Declassified UFO / UAP Document
BUFORA Journal Volume 3 Number 1, Autumn 1970
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AI-Generated Summary
This journal issue outlines the British U.F.O. Research Association's 1970 stance on scientific investigation, critiques the 'contactee' phenomenon as potentially psychological, and provides a detailed sighting report from Warminster.
This document is the Autumn 1970 issue (Volume 3, Number 1) of the BUFORA Journal, the official publication of the British U.F.O. Research Association. The journal serves as a platform for the scientific investigation of UFO phenomena, emphasizing the need for unbiased research while rejecting dogmatic scientific skepticism. The editorial by J. Cleary-Baker argues against the 'scientific Establishment's' dismissal of UFOs, citing Alfred Russell Wallace to support the idea that denying facts on a priori grounds is erroneous. The journal also explores the intersection of UFO research with psychical research, suggesting that phenomena like telepathy and poltergeist manifestations may be relevant to UFO studies.
A significant portion of the journal is dedicated to the 'contactee syndrome,' featuring an article by John A. Keel. Keel compares the experiences of UFO contactees to chronic alcoholism and schizophrenia, suggesting that many contactee reports are 'non-events'—hallucinations or memory tampering rather than physical encounters. He posits that the unconscious mind is manipulated, leading to personality deterioration and obsessive-compulsive behavior in some individuals.
The journal provides Ministry of Defence UFO statistics for the period 1959–1969, noting that 1,316 reports were evaluated, with 9.4% classified as 'unexplained.' The editor critiques the Ministry's methodology, arguing that 'insufficient information' and 'unexplained' should be treated as distinct categories.
A specific sighting report from Starr Hill, Warminster, dated March 21, 1970, is included. Four witnesses observed a black, car-sized object with a bright white light moving noiselessly at approximately 100 m.p.h. at a low altitude. The report emphasizes that this sighting was independent of the controversial Arthur Shuttlewood group.
Other sections include a critical review of Erich von Daniken's 'Chariots of the Gods?', which the author, Donro E. Mills, labels 'not proven' due to numerous archaeological inaccuracies. There is also a comparative study by Dan Butcher on the elements of UFO encounters and 'ecsomatic' (out-of-the-body) experiences, suggesting parallelisms in visual forms, movements, and sensory modalities. The journal concludes with reports on the SPACELINK symposium, a list of upcoming meetings for various UFO societies, and administrative updates regarding the BUFORA constitution.
The whole history of Science shows that whenever scientific men have denied the facts of other scientific investigators on a priori grounds of absurdity or improbability, the deniers have always been wrong.
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Key Persons
- G. W. CREIGHTONPresident of BUFORA
- Captain I. MACKAYChairman of BUFORA
- John A. KeelEditor of 'Anomaly'
- Erich von DanikenAuthor of 'Chariots of the Gods?'