Baker report, 1968 congressional hearings

would form an important adjunct to any serious study of anomalistic phenomena (see Walker (1968) included in app. 4 of
this report). The soft data must involve some useful information content, and it would be extremely unrealistic to neglect it
entirely. For this reason, I have included appendix 3 by Dr. Walker, which presents a logical procedure for establishing a
credibility level for observers. Walker's report of a hypothetical case integrates the results of general medical,
neuroopthalmologic, neurologic, and psychiatric evaluations, and develops a logical basis for assigning an overall
credibility score.
Dr. Robert L. Hall is, of course, eminently qualified to comment on the question of eyewitness testimony at this seminar.
If serious studies can be initiated, with the objectives of detecting, analyzing, and identifying the sources of anomalistic
observational phenomena, then I feel that the following scientific benefits can be expected:
(1) Meteoritics. -- Although there are a number of excellent meteor observation nets operating today, data collected on
erratically moving phenomena (including rapid determination of the location of any "landings" or impacts) would add
significantly to the coverage and analyses of meteorites and, possibly, entering comets. Furthermore, the timely recovery of
meteoritic debris at the subend point of fireballs would be most valuable.
(2) Geology. -- It has been pointed out by Lamar and Baker (1965), that there exist residual effects on desert pavements
that may have been produced by entering comets. Furthermore, any geological or material evidence of the impact or
"landing" of extraterrestrial objects would be of great interest. As Dr. John O'Keefe (1967), Assistant Chief, Laboratory for
Theoretical Studies of NASA GSFC indicated "Would it not be possible to get some scraps of these ("UFO") objects for
examination? For instance, a scrap of matter, however small, could be analyzed for the kind of alloys in terrestrial
foundries.
A piece of a screw, however small, would be either English, Metric, or Martian. I am impressed by this because I looked at
some tens of thousands of pictures of the Moon and found that the very small amount of chemical data has more weight in
interpreting the past history of the Moon than the very large amount of optical data. It doesn't seem possible that objects
("flying saucers") of this size can visit the Earth and then depart, leaving nothing, not even a speck, behind. We could
analyze a speck no bigger than a pinhead very easily." I concur with O'Keefe's remarks, and if there exist "landings"
associated with the anomalistic phenomena, then a prompt and extremely thorough investigation of the landing site must be
accomplished before geological/material evidence is dispersed or terrestrialized.
(3) Atmospheric physics. -- One of the great mysteries today is the formation, movement, and explosion of ball lightning.
As Singer (1968) noted:
The specific properties of ball lightning, which present particular difficulty in experimental duplication, are formations of
the sphere in air (at near-atmospheric pressure and at a distance from the source of energy) and its extensive motion. It is
evident that additional clarification of both theoretical and experimental aspects is needed.
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With respect to "plasma UFO's" Mr. Philip J. Klass(1968b) comments that:
If conditions -- all of the conditions -- needed to create plasma-UFO's near high-tension lines or in the wake of jet aircraft
occurred readily we should have millions of UFO reports and the mystery would have been solved long ago. But the
comparative rarity of legitimate UFO sightings clearly indicates that the ball-lightning related phenomenon is a very rare
one.
Even if ball lightning is not the primary source of anomalistic data (and I am not at present convinced that it is), any
program investigating anomalistic observational phenomena would surely shed significant light on the ball-lightning
problem.
(4) Astronomy. -- I have already noted the possibility of cometary entry, a study of which would be valuable to the
astronomer. If as some respected astronomers believe, the anomalistic observational phenomena (including perhaps,
"intelligent" radio signals from interstellar space) are the results of an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, then the study
of the phenomena would become a primary concern of the entire human race. The implications for astronomy are
overwhelming.