UNITED KINGDOM UFO MAILING LIST
Date: 28th October 1995 - Members = 167In this mail:-
Stanton T. Friedmans lecture.
The RAF has just made its 'X Files' public.
New UFO program on Sky television.
Ex-PC's 'saucy' job is out of this world.
"Hi all,
I just wanted to tell you that after attending Mr Friedmans lecture at the Odeon, Birmingham on Wednesday 24th October I was very
impressed. Of course he doesn't have the answer to everything, but
what he did say was very interesting.
I recorded the lecture which ran to three hours. The quality of the recording is not very good, but I will transcribe it and post it to the group in stages as soon as I can.
It's a momoth task so please bare with me.
Dave.
"From: Evening Mail newspaper.
Date: Friday October 20th, 1995.
Space Invaders.
The RAF has just made its 'X Files' public, revealing that dozens of airmen have seen UFOs. It is no surprise to the real-life Fox Mulder.
Next week Stanton T Friedman jets in to Birmingham to present
evidence to an audience at a city cinema.
First there was Watergate. Then came Irangate. Now the latest
conspiracy theory to emerge from the United States is Cosmicgate.
It is the suggestion that a succession of governments, for reasons
best known to themselves, have conspired to cover up the existence
of extraterrestrial lifeforms.
Like the TV thriller series The X Files, they have systematically
covered up proof of close encounters with aliens from other
galaxies.
The worlds leading UFO investigator is Stanton T. Friedman, a 61 year old Grandfather from Canada who has spent a lifetime probing the
unexplained.
When he appears at Birmingham's Odeon New Street cinema on October
24th to give a lecture on his work, a packed audience of Ufophiles
is expected.
Speaking from his home in New Brunswick, he says "After more than 35 years of study and investigation, I am convinced that the world-wide evidence is overwhelming."
"I firmly believe that some, not necessarily all, unidentified flying objects are intelligently controlled vehicles originating in other
solar systems"
"None of the sceptical arguments stand up under careful scrutiny. I do not see how anyone with an open mind can deny their existence."
The opening of the RAF's real-life X Files has mirrored the recent
emergence of documents in the United States which, says Mr Friedman, prove a cover-up has taken place.
"Successive governments have been covering up a cosmic Watergate," he says.
"Fortunately, a whole new generation of professionals in many
disciplines is getting involved in lifting the security curtains."
A nuclear physicist, Mr Friedman's distinguished career has seen him work on nuclear aircraft and power plants.
He has also lectured at more than 700 colleges and conferences in the US and Canada on UFO phenomena and has appeared on most major TV
shows in the States.
Over the years he has published 70 authoritative and widely read
papers on UFOs. To many he is the Sherlock Holmes of the UFO
hunters.
The Birmingham lecture will be illustrated by 70 slides and includes his account of what has become known as the Roswell Incident, one of the most controversial stories of this century.
It was the subject of a fascinating Channel Four documentary
recently, a feature film, and sparked a huge publicity wave.
The question: Did mankind really have it's first encounter with an
alien on July 4th, 1947. in the desert outside Roswell, New Mexico?
And is the black and white footage purported to be of an alien
autopsy genuine?
Some kind of aerial craft crashed near a USAAF base, but was it
really a 'close encounter of the third kind?' If so, has there been a massive cover-up?
The man with the answers - or at least some of them - is Mr Friedman.
As the original investigator of the Roswell Incident, he has spent
the last 37 years researching the story.
"Some have dismissed the whole story as, basically, a load of
rubbish," he says. "Others suggest the wreckage found in the desert was that of a secret US surveillance aircraft."
"I have spent years interviewing witnesses, searching through
archives and making requests for information from the US government on Roswell."
"My efforts produced initial denials and eventually led to heavily
edited documents. Clearly there was something they wanted hidden."
"What is clear about Roswell is that some form of alien craft DID
land in New Mexico in 1947," he says.
"What is less certain is whether the 'body' shown in the TV
documentary is actually that of an alien autopsy."
Mr Friedman, who is married with three grown up children, aged 18 to
32, has never actually had a sighting of a UFO himself.
"The X Files TV show has created a lot of interest but believe me,
there are stranger truths out there than Fox Mulder ever
encountered."
"Where the show is spot-on is in it's portrayal of a government
trying to hush up any incident that it is uncomfortable with."
"Date sent: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 09:03:36
From: M O'Donnell
Subject: new.UFO.prog.on.SKY
To: ufo@holodeck.demon.co.uk
[ Thought this advert from 'UFO Magazine' (Nov/Dec 1995) might be of interest to anyone with access to SKY or cable - Matthew ]
UFOs TO FEATURE ON NEW SATELLITE CHANNEL!
The brand new sci-fi channel begins satellite transmissions on 1
November this year, and a regular programme entitled "Earth Scan"
will act as a vehicle for the general public to bring their stories and evidence of UFO sightings to a wider audience. It will be
specifically dedicated to the phenomenon of UFO sightings and
experiences.
Viewers will be encouraged to tape themselves on camcorder or record their story on audio cassette and send in to "Earth Scan" at:
P.O. Box 2195,
London,
W1A 1US.
These will then be forwarded to UFO magazine after broadcast in
order that researchers can follow-up the most significant sighting
reports.
They, together will all other submissions, will then be safely
returned to their original owners. This unique partnership ensures
that UFO reports gleaned from viewers across Europe, which otherwise might have gone astray, will be safeguarded and acted upon.
The Sci-Fi channel will be available seven days per week to cable
subscribers, and feature on Sky Multi Channels each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening, between 7.00pm and 10.00pm. It will share the same broadcast frequency as Sky Sports Gold and the History Channel.
"From: The Advertiser & Messenger newspaper.
Dated: Thursday 19th October 1995.
Ex-PC's 'saucy' job is out of this world.
Students enrolling for evening classes at New College this autumn
may have noticed a slightly unusual subject on the timetable.
Mention flying saucers in company and smiles and knowing looks tend to be exchanged.
UFOs have not always been taken too seriously. But that's all about to change.
For retired West Midlands policeman John Hanson is launching a
series on the subject.
It is the second year he has run the course, the only one in the
county.
John is the Worcestershire agent for Quest International, an
organisation set up to monitor sightings of unexplained phenomena.
Now, he plans to share some of the information he has gathered with students.
Among recent case histories he will be relating is that of a young
woman driving home to Netherton shortly before midnight last July.
The woman, refered to as Sarah Kelly, had made the journey many,
many times before and knew the route so well she could have driven it with her eyes shut.
Diamond-shaped
Along the dual carriageway to Bromsgrove, then north-west towards
Hagley, Stourbridge and the Black Country.
But the details of this particular journey are indelibly etched on
her memory. During it, she witnessed something she had never seen in her life - and has never seen since.
Sarah was approaching Clent when blue lights flashing above the
hills drew her eye. To her astonishment, she saw a strange, black,
diamond-shaped object spinning round and round in the sky.
Never letting it out of her sight, she sped back to Netherton where she climbed with her Father up a nearby church tower to get a better look.
At first, he was incredulous but his scepticism evaporated when he, too, spotted the craft hovering overhead.
Even after studying it, he was unable to identify the object before it disappeared into the darkness as suddenly as it had appeared.
After stories in local newspapers, three other witnesses said they
had also seen the object. No logical explanation has ever been found.
In May, a woman reported a pulsating scallop shaped craft in the sky over Longbridge.
Visible for about ten minutes, it was seen by someone else at Crabbs Cross, Redditch.
And on a night in January, a disc shaped object with red, pulsating lights was seen in the sky above Stirchley. It vanished and
re-appeared in Cumbria minutes later.
Until recently, these and many similar unexplained incidents might
have been put down to an overactive imagination or a few too many
pints at the local.
People have always been fascinated by outer space. The idea of
'little green men' visiting Earth in spaceships is not new.
>From HG Well's War of the Worlds to Dr Who, 1001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, ET and more recent sci-fi box office hits such as
Stargate, evidence shows pre-occupation with time travel is not
fading.
Understandably, given the derision which many such claims have met
in the past, those who see UFOs tend to be reticent about going
public.
But modern technological advances have made flying saucers seem less fantastic and more a real possibility.
John Hanson treats all reports of sightings as genuine. He keeps an open mind about UFOs, neither believing or disbelieving in them.
He is setting out to build a comprehensive record of UFO sightings
which will help establish whether there really is life on other
planets.
Aged 49, John is the point of contact for anyone who sees or wants
to discuss a local sighting which cannot be explained.
By collecting all the details at his home near Barnt Green, studying and comparing them with other reported sightings, he aims to compile a vast library of information.
He also links up with other Quest agents in Worcester and Shrewsbury to create a wider picture of possible alien activity.
"I am not a science fiction fan, I have both feet on the ground. But I firmly believe there is a need for investigation of UFO sightings,"
he argues.
"To often, people have no chance to discuss what they have seen for fear of ridicule. They cannot talk about it, yet some stay
traumatised for years. It has an impact on their lives."
"You've got to look at things scientifically. About 50 per cent of
sightings can be explained. But there are others which don't resemble terestrial craft. No-one ever comes forward to say this is one of our new research aircrafts, or that this is one of our advertising
balloons."
"Such craft conform to certain patterns. They never make any noise."
"All move at colossal speed and change their shape. Witnesses argue about this and there's no reason to dispute what they say."
"One man was with about 15 others on a pub car park in Yardley when he saw a disc-shaped craft. It happened in the 1970's and he still
has nightmares about it today."
John's curiosity about UFOs was awakened by two police colleagues
who personally experienced unexplained sightings. He says he has
never seen anything himself.
"I read about Quest International in a science journal. It was
founded by an ex policeman 15 years ago. Its headquarters are in
Yorkshire."
"The idea is to communicate information via a nationwide network. We carry out a thorough investigation of circumstances surrounding a
sighting and the object."
John showed me a short clip from the amateur video of the UFO filmed near Longbridge. It showed a bright flashing light which darted
around the screen, apparently following no direct flight path.
Perculiar
Enlarged, it revealed a peculiar scallop-shaped craft which appeared to pulsate as it moved. I had certainly never seen anything like it previously.
He also keeps a file of large colour illustrations, drawn by his
graphic artist son Keith.
"If a sighting occurs, we might get a phone call from a witness.
First, I send the person a sightings report form. Next, I go talk to them. Then Keith draws the object."
Four or five sightings are reported every week in the Midlands area and John usually spends three days a week dealing with enquiries.
"It drives my wife Kathryn nuts," he chuckles.
"She definitely thinks I'm on another planet. I give talks and
lectures regularly at New College. I like to show people the evidence and let them make up their own minds. Einstein's theory suggested
that as an object approaches the speed of light, to an observer it
appears infinitely smaller and heavier. Time also slows down. I feel these things come from another dimention. They may even go as fast as the speed of light. The most common UFO shapes reported are
triangles, diamonds and discs. It all depends on the angle from which they are viewed. We take all sightings seriously. No phone call is in vain. It's all part of an important international monitoring
exercise. No one who genuinely believes they have seen something
should be apprehensive about contacting us."
UFO spotters can talk to John on 0121 447 7091.
His lectures are held at the Redditch campus of New College.
"Dave.
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