The following often asked Questions and Answers are taken from various issues of the Roundtown UFO Society's monthly newsletter. Contact any member of the Society if you have further questions or wish any additional information.
YOUR QUESTIONS ~ RUFOS ANSWERS
Q - I have lived my whole life in a rural area and often enjoy looking at the night sky. Why have I never once seen anything that I could call a UFO?
A - According to a 1987 Gallop Pole about ten percent of the adult Americans interviewed admitted to seeing what they classify as a UFO, though only a small percentage of these people actually report their sighting to authorities. The fact that you have not seen a UFO puts you in the great majority (ninety percent) who were polled.
The ten percent who have seen UFOs are no different from the ninety percent who haven't seen (at least yet) a UFO. It's just that they were in the right place at the right time. There is no way to predict when or where a UFO will appear.
Many UFO investigators haven't seen UFOs either and they often search the skies at night. Yet the fact that millions of ordinary people from all walks of life have seen UFOs and that the reports are surprisingly consistent has so impressed Ufologists that they have concluded the phenomenon is real. Most eyewitnesses who have seen UFOs had not previously believed in their existence or even been interested in the subject. Thus, this demolishes the debunker's claim that this is wish fulfillment.
Q - If UFOs are so common then why are there NO good photos of them?
A - There is no way to predict where or when a UFO will appear. Most eyewitnesses are so taken by surprise that they do not think of grabbing a camera or do not have a camera readily available. How often we have all seen something and wished that we had a camera available. To give an analogy; every year there are numerous civilian aviation crashes yet how many times do you see photos of the planes actually going down? Very rarely. The reason is that aviation accidents are unpredictable and sudden. It is the same with UFO sightings. There are, however, several photographs of UFOs which appear to be authentic photos of a large solid object at a distance.
Q - When were UFOs first seen?
A - The modern era of UFO sightings began on June 24, 1947 when Kenneth Arnold, a civilian pilot, saw nine disc-shaped objects near Mt. Ranier, Washington. Soon other people began seeing these "flying saucers" as they were popularly called.
The government began the first of many investigations into this strange phenomenon. Eventually the public was told Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) were not a threat to national security. Privately officials were mystified and hoped it was just a fad or hysteria that would fade away. However, over four decades later UFOs are still seen worldwide and show no signs of leaving.
Most UFOs are in reality IPOs, that is they are merely misidentifications of known phenomena; the moon, the planet Venus, meteors, etc. An investigator interviewing a witness can usually identify what was really seen. However, there are a small percentage of UFOs that defy categorization. Contrary to popular beliefs, UFOs do not necessarily equate with E.T.'s visiting Earth from another planet. Though many can think of no better theory, we at RUFOS do not believe in advancing any particular theses at the expense of other theories. Evidence is still being collected.
There probably were hundreds of UFO sightings prior to 1947. When -UFOs were first seen is a question with no answer. Mythology and legends are full of stories of unusual sights in the sky but whether these were merely misidentifications of meteors or just fictional stories or real UFOs cannot be answered.
Q - Are there any scientists who take UFO stories seriously?
A - Yes. There are hundreds of individuals with advanced professional degrees who belong to organizations such as MUFON (Mutual UFO Network), or CUFOS (center for UFO Studies). These professionals have lent their expense to studying the phenomenon Some believe UFOs are extraterrestrial visitors, while others take a "wait and see" attitude and prefer to collect more data before making conclusions.
The so-called "debunkers" you often see on television who claim UFOs don't exist have never really studied the subject at any great length. Many debunkers are afraid of the unknown and prefer to ignore the accounts of millions of people. Instead, they want you to believe UFOs are merely misidentifications of the planet Venus, or swamp gas or hoaxes. Debunkers are scientific materialists who don't believe in any phenomenon that can't be taken into the lab for study. A typical debunking book is The UFO Enigma by Menzel and Taves published by Doubleday in 1977. The first few chapters are devoted into debunking the miracles of the Bible. Obviously these men have a deep-seated dislike of anything mysterious or of any phenomena that defies their world-view. Debunkers make a steady income from lectures and books. Some of them wish to censor your right to read material that is contrary to their materialistic view.
It takes courage for a scientist to admit he doesn't know everything. Scientists who have seriously studied UFOs admit there is much yet to learn. You, the public can help, by reporting your observations to a responsible organization. An example of a brave scientist willing to admit he had been wrong was Dr. J. Allen Hynek, former Astronomy professor at Ohio State University. In the 1950's the Air Force hired him to debunk UFOs and state they were merely swamp gas or some other "logical" explanation. Eventually Hynek realized that all UFO sightings could not all be explained away in a way that the Air Force wanted. He began to seriously study UFOs. Hynek coined the terms "Close encounters of the first, second and third kinds." These terms refer to varying degrees of contact with UFOs. The first refers to a sighting, the second to physical evidence such as burnt grass from a landing, the third refers to an actual sighting of an alien occupant. Hynek did not commit himself to any particular theory of UFO origins except to state that whatever they were they were not merely misidentifications of known phenomena. Hynek is deceased now but there are numerous other scientists who take his approach as the proper one to follow.
Q - Arc UFOs friendly or hostile?
A - One can find evidence supporting the conclusion UFOs are friendly. However one can also find come cases of apparent hostile acts. There is also the possibility that they are neither hostile or friendly but neutral toward mankind.
Proponents of the "UFOs are friendly" thesis point out that so far there has been no hostile invasion of Earth. If UFOs were hostile surely we would know it by now. Many people who have claimed to receive messages from UFO occupants assert that they were told man is dangerously close to self-destruction because of nuclear weapons and the pollution of the environment. Whitley Strieber. author of Communion, asserts that UFO occupants warned him of the "Greenhouse Effect", the global warming of the Earth.
Many experts believe it is no coincidence that UFOs began to be seen in large numbers in the late 1940's soon after the nuclear age began. These experts point out that never before did man have the capacity to annihilate the globe. UFOs have been seen many times over nuclear facilities and military bases where missiles are kept. [The book Clear Intent by Lawrence Faucett and Barry J. Greenwood, published by Prentice-Hall in 1984 documents many of these incidents with papers released via the Freedom of Information Act.] Proponents of the "friendly* thesis believe UFOs are attempting to show mankind that in our nuclear age there must never again be a world war and that UFOs are concerned over our planet's safety.
Proponents of the "hostile theory" cite numerous cases of aircraft apparently being destroyed by UFOs. In all fairness it must be mentioned that in many of these cases military jets were attempting to intercept UFOs and that the UFOs may have acted in self-defense. A typical example is from March 1967 in which Cuban air space was violated by a "bogey". "Two Cuban mig jets were sent to intercept the object. It was visually sighted by the pilots who reported a bright round metallic object of unknown origin. One of the Cuban pilots had a radar lock-on and was about to fire a missile at the intruder. However before he could fire, the jet mysteriously exploded killing the pilot. The horrified wingman witnessed this event and reported that the UFO suddenly sped away. The American N.S.A monitored these foreign communications via their eavesdropping devices. These and similar events are mentioned in Above Top Secret by Timothy Good, which was published in 1988 by William Marrow and Company.
The most cited evidence for UFO hostility involves the mysterious mutilations of farm animals, mainly cattle. According to mutilation experts these animals are killed with laser-like precision, the blood is drained, vital organs are removed, yet no footprints are found. Mysterious lights have been reported over ranches in the American west. Some put the blame on Satanic cults. However there are several flaws with the cub theory. First Satanists prefer to sacrifice small animal* like cats and dogs because they are easily caught. Why trespass on farmer's ranches and go after large animals such as a bull? Also why no footprints? Also devil worshippers would leave plenty of bloody evidence and Satanic symbols. Also this is a nationwide, maybe even worldwide phenomenon. If there is such a cult, surely a defector would have come forth and detailed the culprits. There is no evidence of such a massive worldwide devil cult. So devil worshippers have access to high-tech lasers or pilot unusual objects that are seen at night? NO!
Some debunkers claim the mutilations are merely mass hysteria. However mass hysteria is usually a short-lived event. We are still receiving numerous reports of mutilations from all over the country. Some authorities are so mystified and scared that they prefer not to speak to the press about these strange events or else they prefer to put the blame on human cults.
Are UFOs responsible for these mutilations? If so why? We don't know the answer. Perhaps UFOs and animal mutilations are two separate unsolved mysteries. Perhaps some secret intelligence agency is practicing on cattle with illegal germ warfare experiments. A fictional film "Endangered Species" used this as the basis of their movie.
Some theorize there may be at least two separate species of aliens visiting Earth. One species may wish to be helpful while me other may be hostile. Although this may sound fantastic, most of the world's religions are based on the belief that good angels and evil demons are battling each other. One is out to save mankind while the other is out to destroy humanity.
Q - Have any famous people seen UFOs?
A - Yes. Then Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter made a UFO report in 1969. Governor John Gilligan of Ohio saw a UFO in 1973. Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. discoverer of Pluto has seen UFOs. Former President of Notre Dame, Father Theodore Hesburgh. Clare Boothe Luce, the wife of the founder of Time Magazine, Henry Ford II. and former Astronaut Gordon Cooper have all admitted seeing UFOs. Probably many other notable people have seen UFOs but have kept silent to avoid ridicule.
Numerous people have professed an interest in UFOs. Among them were Lord Mountbatten of World War II fame. Air Marshal Dowding who was R.A.F. commander during the Battle of Britain. Prince Phillip subscribes to Britain's leading UFO magazine, Hermann Oberth, the German inventor of the rocket-missiles used in World War II stated his belief UFOs were from another planet. General Douglas MacArthur stated an extraterrestrial threat may unite the world. Carl Jung, the great psychiatrist studied UFOs and corresponded with UFO researchers.
Q - What are some Ohio connections to the mystery of UFOs?
A - Ohio is one of the leading states in numbers of UFO reports. One of the best reports in the history of UFOs involved an Air National Guard helicopter with four crewmen who reported that a UFO in 1973 affected their helicopter and caused it to suddenly ascend a great distance.
In May 1987 over Lake Erie, coast guard members and civilians witnessed a UFO over the ice. The ice over Lake Erie was seen to melt where the UFO landed.
Project Blue Book, the official Air Force investigation into UFOs was headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. According to rumor a crashed alien craft and dead aliens were taken to Wright-Patterson. Former Arizona Senator Goldwater stated that General Curtis LeMay wouldn't allow him to visit the place where the craft and aliens were held. Former Governor Gilligan reported a UFO in 1973. Numerous Ohio farmers believe UFOs were responsible for creating circular depressions in their fields.
Professor J. Allen Hynek, the leading Ufologist of his era had been an astronomer at Ohio State and also associated with Battelle Institute's study.
