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UFO Mysteries: A Reporter Seeks the Truth
" UFO Mysteries is one of the best works on the subject of UFOs since Jacques Vallee's seminal 1965 Anatomy of a Phenomenon . Sutherly has blended skillful writing with the determination of a true investigator to produce an objective and introspective look at one of the greatest enigmas humankind has so far faced."
Rick R. Hilberg, Ufologist and Anomalist
Cleveland, Ohio
Fifty Years of UFO Stories
Filled with anecdotes and insider information, UFO Mysteries chronicles fifty years of UFO occurrences in the United States and Europe, from Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting over Mt. Rainier to the wave of triangular UFO sightings over the U.S. and Great Britain during the 1990s.
Derived in part from Strange Encounters , the author's earlier book, this updated and expanded version combines a journalistic style with first-person recollection to give the reader a fresh-and remarkable-view of the UFO phenomenon.
Included are fifteen rare photographs from a private collection, among them a previously unpublished UFO photograph mailed anonymously to radio station KYW in Cleveland, Ohio.
Rick R. Hilberg, Ufologist and Anomalist
Cleveland, Ohio
Fifty Years of UFO Stories
Filled with anecdotes and insider information, UFO Mysteries chronicles fifty years of UFO occurrences in the United States and Europe, from Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting over Mt. Rainier to the wave of triangular UFO sightings over the U.S. and Great Britain during the 1990s.
Derived in part from Strange Encounters , the author's earlier book, this updated and expanded version combines a journalistic style with first-person recollection to give the reader a fresh-and remarkable-view of the UFO phenomenon.
Included are fifteen rare photographs from a private collection, among them a previously unpublished UFO photograph mailed anonymously to radio station KYW in Cleveland, Ohio.
264 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2001
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August 8, 2024
A JOURNALIST REPORTS ON A WIDE VARIETY OF UFO REPORTS AND PHENOMENA
Journalist Curt Sutherly wrote in the Preface to this 2001 book, “I’ve spent a fair amount of time in pursuit of the unknown---investigating various phenomena that defy conventional wisdom or explanation. Sometimes I’ve felt very near to an understanding of some particular strange event or occurrence. But at other times I’ve felt like an imbecile… as though I knew nothing at all… Without a doubt, [Charles] Fort influenced my early thinking. I read everything I could find on ‘fortean’ phenomena, and continued doing so for several years… one particular fortean subject fascinated me more than the rest: the subject of … UFOs… I discovered the writings of John A. Keel… John made it abundantly clear that he doubted the conventional wisdom … that UFOs were alien spacecraft… For a time I worked odd jobs while simultaneously moving deeper into the study of UFOs. I investigated dozens of reported sightings, interviewed countless witness, and wrote about all of it.” (Pg. xv-xvii)
He adds, “The chapters that make up this volume … are culled from years of files, interviews and experience. I have gone to some effort to verify and document sources while at the same time trying to create a book that is both entertaining and more personal than its antecedent---a book to be used and enjoyed by anyone interested in the subject, not just by a small group of knowledgeable enthusiasts.” (Pg. xxii-xxiii)
He says of early UFO witness Kenneth Arnold, “Ken Arnold grew resentful and angry over what he believed was an inappropriate response to UFO sightings on the part of the government. He said a strange sense of national loyalty had prompted him to file a report on the strange flying objects, but instead of being congratulated, he… and other pilots were all ‘made to look like g-----n jerks.’” (Pg. 13)
He observes, “Debunking efforts notwithstanding, UFO sightings continued to intrigue well into the 1950s.l In the late summer and fall of 1957, a second dramatic flap engaged the nation. The flap persisted into 1958, but by year’s end much of the activity has shifted abroad… The following year, 1959, sighting report in the U.S. decreased even more significantly, although by this time the government’s debunking campaign---which had finally begun to take hold---may have been partly responsible for the decline.” (Pg. 22)
He recounts, “As I pursued my study of UFOs into the 1970s, I continued to hear about the Men In Black. The stories came from a variety of sources, including friends and acquaintances. I discovered that there were two distinct types of MIB: the secretive but otherwise (from all outward appearances) very human kind, and another variety which, based on the reports, seemed to be something else entirely… something not human but ‘parahuman.’” (Pg. 46)
He notes, “Putting aside any and all speculation about origin, as well as the usual ‘official’ pronouncements that there is never anything to it, the fact remains that mysterious objects do drop from the skies, and not always with quiet consideration. On occasion, these actual visitors raise pure hell.” (Pg. 86)
He says of the MJ-12 papers, “At the heart… is the legend of the ‘crashed alien spaceship’ … at Roswell Army Air Base… the document … goes on to state that ‘four small humanoid-like beings… were dead and badly decomposed due to action by predators and exposure to the elements during the approximately one-week time period which had elapsed…’ I’ve discussed this matter with naturalists having a working knowledge of animal decomposition, with a veterinarian, and with a coroner of many years experience. All have rendered essentially the same opinion: a body---human or animal---would not ‘badly decompose’ in a hot, dry region. Instead, the arid desert environment would dehydrate the carcass, resulting in a kind of mummification. Further… if predators or scavengers had attacked the carcasses, they would, after a week, have reduced the bodies to bones. In short, there is a great deal to suspect about this part of the MJ-12 document.” (Pg. 92-93)
Later, he reports, “This brings us to William Moore’s controversial 1989 Las Vegas talk. Moore revealed that nine years earlier… he had been approached by a man claiming to be a member of the intelligence community. This individual alleged that he and several others in intelligence were unhappy with the United States government’s UFO cover-up policy. Moore said he was asked to cooperate with this group… Moore said it soon became apparent he was being ‘recruited’ by the group to supply information on the activities of a number of UFO researchers… Moore’s disclosure about all of this quite naturally caused pandemonium within the UFO community… his admission about the Aquarius paper, when coupled with … the document analysis… seems to indicate that very little about the MJ-12 subject is credible.” (Pg. 97-98)
He observes, “Because a document such as MJ-12 is so nearly believable… it generates suspicion and frustration among all concerned. In the end no one knows with certainty what to believe… emotional storms such as this have long kept the UFO community in the U.S. so fragmented that its members can seldom hope to achieve anything of significance.” (Pg. 102)
He states, “the existence of Area 51 does not imply the presence of captured spaceships or dead (or alive) ET crew members. Granted, the security at Groom Lake is tight and sophisticated, but the place is a top-secret research facility…Security in such a place is expected to be uncommonly tight.” (Pg. 117-118)
He says, “Unmarked helicopters have been showing up in UFO flap areas and at animal mutilation sites since the mid-1960s. The presence of helicopters in mutilation areas has given rise to the suspicion that the government or military is somehow involved in the slaughter. Whether or not this is true, the problem remains serious for farmers, ranchers, and law enforcement personnel throughout the United States as well as in various other parts of the world.” (Pg. 161)
He asserts, “If UFOs are in fact spacecraft, as so many believe, do we explain the shape-change phenomenon as a chameleon technology---a means by which the crew is able to alter the spacecraft’s external appearance?... Peter Davenport, director of the National UFO Reporting Center in Seattle, said… the increased number of shape-change reports could be related to heightened media exposure and public awareness.” (Pg. 166)
He concludes, “There is, and has always been, reason to believe that the UFO phenomenon is representative of something far more complex than spacecraft and visiting extraterrestrials. This leads into areas of religion, philosophy, and metaphysics----the combination of which can leave a lasting, and disturbing, impression on the human psyche. Frankly, I must admit that the ET concept is a more attractive one (or at least more easily understood) alternative. Furthermore, I am not saying that the ET concept is entirely wrong, only that it represents---for me, at least---too limited a view based on far too little information.’ (Pg. 181)
This book will be of keen interest to many who are studying UFOs.
Journalist Curt Sutherly wrote in the Preface to this 2001 book, “I’ve spent a fair amount of time in pursuit of the unknown---investigating various phenomena that defy conventional wisdom or explanation. Sometimes I’ve felt very near to an understanding of some particular strange event or occurrence. But at other times I’ve felt like an imbecile… as though I knew nothing at all… Without a doubt, [Charles] Fort influenced my early thinking. I read everything I could find on ‘fortean’ phenomena, and continued doing so for several years… one particular fortean subject fascinated me more than the rest: the subject of … UFOs… I discovered the writings of John A. Keel… John made it abundantly clear that he doubted the conventional wisdom … that UFOs were alien spacecraft… For a time I worked odd jobs while simultaneously moving deeper into the study of UFOs. I investigated dozens of reported sightings, interviewed countless witness, and wrote about all of it.” (Pg. xv-xvii)
He adds, “The chapters that make up this volume … are culled from years of files, interviews and experience. I have gone to some effort to verify and document sources while at the same time trying to create a book that is both entertaining and more personal than its antecedent---a book to be used and enjoyed by anyone interested in the subject, not just by a small group of knowledgeable enthusiasts.” (Pg. xxii-xxiii)
He says of early UFO witness Kenneth Arnold, “Ken Arnold grew resentful and angry over what he believed was an inappropriate response to UFO sightings on the part of the government. He said a strange sense of national loyalty had prompted him to file a report on the strange flying objects, but instead of being congratulated, he… and other pilots were all ‘made to look like g-----n jerks.’” (Pg. 13)
He observes, “Debunking efforts notwithstanding, UFO sightings continued to intrigue well into the 1950s.l In the late summer and fall of 1957, a second dramatic flap engaged the nation. The flap persisted into 1958, but by year’s end much of the activity has shifted abroad… The following year, 1959, sighting report in the U.S. decreased even more significantly, although by this time the government’s debunking campaign---which had finally begun to take hold---may have been partly responsible for the decline.” (Pg. 22)
He recounts, “As I pursued my study of UFOs into the 1970s, I continued to hear about the Men In Black. The stories came from a variety of sources, including friends and acquaintances. I discovered that there were two distinct types of MIB: the secretive but otherwise (from all outward appearances) very human kind, and another variety which, based on the reports, seemed to be something else entirely… something not human but ‘parahuman.’” (Pg. 46)
He notes, “Putting aside any and all speculation about origin, as well as the usual ‘official’ pronouncements that there is never anything to it, the fact remains that mysterious objects do drop from the skies, and not always with quiet consideration. On occasion, these actual visitors raise pure hell.” (Pg. 86)
He says of the MJ-12 papers, “At the heart… is the legend of the ‘crashed alien spaceship’ … at Roswell Army Air Base… the document … goes on to state that ‘four small humanoid-like beings… were dead and badly decomposed due to action by predators and exposure to the elements during the approximately one-week time period which had elapsed…’ I’ve discussed this matter with naturalists having a working knowledge of animal decomposition, with a veterinarian, and with a coroner of many years experience. All have rendered essentially the same opinion: a body---human or animal---would not ‘badly decompose’ in a hot, dry region. Instead, the arid desert environment would dehydrate the carcass, resulting in a kind of mummification. Further… if predators or scavengers had attacked the carcasses, they would, after a week, have reduced the bodies to bones. In short, there is a great deal to suspect about this part of the MJ-12 document.” (Pg. 92-93)
Later, he reports, “This brings us to William Moore’s controversial 1989 Las Vegas talk. Moore revealed that nine years earlier… he had been approached by a man claiming to be a member of the intelligence community. This individual alleged that he and several others in intelligence were unhappy with the United States government’s UFO cover-up policy. Moore said he was asked to cooperate with this group… Moore said it soon became apparent he was being ‘recruited’ by the group to supply information on the activities of a number of UFO researchers… Moore’s disclosure about all of this quite naturally caused pandemonium within the UFO community… his admission about the Aquarius paper, when coupled with … the document analysis… seems to indicate that very little about the MJ-12 subject is credible.” (Pg. 97-98)
He observes, “Because a document such as MJ-12 is so nearly believable… it generates suspicion and frustration among all concerned. In the end no one knows with certainty what to believe… emotional storms such as this have long kept the UFO community in the U.S. so fragmented that its members can seldom hope to achieve anything of significance.” (Pg. 102)
He states, “the existence of Area 51 does not imply the presence of captured spaceships or dead (or alive) ET crew members. Granted, the security at Groom Lake is tight and sophisticated, but the place is a top-secret research facility…Security in such a place is expected to be uncommonly tight.” (Pg. 117-118)
He says, “Unmarked helicopters have been showing up in UFO flap areas and at animal mutilation sites since the mid-1960s. The presence of helicopters in mutilation areas has given rise to the suspicion that the government or military is somehow involved in the slaughter. Whether or not this is true, the problem remains serious for farmers, ranchers, and law enforcement personnel throughout the United States as well as in various other parts of the world.” (Pg. 161)
He asserts, “If UFOs are in fact spacecraft, as so many believe, do we explain the shape-change phenomenon as a chameleon technology---a means by which the crew is able to alter the spacecraft’s external appearance?... Peter Davenport, director of the National UFO Reporting Center in Seattle, said… the increased number of shape-change reports could be related to heightened media exposure and public awareness.” (Pg. 166)
He concludes, “There is, and has always been, reason to believe that the UFO phenomenon is representative of something far more complex than spacecraft and visiting extraterrestrials. This leads into areas of religion, philosophy, and metaphysics----the combination of which can leave a lasting, and disturbing, impression on the human psyche. Frankly, I must admit that the ET concept is a more attractive one (or at least more easily understood) alternative. Furthermore, I am not saying that the ET concept is entirely wrong, only that it represents---for me, at least---too limited a view based on far too little information.’ (Pg. 181)
This book will be of keen interest to many who are studying UFOs.
April 27, 2020
Cheap superstition for a niche of true believers. Not that well written, but that's probably why Sutherly writes for the niche and not mainstream.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews