Inside Ufology: February 1989
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INSIDE UFOLOGY
February 1989
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FRIEDMAN 1, KLASS 0
ParaNet Alpha 02/05 -- A minor victory may have been won by MJ-12 proponents in their never-ending battle against UFO "negativist" Phil Klass, a victory that could cost Klass up to $1000.
First, a little refresher on some of the finer points of MJ-12. A central document in the controversy is the Cutler-Twining Memo of July 14th, 1954, in which Presidential Assistant Robert Cutler informs Gen. Nathan Twining of a slight change in the scheduled meeting of MJ-12. This document is said to be independent confirmation of the existence of the super-secret Presidential UFO panel, since it was found in the National Archives. The closest scrutiny has been paid to this memo, and thus far it has seemingly eluded debunking. For all intents and purposes, it has the look, feel, and tenor of the real thing.
However, it is not without controversy. For starters, an Archives expert has denied its authenticity on historical grounds. The alleged maker of the memo, Robert Cutler, was out of the country when it was typed. Researchers counter that Cutler's assistants, James Lay and Patrick Coyne, routinely sent out memos under Cutler's name, and they point to the fact that the memo (extant now in carbon copy only) is unsigned.
Since the release of the MJ-12 package of documents in April of 1987, CSICOPer Klass has hammered away at the Cutler/Twining memo, and in his latest barrage, argues that it is in a typeface known as Pica, or 12 point, referring to the height of the characters. In a letter to MJ-12-ologist Stan Friedman dated January 16th of this year, Klass states, "You will note that in the tradition of that era, these White House executives used the smaller Elite typeface." He encloses a "representative sample of typefaces used by Cutler and Lay's offices during the 1953-1957 period," all of which are in the Elite or 10-point typeface. "I challenge you to produce known-to-be-authentic White House/business letters/memoranda written by Cutler or Lay during the 1953-55 time period which use a typeface identical in size and style to that used in the _alleged_ Cutler/Twining memo..."
Klass emphasises his challenge in traditional style by offering to pay Friedman $100 for each such sample, up to a maximum of $1000.
In a response dated January 20th, Friedman provides no fewer than 20 such exemplars, more than enough to win the maximum prize.
His letter to Klass is sprinkled with almost gleeful invective. "I am enclosing copies straight from my files of various Lay and Cutler material...first ones at hand, but just the tip of the iceberg...As usual you are flat out wrong because YOU DO NOT DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND ARE NOT INTERESTED IN TRUTH." In addition, he takes exception to Klass' statement that Elite is the "traditional" White House typeface. "How do you dare speak of a tradition of using elite type at the White House? Just how much White House material have you examined? The Ike Lib. [Eisenhower Presidential Library] alone has 250,000 pages of NSC material. The National Archives has loads as well, but I guess it is too far for you." (Klass lives in Washington, D.C., Friedman in Canada, yet the MJ-12-ologist makes frequent trips to the Archives in Washington).
It is not the first major gaffe on Klass' part regarding the documents. Back in November of 1987, the debunker sent out a memo criticizing William Moore's seeming misspelling in "Air Materiel Command", and slyly noted that the same misspelling crops up in the Hillenkoetter Briefing, the central MJ-12 document, the implication being that Moore, and not Hillenkoetter, authored the document. But true to military tradition, "Materiel" is, for some reason, the correct spelling in that context. To his credit, Klass was quick to find his error and redistribute his memo with the words "I GOOFED" plainly scrawled across the top. However, the incident is cited by many as a prime example of Klass' quickness to point a finger at Moore, whom he has all but accused of outright hoax in the MJ-12 affair.
It is not altogether certain that Friedman has won this round hands down. Klass' letter specifically called for "letters" and "memoranda"; Friedman provides only headings and dates in his initial response. However, he promises more to come from his visits to the Truman and Eisenhower libraries; presumably at that time he will provide full copies of the documents, if he comes across any.
MUFON TO COOPER: NO THANKS
It is not known yet exactly why, but self-ordained Cosmic Watergate prophet Bill Cooper was invited, and now has been DISinvited, to speak at the upcoming MUFON convention in Las Vegas. At first, plans called for a roundtable discussion of MJ-12 researchers, including Cooper, John Lear, William Moore and Stan Friedman. But in a letter from MUFON's International Director Walt Andrus, it was implied that a credibility problem caused the convention planners to change their minds about including Cooper, who for the past eight months has flooded computer networks and radio talk shows with sensational charges of conspiracies involving multi-layered government UFO projects, underground alien bases, and government cooperation in alien abductions.
Cooper, one of three individuals banned from using this network, has made claims ranging from a "mere" UFO sighting to inside knowledge of the structure and function of what he insists is the Majority Agency for Joint Information, or MAJI. He has leveled charges of disinformation against William Moore, who he claims is purposely obfuscating the truth by propagating "Majestic-12" information rather than "MAJI-Controlled" (MAJIC) information. He has even implicated this reporter in the disinformation campaign. Cooper's only corroboration is a Hawaiian named Robert Swan, whom he claims he showed several documents back in 1972. Swan made several generally corroborative statements to ParaNet's Tom Mickus, but has thus far refused an in-depth interview with another ParaNet operative in Hawaii.
Cooper was banned from most ParaNet outlets in October due to what was termed "gross prevarication" regarding his claims. It is against ParaNet's Code of Operating Standards to deliberately provide false or misleading information regarding government involvement in UFO research. Cooper, by his own admission, provided contradictory data to the network, ostensibly for the purpose of "finding out who knew what." Since then he has consistently failed to provide documentary evidence to support his claims, and has exhibited what many have termed a "paranoia" that his life is in danger from sinister government forces for his campaign. That fear, however, has not thus far stayed him from his continuous cries of "cover-up" and "conspiracy"; whether his actions to this point constitute heroism or histrionics remains unclear.
--Jim Speiser
