"The controversial MJ-12 documents, if proven to be authentic, may be the beginning of a government effort to finally release UFO information to the public, according to one of the MJ-12 researchers, nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman.
"One important document purports to be a top-secret briefing to President-Elect Dwight D. Eisenhower about an alleged 1947 UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico and the government's ensuing coverup of the incident. Friedman, along with colleagues Bill Moore and Jaime Shandera, is still in the process of researching the documents, but says they are reasonably convinced of their authenticity (see MJ-12 news story, last issue).
"'There were actually plans to release a lot of UFO data to the public in 1973,' Friedman said. His remarks came at a panel of UFO speakers presented at the Whole Life Expo held in October in Los Angeles, California.
"The first of the government's three intended steps was the production of a made-for-television movie called 'UFOs: Past, Present and Future,' which focused on government information. There were to have been two more movies made, each using only government material and gradually escalating the degree of disclosure on government involvement, maybe from sightings to bodies to who knows what,' said Friedman.
"(In an later interview, Friedman's colleague Bill Moore attributed this information to producer/writer Bob Emenegger, who says he was approached by a high level government official to make the documentaries. Moore says Emenegger was invited to the Pentagon, and was given access to 800 feet of film of an alien landing at the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, footage that was subsequently retrieved by a colonel when the government changed its mind about the timing of its plan. 'UFOs: Past, Present and Future' was made without the government footage, and Emenegger went on to write a book of the same title.)
"'Unfortunately, right as this plan began to be implemented, a little event came along called Watergate, and it was obviously not the time to do this,' Friedman told the Expo audience.
"'Remember the special circumstances of that--because they're appropriate now. Nixon had been reelected, and that meant he could not run again. Reagan is the next president to be in the situation; he cannot run again,' Friedman said, conjecturing that this could lend credence to the idea that the release of the Majestic-12 documents is the next step of that postponed release of information.
"'It seems entirely likely that the government may have gotten STUCK IN A POSITION OF COVERUP A LOT LONGER THAN THEY INTENDED. When you read the MJ-12 debriefing document, it states very clearly that one of their reasons for coverup was that there had been almost a public panic in response to sightings in 1947 (Not to mention Orson Well's radio adaptation of the 'War of the Worlds', which caused quite a panic as well - Branton).
"'Apparently, as long as UFO occupants' motivations weren't known, and government officials didn't know what their technology was, they felt they could not in good faith discharge their public responsibilities by telling the public "oh, by the way, there are these alien vehicles flying over our country. We don't know what they want, we don't know what they've done or will do, but we thought you ought to know."'
"Friedman agrees that it would have been an irresponsible approach to dealing with the problem. 'I am by no means in favor of putting everything out on the table, especially in matters of technical detail, but that doesn't mean I don't think we ought to know what's going on.'
"Indeed, Friedman is one of the key figures in a group of ufologists who are vigorously seeking to secure UFO data from government agencies. He held up one such document for the audience to see, the result of months of court appeals and denials. It was almost entirely crossed out with black felt-tip marker, deletions said to have been made in the 'Interests of national security.'
"'Anytime someone tries to tell us that there is no such thing as a coverup, I say, "except what's under the felt-tip, and except what's in all of the classified material that they have refused to release,"' Friedman says, adding that government agencies have denies ufologists thousands of pages of documents relating to UFOs.
"'Freedom of Information is not a magic key that unlocks all the doors, nor should it be.'
"His associate Bill Moore, also on the panel, voiced another opinion as to the nature and reasons for the coverup. 'To be subjective for a moment, one has to assume that if an alien intelligence is capable of manifesting itself, as some have alleged, through channeled experiences, or 'translations of light', as I've heard them referred to today, if they're capable of manifesting to some people in a group and not others, if they're capable of appearing in people's bedrooms and walking through walls, if they're capable of erasing memories, as appears to be the case in literally hundreds of alleged abductee experiences, if they are capable of coming here across the vast distances between us and the nearby stars, and underline 'if,' then maybe, by an extension of that logic, they would be capable of MANIPULATING THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE RECOVERY OF THIS CRASHED VEHICLE AND THE STUDY OF IT,' said Moore."
Seemingly prophetical of Moore's own words, some researchers allege that even government officials trying to release UFO information might in SOME respects be deceived by alien influences into accepting information which is false or at least misleading, whether or not such researchers or expositors are 'knowingly' spreading such forms of propaganda. Some believe that Moore is caught in the middle of a kind of tug-of-war between government officials who are interested in getting the truth to the public and others who are intent on confusing the issue and continuing the cover-up. One possible indication of this comes from a UFOlogist, B.W., who sent a copy of the so-called 'South African Affair' information describing an alleged disk-recovery operation, to William Moore. On March 13, 1990 Moore responded with the following words:
"You sent me a couple of pages of material on an alleged South African case. Try checking out the two people behind the documents: Henry Azahehdel and James van Groenen. You will find that the first is a convicted smuggler who had just been released from jail when that story just surfaced, and the second is a known con man with a history of forged credentials and shady deals. Want proof? I have it."
Leaders of QUEST INTERNATIONAL, the British UFO-club made up largely of ex-military, police and security officials with an interest in UFOs, argues however that such charges are misleading, and that SEVERAL people were involved in the investigation of the South African case, and that the evidence available indicates that either the incident actually occurred or the International 'Intelligence' Community is intentionally perpetrating a complex hoax for some undetermined reason. Moore also stated that, in regards to the alleged underground installation near Dulce, New Mexico: "My first trip to Dulce was in 1982... I am completely satisfied that the whole Dulce story began as government disinformation, and that there is absolutely nothing beneath Archuleta Peak. How do I know? I've been up there... The satellite photo you sent me (made in 1968) is indeed of Groom Lake, which is in 'Area 51'...'Dreamland' is a different area entirely, and lies west of Area 51."
Also, Moore claims to have documentation that Frank Scully, who wrote 'BEHIND THE FLYING SAUCERS', which was one of the first books to describe an alleged disk-retrieval after an apparent 'UFO crash' near Aztec, New Mexico, was inspired by Silas M. Newton, a confidence artist, who along with his partner L. A. GeBauer systematically conned Frank Scully into writing the book. Moore offers his subscribers copies of F.B.I. files on Newton and many others. Actually, Moore seems to have unusually free access to sensitive government files on certain individuals. This in itself would indicate that he 'might' have ties with certain organizations within the Intelligence Community. Incidentally William Moore, according to THE JOURNAL OF UFO INVESTIGATION, admitted that he has worked with U.S. Intelligence in Connecticut for many years. (also see: 'CRASHED UFOS; EVIDENCE IN SEARCH OF PROOF', by William L. Moore [item #1258]; 'FBI FILES ON SILAS M. NEWTON: 1941-1971' [item #4512/A]; 'FBI FILES ON LEO A. GEBAUER: 1941-1969' [item #4512/B]; 'AFOSI & MISC. DOCUMENT FILE ON AZTEC' [item #4512/C]; Available from: William L. Moore Publications & Research., 4219 West Olive Ave., Suite #247., Burbank, CA 91505.)
Researcher Jason Bishop, when asked to respond to these allegations by Moore, stated: "...At his talk in L.A. on April 1st (1990) he stated that there are NO animal mutilations OR abductions! About the Aztec crash... it DID occur. Frank Scully did get bad info, but a crash DID occur... Moore says there is no base at Dulce because he has been there. How could he locate a base that is 4000 ft. in the ground? We have soundings that show large hollow areas below Archuleta Mesa (not just peak)...
"Moore is WRONG about 'Dreamland; being west of area #51. Groom Lake is WITHIN 'Dreamland' (Area #51)! Do not trust Moore... He is full of dis-information... Just a few months ago John Anderson (Integrated Health Network, Inc. Tempe, AZ) witnessed 3 discs land north of Dulce. His car would not work (not even the headlights) till they left (flew away). They met a McDonell Douglass traveling Lab van and Several Security Vehicles (nearby). The Japanese witnessed discs too (at Dulce). They also videotaped 2 discs at Area #51 in Feb. '90 and broadcast it on March 24th, '90 on NIPPON TV in Japan..."
So, the controversy rages on...