UFO UpDates Mailing List
From: "Jerry Cohen" <rjcohen@li.net>
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 1997 19:25:08 -0500
Fwd Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 23:20:59 -0500
Subject: Oberg/Cooper rebuttal.7a
Skeptics & Mr. Oberg,
If you've read nothing else please read numbers 7abc very carefully.
I believe that the proof of extraterrestrial visitation lies in the
material in these next two essays. Is there numerical data in them?
No. Are the cases the real thing? You be the judge.
After my own sighting in '67, I know in my heart and soul that Cooper
is most probably telling the truth.
P.S. I'm sure we'd all like to see James Oberg's responses to
this series. The discussion ought to be quite interesting.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
=================
Oberg/Cooper rebuttal.7a
continued from 6
(part 1 of 3)
----------------------------------
A researcher's response to James Oberg's:
"IN SEARCH OF GORDON COOPER'S UFOs"
by Jerry Cohen
=================
How good is the evidence? . . . "Something is definitely
happening and it's not hallucinations, hoaxes, misidentifications,
etc."
If one thoroughly examines Dr. McDonald's research, etc. performed
in his lifetime, one will undoubtably find that the rigorous
analysis I am about to present by McDonald, is generally
characteristic of the majority of his life's work. If one
examines Mr. Oberg's essay regarding Gordon Cooper, it is almost
as if he were familiar with this case and had tried to imitate the
presentation of Dr. McDonald. If one examines the two side by
side, one can determine which scientist's case is more complete
and compelling. I leave that up to the reader to accomplish on
his/her own.
"Oberg/Cooper.7ab&c" will reasonably demonstrate that Mr. Oberg
unjustly accused McDonald of generally not researching his cases
and caring about the facts. I believe you will also find there
certainly was nothing that anyone might remotely call "secretive"
in regards to his analysis of the Kirtland AFB case or his address
to the American Association For The Advancement Of Science (AAAS)
UFO Symposium, Boston, Dec. 27, 1969. James McDonald spelled it
all out for the entire world, if they had been listening.
= The accuracy of the following can be checked by
consulting the sources provided, including your local libraries =
Footnotes appear at end of O/C rebuttal.7c
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
==============================
SEBAGO / STOKES / KIRTLAND AFB
==============================
In "Oberg/Cooper rebuttal.3," I used 4 cases as examples
of UFO history. I used them because I believe they were the
types of cases that Dr. Hynek himself thought were impressive
because he chose similar ones to illustrate his concerns about
Project Blue Book to Colonel Sleeper. Additionally, you will
notice that the two newspaper cases provided, apparently closely
relate both in timing and description, to another case used by Dr.
James E. McDonald when he illustrated some of the defects in the
Condon Study to the AAAS (American Association For The Advancement
Of Science), immediately in the wake of the Condon Study's
negative pronouncements. The latter was brought to my attention
by Val Germann, Columbus Mississippi, who, having a great interest
in McDonald's life, has documented McDonald's drive to make
scientists aware of the UFO problem, complete with Germann's own
introspective comments concerning same. I didn't know this case
existed until just recently. 1
I've already posted the first of the four, "SKY THING"
(occurred in 1960). No one so far, has come up with a reasonable
explanation. We have already seen that we've had approximately
thirty seven years to figure out what it was, with no success. 2
The two newspaper cases were: "Sebago" RADAR/visual
(11/7/57) and "James Stokes," (11/6/57). As I mentioned in
"Oberg/Cooper rebuttal.3" the Sebago / Stokes cases were the first
two articles I ever cut out of a newspaper, for "curiosity's"
sake. The date appearing on the articles is partially blocked by
old, browned-out tape, but I can see it says "Wednesday, November
xxx, 1957" 3
The "Sebago" article became personal to me because I later
discovered that a neighbor of mine had been dating one of the
Sebago's crew members when it occurred. (As unbelievable as it
sounds) Brief synopsis: Crewmen on the Coast Guard cutter
Sebago, off the coast of Louisiana, reported visually seeing an
object resembling "a brilliant planet with a high rate of speed."
It was tracked on the vessel's radar screen for almost a 1/2 hour
and flitted on and off the screen several times during that time
period.
My neighbor related the following after she had moved
here, when I had once mentioned that particular case to her: She
told me she was dating one of the crew members and had seen him
the evening he returned from this incident on leave. He was called
back again the next day for a debriefing in Washington. The
following day, after that debriefing, he appeared for an interview
on the Dave Garroway show. She saw him again briefly that night
and/or the next day. They lost touch after that.
( . . if that person is reading this, please e-mail me. She would
really like to say hello.)
At the time she originally told me this, I wasn't sure I believed
her because the coincidence, to me, was mind-boggling and I
thought she might have been teasing me about my interest in UFOs.
However, she has NEVER changed her story all these years, been
extremely serious about it and recently explained that this is why
she, too, has been interested in UFOs all this time and fully
understood my curiosity regarding same. By the way, she is
married and has her own, grown children at this point in her life.
(If the skeptics don't believe this, that's O.K. You can totally
discount it. This was "my" proof before I found "your" proof.
There is a lot more to connect this story to reality than just her
word for this. I'll explain this a little further on. Please
read on, as I selected this group of cases for a reason.)
The second article, I am fairly certain, appeared in the
paper the same day. James Stokes was an engineer from the Air
Force Missile Development Center at Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, New
Mexico. The object claimed seen, appeared identical in both
accounts. The proximity of the cases to each other, especially
time-wise, and the "quality of the people seeing them," appeared
well-above average.
The Kirtland AFB case which follows those two, ties all of
it together and will be self explanatory. 4
I apologize for the condition of the bottom of the Stokes article.
These articles were the first I ever cut out and did not ever
expect to be doing what I'm doing today or that they (the articles)
would turn out to be as significant as I firmly believe they are.
The following two articles were taken from:
Newsday (Long Island newspaper) on Wednesday, November 6th (or 7th),
1957.
I. CG Ship Sights Weird Object Off Louisiana
Washington (AP) -- A brilliant mystery object was reported
sighted yesterday in southern skies by a Coast Guard cutter, even
as Air Force specialists investigated a flurry of earlier, similar
reports.
The Coast Guard cutter Sebago, cruising in the Gulf of
Mexico about 200 miles south of Louisiana, radioed that an object
resembling "a brilliant planet with a high rate of speed" was seen
for about three seconds early yesterday. Coast Guard headquarters
in New Orleans said the message did not report exactly who on
board the cutter had seen the object.
The Sebago's message said the object was tracked on the
vessel's radar screen for 27 minutes and that, during that period,
the object flitted on and off the screen several times.
Sightings of strange objects have been reported from
widely scattered sections of the United States since Sunday, most
of them near secret military installations in the Southwest. The
Air Force said that the radar network of the Air Defense Command
is keeping watch -- so far with no results -- and that specially
qualified investigators have been assigned to look into the
reports.
For several years the Air Force has checked all reports of
unidentified flying objects. Investigators work under the Air
Defense Command at Colorado Springs, Colo., and report to the Air
Technical Intelligence Center. Judging from past findings, the
chances are the Air Force will attribute the current sightings to
natural phenomena or such ordinary man-made objects as aircraft.
II. Flying "Something" Still Unidentified
Lubbock, Tex. (AP) -- A missile engineer reported seeing a
"brilliant colored egg-shaped object" which he said stalled autos
in New Mexico yesterday.
The Air Force started an investigation yesterday into
similar reports in this and other areas. Witnesses say a mystery
object skipped about the countryside here and near scientific
military bases in New Mexico over the week end. The reported
sightings startled citizens, peace officers and servicemen but
apparently left no concrete trace.
James Stokes, 45, an engineer from the Air Force Missile
Development Center at Holloman Air Force Base, Alamogordo, N.M.
told new director Terry Clark of station KALG, Alamogordo, that 10
autos were stopped on an isolated desert highway, U.S. 54, between
White Sands Proving Grounds and Alamogordo yesterday. His
description was similar to ones reporting a big ball of fire
flitting about much of this West Texas area over the week end. A
huge, oval object "nearly as bright as the sun" was reported seen
at White Sands Proving Ground Sunday, hovering near bunkers used
in the first A-bomb explosion. Witnesses said other strange
lights were seen over other parts of Texas, near
Chicago and in Virginia.
Clark said the Air Force at Holloman gave him permission
to use Stokes" story. He said Stokes told him occupants of cars
saw a strange, unidentified object flying toward them from the
northeast. He said his auto radio faded and died, then his engine
stopped. He said, several other cars were also stalled. Looking
up, he told Clark, "I saw a brilliant colored egg-shaped object
making a shallow dive across the sky to the northeast. Then it
turned and made a pass at the highway and crossed it not more than
two miles ahead. Then it moved away toward White Sands Proving
Grounds to the southwest. As it passed . . . I could feel a kind
of heat wave, like radiation from a giant sun lamp. But there was
no sound. It had no visible portholes and there was no vapor
trail."
"When I got back to my car and checked the engine, I found
it intact but the battery was steaming. But the engine started
with no difficulty. I called officials at the Air Force
Development Center and notified them of the sighting." He said
the object moved very rapidly and its surface looked like 'glowing
mother of pearl.' "
A spokesman at Reese Air Force Base here said yesterday a
representative of the Air Defense Command had flown in from
headquarters.
J.C. This next appeared at the bottom of the same article.
"New Orleans (UP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sebago reported
that it spotted a brilliant flying object in the sky this morning
about 200 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The
unidentified object was first sighted at 5:10 A.M., the Coast
Guard said. Radar contact with the object was retained
intermittently from 5:10 A.M. to 5:37 A.M. with the object visible
to the naked eye for (old tape in the way) xxx beginning at 5:21
A.M. A radio report from the Sebago xxx xxx the Gulf of Mexico,
said the object "resembled a brilliant xxxx" and was traveling at
a high rate of speed."
J.C. This is why I am pretty sure it was in the paper on the
same day. I may be a day off. It is important to notice it was
stated that * Air Defense Command was involved. * That statement
is an indication that our Air Force has known about and dealt with
UFOs for a fairly long period of time. (Again, this was 1957)
Although you might think to yourself, "Perhaps some newspaper
reporters made these up," as I mentioned, the next thoroughly
researched case adds greatly to the credibility of the other two.
When you read it, please note a similarity in object descriptions.
Also, please note the date of the sightings and compare it with
Sebago / Stokes above. As I mentioned, Kirtland was a Blue Book
case included in the Condon Study which was additionally
researched by Dr. James E. McDonald. 5
Below, is an excerpt taken from Dr. McDonald's address to the
American Association For The Advancement Of Science (AAAS) UFO
Symposium, Boston, Dec. 27, 1969. 6 In it, as Val Germann has
aptly pointed out, McDonald takes Blue Book and the Condon Study
to task for not following up on several cases which he felt should
have obviously been examined further. McDonald was a meticulous
scientist. If all of us were attentive to detail in life as Dr.
McDonald was in the following analysis, the word incompetence
would probably not exist in our dictionaries. Those that state
otherwise concerning him, are most likely ignorant concerning his
career and accomplishments.
McDonald chastises the Condon Study for not looking for witnesses
in the "Kirtland AFB case;" two of whom he, himself, was easily
able to find and who's testimony was vital to those proceedings.
He further chides the NAS (National Academy of Science) for
placing (in his own words) "its weighty stamp on this dismal
report without even a semblance of rigorous checking of its
contents." was one of the examples given. If one reads it
carefully, I am certain you will find, as a number of researchers
already have, great substance to his allegations.
It should be readily apparent to most, after reading it, that so
many people would have been placed in a "bad light" from
McDonald's report, that his presentation HAD to be totally ignored
when it was brought to their attention. (i.e. specifically,
section 3, para. 2 & 3) But the facts still stand, if one reads
them with an open, honest mind, you will realize that this case
(and probably others he had analyzed) should have rightfully been
classified as an "unknown" or more precisely, a UFO... most
probably, a craft of some sort.
=======================
End: Oberg/Cooper rebuttal.7a
Sebago / Stokes / Kirtland AFB
(part 1 of 3)
=======================
UFO UpDates - Toronto -
updates@globalserve.net
Operated by Errol Bruce-Knapp - ++ 416-696-0304
A Hand-Operated E-Mail Subscription Service for the Study of UFO Related
Phenomena.
To subscribe please send your first and last name to
updates@globalserve.net
Message submissions should be sent to the same address.
|
Link it to the appropriate Ufologist or UFO Topic page. |
Archived as a public service by Area 51 Research Center which is not
responsible for content.
Financial support for this web server is provided by the
Research Center Catalog.
Software by Glenn Campbell.
Technical contact:
webmaster@ufomind.com