example, the November 11, 1994, New York Times reported that an Executive Order signed by President Clinton declassifying nearly 44 million pages of secret documents, some dating back to 1917, was delayed nearly a year because of resistance from military and intelligence officials. The New York Times article also reported that although 22 years ago President Nixon promised "immediate and systematic declassification" of Vietnam War documents, nearly five million pages of those documents are still being withheld at the demand of military and intelligence officials. In view of this kind of obsession with secrecy on the part of the government, obtaining the release of information that has been as closely guarded as NSA and CIA UFO documents or the files on Roswell is not going to be an easy task.
Fortunately, a number of politicians, including President Clinton, are aware of the problem of excessive secrecy and have pledged to do something about it. There are also some politicians known to have an interest in the subject of UFOs, but few have had the courage to speak out. One notable exception is former Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. Senator Goldwater agreed to do a pre-taped interview for the Larry King special on UFOs, broadcast on October 1, 1994. In reference to government-held information on UFOs, Senator Goldwater stated, "I think the government does know." He went on to say, "...I think that at Wright Patterson Field, if you could get into certain places, you'd find out what the Air Force and the government does know about UFOs. Reportedly, a spaceship landed. It was all hushed up...I called Curtis LeMay and I said, `General, I know we have a room at Wright Patterson where you put all this secret stuff. Could I go in there?' I've never heard him get mad, but he got madder than hell at me, cussed me out, and said, `Don't ever ask me that question again!'"
On numerous occasions, Senator Goldwater has publicly mentioned his experience with General LeMay and his belief in a government coverup concerning UFOs. However, he had never mentioned Roswell specifically until July 1994. At that time, in response to a letter about the Roswell Initiative, Senator Goldwater wrote, "You touch something very close to me, by your letter. Roswell has long been a point of great interest to me, since the first UFOs turned up." Of great surprise to Roswell researchers, he stated, "Butch Blanchard was a very close friend of mine. I worked with him in the Air Force...." (General William "Butch" Blanchard was the officer who, as a Colonel and Commander of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell Army Air Field in 1947, issued the press release that a crashed disk [UFO] had been recovered.) With respect to "getting the things about Roswell that you would like," he stated, "I tried diligently to get them from General LeMay, and the only cussing out he ever gave me was when I very vociferously asked him for information."
Senator Goldwater was the Republican party's presidential candidate in 1964 (against Lyndon Johnson), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for eight years, chairman of the Senate Armed Service's Committee for four years, and a major general in the Air Force Reserves. Many consider Senator Goldwater one of the most distinguished, respected, and honest U.S. statesmen of this century. He retired from public service in 1987 after having served 30 years in the U.S. Senate.
If, as the Roswell evidence indicates, information confirming the existence of other intelligent life in the universe is being withheld from the people of the world by a few privileged individuals in the U.S. government, such withholding is a crime against all humanity and a gross misuse of the power entrusted to those individuals. It is, in effect, a form of censorship on a nonmilitary and a non-national security issue. The question must be asked: What gives these individuals the right to keep this information to themselves, thereby depriving the rest of the world of knowledge of almost inconceivable magnitude and consequence? Do these individuals consider themselves, by virtue of some divine providence or other abstract rationale, so above the rest of us that only they are entitled to or are capable of handling this information? Such arrogance and elitism by the officials of any government, much less a government based upon the principles of democracy and individual rights, is a gross injustice against not only its own people, but all people. At issue is knowledge so profound that it affects our very perspective on man's place in the universe.
While the organizers of the Roswell Initiative feel that it is highly probable that the U.S. government is withholding such information, the primary goal of the initiative is to get the matter into the open so that the truth can be conclusively determined, one way or the other. It is hoped, therefore, that all individuals, no matter what their opinion on the subject, will support this effort. There has never before been a grassroots movement of such magnitude on this issue, and there may never be again. This effort could represent the best chance that we will ever have of learning the truth about this matter.
Despite an overwhelmingly positive response, the battle is far from won. Too many people, while supporting this cause in principle, are unwilling to get involved. It is critical, therefore, that all individuals who do support this effort participate by signing a copy of the Roswell Declaration and distributing it to others.
One of the most basic philosophical and scientific questions contemplated by modern man is, "Are we alone?" If the Roswell premise is correct, as we believe it to be, and we are successful in what we are trying to accomplish, that question will be answered with absolute finality, once and for all. People all over the world will be able to look up at the firmament of the night sky with its millions of stars and feel an even greater sense of wonder about what is out there.
Sincerely,
Kent Jeffrey, Coordinator
________________________ Please send signed Declarations to either organization:
MUFON; 103 Oldtowne Road; Seguin, TX 78155. U.S.A.
CUFOS; 2457W. Peterson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659, U.S.A.
FUFOR; PostOffice Box 277, Mt.Rainier, Maryland 20712, U.S.A.Or to:
Kent Jeffrey, 37 Porteous Ave., Fairfax, CA 94930, U.S.A.
Joachim Koch, Stadtrandstr. 550 g, 13589 Berlin, Germany
________________________ ***Further material (updates etc.) will be presented inascending numerical order***
Viele Gruesse
Joachim
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