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ufos science and controversy

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at the university of colorado by charles

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lear

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for a brief period in the late 1960s ufo

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enthusiasts were encouraged by the fact

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that some scientists were beginning to

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take the subject seriously

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this was due in large part to the

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renowned atmospheric physicist

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dr james mcdonald's coming forward and

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publicly acknowledging that he was

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investigating the mystery

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around the same time in 1966 project

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blue book scientific consultant dr

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j alan heineck angered many in the state

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of michigan

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by offering the possibility that some of

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the ufos reported during a flap that

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year in the state were swamp gas

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this led to a congressional hearing

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looking into the air force's handling of

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the ufo problem

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and that resulted in an air force funded

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scientific study

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at the university of colorado headed by

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physicist

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dr edward u condon this was something

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many in the ufo community had been

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hoping for

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and they were optimistic that something

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positive might come of it

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unfortunately the project ran into

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personality problems

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that nearly derailed it an article

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written by john g

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fuller and published in the may 14 1968

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issue of look magazine

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looks deeply into the matter under the

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headline flying saucer fiasco

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the article is introduced as the

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extraordinary story of the half million

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dollar trick

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to make americans believe the condon

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committee was conducting

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an objective investigation after giving

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an overview of the project

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and its participants fuller references a

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story published early october 1966

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in the denver post project coordinator

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robert j

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lowe describing the ufo project as a

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function of the university was quoted as

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saying that it comes pretty close to the

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criteria

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of non-acceptability according to fuller

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condon was unable to spend much time in

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the project offices

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due to other responsibilities because of

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this

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low took on the majority of the decision

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making then on january 25

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1967 condon made statements while

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speaking before a chapter of the

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honorary scientific fraternity

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sigma zai that strongly indicated he was

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biased

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fuller excerpts an article from the

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elmira new york star gazette

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quote unidentified flying objects are

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not the business of the air force

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dr edward yukondon said here wednesday

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night dr condon left no doubt as to his

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personal statements on the matter

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it is my inclination right now to

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recommend that the government get out of

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this business

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my attitude right now is that there's

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nothing to it with a smile he added but

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i'm not supposed to reach a conclusion

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for another year

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responding to criticism condon said his

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comments were taken out of context

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all the files relating to the study and

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the university's contract with the air

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force

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were open for perusal as part of an

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effort to avoid any accusations of

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secrecy or cover-up

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a staff member roy craig was doing

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research for an upcoming speech at a

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teacher's conference

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when he came upon a memo labeled some

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thoughts on the ufo project

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it was in a file labeled air force

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contract and background

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and craig had been referred to the file

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by low the memo was written by

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low before the air force contract was

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signed and it contained

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these words our study would be conducted

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almost exclusively by non-believers who

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although they couldn't possibly prove a

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negative result

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could and probably would add an

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impressive body of evidence

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that there is no reality to the

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observations the trick would be

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i think to describe the project so that

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to the public

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it would appear a totally objective

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study but to the scientific community

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would present the image of a group of

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non-believers trying their best to be

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objective but having almost a zero

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expectation

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of finding a saucer craig showed the

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memo to other staff members

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all were particularly disturbed by

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lowe's use of the word trick

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and the memo became known as the trick

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memo disenchantment among the staff grew

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and many options were considered

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including resigning on mass

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issuing a press release and putting out

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a minority report

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hannik mcdonald and staff members david

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saunders and

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norman levine held an informal meeting

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on december 12

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1967 in denver there they discussed the

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possibility of forming an organization

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consisting of professional level

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individuals that would continue with the

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scientific investigation of ufos

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regardless of the colorado study's

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conclusions

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after the meeting mcdonald learned about

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the trick memo and was shocked

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lowe phoned mcdonald at the university

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of arizona

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mcdonald had offered his services as a

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consultant and mcdonald expressed his

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concerns

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about the negative bias already being

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expressed by lowe and condon

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lowe hung up angrily and mcdonald

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followed up with a letter listing his

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complaints

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he called lowe's attention to the memo

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saying he was puzzled by the viewpoints

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expressed there

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administrative assistant mary louise

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armstrong

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was present when lowe read mcdonald's

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letter she reported that he was

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extremely angered by it

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and that he felt whoever gave a copy of

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the memo to mcdonald

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should be immediately fired on february

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7th

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saunders was called to condon's office

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saunders was asked if he knew about the

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memo

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and where it was kept saunders responded

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by saying

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that the memo was only part of the

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problem in his mind the real problem

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was that the scientific integrity of the

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study was in jeopardy

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condon stayed with the subject of the

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memo he was furious that he had not been

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told that mcdonald knew about the memo

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and said for an act like that you should

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be ruined professionally

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while saunders brought up that there was

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a gap between the views of condon and

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low and the rest of the staff

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levine was summoned to appear saunders

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offered to stay

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but was physically escorted out by low

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as levine was entering

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levine disturbed by saunders ejection

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was also

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asked about the memo as there was

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nothing confidential about the memo

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levine didn't see that there was a

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problem with bringing it to mcdonald's

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attention

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condon asked why levine hadn't brought

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it to him and levine replied that

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condon's public statements

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made it seem unlikely that there would

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be any effective communication

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condon told armstrong that he was going

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to fire both saunders and levine the

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next day

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armstrong had an impulse to resign but

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she decided to confront condon with the

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documentation

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showing the factors leading to the

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disagreements between him and his staff

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she spoke with content on february 22nd

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and pointed out that during her

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association with lo

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she saw strong evidence that he was

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trying to say as little as possible in

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the report

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in the most negative way possible condon

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asked her to write a follow-up letter

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and told her it would be unethical for

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her to disclose its contents

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to anyone else armstrong decided to go

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public

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and left the project condon failed to

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respond to mcdonald's letter

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and mcdonald brought the matter to the

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attention of the executive officers

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of the national academy of sciences the

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organization that would be reviewing the

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results before the release to the public

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in a written protest meanwhile saunders

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and levine were dismissed

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and the news of their dismissal spread

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throughout the ufo community and beyond

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condon refused to comment on the near

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mutiny of his staff

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and lo said he would make no comment

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about saunders and levine's dismissals

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in spite of the publicity shedding light

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on the bias of both

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condon and low when the results of the

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study were released

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suggesting that ufos were unworthy of

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scientific study

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scientists who were starting to open

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their minds to the subject

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retreated back into the shadows the ufos

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didn't

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and just a few years later there was a

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flap in 1973

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that was also the year that jl and

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heineck formed the center for ufo

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studies

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an organization that was filled with