From: Dennis Stacy <dstacy@texas.net>
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 12:55:35 -0600 (CST)
Fwd Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 07:58:58 -0500
Subject: Re: Pope On A Rope


>To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>
>From: Jerome Clark <jkclark@frontiernet.net>
>Subject: Re: Pope On A Rope
>Date: Tue, 16 Feb 99 12:40:31 PST

>The attempt at moral equivalency here staggers the mind.

>Jerry Clark

Jerry,

Let me just say this: I knew Ralph Noyes (who held either the
same or very similar job as Pope) and Nick Pope is no Ralph
Noyes. By that, I mean (mostly) that Noyes worked the UFO desk
in the Ministry of Defence as well -- and knew what he didn't
know.

As for equivalent, here's what I had in mind. Nick Pope was
really who he said was. So was Corso (well, to some extent).
Both men then wrote hugely successful (and some would say
influential) books that -- uh, how shall I say this? -- inflated
both their role in and insider knowledge of, the UFO phenomenon.

I do not equate the contents of the two books, as Corso's was
entirely a work of fiction. In fact, if I were going to be fair,
which, alas, we know I never am, I would probably place a good
part of the blame for Corso's fiction on his co-author.

That said, I have nothing against writing books for money. In
fact, once I have the secret figured out, I hope to apply it in
practice myself. (You bribe an editor, don't you?)

Pope was no doubt approached by a publisher and the two of them
agreed that he had a book about his experiences at the MoD in
him. Nothing the matter with that. He was probably also aware of
the fact that the book that Noyes didn't write then wouldn't do
now -- so he wrote the one he did.

Fair enough again, but that doesn't render Pope immune from
criticism if, as appears, he's been caught out playing loose
with some of his facts or claims. He can always take the
Friedman defense: "I don't know how that sentence got there."

I henceforth propose that all UFO books should be co-authored in
the future. This will leave each author the defense, when
sentences mysteriously appear mid-paragraph (or perhaps even
constitute entire paragraphs), that "The other guy did it!"

Still staggering minds, but not abducted yet...

Dennis