From: "Val Germann" <vhg@socket.net>
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 14:10:05 -0600
Fwd Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 09:37:50 -0500
Subject: UFOSEARCH #13 - UFO History; Part IV

UFOSEARCH #13 - UFO History; Part IV

Val Germann
Columbia, Missouri

The Build-up to 1968; The Age of Zamora;
Situation Report, December, 1967 -

Thus it was that by the end of 1967 the "triad" of today's
ufology (flying saucers, mutilations and abductions) were all
three in existence, the latter thanks to John Fuller's
'Interrupted Journey.'  And right there with them was the fourth
horseman, 'government cover-up,' perhaps the most important one
of all, if subsequent events have much meaning.  That is, the
energy expended trying to gain access to assumed government
secrets has been all out of proportion to the results of those
efforts.  And should we be surprised at this, since it has been
government policy since at least January of 1953 to debunk UFOs
in public?

I don't think so.  I think it's been a dead end from the
beginning, a vastly overrated effort, as a lot of people were
trying to tell Keyhoe in the middle 1950s.  But he preferred to
tilt at windmills rather than do the hard work of nailing down
the phenomenon once and for all.  The temptation toward the 'big
kill', the government secret, was too much for him to resist.
And doing real research takes money, a lot of it, which Keyhoe
did not have.  So, he took the easy way.

Which was too bad because, when you think about it, nearly all of
the really juicy 'secret stuff' has simply been leaked, for
heaven's sake, and not been the result of pestering the
government and its minions!  There's a lesson there for somebody,
though I don't think they're interested in learning it. Allen
Dulles' great coups as a 'spy' came from the 'walk-ins', from
sources upset with policy and actively looking to betray.  But I
would have to be pretty desperate before I'd put my life in the
hands of an Allen Dulles, or nearly anyone else, these days.  Who
can you trust?  I don't pretend to know.

So, as 1968 rolled onto the world's calendars the UFO arena was
remarkably similar to what we see today.  Public interest was
high, Hollywood was helping out (the then-recent '2001, A Space
Odyssey' a prime example) and nearly everyone was putting
pressure on 'the government' for 'answers.' The primary
difference between then and now was James McDonald, a world class
scientist who was giving 'the government' and people like Allen
Hynek, all they could handle.  It was going to be a very
interesting year!


***