SUBJECT: UFO GROUP FASCINATED BY GULF BREEZES SIGHTINGS      FILE: UFO2213



     02/28/88
     GULF BREEZES, FL (UPI) [Via Moseley/Saucer Smear] -- A man who took
21 photos of objects he says are flying saucers and claims he has twice
seen diminutive aliens has generated interest from a group that
investigates UFO sightings.
     Mutual UFO Network, or MUFON, in Texas says the Panhandle case is
either an elaborate hoax or one of the most amazing encounters ever. The
key is "Ed," a home builder with bizarre tales of encounters he claims are
continuing.
     In the March edition of MUFON's "UFO Journal," investigators
offer one possible explanation for why Ed is privy to sightings: aliens
may have placed an implant in his head in an abduction years ago, and the
implant is now being activated.
     Hoax or not, it's garnered a lot of interest from a local weekly.
     It all began when the Gulf Breeze Sentinel on Nov. 19 published
Polaroid photos of a glowing object. The anonymous photographer claimed
they were taken Nov. 11. He said he would come forward if others saw the
same thing.
     The following week the paper published accounts from other residents
who claimed they saw a similar object, and other photos taken by two other
anonymous photographers.
     The newspaper has had nearly weekly updates ever since. This week
the paper published a four-page insert with more photos and an open letter
from "Ed." In addition to a picture purporting to show a UFO with a light
beam shining down, the insert has a drawing of a 4-foot-tall alien with
almond shaped eyes and carrying a silver wand.
     Two daily newspapers that previously ignored the sightings last week
ran stories, and a local television station had a three-part series about
Ed's sightings. The editor of the Gulf Breeze paper said he has talked to
reporters from Miami and Orlando and the National Enquirer in Lantana.
     The photographs have been scrutinized by many people who claim to be
photo experts. Some say they are the real thing, others say they are set
up. None has said how they were doctored.
     Ed's reliability is the key, and he has made some incredible claims.
     The article in the MUFON publication said it was premature to make a
judgment about the validity of the case, but does call the sightings an
"incredible UFO photographic and CE-III (Close Encounter of the Third
Kind) case."
     It describes in detail 13 alleged encounters "Ed" had. They range
from hearing a "humming" in his head to a Jan. 12 incident where he claims
he was stopped by a UFO that landed in front of his truck and saw five
aliens approaching.
     He left, in great haste.
     On several other occasions, Ed claims he was caught in a blue beam
that held him fast in place. Once it levitated him toward their craft,
then let him go for reasons unknown.
     He has also told investigators he has heard voices, telling him not
to be afraid and to stop resisting. He claims he is tipped off to the UFOs
appearance by a humming sound in his head.
     Because of the humming sound, MUFON investigators have supplied Ed
with a two-way radio so he can tell them when an experience occurs. He has
done so, but so far no investigators have seen a UFO.
     The MUFON article ventured to theorize about why Ed has been singled
out.
     "There is a possibility that Ed may have had an implant installed in
his head at some time in his life" that was only recently activated, the
article said.
     The MUFON article said it normally does not publish sighting reports
until being thoroughly investigated. But it said it was making an
exception because it is an "ongoing" case with continuing sightings.


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