FBI file 62-HQ-83894, section 10

130 ufo contact ufo contact 123
Science
Science and God
DR. WERNHER VON BRAUN.
" It is one of the tragedies of our time , that science
and religion have become adversaries", says D r.
Wernher van Braun , who is one of the world 's lea
ding space-researchers, head of the George C . Mar
shall Space-travel Centre in Alabama, one of the
brains behind the Gemini Project and the U.S .A.'s
project for the first manned moon rocket, to be sent
up in 1969.
*THE TWO STRONGEST FORCES which go to
create our present-day civilisation are science and
religion . Through science Man seeks to learn more
of the mysteries of Cre ation. Through religion he
seeks to understand the Creator.
They are not independent of each other. It is just
as difficult for me to understand a scientist who
cannot perceive a Higher Reality behind the origin
of the Universe, as it is to understand a theologian
who denies the advances made by science. Science
and religion are far from being independent of each
other, neither are they opposing forces ; on the cont
rary they are as brothers. Both are striving for a
better world . While science seeks to uncover the
forces of Nature arou nd us, religion is trying to
discover the forces in Man himself.
As we gradually gain a greater knowledge of nat
ure so we become more impressed and humbled by
its orderliness and never-failing perfection. Our ex
tensive knowledge of the Un iverse and its laws has
made it possible for us to send people out from
their natural surroundings into unknown space and
bring them safely back to earth again .
ENDLESSNESS OF THE UN IVERSE.
Manned space-flights are pioneer works. But until
now they have only begun to open the door out
toward the endlessn ess of the Universe.
Th at which we can see of the mysteries of the
Universe t hrough the crack in that door only con
firms our be lief in its Creator. Mankind with its
limited understanding cannot co mpreh end an omni
present, almighty, all -knowi ng and eternal God.
Every attempt to create a picture of God and red
uce Him so that He can be comprehended offers
but fu rther proof of His Greatness. I beli eve it best
if one, through Faith, accepts God as a proof of
Goodwill , which throughout history manifests itself
more and more as the ability of Mankind to under
stand , grows.
It gives pe ace of mind to think of God as the
Father of al l, and the resultant thought, that al l men
are brothers, is an ethical guide-line.
Scientists only know that in nature nothing is des
troyed without being co nverted into energy. Not even
the tiniest particle can disappear without leavi ng a
trace. Nature knows nothing of annihi latio n, only
change. Would God have had less consideration for
His Masterpiece, the Hum an Soul?
For me immortality means a continuation of our
spiritual existence after death.
Mankind has had a belief in a life after death
since the dawn of history. This has been as essential
part of the primitive cultures ' religions and it has
been preserved in higher developed religions and
philosophies.
Th e significance of this is of far more importance
than the pronouncements of philosophers and theo
logians about what we can expect when we le ave
this world. From th e dawn of time the conception of
immortality has had its influence on untold million s
of people.
THE SOUL DIVID ES MANKIND FROM
OTHER CREATIONS.
The soul separates Man from the animal. An
animal 's actions are dictated by its inborn impulses,
i.e. hunger, fear and self-preservation. These im-
UFO CONTACT WI SHES TO OFFER ITS DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO
TH E FAMILY OF A BRAVE SOVIET PIONEE R -
COSMONAUT VLAD IMIR KOMAROV
WHO DIE D ON A SPACE VE NTUR E, APR IL 24th 1967.
other planets . I retold much of what I had written
in my second book. The major qu estio ns of our con
ference dealt with our future in outer space .
Awareness of time was lost as we all grew inter
ested in the conversation about outer space. Wh at
began as a forty-five minute interview lasted two
hours. Fin all y the Queen reminded me that my lect
ure started in less than an hour. Interest was so
great in the topic , if it had not been for the lecture,
we could have kept talking for hourse.
When the Queen remi nded me of the tim e, I arose
and we all shook hand s in a very friendly manner.
I was deeply impressed with the firm sinc ere grasp
of Her Majesty and the Prince. The spokesman for
the Prince escorted me to the car. During the con
ference he had stated he would like to take a trip
wit h the space peopl e and he repe ated the request
as we descended th e steps to the waiting car.
As we were leaving the Palace grounds, I noticed
a large group of people stand ing across the high
J way and fac ing the Palace. As th e car came through
the gate, many of th ese peop le gave the familiar
sa lute. Poss ib ly th ey only wanted to get a look at
the common man who had been granted a private
interview with the Qu een , and whom the press had
described as an " objectionable " visitor. On the fast
trip b ack to the hotel, I noticed crowds of people
along the highway, saluting as we passed.
Arriving at the hotel , we found a car waiting to
take me to the lecture at The H ague . The Queen 's
chauffeur asked if he might attend the lecture and
was granted permission to do so.
Due to the long interview at the Palac e, I arrived
twenty minutes late at the lecture hall where a cap
ac ity crowd was waiting. The people present were
fi ll ed with curiosity and antic ipation in regard to my
meeting with Queen Juliana. Reporters especially
were insistent that I give them all the details . This I
cou ld not do, for the meeting had been on a level of
dignity that denied me the privilege of speaki ng
until the Queen spoke first. All I could say was:
" The Q ueen was very kind , and if there were more
people like her the world would be a better place
to live in ." A tremendous burst of applause took
place, and from there on the lecture proceeded as
normal.
After the lecture, the reporters crowded arou nd
me asking , " What did the Queen say? " " It is the
Queen ' s hono r to speak first," I replied . This made
the press very dissatisfied with me. Some went so
far as to write up a fictitious interview, complete
with question s and answers.
When I returned to my hotel I was grateful that no
one knew where I was, for now I could relax and go
over the events of the day.
A radio was in my roo m, and the next morning I
tuned it to the BBC since I could not understand
the Dutch of local statio ns. On an early-morning
program called Th e News of Europe, I was very
much surprised to hear a report from a Ru ss ian sci
entist stating that the moon was not composed of
volcanic dust, but rather of granite formations sim-
ilar to Earth. Many green spots that looked like
vegetation had been observed on the other side of
the moon. Th is confirmed some of the things I had
told the Qu een during our two -hour conference.
I was curious to know just how the Russi ans had
gained this information. My friends and I discussed
the possibi lities later that morn ing. Was it possib le
that a Russi an had made a tr ip as I had, or did t hey
receive the information from their moon shot that
went into orbit around the sun? (Information received
at the time of this writing seems to confirm that they
did.)
Before the morning was over I was asked if I
would accept an interview with Fox Movietone in
downtown H ague. I would be called for and take n to
the appointed place so I agreed.
The selected place was a large hotel in the centre
of town. Our car was parked across the street from
the bu i lding. I was told to walk across the street and
enter the hotel. Camera were re ady and set for ope
ration, but I had to rehearse the walk several times
before pictures were finally taken . In the final take,
the large glass doors, framed in brass , opened auto
matically and I entered the hotel.
I was greeted by many people, including the man
age r of the hotel, and received the customary salute.
Th is was not photograp hed . I was taken to a large
room where cameras and sound equi pment were in
place. Here I was seated beside a small mah ogany
table which held a bouquet of American Beauty
roses. My interrogator was seated on my right. H is
first question was: " The world wants to know what
the Queen had to say."
My answer was that Her Majesty and H is Royal
Highness were deeply interested in the future of
outer space deve lopment. Th e interrogator was very
dissatisfied with my reply and tried to get me to
relate our conversation in some detail. When I ref
used, he hurried through the other questions, and the
news conference was over. I was told t his newsreel
would be shown all over the world, but I have no
reports of it ever having been shown .
It is interesting to note that, after my visit to the
Palace, wherever I went in Holland I received the
salute from those who recognised me. Perhaps this
is a customary honor paid to one who has been
received by the Queen .
On Frid ay May 22nd, I received an invitation from
the man ager of the City Theatre in downtown A m
sterdam, to attend the preview of an Ita lian f ilm,
Death Comes From Outer Space.
The death that came from outer space was a gig
antic asteroid travelling at terrific speed directl y
toward the ea rth. This asteroid was formed from all
the debris blown into space by our atomic and hyd
rogen explosions. The people of the Earth were in a
panic, for they were warned that at any moment it
could hit our planet and cause complete destruction.
Me anwhile, huge tidal waves and heavy earthquakes
were wreaking havoc in many places throughout the
world .