This has been a terribly weird period of time for ufology.
Reports of abductions, EBE genetic experimentation on humans,
the MJ-12 controversy, Lear.txt, etc. have dominated to subject
in recent months. Considering the strange possibilities raised
by all of this brings to mind a FOIA document released by the
NSA several years ago, which was titled, UFO HYPOTHESIS AND
SURVIVAL QUESTIONS. A lot of it applies to the present state of
ufology. On its, release, NSA disclaimed that the document
represented NSA policy, but it is interesting that this one NSA
analyst's opinion has remained for so long in NSA's files. The
document states:
" It is the purpose of this monograph to consider briefly
some of the human survival implications suggested by the various
principal hypotheses concerning the nature of the phenomena
loosely categorized as UFO.
1. All UFOs Are Hoaxes. From the time when hoaxes were
first noted in history, they were characterized by infrequency
of occurrence and usually by a considerable restriction of their
geographical extent. Rarely have men of science, while acting
within their professional capacities, perpetrated hoaxes. The
fact that UFO phenomena have been witnessed all over the world
from ancient times, and by considerable numbers of reputable
scientists in recent times, indicates rather strongly that UFOs
are not all hoaxes. If anything, rather than diminishing, the
modern trend is toward increased reports, from all sources. In
one three month period in 1953 (June, July and August) Air Force
records show 35 sightings whose nature could not be determined.
If UFOs, contrary to all indications and expectations, are
indeed hoaxes--hoaxes of a world wide dimension--hoaxes of
increasing frequency, then a human mental aberration of alarming
proportions would seem to be developing. Such an aberration
would seem to have serious implications for nations equipped
with nuclear toys--and should require immediate and careful
study by scientists.
2. All UFOs Are Hallucinations. People, of course, do
hallucinate. Although groups of people hallucinating is rare,
it has been known to happen. Machines have their own form of
hallucination; the radar, in particular, 'sees' temperature
inversions. But a considerable number of instances exist in
which there are groups of people and a radar or radars seeing
the same thing at the same time; sometimes a person and gun
camera confirm each other's testimony. On occasion, physical
evidence of a circumstantial nature was reported to have been
found to support witnessed sightings. A continuing high
percentage of reports of unusual aerial objects are being
reported by people in responsible positions in science,
government, and industry. The sum of such evidence seems to
argue strongly against all UFOs being halluciinations. In spite
of all the evidence to the contrarty, if UFOs did turn out to be
largely illusionary, the psychological implications for man
would certainly bring into stong question his ability to
distinguish reality from fantasy. The negative effect on man's
ability to survive in an increasingly complex world would be
considerable--making it imperative that such a growing
impairment of the human capacity for rational judgment be
subjected to immediate and thorough scientific study so that the
illness could be controlled before it reaches epidemic
proportions...
3. All UFOs Are Natural Phenomena. If this hypothesis is
correct, the capability of air warning systems to correctly
diagnose an attack situation is open to serious question.
a. Many UFOs have been reported by trained military
observers to behave like high speed, high performance, high
altitude rockets or aircraft. The apparent solidity and
craft-like shape of the objects have often been subject to
radar confirmation. If such reports can appear to trained
military men as rockets or aircraft and if such objects
should come over the Arctic from the direction of Russia on
the United States, they could trigger 'false reports of
missle attacks.'
b. Many responsible military officers have developed a
mental 'blind spot' to objects which appear to have
charachteristics of UFOs. Such an attitude is an open
invitation to the enemy to build a replica of the phenomena
in order to penetrate the 'hole' in his aversary's
defenses...
c. Sometimes the phenomena appear to defy radar detection
and to cause massive electromagnetic interference. Surely
it is very important to discover the nature of these
objects or plasmas before any prospective enemy can use
their properties to build a device or system to circumvent
or jam our air and space detection systems--Any nation
certainly could use a system or device to penetrate enemy
defenses.--Was this the purpose of the lense shaped reentry
vehicle tested by the USAF in 1960?
4. Some UFOs Are Secret Earth Projects. The above-
referenced U.S. Air Force reenetry vehicle and an often
publicized Canadian 'saucer' project leave little doubt as to
the validity of this hypotheseis. Undoubtedly, all UFOs should
be carefully scrutinized to ferret out such enemy (or
'friendly') projects. Otherwise a nation faces the very strong
possibility of being intimidated by a new secret 'doomsday'
weapon.
5. UFOs Are Related to Intra-terrestrial Intelligence.
According to some eminent scientists closely associated with the
study of this phenomenon, this hypothesis cannot be
disregarded. (The well documented sightings over Washington,
D.C. in 1952 strongly support his view.) This hypothesis has a
number of far-reaching human survival implications:
a. If 'they' discover you, it is an old but hardly invalid
rule of thumb, 'they' are your technological superiors.
Human history has shown us time and again the tragic
results of a confrontation between a technologically
superior civilization and a technologically inferior
people. The 'inferior' is usually subject to physical
conquest.
b. Often in the past, a technologically superior people
are also possessors of a more virile or aggressive
culture. In a confronttion between two peoples of
significantly different culture levels, those having the
inferior or less virile culture most often suffer a tragic
loss of identity and are absorbed by the other people.
c. Some peoples who were technologically and/or culturally
inferior to other nations have survived--have maintained
their identity--have equalized the differences between them
and their adversaries. The Japanese people have given us
an excellent example of the methods required to achieve
such survival:
(1) full and honest acceptance of the nature of the
inferiorities separating you from the advantages of
the other peoples,
(2) complete national solidarity in all positions
taken in dealing with the other culture,
(3) highly controlled and limited intercourse with
the other side--doing only those things advantageous
to the foreigner which you are absolutely forced to do
by the circumstances,
(4) a correct but friendly attitude toward the other
people,
(5) a national eagerness to learn everything possible
about the other citizens--its technological and
cultural strengths and weaknesses. This often
involves sending selected groups and individuals to
the other's country to become one of his kind, or even
to help him in his wars against other adversaries,
(6) Adopting as many of the advantages of the
opposing people as you can, and doing it as fast as
possible--while still protecting your own identity by
molding each new knowledge increment into your own
cultural cast.
6. Comment: Although this paper has hardly exhausted the
possible hypotheses related to the UFO phenomena, those
mentioned above are the principal ones presently put forward.
All of them have serious survival implications. The final
answer to this mystery will probably include more than one of
the above hypotheses.
Up until this time, the leisurely scientific approach has
too often taken precedence in dealing with UFO questions. If
you are walking along a forest path and someone yells 'rattler'
your reaction would be immediate and defensive. You would not
take time to speculate before you act. You would have to treat
the alarm as if it were a real and immediate threat to your
survival. Investigation would become an intensive emergency
action to isolate the threat and to determine its precise
nature. It would be geared to developing adequate defensive
measures in a minimum amount of time. It would seem a little
more of this survival attitude is called for in dealing with the
UFO problem.
Observations of chimpanzees while in a captive environment
have shown that the animals tend to become confused and
disoriented. Since they do not usually have adult chimps to
teach them how to be good apes, they are not even sure of their
behavior. Often their actions are patterned after human
behavior and would have virtually no survival value in the
wild. Lacking the challenge of environmental adaptation, the
bodies of the animals atrophy and become subject to may diseases-
mostly unknown in their wild counterparts. Reactions to
stimulus usually become less responsive and suitable. Sex
becomes a year-long preoccupation instead of a seasonal madness.
Do the captivity characteristics of modern civilization
cause a similar lessening of man's adaptive capability, of his
health, of his ability to recognize reality, of his ability to
survive?
Perhaps the UFO question might even make man undertake
studies which could enable him to construct a society which is
most conducive to developing a completely HUMAN being, healthy
in all respects of mind and body and, most important, able to
recognize and adapt to real environmental situations.
