Inside Ufology: December 1st, 1987
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Inside Ufology
December 1st, 1987
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GERSTEN, CONTACT and FLYING WINGS
ParaNet Alpha 11/27 -- Peter Gersten can't seem to make up his mind.
In April of this year, Gersten, co-founder of Citizens Against UFO Secrecy, announced the formation of what at that time was being called "Project Aquarius," a scheme to raise funds for the serious study of the UFO abduction syndrome. After drawing a little heat for the name, the organizers -- Gersten, Ron Leykis, James McCampbell and several others -- finally settled on "CONTACT." The ultimate goal of Contact, as McCampbell told ParaNet, was to "make contact" with whatever group was behind the abductions, if any.
In September, Gersten and "Night Siege" author Phil Imbrogno staged a UFO symposium in Brewster, NY, which has been the center of phenomenal UFO activity over the past five years. While the theme of the Brewster confabulation was the Hudson Valley sightings, Gersten took the opportunity to formally introduce CONTACT to the public. Memberships were sold to the tune of $15 a head.
Then, early this month, Gersten sent out a letter and a package of documents to several ufologists and groups. In the letter, Gersten attacked researcher William Moore for his MJ-12 involvement, saying that he "was and still is actively and intentionally engaged in a continuing program of disinformation involving fraudulent documents," referring to the so-called "Eisenhower Briefing" document which supporters say proves the existence of a long-standing UFO cover-up.
One of the documents Gersten included in the two mailings was gleaned from the Air Technical Intelligence Division of the old Army Air Corps, and dealt with aircraft designs and plans seized from a German aircraft concern called Horten Bros. The designs were for airplanes of the "Flying Wing" variety, similar to the Northrop B-49. Gersten's stated contention was that "this document is a first step in explaining the nature and origin of the strange and unusual objects seen in the skies from 1946 through 1952." In other words, experimental German airplanes and not alien spaceships were responsible for the beginning of the "flying saucer" craze, according to Gersten.
Several questions were raised by the press release. One of them, posed to Gersten by his CAUS colleague Barry Greenwood, was how such aircraft could possibly exhibit the maneuverability and velocity extremes reported by most UFO witnesses of the early era. According to Greenwood, Gersten had no answer.
In the meantime, ParaNet checked with the former chief test pilot for Northrop Aviation, Max Cutler. When asked if Northrop knew of the Horten plans, Culter replied that they did, but that the B-49 was based purely on the design of Jack Northrop. The Horten plane, said Cutler, was worthless and probably never got off the ground.
It was thought by many that Gersten was giving up on the idea of CONTACT, and on the idea of extraterrestrials in general; indeed, membership fees in the organization were refunded, and Imbrogno told ParaNet that no more memberships were being accepted. But CONTACT member Ted Markley of New Jersey has reportedly received new material from CONTACT, soliciting new memberships in the organization. And Gersten's latest release of Flying Wing documents was covered by a letter written on CONTACT stationery.
Gersten said he will comment at a future date on his mysterious doings.
NEW AGERS ARRESTED
ParaNet has learned that Michael and Aurora El-Legion of Scottsdale, AZ, have been arrested in Hawaii on charges of credit card fraud. The El- Legions, long popular on the UFO lecture circuit, claim to be "walk-ins", or hosts for discarnate extraterrestrial entities. The Honolulu Sun reported in August that the pair, who travel to Hawaii frequently, were arrested for their alleged involvement in a scheme to sell stolen credit card numbers.
The El-Legions could not be reached for comment.
MUFON COMMITTEE DISBANDED
In the latest newsletter of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), Public Relations Director Marge Christensen announced the disbanding of the Public Information/Public Education (PIPE) committee. The PIPE committee, the only active subcommittee of the worldwide UFO investigating group, was formed five years ago to set standards for publicizing the UFO phenomenon in the media and lecture presentations. Among PIPE's accomplishments were the organization of National UFO Information Week, usually celebrated in July or August. Christensen cited disillusionment, lack of cooperation and waning enthusiasm among the PIPE committee members as reasons for the dissolution. "None of us has given up on the UFO subject," she said. "Its human nature we have grave doubts about." Christensen will carry on as Public Relations Director for the near future.
The newsletter is distributed to state and regional officers of the organization.
AND FINALLY...
It's-seventh-hand,-it's-hearsay,-it's-unconfirmed-but-who-am-I-to-stand-in-the-way-of-the-Great-Rumor-Machine-department: James Moseley reports that Ed Biebel of the Foundation for UFO Research told him that independent UFO researcher Jerry Schultz showed him a letter he had received from Col. Wendelle Stevens to the effect that Paul Bennewitz had told Stevens that Richard Doty was William Moore's source for the MJ-12 documents. The implications of this are obvious:
- Biebel's long distance bills are outrageous.
- The Arizona prisons mail system works. (Stevens is doing 3-5 for child molesting)
- Moore is protecting Doty.
- Whitley Streiber did NOT portray the head of Nova Labs in the movie "Short Circuit."
--Jim Speiser
