Y^d^f ^ oj 3^ Cy^r


498 Manzanita C t. 
V entura, C A 93001
April 30, 2001
Hi D an
Jon (C ypher) and I look forward to seeing you on Friday at 3:30pm in your office.
Jon, you probably recall, is an actor who starred on “Hillstreet Blues” and “Major D an,” 
among many other T V  shows, Broadway (wish you could hear him sing “T he Impossible 
D rcam” which he sang on Broadway in La Mancha), and movies. He’s also a scholar 
(and sings opera in four languages), and speaks eloquently about space. W e’ve been 
married for fifteen years.
Since 1 closed down the Institute for Security and C ooperation in Outer Space a few years 
ago, which I founded in ’83, we’ve both been searching for our role in promoting the 
space program.
As you know, 1 was spokesperson for von Braun during the last years of his life. He had 
me commit to finding the path to open the doors to space ... with his full and unlimited 
vision. I think I’ve found a way to do it.
W e’re bringing you a package that will give you the idea. (D on’t worry, it won’t cost 
you or NASA a dime.) And we’ll only take as much time as you want... even just a few 
short minutes as I know how busy you arc. But it’s going to be worth this trip to hand 
this to you in person.
Also, we’d love to take you (and yours) to lunch or dinner during the week we’ll be in 
D C . Possible?
See you Friday.
C arol Rosin 
805-641-1999
C ell 805-340-5121
Rosin@wcst.net
PS. T he photo was taken at the U S Space Foundation where we were keynote speakers.


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UFOs and Defense:
What Should We Prepare For?
-An ind epend ent report on UFO s written b y the French association 
C O META. This report d etails the results of a stud y b y the Institute of 
Higher Stud ies for National Defence.-
This paper originally appeared in a special issue of the magazine VSD 
pub lished  in France in July 1999.


U FO s and D efense
-The COMETA Report-


"Stripping the UFO phenomenon of its irrational layer"
F oreword by P rofessor Andre Lebeau, F orm er chairm an of the C entre National 
d’Etudes Spatiales
(C NES) [F rench National C enter for Space Studies]
It is not looked on highly in certain scientific circles to be preoccupied with phenomena 
that are deemed to come under the heading of popular mythology or that are, at any rate, 
outside the realm of science. Such was the case with stones falling from the sky, which 
was long considered in our country to be the stuff of fable. However, the day that a 
meteorite shower over the town of Laigle permitted a collective and indisputable 
observation, it entered into the domain of science. One century later NASA, no doubt 
hastily, elevated these stones to proof of the existence of primitive life on Mars.
Phenomena of this type pose a preliminary problem for the scientific approach, does a 
scientific fact exist?
W hen the phenomenon is a matter of experimentation, the criterion to be used is simple; 
the reproducibility of the experiment is the touchstone and furnishes the fact that must 
then be interpreted. But the situation is more difficult when the phenomenon is not open 
to experimentation, when repeated observation is the only basis on which one can go, as is 
the case in astronomy and for the most part in geophysics. However, when the fact, albeit 
rare, is collectively and indisputably visible, it is easy to elevate it to the status of scientific 
object. T he existence of eclipses, comets, and novas has been recognized_since ancient 
times^even though their interpretation long contained - and sometimes still contains - a 
religious dimension. T hus collective and simultaneous observation plays the same role as 
the reproducibility of experiments.
T his is not true when the event is not only rare but discrete as well, and when there is a 
very small amount of evidence at each occurrence, which opens the door to various 
suspicions. U nidentified flying objects, or U FOs, fall into this category. One runs up 
against additional difficulties in the case of U FOs, firstly that of how many human 
activities, especially since the beginning of the space age, have generated atmospheric 
phenomena the origin of which is not immediately ascertainable by those who observe 
them. In any case, U FOs, the origin of which cannot be attributed to either a human 
source or a natural mechanism that has been identified by science, are mixed in with a 
background noise the origin of which, although difficult to identify, is not at all 
mysterious.
Moreover, and above all, the existence of unexplained manifestations, both in the 
atmosphere and occasionally on the surface of the earth, inevitably gives rise to a 
fundamental question: are we alone in the universe? C ould some of these phenomena be 
the work of extraterrestrial beings? T his question gives the U FO issue a sociological, 
media-related, and even religious dimension in a domain that is not that of science and 
scientific methods. And it is the very existence of this dimension that elicits reactions of 
rejection in the scientific community.
However, a dispassionate examination of the situation should lead those who believe in 
the value of scientific method to consider that the very existence of a strong irrational 
environment is another reason to apply the precepts of this method to the issue of U FOs.
C OMET A has tried its luck at this in the report that it is presenting, supported, namely, 
by the work performed by GEPAN, which later became SEPRA. T he significant place 
granted to sightings, to testimonies, and to the analysis of cases that have been explained 
shows the major role played here by the establishment of facts. But we also find in this


document a reflection on the hypothesis of extraterrestrial intelligence and of the 
importance that it could have if studies came together to confirm it.
T his report is useful in that it contributes toward stripping the phenomenon of U FOs of 
its irrational layer. W hen all is said and done, the question of determining whether or not 
those who created this report believe in the existence of extraterrestrial visitors, concealed 
in a variety of phenomena that are surprising in appearance but commonplace with respect 
to their cause, is of no real importance. W hat a scientist believes is important in the 
conducting of his research because this is what motivates and drives him. But his belief is 
not important to the results of his research nor does it have any effect on those results if he 
is rigorous.
Table of C ontents
PREFAC E Page 5
FOREW ORD Page 6
INT ROD U C T ION Page 7
PART 1 FAC T S AND  T EST IMONIES
C hapter 1 T estimonies of French Pilots Page 9
C hapter 2 Aeronautical C ases T hroughout the W orld Page 12
C hapter 3 Sightings from the Ground Page 17
C hapter 4 C lose Encounters in France Page 20
C hapter 5 C ounterexamples of Phenomena T hat HaveBeen Explained
Page 24
PART 2 T HE EX T ENT  OF OU R KNOW LED GE
C hapter 6 Organization of the Research in France 
Page 27
C hapter 7 Methods and Results of GEPAN/SEPRA Page 31
C hapter 8 U FOs: Hypotheses, Modeling Attempts Page 35
C hapter 9 Organization of the Research Abroad Page 42
PART 3 U FOs AND  D EFENSE
C hapter 10 Strategic Planning Page 55
C hapter 11 Aeronautical Implications Page 59
C hapter 12 Scientific and T echnical Implications Page 62
C hapter 13 Political and Religious Implications Page 64
C hapter 14 Media Implications Page 69
C ONC LU SION AND  REC OMMEND AT IONS Page 71
APPEND IC ES
Appendix 1 Radar D etection in France Page 74
Appendix 2 Astronomers’ Sightings
Page 74
Appendix 3 Life in the U niverse Page 75
Appendix 4 C olonization of Space Page 75
Appendix 5 T he Roswell Affair - D isinformation Page 77
Appendix 6 T he Long History of the U FO Phenomenon - Elements of a


C hronology Page 80
Appendix 7 Reflections on V arious Psychological, Sociological,
and Political Aspects of the U FO Phenomenon Page
82
REFERENC ES Page 87
GLOSSARY Page 90
T he photo section from pages 43 to 50, as well as pages 2 and 91, were not part of 
the initial report.
Publication of:
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D enis. Art D irector: Richard Yotis. Editorial Assistant: Jacques Peron. Illustrations and 
T echnical C onsulting: Bernard T houanel. Editorial D ept. 01 55 21 00 50. E- mail: 
vsd_hs@worldnet.fr. Public Relations Agent: Image7/Isabelle de Segonzac 01 44 15 93 
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U FOs AND  D EFENSE
W hat should we prepare for?
C OMET A, an association governed by the Law of July 1, 1901.
All reproduction, in whole or in part, translation, and adaptation rights reserved for all 
countries C opyright 1999.
terminal ELL. Photoengraving: Key Graphic. Printing: Berger Levrault, 34, avenue du 
Route, 92220 Neuily-sur-Seine. Joint Appeals Board No.: 59521. ISSN 1278-916 X . 
C opyright deposit: July 1999.
© G.S. Presse C ommunication. T he editorial department is not responsible for the loss of 
or damage to texts or photos that are sent to it for consideration. Reproduction in whole 
or in part of any material published in the magazine is prohibited.
Cover.-
Photo taken on September 4, J97J, directly over the T ilaran range in Central America 
by an airplane from the National G eographic Institute of Costa Rica (Bernard T houanel 
collection).


“Concrete problems are raised that call for a response 
in terms of action ”
by G eneral Bernard Norlain,
F orm er director of the I nstitut des H autes Etudes de D efense 
Nationale
[I nstitute for Advanced National D efense Studies 
(fH ED N)l
W hen General Letty visited me in March 1995 at my office at IHED N to explain to me 
his project for creating a new committee for study of U FOs, I assured him of my interest 
and referred him to the management of the IHED N Auditors Association (AA), which 
gave him its support. Knowing that some twenty years earlier the AA had produced and 
published a preliminary report on the subject in its bulletin, it was but time to update it.
D enis Letty seemed to me to be the perfect one to spearhead this task; one month 
earlier, in February, he had organized, within the framework of the Ecole de l’Air [Air 
Force Academy] Alumni Association, a conference on unidentified aerospace phenomena. 
Before a large public, some of our comrades, former pilots, spontaneously related their 
encounters with U FOs. T he person in charge of studying these phenomena at the C NES 
then presented his results, and a well-known astronomer described a scientifically 
acceptable version of the extraterrestrial hypothesis.
T he fields of knowledge affected by the U FO phenomenon are very diverse, and 
General Letty was able to find within the AA, but on the outside as well, numerous 
experts whose efforts he coordinated. T he list of high-level civilian and military degrees 
of the members of his committee is very impressive: officers, engineers, and specialists in 
physics, life sciences, and social sciences were able to deal with all aspects of the study.
T his is not a purely academic study. C oncrete problems are raised, and not only for 
civilian and military pilots, that call for a response in terms of action. T he makeup of 
C OMET A [C ommittee for In-D epth Studies], which is the name of the committee, took 
these into account. Almost all of its members have, or had during the course of their 
careers, important responsibilities in defense, industry, teaching, research or various 
central administrations.
I express the wish that the recommendations of C OMET A, which are inspired by good 
sense, will be examined and implemented by the authorities of our country. T he first 
report of the AA favored the creation within C NES of the only civilian government agency 
known in the world dedicated to the study of U FOs. May this new report, which is much 
more in-depth, give new impetus to our national efforts and to indispensable international 
cooperation. IHED N will then have well served the nation and, perhaps, humanity.
“Consider all of the hypotheses ”


by D enis Letty, 
Air F orce G eneral, 2nd Section, AA (35)
T he accumulation of well-documented sightings made by credible witnesses forces us 
to consider from now on all of the hypotheses regarding the origin of unidentified flying 
objects, or U FOs, and the extraterrestrial hypothesis, in particular. U FOs are now a part 
of our media environment; the films, television broadcasts, books, advertisements, etc., 
dealing with U FOs amply demonstrate this.
Although no characterized threat has been perceived to date in France, it seemed 
necessary to the former auditors of the Institut des Hautes Etudes de D efense Nationale 
(IHED N) to take stock of the subject. Along with qualified experts from extremely varied 
backgrounds, they are grouped together to form a private in-depth fact-finding committee, 
which was christened C OMET A.
T his committee was transformed into a C OMET A association, which I chair. I would 
like to thank General Bernard Norlain, former director of IHED N, and Mr. Andre Lebeau, 
former chairman of the C entre National d’Etudes Spatiales, without whom C OMET A 
would not have been bom.
In addition, I wish to acknowledge the various people who agreed to give their 
testimony or to contribute to this study, and namely.
Jean-Jacques V elasco, Head of SEPRA at C NES,
F rancois Louange, C hief Executive Officer of Fleximage,
Jean-C harles D uboc, Jean-P ierre F artek, Rene G iraud, civilian and military 
pilots,
Edmond C am pagnac, former technical director of Air France at Antananarivo, 
M ichel P errier, Squadron C ommander, Gendarmerie Nationale
M . Soun, of the D irection Generale de 1’Aviation C ivile [C ivil Aviation Agency] 
Joseph D om ange, Air Force General, Auditors Association delegate general.
I must also thank the commander of the Air Force Air Operations C ommand C enter for 
its participation during the investigation into flight AF 3532 on January 28, 1994.
Among the members of C OMET A who spared no effort for close to three years, it is 
possible for me to list:
M ichel Algrin, State D octor of Political Science, attomey-at-law, AA (35), (1) 
P ierre Bescond, W eapons Engineer General, 2nd Section, AA (48), 
D enis Blancher, C hief of Police, Police Nationale, Ministry of the Interior, 
Jean D unglas, D octor of Engineering (Ret ), in W ater and Foredtry Management AR 
(48)
Bruno Le M oine, Air Force General, 2nd Section, AA (41),
F ran^oise Lepine, Fondation pour les Etudes de D efense [Foundation for D efense 
Studies], AA (33),
C hristian M archal, C hief Mining Engineer, Research D irector at ONERA 
[National Aerospace Study and Research Office],
M arc M erlo, Admiral, 2nd Section, AA (35),
Alain Orszag, D octor of Physical Sciences, W eapons Engineer General, 2nd 
Section


(J): AA or AR xx: auditor of national or regional promotion no. xx.
I NTROD U C TI ON
In 1976, a committee of the Institut des Hautes Etudes de D efense Nationale (IHED N) 
chaired by General Blanchardj of the Gendarmerie Nationales opened the unidentified 
flying objects file. T he objective: to make proposals for organizing research and the 
collection of data on these phenomena. T he-goal was achieved, because the 
recommendations of this committee were followed bv the creation of the Groupe d’Etude 
des Phenomenes Aerospatiaux Non Identifies (GEPAN) [U nidentified Aerospace 
Phenomena Study Group], the precursor to the current Service d’Expertise des 
Phenomenes de Rentree Atmospherique (SEPRA) [Atmospheric Reentry Phenomena 
C onsulting D epartment], a division of the C entre National d’Etudes Spatiales (C NES), 
which is in charge of this file. T wenty years later, it seemed useful to us to take stock 
once again of the knowledge regarding these sightings, which are becoming of greater and 
greater interest to a large public that is often convinced of the extraterrestrial origin of 
U FOs. Just look at the number of films or television broadcasts on this subject.
For the sake of convenience with respect to language, we will use the term U FO 
(U nidentified Flying Object) generally3 instead of the more scientific term U AP 
(U nidentified Aerospace Phenomenon).
W ithout a doubt, the phenomenon remains and the number of sightings, which are 
completely unexplained despite the abundance and quality of data, is growing throughout 
the world. On the ground, some sightings, like the T rans-en-Provence sighting in 1981, 
have been the subject of in-depth studies proving that something did in fact land on the 
ground and parked there. C ivilian and military pilots have provided gripping visual 
testimonies, often corroborated by radar recordings, as was the case recently in France. In 
view of the lack of irrefutable proof regarding the origin of these phenomena, the need for 
understanding persists.
W e will devote the first part of this report to several particularly remarkable French and 
foreign cases.
In the second part, after having recalled the current organization of the research on 
these phenomena in France and abroad, we will evaluate the work being done by scientists 
worldwide who are interested in U FOs and are proposing, as we will see, partial 
explanations that are based on known laws of physics.
Some of these (propulsion systems, non lethal weapons, etc.) could become realities in 
the short, medium and long term.
W e will review the principal global explanations proposed, focusing on those that are in 
keeping with the current scientific data, which range from secret weapons to 
extraterrestrial manifestations.
T he U FO phenomenon involves defense in the broad sense and calls for a certain 
number of measures, which we will examine in the last part:
- [providing] civilian and military pilots with sufficient information to teach them an 
adapted conduct when faced with these phenomena and, more generally, [providing] the 
public and decision-makers with information,
- developing the actions of SEPRA and promoting supplemental scientific monitoring, 
or even research, actions,
- considering the strategic, political, and religious consequences of a possible 
confirmation of the extraterrestrial hypothesis, the bizarre connotation of which it is


advisable to eliminate here and now.
P ART 1
F acts and Testim onies
Before going further, it seems worthwhile to us to present several facts and testimonies 
that in themselves justify the interest of the in-depth study that we are going to develop 
below:
- three testimonies of French civilian and military pilots who encountered U FOs in flight, 
- five major aeronautical cases in the world, 
- three sightings from the ground,
- four cases of close encounters in France.
T hese few examples are among the hundreds of remarkable, that is to say credible and 
well-documented, cases observed around the world in recent decades. None of these 
cases has been explained, whereas the majority of times the investigations enable the origin 
of the phenomena observed by the witnesses to be determined; we will give two significant 
examples of this.
C hapter 1 - Testim onies of F rench P ilots
T hree French pilots who encountered U FOs in flight came to testify before the 
committee. T heir testimonies are all the more interesting because they can be evaluated 
better than other aerial phenomena since they pertain to the aeronautic world.
1.1 M . G iraud, M irage I V  pilot (M arch 7, 1977).
T he sequence of events of this incident was reconstructed from radio exchanges 
between the pilot and the controller, which are routinely recorded and kept for a specific 
period of time in accordance with the procedure in force at all control centers. T he 
incident occurred on March 7, 1977, at around 2100 hours local time during the D ijon 
flyover when the Mirage IV  was returning, the automatic pilot engaged, to Luxeuil after a 
night mission. [T he aircraft was] at an altitude of 9600 m and flying at a speed of “Mach 
0.9.” T he flight conditions were very good. T he pilot (P), Herve Giraud, and his 
navigator (N) observed a very bright glow at “3 o’clock” (time code) from their aircraft, 
at the same altitude, coming on a collision course and approaching very rapidly. W e will 
designate it “assailant” (Al) in the rest of the account. P queried the C ontrexeville 
military radar station that controlled them to ask whether they had a radar contact on the 
aircraft coming towards them. In fact, P and N thought that it was an air defense 
interceptor, as is currently being used, that was seeking to intercept their aircraft to then 
identify it with its identification beacon
T he radar controller (C ), who did not have a corresponding radar contact on his scope, 
gave a negative response and asked the pilots to check their oxygen T his request on the 
part of the controller is a standard emergency procedure; it shows that the controller is so


surprised by the crew’s question that he suspects an oxygen problem capable of causing a 
“hallucination.”
“Assailant Al” maintained its course towards the Mirage IV . P initiated a bank to the 
right toward Al, a bank which he was forced to keep tightening (3 to 4 g) in order to try 
to maintain visual contact on Al and to keep it from positioning itself to the rear. D espite 
this maneuver, Al moved behind the Mirage IV  at an estimated distance of 1500 m. At 
this point P reversed his bank to regain visual contact on Al. He saw the glow move 
away to “11 o’clock.” He resumed course to Luxeuil. But 45 seconds after he resumed 
course to Luxeuil, feeling like he was being "watched” according to his own words, P 
told N, "you wait and see, it's going to come back. ” And in fact, an identical glow, 
which we will call A2, appeared at “3 o’clock.”
P then initiated a very tight bank (6.5 g) to disengage his aircraft from what he now 
considered to be a real threat. T he glow followed the Mirage IV ’s maneuver in order to 
position itself to the rear at an estimated distance of 2000 m. P reversed, as before, and 
once again saw the glow disappear under the same conditions. C  still did not have a radar 
contact on “assailant A2.” P and N continued their flight and returned normally to the 
Luxeuil base.
T hose are the facts. T wo points should be emphasized:
- only a combat aircraft could have had performance comparable to that of Al and A2 
(speed, maneuverability). In this case, C  would have had a radar contact on this aircraft, 
especially at that altitude, a contact that he would have seen all the better since there was 
no other traffic in the vicinity of the Mirage IV .
- given the apparent maneuvers of Al and .A2, regardless of whether or not they were 
the same craft, their speed could only be supersonic, which, in the case of combat aircraft, 
would be manifested on the ground by a very loud sonic boom due to the phenomenon of 
the focusing of the shock wave generated by the bank. T his would have been noticed in 
the surrounding area, especially since it was nighttime. But no sound was heard in the 
region.
1.2 Testim ony of a F ighter P ilot (M arch 3, 1976 )
Since this pilot (P) wanted to preserve his anonymity, the following lines are extracted 
from the written deposition that he wished to send to us (he revealed his name 
subsequently; he is C olonel C laude Bose). On March 3, 1976, P, then a student pilot at 
the C ombat Flight School at T ours, was making a solo night flight in a T -33 training 
aircraft. T he mission consisted of navigating at an altitude of 6000 m following a Rennes- 
Nantes-Poitiers itinerary, then landing at T ours. Several aircraft were following the same 
itinerary at 5-minute intervals. T he night was dark but cloudless, and the towns could be 
detected very clearly at the flight altitude in question. V isibility was greater than 100 km. 
W hile he was flying stabilized at an altitude of 6000 m, at a speed of 460 km/h, P first saw 
straight ahead, very far off in the distance (at the detection limit of lights on the ground) 
what he at first thought was the launching of a green signaling flare.
In 1 to 2 seconds, this flare exceeded the altitude of his aircraft by 1500 m and seemed 
to level off in space before descending in his direction. It approached at a dizzying speed 
on a collision course with the aircraft and filled the entire front windshield of the cockpit. 
T hinking that impact was inevitable, P let go of the joystick and crossed his arms in front 
of his face in a reflex protection gesture. T he aircraft was completely enveloped in a very 
bright and phosphorescent green light P saw a sphere (S) that avoided his aircraft at the


very last moment and passed over his right wing grazing it, all within a fraction of a 
second P retained the following memory of this incident.
- S was not very large (1 to 2 m in diameter),
- S was extended by a tail, which was comparable to that on a comet, that was also a 
fluorescent green color,
- the center of S consisted of a very bright white light (magnesium-fire type),
- the sighting lasted a total of less than 5 seconds.
P, who was very shocked by this phenomenon, informed the radar controller (-) 
ensuring the control of the mission on the ground; the controller had not detected anything 
on his radar scope. U pon return, two other pilots who had followed the same itinerary as 
P stated that they had seen the phenomenon, but from a distance.
1.3 Air F rance F light AF  3532 (January 28, 1994)
Jean-C harles D uboc (P), captain of Air France flight AF 3532, was assisted by C opilot 
V alerie C hauffour (C P) in making the Nice-London connection on January 28, 1994. At 
1314 hours, while they were cruising at an altitude of 11,900 m in the vicinity of 
C oulommiers in Seine-et-Marne [D epartment] under excellent meteorological conditions, 
the chief steward, who was present in the cockpit at the time, pointed out a phenomenon 
that appeared to him to be a weather balloon. His sighting was immediately confirmed by 
the copilot. P, who in turn saw it, first thought that it was an aircraft banking at a 45° 
angle. V ery quickly, however, all three agreed that what they were seeing did not 
resemble anything that they knew of. T he excellent visibility and the presence of 
altocumulus clouds permitted P to estimate that the phenomenon was at an altitude of 
10,500 m and at a distance of approximately 50 km. T aking into account its apparent 
diameter, they deduced that the craft was large. T hey were struck by the changes in the 
shape of the craft, which first appeared in the form of a brown bell before transforming 
into a chestnut brown lens shape, then disappearing almost instantaneously on the left side 
of the aircraft, as if it had suddenly become invisible. P reported to the Reims Air 
Navigation C ontrol C enter, which had no information on any mobile air presence in the 
vicinity. However, following the existing procedure, Reims informed the T avemy Air 
D efense Operations C enter (C OD A) of the sighting made by the crew and asked P to 
follow the “Airmiss” procedure upon landing.
C OD A did in fact record a radar track initiated by the C inq-Mars-la-Pile control center 
at the same time that corresponded in location and time to the phenomenon observed. 
T his radar track, which was recorded for 50 seconds, did cross the trajectory of flight AF 
3532 and did not correspond to any flight plan filed. It should be noted that the 
phenomenon disappeared from the view of the crew and the radar scopes at the same 
instant. T he investigations conducted by C OD A enabled both the hypothesis of a weather 
balloon to be ruled out and the precise crossing distance of the two trajectories to be 
determined, consequently bringing the approximate length of the craft to 250 m in length. 
It should be noted that the Northern Regional Air Navigation C enter (C RNA), which 
handles 3000 movements per day, has investigated only three cases over the last seven 
years, one of which was that of flight AF 3532.
C hapter 2 - Aeronautic C ases Throughout the W orld


It is appropriate to specify that those cases that have been sighted from aircraft are 
considered to be aeronautic cases. T his chapter describes five significant cases that 
occurred in different parts of the world and which were the subject of an investigation by 
the authorities of the countries in question In four cases, the objects were detected both 
visually and by radar. In the fifth case, they were observed by a number of independent 
witnesses.
2.1 Lakenheath (U nited K ingdom ) (August 13-14, 1956 )
T he joint U SAF - U .S. Air Force - and RAF [Royal Air Force] military bases of 
Lakenheath and Bentwaters are located 30 km northeast of C ambridge with respect to the 
first and near the coast to the east of this city with respect to the second. U nknown aerial 
objects followed by their radars during the night of August 13 to 14, 1956, were judged 
"unidentified” by the report published in 1969 by the C ondon C ommission tasked with 
evaluating the research of the U .S. Air Force on U FOs (cf. C hapter 9). In September 
1971, the magazine Astronautics and Aeronautics published a study of the case by T hayer, 
the radar expert on the C ondon C ommission, which was based in part on a study 
presented in 1969 by Professor MacD onald, an atmospheric physicist. For the record, we 
point out that on several occasions, and namely in 1976, Philippe Klass, editor of the 
journal Aviation W eek and Space T echnology, attempted to criticize this work and to 
reduce the case to a series of ordinary events (meteorites, radar propagation anomalies, 
etc ). T he incidents began at the Bentwaters base, preceded, between 2100 and 2200 
hours, by unusual sightings of the approach control radar [center], which we will not go 
into in further detail. T hey took place as follows:
- At 2255 hours, the radar detected an unidentified object moving east to west passing 
over the base, always almost into the wind at an apparent speed of 2000 to 4000 miles per 
hour (mph), or 3 200 to 6400 km/h. No sonic boom was mentioned. T he personnel of the 
Bentwaters control tower said they saw a bright light flying over the ground from east to 
west "at an incredible speed” at an altitude of approximately 1200 m. At the same time, 
the pilot of a military transport plane flying over Bentwaters at an altitude of 1200 m 
stated that a bright light passed under his plane tearing east to west "at an incredible 
speed. ” T he two visual sightings confirmed the radar detection.
- T he Bentwaters radar operator reported these concurring radar and visual sightings to 
the shift supervisor at the Lakenheath [air] traffic radar control center, an American 
noncommissioned officer to whom we are indebted for a quite detailed report of these 
sightings and those that follow. T he report, which was sent to the C ondon C ommission in 
1968 by the then retired NC O, is coherent and does not contradict the documents in the 
U SAF [Project] Blue Book file except in a few minor points, among these documents, the 
regulation telex sent by Lakenheath to the Blue Book team on the day of the incident and 
the report forwarded two weeks later to that same team by American C aptain Holt, an 
intelligence officer at Bentwaters.
- T he shift supervisor at the Lakenheath base alerted his radar operators. One of them 
detected a stationary object approximately 40 km southwest of the base, almost in the axis 
of the trajectory of the supersonic object seen at 2255 hours. T he shift supervisor called 
the Lakenheath approach radar [center], which confirmed the sighting. T he radar 
technicians at the air traffic control center suddenly saw the object immediately go from 
immobility to a speed of 600 to 950 km/h T he shift supervisor notified the base 
commander


T he object changed direction several times, describing line segments ranging from 13 to 
30 km, separated by abrupt stops for 3 to 6 minutes; the speed always went from a value 
of zero to a value of some 950 km/h without any transition.
V isual sightings were made from the ground and confirmed the high speed and 
astounding accelerations. T he regulation telex sent by Lakenheath concluded. "T he fact 
(hat radar and ground visual observations were made on its rapid acceleration and abrupt stop 
certainly lend credence to the report."
- After 30 to 45 minutes, the RAF sent a night fighter, a V enom two-seater, in pursuit 
of the object. T he Lakenheath air traffic radar control center guided it in the direction of 
the object 10 km east of the center. T he pilot acquired the target visually and on radar, 
then lost it. T he center then directed the plane 16 km to the east of Lakenheath; the pilot 
again acquired the target and said, "my machine guns are locked onto him. ” A short time 
afterward, he once again lost his target, but the target was followed by the radar operators 
at the center. T hey informed the pilot that the object had made a rapid movement to 
position itself behind him and was following him at a short distance. T he pilot confirmed 
[this]. W atched by the radar technicians, the pilot tried every maneuver for about 10 
minutes in order to move back behind the object (steep climbs, dives, sustained turns), but 
he didn’t succeed: the U FO followed him at a constant distance according to the ground 
radar stations. Finally, low on fuel, he returned to base, asking that someone tell him 
whether the object continued to follow him. T he U FO did, in fact, follow him for a short 
distance, then came to a standstill. T he radar technicians then saw the object make several 
short moves, then leave in a northerly direction at about 950 km/h and disappear from 
radar range at 0330 hours.
- A V enom sent to replace the first had to quickly return to base due to mechanical 
problems before having been able to establish contact with the object.
T hayer concluded his article in the journal Astronautics and Aeronautics in this manner: 
" taking into consideration the high credibility of information and cohesiveness and continuity 
of account, combined with a high degree of'strangeness', it is also certainly one of the most 
disturbing U FO incidents known today."
2.2 The RB-47 Aircraft in the U nited States (July 17, 1957)
T his case, which appears as "unidentified” in the C ondon report, has been cited and 
studied extensively for 40 years. Physicist James MacD onald published the results of his 
investigation in 1971 in the journal Astronautics and Aeronautics. Phillip Klass, the 
aforementioned journalist, then endeavored in 1976 to trivialize the facts, which was 
highly contestable from the outset. T he bulk of this interpretation was refuted at the end 
of 1997, upon completion of an in-depth investigation contained in a memorandum from 
the aerospace technology researcher Brad Sparks.
W e will summarize here the important sequences of events of the case, which show a 
luminous unidentified flying object detected at night not only by sight and on radar, but 
also by pulsed microwave emissions coming from its direction:
T he RB-47 was a bomber the bomb bays of which had been converted to hold three 
officers each equipped with means enabling emissions from ground radars to be detected 
and their azimuth direction, but not their distance or the nature of the signals, to be 
specified In the south central region of the U nited States, where the aircraft was making 
a training flight that day, numerous radar stations were emitting signals the frequencies of 
which were close to 3000 MHz and the pulses of which lasted 1 microsecond and


occurred every 600 microseconds. T he radars scanned the horizon four times per minute.
T hree other officers (pilot, copilot, navigator) were in the cockpit and, as a result, 
could themselves see out of the aircraft. T he six officers were questioned by MacD onald 
in 1969. T hey related that:
- T he first incident took place above Mississippi, probably at around 0930Z (0330 local 
time), when the aircraft, going back to the north from the Gulf of Mexico, was 
approaching the coast a little to the east of the Mississippi delta, flying at Mach 0.75. 
C aptain MacC lure detected on his screen a blip corresponding to a pulsed microwave 
source located behind and to the right of the RB-47 (at “5 o’clock”) that rapidly passed 
the aircraft and turned around it, departing again on its left in the other direction (between 
“6 o’clock and 9 o’clock”). T he source was therefore airborne and supersonic. MacC lure 
noted the characteristics of the signal: they were those of the aforementioned ground radar 
stations, with the exception of the length of the pulses, which were 2 microseconds. He 
did not report this incident immediately, thinking that it was perhaps a malfunction of the 
electronics. As Klass writes, at the time there were no supersonic aircraft either in the 
U nited States or in the U SSR large enough to transport a radar, the signal from which 
possessed the characteristics that were observed.
- T he following incident occurred at 1010Z in Louisiana, when C ommander C hase, 
pilot, and C aptain MacC oyd, copilot, saw an intense bluish-white light aim at the aircraft 
from “11 o’clock,” then jump from their left to their right and disappear while it was at “2 
o’clock.” Klass showed that this object was perhaps a meteorite the trajectory of which 
caused an optical illusion, but, at the time, C hase and MacC oyd wondered whether it 
wasn’t a U FO. Hearing them, MacC lure remembered his prior detection and looked for a 
signal of the same type.
- He found this signal at 1030Z, which was identical to the previous one and, perhaps 
by coincidence, came from “2 o’clock.” T his signal was confirmed by C aptain 
Provenzano, whose detector was itself also able to operate at around 3000 MHz. It could 
not have been the signal from a fixed radar, because its “2 o’clock” direction remained 
unchanged when the aircraft followed its route to the west for several minutes. T he 
aircraft entered T exas, then came within range of the “U tah” radar [center] located near 
D allas. T he crew reported to U tah, which detected both the aircraft and an object 
maintaining a constant distance of 18 km from it.
- At 1039Z, still in T exas, C ommander C hase perceived a large red light, which he 
estimated was moving 1500 m below the aircraft at approximately “2 o’clock.” T he 
aircraft was flying at an altitude of 10,500 m, and the weather was perfectly clear. 
Although the commander was not able to determine either the shape or the size of the 
object, he had the distinct impression that the light was emanating from the top of the 
object.
At 1040Z, he received authorization to pursue this object and notified U tah. He 
slowed down, then accelerated, U tah informed him that the object was mirroring his 
movements, all the while maintaining a constant distance of 18 km.
- At 1042Z, C hase accelerated and saw the red object turn to the right in the direction 
of D allas, this was confirmed by MacC lure.
- At around 1050Z, a little to the west of D allas, the object stopped and simultaneously 
disappeared from the view of the radar(s) (U tah and the onboard radar that had just 
detected the object when the RB-47 had approached it) and from MacC lure’s screen (the 
disappearance of an object from a radar screen is less surprising nowadays, it calls to mind 
the active stealth technologies currently in development if not in operation). T he aircraft 
then banked to the left MacC lure picked up a signal that was perhaps the one from U tah


V isual and radar contact were regained.
At 1052Z, C hase saw the object drop to around 4500 m. He had the RB-47 make a 
dive from 10,500 to 6000 m. T he object then disappeared from his view, from the 
U tah radar, and from MacC lure’s screen simultaneously.
- At 1057Z, still near D allas, the object reappeared on MacC lure’s screen, and 
U tah indicated
that it had prepared a “C IRV IS” (C ommunications Instructions for Reporting V ital 
Intelligence Sightings) report, a secret urgent radio report sent to the Air D efense 
C ommand, which is mandatory in the event of a sighting by the Air Force of an 
unidentified aerial object. At 1058Z, the pilot regained visual contact at “2 o’clock.” A 
few minutes later, seeing his fuel reserves drop, he decided to return and headed roughly 
north toward Oklahoma C ity. T he object then positioned itself behind the aircraft at a 
distance of 18 km, as reported by U tah, which tried to send fighter jets in pursuit of the 
unknown [object]. T he object, flowing lower than the RB-47 and behind it, could not be 
seen from the cockpit, but it was detected on MacC lure’s screen until Oklahoma C ity, well 
outside the range of the U tah radar. T hen it suddenly disappeared from the screen at 
1140Z.
2.3 Tehran (September 18 to 19, 1976 )
T his incident took place during the night of September 18 to 19, 1976. D ifferent 
newspapers worldwide reported it more or less accurately: for example, France-Soir in 
the September 21st issue. An American citizen took laborious steps with the U .S. 
authorities to obtain a report, invoking the freedom of infonnation act. He finally obtained 
it from the D efense Intelligence Agency (D IA). Other U .S. documents have been obtained 
since then.
Interviews with generals and the Iranian air [traffic] controller involved in this affair 
enabled the D IA report to be confirmed and supplemented a bit, namely with the mention 
of proper names. T he following summary resulted from a reading of the all the 
information:
- At around 11:00 p.m. on September 18, the T ehran airport control tower received 
several calls reporting a strange immobile luminous object in the sky above the Shemiran 
residential district in the northern part of the capital. T he person in charge of the night 
shift, Hossain Perouzi, went out to look at the object with binoculars. He testified that he 
saw a rectangle, probably corresponding to a cylindrical object, the ends of which pulsed 
bluish-white lights. In the middle of the object, a small red light described a circle. 
Perouzi reported this strange sighting to the Imperial Air Force C ommand, which alerted 
General Youssefi, the third in command of this air force. He went out on his balcony and 
saw an object similar to a star, but much bigger and brighter; he ordered a Phantom F-4 
reaction aircraft, the mission of which he directed through Perouzi as intermediary.
W hen the F-4 came to 45 km from the object, its flight instruments and all its means of 
communication (radio and intercom) suddenly stopped working. T he pilot aborted the 
interception and headed for his base. T he crew then regained use of their instruments and 
means of communication.
- A second F-4 was sent by General Youssefi. T he U FO’s echo on its screen was 
similar to that of a Boeing 707. T he F-4 approached the U FO at a relative speed of 280 
km/h. W hen it came to 45 km from it, the U FO accelerated and maintained a constant 
distance of 45 km from the F-4. T he crew was not able to determine the size of the object


because it shone so intensely. Its brightness came from lights arranged in a rectangle, 
changing rapidly from glue to green, to red, and to orange.
- Suddenly a bright object with an apparent diameter one half or one third of that of the 
moon exited the U FO and headed rapidly for the F-4. T he pilot tried to shoot a 
Sidewinder missile at the object, but at the same instant his fire control console and his 
means of communication (radio and intercom) became inoperable. He promptly initiated a 
bank and a dive, but the object changed direction and pursued the aircraft at a distance of 
approximately 6 km. Finally, the object moved inside the F-4’s bank and departed in order 
to reenter the U FO from which it had exited.
- A short time afterwards, an object again exited the U FO and rapidly headed straight 
down to the ground. T he F-4 crew waited to see it explode, but the object seemed to 
touch down gently and shine a very bright light over an area 2 to 3 km in diameter. T he 
crew, momentarily blinded, orbited long enough to recover their night vision before 
landing at the T ehran airfield. It noted that it lost communications (radio and intercom) 
whenever their aircraft crossed a certain zone. It should be pointed out that a civilian 
aircraft also lost communications when it crossed that zone. T he next day, the crew was 
taken by helicopter to the place where the object had apparently landed, a dried up lake, 
but it didn’t find any trace [of the object].
An attached note from D IA was just as astonishing as the report itself; it indicated that 
the information had been confirmed-by other sources and ended with this assessment:
"An outstanding report. T his case is a classic which meets all the criteria necessary for a valid 
study o f the U FO phenomenon. "
a. The object was seen by multiple witnesses from different locations...,
F The credibility of many of the witnesses was high (an Air Force General, qualified aircrews, and 
experienced radar operators),
a Visual sightings were confirmed by radar,
d. Similar electromagnetic effects (EME) were reported by three separate aircraft,
e. There were physiological effects on some crew members (Le. loss of night vision due to the 
brightness of the object),
f. An inordinate amount of maneuverability was displayed by the UFOs. ” 
T he attempt by Klass to trivialize this case shows how solid it is.
2.4 Russia (M arch 21, 1990)
T his case took place at night in the Pereslavl-Zalesski region east of Moscow. It was 
reported in an article by Aviation General Igor Maltsev, Air D efense Forces commander, 
which appeared in the newspaper Rabochaya T ri buna (‘'W orkers’ T ribune”) on April 19, 
1990, entitled "U FOs on Air Defense Radars" (cf. the book by Marie Galbraith 
referenced in C hapter 9.1).
T he article mentions the dispatch of combat aircraft on a mission to intercept the U FOs 
detected General Maltsev, who summarized over one hundred visual sightings collected 
by unit commanders, stated:
"I am not a specialist in UFOs, and therefore I can only correlate the data and express my own 
supposition. According to the evidence of these eyewitnesses, the UFO is a disk with a diameter from 
100 to 200 meters [320 to 650 feetsf. Two pulsating lights were positioned on its sides... Moreover, the 
object rotated around its axis and performed an S-turn' flight both in the vertical and horizontal 
planes. Next the UFO hovered above the ground and then flew with a speed exceeding that of the 
modern jet fighter by two or three times.. The objects (lew at altitudes ranging from 100 to 7000 m. 
f300 to 24,000 feet/. The movement of the UFOs was not accompanied by sound of any kind and was 
distinguished by its startling maneuverability. It seemed the UFOs were completely devoid of inertia. 
In other words, they had somehow 'come to terms' with gravity. At the present time, terrestrial


machines could hardly have such capabilities. ”
2.5 San C arlos de Bariloche (July 31, 1995)
Source SE PRA
Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR 674, a Boeing 727 en route from Buenos Aires, was 
140 km from San C arlos de Bariloche, a tourist resort in the central Andes where it was 
preparing to land.
At that precise instant, a power outage plunged the town into darkness, and the pilot 
received the order to stay on standby for a few minutes before making his final approach. 
W hen he began his approach, the pilot noticed a strange star. At the same time, the 
control center put a second airplane that had arrived in the sector on standby. Flight AR 
674 continued its approach, but when it had completed its turn and was in the axis of the 
runway, an object resembling a large aircraft appeared on its right side and flew parallel to 
it! T his object had three lights, one of which was red, in the middle of it. T he airport 
lights failed again, and the runway and approach ramp lights also went out. T he airplane 
on standby observed the same phenomenon from its position.
Since the pilot could not land, he pulled up and turned again in order to reposition 
himself in the axis of the runway. At that moment, the object, which had become 
luminous, moved behind the airplane, stopped, ascended vertically, and once again 
stopped. It moved back in front of the airplane before finally disappearing in the direction 
of the Andes C ordillera. T he crew and passengers of flight AR 674, those on the other 
airplane, the airport controllers, and some of the inhabitants of San C arlos watched this 
unusual aerial ballet dumbfounded
T his case is interesting in more than one respect:
- the sighting was corroborated by multiple independent observers both in flight and on 
the ground,
- the phenomenon lasted several minutes,
- there were different trajectories, some of which closely followed those of the airplane, 
- there was an observation of an electromagnetic phenomenon (the lights of the town 
and the airport went out) directly related to the presence of the object.
C hapter 3 - Sightings from the G round
T his chapter deals with sightings from the ground, two of which were reported to the 
committee by direct witnesses of the phenomena observed. Here again, their testimonies 
are all the more interesting since they pertain to the aeronautic world and the phenomena 
were observed during the day
3.1 P henom enon Observed by Num erous W itnesses at Antananarivo (August 16 , 
1954)
T estimony before the committee
Edmond C ampagnac (C ), a former artillery officer and former chief of technical 
services for Air France in Madagascar who is now retired, came to testify before the 
committee T he phenomenon described below occurred on August 16, 1954, in


Antananarivo. It was seen by several hundred witnesses.
At 1700 hours, when the personnel of the Air France office were waiting for the mail to 
arrive, someone spotted a “large ” green “ball” in the sky moving at high speed. T he first 
thought of the witnesses was that it was a meteorite. T he phenomenon disappeared 
behind a hill, and they thought that the green ball was going to crash into the ground and 
that they were going to feel the impact.
However, it reappeared after a minute. In passing directly over the observers, it 
revealed itself to be “a sort of metal rugby ball preceded by a clearly detached green 
lens/shaped portion] with sparks issuing from the rear. ” In the estimation of the 
witnesses, the “ball” was the length of a D C 4 airplane, or some forty meters long. T he 
green lens[-shaped portion] separated itself [and remained] a little less than 40 m out in 
front, with fairly long sparks [coming out] in the rear. T he craft flew over Antananarivo at 
an estimated height of 50 to 100 meters, an estimation that was made possible by 
comparison with the height of a nearby hill. W hen the craft was moving, shop lights went 
out, and animals exhibited a real anxiety.
After having flown over Antananarivo, the craft departed in a westerly direction. W hen 
it flew over the zebu park in the town, the craft caused a violent fright reaction among 
them. T his is a surprising detail, since normally these animals do not show any agitation 
when Air France planes pass by. T wo or three minutes later, an identical craft was 
observed 150 km from there above a farm school. T here, too, the herds were overcome 
with panic. If the craft sighted was the same one as the one in Antananarivo, its speed 
would have had to be on the order of 3000 km/h. According to C ’s account, General 
Fleurquin, C ommander-in-C hief in Madagascar, assembled a “scientific commission" to 
conduct an investigation into these phenomena. No trace of this investigation could be 
found in the Air Force archives; however, GEPA (Groupe d’Etudes des Phenomenes 
Aerospatiaux [Aerospace Phenomena Study Group]) bulletin no. 6 of the 2nd half of 1964 
described this sighting.
3.2 Sighting by a P ilot of a Saucer C lose to the G round (D ecember 9, 1979)
G E PAN/SE PRA investigation and testimony before the committee
At the time of the incident, former Air Force Lieutenant-C olonel Jean-Pierre Fartek (F) 
was a Mirage III pilot in the 2nd fighter squadron at D ijon. F is currently a pilot for a 
private company. F was living, and still lives, in the same village near D ijon. His house is 
located at the end of a housing development looking out onto fields. Approximately 250 
m away is a grove of trees with an average height of 15 m at maximum. On D ecember 9, 
1979, at around 9:15 a m., F and his wife saw an unusual object (hereinafter called M) in 
the field near their house. T he weather and visibility were excellent. M, the dimensions of 
which they estimated to be 20 m in diameter by 7 m thick, was hovering approximately 3 
m above the ground in front of the grove of trees, which partially concealed it. In 
complete agreement with his wife, witness F described it as.
- having the shape of two superposed saucers with very distinct contours inverted one 
on top of the other and not exhibiting any portholes or lights,
- being metallic gray on the upper portion and darker (bluish) on the lower portion, 
with a perfectly delimited separation between the upper side and the underside of the craft. 
T his color difference could not be due to a difference in lighting given the position of the 
sun,
- in constant motion as a result of very slight oscillations, the frequency of which was 
not very rapid, like something trying to balance,


- not making any noise,
- not causing any turbulence on the ground either when it hovered or when it departed, 
- not having left any trace on the ground.
After observing it for a period of time which was hard for him to determine, F saw M 
oscillate faster; he had the impression that M tilted slightly forward (as a helicopter does 
after lift-off when it begins level flight). F saw M leave in a horizontal direction at a very 
low altitude without making any noise, without leaving any trail, and at a very high speed 
and disappear on the horizon in a few seconds. F reported [the incident] to the 
Gendarmerie de 1’Air at the D ijon air base. He thought that other people had seen the 
phenomenon but had not dared to go report it, namely, his neighbors and their children, 
who reportedly made the same sighting.
T his sighting by a pilot professionally well informed of aeronautical phenomena was 
never explained
3.3 A C ase of M ultiple W itnesses at a Russian M issile Base (July 28-29, 1989)
Heading the U FO reports declassified by the KGB in 1991 is a file relating to an army 
missile base near Kapustin Yar in the region of Astrakhan, which was related in Marie 
Galbraith’s book (cf. C hapter 9.1). T he English-speaking public learned of it through the 
Muscovite journal AU RA-Z of March 1993. Military personnel from two centers on the 
base prepared written depositions of their visual sightings, which were made under good 
visibility conditions. T he file, which is incomplete, does not mention any possible radar 
detections. It begins with a brief summary of the case, the author of which was an 
anonymous KGB officer, followed by an account of seven written testimonies:
- Five testimonies from the first center were provided by Lieutenant Klimenko, two 
corporals, and two soldiers. On the night of July 28 to 29, these military personnel sighted 
U FOs between 2215 and 2355 hours at a distance of 3 to 5 km U p to three objects were 
seen simultaneously. One object silently made jerky movements, with very abrupt starts 
and stops, and periods of immobility. All of the witnesses saw a fighter jet attempt to 
approach one U FO, which escaped at lightning speed, "giving the impression that the 
aircraft was hovering. ” Only the noise from the aircraft was heard, whereas the U FO 
must have reached supersonic speed.
- T wo other testimonies from a center near the first one concern the sighting of a U FO 
from 2330 to 0130 hours at a distance ranging from a few kilometers to 300 m. T his U FO 
was described by Second Lieutenant V olochine as a disk 4-5 m in diameter, surmounted 
by a brightly lit hemispherical dome. T he second lieutenant attached a sketch of the 
saucer to his deposition. T he saucer sometimes moved abruptly, but soundlessly, and 
sometimes remained immobile 20-60 m above the ground In the company of soldier 
T ichaev, V olochine saw it emitting a phosphorescent green light, hovering 300 m from 
them and some 20 m above a missile depot; it illuminated this depot for several seconds 
with a moving beam of light.
In a report that was consistent with the report of his superior, soldier T ichaev stressed 
the lack of noise made by the object, even when a short distance away, which prevented 
him from confusing it with a helicopter. T he two witnesses, who were joined after some 
time by the guard team, had watched the maneuvers of the object above the center and the 
surrounding area for two hours.
C hapter 4 - C lose Encounters in F rance


4.1 V alensole, Alpes-de-H aute-P rovence [D epartm ent) (July 1, 196 5)
In-depth investigation by the G endarmerie Nationale
At V alensole on July 1, 1965, Maurice Masse, who left his home at 5:00 a m., headed 
for his lavender fields located on the plateau near the village. Before starting his tractor at 
around 6:00 a m., he lit a cigarette and at that moment heard a hissing sound that attracted 
his attention. Emerging from behind a pile of stones, he saw an object resting in his field 
approximately 90 m from him. Its shape was reminiscent of that of a “D auphine” 
automobile standing on six legs with a central pivot. He approached it with caution, at a 
distance of ten meters or so, thinking he might surprise people about to steal his lavender 
from him. He then saw two small beings, one of whom, who was turned in his direction, 
reportedly pointed a tube at him that he took from a sort of bag hanging on his left side. 
Maurice Masse indicated that he was totally immobilized in place, numbed and paralyzed, 
but completely aware of the events that were unfolding before his eyes. T he two beings 
then got back in their craft. He watched them while they were behind a sort of dome, and 
he heard a heavy noise when the object lifted up off the ground. He also remarked that 
the tube that was under the object, touching the ground, began to turn, as well as the six 
legs, which retracted under the machine. T he object then ascended in a vertical direction 
before tilting diagonally and disappearing more rapidly than a jet. Maurice Masse 
remained immobilized in this manner for about 15 minutes before coming to, then 
resuming his work and going to tell his story in the village, where the gendarmes, having 
learned of the incident, questioned him during the day.
T he V alensole gendarmerie force, then the D igne investigations squad, investigated this 
case for several days. T he investigations of the gendarmerie established the existence, at 
the spot indicated by Maurice Masse, of a depression impressed into the ground, which 
had been soaked in that place. In the center of it was a cylindrical hole 18 cm in diameter 
and 40 cm deep with smooth walls. At the bottom of the hole were three other bent holes 
6 cm in diameter. Along the object’s axis of flight, over some one hundred meters, the 
lavender beds were dried up. T his phenomenon lasted for several years, during which time 
the witness tried in vain to replant the plants within a radius of several meters around the 
tracks.
D espite a few contradictory elements in Maurice Masse’s account, the data collected by 
the two gendarme brigades confirmed the plausibility of the facts, particularly the effect on 
the environment and on the witness himself, who slept twelve to fifteen hours a night, 
followed by the paralysis of which he had been a victim, for several months. T he 
investigation into the witness’s character did not turn up any specific information that 
would permit one to suspect him of mythomaniac behavior or of staging a hoax.
4.2 C ussac, C antal [D epartm ent] (August 29, 196 7)
G E PAN/SE PRA investigation
T he C ussac incident has occupied a special place among the U FO cases, since a second 
inquiry was conducted in 1978, as an example, at the request of the GEPAN scientific 
council. On August 29, 1967, at around 10:30 a m., during a beautiful sunny moming on 
the high plateaus in the center of France, two young children were watching the family’s 
herd T he dog that accompanied them alerted them that a cow was getting ready to jump


over the low wall of the enclosure. T he boy, who was 13 years old at the time, got up to 
make the cow come back, when he spotted four children whom he did not recognize on 
the other side of the road.
Surprised by what he saw, he called his sister, when he noticed an extremely bright sphere 
back behind the unknown children. T hey then realized that these were not children but 
small black beings whose height did not exceed 1.20 m. T wo of them were standing next 
to the sphere, another was kneeling before it, and the fourth, who was standing, held in its 
hand a sort of mirror that blinded the children. T he boy tried to call out to them, but the 
small beings then hurriedly returned to the sphere. T he children saw them rise from the 
ground and penetrate the ball from the top, diving in head first. T he sphere took off with 
a hissing sound, then rose into the sky describing a continuous spiral movement at high 
speed. T he dog barked, the cows started to moo, and a very strong odor of sulfur filled 
the air. T he second inquiry began in 1978 with a team of investigators from GEPAN and 
qualified outside advisors, one of whom was a former examining magistrate.
T he highlights of this second inquiry did not have to do with the facts or the account, but 
with new elements such as secondary witnesses found at the site who provided 
supplemental information and strengthened the credibility of the case. In particular, a 
gendarme who arrived on the scene immediately following the incident found tracks on the 
ground at the place indicated by the children and noted the very strong odor of sulfur. 
Likewise, another witness also came forward who admitted being in a granary close to the 
site and clearly remembered a hissing sound very different from that of a helicopter of the 
time.
T he reconstruction at the site in the presence of the two main witnesses confirmed both 
the descriptive accounts and the circumstances that followed the sighting. At the time the 
children gave off a strong odor of sulfur, but, above all, they suffered from physiological 
disorders, and their eyes ran for several days. T hese facts were certified by the family 
doctor and confirmed by their father, who was mayor of the village at the time. In the 
conclusion of this., second inquirythe judge gave his opinion on the witnesses and their 
testimony: “T here is no flaw or inconsistency in these various elements that permit us to 
doubt the sincerity of the witnesses or to reasonably suspect an invention, hoax, or 
hallucination. U nder these circumstances, despite the young age of the principal 
witnesses, and as extraordinary as the facts that they have related seem to be, I think 
that they actually observed them. ”
4.3 Trans-en-P rovence, V ar [D epartment] (January 8, 1981)
G E PAN/SE PRA investigation
In T rans-en-Provence on January 8, 1981, at around 5:00 p.m., a man who was 
building a small shed for a water pump in his garden reportedly was witness to what is 
perhaps one of the most unusual cases ever observed and studied in France A reflection 
of the sun on something moving in the sky supposedly attracted his attention, allowing him 
to observe the descent, then the abrupt landing on a platform of earth located below his 
house, of a silent metal object. T he object, which was ovoid in shape, did not exhibit any 
apparent projections, wings, control surfaces, or engine that would permit one to liken it 
to some type of aircraft T he object rested on the platform of earth for a few short 
seconds, still without emitting any noise, then it took off and disappeared at high speed in 
the azure blue sky. T he account could stop at this simple visual sighting if there hadn’t 
been visible mechanical tracks and imprints in the shape of a crown, which pushed the case


into the domain of the unexplained.
T he gendarmerie and then GEPAN conducted an in-depth investigation including 
numerous interviews with the witness and his neighbors. T he expert’s appraisals of the 
ground - the taking of soil and plant samples followed by analyses - showed unequivocally 
that it really was a case of an unidentified heavy metal object that had actually landed on 
the platform of earth. T he analyses of plant samples taken at the site indicated that they 
were not dealing with any type of [known] aircraft, or even a helicopter or military drone, 
which were hypotheses that were considered and analyzed.
T he vegetation at the landing site - a sort of wild alfalfa - had been profoundly marked 
and affected by an external agent that considerably altered the photosynthesis apparatus. 
In fact, the chlorophyll, as well as certain amino acids of the plants, exhibited significant 
variations in concentration, variations which decreased with the distance [of the plants] 
from the center of the mechanical track. T hese effects disappeared completely two years 
later, thus revealing a specific and particular type of trauma. According to Professor 
Michel Bounias of the ecology and plant toxicology laboratory of INRA [National 
Institute for Agronomic Research] who performed the analyses, the cause of the profound 
disturbances suffered by the vegetation present in that ecosystem could likely be a 
powerful pulsed electromagnetic field in the high frequency (microwave) range. Studies 
and research are still being conducted in regard to this case and numerous leads have been 
explored. None of these leads has-been able to satisfy all of the conditions that would 
enable the object that landed in T rans-en-Provence on January 8, 1981, to be identified 
with certainty, and this is all the more true with respect to the determination of its origin.
4.4 Nancy, M eurthe-et-M oselle [D epartm ent], the so-called “Am aranth” C ase 
(October 21, 1982)
G E PAN/SE PRA investigation
T he “Amaranth" C ase concerns the sighting during the day by a witness, a cellular 
biology researcher, of an object that hovered above his garden for 20 minutes. T he 
testimony recorded by the gendarmerie less than 5 hours after the sighting is summarized 
as follows:
- T he witness was in his garden in front of his house at around 12:35 a.m. after work 
on October 21, 1982; he saw a flying craft, which he first took for an airplane, come from 
the southeast He saw a shiny craft. He indicated that there were no clouds, that the sun 
was not in his eyes, and that visibility was excellent. T he craft’s speed of descent was not 
very great, and he thought that it was going to pass over his house. Once he realized that 
the trajectory of the craft was bringing it toward him, he backed up 3 to 4 meters. T his 
craft, which was oval in shape, stopped approximately one meter from the ground and 
remained hovering at this height for about 20 minutes.
- T he witness stated that since he had looked at his watch, he was absolutely certain 
about the length of time the craft hovered. He described the craft as follows: ovoid in 
shape, approximately 1 m in diameter, 80 cm thick, the bottom half metallic in appearance 
like polished beryllium and the upper half the blue-green color of the inner depths of a 
lagoon T he craft did not emit any noise, nor did it seem to emit any heat, cold, radiation, 
magnetism, or electromagnetism After 20 minutes, the craft suddenly rose straight up, a 
trajectory which it maintained until it was out of sight. T he craft’s departure was very 
fast, as if it were under the effect of strong suction T he witness indicated, finally, that 
there were no tracks or marks on the ground and the grass was not charred or flattened,


but he did remark that when the craft departed, the grass stood straight up, then returned 
to its normal position.
T he interest of this sighting, apart from its strangeness, lies in the visible traces left on 
the vegetation and, namely, on an amaranth bush, the tips of whose leaves, which had 
completely dried up, led one to think that they had been subjected to intense electrical 
fields. However, despite short time delays before intervention, the sampling conditions 
and then the storage of the sample did not permit this hypothesis to be verified definitively. 
Based on an earlier study on the behavior of plants subjected to electrical fields, it 
emerged that:
- the electrical field, which was what probably caused the blades of grass to lift up, had 
to have exceeded 30 kV /m,
- the effects on the amaranth that were observed were probably due to an electrical 
field that had to have far exceeded 200 kV /m at the level of the plant.
C hapter 5 - C ounterexam ples of P henom ena That H ave Been Explained
T he cases reported in the preceding chapters have remained unexplained, despite the 
richness of their data. Such cases are in the minority. Many sightings of aerial phenomena 
made in France that the witnesses could not understand and reported to the gendarmerie 
have been explained after a short investigation by the gendarmerie and/or 
GEPAN/SEPRA: the causes of these have been the moon, planets, aircraft, weather 
balloons, reflections from automobile headlights on clouds, etc., and, very rarely, hoaxes. 
Sometimes the investigation yielded more unusual explanations. W e will give two 
examples.
5.1 A Strange Object C rosses a H ighway (Septem ber 29, 1988)
G E PAN/SE PRA investigation
An auto mechanic driving on the Paris-Lille freeway saw an enormous red ball cross the 
road a few dozen meters away from him and roll down below the road. C asting 
reflections of light and enveloped in dense smoke, it finally came to a halt in a field. 
T roubled by this disturbing observation, the auto mechanic apparently reported it to the 
highway gendarmes. On the chief s orders, the gendarmerie then sealed off the freeway 
and a zone several kilometers around the object. T he principal witness and his family were 
taken to the hospital, where they underwent a series of examinations. C ivilian and military 
security officers went to the site of the incident, equipped primarily with Geiger counters. 
At that time, in fact, they were waiting for the Soviet satellite Cosmos 190 0 , which was 
equipped with a nuclear power generator, to fall, and precise instructions had been given. 
W hen consulted, C NES very quickly informed them that Cosmos 190 0 was overflying_the 
Indian Ocean at that very moment. D id the red ball come from space? Advancing with 
caution, monitoring their nuclear radiation detectors, the security specialists drew near a 
sphere approximately 1.50 m in diameter. U nder the bright light from the searchlights, 
they saw that it bore no sign of the considerable heat build-up or mechanical effects that 
atmospheric reentry would have produced. It appeared to be intact, and small mirrors 
covered its surface. No smoke or radioactivity were detected near it.
It was later learned that this sphere, which was intended to serve as a decoration at a 
Jean-Michel Jarre concert, had fallen from the truck that was carrying it to London T he


small mirrors stuck to its polystyrene casing were for reflecting the show’s lighting 
effects...
5.2 A Bright G low in a V illage in the D om bes Region (M arch 10, 1979)
G E PAN/SE PRA investigation
On March 13, 1979, the local [gendarmerie] force of a small village in the D ombes 
region was alerted by an inhabitant who said he had seen an unidentified flying object over 
the town during the night of March 10 to 11. In the course of its investigation, the 
[gendarmerie] force recorded a total of four testimonies, three of which were totally 
independent of one another. T he first witness, a restaurateur in the village, described the 
phenomenon as a bluish and purplish luminous mass slightly oval in shape and around 15 
meters in length. T he light was so bright that the village square was lit up as if it were 
broad daylight, to such a degree that the public lighting, which goes on automatically, 
went out. T wo other witnesses, who were in a car close to the village, reported that this 
luminous mass preceded their vehicle on the road about 2 m ahead of them. T hey 
informed the gendarmes that this light went out suddenly after an orange-colored light 
appeared on each side of the glow.
Finally, a fourth witness, a fish farmer, said he had been awakened that night by a dull 
noise and had seen a bright bluish glow. T he next day, all the fish in one of his fish 
(-------) tanks, catfishes, were found dead. T he presence of a power line hanging over the
tank enabled the gendarmes to focus their investigation on phenomena of an electrical 
origin.
GEPAN/SEPRA did the same during the investigation that it conducted on the site a 
few days later. It discovered very quickly that the 10-kV  power line hanging over the tank 
had melted T he information provided by [the French electricity company] ED F enabled 
them to demonstrate that since this line was some thirty years old, it was very likely that 
corrosion and oxidation of the aluminum wires had caused a power arc effect in the line, 
probably in conjunction with a corona effect. T his would explain, on the one hand, the 
bluish glow and the noise heard by the witness and, on the other hand, the public lighting 
going out. T he glow was, in fact, bright enough to trigger the photoelectric control cell, 
which was located close to the melted line.
Finally, the fish died as a result of being poisoned by drops of aluminum that fell in the 
tank for several minutes.
P ART 2
The Extent of Our K nowledge
C hapter 6  - Organization of the Research in F rance
In 1977, the C entre National d’Etudes Spatiales was tasked with the mission of setting 
up a permanent structure for the study of unidentified aerospace phenomena (U AP): the 
Groupe d’Etudes de Phenomenes Aerospatiaux Non Identifies (GEPAN). T his


establishment had within it the skills and resources appropriate to this mission, in 
particular, engineers and personnel with high-level technical knowledge who were in close 
touch with scientific circles. A scientific council chaired by Hubert C urien and composed 
of twelve members who were representative of the social and exact sciences guaranteed 
that this complex and delicate subject would be handled with all the necessary precision. 
T his council had the job of guiding, organizing, and reviewing the work ofGEPAN 
annually.
T hree phases can be distinguished in the progression of the activity connected with the 
study of U FOs in France, which culminated in 1988 in the creation of the Service 
d’Expertise des Phenomenes de Rentree Atmospherique (SEPRA), which succeeded 
GEPAN, still within C NES:
- a phase that consisted of setting up the organization and defining the procedures for 
the collection and processing of data, which is described in this chapter,
- a phase that consisted of defining the scientific method for studying cases,
- a phase that consisted of implementing the previously defined methods and 
procedures, the last two of which are discussed in the next chapter.
SEPRA plays a more limited role in the study of U FOs than does GEPAN, the scientific 
council of which has ended its mission
6 .1 The Setting U p the Organization P hase
GEPAN’s first job was to form a partnership among the different public, civilian, and 
military agencies with a view to organizing the collection and analysis of reliable data. 
T he Gendarmerie Nationale, the civil and military aviation authorities, the National 
W eather Service, etc., were approached and brought together in this organization via 
agreements and protocols established with GEPAN.
T he first goal set was the rapid acquisition and provision of data collected at the sites 
where a phenomenon was sighted. T o do this, in accordance with the directives of the 
scientific council, GEPAN was tasked with the mission of forming teams of specialized 
investigators for the collection of psychological and physical data, such as, for example, 
taking samples of tracks in the ground. In parallel to this organization, various civilian and 
military research laboratories were asked to participate in expert’s appraisals and analyses 
of the data collected in investigations, such as, for example, the processing of 
photographic documents and radar recordings.
6 .2 P articipation of the G endarmerie Nationale
It was in February 1974 that the first instructions were given tasking the Gendarmerie 
Nationale with the job of collecting and centralizing spontaneous testimonies on U FOs. 
Previously, these testimonies had been collected on an occasional basis in the regional 
[gendarmerie] forces and rarely gave rise to the drafting of reports or to in-depth 
investigations (the V alensole case in [1965]). T he administrative or technical authorities 
did not process or use these documents.
Beginning in May 1977, one of the six copies of the report drafted by the regional 
gendarmerie forces was forwarded to GEPAN, which from then on became the recipient 
of all information collected on U FOs
6 .2.1 Role and Action of the G endarm erie Nationale


Each gendarmerie force possesses a manual, the “gendarmerie handbook,” which 
contains all of the instructions on the procedures to be followed in the collection of data 
on unidentified aerospace phenomena. D epending on the degree of complexity of the case 
reported, the level of intervention may range from the simple transcript of a testimony to 
an actual investigation, which may be conducted jointly with the GEPAN/SEPRA 
departments at the locations of sightings and often results in an in-depth report.
6 .2.2 U se of D ata C ollected by the G endarm erie Nationale
Once the information has been collected locally by the gendarmerie, it is forwarded in 
the form of a report to the Gendarmerie Nationale headquarters in Paris, which issues a 
copy of it to GEPAN/SEPRA.. T he latter processes it at two different levels:
- at the first level, the report is analyzed, then entered into a database, and perhaps is 
processed statistically for the purpose of establishing classifications and typologies of 
phenomena,
- at the second level, which relates to more complex “U AP D ” (category D  unidentified 
aerospace phenomena) cases, the investigation in the field generates a set of research 
activities with respect to elements for further processing that results in the drafting of a 
detailed, in-depth investigation report; the report may be used for track interpretation 
studies.
6 .2.3 .Assessm ent and Results of the C ooperation with the G endarm erie Nationale
Since 1974, over 3,000 gendarmerie reports representing an average of three 
spontaneous testimonies per document have been collected and forwarded to 
GEPAN/SEPRA. Added to this are some one hundred investigations and interventions in 
the field, conducted jointly with the local [gendarmerie] forces. All of these have 
permitted the characterization of a set of rare, natural and artificial phenomena that have 
occurred with varying frequency which would not have been able to be identified without 
this type of organization. T hanks to this collaboration, it has been possible to study U FO 
cases like the T rans-en-Provence and “Amaranth” cases (see C hapter 4) under excellent 
conditions, showing that there was a remnant of events the nature of which had yet to be 
identified. A volume of information describing the objectives sought by C NES in the 
study of U FOs was widely disseminated to all of the regional [gendarmerie] forces. 
Supplemental information and training, [end of line cut off] direction of officers and 
lower-level gendarmes, is regularly provided by the Gendarmerie Nationale schools to 
sensitize the [gendarmerie] force commanders to this subject.
T he results of this collaboration could be more effective Regular updating of the data 
collection procedures would be desirable, as well as shorter time delays before 
intervention for investigations between the time the local [gendarmerie] force learns of the 
case and the time when SEPRA intervenes. T his reduction in the intervention time would 
considerably diminish the loss of information, particularly with respect to effects on the 
environment. It would also be important for the gendarmerie forces to be routinely 
informed of the results of work and investigations carried out by SEPRA However, the


resources currently available in terms of personnel and budget allocations do not permit a 
response with the efficacy desired.
6 .3 P articipation of the Air F orce
Just after W orld W ar II, the first reports of French aeronautic U FO sightings were 
collected and archived by the Air Force C hief of Staffs Office of Planning and Studies 
(EMAA/BPE).
W hen GEPAN was created, a memorandum of understanding defined the respective 
roles of the two agencies for the processing of information relating to cases of military 
aeronautic sightings. In principle, all U FO sightings must be reported to the military air 
[traffic] control center in question, which forwards the information to the Air Operations 
C enter (C C OA) in T avemy. T he latter is responsible, in collaboration with the Air Force 
C hief of Staffs Space Office, for forwarding it to GEPAN/SEPRA. At the same time, all 
radar information is recorded in the radar control centers and kept for a minimum of one 
month and longer on request. T his information is made available to investigators if 
needed.
A protocol established with the Army defines the conditions for the forwarding of 
information collected in flight by pilots of the Army Air C orps (ALAT ).
6 .4 P articipation of the C ivil Aviation Authority
T he same type of organization and procedures is used by the civil aviation authority to 
collect and process the information relating to U FO sightings made by civilian pilots. A 
protocol signed between the C ivil Aviation D irectorate (D GAC ) and C NES permits 
GEPAN/SEPRA to have access to U FO sighting reports drafted by national and foreign 
airlines crews. T o this end, a sighting report form prepared jointly by D GAC  and 
GEPAN/SEPRA is made available to crews at the air [traffic] control centers of the civil 
aviation authority and airlines. In addition, the radio conversations between the crew and 
the air [traffic] control [center] are routinely recorded and attached to the detailed sighting 
report.
T here is also a regulation concerning flight incidents that could involve safety. In this 
case, the flight captain must follow the “Airmiss” procedure, which routinely triggers an 
investigation by the D GAC .
6 .5 Additional Research Resources
Numerous civilian (public or private) and military bodies contribute to the expert 
appraisals performed in investigations and work by GEPAN/SEPRA. T his involvement 
takes place at two levels, either in the collection of data in the field and the utilization of 
sighting reports or in the 
analysis of data after the expert’s appraisal and the theoretical and experimental research 
that are deemed necessary.
C ooperation agreements have been established, particularly with various bodies that can 
benefit in return from the results of investigations of interest to their own area of study,


for example:
- lightning (ED F, C EA [French Atomic Energy C ommission], the National W eather 
Service, ONERA, C EAT [T oulouse Aeronautic T est C enter]),
- meteors (C NRS [National C enter for Scientific Research], D GA [French General 
D elegation for Armaments]),
- line disturbances (ED F, France T elecom [French telecommunications company]),
- group sociology and, in particular, sects (C NRS, universities),
- photography, the study of films, the processing of satellite imagery (Fleximage 
company).
T he following three applications should be emphasized:
6 .5.1 Sam ple Analysis
GEPAN/SEPRA is supported by various civilian and military laboratories, including 
those of the Etablissement T echnique C entral de l’Armement (ET C A), [C entral T echnical 
Armaments Institution] for analyzing soil and plant samples collected during the course of 
investigations.
6 .5.2 U se of P hotographs
Image processing work was performed at ET C A between 1981 and 1988. T his work 
enabled the techniques and procedures, listed in GEPAN technical memorandum no. 18, 
for studying supposed U FO photographs to be defined. D iffraction filters were, issued to 
each gendarmerie regional unit to permit on-site collection of information over the light 
spectrum emitted.
6 .5.3 Sky Surveillance System
A system called “ORION” was studied and partially deployed by [the Ministry of] 
D efense for the purpose of monitoring, identifying, and predicting the passage of satellites, 
particularly over national territory. It should meet, at least partially, the need for the 
surveillance of U FO-type light phenomena. T he system consists of:
- the current surveillance and tracking radar systems and listening antenna on the ship 
M onge,
- two radar and optical surveillance systems and one optical imaging system:
• the “GRAV ES” surveillance radar system, which will be capable of detecting 
objects from 1 m2 [in size] at a distance of 1500 km,
• the “SPOC ” [Sky Observation Probe System] optical surveillance system, which 
uses C C D  cameras to detect and determine the trajectory of orbiting satellites or 
magnitude 7 to 8 space debris (the installation of equipment at two sites is currently under 
way),
- finally, the development of the 4 m diameter “SOLST IC E” telescope, which may be 
provided with adaptive optics, for the observation of objects in geostationary orbit 
(36,000 km).


C hapter 7 - M ethod and Results of G EP AN/SEP RA
7.1 M ethod D eveloped by G EP AN
GEPAN developed an original method for studying rare, randomly occurring 
phenomena. Meteorites are among these phenomena Scientists have long refused to 
consider sightings of stones that have fallen from the sky, which are generally reported by 
rural inhabitants. Fortunately, in 1803, the physicist Jean-Baptiste Biot conducted an in­
depth investigation in the village of Laigle in Orne [D epartment] about three weeks after.it 
was reported, that stones had fallen from the sky. Biot examined numerous stones and 
certain evidence (broken branches, perforated roofs, fires) and questioned many 
independent witnesses. He prepared a convincing report that gave scientific existence to 
meteorites.
T he method developed by GEPAN was approved by its scientific council. It basically 
consists of identifying initially unknown phenomena and performing a joint analysis of four 
types of data concerning:
- witnesses: physiology, psychology, etc.,
- testimonies: accounts, reactions to questions, general behavior, etc.,
- the physical environment: weather, air traffic, photographs, radar data, traces left on 
the environment, etc.,
- the_psychosocial.environment: readings and beliefs of witnesses, possible influence of 
the media and various groups on these witnesses, etc.
Gendarmerie reports often contain sufficient data in order to be able to identify the 
phenomenon sighted. In many cases, the phenomenon tums out to be an airplane, a 
planet, a satellite, etc. In other cases, a fairly large supplemental investigation is 
conducted by GEPAN/SEPRA. An in-depth study can take up to two years. T he analysis 
of traces left on the environment may result in specialized laboratories being called on for 
assistance (see the T rans-en-Provence and “Amaranth” cases in C hapter 4).
Finally research was conducted in collaboration with the universities in order to perfect 
the investigation method. C NES, out of a concern for scientific precision, adopted the 
term “U AP” instead of the term U FO, which is more well known but more restrictive. 
GEPAN is the group that studies U APs.
7.2 F irst C lassification of U AP s (U nidentified Aerospace P henom ena)
After a study is conducted, each case is classified by GEPAN/SEPRA into one of the 
following four categories, depending on the extent to which it has been identified:
- C ategory A: completely identified phenomenon,
- C ategory B: phenomenon that can probably be identified but which cannot be 
identified with certainty due to a lack of evidence,
- C ategory C : phenomenon that cannot be identified due to a lack of data,
- C ategory D : phenomenon that cannot be identified despite the abundance and quality 
of the data.
C ategory D  U APs represent 4 to 5%  of the cases and are called U AP D s. T hey include 
sightings of phenomena, some of which were close to the grounds within a few meters of 
the witnesses T he strangest and most mysterious cases in this category are generally


labeled C E3s (close encounters of the third kind) according to the classification proposed 
by Professor A. Hynek, an astronomer and consultant to the U SAF, within the context of 
the Blue Book Project (cf. C hapter 9.1).
7.3 Typology of U AP  D s
T he detailed statistical analysis of U AP D s enables a precise determination of the 
distribution of their physical characteristics: speed, acceleration, silence, shape, effects on 
the environment. It is interesting to note that statistical studies in the U SSR yielded 
distributions comparable to those determined by C laude Poher, the first head of GEPAN, 
from some 200 French cases, or 1,000 cases worldwide. It would be desirable to be able 
to develop U AP D  statistical studies in France.
7.4 I nvestigations of Rem arkable C ases
Around one hundred investigations have been conducted by GEPAN/SEPRA. Some of 
them have highlighted rare physical atmospheric phenomena associated, for example, with 
lightning, others have revealed unusual psychological behavior of witnesses caused, for 
example, by taking hallucinogenic drugs. Several very in-depth investigations based on 
analyses of evidence have demonstrated, in the end, the physical presence of a 
phenomenon the nature and origin of which remain unknown. T wo cases related in 
C hapter 4 stand out in our minds, the T rans-en-Provence case of January 8, 1981, and the 
“Amaranth” case of October 21, 1982. T he investigations lead us to believe that double­
saucer-shaped objects were close to the ground for some time, then departed toward the 
sky leaving traces on the vegetation and, in the T rans-en-Provence case, on the ground 
itself. T hey are detailed in GEPAN technical memoranda no. 16 and no. 17 (see the 
reference list in C hapter 6).
7.5 Aeronautical C ases
7.5.1 D ata on F rench Aeronautical C ases
- T welve French aeronautical cases have been brought to the attention of 
GEPAN/SEPRA, only three or four of these can be considered to fall into category D .
- T he first U AP D  case identified dates back to 1951. It involved V ampire military 
aircraft in the Orange area. In two other very extraordinary sightings, which are presented 
in C hapter 1, military pilots reported the presence of objects with aeronautical 
performances inconsistent with the maneuvers of classic aircraft over the region of T ours 
in 1976 and of Luxeuil in 1977 However, not until January 28, 1994, was the crew of a 
regularly scheduled Air France commercial airplane able to collect the first case of a visual 
sighting correlated with a radar detection over 50 seconds long (see C hapter 1.3).
7.5.2 Aeronautical U AP  D  C ases W orldwide
T he aeronautical U AP D  cases known since 1942 were initially enumerated in a 
document entitled Rencontres dans le del fE ncounters in the Sky], by D ominique 
W einstein, the French portion of which SEPRA contributed to T he list of sightings


worldwide includes the description of 489 well-documented cases of aeronautical U AP D  
sightings the sources of which were duly verified. Most of the information on these 
aeronautical U AP D s is drawn from official sources, government authorities, the Air 
Forces of different States, or agencies like SEPRA
T his list offers a classification according to criteria with respect to the quality of the 
sighting. It ranges from simple visual sightings, describing the specific performances or 
maneuvers of the phenomenon observed (speed, acceleration, maneuverability, silence, 
etc ), to more elaborate sightings, mentioning environmental disturbances caused by the 
aeronautical U AP D s, such as radio interference or radar jamming, navigation instrument 
malfunctions, or even physical effects on the crew (heat, blinding, etc ).
Between 1947 and 1969, that is(-) during the time of the U .S. Air Force Blue Book 
Project on U FOs, 363 sightings were identified. 1952 is the year in which the greatest 
number of sightings were recorded: 68. A total of 63 countries are cited as having been 
the scene of at least one aeronautical sighting.
7.5.3 “Radar/V isual” C ases W orldwide
“Radar/visual” cases are those in which a visual sighting is associated with an onboard 
radar and/or ground radar detection. It is noted that:
- the first sightings in Japan and the U SSR date back to 1948,
- 30 of the 68 countries cited in the list reported “radar/visual” cases, 
- of the 489 cases in the report, 101 were “radar/visual” cases (21% ), 
- of the 363 cases in the Blue Book report, 76 were “radar/visual” cases (21% ), 
- in 1952, 16 out of 68 cases were “radar/visual” cases (23.52% ).
In conclusion, we can clearly establish that from 1942 to 1995, at least 500 well- 
documented and recognized aeronautical U AP D  sightings were identified throughout the 
world, nearly 20%  of which were “radar/visual” cases. T hey furnish proof of a physical 
reality of phenomena that exhibited paradoxical maneuvers.
7.6  The P hysical Reality of U AP  D s
7.6 .1 An I nitial Report as Early as Septem ber 1947 in the U nited States
W e have seen that the work of GEPAN/SEPRA showed that there was an entire 
category of rare physical phenomena occurring at varying frequency that could not be 
classified as known natural or artificial phenomena. T hese phenomena, U AP D s, which 
we have highlighted, both in the aeronautical sphere (military and civilian aeronautical 
cases) and close to the ground (cases of close encounters), support other cases of well- 
documented sightings that have been verified by official authorities throughout the world. 
It is interesting to note that as early as November [sic] 1947, right at the start of the very 
first wave of modern U FO sightings, in the U nited States, General T wining, head of the 
Air Material C ommand, drafted a report on “flying disks, ” the conclusions of which are 
very explicit:
1 T he phenomenon reported is something real, and not visionary or fictitious
2. Disk-shaped objects the size of which is comparable to that of our aircraft do exist.
3. It is possible that some sightings correspond to natural phenomena.
4 T he very high rate-of-climb observed, the maneuverability, and the escape


maneuvers when the disks are detected lead one to assume that they are piloted or 
operated by remote control.
5. Most witnesses describe objects with a metal surface that are circular or elliptical 
in shape, the upper portion of which is dome shaped, flying without making any 
noise in a formation of three to nine objects...
7.6 .2 G EP AN/SEP RA’s W ork
W e do not have irrefutable tangible proof in the form of material, either whole or in 
fragments, that confirm the physical nature of U AP D s and their artifact character. 
Nevertheless, the collection and expert appraisal work carried out at GEPAN/SEPRA for 
over 20 years confirms the statements General T wining made in 1947.
7.6 .3 F rench Aeronautical C ases
T he study of French military aeronautical U AP D  [sightings] (Orange in 1951, T ours in 
1976, Luxeuil in 1977) supports General T wining’s conclusions, namely the fourth one. 
T he testimonies of the pilots do in fact lead one to assume that the objects were ‘‘either 
piloted or operated by remote control”: all of the pilots reported that it was ‘‘the object" 
that appeared to be moving toward them and not the other way around Moreover, all of 
them considered the maneuvering abilities of the object to be far superior to those that 
they were familiar with.
7.6 .4 C ases of C lose-U p U AP D  Sightings in F rance
For their part, the cases of close-up U AP D  sightings in France are very much in 
keeping with T wining’s conclusions 4 and 5. In T rans-en-Provence (C hapter 4), the 
expert appraisals made at the site support the local testimony and show that the object 
with a metallic appearance and circular shape landed, then took off silently within a very 
short space of time not very far from a wall 2.5 m in height. No modern aircraft is capable 
of these silent maneuvers, nor of this degree of precision when landing. It is hard not to 
imagine a piloted or remote-controlled flying machine, or else one having highly advanced 
cybernetics.
T he other French cases of close encounters described in C hapter 4 also strongly 
suggest the existence of an intelligent [civilization] behind the U AP D s. In the V alensole, 
“Amaranth” and C ussac cases, once the witness or witnesses are brought face to face with 
the U AP D , everything generally happens very quickly, and the object escapes without 
having shown the slightest aggressiveness toward the witnesses.
7.6 .5 F oreign C ases - C onclusion
T he study of certain foreign cases leads to conclusions similar to those drawn from the 
French cases. One may reread in this spirit the description of the aeronautical cases 
presented in C hapter 2. W e could also relate foreign cases of close encounters, such as


the Socorro (New Mexico) case, which is similar to the T rans-en-Provence case, but the 
critical overview of which would needlessly weigh down this report.
One strong conclusion emerges from this set of facts: some U AP D s do seem to be 
completely unknown flying machines with exceptional performances that are guided by a 
natural or artificial intelligence.
C hapter 8 - U F Os: H ypotheses, M odeling Attem pts
8.1 P artial M odels
C redible sightings of aerial objects can be reinforced by plausible technical explanations 
of the phenomena reported. Among the most striking observations in relation to the 
current state of our knowledge, we cite:
- aerial movements carried out silently with very rapid accelerations and/or very high 
speeds,
- the shutting off of the engines of nearby land vehicles,
- the locomotive paralysis of witnesses.
Insofar as the sightings that are the most well documented, and the most credible owing 
to the obvious competence of the witnesses, come from aircraft pilots, it is their sightings 
of aerial movements, sightings which are, moreover, supported by radar plots, that should 
be explained first.
8.1.1 Travel
T here are, from the standpoint of the concept, various principles of propulsion that do 
not require propellers or jet engines that could thus be silent. T he most advanced uses 
magnetohydrodynamics, abbreviated MHD , but many others can also be considered. W e 
will review these.
8.1.1.1 M H D  P ropulsion
T he principle of MHD  propulsion, which cannot be envisioned in a vacuum, consists of 
causing an electrical current to flow in the medium surrounding the .ship At the same 
time, the ship emits a magnetic field. According to Laplace’s law, this field exerts a force 
on the current and thus on the medium in which it is flowing; this is the principle of most 
electric motors. T he medium being thus displaced in relation to the ship, it is in fact the 
latter that undergoes, by reaction, a force that enables it to be propelled. It remains to 
create the necessary field and current:
- for the magnetic field, this is easily accomplished by installing windings (like those in 
electric motors), in which a suitable electrical current travels, in or under the walls of the 
ship,
- for the electrical current, all depends on the medium.
In sea water it is easy to cause a current to flow using electrodes positioned on the hull 
T his is why MHD  propulsion has been experimented with, so far successfully, in the 
U nited States and Japan on both surface and submarine ship models.
In air, which is naturally insulating, it is more difficult to cause an electrical current to 
flow, but air can be made conducting by using, for example, strong electric fields generated 
here again by suitable electrodes (air, when rendered conducting, can become more or less


luminous, which has frequently been observed around unknown objects). As for the 
magnetic field, it can be created as it is for boats.. However, propulsion is much more 
difficult to achieve in air, since, in that cases it must not only propel the aircraft but first of 
all compensate for its weight. T he electrical and magnetic fields required are therefore 
much stronger than for a .naval ship and, in practice, obtaining the very strong fields that 
are essential is scarcely conceivable without having recourse to superconductive wirings. 
Still theoretical until a only few years ago, their use in an aerial vehicle has been a credible 
prospect since 1991, with the discovery of superconductors capable of operating at near­
ambient temperatures.
Propulsion in the atmosphere without propellers or jet engines is, therefore, completely 
possible in principle with MHD , and the calculations show that the power necessary is not, 
in certain cases, incompatible with our current aeronautical engines. T he fact that no 
cooling system has been seen (or heard) on the objects that have been observed close up 
can be explained as long as the length of the craft’s flights does not exceed a few dozen 
minutes. Furthermore, other motors that we already use - electric motors, from energy 
stored onboard or flywheels if they are not yet powerful enough - would not need immediate 
cooling, which duly proves that this problem is not insurmountable.
Numerous witnesses have been struck by the silence accompanying the maneuvers of 
the objects, which do not create a “bang” even at supersonic speeds (cf. Part 1, C hapters 
1, 2, and 3). MHD  propulsion could account for this silence: preliminary experiments in 
noise reduction by eliminating the wake and shock wave, albeit under very special 
conditions, are encouraging.
T here has been extensive work on the different aspects of MHD  propulsion of aircraft 
abroad: in the U nited States at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in T roy (NY), and 
according to the journal New Scientist (February 1996), in Great Britain and in Russia.
T o sum up, based on the current state of our knowledge, an MHD  aircraft model is 
conceivable in the short term, while the creation of a craft having the same movement 
capabilities as the aerial vehicles described by the witnesses seems quite likely to us within 
a few dozen years. For the time being, only the quasi absence of perceptible air flow and 
noise while hovering close to the ground pose problems.
8.1.1.2 Other P ropulsion M ethods
In a vacuum, the absence or scarcity of molecules or atoms prevents current flow in the 
medium as well as the projection of a mass of sufficient substance pulled from this 
medium. MHD  propulsion is therefore not possible, and it is necessary to formulate other 
hypotheses. Jet propulsion by means of chemical reactions, comparable to our rocket 
engines - even though its performance is more advanced - should not be ruled out a 
priori. In fact, the space phase of the travel of unknown objects takes place very far from 
sight
In addition, skins for stealth purposes render them invisible to telescopes and radars 
beyond a few kilometers or a few dozen kilometers. C onsequently, at these distances, 
these objects could very well use classic propulsion systems without being detected. 
Mainly, then, problems with respect to power consumption and mass to be expelled are 
raised, but the method reviewed below in 8.1.1.3 would enable these problems to be 
partially solved.
More advanced technologically are propulsion systems that call for very high velocity 
exhaust - a considerable fraction of the speed of light - of particle beams D ue to the


extremely high exhaust velocity, the mass expelled is low and expulsion can be continued 
for a very long time. Such particle beam generators that can be loaded on board satellites 
have been developed for space warfare in the former U SSR (at the von Ardenne 
laboratory in Soukhoumi, Georgia) and the U nited States, especially at the Argonne 
National Laboratory. At present, of course, these beams are much less powerful than 
what would be necessary here, but they are already of interest as low-power engines once 
out of the proximity of planets. T he U .S. probe “D eep Space 1”, which should narrowly 
miss asteroid 1992 KD  on July 29, 1999, was equipped with an engine of this type.
Other methods of space propulsion are being studied very actively: nuclear propulsion 
using fission (“NERV A,” “ORION,” and “D AED ALU S” projects) and, more recently, 
fusion, which would offer respective gains of one and over two orders of magnitude in 
comparison with the best engines at present. Beyond this, the use of power stored in the 
form of antimatter - which has become credible since C ERN [European C ouncil for 
Nuclear Research] created an antihydrogen atom and demonstrated the means for storing 
it - will offer gains even one hundred times greater.
T his is why a growing number of research centers are doing work on this subject: the 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, the Air Force Astronautical 
Laboratory (Edwards Air Force Base), where antigravitation is also being studied, 
according to the June 10, 1996 issue of Jane's Defence W eekly. T he latter topic is 
reportedly also being pursued in Great Britain and in the C IS [C ommonwealth of 
Independent States]
8.1.1.3 U se of P lanetary or Stellar I m pulse
C loser to our current technologies, even though, strictly speaking, it does not have to 
do with propulsion, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory imagined, in 1961, that a spacecraft 
slingshotting off the potential [gravity] wells of suitably selected planets could attain higher 
and higher speeds without expending any energy. T his method is now routinely used for 
missions to the remote planets in our [solar] system. One can then envision that by using 
“reflections,” not only by planets but also by stars, as D yson proposed in 1963, 
considerable speeds could be attained (limited only by escape velocities) and interstellar 
distances could be crossed using relatively little energy at the price, of course, of the time 
necessary for the departure and arrival slingshots
T his method would lead to interstellar voyage lengths probably figuring in thousands of 
years, thus with an order of magnitude greater than lengths anticipated for the envisioned 
antimatter propulsion.
8.1.1.4 C onclusion Regarding Travel
T o sum up, for travel both in the atmosphere and in space, we can formulate reasonable 
hypotheses on flight without any apparent means of lift in the first case and on the crossing 
of great distances, up to an interstellar scale, in the second.
8.1.2 The Shutting Off of Land V ehicle Engines
T o explain this phenomenon, which has been reported frequently abroad, it is necessary 
to consider a remote action [Since] no beams of light appear to be associated with these 
engine , immobilizations we can imagine radio-frequency radiation, such as microwaves,


which we know can cause effects of this type and which can be easily formed into beams 
to act from a distance. U nder these conditions, microwave emissions from unknown 
objects would be likely to create around the vehicle an electrical field strong enough to 
cause, when added to the ignition volu. ?s, ionization and electrical breakdown of the air around 
the high voltage circuit of the engi: ([ignition] coil, distributor, spark plug wire), thus 
short-circuiting the firing pulses to the engine mass and shutting it off.
Since electronic ignition came into widespread use in the 70s, the action of microwaves, 
apart from the mechanism previously described, may be exerted directly, paralyzing the 
electronic circuit generating the high voltage. W e can therefore envision the action of 
unknown objects on land vehicles, including nowadays those with diesel engines, which 
are made vulnerable due to their more and more common electronic regulation circuit. Let 
us recall that the ability to generate high power microwave beams is within the capabilities 
of our own technologies, as demonstrated by the intensive work being carried out in the 
U nited States and the former U SSR to develop microwave weapons intended precisely to 
destroy or immobilize enemy electronic systems from a distance, and even to act on 
personnel. In France, high power microwave generators that can be used for this purpose 
are being studied.
T his does not rule out the possibility of other types of radiation being used. C harged 
particle beams would be capable of analogous effects, passing through, if necessary, living 
matter, such as the bodies of some witnesses, without being felt by the latter or leaving 
any notable or lasting sequels..
T his can be illustrated by the beams of accelerators used in proton therapy, which begin by 
passing through tissue without causing too much damage and becoming destructive only 
when their energy falls below a certain threshold as a result of their penetration.
T his mode of action corresponds, moreover, to certain testimonies that report the 
observation of beams of light passing through physical obstacles; in fact, by ionizing the 
air, proton beams generally do become visible in the form of truncated beams of light the 
length of which is a function of their initial energy.
8.1.3 Locom otive P aralysis of Som e W itnesses
T his phenomenon is less common. It is remarkable in that the paralysis reported only 
affect certain voluntary movements, but not respiration or posture (balance, in particular, 
is not compromised; the witnesses do not fall down) or eye movements. From the 
standpoint of concepts, it can be remarked that in human beings posture and respiration 
are controlled by the cerebellum, an organ that is independent of the cerebrum, which 
governs voluntary movements. T he paralysis effects observed can reasonably be 
attributed to microwaves acting from a distance on certain parts of the human body (this is 
also one of the objectives of the work mentioned above on microwave weapons). W e 
should note that these effects, among others, are being studied at the Air Force W eapons 
Laboratory at Kirtland AFB.
8.2 M odeling and C redibility
T he fact that we can formulate a credible hypothesis on the propulsion of the objects 
sighted is obviously only a positive indication, but not proof of their existence, no more 
than that of their conformity to the model that we imagine
In this regard, the history of the technique teaches humility, but it can also yield quasi


certainties:
- humility in noting prognostic errors committed in the past. It suffices to recall the 
affirmations made by or attributed to several very great scientists: "Y ou cannot breath in 
tunnels, ” "science is almost finished, ” “something heavier than air cannot fly, ” etc. It 
would therefore be presumptuous to claim to foresee, based on _ our current knowledge and 
accomplishments what might be technologies (-----) only slightly more advanced than our
own - or our own technologies in one or two centuries. Let us consider that only 150 
years ago, engines, electricity, the existence of the atom, and Hertzian waves were 
unknown! W e can also reread Jules V erne: Paris au XXe siecle [Paris in the 20 th 
Century} or H ier et demain [Y esterday and T omorrow]...
- certainties, since scientific and technical progress can only continue, supported by 
more scientists and engineers than there have ever been, spurred by competition among 
nations. T his competition, in our now "closed" world will focus on all of the resources that 
once were free: potable water, the deep sea, the polar regions, air, space, radio 
frequencies, etc.
Although it is risky to predict the results of an increasingly accelerated scientific and 
technical development, it is, at least, almost certain that our own knowledge will have 
advanced greatly even within a few decades. T here’s no telling what progress will be 
made beyond that time! U nder these circumstances, we can conclude with a high degree 
of certainty that movements of objects that at present are just beyond our capabilities will 
be technically possible within a few decades, or even a few centuries, even if the 
knowledge put into play is not what we are predicting.
T o the extent that the preceding conclusion is acceptable, let us go further and 
comment that only a few million years will have elapsed (barring a catastrophe) between 
the appearance of man and the future stellar expeditions of our descendants (cf. C hapter 
8.3.6 and Appendix 4).
T his interval between the appearance on earth of a conscious intelligence and the time 
when we will be able to perform the same feats as those performed by the objects we are 
dealing with here is infinitesimal (one to two thousand years) compared with the age of the 
earth or even with the 600 million years that separate us from the appearance of the first 
living organisms at the beginning of the C ambrian period.
But the development of other intelligent [beings] on other worlds cannot have taken 
place at exactly the same rate as on earth. If the age of these other worlds, like that of the 
earth, is on the order of 4 billion years, and if a conscious life [form] appeared, neither the 
rate of its development nor the epoch in which that world was created cannot have been 
exactly the same as ours.
U nder these conditions, even a minuscule deviation of 0.1% , for example, in regard to 
these initial data would make it possible to place such a civilization between several 
million years ahead of ours and several million years behind ours.
T hus the probability of the extent of development of two civilizations in the universe, 
and in the same solar system, being equal appears to be very low, and in all likelihood we 
have only two possibilities:
- our “neighbors” are several thousand or several million years behind us (or do not yet 
exist as a conscious species), and it will be we who discover them,
- our neighbors are ahead of us, but then the probability is that this advance figures in 
the thousands of years or more, rather than in years or even hundreds of years, and if we 
can judge from the rate of our own development, their level of development would 
certainly exceed our forecasting capabilities in every domain


8.3 U F Os - Overall H ypotheses
For several dozens of years, the systematic collection and scientific study of unusual 
atmospheric phenomena have permitted a number of major advances. Of course, on 
analysis, a good proportion of the sightings have proven completely explicable: satellite , 
re-entries sounding balloons, etc. T his has furthermore enabled the precision of the 
observers, as well as the veracity and consistency of the testimonies, to be tested. C ases 
of hoaxes are, on the whole, very rare and quite easy to detect. T he majority of the 
observers provide reliable reports, although it is necessary to take into account the 
problems of diverse assessments.
Most of the sightings of all types have also enabled the credible and well-documented 
sightings called U AP D s (category D  unidentified aerospace phenomena^ for which no 
explanation has been found Jo be classified separately. However, these phenomena are 
often attested by means of consistent testimonies all the way up to visual sightings coupled 
with radar sightings. Of course, if there had only been ten or so U AP D  [sightings], this 
ambiguous file could just have been classified as “no action,” but we are no longer at that 
point and are far beyond that. T hus we are forced to seek plausible explanations. All 
sorts of hypotheses have been constructed, and they may be classified as follows:
8.3.1 Non Scientific H ypotheses
“W e are being manipulated without realizing it” (by a very secret, very powerful, and 
very knowledgeable group of people, by strange, unknown, or even extraterrestrial beings; 
by spirits; by the devil; by our psychological fantasies; etc ). Obviously, we cannot say a 
priori whether these hypotheses are true or false [since] they cannot be proven; their main 
drawback is that they aren’t much good to us.
Parapsychological phenomena and collective hallucinations should be classified in this 
category.
T he same is true of the idea that is sometimes expressed that the futuristic craft sighted 
are actually products of the future activity of humanity. Our descendants of the distant 
[future], who have found the way to go back in time, come to observe us...
It is obviously classic to try to reconstruct and observe the past via any of the traces 
that it leaves, and one could theoretically observe it directly (for example, by discovering a 
well-oriented mirror on a planet located a few light years away). It is, however, out of the 
question for such an observation to be able to influence a bygone time in any way, even by 
being detectable.
8.3.2 Secret W eapons of a Superpower
U AP D s would then be piloted or remote-controlled craft of terrestrial origin. T here is 
no lack of observers to believe that the object with fantastic performances that they saw 
maneuvering in the sky is the state of the art of military progress, which would explain the 
secrecy in which they are cloaked. C ertainly studies such as those regarding the stealth 
aircraft or magnetohydrodynamics actually lead to impressive progress. But besides the 
fact that it would be extremely unwise to expose to the eyes of laymen and foreign experts 
in this way what there has been so much interest in concealing, it can be added today that


throughout the decades during which these phenomena have occurred, the secret would 
have inevitably come out, especially if the political upheavals of recent years are taken into 
account.
8.3.3 D isinform ation Attempts
Into this category fall special effects and montages, which are generally accompanied by 
a lot of media publicity. Some researchers believe that without necessarily lending 
themselves to the manufacture of ultramodem weapons, the performances of high-tech 
craft might serve to brainwash public opinion in the same way as other propaganda 
techniques. Of course, this point of view is a direct result of the cold war period. Any 
means were good at that time for destabilizing the other camp, including fear of an 
invasion by extraterrestrials or the instilling of doubt about leaders ‘‘who hide something 
manifestly very serious from us. ’’
T his type of hypothesis is even less satisfying than the preceding ones because it runs 
up against the objections to each of those.
8.3.4 H olographic I m ages
At the junction between disinformation attempts and extraterrestrial hypotheses lies the 
technique of holographic images, whether they be the work of a superpower or 
extraterrestrial crews. In actual fact, this technique is difficult to employ. It requires 
considerable preparation because air is very transparent and diffuses light only very poorly. 
T herefore it is necessary to have large equipment covering the optical field used or at least 
to project an appropriate screen on it, for example, a film of water.
T he first method corresponds to theoretical holographic images, while the second is 
simpler and is frequently used for spectacular effects, but it obviously leaves traces 
behind... W e can also envision using clouds or a curtain of rain, but this, of course, poses 
multiple hazards. W ithout necessarily being able to judge them at present, the method of 
holographic images and associated methods have only very limited use.
8.3.5 U nknown Natural P henom ena
T his hypothesis cannot be ruled out completely and must therefore be cited. However, 
it is difficult to support in cases where the U FO sighted behaves in an apparently 
intelligent manner (approach, pursuit, evasion, and escape maneuvers, etc.).
8.3.6  Extraterrestrial H ypotheses
A large number of people today are convinced that U FOs are piloted by intelligent 
beings who have come from a very remote part of the universe and are tasked with 
watching us and even initiating contact with us. As appealing as they may be, these 
hypotheses run up against all sorts of huge difficulties. T he hypothetical Martians only 
recently disappeared from the realm of possibility, and apart from earth, the solar system 
appears to be totally unable to have produced organized life and even more unable to have 
produced an advanced civilization. It is therefore necessary to look farther, to the stars, 
but the closest star is already one hundred million times further away than the moon.
T he only contacts that we may try to establish from such distances at present are radio


contacts. Astronomers have attempted contacts via message transmission and radio 
listening in the “SET I” and “MEGASET I” programs. Although some enthusiasts have 
suggested futuristic ideas to “bypass” the vast expanse, such as, for example, the use of 
“black holes,” the crossing of interstellar distances by possible extraterrestrials has elicited 
much skepticism and the majority of astronomers reiterate that "to date there has been no 
U FO case that is sufficiently well established to imply that it came from an 
extraterrestrial civilization. ”
T wo professional astronomers, Jean-C laude Ribes and Guy Monnet, have, however, 
proposed a scenario in our future in space that includes plausible interstellar voyages. In 
this scenario, which is summarized in Appendix 4, they envision the establishment of large 
communities in verdant "islands in space, ” enormous artificial structures orbiting the 
earth, as described by the physicist O’Neill, and even inside large asteroids, where an 
abundance of different materials, including water and oxygen, as well as ready protection 
against meteorites and cosmic radiation, are found. Later on, when our descendants have 
mastered the production, storage and use of antimatter as energy, they will utilize it to 
propel some of their habitats to another solar system. T hey will settle in an asteroid belt, 
start families there, and then visit the planets of the receiving system aboard craft that are 
perceived by any possible natives the same way we perceive U FOs today.
T his scenario, which in essence relies only on laws of physics that are currently well 
accepted, gives the extraterrestrial hypothesis a certain degree of plausibility; it is possible 
to imagine that a civilization that came from somewhere else colonized the region of our 
asteroid belt and used it as a staging base to our planet. C urrent progress in the conquest 
of space and physics reinforces this idea.
W e should point out that some people envisage another hypothesis, which is very 
controversial: the U FOs do belong to a civilization located in the asteroid belt, but this 
civilization itself comes from our planet. Older than any known terrestrial civilizations and 
highly advanced, it supposedly disappeared from earth (nuclear war, radioactivity, 
pollution, etc.) but resettled in the solar system.
Both hypotheses have to their credit the fact that they place the U FO problem outside 
the realm of the paranormal and promote thought about the future of our planet.
C hapter 9 - Organization of the Research Abroad
9.1 Organization of the Research in the U nited States
T he subject of U FOs is presently very popular in the U nited States. T his is evidenced 
by the number and success of fiction films such as Independence Day, M en in Black, and 
Contact, which deal with this topic. A survey conducted in June 1997 for T ime magazine 
showed that nearly one American in four believes that an extraterrestrial craft crashed at 
Roswell (New Mexico) at the beginning of July 1947. A professor of psychiatry at 
Harvard, D r Mack, treats the problem of the temporary abduction, whether real or 
imagined, of his fellow countrymen by U FOs very seriously. In view of the public’s 
expectations, what are the authorities doing?
T hey deny that the U FO phenomenon poses a threat to national security, or that it is 
evidence of an extraterrestrial origin. T his position has been taken almost continuously by 
the Air Force, which was tasked with the study of U FOs from 1948 to 1969 within the


framework of a project which bore the overall title Blue Book. It was confirmed in the 
summary and conclusions of the university commission in charge of evaluating the Blue 
Book [Project], the C ondon C ommission. T he physicist C ondon wrote in his conclusions 
that the study of U FOs had little chance of advancing science. All official studies thus 
came to a halt in the U nited States as of D ecember 1969, and the Air Force referred those 
who were curious to private ufological associations.
Although it was endorsed by the Academy of Sciences, the C ondon report was harshly 
criticized by numerous scientists, particularly at the powerful AIAA (American Institute of 
Aeronautics and Astronautics). T he latter justly pointed out that the summary and 
conclusions of the report, which were drafted by Professor C ondon himself, conflicted 
with a number of analyses within its body. T he AIAA recommended moderate, but 
continuous scientific work on U FOs.
An amendment to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) passed in 1974 permitted 
declassified official documents on U FOs to be obtained as of 1976. One of these, in 
particular, attracted attention. It was a letter from Air Force Brigadier General Bolender 
from October 1969 stating that the imminent conclusion of the Blue Book Project would 
not put an end to military reports concerning U FOs that constituted a threat to national 
security. T hese were not part of the Blue Book system and would continue, as in the past, 
to be handled in accordance with the directive JANAP 146 and Air Force Manual 55-11.
“As regards authenticity, only negative conclusions are definitive”
By F rancois Louange, 
C hief Executive Officer of F lexim age C om pany
Among the investigations conducted on the subject of U FOs, photograph analysis 
represents one of the more delicate areas. In fact, in the public’s eyes, photographs 
constitute indisputable proof par excellence of the existence of the phenomenon, which 
gives them a very special emotional factor. But photography is in reality a field where one 
still finds many errors and hoaxes, because many natural or technical effects can give rise 
to surprising documents, it is becoming easier and easier for a specialist who has computer 
equipment to produce a doctored negative that stands up well to investigations. T his 
can sometimes even prove lucrative.
Moreover, experience shows that most of the negatives that stand up to analysis contain 
only extremely poor and unusable information, often limited to a saturated bright spot on a 
black background or vice versa, which makes this area of investigation relatively 
disappointing.
For about forty years, alleged photographs of U FOs, which are sometimes renowned in 
ufological circles, have occasionally been the subject of expert appraisals on the part of 
specialists interested in this topic. T he physical and technical fields that come into play are 
quite varied, ranging from atmospheric propagation to photography or video and including 
digital image processing
T he analysis of a photographic document or video is broken down into two steps:
1 - Establishing or disproving authenticity, uncovering hoaxes, fake maneuvers or 
parasitic phenomena that could have affected the photographing equipment or the original 
data storage medium (film, video cassette). T his concept of authenticity is furthermore 
completely relative, because only negative conclusions are definitive and in the best of


cases a document can stand up to analyses at any given moment.
2 - W ith respect to a document deemed to be authentic, extracting the maximum 
amount of information permitting a known phenomenon to be identified or a phenomenon 
that is a priori inexplicable to be characterized (size, position, speed, albedo, energy 
emitted, etc ). T his phenomenon will then be compared with other unexplained 
phenomena in order to draw possible parallels.
It is important to emphasize that the photographic as well as the video documents 
available come only from fortuitous witnesses, there are very few opportunities for 
significant data to be exploited by reason of simple statistical considerations: the chances 
of being witness to a rare phenomenon, the likelihood of having [camera] equipment in 
hand ready to use, the probability of being able to make the proper adjustments and calmly 
take professional quality photographs, etc.
In any case, it seems reasonable to limit in-depth investigations to cases in which the 
following two conditions are met:
1 - T he original document (negative, slide, video cassette, etc.) is available.
2 . - T here is at least one other independent source of information (visual testimony or 
another sensing device).
Trick of the eye: lens-shaped clouds
[Photo]
C entral bulge, broad and narrow disk, this is the definition of lenticular galaxies. It is also 
the definition of a type of cloud, cirrocumulus lenticularis, which forms above 7000 m 
altitude and up to the limits of the troposphere. T heir very specific shape is due to factors 
such as pressure, temperature, turbulence, and very strong winds. But this shape is 
definitely open to every interpretation for those who wish to see it as a flying saucer..
W hen m ilitary craft play U F Os
[Photo]
Left:
Photographed in 1989 offshore from Los Angeles, this unpiloted surveillance unit is a


C anadair C L-227 Sea Sentinel military drone.
Right:
T his Sikorsky “C ypher” surveillance drone is used by the U .S. Army in urban conflict 
situations.
JANAP (Joint Army, Navy, Air Force Publication) 146 applies to military personnel but 
also to some civilians (flight captains of commercial aircraft, merchant marine captains) in 
the U nited States and C anada. It stipulates that an urgent report should be filed with 
certain authorities, which must in turn file a report, namely with the Air Operations 
C ommand (now NORAD  [North American Air D efense]) in C olorado Springs, when 
objects requiring very urgent defensive action and/or an investigation by the armed forces 
of the U nited States or C anada are sighted.
•Among these objects, U FOs (U nidentifiedFlying Objects) are listed along with missiles 
and hostile or unidentified submarines, etc. D isclosure of the contents of these reports is 
subject to the penalties of the laws cracking down on espionage. JANAP 146 was in effect 
in recent years and perhaps is still in force. T his regulation may explain the frequent 
reticence of American military personnel, aviators in particular, to bring up the subject of 
U FOs.
T he members of American ufological associations number several thousand. T hese 
associations attempt to fill the gap left by the public authorities in the field of “U FO” 
studies. T he FOIA brought them a resurgence of activity, showing them that contrary to 
their statements, the Air Force and various special departments, namely the C IA, are very 
much interested in the subject of U FOs and have been for some time. It permitted them to 
learn of certain spectacular cases, such as the overflight of missile bases in 1975, or the 
1976 T ehran incident related in C hapter 2. D IA deemed this a “radar/visual” case: “A 
classic case that meets all the conditions required for a legitimate study of the U FO 
phenomenon. ”
In recent years, the three main ufological associations have been brought together by a 
leading U .S. personality, Marie Galbraith, to conduct a joint study. She is the wife of 
Evan Griffith Galbraith, who was U .S. ambassador to France from 1981 to 1985. T hus 
she is well-acquainted with our country and our language, since she lived on Avenue 
Gabriel. Supported both morally and financially by Laurance Rockefeller, brother of the 
famous D avid Rockefeller, she traveled the world to meet the principal scientists 
interested in U FOs and to collect the best cases.
She then oversaw the drafting of a clear and documented book entitled U nidentifed 
Flying Objects, Briefing Document, the best available evidence, which was endorsed in 
1995 by the chairmen of the three associations C U FOS [C enter for U FO Research], 
FU FOR [Fund for U FO Research], and MU FON [Mutual U FO Network], She had this 
work sent to more than a thousand prominent figures throughout the world and, namely, 
to a large number of U .S. congressmen Her goal is to get the U .S. government and 
possibly other governments to end the secrecy surrounding U FOs. For the editors of the 
book, this secrecy is essentially military in origin: the nation that is first to reproduce the 
exceptional characteristics of U FOs will dominate the world. T he secrecy was justified 
during the cold war, but it is no longer justified now given the scientific and technical 
breakthroughs useful to humanity that one can expect [to obtain] from the study of U FOs.
On the whole, Marie Galbraith’s book is descriptive. It does not interpret the 
phenomena sighted (physical modeling or hypotheses regarding the origin of the objects). 
Such was also the spirit of the international scientific colloquium organized in September


1997 by Laurance Rockefeller at Pocantico, near W est Point, on the property of the 
Rockefeller Bros. Fund. Moderated by astrophysicist Peter Sturrock, this colloquium 
focused on physical evidence concerning U FOs.
Specialists on radar, the biological effects of microwaves, photography, etc., who often 
were not very familiar with the U FO problem, formed a scientific council there that judged 
the papers presented by the U FO researchers. French participation was quite noteworthy, 
it consisted of the head of SEPRA and two members of the scientific council. A summary 
document expressed the desire that many countries have a U FO research organization 
comparable to that of France
C olonel C orso’s theory
In July 1997, for the fiftieth anniversary of the Roswell incident, an astonishing book 
entitled T he Day After Roswell was published. It was written by C olonel C orso, who 
from 1953 to 1957 was the military member of the National Security C ouncil Staff and 
thus was in constant contact with President Eisenhower. T he foreward of this book was 
written by Strom T hurmond, the current chairman of the Senate Armed Services 
C ommittee, who, already a member of this committee, appointed C orso as congressional 
attache when he left the Army in 1963. T he author states that the object found at Roswell 
was indeed an extraterrestrial vessel. He reportedly saw for himself, in July 1947, the 
cadaver of one of the occupants preserved in a glass coffin. From 1961-1962, as chief of 
foreign technology in the Army R & D  D epartment, he apparently was tasked with 
discretely allowing U .S. industry to benefit from the extremely high-tech objects found in 
the wreckage (according to him: printed circuits, a laser, light intensifier, etc.).
C olonel C orso affirms that high-ranking military officers and some U .S. congressmen 
know about the existence of extraterrestrial craft in our skies. T hey have concealed it 
from the public to avoid panics, but full disclosures are going to be able to be made, 
because the U nited States, which has been striving to do this for 50 years, reportedly now 
has the means to counter a possible U FO attack. Some of these claims are surprising at 
the very least, but the entire contents of the book cannot be easily dismissed when one 
considers the remarkable career of its author and Senator T hurmond’s tribute to him. It is 
true that the latter requested that his fforeward not appear in reprints of the book, a request 
that was granted. T he author allegedly had not told him that the book was about U FOs... 
But it is difficult to believe that the foreward writer, the third in line in the U .S. 
Government to succeed the President, and the publisher, Simon & Schuster, were not 
acting with full knowledge of the facts at the time of the first printing. As soon as the 
book came out, the U .S. Air Force published a second report on Roswell again denying 
the plausibility of the hypothesis of the crash of an extraterrestrial craft. T he first report, 
which was published in 1994, was presented as the first official study on U FOs since the 
end of the Blue Book [Project] in 1969 (see “Roswell and D isinformation” in Appendix 
[5]). T his reaction is not incompatible with C olonel C orso’s theories, it may be intended 
to reassure those whom C orso’s revelations might worry.
9.2 Organization of the Research in the U nited K ingdom
Great Britain has been the scene of several remarkable cases. W e presented the 
Lakenheath “radar/visual” case (1956) in C hapter 2. T he RAF and the Ministry in charge 
of it therefore became interested in U FOs very early on, but we do not possess much


information on their work. Since its creation in 1964, the British Ministry of D efence 
(MOD ) has had a U FO study unit, whose [designator] abbreviation Sec(AS)2a stands for 
D epartment 2a of the Secretariat (Air Staff) division. Its activity was recently described 
by Nick Pope, who was its head from 1991 to 1994, in a book written in a very lively style , 
Open Skies, Closed M inds.
T his department receives telephone calls or letters from witnesses, but more generally 
reports prepared from the depositions of these witnesses taken at police stations, airports 
or RAF bases. It conducts classic investigations if it deems them useful. T hey then 
question radar stations or weather stations, the RAF space object surveillance base at 
Flyingdales, other RAF bases, the Greenwich Observatory, etc. Its unique mission is to 
determine whether the reports are of interest for defense purposes (“area of defence 
significance”).
Nick Pope, who is currently a MOD  career employee, has broken new ground in 
comparison with his predecessors. He has given interviews to the press and participated in 
television programs.
He has cooperated with the ufological associations, giving their address and phone number 
to witnesses who have written to him. In his letters of response he admitted that a small 
proportion of U FO sightings defied explanation and that the MOD  was keeping its mind 
open regarding these. His predecessors wrote: ‘‘If we had sufficient data, all of the cases 
could undoubtedly be explained. ” In his book, Nick Pope evokes various hypotheses to 
explain certain unidentified cases that were the subject of credible and detailed reports. 
He strongly favors the extraterrestrial hypothesis and expresses the desire that his ministry 
take seriously the potential threat that U FOs represent in his eyes.
Is there a department that is further developed than his (where he is alone) in the 
Ministry of D efence that would conduct secret studies on the U FO phenomenon? His 
statements on the subject are contradictory (pp. 129 and 181). Ralph Noyes, who was 
one of Nick Pope’s predecessors from 1969 to 1972 and ended his career at MOD  in 1977 
as U ndersecretary of State for D efence, considers the existence of such a department 
likely. Lord Hill-Norton, Admiral of the Fleet, who was C hief of D efence Staff from 1971 
to 1973, shares this opinion. T his information is found in a book the foreword to which 
was written by Lord Hill-Norton himself (Above T op Secret, by T imothy Good). Admiral 
Hill-Norton was among some thirty lords active in a House of Lords group studying U FOs 
in the 1980s. If this secret study department does exist, it can be presumed that it works 
in collaboration with the U nited States (Above T op Secret, pp. 48-49).
9.3 Organization of the Research in Russia
T he Academy of Sciences of the U SSR has conducted studies on U FOs since 1979 at 
least. D uring that time, V ladimir Migouline, a member of this academy, expressed his 
opinion in La Recherche regarding the sightings made in the Soviet U nion of luminous 
phenomena and unusual objects: “ T he vast majority of these sightings correspond to real 
phenomena just about the same as those sighted in other countries. But there is no 
indisputable proof that some of them involve technological manifestations of a highly 
developed civilization. It is also necessary to try to connect them with atmospheric 
phenomena, ” he said
T his is the goal that his assistant Platov aimed for in a work published in 1992, U FOs 
and M odern Science. At that time, Migouline and Platov, heads of the expert’s group on 
abnormal phenomena in the Academy of Sciences, proposed a scientific and technical


cooperation program to SEPRA, but the C NES management did not follow-up on the 
offer. It should be noted that in the Siberian section of the Academy of Sciences, the 
studies, which are less well known in the W est, do not rule out the extraterrestrial 
hypotheses, and even favor it.
D uring “Glasnost,” information was disseminated on the studies being conducted by 
both the KGB and by the military. In 1991, the KGB declassified 124 pages of documents 
from Cases of Sightings of Abnormal E vents over U SSR T erritory, 1982-1990 , which 
covered a total of 17 regions. One of these cases, which we detailed in C hapter 3, 
concerns the extraordinary aerial maneuvers of three bright disks over an Army missile 
base near Astrakhan in 1989. T he objects, which were sighted by seven military members, 
went from hovering to high speed and back again all without making any noise. W hen it 
was approached by a Soviet fighter jet, one object escaped so quickly that it seemed to 
leave the fighter jet standing still in its tracks.
In 1994, C olonel Boris Sokolov sold ABC News a collection of investigations 
conducted by military personnel from 1978 to 1988. Earlier, in 1990, the newspaper 
Rabochaya T ribuna had published an article by Aviation General Maltsev, who 
commanded the territorial air defense, concerning a well-documented visual/radar case 
with multiple witnesses (Pereslav-Zalesski, the night of March 21, 1990) in which a silent 
discoid object went from hovering to a speed two or three times faster than that of a 
modem fighter jet. W e described this case in C hapter 2.
P ART 3
U F Os and D efense
T o date, a U FO has not been the certain cause of any accident or a fortiori any hostile act, 
at least officially; no U FO threat has materialized in France, although intimidation 
maneuvers have been confirmed (C hapters 1.1, 2.1, and 2.3). However, numerous 
manifestations observed by reliable witnesses could be the work of craft of extraterrestrial 
origin. Indeed, if it were a question of terrestrial craft, these could only be American and, 
despite all precautions taken to maintain secrecy, this would be known. T he first 
prototype stealth aircraft flew at the end of 1977; the existence of stealth aircraft became 
known about ten years later, in 1988. But credible, confirmed U FO sightings began in 
1944.
C ertainly, this subject still sometimes elicits amused skepticism, if not a certain mistrust 
with regard to those who mention it seriously, but in the absence of explanations for the 
phenomena sighted, the hypothesis of an extraterrestrial origin can no longer be ruled out. 
In this third part, we set out to study, from a strategic, scientific, political, religious, and 
media standpoint, the consequences of this hypothesis based on present scientific 
knowledge
C hapter 10 - Strategic P lanning
T he definition of a strategy toward an “adversary” requires that one know the


adversary, understand his intentions, and ascertain his modes of action. In the case in 
question, we can only advance hypotheses formulated on the basis of the facts observed 
and their interpretation, while trying to answer three questions: W ho are they9 W hat are 
their intentions? Are they seeking to make contact or have they already done so9
10.1 W hat Extraterrestrials? W ho Are They and W hat Are They Like?
A relative consistency emerges from the numerous descriptions of the phenomena: 
saucer, luminous sphere or cylinder, hovering followed by accelerations at lightning speed, 
the absence of noise, easily supersonic speed with no sonic boom, associated 
electromagnetic effects that interfere with the operation of nearby radio or electrical 
apparatus. Obviously, these extraterrestrials are highly endowed intellectually and are 
technologically advanced over us to have been able to achieve what we do not yet know 
how to do. But the rest remains a mystery! Morphology, physical make-up, type of life, 
manner of communication and form of society, sense of values, concept of time, 
motivations, etc. If they are observing us, it is necessary to note an apparent contradiction 
between the interest that they show in us and their furtiveness. Rather than observe us, it 
seems that they want to show themselves to us and to gradually acclimate us to the idea of 
their existence.
10.2 W hat I ntentions and W hat Strategy C an W e D educe from Their Behavior?
Extrapolation based on a rational analysis of the objectives that the extraterrestrial 
civilization or civilizations could be pursuing should permit us to get an idea of the 
strategies that they are implementing and should consequently lead us, in response, to 
deduce the broad lines of what our own strategies might be. U FOs have manifested 
themselves in many places throughout the world in recent decades, with surprising peaks 
between 1952 and 1954, without our being able to deduce a well-defined course of action. 
W hat are they seeking?
After the observation phase and the phase of demonstrating that they exist, it would 
seem logical to us for them to be seeking to leave their mark and impose their will on the 
States of the earth, but at present, nothing allows us to deduce from their manifestations 
the existence of a driving desire serving purposes that we are presently unable to discem. 
It is plausible that preferred contacts can be attributed to the U nited States. But nothing 
contradicts the possible establishment of other contacts with some European countries or 
even with Russia, C hina, or Japan, [or] others perhaps... However, it seems difficult to 
imagine that they could have been able to position themselves on earth with the complicity 
of certain States. Moreover, the hypotheses of contacts do not enable us to deduce the 
existence of some status quo with these visitors. Actually, the sporadic manifestations of 
U FOs and even the occurrence of repeated waves [of sightings] have continued since 
1947. One would have every right to think that these visitors - fortified by their 
superiority - are showing their intention to continue to make themselves known in the 
most diverse locations on the planet and to continue to carry out their plans, the aims and 
means of which still escape us. It could be that, before 1947 and after, they have had fears 
for the future of earth, a future threatened by risks of nuclear war. T heir influences have 
been able to be accompanied by appropriate demonstrations:
- overflights of nuclear missile bases, an example of which is given in C hapter 3,
- intimidation maneuvers against aircraft as in Luxeuil and T ehran (C hapters 1 1 and


2.3),
- witnesses paralyzed, engines shutting off, lights going out (San C arlos de Bariloche, 
C hapter 2.5).
T he advances that have been made in the conquest of space and in the development of 
nuclear technology could be troubling them. W ouldn’t it be logical to think that these 
extraterrestrial civilizations have established stations, even colonies, in the asteroid belt 
and why not relay stations on the moon? Our forays and projects studied in the U nited 
States for modifying the orbits of asteroids using H bombs in order to bring them closer to 
the earth’s orbit for mining purposes could be disturbing them. For the moment, they do 
not appear to be meddling in our affairs, but it is advisable to ask ourselves what they are 
actually seeking. D o they want to invade earth? T o preserve it from nuclear self­
destruction? T o leant about and preserve the patrimony that our civilizations have created 
over the span of centuries? In view of these uncertainties concerning their intentions, we 
can’t tell what the future holds and, in particular, we cannot consider that they will 
continue not to intervene. Some of their undertakings in regard to us might, therefore, not 
be innocent in the long term. Perhaps they don’t have any need for our sensibilities or the 
politics of States9
10.3 Repercussions of U F O M anifestations or the Official and U nofficial C onduct of 
States
T he repercussions have been varied in scope. Based on what can be learned of the 
reactions of States, it is permissible under our hypothesis to classify them as:
a) States that have no knowledge of extraterrestrial phenomena _ or believe they are not 
concerned.
b) States that know of extraterrestrial phenomena but have no means to investigate 
them,
c) States that know of extraterrestrial phenomena and have the means to investigate 
them,
d) States that have entered into contact with one or more extraterrestrial civilizations 
and that have established relations and/or entered into political, scientific, and 
technical collaboration
10.4 H ave C ontacts P ossibly Been M ade with One or M ore States?
Individuals claim to have been contacted for the purpose of studies or with a view to 
establishing relations between one intelligent life form and another C an we imagine direct 
and continuous contacts at the highest level of one or more States, particularly the U nited 
States? It is true that the position of that country has been among the strangest since the 
wave [of sightings] in June 1947, followed by the Roswell affair in July 1947 (cf. 
Appendix 5). If the Americans were able on that occasion or on other occasions to collect 
at least debris or entire wreckage of extraterrestrial vessels in fairly good condition, and 
even cadavers of humanoids, a certain type of contact would then have been established.
First statements and reactions are often considered to be more probative than 
subsequent affirmations T hus immediately following what would later become the 
Roswell affair, General T wining was tasked with preparing a secret report on "flying 
disks, ” the existence of which was not revealed until 22 years later in the C ondon report. 
It emerges from this that these objects truly do exist. But since then the U nited States has 
followed a policy of increasing secrecy (classification above "top secret” of certain U FO


files, according to General Barry Goldwater) and constant disinformation. T he strange 
conclusions of the C ondon report are just one case in point. W hy would, and how could, 
such an important secret be kept all the way up to the present, despite everything? T he 
simplest response would be that the U nited States wants to maintain at any cost military 
technological superiority over rival countries and, perhaps, a preferential contact.
T his policy of secrecy and disinformation could have been dictated by an 
understandable concern for not creating panic reactions or irrational crazes among the 
public, or the concern at the time for protecting the country against actions by the U SSR, 
or else, in a more prosaic and political fashion, not appearing in the eyes of voters to be 
incapable of providing convincing explanations regarding these phenomena. No doubt it 
would not do to undermine the prestige of the armed forces, which was incapable of 
interdicting these violations of air space, and invite attacks against the military budgets on 
the part of political opponents. Anything is conceivable, even the fear of seeing various 
government agencies accused of having lied at one time or another.
W hatever the case, it is symptomatic and illustrative to note that since 1953, the U nited 
States has equipped itself with an impressive repressive arsenal, which is still in force, it 
seems. In particular, they enacted two military regulations, AFR (Air Force Regulation) 
200-2 and JANAP (Joint Army Navy Air Force Publication) 146, the first prohibiting the 
public disclosure of information relating to sightings of unidentified objects and the second 
making the unauthorized disclosure of a U FO sighting by the witness an infraction 
punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. T he JANAP regulation applies to 
military personnel, but also to commercial airline pilots and captains in the merchant 
marine.
10.5 W hat M easures M ust W e Take F rom Now On?
W hether or not U FOs are extraterrestrial in origin, the U FO phenomenon is already 
with us and, at any rate, requires critical vigilance on our part. In particular, the 
phenomenon involves risks of destabilizing manipulations from a media, psychological, 
cultural, and religious standpoint: panic fear, world wars, psychoses created by sects or 
lobbies, etc. T hese appreciable risks of cosmic fear, as well as the discovery and no doubt 
conquest of the cosmos that is to come, henceforth justify, on the part of the political, 
scientific, and intellectual elite, a certain degree of cosmic vigilance calculated to prevent 
any shocking surprise, erroneous interpretation, and malicious or unhealthy manipulation.
W ithout a doubt, measures must be contemplated on the national and international 
levels. Specifically, whatever the givens are with respect to American political problems, 
and in the face of a posture of ongoing secrecy, how can we conceive of harmonious 
political and military relations among allies, and particularly within NAT O, which normally 
must be founded on basic trust, if access to information of incalculable importance - 
particularly technological information - is not shared?
10.5.1 National Structures
If France wants to affirm its presence in this domain, it seems urgent to expand 
SEPRA, which must:


- increase its human and material resources so as to be able to collect information 
relating to all U FO manifestations, both in Europe and throughout the world,
- expand its investigation and analysis capabilities,
- boost its representation and foreign relations status.
It would likewise be advisable to create a unit at the highest State level to collaborate 
with SEPRA that would be tasked with:
- formulating all prospective hypotheses,
- promoting scientific and technical research and, as such, would have a small minimum 
budget,
- proposing elements of military strategy,
- participating in the establishment of regional cooperation agreements with interested 
European and foreign countries. It should be noted that many countries already have 
small bodies for the collection of U FO sightings within their armed forces or intelligence 
services.
10.5.2 European Structures
It would be desirable then for the European States and the European U nion 
C ommission to conduct every type of research and to initiate diplomatic approaches with 
the U nited States, exerting usefill pressure, to clarify this crucial issue, which must fall 
within the scope of political and strategic alliances. W ould it perhaps be opportune for 
France to propose to the C ommission that it create within it - so as to no longer be blind, 
dumb, and paralyzed - a special expanded coordinating body provided with the necessary 
human and material resources?
10.6  W hat Situations M ust W e P repare F or?
W hat strategies could we map out in the following situations:
- appearance of U FO and extraterrestrial desire to establish an official and peaceful 
contact,
- chance or intentional discovery of a microbase or base at some location in France or 
in Europe: position to adopt toward a friendly or non-friendly power,
- invasion (hardly likely given the fact that an invasion could have been carried out 
before the discovery of the atom) and targeted or massive attacks on strategic or 
nonstrategic locations,
- deliberate manipulation or disinformation with a view to destabilizing other States.
In the case of the first situation cited, we are not precluded from suggesting that the 
States that are equipped with sophisticated research and analysis tools will perhaps have 
more chances than others of being chosen as preferred contacts, but at what risks and 
advantages?
C hapter 11 - Aeronautical I m plications
11.1 W hy Aeronautical I m plications?
It is not intellectually possible to remain indifferent in light of an unexplained


aeronautical phenomenon which numerous civilian and military pilots have come face to 
face with. Of the several hundred confirmed aeronautical cases, there are primarily five 
types of implications:
- simple sighting of a phenomenon by the crew, passengers, or ground personnel,
- detection of a track on a radar screen, which occurs in one out of five aeronautical 
cases, sometimes culminating in the recording of a track, as was the case on January 28, 
1994, at the C inq-Mars-la-Pile C ontrol and D etection C enter (C D C ) (cf. C hapter 1),
- interferences with ground (San C arlos de Bariloche) or onboard (T ehran) electrical or 
electronic equipment,
- shadowing of aircraft (San C arlos de Bariloche, RB-47, etc ),
- apparently aggressive conduct ( C olonel Giraud in his Mirage IV , student pilot at 
T ours, the T ehran incident, etc ).
T he number of testimonies and the quality of the witnesses are such that one cannot dodge 
the phenomenon and aeronautic personnel, and more especially defense personnel, must be 
sensitized and prepared to deal with the situation. In fact, how can one try to ignore a 
phenomenon that is manifested by the regular crossing of our air space by moving objects 
the behavior of which suggests that they are piloted by an intelligent [being]? C an one 
claim, because this appears to exceed our technical knowledge, that it does not fall within 
our purview? If we do nothing, the very principle of defense and air intelligence would be 
called into question.
T he first sightings made by aviators date back to the beginning of the 40s. Since then, 
the number of unexplained sightings (after an expert’s appraisal: U AP D s) reported by 
pilots or [air traffic] controllers has risen to over 500. As a reminder^ in France, this figure 
is three or four since 1951. It is the responsibility of the Air Force to take into account 
these phenomena, which, until proven otherwise, occur primarily in air space.
11.2 W ho is I nvolved?
11.2.1 F light C rew
T he flight crew is naturally involved, particularly the pilots, because whether they are 
civilian or military, they are in a more advantageous position for making sightings and 
would be the first affected in the event of an incident (risk of collision, in particular). T his 
is especially true for a combat pilot, because he is trained to constantly monitor the sky 
and he now has more and more advanced weapons systems capable of detecting faster and 
faster and smaller and smaller targets at greater and greater distances. T he pilot/weapons 
system pair is now more than ever an excellent sighting instrument and would be our first 
means of intervention if, by chance, this were to prove necessary. T he concerns of a 
commercial airline pilot are different because, in addition to the fact that he does not have 
the same equipment, his priority is obviously the safety of his passengers. Although he 
remains a primary partner in the quest for information, he would be totally powerless in 
the face of an aggressive stance by a U FO.
11.2.2 |Air Traffic] C ontrollers
T he radar [air traffic] controller is, of course, involved, but depending on whether he is 
civilian or military, the control equipment at his disposal offer him different options In 
both cases, since he is in radio contact with the pilot, it is he who is the first to receive the 
sighting report from the crew


He must be prepared to note and supplement the sightings transmitted with the clear­
headedness that the distance of his position gives him In regard to radar detection, only 
the military controller has adequate equipment to detect a flying object that does not 
follow general air traffic rules. In fact, military air defense radars permit a visual display of 
the primary detection, as well as a synthetic display used by civilian [air traffic] controllers, 
to appear on the military controller’s radar scope (see Appendix 1). In addition, they are 
the only ones who are able to obtain an image of craft moving at the supposed speeds of 
U FOs. Finally, the means to record and reconstruct radar situations on site at the C ontrol 
and D etection C enters (C D C ) enable supplemental investigations to be conducted, if 
necessary.
11.2.3 M eteorologists
U nusual phenomena are often explained by meteorological phenomena. Q uestions can 
easily be explained if the specialized departments are informed of the importance of their 
observations. All military and civilian personnel specializing in meteorology must 
therefore be able to meet this expectation.
11.2.4 C NES Engineers
C NES engineers are the French space specialists. T hey cannot remain indifferent to 
U FO phenomena. Knowledge of our universe, observation of the sky, and surveillance of 
anything that is deployed into the sky naturally makes them just the right people to head 
up the study of extraterrestrial phenomena. W e have described their work above.
11.2.5 Engineers in the Aeronautics Sector
Engineers in the aeronautic sector are naturally involved T heir work is presented in 
the next chapter on scientific and technical implications.
11.3 H ow D o W e I nvolve Aeronautics [P ersonnel]?
In order for aeronautics personnel, along with their resources, to be involved, we need 
to know how to interest them and, in order to do this, how to inform them of the 
phenomenon, to specify what is expected of them, and to define what their reflex 
responses should be and what course of action they should take.
11.3.1 I nforming P ersonnel
Informing amounts, first and foremost, to getting someone to accept the possibility of 
the presence of extraterrestrial craft in our sky. It is necessary to overcome the fear of 
ridicule and to admit that, failing certainty, there are strong presumptions based on a list of 
examples selected from among the testimonies from the aeronautics world.
Moreover, it is necessary to reach all generations. Informational conferences can be 
easily scheduled at aeronautics schools for the young generations (Ecole de I’Air, Ecole 
Nationale de 1’Aviation C ivile [National C ivil Aviation School] (ENAC , Sup’Aero, etc ), 
and for the not-so-young, in continuing education courses and, obviously, at the C ollege 
Interarmees de D efense [Interarmy D efense C ollege] (C ID ) and IHED N SEPRA is 
already holding conferences at ENAC  within the framework of civilian [air traffic]


controller training.
T his practice just needs to be extended to all flight crew training schools, regardless of 
the specialty being taught. For the generations already on the job, these conferences can 
easily be offered at the C ontrol and D etection C enters and flight units for military 
personnel, and, at least for civilian [air traffic] controllers, at the Regional Air Navigation 
C enters (C RNA). As for commercial flight crews, the airline companies - Air France, in 
particular - have set up a systematic information sheet for crews that is periodically 
updated.
T his information must furthermore be updated on a regular basis in the knowledge that 
the intended objective is to permit a future witness, whether he plays an active role or is 
merely an observer, to be fully aware of what course of action to take in the face of the 
phenomenon sighted. If we want personnel to get involved, it is necessary that they know 
how to react in real time and what to communicate and to whom, how to take the 
measures corresponding to the present situation, etc. For this reason, it is advisable to 
define with them what their reflex responses should be and what course of action they 
should take.
11.3.2 Reflex Responses
Indeed, it is necessary to instill in personnel who may face the phenomenon what their 
reflex responses should be, in the knowledge that they may merely be simple observers or, 
in some cases, have to take concrete measures (for example, at San C arlos de Bariloche, 
the surprise of the landing strip lights going out in the middle of the U FO incident). It is 
quite certain that it would be better to be prepared in order to be fully aware of what 
course of action to take in the face of such an unforeseen and poorly understood event. 
T hese reflex responses differ in type depending on whether it is a matter of sighting, 
recording a testimony, transmitting information collected, or reacting in real time in order 
to take ad hoc measures in response to the phenomenon.
11.3.3 C ourse of Action to Take
T he course of action to take seems to us to be summarized as follows: observe, note 
the maximum amount of details, take photographs if possible, _report, allowing the visitors 
the initiative of possibly making contact, and avoid premature publicity in the media.
11.3.3.1 Objective Observation
In the face of an unknown situation, one must be on guard against any instinctive self­
defense reaction that could be easily interpreted as a provocation One must just observe 
and avoid any initiative aimed at seeking contact.
11.3.3.2 Reporting
Once a phenomenon has been sighted, it is advisable to report it in order to alert the 
other crews, on the one hand, which is what is currently done, and the authorities, on the 
other hand, through the air [traffic] control chain of command in civilian cases and the air 
defense chain of command in military cases
11.3.3.3 Rem aining D iscrete V is-a-V is the P ublic
As a witness to a phenomenon of this type, one must know how to adopt a certain level


of discretion vis-a-vis the press. It is essential to allow scientists [time] to make use of the 
information before letting the media trigger the curiosity of the general public, which 
could result in the disappearance of important evidence.
C hapter 12 - Scientific and Technical I m plications
T he significance of the U FO phenomenon to defense in the broad sense leads to several 
proposals.
12.1 Stepping U p the C ollection and Analysis of D ata
It is, of course, advisable to continue and, if possible, expand geographically the 
collection, initial analysis, and classification of data and testimonies performed 
successively by GEPAN and then by SEPRA, which was described in C hapters 5 and 6.
12.2 Establishing a W atch and I nitiate W ork U pstream
From the studies presented in C hapter 8, it can be concluded that at least a passive, and 
preferably an active, techno-watch is required in the fields of leading-edge propulsion such 
as, for example, magnetohydrodynamics. It is truly essential to know what the other 
nations are doing in this area. In other high-tech fields, the study of the various 
testimonies could be combined with appropriate scientific experiments to enable significant 
progress. A typical example is that of particle beams or microwaves, together with their 
effects: tools, weapons, etc. All of these subjects are, on the whole, more advanced than 
the technical problems presently under study by D GA or the public research institutions. 
T herefore they will not be dealt with unless a decision is made at the highest State level.
12.3 Encouraging Thought in Order to P lace the P henomena in a G lobal C ontext
T he work mentioned above will enable progress in the partial models of the phenomena 
sighted, along with considerable spill-over for defense and industry. But the global 
interpretation of these well-documented but inexplicable phenomena will require other 
research. T he principal areas of research relate to the extraterrestrial hypothesis; we will 
mention ,for reference, the current research on the detection of extrasolar planets, which 
will take a new direction when the V LT (V ery Large T elescope) of the ESO (European 
Southern Observatory) in C hile enables them to be observed directly. Each discovery of a 
planet, which is presently made indirectly via the disturbances that the planet causes in its 
star, has met with a favorable response in the media.
Less spectacular, albeit fascinating to a cultured public, is the research on the origin of 
life that is being conducted internationally at a very satisfying rate It forms the basis of 
exobiology, the science of extraterrestrial life (see Appendix 3). Studies on evolution and 
its mechanisms are currently handicapped by school disputes. T hey are important to our 
subject: How might life evolve elsewhere? U nderdeveloped but also important are the 
studies on the genesis and future of civilizations. T he latter are normally extended by 
long-term, forward-looking scenarios for our planet and, of course, for others.
Interstellar travel, as visualized in Appendix 4 - entitled “C olonization of Space” - must 
be the object of at least passive monitoring. T his subject is currently being dealt with in 
the U nited States, where numerous NASA or Pentagon study contracts concern


propulsion using antimatter in solar or interstellar space. It was also in the U nited States 
where the astronomer Papagiannis won a NASA study contract a few years ago to detect 
possible space cities in the asteroid belt located between the planets Mars and Jupiter. 
In carrying out the study, he examined the photos taken in 1983 by the IRAS [Infrared 
Astronomical Satellite] satellite and looked for possible abnormal infrared emissions 
coming from objects in this belt. It would seem that NASA did not renew Papagiannis’ 
contract, which apparently did not yield any results.
12.4 Special Studies
Some studies do not come under the “hard” sciences and technologies: for interstellar 
voyages, the stability of the earmarked societies requires study. W hat, in particular, is 
their minimum size? T he different attempts at disinformation made by certain foreign 
governments should be analyzed discretely, but in depth. T he wish of these governments 
to appropriate for themselves alone any possible futuristic technologies relating to military 
aircraft and weapons might help explain these attempts (see Appendices 5 and 7). It 
would be advisable to already be anticipating the measures to be taken and the decisions to 
be made should events such as indubitable physical or radio contacts with an outside 
civilization take place.
C hapter 13 - P olitical and Religious I m plications
An assessment of the impact that the formal confirmation of the existence of U FOs and 
extraterrestrial civilizations would have on the political and religious situation of the 
countries on earth could be a bit of a challenge. However, the task is less arduous when 
we try to put ourselves in the shoes of extraterrestrials who supposedly have chosen earth 
as a field of observation and/or intervention. W e will use this method. It is appropriate, 
of course, to postulate that the technical and human difficulties have been resolved, 
permitting us to exceed the limits of our solar system, and even our galaxy:
- Either in secular voyages aboard “ship-worlds,” in which thousands of volunteers 
who have embarked would see their generations reproduce. It is necessary to keep in 
mind that these craft will not be able to one day return to earth, at least that is what we are 
assuming, which would confer - de facto - a political autonomy and freedom of decision to 
the onboard government independent of orders and programs established prior to 
departing earth (cf. Appendix 4: “C olonization of Space”).
- Or, in [voyages of] several months or years - based on totally revolutionary scientific 
concepts and techniques that remain to be imagined - using aircraft or probes piloted by 
classic crews or by bionic androids, which would follow the instructions received from a 
parent station or from earth.
D uring the course of these explorations, we might discover one or more celestial bodies 
populated with beings that have evolved more or less similarly to us, “humans,” humanoid, 
or even stranger creatures. T hey may have created civilizations that are comparable to or 
more advanced than our present civilization, or they may be endowed with only 
rudimentary aptitudes for civilization, unless they still remain only at the elementary 
survival stage
(Nota Bene: in this chapter, the numbers in parentheses refer to the references, pp. 87 
to 89)


13.1 P hase One: Observation F rom a D istance (Rem ote Sensing and Observation ?)
It seems reasonable to think that our earthling explorers have received a mission to 
peacefully observe these worlds and/or conquer, purely and simply, these new territories in 
order to establish a line of descendants there (cf. 13 .4 below). T he state of advancement 
of the local populations will likely dictate the manner of obtaining, as well as the nature 
and duration, of these observations, and the initial observations will, of course, be for 
analyzing:
- the living organisms, the manners in which they think and live, their languages, their 
religions and beliefs, their arts, sciences, techniques and weapons, their political 
institutions, their social organizations, and their histories in general,
- the environments in which these populations live, [and] animals, plants, minerals, etc.
T his first phase, which excludes any physical or material contact, would be that of 
scientific, in vivo laboratory observation: electronic surveillance, remote sensing, 
recording, decrypting of languages, analyses, evaluations, etc. It is important to 
emphasize that this period could last one year, ten years, a century, [or] a thousand years, 
why not ? Actually, what better scientific experiment - lato sensu - than that of having 
more or less civilized, stagnant or evolving populations, either at peace or at war, 
organized in a hundred different manners, no doubt having languages that are foreign to 
one another, each one assuming, in its own way, the organization of ts terrestrial and 
celestial cities. In a word, we would be in the situation of observing ourselves!
13.2 P hase Two: In situ Sam pling and F urtive Appearances
T he interpretation of the data collected can only be complete when a second phase has 
been implemented, during which sampling and analyses of mineral, plant, and animal 
elements, and perhaps even elements from evolved beings, are performed. C onsequently, 
the question is raised as to -the types of contacts that would be appropriate to establish and 
the political, psychological, and religious implications for the local populations that might 
result from these contacts: furtive and covert contacts, visible and overt contacts, 
continuous or intermittent contacts. If the furtive and covert mode of operation is 
initiallyselected, it nevertheless could not - at least based on the present state of our 
technology - go completely unnoticed by the indigenous populations. It is permissible to 
consider that the psychological and religious impacts may vary according to the different 
types of political organizations and the levels of moral and scientific development 
encountered on the same world
13.2.1 I m pacts on P reindustrial-Age C ivilizations
Individuals or masses from preindustrial-age civilizations might note the passage and/or 
landing of our ships or our remote-controlled craft T hey might collectively view them 
equally as natural, divine, extraordinary, supernatural, aberrant, or diabolical phenomena 
(frescoes in the Yugoslavian monastery at D etchani, spheres in Nuremberg and Basel in 
1561 and 1566 - cf. Appendix 6) Furthermore, the collective memories of these peoples 
and their imagination in general could be more or less sharply marked by such 
manifestations if they are accompanied, in particular, by the sighting of our astronauts,


whether dressed in their coveralls or their space suits or not, or robots, androids, or any 
artifacts that we may deem appropriate to disembark or represent. Such appearances, if 
the local authorities note and publicly certify their reality, would undoubtedly have a 
creative impact capable of modifying the indigenous political and religious conceptions for 
some time
13.2.1.1 I m pacts on Local Religions
Since terrestrial and celestial orders are closely interlinked in people’s minds, the 
appearances of spaceships or remote-controlled craft, and, moreover, the appearances of 
astronauts or bionic robots, would be capable of creating a lasting impression in minds, 
reorienting religions, inspiring new ones, or originating founding myths. T he flying 
machines that Ezekiel described at length (1), the air war of the Ramayana, the Epic of 
Gilgamesh (2), the Elohim of Genesis (3), and the W atchmen of the Sky, mixing with the 
daughters of men and begetting giants, whom Enoch also speaks of (4), and more 
generally, the Immortals, the Sons or the Kings of the Sky of the Orient and C hina (5), 
Japan, the “Land of Gods” (6), the V iracochas of South America, the Incas, or the great 
gods of Ancient Egypt, the Gods, the T itans, the Giants, the C hildren of the Gods, and the 
Heros of western and oriental Antiquity (7), etc., come to mind.
Both supernatural and extraordinary phenomena were part of the natural order of things 
in the past. W ould religions founded on the existence of a God or a creative order be 
shattered by such apparitions? Nothing is less certain. Once the shock, terror, and 
curiosity have passed, a new appreciation of the cosmic order could replace the old 
religious conceptions, without necessarily destroying the divine principle itself. T o say the 
least, these religious conceptions could be reoriented or even sublimated. God does not 
travel around in a spaceship. Besides, the great religions of earth do not condemn the idea 
of the existence of other inhabited worlds in the universe. Must we recall that certain 
collective memories experience aberrations, despite the tangible proof subsequently 
furnished to the catechumen (the cult of the cargo plane in New Hebrides) (8)?
Bonaparte’s military and scientific expedition to Egypt left no trace in the local annals, 
which recorded only an interruption of the pilgrimage to Mecca (9). C loser to home, 
many people did not believe that men had walked on the moon, believing it to be a 
publicity stunt or disinformation. It would be appropriate, however, to avoid 
overestimating this impact, insofar as all ancient civilizations conceived of pantheons, the 
gods of which were associated with terrifying manifestations of the sea, wind, volcanoes, 
earthquakes, or lightning It is therefore difficult to say whether they were the avatars of 
extraterrestrial influences or, more simply, the product of the invention of mythologies 
explaining the world.
13.2.1.2 P olitical I m pacts
W ith respect to the political impacts, these should be much more ephemeral, at least in 
appearance In fact, once the moments of astonishment have passed, the political 
organization of States does not seem to have to be affected in a lasting manner, since 
contingencies quickly regain the upper hand However, that monarch or chief of state 
could proclaim himself the exclusive and privileged interpreter of these extraordinary 
manifestations. W ould he not be tempted to consecrate himself a god-king or a king-god


in the eyes of his subjects?
Once again without being able to distinguish what is the product of the natural and 
spontaneous search for the legitimacy of power from what could actually only be the result 
of an opportunity seized by inveigling, we are forced to note that history abounds in god- 
kings or king-gods (pharaohs, Assyrian kings, Hellenic epiphanic kings, Roman, C hinese, 
or Japanese emperors; sons of the Sun of C entral or South America, etc ).
13.2.2 I m pacts on I ndustrial-Age C ivilizations
Industrial-age civilizations are more skeptical than they formerly were and have more 
difficulty envisioning what is not a product of the immediately explainable or the simply 
measurable. However, it is certain that the furnishing of irrefutable proof of the existence 
of extraterrestrials would leave a profound mark on populations such as ours today. T his 
issue is at the heart of our report.
13.3 P hase Three: I nfluences on Local C ivilizations
T he third phase would be that of the influences that we would consider appropriate to 
exert on the environment and the civilizations encountered with a view to causing them to 
evolve in our fashion. It goes without saying that the advantages and risks would have to 
be studied carefully.
13.3.1 I nfluences on P reindustrial-Age C ivilizations
W e might consider it necessary, in certain cases, to influence the environment in a 
specific manner and the evolution of local civilizations in a subtle way. It might seem 
necessary to us, upon completion of our observations and our analyses, to modify, bit by 
bit, the natural environment and the ecosystem by, for example, seeding or introducing 
select plants and organisms that are lacking
Likewise, the course of indigenous civilizations could be gradually modified by 
influencing, either from a distance or directly, the qualities or defects of select individuals, 
accentuating their intellectual and moral tendencies and their scientific knowledge, or by 
causing genetic mutations by different processes that are yet to be invented.
In this case, it would be a matter of playing the role that these populations would have 
willingly reserved for gods, who, by providing sacred texts, would reorient, for example, 
their sense of morals, their religiosity, and perhaps their laws and their political 
institutions. T he use of elements likely to terrify and impress could be appropriate in some 
cases. And, with all due reverence, nothing would prevent one from thinking of different 
episodes in the Old T estament, the conditions under which the laws of Manu were 
instituted (10) or even the Koran given T he influences relate back to a certain number of 
enigmas in history, including, perhaps, the concomitant appearance of the great 
civilizations of the Indus, Mesopotamia, and Egypt (cities, architecture, writing, calendar, 
astronomy, etc ). T hey also call to mind the extraordinary map of the Antarctic, which 
was drawn almost free of ice by the Frenchman Oronce Fine in 1531, nearly three centuries 
prior to the discovery of this continent in 1820 (11).
13.3.2 I nfluences on I ndustrial-Age C ivilizations


T he nature of these influences will vary according to the type of civilization, its 
technological development, and its psychological acclimatization or lack thereof to the 
existence of extraterrestrial civilizations. It would be advisable beforehand to accustom 
the mind of these populations to the idea of the probable existence of extraterrestrial 
civilizations (science-fiction novels, films, cartoon strips, video games, advertisements, a 
favorable psychological climate, [and] why not suitable sects?, etc.).
New and essential technological knowledge could be provided via different avenues or 
by means of chance or provoked accidents with one of our spacecraft. T he contemporary 
Roswell case thus comes to mind. In order for.this case to be retained in full (or disposed 
of), it would still be necessary for the U .S. government to accept to show, communicate 
and let analyze, without beating around he bush, all of the elements that it actually 
recovered on that occasion.
13.4 P hase F our: D irect C ontacts
A fourth phase would be that of establishing direct contact with the locals or with entire 
populations, whether or not a vanguard of bionic robots were used. Once again, the goals 
sought must be precisely determined. T he benefit and true utility of establishing such 
contacts must be weighed with care in order to calculate the risks and consequences. A 
stringent program could plan for these. However, a serious technical accident affecting 
one of our spacecraft could be the start of an unofficial contact, a necessary settlement, or 
a colonization, or even, if necessary, an information-disinformation campaign. It is also 
advisable to envision the sedition of some of our crews whom it might be necessary to 
disembark or who might decide on their own authority to live on one of the worlds 
discovered and, eventually , mix with the indigenous populations, going against orders 
received, whatever happens not to intervene or interfere in local affairs. T hese contacts 
presuppose that the worlds discovered are populated with human beings or hominids 
whose complexion is identical or close to ours. But under the hypothesis of contacts and 
planned long-term settlements of members of our crews, should mixes be prohibited, as 
prophylaxis, by imposing a major ban on them (12) or, on the contrary, should they be 
tolerated and even encouraged? Bearing in mind that direct or prolonged contacts would 
inevitably lead the indigenous populations to believe, in fine, that we are not so different 
from them. It would be prudent, however, to send remote-controlled androids in advance 
in order to assess the reactions that such an intrusion would arouse, or to acclimate the 
populations to the idea through furtive, episodic appearances.
13.4.1 D irect C ontacts with P reindustrial-Age C ivilizations
It is certain that such contacts would immediately cause the local populations to 
imagine that they are in the presence of gods. Historical parallels naturally come to mind: 
the arrival of the Spaniards in C entral America in armor and on horseback, or, more 
generally, the arrival of the Europeans at the time of the discovery and exploration of the 
globe T he impact on populations that had never seen horses, armor that shone brightly in 
the sun, or white men, particularly with blond or red hair, must have been felt strongly. 
However, the shock of these apparitions would be quickly lessened with the multiplication 
of relations, and even more so if our crews were to take an eminent place in the local 
political and military orders. T his, of course, relates back to the different epics of the 
discovery of the world, European colonization, and also the end of the western empires.


13.4.2 D irect C ontacts with I ndustrial-Age C ivilizations
T he day would come when we believed that these civilizations, gradually brought to 
our level through our efforts, are able to participate in our world. W ith the ground 
prepared in advance, contacts could, for example, be established discretely with selected 
individuals or at the highest level of the States, or of some of them, and, if possible, be 
kept secret. Although leaks should not be ruled out, the leaders selected would then have 
to conduct information, disinformation, and counterinformation campaigns to maintain the 
privileged nature of these relations and, who knows, to benefit, from our side, from novel 
scientific, technical, and political information, giving them an edge over their rivals. T he 
selection of States, rulers, key figures, or mere individuals would, of course, be of 
paramount importance.
Before or after the implementation of an influencing program, why not imagine having 
bionic robots that look like humans or resemble the living beings there appear in order not 
to risk the lives of members of our expeditions? Finally, why not purely and simply 
present ourselves openly and publicly? It is easy to imagine the huge sensation that this 
would cause in all psychological, political, military, strategic, and religious spheres, to say 
nothing of the media, [as well as the] multiple meetings and international colloquiums, 
uninterrupted sessions of organizations such as the U N, calls for "world unity, ” 
international consultations, the creation of welcoming committees, etc. [that it would 
prompt]. T he rivalry of the States would be interesting to observe.
It goes without saying that our intentions must be perceived as peaceful. If this were 
not our policy, there would, of course, be no need to take special precautions to show 
consideration for the sentiments of the local populations. In all of these scenarios, we 
should encounter idolaters, sycophants, Herodians, who, out of a millenialist conviction, 
gullibility, pragmatism, or interest, would welcome us with enthusiasm as saviors, capable 
of solving all of their problems and bringing them peace and prosperity, preferably without 
having to exert much effort. T hese would be our first allies. Zealots, skeptics, and those 
who have withdrawn into the venerable secular conceptions of their world, which has been 
turned upside-down, would cast doubt on or deny our existence. If they were to admit it, 
they would consider us as so many invaders, whose intentions would be perceived as all 
the more suspect since they would be peaceful. T here is but one logical step to take 
between that and imagining the creation of defense movements and resistance movements 
against the invader. T he strength of these movements would depend, in part, on our skill 
in squashing them, convincing them, in the hope of attaching them to us.
But how then do we avoid the pitfall of good intentions and good sentiments that 
everyone knows the road to hell is paved with? (13) Should we admit how long we have 
been observing them? W ould they reproach us for not having intervened to prevent a 
world war, or would they blame us for it, or, more generally, would they hold it against us 
that we changed the course of civilizations? V ery severe and lasting psychological 
disturbances should be envisioned in these cases.
W ould they be disappointed to learn that we are not immortal9 Later, economic and 
technological exchanges and financial ties should be established with these populations. 
W ould it be a wise policy to involve ourselves in local affairs9 And in one manner or 
another, could we escape the requests to become arbitrators of political disagreements, 
peace, war, and economic crises9
W hatever the case, one day or another we would be in charge of the unsolved 
problems. W ould they not go so far as to reproach us for the contributions of our very


advanced civilization, or at least for what we thought would be of benefit to them9 
C hanges of opinion and attitude toward us could occur over time. W ouldn’t groups of 
people be one day tempted to consider themselves our equals, because we did not remain 
inaccessible? Protest movements would consequently arise and revolutionary cycles 
would no doubt be set in motion, as a result of which we, as well as our Herodian allies, 
would suffer. Our global policy would then be compromised and we would have to 
consider making our contacts less frequent and, possibly, withdrawing onto our ships and 
retreating. W e would then have the time necessary to review our policies, based on 
techniques still unknown from our catechumens.
T he discovery of new worlds could enable us to enter into contact with civilizations just 
as developed as our own and even far more advanced. Nothing allows us to rule out the 
possibility that, why not, we would encounter explorers from other more distant worlds. 
U nder these hypothetical conditions, it is permissible to imagine that we might have been 
discovered in space first. It would be our turn then to experience - at least in part - the 
psychological effects and the political and religious implications that we have described. 
W hat would be the policy of local governments toward us? W ould they welcome us 
peacefully or would they prudently keep us at a distance? Should we fear seeing nuclear 
space weapons or other weapons aimed at ourselves gainst, for example, the bases that we 
had attempted to establish or had succeeded in establishing in an asteroid belt close to one 
of their worlds?
W hat would be the results of such encounters? W hat relations could we establish and 
what influences would we exert on these different types of civilizations? Anything is 
conceivable. Having come full circle, we thus return to our concerns and our current 
questions.
C hapter 14 - M edia I m plications
As was stressed earlier, it may seem extravagant that sensible people, scientists 
moreover, are interested in unexplained - and for the time being still inexplicable - 
phenomena at the risk of appearing ridiculous. But, as this report tries to demonstrate, 
there are enough questions regarding tangible evidence to justify the scientific interest 
generated by these issues. W hat separates our approach from the media’s approach is the 
researcher’s curiosity with respect to the research to be conducted in order to solve the 
enigmas posed to his sagacity even if science has not reached an adequate state to answer 
them fully, as opposed to the curiosity of the press regarding a subject with regular 
sudden new developments that are likely to produce marvelous scoops, which generally 
are not characterized by scientific precision.
It is not a question of criticizing the press, its aid is often most valuable. But these 
fleeting events are supported in part by human testimonies, which are all the more flimsy 
since they come from people who are affected by their encounter with “the unknown” and 
since they elude the usual benchmarks. T he press has a tendency sometimes to either 
ridicule the facts reported or to make itself look ridiculous because of the excess of 
information extrapolated from the elements described by the witnesses.
14.1 W hat C an a G overnm ent F ear F rom the C uriosity of the M edia?
- Panic: the media broadcast terrifying information liable to sow panic among the


population. T he famous example of Orson W elles’s fictional program taken literally by 
radio listeners in 1938, wreaking tremendous havoc in one region of the U nited States, 
may have influenced the reaction of U .S. military personnel vis-a-vis the Roswell incident 
in 1947. T he disinformation campaign was skillfully conducted, since it has muzzled the 
media for 30 years. Panic, which is accompanied by considerable human chaos (suicides, 
people fleeing on the roads, riots, and vandalism, etc.) would cause any government for 
which peace alone is a wealth and stability factor for its power to shrink back.
- Mistrust: the fear of seeing accurate information divulged and repeated with obvious 
irony is also a deterrent to openly mentioning U FO questions. T his posture is at the core 
of the disinformation and confusion in which public opinion is steeped with regard to what 
is true and what is false. It can only be dreaded by decision-makers.
- Fear of ridicule: although ridicule has no longer killed for some time, it is nonetheless 
often difficult to overcome.
- Manipulation: the media can be manipulated by lobbies or pressure groups for 
sectorial purposes (for example, push politicians to create an anti-U FO SD I [Strategic 
D efense Initiative]) and could thus become the unwitting spokesmen of a disinformation 
campaign or a destabilization attempt.
14.2 W hat Attitudes do the M edia Adopt?
- For the tabloids, anything is good if it sells. T he public’s curiosity is great and its 
demand generates enticing and often phony articles. Although they become the relayer of 
incredible theories, it is, on the other hand, thanks to the tabloids that the latest revelations 
concerning Roswell made by old witnesses have begun to become known.
- For the major newspapers, irony or aggressiveness are most often a manner of 
broaching a taboo subject that no one has a handle on But the press can also spread the 
news about an extraordinary phenomenon when, as in the case of San C arlos de Bariloche, 
dozens of people were witnesses to it It sometimes also makes a good presentation of the 
U FO case
- For television and movies, the subject is in vogue because it can be dealt with as 
fiction, and there nothing checks the imagination of the producers. T he bizarre fashion 
adopted by C hannel +",a French television station] for its “Nuit des E xtraterrestres 
[E xtraterrestrialsNight]” does not prompt one to take this subject seriously. However, 
tribute should be paid to several serious and well-documented broadcasts, like that of 
"Arte" in March 1996.
14.3 W hat Should Be D one?
T he future of our planet lies in space. W hether it be overpopulation, a spirit of 
adventure, the search for other raw materials, a liking for conquest and colonization, or 
other, more or less altruistic, motivations, everything is pushing toward humankind's 
expansion. W ill we one day be the extraterrestrials for other planets? W hen our probes 
orbit around more and more distant worlds and film them, what might hypothetical 
inhabitants think of them9
W e must prepare ourselves for this prospect, and the media can help educate the 
masses.
A strengthened SEPRA could usefully dedicate its efforts to the training of journalists 
and could create a documentary site on the Internet


C onclusions and Recom m endations
T he U FO problem cannot be eliminated by mere caustic and offhand witticisms. Since 
the publication of the first report by the Association des Auditeurs of IHED N 20 years 
ago, C NES has conducted serious studies in close collaboration with the Gendarmerie 
Nationale and the Air Force primarily, as well as with other State agencies (C ivil Aviation, 
W eather Service, etc.). T hese studies tally with other research conducted more or less 
discretely abroad, mainly in the U nited States.
T hey demonstrate the almost certain physical reality of completely unknown flying 
objects with remarkable flight performances and noiselessness, apparently operated by 
intelligent [beings]. W ith their maneuvers, these flying objects considerably impress 
civilian and military pilots, who hesitate to speak [about them]. T he fear of appearing 
ridiculous, alienated, or simply gullible is the principal reason for this reserve. Secret craft 
definitely of earthly origin (drones, stealth aircraft, etc.) can only explain a minority of 
cases. If we step back and take an objective look over the years, we clearly perceive the 
limits of this explanation.
T hus we are forced to resort to other hypotheses. Some can neither be confirmed nor 
invalidated. T hey are therefore not scientific, and, certainly, it is very difficult to 
scientifically study rare, elusive, and random phenomena, when science is based above all 
on experiments and their reproducibility. However, the example of meteorites shows that 
this type of phenomenon can nevertheless end up being accepted by the scientific 
community after centuries of doubt and rejection.
A single hypothesis sufficiently takes into account the facts and, for the most part, only 
calls for present-day science. It is the hypothesis of extraterrestrial visitors. Advanced as 
of 1947 by certain U .S. military personnel, today it is popular worldwide. It is discredited 
by a certain elite, but is plausible. Scientists (astronomers, physicists, engineers, 
futurologists, etc.) have elaborated on it enough for it to be receivable - as a hypothesis - 
by their peers. D ifferent plausible variants concerning the voyage of one or more 
civilizations from a remote solar system to ours have been developed. A model of 
magnetohydrodynamic technology, which could be employed to propel the U FOs in the 
atmosphere, has ..reached a significant stage of development. Other manifestations of these 
objects have begun to receive a physical explanation (automobile breakdowns, truncated 
beams [of light], etc ).
T he purposes of these possible visitors remain unknown, but they must be the subject 
of indispensable speculations and the development of prospective scenarios.
T he extraterrestrial hypothesis isby far, the best scientific hypothesis. It certainly has 
not been categorically proven, but strong presumptions exist in its favor and if it is correct, 
it is loaded with significant consequences.
Based on this prudent but solid assessment, we can make several recommendations:
1) Inform the political, military, and administrative decision-makers, as well as the 
aircraft and helicopter pilots. A gradual information campaign could target:
- ENA [National Public Management C ollege] and IHED N,
- [Ministry of] D efense schools: Air, Navale, Saint-C yr, Gendarmerie, (officers 
and NC O gendarmes), Sante des Armees [Military Health C ollege], 
Polytechnique [Polytechnical C ollege], ENST A [National C ollege of Advanced 
T echnologies], ENSAE [National C ollege of Aeronautics and Space), C ID , 
C HEAR [C enter for Advanced s Armaments Studies], C HEM [C enter for


Advanced Military Studies], etc.,
- civilian schools and their alumni: Ecole Nationale Superieure de Police 
[National Police C ollege], Ecole des Officiers de Police [Police Officers 
Academy], journalism schools, Ecole Nationale de I’Aviation C ivile. At the 
latter school, numerous conferences have allowed air [traffic] controllers to be 
taught the proper reactions in the event an aircraft encounters a U FO, 
- agencies that support or conduct research for military purposes: D GA, 
ONERA, C EA/D AM [D irectorate of Military Applications], etc., 
- special civilian and military departments, as well as the D irection de la 
C ommunication de la D efense [D efense C ommunications D irectorate], D IC OD  
former central SIRPA [Armed Forces Information and Public Relations 
D epartment]), calling their attention to disinformation processes.
2) Boost SEPRA’s human and material resources so that it can:
- develop its investigation and analysis possibilities,
- collect information relating to all U FO manifestations, both in Europe and 
throughout the world,
- maintain and develop databases on different aspects of these manifestations, 
- reinforce its representation and foreign relations status.
3) Make the detection of U FOs an objective for civilian and military space surveillance 
systems, which it is necessary to develop for other reasons (prevention of collisions 
between satellites and space debris, etc ).
4) C reate a unit at the highest State level to collaborate with SEPRA, that would be 
tasked with:
- formulating all prospective hypotheses,
- promoting scientific and technical efforts and, as such, have an annual budget 
of a few million francs,
- participating in the establishment of sectorial cooperation agreements with 
other countries.
5) Initiate diplomatic demarches to the U nited States, with the support of other States 
and even the European U nion, to urge the superpower to collaborate and, if necessary, 
exert useful pressure to clarify this crucial issue that necessarily comes within the 
framework of political and strategic alliances.
6) As speculative as these possibilities are, reflect, at the level of public authorities and 
with the aid of the unit mentioned in item 4), on the measures to take in the event of a 
spectacular and indisputable manifestation of a U FO:
- overt attempt to make contact,
- landing before numerous witnesses,
- other substantial actions.
T hese reflections would be carried out methodically, while maintaining, obviously, a 
minimum distance.
Appendices
Appendix 1 - Radar D etection in F rance
Radar detection in France is carried out by two radar station networks, the military 
network equipped with both primary and secondary radars and the civilian network 
equipped almost entirely with secondary radars. Primary radar permits one to detect and 
visualize on a screen (or scope) the geographic position and the altitude (three-


dimensional radar) of all moving objects via the reflection of radar waves off of the body 
of the moving object.
C onversely, secondary radar permits the detection and display on the screen only of 
moving objects equipped with a “transponder” that is able to respond to the coded signals 
that it emits. T hus any moving object not equipped with a “transponder” will not be 
detected by secondary radar.
T his detail is extremely important in the case in question, because only the primary 
radars installed at military C ontrol and D etection C enters (C D C ) and radar detection 
aircraft, the Air Force AW  AC S and soon the Navy Hawkeyes, may detect a U FO, 
provided that the latter is not a “stealth” craft.
Finally, it is necessary to know that all radar information detected by the totality of 
radar stations in the territory, airborne warning aircraft, and the radar stations of 
neighboring countries are being collected and processed in the ST RID A (Systeme de 
T raitement des Informations de D efense Aerienne [Air D efense Information Processing 
C enter]) network, thus permitting detection coverage over a square more than 4500 km 
per side.
Appendix 2 - Astronom ers’ Sightings 
by Jean-Claude Rihes
astronomical object. But we can expect them to be extremely reticent to relate such a 
sighting out of fear of ridicule, because amateurs are generally desirous of “professional” 
recognition. At any rate, no specific investigation has been conducted, to my knowledge, 
in this particular population.
T he results of two independent studies conducted by professional astronomers with 
their colleagues are quite different: in the 50s, Hynek informally questioned some forty 
astronomers, a little more than 10%  of whom had actually sighted unexplained 
phenomena Among the latter, Josef Allen Hynek cites Professor Lincoln La Paz, 
D irector of the Institute of Meteoritics at the U niversity of New Mexico, and C lyde 
T ombaugh, the discoverer of the planet Pluto, who died in 1997. In the 70s , Peter A. 
Sturrock sent a detailed questionnaire to 2611 members of the American Astronomical 
Association, guaranteeing them anonymity. Half responded, and sixty sightings were 
encountered.
No systematic study of this type has been conducted in France, but a sighting by 
Marseilles astronomers Georges C ourtes and Maurice V iton is frequently cited. One of 
my colleagues also related to me a sighting that he had made in his youth of an object with 
an apparent diameter of the moon (which, moreover, was visible), moving slowly from 
north to south. He was not yet a professional at the time but rather a well-informed 
amateur, and he does not see any explanation for his sighting, which he has never 
mentioned publicly.
T hus it appears that the percentage of sightings by astronomers is comparable to that 
noted in the overall population, although there is a definite reticence among a vast


majority to mention them without being assured of anonymity. In addition, the general 
opinion of astronomers on the subject is much less negative than one says sometimes, and 
the least that you could say is that there is no consensus, with many wanting an objective 
study of the phenomenon without any preconceived ideas. T he private conversations that 
I have had with French colleagues confirm Sturrock’s conclusion: many would refuse to 
broach the question with a journalist, but when I speak with them about a serious scientific 
study, they state that they are in agreement.
Appendix 3 - Life in the U niverse
T he question of extraterrestrial life left the domain of belief barely a few decades ago 
and entered the domain of scientific research, and the advances in this domain have been 
very rapid for several years. Beyond earth, the solar system proves to be currently 
unsuited to life, but the “V iking” probes have shown that some three-and-a-half billion 
years ago, the planet Mars must have offered much more favorable conditions than at 
present, namely with the existence of liquid water. T hus it is not ruled out that an 
elementary life form (bacteria) could have existed there, as was then the case on earth. 
T he study of fossils is, besides, one of the reasons for future Martian expeditions, 
automated first, then with humans aboard. T he discovery of fossils in a meteorite 
originally from Mars, as announced by NASA, is still the subject of a debate in the 
scientific community. But the very existence of this debate increases the interest in going 
to take a look on site.
Outside the solar system, astronomers have long thought that, very generally, the stars 
should be surrounded by planetary systems, but it has only been in very recent years that 
experience has confirmed this theory: we now know of a half dozen stars each 
accompanied by at least one planet. Biologists, for their part, are making rapid advances 
in understanding the chemical mechanisms that give rise to life, and this appears more and 
more to be a necessity rather than a coincidence
T wenty years’ experience has shown, from Siberia to the ocean depths, that life adapts 
itself to sharp variations in temperature or to extreme temperatures where it was 
previously considered to be impossible.
For 35 years, radioastronomers have carried out different programs searching for an 
intelligent radio signal coming from space (SET I: Search for ExtraT errestrial Intelligence). 
No signals have been detected yet, which is not surprising given the immensity of the 
spatial and frequency domain to be explored. A major NASA program, which was 
canceled by the U .S. C ongress, was revived using private funds and should improve the 
sensitivity of the search by several orders of magnitude. T he French radiotelescope at 
Nanijay, where several SET I studies have already taken place, will perhaps be included in 
this program.
Appendix 4 - C olonization of Space
T he second half of the 20th century will have been the half century of the exploration of 
the solar system: man on the moon, probes placed on Mars and V enus, others in the 
immediate vicinity of the other planets (except Pluto), comets, and asteroids. T he 21st 
century might be the century of the colonization of our system, with permanent human 
settlements and preparation for voyages to other planetary systems.
T he coming years will see the positioning of the permanent orbital station Alpha, the 
international follow-up to the Russian Mir program. Next, the Americans plan, in


principle, to establish a permanent base on the moon, a minimal station like the Antarctic 
base. Beyond that, it would be necessary to recreate an ecosystem where the essential raw 
material needs (including air, water, and food) could be extracted on site or recycled. 
Actually, we cannot consider applying the current method on a large scale, where almost 
everything must be brought from earth via costly launches.
Ecosystems of this type were studied by the Russians first (the first experiment was in 
1961) and by the Americans, namely with Biosphere 2, a greenhouse 1.3 ha in surface 
area, planned to maintain in closed circuit (with an outside power supply) a set of plants 
and animals, including the presence of eight people. T his experiment, which was carried 
out initially using private funds, was unjustly criticized by the press and a portion of the 
scientific community. In fact, despite certain “amateur” sides, it has already contributed a 
great deal: during an initial two-year experiment from 1991 to 1993, four men and four 
women lived almost entirely self-sufficiently, demonstrating the validity of the principle. 
T he recycling of water was total, while the recycling of air was imperfect (it was necessary 
to add oxygen after fifteen months of total isolation), and the production of food slightly 
inadequate (the inhabitants of the biosphere left thinner, having started in on the reserves).
After another six-month experiment, the structure was taken over by the U niversity of 
C olumbia, which seems interested especially in the ecological aspect, to the detriment of 
the space application. However, it is a descendent of Biosphere 2 who could represent the 
future autonomous moon base of the middle of the next century. A human settlement on 
the moon is first of all a scientific necessity, namely for astronomers. It is also a 
springboard into space. Almost all the materials necessary for the construction of stations 
and spaceships can be found on the moon, the exploitation of these resources will be 
much more economical than on earth because the reduced gravity and the absence of 
atmosphere on our satellite enable an easy and sure launch into orbit.
Human expeditions will necessarily follow automated missions to Mars, if for no other 
reason than to verify the past existence of traces of life. As for the development of 
permanent Martian colonies, this can be envisioned, but one can also imagine skipping this 
step, by creating artificial planets. T he idea was conceived by American physicist O’Neill, 
who studied in detail cylindrical structures 30 km in length by 6 km in diameter, in rotation 
to create an artificial gravity and able to shelter millions of people in an earth-type 
biosphere.
T hese artificial planets could be constructed in the asteroid belt, between the orbits of 
Mars and Jupiter, where we find an abundance of materials that are easy to exploit, which 
will be able to provide numerous chemical bodies, including oxygen and water.
In longer term, and when the industrial-scale manufacture, storage, and use of 
antimatter is mastered, smaller models of these same craft will be able to leave the solar 
system. T hey will be able to reach the vicinity of another star, after a voyage of several 
centuries, during which generations will succeed one another in these “ship-worlds” 
(unless we have mastered human hibernation by then).
T hese migrations probably will not take place until after reconnaissance [missions] 
conducted by automatic probes [have been completed]. T he preferred destinations would 
obviously be systems where a planet supposedly shelters evolved life.
Imagine that a human expedition settles in the asteroid belt of a system where a 
civilization exists that is quite probably at a lower stage of technical development than 
ours (if the reverse is true, it is likely that the contact was already made via 
telecommunications, or else that the most advanced civilizations made the voyage before 
us): for ethical reasons, but also in the interest of a serious scientific study, it could not 
afford to intervene openly, at the risk of inducing a fatal culture shock. T he study should


therefore be discrete, using high-speed and silent craft to move through the planet’s 
atmosphere (MHD  propulsion offers interesting prospects in this respect), and non lethal 
weapons to avoid the consequences of an untimely encounter (the paralyzing effect of 
pulsed microwaves is under study in several countries).
W hen the civilization visited has reached the stage of space voyages, it will become 
necessary to make it aware of the existence of visitors. One way to do this, without 
causing trauma, would be to commit “calculated indiscretions” that would accustom the 
population, little by little, to the idea that there could indeed be extraplanetary visits.
Appendix 5 - The Roswell Affair - D isinform ation
1) Roswell: indisputable facts
Note: the parenthetical annotation (video) indicates that video testimonies are 
available
Summer 1947 - T he Roswell (New Mexico) base houses the only nuclear-armed 
bombers in the world. T he bombers still have propellers.
June 24 - Sighting of nine U FOs by American Kenneth Arnold T he news is broadcast 
throughout the world.
July 8 (morning), Roswell - T he base provides the local radio stations with information 
that would circle the globe: a flying disk had crashed on a ranch and the military personnel 
from the base recovered the debris (video).
July 8 (afternoon), Fort W orth (T exas) - General Ramey, C ommander of the 8th Air 
Force, who commands the base, announces to journalists that after examination of the 
debris, [it was determined that] they were from a weather balloon. He shows them some 
of the debris, which the journalists photograph. T he affair was buried for over thirty year.
1978 - Lieutenant C olonel Marcel (ER), an intelligence officer on the base in 1947 who 
recovered the debris, declares on television that the debris was definitely of 
extraterrestrial origin (video). T he debris that General Ramey had shown the journalists 
was not the debris that Marcel had brought him from Roswell.
American ufologists conduct numerous investigations and collect affidavits (sworn and 
notarized written statements) and filmed testimonies. Many witnesses state that in July 
1947, military personnel had threatened them with death if they talked (video). According 
to some testimonies, at some distance from the field of debris, the Army had found the 
frame of a sort of space glider and cadavers of small humanoids (video).
1991 -General du Bose [sic] (C R), who was General Ramey’s chief of staff in 1947, 
confirms by affidavit that the latter had substituted the debris from a weather balloon, 
which he had shown the journalists, for the debris sent by the Roswell base.
Beginning of 1994 - U .S. Representative Schiff (New Mexico) asks the D epartment of 
D efense (D oD ) for explanations regarding the affair. Not obtaining any, he requests that 
the General Accounting Office (GAO) conduct an inquiry into the manner in which the Air 
Force, primarily, had handled the documents relating to the Roswell crash.
September 1994 - T he Office of the Secretary of the Air Force publishes a report on 
Roswell: the debris found on the ranch cannot be from an aircraft or a missile. T hey are 
probably debris from a series of balloons from the secret Mogul project. T o protect the 
secret, General Ramey leads everyone to believe it is a weather balloon, the materials of 
which (essentially the shell and radar reflector) are the same. T he report shortens the 
affidavits of certain witnesses so that the strange debris that they describe appears to be 
debris from a Mogul balloon It does not mention the frame and attributes the “bona fide 
testimonies” regarding humanoids to "foggy memory/’


July 1995 - T he GAO report mentions the new Air Force version, and states:
- page 1, "T he debate on what actually happened at Roswell continues. ”
- page 2, ‘‘All of the base's administrative documents for the M arch 1945-December 
1949 period were destroyed, and all radio messages sent by the base from October 1946 
to February 1949 were destroyed. T he destruction report does not mention when, by 
whom, and on whose orders this destruction was carried out. ’’
T he GAO inquiry provided him with practically no documents of interest concerning 
the Roswell incident, despite his requests to numerous organizations (C IA, FBI, D oD , 
D oE, NSC , etc ).
Summer and fall of 1995 - A film of the autopsy of an alleged “humanoid cadaver _ in 
1947 is aired by about thirty television stations around the world. Its authenticity is 
questionable, but, above all, nothing in the film proves that the cadaver has even the 
slightest connection with the Roswell incident. T he hodgepodge is, however, made up in 
large part from written and televised press, thus making the Roswell affair look ridiculous. 
T he conclusions of the GAO and the videos of the principal witnesses presented by T F1 [a 
French television channel] go unnoticed, lost in the middle of the film of the autopsy.
1996 - T he film Independence Day and the [television] series X-Files make significant 
references to Roswell.
2) Opinions on Roswell
- V ery consistent interviews, affidavits, and video testimonies describe the discovery of 
material that no one knows how to make in our time: a thin sheet that looks like metal 
with very great resistance and that is so elastic that after it has been crumpled up into a 
ball, it spontaneously returns to its initial shape without the least sign of a residual fold
- It does seem that the crash occurred on July 4, Independence D ay, at around 2330 
hours. T he date and time symbolize American power, whence the following 
question [arises]: if the crash was in fact that of an extraterrestrial vessel, was it 
truly an accident or a was it a deliberate crash constituting a message and/or the 
authenticator?
3) Roswell and disinformation
T he disappearances of files and the Air Force’s clumsy attempts at explaining [the 
incident] show that U .S. military personnel are hiding something important that occurred 
at Roswell in July 1947, just as they concealed their experiments on the effects of 
plutonium on human beings T he hypothesis of an extraterrestrial vessel that is supported 
by quality testimonies cannot be dismissed.
T o protect the secret, the two main types of disinformation, reducing and amplifying, 
were used in the Roswell affair. One should note, however, that the dissemination of 
information and contradictory analyses - by ufologists, for example - may be a spill-over 
effect of this reducing disinformation is apparent in the Air Force report: testimonies on 
the debris have been cut down so as to give credence to the Mogul balloon hypothesis. It 
is also found, more subtly, in Roswell in Perspective, a book by “ufologist” Karl Pflock, a 
former C IA and D oD  employee: affidavits mentioning the tear-proof and crease-resistant 
material are given in full in an appendix, but they are ignored or cited only in shortened 
form in the text.
In France, sociologist Pierre Lagrange appears to be a victim of this simplified 
disinformation After having endeavored to put the Air Force report and the publications 
of Karl Pflock into perspective, he concluded:
'fl will] close with a bit of psychology. W hy do many people not believe in the


Roswell saucer like they believe in M ogul balloons or the V 2s? Because it reminds them 
too much of popular science fiction. As Bertrand M eheust emphasizes, the topic of the 
M artian craft that had the exquisite courtesy to crash in the vicinity of a military base 
comes under the heading of the technological imagination of the beginning of the 
century, just like the detail regarding the ultralight and ultraresistant materials that were 
used in its construction. ” (the journal Ovnipresence, February 1995).
T his is, on the whole, the simplistic theory concerning U FOs stated by French 
“sociopsychologists.” It can be refuted as follows: at the beginning of the century, 
popular science fiction described light rays capable of killing or healing. Nonetheless, 
military or medical lasers exist today.
Amplifying disinformation was manifested when the film on the autopsy of the “Roswell 
creature” was aired. In expanding the Roswell affair with this spectacular, but 
questionable, autopsy, some have succeeded in discrediting it and, especially, in covering 
up the publication of the GAO report and the dissemination of video testimonies. It is 
tempting to believe in a well-orchestrated manipulation.
4) Reducing disinform ation on U F Os
T he Air Force has practiced this from the onset, as has been revealed by the astronomer 
Hynek, who was an Air Force consultant from 1948 to 1966 and who described how he 
aided in trivializing numerous cases by giving them unjustified astronomical 
interpretations.
T he disinformation policy was intensified as a result of the recommendations of a 
“scientific” committee assembled by the C IA in D ecember 1952, the Robertson 
C ommittee, which suggested “stripping the U FO phenomenon of its aura of mystery. ” 
T he same committee recommended “monitoring’’ the ufological movements, which were 
infiltrated^ by the C IA mainly.
Several key figures have tried to nullify numerous important cases. Philip Klass, then 
editor of Aviation W eek and Space T echnology, took on, among others, three major 
aeronautical cases: Lakenheath in 1956, RB-47 in 1957, T ehran in 1976, which are 
described in C hapter 2. He is hardly convincing. In the T ehran case, for example, he 
correctly cites the testimonies at the beginning of his account, but doesn’t take certain 
aspects into account when he discusses them.
Reducing disinformation is effective on those who do not want to accept the possibility 
of the extraterrestrial hypothesis. Amplifying disinformation is aimed at others.
5) Am plifying disinform ation on U F Os
T his policy was probably implemented very early on; Adamski’s alleged contacts with a 
V enusian in 1952 no doubt fall into this category.
It has become considerably extensive since the resurgence of the Roswell affair at the 
end of the 70s. T he point of departure is the Bennewicz case. T his ufologist physicist 
recorded pulsed microwaves from a testing ground at Kirtland (New Mexico) Air Force 
base. He attributed them to U FOs exerting control over “abductees” (kidnapped humans) 
furnished with implants! Fearing, it seems, the publication of his recordings, the Air Force 
Office of Special Investigation (AFOSI) and, namely, its special agent D oty from the 
aforementioned air base, as well as, perhaps, other agencies, induced him to make fantastic 
“revelations”: there were numerous kidnappings, with the placement of implants to control 
the “abductees.” Furthermore, technology transfers were supposedly carried out on bases 
in New Mexico and Nevada jointly owned by the U .S. Army and extraterrestrials baptized 
EBEs, Extraterrestrial Biological Entities
Bennewicz disclosed this information to American saucerists, many of them thus being


increasingly cut off from the common opinion. John Lear, son of the aircraft builder, 
contributed on his part details that he had obtained from friends in the Air Force: the 
Nevada base is Groom Lake base, in “area 51” (Groom Lake does in fact exist, it is so 
secret that the Air Force does not recognize its existence; nevertheless, it is mentioned in 
the June 1996 issue of Jane's Defence W eekly). Later, a former Navy petty officer from 
the 2nd Marine D ivision, Bill C ooper, “revealed” that the C ouncil for Foreign Relations 
(C FR), which, according to him, governs the world through the Bilderberg [Group] and 
the T rilateral [C ommission], supposedly does so in close union with the EBEs...
Amplifying disinformation has probably permitted the protection of research on 
microwave weapons at Kirtland and on new types of aircraft at Groom Lake. It has 
certainly allowed the weapon of ridicule to be used against certain gullible ufologists.
Appendix 6  - The Long H istory of the U F O P henomenon - Elements of a 
C hronology
T he U FO phenomenon truly experienced worldwide dissemination as of pilot Kenneth 
Arnold’s sighting on June 24, 1947, in the area of Mount Rainier in the northwest U nited 
States. In reality, air phenomena that are still unexplained today are much older.
Before going further, it is interesting to note that between May and July of this same 
year, 850 different sightings were recorded across the U nited States and that in January 
an RAF Mosquito night fighter tried in vain to intercept a very rapid object detected by 
radars over the North Sea.
I n 1946 , phantom rockets overfly Sweden
From February to D ecember 1946, many witnesses sighted generally fusiform objects 
(occasionally resembling spheres or disks) flying most often horizontally in Swedish skies, 
in some cases leaving a luminous trail, but also capable of very suddenly ascending or 
descending.
C alled “ghost rockets,” these apparitions (close to a thousand were detected) 
considerably worried Scandinavian, British, and U .S. military authorities, who conducted 
investigations.
Although no debris was ever found (officially), it was long thought that it could have 
been a case of Soviet tests conducted with craft recovered in German factories. T his 
hypothesis has since been completely ruled out.
D uring W orld W ar I I , the “foo fighters”
From 1940 to 1945, numerous aviators sighted either swarms of red or green luminous 
balls several dozen centimeters in diameter or groups of small metal-looking disks that 
followed the aircraft or flew around them, giving the impression of intelligent behavior. 
Most often not detected by the radars of the time, they did not seem “material” in nature. 
In fact, some observers saw them touch the wings or the tail assemblies of the aircraft 
without causing any visible damage to them
First called “Kraut fireballs,” then “foo fighters” (probably in reference to a comic 
strip), they were reported in all theaters of operation as of the start of the war. T hey 
began to appear in number during the first major day bombings over Germany. T hey were 
also observed from the ground and were the subject of numerous reports as of June 1944.
T hese sightings were the cause of much concern to the Allied authorities, who believed 
them to be a secret German process in the beginning It became clearly apparent at the 
end of the war that it was nothing of the sort


It seems that, for their part, the German pilots had been persuaded that it was a case of 
a secret U .S. weapon. A board of inquiry reportedly was even created in Berlin to study 
the matter.
T he current explanation of electrical phenomena such as the Saint Elmo’s fires is not 
convincing because it does not take into account the diverse characteristics observed T he 
files relating to the “foo fighters” seem to have been subject to military secrecy at least 
until 1949.
Many other sightings concerning much larger, cigar-shaped, disk-shaped, or sphere­
shaped objects were recorded in both camps.
F rom 1880 to 1900, “airships” over the U nited States and G reat Britain
D uring these years, tens of thousands of witnesses sighted flying machines resembling 
modem dirigibles, which were not produced by factories until twenty years later. In most 
cases, it was a matter of fairly voluminous, fusiform, vessels equipped with powerful 
searchlights, often emitting engine sounds, and, in some cases, even seeming to have 
propellers.
In the U nited States, the majority of the sightings occurred between 1896 and 1897. 
Other cases were reported, particularly in Spain, Germany, Sweden, and Russia. A 
second wave [of sightings] occurred at the turn of the century in Great Britain.
T he explanation that comes immediately to mind is that of true dirigibles (and right 
away we think of craft of German origin). However, it has a hard time holding up to a 
thorough examination.
In actuality, in 1880, the technology of these craft was still in its infancy. It is true that 
C olonel Giffard did conduct an initial test in 1852 with an elongated balloon equipped 
with a very low-power steam engine T hen in 1885, Renard traveled several kilometers 
for the first time, overflying Paris with a dirigible equipped with an internal combustion 
engine, but it was still extremely slow and not very easy to fly.
In fact, the first truly efficient aircraft were subsequent to 1910, however, even the 
zeppeiins built during W orld W ar I far from possessed the characteristics observed by the 
witnesses to these phenomena
F rom G reco-Latin antiquity to the beginning of the industrial age
Human beings in all ages have sighted phenomena in the sky that they considered, 
rightly or wrongly, to be abnormal. It is true that our epoch naturally has a tendency to 
doubt the accuracy of ancient testimonies, and especially so the further back into the past 
we go.
D uring the first three quarters of the 19th century, chroniclers related several dozen 
sightings of spheres and luminous wheels resembling present-day U FOs. T he 18th century 
was marked by one strange case. Goethe recounts, in fact, that in his youth, in 1768, 
during a trip between Frankfort and Leipzig, he and two other witnesses saw a type of 
large luminous tube positioned on the ground, surrounded by a multitude of small, very 
bright, moving flames
In the 16th and 17th centuries, authors mentioned numerous sightings, not only in 
Europe but also in America and Japan Among these, a few hold our attention due to their 
spectacular appearance and the multitude of witnesses In the skies of Nuremberg, in 
April 1561, a large number of brightly colored spheres, disks, and “cigars” seemed to 
wage a sort of battle that left a profound mark on the population and caused the 
authorities great concern A spectacle of the same kind took place in August 1566 in 
Basel.


From the year one thousand to the year 1500, chroniclers mentioned various sightings 
of luminous spheres, wheels, lances, or bars moving more-or-less rapidly in the sky. T he 
monastery at D etchani, built in Yugoslavia between 1327 and 1335, is decorated with 
frescoes that represent angels enclosed in sorts of vessels flying in the sky.
(Even further back in time), during the reign of C harlemagne, it is reported that 
Agobard, Bishop of Lyons, succeeded in saving from the stake three men and one woman 
who had descended from an airship, claiming to be returning to earth after having been 
kidnapped by celestial beings who allegedly showed them wonders.
Elsewhere, luminous celestial phenomena similar to modem U FOs seem to have been 
relatively frequent in C hina and Japan, particularly in the Middle Ages.
Several other Latins, D ion C assius, Pliny the Elder, T itus Livy, Julius Obsequens, and 
even C icero relate the appearance of lights in the sky, glowing shields, multiple moons and 
suns, [and] golden flying spheres.
As for the testimonies reported by the Greek chroniclers, these are fewer in number. • 
D aimachos recounts that a globe of fire crossed the sky several times during the 78th 
Olympiad. Anaxagoras asserts that he saw celestial lights the size of a large beam. 
Appearances of beams and shields of fire are described several times, by Homer among 
others.
Appendix 7 - Reflections on V arious P sychological, Sociological, and P olitical 
Aspects of the U F O P henomenon
Note: these reflections apply primarily to the U nited States; many of them, however, 
can be transposed to other countries
A large number of Americans are convinced of the physical reality of U FOs, of their 
extraterrestrial origin, and of the fact that the U .S. government is systematically covering 
up the truth with lies and disinformation.
Most of the recent American works that have been published on the subject end with 
this conclusion, and almost all of them close with a demand for a partial or full lifting of 
the alleged secrecy. T he media frenzy surrounding the Roswell affair (cf. Appendix 5), 
which experienced a resurgence at the end of the 70s after a more than thirty-year 
blackout, and which has not ceased to go from new development to new development for 
15 years, is a typical illustration of this line of thought. By adm itting that the 
extraterrestrial hypothesis is the good one, the secret, say some, would be kept out of 
fear of panic reactions, which, they assure, would not fail to occur, as demonstrated by the 
unfortunate experience of the radio program "T he W ar of the W orlds” broadcast by 
Orson W elles in the U nited States in 1938 (only nine years prior to Roswell). T his 
explanation should not necessarily be rejected; however, it does seem a bit narrow. In 
fact, the roots of the matter probably go deeper, and the sociopsychological motivations 
seem to be more complex.
7.1 The U F O P aradox
W hile a majority of Americans seem to support the idea of the existence of intelligent 
extraterrestrial [beings], a very strong resistance remains in scientific circles, among 
leaders, and in most of the media to the idea that these entities, whatever they may be, 
have been able to or continue to visit our planet and travel our solar system
T he idea is ridiculed by much of the media At the same time, in this spirit, most


politicians and the vast majority of members of the intelligentsia state that humanity has 
better things to do than to chase such rainbows.
7.2 W hy this Resistance?
7.2.1 On the P art of Scientists (from Scientists)
Given an official attitude of contempt, and in view of the fear of being likened to the 
activists from “saucerist” sects and the “lunatic fringe,” the vast majority of scientists, 
even though they may be interested, quite obviously hesitate to tackle such a heretical 
problem and naturally do not wish to call their reputation, career, and the funding of their 
research into question (cf. Appendix 2, “Astronomers’ Sightings”). T his being the case, 
there appear, upon analysis, to be other, deeper reasons.
. A general school of thought has existed for close to two centuries that tends to dismiss 
the idea that terrestrial phenomena could be influenced from the outside.
At the start, this was a positive, rational, and creative reaction to ancient beliefs. 
C ompared with ancient times, modem science has, in fact, advanced by eliminating the 
gods. It would seem counterproductive and incongruous to bring them back in other 
forms.
T he idea prevails in almost all minds that man is master of the earth and, by extension, 
of the immediate cosmic vicinity, that .he is the best nature can produce in this small corner 
of the galaxy, and that he alone remains the controller of his destiny. V arious American 
philosophers have termed this concept "anthropocentric humanism. ”
T o admit that intelligent [beings], which are not only outside [our planet] but are also 
superior due to their scientific and technological knowledge, could have interfered or 
might continue to interfere in our affairs, in our domain, or in proximity to it, is considered 
by many to be frightening and unacceptable, because admitting it would cause the collapse 
of the framework of comfortable thoughts of anthropocentric humanism.
Moreover, in some disciplines such as physics, the risk run is to find oneself confronted 
with a science that is more advanced by several centuries, milleniums, or even more
Our own concepts could literally appear infantile, which would completely demobilize 
the researchers who employ them.
It is clear that under the hypothesis that the existence of U FOs of extraterrestrial origin 
is proven, there is a risk that not only the position of the intellectual authorities but, quite 
simply, the social position of the scientific elite would be considerably compromised. T his 
is, furthermore, what happened each time that groups or nations found themselves in 
contact with a more developed human civilization, with the notable exception of Japan in 
the Meiji period, which it would be advisable to look into.
One can understand that advancing knowledge of the U FO phenomenon, at the risk of 
succeeding, would not necessarily be a thrilling prospect for a number of scientists, who 
thus might not really want to lend a hand in this effort.
7.2.2 On the P art of P oliticians
7.2.2.1 W ith a few rare exceptions (President Jimmy C arter, Senator Barry M. 
Goldwater), the majority of politicians have almost always displayed a very skeptical and 
most often ironic attitude regarding the question. However, some have had a more 
positive attitude
T he best known allusions to the possible existence of extraterrestrials and to the


dangers that they might represent come from General MacArthur and President Ronald 
Reagan.
W hile he had already touched on the problem in 1955, in a conversation with the mayor 
of Naples, Achille Lauro, General MacArthur said in an address at W est Point Military 
Academy in 1962:
"Y ou now face a new world, a world of change. T he thrust into outer space... marks a 
beginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind... W e deal now, not with things 
of this world alone, but with the illimitable distances and as yet unfathomed mysteries of 
the universe... of ultimate conflict between a united human race and the sinister force of 
some other planetary galaxy. ”
[French translation of the quote from General MacArthur’s address]
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, for his part, revealed during a private discussion 
at the 1985 summit conference that President Reagan had told him that if earth had to 
confront an invasion by extraterrestrials, the U nited States and the Soviet U nion would 
join forces to repel that invasion.
In addition, at the end of a speech before the 42nd General Assembly of the U nited 
Nations on September 21, 1987, President Reagan affirmed:
"In our obsession with the antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much 
unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to 
make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences 
worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. ”
[French translation of the quote from President Reagan’s speech]
7.2.2.2 However, for political leaders, just as for scientists, to be officially interested in 
U FOs and extraterrestrials is firstly to risk ridicule before commentators and the media, 
who regularly use omission, destructive irony, and even lies.
7.2.2.3 But other elements should be taken into consideration. Although a significant 
number of U .S. citizens seem to accept the existence of U FOs of extraterrestrial origin, 
some political leaders might hesitate to call for resources to research this subject, because 
they might fear they would then be accused of incurring expenses for one of the most 
hazardous of subjects.
7.2.2.3.1 U nder these circumstances, if we advance the hypothesis that political 
leaders at the highest level in the U nited States possess unambiguous information 
attesting to that existence, their situation would be particularly uncomfortable. T he armed 
forces have officially reiterated for fifty years that this phenomenon does not threaten the 
security of the country, which does not mean that the phenomenon does not exist.
However, there have been disturbing sightings such as visits above secret installations 
and missile bases, intense electromagnetic effects, military aircraft shadowed (as in the 
RB-47 case) or the object of mock interceptions. In reality, faced with the impossibility of 
countering this type of threat, the authorities may have thus far been tempted to affirm 
that it does not exist.
In the absence of a direct threat, and even though there never truly was any attack in 
the past, the potential threat itself can appear overwhelming in the eyes of the authorities 
(and especially the military).
“T hey” come from the stars, “their” craft watch us and seem to taunt us, “they” have 
perhaps been on earth for thousands of years, and we don’t know “their” intentions 
“T heir” science and “their” technology, thus “their” power, are incomparably superior to


ours.
W ithout being completely disarmed, and even taking into account the enormous 
resources that we have on the earth and our obvious ability to learn quickly, we can only 
feel anxious in the face of “their” presence.
Bringing this out into the open by calling for the manpower and funds to conduct the 
necessary research is hard to visualize officially for the only superpower in the world.
7.2.2.3.2 T his is all the more true since, under the additional hypothesis that the 
U .S. armed forces actually already possess formal proof of this threat, for example, in the 
form of extraterrestrial ships that have crashed on the ground, intensive research on 
foreign technologies should have already commenced a long time ago under the cover of 
the highest level of secrecy.
As will be seen in 7.3.3, it would then be completely out of the question to divulge this 
type of information.
Indeed, revealing a situation as novel as it is upsetting too quickly would perhaps be 
running the risk of social upheavals, accompanied by panic, a demobilization of energies, a 
multiplication of millenialist sects, and a massive move of people to take refuge in 
religious fundamentalisms.
T he loss of trust in the leaders in power could even lead rapidly to their ousting.
Given such a problem, their normal reactions would obviously be to gain as much time 
as possible by continuing their denials, all the while continuing work in secret and 
fervently hoping that their successors will take on the responsibility when the reality 
becomes manifest.
7.3 U .S. Leaders and the P olitics of Secrecy
7.3.1 The U .S. Arm y and U F Os
T he U .S. Army has been directly confronted with the phenomenon since W orld W ar II. 
It seems to have been the only army to have officially broached the problem with 
considerable resources.
7.3.2 The Spill-Over Effect of the Study of U F Os
T he U .S. Army has, in actual fact, designed aircraft that exhibit the characteristics 
described by the most reliable witnesses. T he spill-overs are potentially considerable in 
the areas of propulsion, materials and structures, stealth technology, and weapons.
7.3.3 F inally, W hy the Secrecy?
W e are currently not aware of the extent of the knowledge that U .S. military personnel 
have gleaned from all of the studies that they have conducted on this subject either based 
on sightings or, as has sometimes been written, based on materials that have allegedly been 
recovered
W hatever the case, it is clear that the Pentagon has had, and probably still has, the 
greatest interest in concealing, as best as it can, all of this research, which may, over time, 
lead the U nited States to hold a position of great supremacy over terrestrial adversaries, 
while giving it a considerable response capacity against a possible threat coming from 
space


W ithin this context, it is impossible for them to divulge the sources of this research and 
the goals pursued, because that could immediately point any possible rivals down the most 
beneficial avenues. C over-ups and disinformation (both active as well as passive) would 
still remain, under this hypothesis, an absolute necessity.
T hus it would appear natural that in the minds of U .S. military leaders, secrecy must be 
maintained as long as possible.
Only increasing pressure from public opinion, possibly supported by the results of 
independent researchers, by more or less calculated disclosures, or by a sudden rise in 
U FO manifestations, might perhaps induce U .S. leaders and persons of authority to 
change their stance
It does not seem that we have arrived at that point yet.
G lossary
AF B Air Force Base
EM AA [French] Air Force C hief of Staff
AF OSI Air Force Office of Special Investigation
ENAC [French] National C ivil Aviation School
ALAA American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
ESO European Southern Observatory
Airm iss Name of the investigation procedure covering the risks of air collisions
ETC A [French] C entral T echnical Armaments Institution
ALAT [French] Army Air C orps
F OI A Freedom of Information Act
Blue Book Name of the U .S. Air Force study of U FOs
F U F OR Fund for U FO Research
C C D C harge-coupled device cameras
G AO General Accounting Office
C C OA [French] Air Operations C enter
G EP A [French] Aerospace Phenomena Study Group
C D C [French] C ontrol and D etection C enter
G EP AN [French] U nidentified Aerospace Phenomena Study Group
C EA [French] Atomic Energy C ommission
I H ED N [French] Institute for Advanced National D efense Studies
C EAT T oulouse Aeronautic T est C enter
I NRA [French] National Institute for Agronomic Research
C F R C ouncil for Foreign Relations
JANAP Joint Army Navy Air Force Publication
C H EAR [French] C enter for Advanced Armament Studies
M EG ASETI see SET I, which MEGASET I is an expansion of
C H  EM  [French] C enter for Advanced Military Studies
M H D MagnetoHydroD ynamics
C I A C entral Intelligence Agency
M OD [British] Ministry of D efence
C I D [French] Interarmy D efense C ollege
M U F ON Mutual U FO Network
C I RV IS C ommunications Instructions for Reporting V ital Intelligence Sightings
NASA National Aeronautic and Space Administration


C NES [French] National C enter for Space Studies
NORAD North American Air D efense
C NRS [French] National C enter for Scientific Research (National Space Agency)
NSC National Security C ouncil
C OD A [French] Air D efense Operations C enter
ON ERA [French] National Aerospace Study and Research Office
C OND ON Physicist at the U niversity of C olorado who signed the U FO report ordered by 
the U .S. Air Force
RAF [British] Royal Air Force
C RNA [French] Regional Air Navigation C enter
SEP RA [French] Atmospheric Reentry Phenomena Assessment D epartment
C U F OS C enter for U FO Research [sic]
SET Search for ExtraT errestrial Intelligence
D G A [French] General D elegation for Armaments
SI RP A [French] Armed Forces Information and Public Relations D epartment
D G AC [French] C ivil Aviation D irectorate
SP OC [French] Sky Observation Probe System
D I A D efense Intelligence Agency
STRI D A [French] Air D efense Information Processing C enter
D I C OD [French] D efense C ommunications D irectorate
U AP U nidentified Aerospace Phenomenon
D oD D epartment of D efense
U AP  D C ategory D  U nidentified Aerospace Phenomenon
D oE D epartment of Energy
U F O U nidentified Flying Object
EBE Extraterrestrial Biological Entity
V LT V ery Large T elescope
U F O, U nidentified Flying Object...
Since 1947, the subject has disturbed, fascinated, called out.
Oh how debated, the question has been studied with extreme meticulousness and from 
many points of view (scientific, technical, aeronautical, strategic, political, religious, 
media) by a French committee composed of former auditors of the very serious-minded 
Institut des Hautes Etudes de D efense Nationale [French Institute for Advanced National 
D efense Studies] and qualified experts from every background, C OMET A [C ommittee for 
In-D epth Studies],
For the first time, men, some of whom occupy very high positions, have agreed to write 
a report devoted entirely to the U FO problem in the belief that based on the knowledge 
that has been acquired to date, sufficient questions of national interest are raised for the 
C hief of State and the Prime Minister to be provided with this information.
In this report, C OMET A studies several unexplained French and foreign U FO cases.
V ery well documented, these sightings are often supported by traces on the ground or 
tracks confirmed by radar Are these secret terrestrial craft? In some cases, perhaps Are 
we in the presence of craft of nonterrestrial origin? T his hypothesis cannot be ruled out 
If it were to prove correct, it would be loaded with consequences for D efense.


Bibliographic
Parmi les nombreux livres et articles sur notre sujet, de valeur notoi- 
rement inegale, nous avons juge particuliirement interessant de citer 
les suivants:
C hapitre 2
Le cas radar/visuel de Lakenheath (GB)
• Edward U . C ondon et D aniel S. G ilm or
(Rapport C ondon) - Scientific Study of U nidentified Flying Objects - 
Bantam Books, New York, janvier 1969.
•James E M ac D onald
(U FOs au-dessus de Lakenheath en 1956) - Revue du G epa 
(Groupement d’etude de phenomenes aliens), mars 1974. (T raduction 
d’un article de la Flying Saucer Review, mars-avril 1970).
• G ordon D . Thayier
(“U FO encounter II - Sample case selected by the U FO subcom­
mittee of the AIAA : T he Lakenheath England radar/visual 
U FO C ase, August 13-14, 1956") - Astronautics and Aeronautics, 
septembre 1971.
• P hilip J. K lass
(“U FOs over England (Bentwaters and Lakenheath)") - U FOs 
explained - Random House, New York, decembre 1974 ; V intage 
Books, New York, septembre 1976.
• J. Allen H ynek
Nouveau rapport sur les ovnis-Bdfand,]'^ lu, 1979 — p. 154 sq.
(T raduction de T he H ynek U FO report - D ell Publishing C o Inc., 
New York, 1979).
L’avion RB-47 aux Etats-U nis
• Rapport C ondon, op. cit.
• Jam es E M ac D onald
("U FO encounter I - Sample case selected by the U FO sub­
committee of the AIAA : Air Force observations of an U nidentified 
Object in the South-C entral U .S., July 17,1957”) - Astronautia and 
Aeronautics, juillet 1971.
• P hilip J. K lass
(“T he famous RB-47 case”) - U FOs explained - op. cit.
• Brad Sparks
RB-47 electronic intelligence case calibrated scientific proofof U FOs - 
confidential copyrighted material, 1997.
Teheran
• P hilip J. K lass
(“U FOs over Iran”) - U FOs, T he public deceived - Prometheous 
Books, New York, 1977.
• Lawrence F awcett et Barry J. G reenwood
Clear Intent, the government coverup of the U FO experience - Prentice 
Hall Inc., N.J., 1984-p. 81 sq.
Russie
• “U FOs on Air D efence radars” - Rabochaya T ribuna, 19avril 1990. 
(T raduction anglaise par le U .S. Foreign Broadcast Information Service 
(FBIS), cite par D on Berliner, M arie G albraith et Antonio H unneus 
dans U nidentified Flying Objects Briefing Document-publication pri- 
vee, decembre 1995).
• C ompte rendu plus ddtailld de Particle de Rabochaya T ribuna 
par Boris C hourinov dans Ovnis en Russie - Guy T redaniel, 1995 
p. 230 sq.
C hapitre 3
U n cas de temoins m ultiples dans une base de m issiles russe
• D ossier ovni du KGB public en 1991 — revue AuraZ, n° 1, Moscou, 
mars 1993.
(C ite dans U nidentified Flying Objects Briefing Document - op. cit. ; 
et, de fa^on plus complete, dans Ovnis en Russie-op. cit. - p. 319 sq.).
C hapitre 6
Gepan, notes d’information et notes techniques :
• Notes d’information :
N° 1, "Observations de phenomenes atmospheriques 
anormaux en U RSS - Analyses statistiques”
N° 2, “Les Etudes de phenomenes aerospatiaux
non identifies aux U SA”, 1" partie
N° 3, “Les etudes de phenomenes aerospatiaux
non identifies aux U SA", 2' partie
N° 4, “Les etudes de phenomenes aerospatiaux
non identifies aux U SA", 3' partie
• Notes techniques:
N° 1, “Analyse du probleme de pre-traitement des donnees"
N° 2, “Etude comparative des r6sultats statistiques elementaires 
relatifs aux observations de phenomenes aerospatiaux non 
identifies”
N° 3, “Methodologic d’un probleme : principe et applications 
(methodologie, isocelie, information)”
N° 4, “Recherche statistique d’une typologie des descriptions de 
phenomenes aerospatiaux non identifies"
N° 5, compte rendu de I’enquete du Gepan 79/03
N° 6, enquete Gepan 79/07 : “A propos d’une disparition"
N° 7, enquete Gepan 79/05 : “A propos d’une rencontre"
N° 8, enquete Gepan 79/06
N° 9, “La magnetohydrodynamique, 1’etat de 1’art et la premiere 
experience probatoire”
N° 10, "Les phenomenes aerospatiaux non identifies et la 
psychologic de la perception"
N° 11, enquete Gepan 81/02
N° 12, enquetes Gepan 81/07 et 81/09
N° 13, “Recherche statistique d’une typologie identifiee, non 
identifiee"
N° 14, mini-enquetes en 1981 et 1982
N° 15, “Recherche de stereotype : dessine-moi un ovni"
N° 16, “Analyse d’une trace (cas de T rans-en-Provence)"
N° 17, “L’Amarante”
N° 18, “Systeme d’acquisition et d’analyse : le point sur 1’utili- 
sation des reseaux de diffraction”.
• Jean-C laude Bourret et Jean-Jacques V elasco
Ovnis, la science avance - Robert Laffont, 1993.
• D om inique W einstein
Rencontres dans le del - rapport pour le MU FON (Mutual U FO 
Network), 1996.
• Rapport C ondon - op. dt.
Appendix R : "Letter from general T wining to Commanding G eneral, 
Army Air Forces', 23 sept 1947.
-87-


C hapitre 7
P ropulsion M H D
• Jean-P ierre P etit
Lt mur du silence - Belin, 1983,
• “Recherciies pour un avion du futur” — T echniques avancies (pla- 
quenede i'Ecole nationale supirieure des techniques avancies), 1988.
• Jean-C laude Ribes et G uy M onnet
La vie extraterrrstrr - Larousse (coll. Esscnticls), 1990 (ipuisi).
• J.-C . Bonnet et J.-J. V elasco
(Historique des recherches sur la propulsion MHD  des navires et des 
aironefs) - Ovnis, la science avance - op. cir. - p. 171 sq.
• M ike Ross
“Rider on the shock wave" - New Scientist, 17 fivrier 1996.
P ropulsion par antigravite
• Nick C ook
“T urning science fiction into fact" - Janes Defence W eekly, 10 juin 
1996.
P ropulsion dans i’espace
• Eugene M allowe et G regory M adoff
Starflight H andbook - John W iley &  sons, 1989.
• Robert L. F orward et Joel D avis
M irror M atter -)o\in W iley &  sons, 1988.
• W . B. Scott (Edwards Air Force Base)
“U SAF Predicts Antimatter Propellants could be in use by early 
21“ century" - Aviation W eek and Space T echnology, 21 mars 1988.
P annes de voiture
• James M e C am pbell
“Self starting engines"-MU FON proceedings, 1983.
(Article risumi dans Ovnis, la science avance - op. cit-p. 181 sq.).
P aralysie de tdmoins
• K eith F lorig
“T he future battlefield, a blast of gigawatts” - T E E  spectrum, mars 1988.
• J.-C . Bourrct et J.-J. V elasco
Ovnis, la science avance - op. cit.-p. 185 sq.
C hapitre 8
• Rapport C ondon - op. cit.
• Lawrence F awcett et Barry G reenwood
Clear Intent - op. cit.
• D on Berliner, M arie G albraith, Antonio H unneus
U nidentified Flying Objects Briefing Document - publication privie, 
decembre 1995.
• C ol. P hilip J. C orso (ret)
T he day afier Roswell - Pocket Books, 1997.
• Headquarters U nited States Air Force
T he Roswell report, case closed - 1997.
• Nick P ope
Open Skies, Closed M inds - Pocket Books, 1997.
• Tim othy G ood
Above top secret - Harper C ollins, Londres, 1993.
(Public initialement chez Sidgwick et Jackson Ltd, 1987).
• V . M igouline
Les phinomines adrospatiaux non identifies a 1’^tudc en U RSS” - 
La Recherche, juillet 1979.
C hapitre 13
(1) La Bible, livre d’Ezichiel, 1 4-14 er 15-28.
(2) Abed Azrif, L'lpople de G ilgamesh -LA. Ber International (Paris), 
1979-p. 143:
“(...) Lorsque les grands dieux creerent les hommes, e'est la mart qu'ils leur 
destinerent et ils ont garde pour eux la vie etemelle (...) “(C ommentaires 
in Jean Bortero, Babylone et la Bible - Ed. Les Belles Lettres (Paris), 
1994).
(3) La Bible, livre de la Genese, V I 1-4 :
“Lorsque les hommes eurent commencl a se multiplier sur la face de la 
terre, et que des fillet leur furent nles (...), les fils de Dieu virent que 
lesfilles des hommes itaient belles, et ils en prirentpourfemmesparmi 
toutes cedes qu'ils choisirent. (...) Alon I'E temeldit: • M on E sprit ne 
restera pas toujoun dans 1'homme, car I'homme nest que chair, et ses 
joun seront de cent vingt arts. » (...) Les geants itaient sur la terre en 
ces temps-lii. Il en fut de meme apres que les fils de Dieu furent venus 
avec lesfilles des hommes et qu’elles leur eurent donnides enfants; ce 
sont ces hiros qui furent fameux dans T antiquitL “
(C f. igalement : livre de la Genise, X IV  5, Nombres, X III 32-33, 
D cutironome, II 10-11).
(4) La Bible: E crits intertestamentaires- Gallimard, la Pl& de (Paris), 
1987:
Livre des secrets d’Hinoch :
V I 1 -2 : “Il arriva que lonque les humains se furent multiplies, il leur 
naquit des filles fraiches et jolies. Les anges, fils du ciek les regardbrent et 
les desirbrent.
IL se dirent T un a I'autre : « Adons nous choisir des femmes parmi les 
humains et engendrons-nous des enfants. (...)“ “
V I 6: 7Zr Itaient en tout deux cents. (...)“
V II 1 -2: “(...) ils leur enseignerent les drogues, les charmes, la botanique 
et ils leur monrrerrnt les herbes. Les femmes confurrnt et engendrerent 
des geants (...)"
V III 1-3 : “Azaci apprit aux hommes a fabriquer des Specs, des armes, 
des bouclien, des cuirasses, choses enseign/es par les anges. Il leur montra 
les mltaux et la maniere de les travailler, ainsi que les bracelets, lesparurrs, 
lantimoine, lefit rd des paupieres, toutes sortes de pierres prM euses et les 
teinturts. Il en risulta unegrande impiM  Les hommes se dibauchirent, 
segarerent et se perdirent dans toutes les voies. ’
X  10: “(...) leurs pbres n'obtiendront rien dr ce qu'ils ont demands pour 
eux-memes et pour eux, alors qu'ils esperaient pour eux-memes une vie 
Stemelle et pour chacun de leurs fils cinq cents annies de vie." 
(C f. fgalement le livre des Jubilis : V  1-5 : meme ricit).
(5) G . P authier, Les Livres sacris de I’Orient (p.e. Le C hou-King ou 
le Livre Sacrf Part. Ill, C h. X -2) - Ed. Au Bureau du Pantheon 
Littiraire (Paris), 1852.
(6) Arnold Toynbee, La civilisation a I'epreuve, Gallimard (Paris) 1951 
- p. 89.
(7) cf. les Immortels, D ieux, fils et filles des D ieux, Hiros, T itans et 
Giants chez Hisiode, Homere, V irgile, Pline, Hirodote, Plutarque, 
etc., igalement les reprisentations divines et colossales de Memnon, 
de Karnak, d'Hermonthis, d’Abou-Simbel et le Sphinx de Ghizeh, 
les colosses de file de Paques, les giants de Bamyan en Afghanistan, 
ceux de Ninive et de Khorsabad ; les Hrimthursars des Eddas scan- 
dinaves, le giant Skrymer combattu par T hor, etc.
(8) P eter Lawrence, Le cube du cargo - Fayard (Paris), 1974. (Le pre­
mier dibarquement de marchandises d’un avion-cargo frappa forte- 
ment 1’esprit des Papous, au point qu’ils instaurirent le “cuke du 
cargo”, dispensateur de richesses, bien qu’ils se soient, par la suite, 
accoutumis aux produits occidentaux et aux vols des avions).
(9) Arnold Toynbee - op. cit - p. 88 : Al-Gabrati.
-88-


(10) G . P authier- <y. at “M anava-D harma-Sastra ou Lois de M anou, 
com prenant les institutions religieuses et civiles des I ndiens", p. 331 
et s.: 'Zz nom de M anou rapprochd (...) de crux de M inh et de M inos, 
appartient 4 chacun da sept personnaga divins qui, suivant la idles da 
Indiens, ont succarivement gouvernl le monde. ‘
(11) “M ais qui a d&ouvert 1'Antarctique T  - La Recherche, n° 16 1, 
d&em brc 1984.
(cf. aussi C harles H apgood - La carta da ancient rois da men - Ed. 
du Rocher (M onaco), 1981 - p. 85 et s.
(12) La Bible: E crits intertestamentaira - op. cit.
Livre des secrets d’H lnoch :
X 2 : ‘Ordonne-lui en M on nom de se cachet a annonce-lui que la fin 
atproche: toute la terre va plrir, un dlluge va arriver sur toute la terrt 
et dltruire tout ce quelle parte.'
X 7 : ‘La terre quo la anga ont souillle sens assainie. Annonce la gul- 
rison de la terrt: on guirira sa plaie, et tout la humains ne pdrirontpas 
it cause de tout k mystire meurtrier que la V eilleurs ont enseignl it leurs 
fib.’
XI I 6 : “(...) ilspleureront laperte de leunfils, ib suppberont Itemelle- 
ment, mais il n’y aura pour eux nipitil ni paix.*
Livre des Jubilis:
V  6 -11 : ‘Lapunition da anga a da giants (...)“
V I I 20-25 : ‘(...) lorsque la V eilleun s'lcartirent de lordonnance qui la 
rlgissait pourfitrniquer avec la filla da homma, se prirent da fimma 
parmi touta cella quilt avaient choisia, provoquirent le dlbut de U m- 
puret!, engendrirent dafib, la Nephilim qui Itaient tout difftrents et se 
dlvoraient la uns la autra (...) ’
(13) G raham G reene - U n Amdricain bien tnanquille - Ed. Robert 
Laffont (P aris) 1956 .
ANNS& 2
• Brad Steiger
“U n rapport du projet G rudge : entretiens du P r H ynek avec des 
astronom es” —  Ovnis: leprojet Blue Book - Belfond, 1979. p. 178 sq.
• Allen J. H ynek
Nouveau rapport sur la ovnis - op. cit. p. 27 sq.
• P eter A. Sturrock
“Report on a Survey of the M embership of the Am erican Astronom ical 
Society C oncerning the U F O problem" - Rapport n* 681 - I nstitute 
for P lasma Research, Standford U niversity, C A, janvier 1977.
A nnexe 3
• J.-C . Ribes et G . M onnet
La vie extraterrtstre - op. cit
A nnexe!
•O’Neill
La villa de l’espace - Laffont, 1978.
• Andri Lebeau
L'espace en heritage - Odile Jacob, 1986 .
• P aine et aL (National C om mision on Space)
Pioneering the Space Frontier- Bantam Books, 1986 .
• J.-C . Ribes et G . M onnet
La vie extnaterrestre - op. cit
° Thierry G audin et al.
210 0 , rlcit du prochain stick - P ayot, 1990.
• Jean-C laude Bourret et Jean-Jacques V llasco
Ovnis, la science avance - op. cit.
ANNEX E-5
Roswell
• W illiam M oore
T he Roswell incident - G .P . P utman & sons, U SA, 1980.
(En fran^ais : Le mystire de Roswell - F rance Empire, 1981).
• K evin D . Randle
1) U FO crash at Roswell - Avon Books, U SA, 1991 (en coll, avec 
D onald R Schm itt).
2) T he T ruth about the U FO crash at Roswell - Evans, U SA. 1994.
3) Roswell U FO crash update - G lobal C omm ., U SA, 1995.
•K arlP flock
Roswell in perspective - F und for U F O Research I nc, W ashington D C , 
1994.
(P eu objectif, m ais intiressant par les affidavits en annexe).
• Richard L W eaver, C ol. de I ’U SAF
Report on Air Force Research regarding the 'Roswell Incident'- 
juiU et 1994.
• U nited States G eneral Accounting Office.
“Report to the H onorable Steven H . Schiff, H ouse of Representatives. 
G overnm ent Records: « Results of a Search for Records C oncerning 
the 1947 C rash Near Roswell, New M exico »." — juillet 1995.
• C halne de tilivision anglaise C hannel F our
Enregistrements vidio de timoignages sur le crash de Roswell, la plu- 
part provenant du F und for U F O Research (“Roswell Recollections, 
pan I I ", 1992)
D isinformation riductrice
•K arlP flock
Roswell in Perspective - op. cit.
• Rapport C ondon
Appendix U  : Report of m eetings of Scientific Advisory P anel on 
U nidentified H ying Objects (Robertson P anel) - 14-18 january 1953 
-op. lit -p. 905 sq.
• Allen J. H ynek
La objets volants non identifies - Belfond, 1974.
(Traduit de T he U FO E xperience, a scientific enquiry - 1972).
D isinform ation am plifiante
• M ilton W illiam C ooper
The Secret G overnm ent; The Origin, I dentity, and P urpose of M .J.12 
- F ullerton, C A - The Author, 23 m ai 1989, 25 p.
• Jerom e C lark
(“U F O in the 80s") - T he U FO encyclopedia - Om nigraphics I nc., 
D etroit, 1990.
Annexe
• D on Berliner, M arie G albraith, Antonio H uneetu
U nidentified Flying Objects briefing document - T he bat availabk 
evidence-CM OS, F U F OR, M U F ON, 1995.
• M ichel Bougard et alter
Da soucoupa volanta aux ovnis - Editions SOBEP S, 1976 .
-89-


U FO, U nidentified Flying Object...
Since 1947, the subject has disturbed, fascinated, called out.
Oh how debated, the question has been studied with extreme meticulousness and 
from many points of view (scientific, technical, aeronautical, strategic, political, 
religious, media) by a French committee composed of former auditors of the very 
serious-minded Institut des Hautes Etudes de D efense Nationale [French Institute 
for Advanced National D efense Studies] and qualified experts from every 
background, C OMET A [C ommittee for In-D epth Studies].
For the first time, men, some of whom occupy very high positions, have agreed to 
write a report devoted entirely to the U FO problem in the belief that based on the 
knowledge that has been acquired to date, sufficient questions of national interest 
are raised for the C hief of State and the Prime Minister to be provided with this 
information.
In this report, C OMET A studies several unexplained French and foreign U FO 
D ases.
V ery well documented, these sightings are often supported by traces on the 
ground or tracks confirmed by radar. Are these secret terrestrial craft? In some 
cases, perhaps. Are we in the presence of craft of nonterrestrial origin? T his 
lypothesis cannot be ruled out. If it were to prove correct, it would be loaded with 
consequences for D efense.


Saturd ay 17 June 20 00
New Frontiers
U FO ’s once the 
preserve of the purely 
paranoid are now 
being taken seriously. 
Astronauts, G enerals 
and a number of 
influential scientists 
are hammering away 
at the crust of 
international 
scepticism. LE SLIE 
K E AN explains why a 
study by the French 
military may finally 
make governments sit 
up and take notice.
T
HE release in April of the first 
detailed satellite images of Area 
51, the top-secret Air Force lest 
site in Nevada, prompted a web­
site meltdown as people from 
around the world searched for 
clues about unidentified flying objects.
“T he interest has been really phenomenal,” 
said D avid Mountain, marketing director for 
Aerial Images, Inc which posted the high 
resolution aerial photos of Area 51 on the 
Internet. But those hoping to see signs of 
something extraordinary were destined to be 
disappointed. Most of Area 51s operations
occur underground, making photos 
meaningless. Anyone looking for the fresh 
information on U FOs would have better luck 
trying a new, but less publicized source: by the 
French military, just translated into English. 
High level officials — including retired 
generals from the French Institute of Higher 
Studies for National D efense, a government- 
funded strategic planning agency — recently 
took a giant step in openly challenging 
skepticism about U FOs. In a report based on a 
three year study, they concluded that, 
"numerous manifestations observed by 
reliable witnesses could be the work of craft of
extra-terrestrial origin” and that, in fact, the 
best explanation is “the extraterrestrial 
hypothesis." Although not categorically 
proven, “strong presumptions exist in its favor 
and if it is correct, it is loaded with significant 
consequences.”
T he French group reached that conclusion 
after examining nearly 500 detailed 
international aeronautical sightings and 
radar/visual cases, and previously undisclosed 
pilots’ reports. T hey drew on data from official 
sources, government authorities, and the Air 
Forces of different countries. T he findings are 
contained in a 90-page report titled, “U FOs
and D efense: W hat Should W e Prepare For?,” 
published in France by the magazine V SD .
T he mechanics of a
MYSTER Y
“T he number of sightings, which are 
completely unexplained despite the abundance 
and quality of data from them, is growing 
throughout the world,” the team declared. T he 
authors note that about 5 percent of sightings 
on which there is solid documentation cannot 
be easily attributed to earthly sources, such as 
secret military exercises - especially since
unexplained objects have been reported since 
1944. T he rest “seem to be completely 
unknown flying machines with exceptional 
performances that arc guided by a natural or 
artificial intelligence,” they say. Science has 
developed plausible models for travel from 
another solar system and for technology which 
could be used to propel the vehicles, the report 
says.
It assures readers that U FOs have 
demonstrated no hostile acts, “although 
intimidation maneuvers have been 
confirmed.”
Given the widespread scepticism about
□ Irish  In d ep en d en t
W EEKEND
Saturd ay 17 June 2.qoo
12


U FOs, many will quickly dismiss the generals’ 
ET  hypothesis. But it is less easy to do so once 
the authors’ credentials are considered. T he 
study’s originators are four-star General 
Bernard Norlain, former commander of the 
French T actical Air Force and military 
counselor to the prime minister; General D enis 
Letty. an air force fighter pilot; and Andre 
Lebeau, former head of the National C enter 
for Space Studies (the French equivalent of 
NASA in the U nited States.)
T hey formed a I2-member “C ommittee for 
In-depth Studies,” abbreviated as C OMET A, 
which authored the report. T hree-star Admiral
Marc Merlo, national chief of police D enis 
Blancher and Jean-Jacques V elasco, head of a 
government agency studying U FOs, as well as 
scientists and weapons engineers, were also 
contributors. Not only does the group stand by 
its findings, it is urging international action.
T he writers recommend that France 
establish “sectorial cooperation agreements 
with interested European and foreign 
countries” on the matter of U FOs. T hey 
suggest that the European U nion undertake 
diplomatic action with the U nited States 
“exerting useful pressure to clarify this crucial 
issue which must fall within the scope of


Saturd ay 17 June 20 00
New Frontiers
•*
political and strategic alliances." W hy 
might other nations be inclined to take 
this subject seriously? For one thing, 
declassified U S government documents 
show that unexplained objects with 
extraordinary technical capabilities pose 
challenges to military activity around the 
globe.
For example, U S fighter jets have been 
scrambled to pursue U FOs, according to 
North American Aerospace D efense 
C ommand logs and U S Air Force 
documents. Iranian and Peruvian Air 
Force planes attempted to shoot down 
unexplained objects during air 
encounters in 1976 and 1980, and 
Belgian F-16’s equipped with 
automatically guided missiles pursued 
U FO’s in 1990. Further, the French 
report says that there have been “visits 
above secret installations and missile 
bases" and “military aircraft shadowed" 
in the U S. D r. Edgar Mitchell, the Apollo 
14 astronaut who was the sixth man to 
walk on the moon, is one of many 
supporters of international cooperation 
on U FOs. Of the French report, he says,
“It’s significant that individuals of 
some standing in the government, 
military and intelligence community in 
France came forth with this.” Mitchell, 
who holds a doctor of science degree 
from the prestigious Massachusetts 
Institute of T echnology, is convinced “at 
a confidence level above 90pc, that there 
is reality to ail of this.” He adds, “People 
have been digging through the files and 
investigating for years now. T he files are 
quite convincing. T he only thing that’s 
lacking is the official stamp." He joins 
five-star Admiral Lord Hill-Norton, the 
former head of the British Ministry of 
D efense, in calling for U S congressional 
fact-finding hearings into the U FO 
question. Hearings would include 
testimony by government witnesses from 
the Air Force, Army, Navy, NASA, 
private industry and intelligence 
operations with personal, first-hand 
knowledge of U FO phenomena and 
related projects.
T he astronaut amd
THE INV ESTIGATIO N
D espite the fact that Mitchell is a 
national hero and has been honoured with the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the U SN 
D istinguished Service Medal and the NASA 
D istinguished Service Medal, his request for an 
investigation has been ignored by U .S. 
officials.
Nonetheless, the public’s interest in U FOs is 
undiminished. A ballot initiative underway in 
the U S state of Missouri, and certified by the 
secretary of state in March, urges C ongress to 
convene hearings. T he initiative states that “the 
Federal Government’s handling of the U FO 
issue has contributed to the public cynicism 
toward, and general mistrust of. government.” 
U S Naval Reserve C ommander W illard H. 
Miller has been communicating this same 
concern to high level officials for a number of 
years. W ith over 30 years in Navy and Joint 
Interagency operations with the U S D efense 
D epartment. Miller has participated in a series 
of previously undisclosed briefings for 
Pentagon brass about military policy regarding 
U FOs.
Like many, he says he worries that the 
military’s lack of preparation for encounters 
with unexplained craft could provoke a 
dangerous confrontation when, and if, such an 
encounter occurs; “precipitous military 
decisions.” he warns, “may lead to 
unnecessary confusion, misapplication of 
forces. or possible catastrophic 
consequences.”
And he says he is not alone in his concerns. 
“T here are those in high places in the
government who share a growing interest in 
this subject," Miller reports.
Miller retired in 1994 from active duty on 
the C urrent Operations Staff (J3) of U .S. 
Atlantic C ommand, Norfolk, V irginia where he 
worked operations, intelligence, and special 
contingency issues. In a February, 2000 
confidential memo prepared for this reporter, 
he spelled out the details of meetings with 
named officials - including the D irector of the 
D efense Intelligence Agency, an Admiral on 
the Joint Staff, and the U .S. Atlantic 
C ommand’s D irector for Intelligence - between 
1989 and 2000.
Miller concurs with the C OMET A ’s 
observation that there is no evidence of 
hostility from U FOs “T he only threat to the 
national security of the U nited States is the 
continued denial of undeniable physical U FO 
occurrences and sightings to a public growing 
increasingly frustrated with its government’s 
weak explanations,” Miller says.
Air Force Regulation 200-2, “U nidentified 
Flying Objects Reporting," prohibits the 
release to the public and the media any data 
about “those objects which are not 
explainable” while allowing disclosure only of 
the U FOs that have been identified as “familiar 
objects.”
An even more restrictive procedure is 
outlined in the Joint Army Navy Air Force 
Publication 146, which provides 
communications instructions for reporting 
sightings relevant to U S security. Anyone
“If we persist in 
refusing to recognize 
the existence of the 
U FOs, we will end 
up, one fine day, by 
mistaking them for 
the guided missiles 
of an enemy - and 
the worst will be
under its jurisdiction disclosing reports 
without authorization is subject to prosecution 
under the Espionage Act.
Even the President of the U nited States 
recently had trouble accessing information on 
the subject. In 1995, philanthropist Laurence 
Rockefeller provided U FO briefing materials 
to President C linton, Hillary C linton, and 
Presidential science advisor Jack Gibbons 
while they spent a weekend at Rockefellers’ 
W yoming ranch. C linton then instructed 
Associate Attorney General at the Justice 
D epartment, W ebster Hubbell, to investigate 
the existence of U FOs, as disclosed by Hubbell 
in his book, Friends in H igh Places. D espite 
this request from the C ommander in C hief, 
Hubbell was unable to obtain information on
FRE AK ING  SILE NCE : U S Naval 
Reserve Commander W illard H . M iller 
worries that the military‘s lack of 
preparation for encounters with 
unexplained craft could provoke 
confrontation. Ixslie G eneral Norlain 
forcing the establishment to think 
again about those lights in the sky. 
Pictures courtesy of Rcrnard T houanel 
V SD photo archives.
the subject.
T he d ecad es of
DISTR UST
In earlier decades, issues that remain 
pertinent today were openly discussed. In 
1960, for example, U S Representative 
Leonard G. W olf of Iowa entered an “urgent 
warning” from R.E.
Hillenkoctter, a former C IA D irector and 
Navy vice admiral, into the C ongressional 
Record that ‘certain dangers arc linked with 
unidentified flying objects.” W olf cited Gen. 
L.M. C hassin, NAT O coordinator of Allied 
Air Service, warning that “If we persist in 
refusing to recognize tlie existence of the 
U FOs, we will end up, one fine day. by 
mistaking them for the guided missiles of an 
enemy - and tltc worst will be upon us."
T hese concerns were taken seriously 
enough to lx: incorporated into the 1971 
"Agreement on Measures to Reduce the 
Outbreak of Nuclear W ar" between the U S 
and the Soviet U nion. T he treaty states that 
the two countries will “notify each other 
immediately in the event of detection by 
missile warning systems of unidentified 
objects...if such occurrences could create a 
risk of outbreak of nuclear war between die 
two countries.”
T he French report may open the door for 
nations to be more forthcoming once again. 
C hile, for example, is openly addressing it’s 
own concerns about air safety and U FOs. T he 
now retired C hief of the C hilean Air Force 
has formed a committee with civil aviation 
experts to study recent near collisions 
between U FOs and civilian airliners.
As die international conversation about 
U FOs unfolds, 
sightings continue, 
as they have for 
decades. Perhaps 
the most notable 
recent U S sighting 
took place in 
March 1997. 
Hundreds of 
people across the 
state of Arizona 
reported seeing 
huge triangular 
objects, hovering 
silendy in the night 
sky - a sighting 
that, as the state’s 
Senator John 
McC ain noted 
recently, has 
“never been fully 
explained."
As recently as 
Jan. 5,2000, four policemen at different locations in 
St. C laire C ounty, Illinois, witnessed a huge, 
brightly lighted, triangular craft flying and hovering 
at 1000 feet. One officer reported witnessing 
extreme rapid motion by die craft that cannot be 
explained in conventional terms. Nearby Scott Air 
Force base and the FAA purport to know nothing.
T he French Institute of Higher Studies for 
National D efense and the National C enter for 
Space Studies remain several steps ahead of the 
U nited States military and NASA. Perhaps the 
report by the bold French generals -- with its goal 
of "stripping the phenomenon of U FOs of its 
irrational layer” — will be a catalyst for authorities 
around the world to publicly examine the issue of 
U FOs in a new light. ■
14


Pilot encounters with U FOs
Study challenges secrecy (and denial)
LESLIE KEAN___________
SAN FRANCISCO
AC K IN JANUAR Y. Agence 
France P resse reported that a 
Sib erian airport was shut for 1Z
hours while a luminescent unid enti­
fied flying ob ject hovered ab ove its 
runway. Although it’s hard  to imagine 
such an event taking place in the in­
d ustrialized  United  States, a compel­
ling O ctob er 20 0 0 stud y b y a retired  
aerospace scientist from NASA-Ames 
R esearch C enter shows that similar in­
cid ents have occurred in America i 
skies over the last 50 years. “Aviation 
Safety in America — A P reviously Ne­
glected Factor” presents more than 
10 0 pilot and  crew reports of encoun­
ters with unid entified  aerial phenome­
na (UAP ) that appear to have compro­
mised  aviation safety.
Author R ichard  F. Haines, formerly 
NASA’s chief of the Space Human 
Factors O ffice and a R aytheon con­
tract scientist, is chief scientist for the 
National Aviation R eporting C enter 
on Anomalous P henomena (NAR - 
C AP ), a research organization found ­
ed  last year. In stunning d etail, pilots 
and  crew d escrib e a range of geomet­
ric forms and  lights inconsistent with 
known aircraft or natural phenomena. 
Bizarre ob jects paced  aircraft at rela­
tively near d istances, sometimes d is­
ab ling cockpit instruments, interrupt­
ing ground communications, or d is­
tracting the crew.
The d ata includ e 56 near-misses. 
Impulsive responses b y pilots to an ap­
proaching high-speed ob ject can b e 
hazard ous; in a few cases, such vio­
lent evasive reactions injured  passen­
gers and flight attend ants. However, 
Haines states that there is no threat of 
a collision caused d irectly b y UAP  
“b ecause of the re-ported  high d egree 
of maneuverab ility shown b y the 
UAP .” W hile flying over Lake Michi­
gan in 1981, TW A C apt. P hil Schultz 
saw a "large, round , silver metal ob ­
ject” with d ark portholes equally 
spaced  around  the circumference that 
"d escend ed  into the atmosphere from 
ab ove,” accord ing to his hand -written 
report. Schultz and his first officer 
b raced  themselves for a mid -air colli­
sion; the ob ject sud d enly mad e a high­
speed  turn and  d eparted .
V eteran Japan Airlines 747 C apt. 
Kenju Terauchi reported  a spectacular 
prolonged encounter over Alaska in 
1986. “Most unexpected ly, two space 
ships stopped in front of our face, 
shooting off lights," he said . "The 
insid e cockpit shined  b rightly and  1 felt 
warm in the face." Despite the Fed eral 
Aviation Ad ministration’s d etermina­
tion that he and  his crew were stab le, 
competent and professional, he was 
ground ed  for speaking out.
In 1997, a Swissair Boeing 747 over 
Long Island just missed a glowing, 
white, cylind rical ob ject speed ing to­
ward  the plane. Accord ing to an FAA 
C ivil Aviation Security O ffice memo­
rand um, pilot P hilip Bob et said  that “if 
the ob ject was any lower, it may have 
hit the right wing."
Ground -systems operators have 
also b een affected  b y UAP . "The ele­
ment of surprise means a d ecrease in 
safety b ecause it d iverts the attention 
of air-traffic controllers that should  b e 
focused  on land ing planes. That is a 
d anger,” says Jim McC lenahen, a 
recently retired  FAA air-traffic-control 
specialist and NAR C AP technical 
ad viser. "Aviation Safety in America” 
d oes not attempt to explain the origin 
of these mysterious ob jects. But 
Haines writes that hund red s of 
reports, some d ating b ack to the 
1940 s, “suggest that they |UAP s| are 
associated  with a very high d egree of 
intelligence, d elib erate flight control, 
and  ad vanced  energy management.”
In the 1950s, pilots and  crews reported  
seeing flying d iscs, cigar-shaped  craft 
with portholes, and  gyrating lights, all 
with extraord inary technical capab ili­
ties. Documents show the unexplained  
ob jects were consid ered  a national se­
curity concern. By ord er of the Joint 
C hiefs of Staff, commercial pilot.-, were 
required  to report sightings and  the un­
authorized release of a UFO  report 
could  cost them 10  years in prison or a 
$10 ,0 0 0  fine.
To keep this information from the 
pub lic, officials rid iculed and d e­
b unked  legitimate sightings, angering 
some pilots. Accord ing to the Newark 
Star Led ger in 1958, more than 50 
commercial pilots who had reported  
sightings, each with at least 15 years of 
major airline experience, b lasted the 
censorship policy and  d enials as "b or­
d ering on the ab solutely rid iculous."
J1ie.se pilots said they were interro­
gated  b y the Air Force, sometimes all 
night long, and then “treated like in­
competents and  told  to keep quiet," ac­
cord ing to one pilot. “Tlie Air Force tells 
you that the thing that paced  your plane 
for 15 minutes was a mirage or a b olt of 
lightening," he told the Star-Led ger. 
"Nuts to that. W ho need s it?" Asa result, 
many pilots "forget" to report theirsight- 
ings at all, one pilot said .
Accord ing to a 1952 Air Force Sta­
tus R eport on UFO s for the Air Techni­
cal Intelligence C enter, pilots were so 
humiliated  that one told  investigators, 
“If a space ship flew wing-tip to wing­
tip formation with me, I would not 
report it.” The vast majority of sight­
ings b y American pilots are still not 
reported . The med ia perpetuate the 
censorship and  rid icule, hand icapping 
the collection of valuab le d ata.
In contrast, other countries are 
openly investigating the impact of 
UAP  on aviation safely. A 1999 French 
stud y b y retired generals from the 
French Institute of Higher Stud ies for 
National Defense and a government 
agency with the National C enter for 
Space Stud ies examined  hund red s of 
well-d ocumented pilot reports from 
around  the world . The stud y could  not 
explain a 1994 Air France viewing of a 
UAP  that instantaneously d isappeared  
as confirmed b y rad ar and a 1995 
Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 727 
encounter with a luminous ob ject that 
extinguished airport lights as the 
plane attempted  to land .
“Aeronautic personnel must b e 
sensitized  and prepared to d eal with 
the situation," the report states. They 
must first “accept the possib ility of the 
presence of extraterrestrial craft in 
our sky.” Then, “it is necessary to over­
come the fear of rid icule."
T hursday. May3.2ooi
in 1997, the C hilean government 
formed  the C ommittee for the Stud y of 
Anomalous Aerial P henomena (C E- 
FAA) following pub licly acknowl­
ed ged  ob servations of unid entified  fly­
ing ob jects at a remote C hilean air­
port. Both the French group and  Gen. 
R icard o Bermud ez Sanhuesa, presi­
d ent of the C EFAA, have mad e over­
tures to the U.S. government for coop­
eration on this issue, with no response. 
General Bermud ez, and Air Force 
Gen. Denis Letty, chairman of the 
French group, said in recent inter­
views that the Haines stud y has inter­
national significance and should b e 
taken seriously.
Brian E. Smith, current head  of the 
Aviation Safety P rogram at NASA- 
Ames, agrees. “There is ob jective evi­
d ence in pilot reports of unexplained  
events that may affect the safety of the 
aircraft, " he says. “Yet getting people 
to take an ob jective look at this sub ject 
is sometimes like pulling teeth." 
Ind eed , the Airline P ilots Association, 
our largest pilots union, and  the Flight 
Safety Found ation, d escrib ing itself as 
“offering an ob jective view of aviation 
safety d evelopments,” ignored NAR ­
C AP  requests for a response to the 
stud y. In phone interviews with this 
reporter, representatives d ismissed  
the report out of hand  after glancing at 
the executive summary.
However, such d ismissals may soon 
lose ground . Next W ed nesd ay, John 
C allahan, former d ivision chief of the 
Accid ents and Investigations Branch 
of the FAA, will d isclose FAA d ocu­
mentation and sub sequent C IA sup­
pression of the Terauchi encounter 
over Alaska. C allahan will b e joined  b y 
more than 20 other government and  
military witnesses, and d ozens more 
on vid eotape, at a National P ress C lub  
b riefing to challenge official secrecy 
ab out this sub ject.
R etired United Airlines C apt. Neil 
Daniels, whose DC -10 was forced  into 
a left turn b ecause of magnetic in­
terference of cockpit compasses b y a 
b rilliant UAP , is among the many who 
want change. “The energies out there 
are ab solutely profound ," he says. “I 
think we need  to know what they are."
Leslie Kean is a journalist and au­
thor in the San Francisco Bay area.


_____________________________________________________________________________ TH E BOSTON SU ND AY G LOBE • M AY 21,2000 E3
Science & Society
U FO theorists gain support abroad, but repression at home
Study by French officials, routine unexplained sightings, U S military safety aspects combine to boost believers
B y Leslie K ean
L
ast month’s release of the first 
detailed satellite images of Area 
51, the top-secret U S Air Force 
test site in Nevada, prompted a 
W eb site meltdown as people 
from across the nation logged on in search 
of clues about unidentified flying objects.
“T he interest has been really phenom­
enal,” said D avid Mountain, marketing di­
rector for Aerial Images Inc., which post­
ed the high-resolution photographs of 
Area 51 on the Internet
But those hoping to see signs that cap­
tured U FOs are stored at the site (as some 
aficionados have suggested) were des­
tined to be disappointed. Most of Area 51’s 
operations occur underground, making 
photos meaningless.
Anyone looking for fresh information 
on U FOs would have better luck trying a 
new, but less publicized, source: a study 
by the French military, just translated 
into an approved English edition.
High-level officials - including retired 
generals from the French Institute of 
Higher Studies for National D efense, a 
government-financed strategic planning 
agency - recently took a giant step in 
openly challenging skepticism about 
U FOs.
In a report based on a three-year 
study, they concluded that “numerous 
manifestations observed by reliable wit­
nesses could be the work of craft of extra­
terrestrial origin” and that, in fact, the 
best explanation is “the extraterrestrial 
hypothesis.” Although not categorically 
proven, “strong presumptions exist in its 
favor and if it is correct, it is loaded with 
significant consequences.”
T he French group reached that C on­
clusion after examining nearly 500 inter­
national aeronautical sightings and radar/ 
visual cases, and previously undisclosed 
pilots’ reports. T hey drew on data from of­
ficial sources, government authorities, 
and the air forces of other countries. T he 
findings are contained in a 90-page report 
titled “U FOs and D efense: W hat Should 
W e Prepare For?”
"T he number of sightings, which are 
completely unexplained despite the abun­
dance and quality of data from them, is 
growing throughout the world,” the team 
declared.
T he authors note that about 5 percent 
of sightings on which there is solid docu­
mentation cannot be easily attributed to 
earthly sources, such as secret military 
exercises. T his 5 percent seem “to be com­
pletely unknown flying machines with ex­
ceptional performances that are guided 
by a natural or artificial intelligence," they 
say. Science has developed plausible mod­
els for travel from another solar system 
and for technology that could be used to 
propel the vehicles, the report points out
It assures readers that U FOs have 
demonstrated no hostile acts, "although 
intimidation maneuvers have been con­
firmed."
Given the widespread skepticism 
about U FOs, many will quickly dismiss 
the generals’ “extraterrestrial hypoth­
esis.” But it is less easy to do so once the 
authors' credentials are considered. T he 
study’s originators are four-star General 
Bernard Norlain, former commander of 
the French T actical Air Force and mili­
tary counselor to the prime minister; Gen­
eral D enis Letty, an air force fighter pilot; 
and Andre Lebeau, former head of the 
National C enter for Space Studies, the 
French equivalent of NASA.
T hey formed a 12-member "C ommit­
tee for In-depth Studies,” abbreviated as 
C OMET A, which authored the report. 
Other contributors included a three-star 
admiral, the national chief of police; and 
the head of a government agency studying
the subject, as well as scientists and weap­
ons engineers.
Not only does the group stand by its 
findings, it is urging international action. 
T he writers recommend that France es­
tablish “sectorial cooperation agreements 
with interested European and foreign 
countries” on the matter of U FOs. T hey
suggest that the European 
U nion undertake diplomatic 
action with the U nited 
States “exerting useful 
pressure to clarify this cru­
cial issue which must fall 
within the scope of political 
and strategic alliances.”
W hy might the U nited 
States be interested - albeit, 
privately - in a subject often 
met with ridicule, or consid­
ered the domain of the irra­
tional?
For one thing, declassi­
fied U S government docu­
ments show that unex­
plained objects with ex­
traordinary technical capa­
bilities pose challenges to 
military activity around the 
globe. For example, U S 
fighter jets have attempted 
to pursue U FOs, according 
to North American Aero­
space D efense C ommand 
logs and Air Force docu­
ments. Iranian and Peruvi­
an air force planes attempt­
ed to shoot down unidenti­
fied craft in 1976 and 1980. 
Belgium F-16s armed with 
' missiles pursued a U FO in 
1990.
Further, the French re­
port says that there have 
been “visits above secret in-
stallations and missile 
bases” and "military air­
craft shadowed” in the U nit­
ed States.
Edgar Mitchell, the 
Apollo 14 astronaut who was 
the sixth man to walk on the 
moon, is one of many sup­
porters of international co­
operation on U FOs. Of the 
French report, he says, “It’s 
significant that individuals 
of some standing in the gov­
ernment, military, and intel- 
ligence community in 
France came forth with 
this.”
Mitchell, who holds a 
doctorate from MIT  in aero­
nautics and astronautics, is 
convinced “at a confidence 
level above 90 percent, that 
there is reality to all of this.” 
He says, “People have been 
digging through the files 
and investigating for years 
now. T he files are quite con- 
vincing. T he only thing 
that’s lacking is the official 
stamp.”
Mitchell joins five-star 
Admiral Lord Hill-Norton,
the former head of the British Ministry of 
D efense, in calling for congressional fact- 
finding hearings into the U FO question.
Although C ongress seems disinclined 
to pursue the matter, the public's interest 
in U FOs is undiminished. A ballot initia­
tive underway in Missouri, certified by the 
secretary of state in March, urges C on­
gress to convene hearings. T he initiative 
states that "the Federal Government’s 
handling of the U FO issue has contribut­
ed to the public cynicism toward, and gen­
eral mistrust of, government."
U S Naval Reserve C ommander W il­
lard H. Miller has long been communicat-
ing this same concern to high level federal 
officials. W ith over 30 years in Navy and 
joint interagency operations with the D e­
fense D epartment, Miller has participat­
ed in a series of previously undisclosed 
briefings for Pentagon brass about inili- 
tary policy regarding U FOs.
Like many, Miller says he worries that
COSTA RICAN PHOTO (ABOVE); UH PHOTO. (BELOW LEFT); AP PHOTO (BOTTOM RIGHT)
Images of purported UFOs, taken by, above, a Costa Rican mapping aircraft In 1971 and reproduced on 
the cover of a report by the French military; below left, a Zanesville, Ohio, barber In 1966; below right, a 
high school student in Beaver, Pa.; bottom right, teenage brothers In Detroit in 1967.
the military's lack of preparation for en­
counters with unexplained craft could 
provoke dangerous confrontation when, 
and if, such an encounter occurs; “precipi­
tous military decisions,” he warns, “may 
lead to unnecessary confusion, misappli­
cation of forces, or possible catastrophic 
consequences."
And he says he is not alone in his con­
cerns. “T here are those in high places in 
the government who share a growing in­
terest in this subject,” Miller reports.
If the U S military is concerned about 
U FOs, it is not saying so publicly. Indeed,
the French report chastises the U nited 
States for what it calls an “impressive re­
pressive arsenal” on the subject, including 
a policy of disinformation and military 
regulations prohibiting public disclosure 
of U FO sightings.
Air Force Regulation 200-2, "U niden­
tified Flying Objects Reporting,” for ex­
ample, prohibits the release to the public 
and the media of any data al>out “those ob­
jects which are not explainable.” An even 
more restrictive procedure is outlined in 
the Joint Anny Navy Air Force Publica­
tion 146, which threatens to prosecute 
anyone under its jurisdiction - including 
pilots, civilian agencies, merchant marine 
captains, and even some fishing vessels - 
for disclosing reports of sightings rel­
evant to U S security.
Although researchers have been able 
to obtain some infonnation through the 
Freedom of Information Act many U FO 
documents remain classified.
In earlier decades, issues that remain 
pertinent today were openly discussed. In 
1960, for example, U S Representative 
Leonard G. W olf of Iowa entered an “ur­
gent warning” from R. E. Hillenkoetter, a 
former C IA director and Navy vice admi­
ral, into the C ongressional Record that 
"certain dangers are linked with unidenti­
fied flying objects.” W olf cited General 
L. M. C hassin, NAT O coordinator of Al­
lied Air Service, warning that “If we per­
sist in refusing to recognize the existence 
of the U FOs, we will end up, one fine day, 
by mistaking them for the guided missiles 
of an enemy - and the worst will be upon 
us.”
T hese concerns were taken seriously 
enough to be incorporated into the 1971 
U S-Soviet "Agreement on Measures to 
Reduce the Outbreak of Nuclear W ar.”
T he French report may open the door 
for nations to be more forthcoming once 
again. C hile, for example, is openly ad­
dressing its own concerns about air safety 
and U FOs. T he now retired chief of the 
C hilean Air Force has formed a commit­
tee with civil aviation specialists to study 
recent near-collisions of U FOs and civil­
ian airliners.
As the international conversation 
about U FOs unfolds, sightings continue, 
as they have for decades. Perhaps the 
most notable recent U S sighting took 
place in March 1997. Hundreds of people 
across Arizona reported seeing huge tri­
angular objects, hovering silently in the 
night sky - a sighting that, as the state’s 
U S Senator John McC ain noted recently, 
has “never been fully explained.”
As recently as Jan. 6, four policemen 
at different locations in St C laire C ounty, 
Illinois, witnessed a huge, brightly light? 
ed, triangular craft flying and hovering at 
1,000 feet One officer reported witness­
ing extreme rapid motion by the craft that 
cannot be explained in conventional 
terms. Nearby Scott Air Force base and 
the Federal Aviation Administration pur­
port to know nothing.
T he D efense D epartment maintains it 
can find no information acknowledging 
the existence of the triangular objects. In 
response to a suit by curious Arizonans, it 
provided details of its search to U S D is­
trict C ourt Judge Stephen M. McNamee 
of Phoenix. On March 30, McNamee con­
cluded that “a reasonable search was con­
ducted" even though no information was 
obtained, and he dismissed the case.
T here is one government agency in the 
country that has taken steps to prepare 
for a U FO encounter. T he Fire Officer’s 
Guide to D isaster C ontrol, second edition 
- used by the Federal Emergency Man­
agement Agency and taught at the seven 
universities offering degrees in fire sci­
ence - warns of “U FO hazards,” such as 
electrical fields that cause blackouts, force 
fields, and physiological effects.
"D o not stand under a U FO that is 
hovering at low altitudes,” the book 
warns. "D o not touch or attempt to touch a 
U FO that has landed.”
T he text leaves little room for skepti­
cism. John E. Mack, professor of psychia­
try at Harvard U niversity and a Pulitzer 
Prize-winning author, stopped being 
skeptical a long time ago.
"No culture from the beginning of 
time, no culture from anywhere on the 
planet, has ever voided the idea of all other 
intelligent life other than ourselves,” he 
told a U FO conference at the New York 
Hall of Science two weeks ago. "T hat’s ar­
rogance."
Leslie K ean is a freelance journalist in the 
San Francisco Bay area.


National Aviation Reporting C enter for Anom alous P henom ena 
(NARC AP)
T he National Aviation Reporting Center for Anomalons Phenomena (NARC AP) is a 
national organization, established in November of 2000, and is dedicated to the 
advancement of aviation safety issues as they apply to U nidentified Aerial Phenomena 
(U AP).
NARC AP investigates aviation related reports of aerial encounters with lights or objects 
that seem inconsistent with known categories of aircraft and common natural phenomena. 
T hese lights or objects are reported to appear in a variety of colors and shapes. Pilots, air 
traffic controllers and radar operators report that these lights or objects closely approach 
aircraft. Encounters with these lights or objects, U AP, have a demonstrated a variety of 
safety related effects on pilots, crew, cockpit discipline and on-board instrumentation.
NARC AP C hief Scientist D r. Richard F. Haines has compiled a catalogue of over 3400 
aviation related U AP cases. He has conducted a comprehensive review of U AP reports by 
U .S. air traffic controllers and pilots from the past 50 years. A result of this effort is 
Richard’s paper” Aviation Safety in America- A Previously Neglected Factor”. It 
contains analyses of over one hundred reports of U AP involved in near misses, close 
pacing, disrupted avionics, and collisions. T hese events were reported by U S military 
aviators, civil aviation professionals, private pilots, and by foreign aircrews operating in 
U S airspace.
NARC AP has no basis for conjecture regarding the true nature or source of these lights 
and objects. It is the NARC AP position that certain unidentified aerial phenomena have 
an effect on aviation safety that can be quantified. It is the intention of this organization 
to develop a body of data that will stand up to scientific scrutiny and serve as a basis for 
understanding this phenomenon.
It is our hope that aviation professionals will recognize the importance of this work and 
contact NARC AP with their reports of encounters with U AP. Often, though not always, 
reporters are concerned about their confidentiality. W e are not associated with the FAA 
or other government agencies, or the airlines. W ith regards to employers, the FAA, and 
the media, we have a process in place to ensure that confidentiality is protected.
For more information contact:
T ed Roe, Executive D irector (831) 338-4783
Or email admin@narcap.org
Or go to Our W ebsite www.narcap.org
T o report U AP encounters call (800) 732-3666
1


UFO  Shuts Down R ussian Airport
MO SC O W , Jan 27, 20 0 1 -- (Agence France P resse) An airport in 
southern Sib eria was shut d own for an hour and  a half on Frid ay 
when an unid entified  flying ob ject (UFO ) was d etected  hovering 
ab ove its runway, the Interfax newsagency reported .
The crew of an II-76 cargo aircraft refused  to take off, claiming they 
saw a luminescent ob ject hovering ab ove the runway of the Sib eria's 
Barnaul airport, local aviation company d irector Ivan Komarov was 
quoted  as saying.
The crew of another cargo plane, refusing to use the runway for the 
same reason, land ed  their jet at another airport, Komarov said .
The UFO  took off and  vanished  from the airport 90 minutes later, 
accord ing to the report, ((c) 20 0 1 Agence France P resse)


LESLI E K EAN
Radio H ost/P roducer 1998 - 2001
Associatc/Scnior Producer and co-host of daily, drive-time investigative news magazine “Flashpoints" on 
public radio KPFA in the San Francisco Bay Area.
F eature stories, dom estic
the Boston G lobe, the Baltimore Sim, the Sacramento Bee, the M inneapolis Star T ribune, T he Nation, the 
Progressive, the San Francisco Bay’ G uardian, T he Providence Journal, T he Commercial Appeal, Burma 
Debate, and the H onolulu Star-Bulletin.
F eature stories, international
the International H erald T ribune, the G lobe and M ail (C anada), the V ancouver Sun. the Sydney M orning 
H erald (Australia), (he K yoto Journal (Japan), the Nation (T hailand). Internazionale (Italy), V SD 
(France), the Irish Independent.
Op-ed pieces
the Boston G lobe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Journal of Commerce, the Bangkok Post, the St. Louis 
Post Dispatch, the Providence Journal Bulletin, the San Francisco E xaminer and T he Nation.
Syndication
Knight-Ridder, Scripps-Howard. New York T imes W ire Service, Pacific News Service and the National 
Publishers Association (NNPA).
Books/Anthologies/C ollections
Perspectives: Drugs and Society (C oursewise Publishing, Inc. 2000)
Stone Soup for the W orld (Conari Press, 1998)
Drugs, Society and Behavior 98/99 (D ushkin/McGraw -Hill, 1998)
Burma 's Revolution of the Spirit: T he Struggle for Democratic Freedom and Dignity (Aperture, 1994), 
co-authored with Alan C lements
D irector, The Burma P roject U SA, 1991 - present
Human rights and media advocacy
Radio interviews
T he Michael Jackson Show (KRLA, Los Angeles); Hightower Radio (over 100 stations); Mike Malloy 
Show (W LS C hicago, the ABC  station); C oast to C oast AM (audience of 10 to 20 million); D reamland 
with W hitley Strieber (audience 1 million); D emocracy Now with Amy Goodman (Pacifica national); T he 
Gerry Ryan Show (C hannel 2, National radio Ireland) and many others.
H onors
I he Fund for Investigative Journalism: grants, 1996, 1997 and 1998
Project C ensored Honorable Mention: 1998
T he Nation Institute: grant, 1997
C over story selected by T he Nation as their submission for the George Polk Award, 1996