‘As seen from the chair’

We recently received a complimentary copy of Stuart Millar’s new newsstand publication Alien Worlds, followed some time later by a phone call from Stuart expressing his ‘disappointment’- he definitely wasn’t happy- that we hadn’t yet featured a review of his magazine. Subsequently prompted by the arrival of yet another complimentary copy, of issue number two this time, we have been suitably shamed into finally mentioning it! It is definitely a very well put together journal and clearly a personal and glossy romp through those issues that fascinate Stuart most. On balance it deserves to find favour amongst those of us who, like Stuart, enjoy looking at the UFO phenomenon from a much broader and more thought provoking perspective. The fact that he’s doing it all by himself impresses me no end quite frankly and certainly deserves respect and support from the ufological community for a gutsy endeavour with, lets face it, no guarantees at the end of it all. A long overdue review of Alien Worlds and details relating to subscription etc. can be found on the news and reviews page on this site.

Given that I’m largely uninterested in the overblown hype and publicity surrounding the release of UFO files from the Ministry of Defence’s dusty archives at the best of times, the use of the word ‘univestigated’ did, on this particular occasion however, make it somewhat more interesting from a speculative point of view. As has been the case in the past, this latest example of the ministry trying to play ‘Honest John’ certainly came close to forcing us to strap ourselves to the mast in an effort to avoid being washed overboard by the endless waves of gushingly enthusiastic press releases and quotes that crashed over the decks of the good ship Ufology. Instigated, so I’m led to believe, largely through the efforts of Dave Clarke and Joe McGonagle and others, the ministry ultimately intend releasing some 160 files amongst which will be those allegedly uninvestigated cases.

Call me suspicious or perhaps even cynical, but something just isn’t quite ringing true here, coming as it does from the absolute masters of secrecy, deception and dishonesty. Are we seriously being asked to believe that what is probably the most anally secretive organisation in the world is about to turn over a new leaf and adopt a policy of total openness concerning the UFO issue by offering civilian UFO buffs and enthusiasts an as yet undetermined percentage of uninvestigated cases sent to them by the public since 1978? The undertone here of course is that in taking such a casual gamble with univestigated files ufologists just might come up with enough material amongst them to further the argument of a UFO reality or at the very least add weight to the fact that a genuine but unknown phenomenon of some kind from an equally unknown origin(s) actually exists.

On face value perhaps such a suggestion shouldn’t raise too many eyebrows, coming from a government noted for its history of spectacular policy U-turns, and I suppose if we all slip into a altered state of mind for a moment or two, then we indeed might just fleetingly begin to believe what the Ministry of Defence is suggesting. The problem is that we’re not going slip into a collective altered state of mind (well, most of us anyway, as there are of course exceptions to every situation) anytime soon and as a result surely cannot be expected to accept such unadulterated rubbish being uttered by the ministry. They assert that they are gradually releasing “all” their UFO files; I somehow find that doubtful, for different (and understandable) reasons. May I suggest that they are releasing all their safe, sanitised files, suitable for public consumption. Any hint that a real “unknown”, of any provenance, terrestrial or otherwise, had made an unauthorised incursion into British territory would not be suitable fodder for the global public.

In my personal opinion the only element of truth contained within this situation involves the motives of those who unfortunately chose to send their reports to the ministry in the first place. Beyond those circumstances the truth became the first casualty and was never going to be taken prisoner thereafter, not whilst the ministry had anything to do with it anyway!

Let’s cut to the chase and state that virtually from the very start the ministry of defence have been, publicly anyway, quite dismissive of the UFO/alien subject via their opinion that it contains little to no real or valid substance. They have, by and large, treated any concerned members of the public with something bordering contempt by virtue of their standard and well known reply, which in essence states that unless containing any real or perceived threat to the security of the nation, they are simply not interested in pursuing the situation. Behind this smug and barely concealed sneering, however, ufology has long been aware of the fact that the ministry are far from uninterested in the phenomenon and have conducted numerous studies and specific scientific enquires over the distance as well as involving themselves in many investigations whereby intelligence service troops have appeared in the field to interview witnesses (and analyse effects upon the environment).

All in all then, quite a significant amount of interest in something that they continuously claim to be uninterested in, isn’t it?

To further my argument that the ministry are not remotely interested in playing Honest John anytime soon in relation to anything, let alone the UFO issue, let me draw your attention to the fact that BUFORA have first hand knowledge of the ministry’s ability to withdraw at will any files previously released into the public domain if it so suits them and irrespective of such an action being illegal. We are in possession of photocopied pages taken from files that were withdrawn immediately thereafter on the basis that they had been ‘erroneously’ released and are consequently now locked up -a decision that we reluctantly understand and uphold in this instance-under the hundred-year rule.

In my personal opinion, this latest announcement from the Ministry of Defence simply smacks of P.R. and a chance to get irritating ufologists off of their backs for a while. Neither has any basis in openness from an organisation charged with playing its own part in maintaining the security of this nation and its various global interests. If they suddenly elect to take a chance on being made to look stupid as a result of something as obscure as the UFO phenomenon, what would that say in terms of their effectiveness in any other area of operation, particularly to their allies and even more so to their enemies, perceived or otherwise?

Think on.

Regards and best wishes,

Robert.