House Armed Services Committee hearing on UFOs, April 5, 1966

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stifled; and It matters when the American people are denied the right to know
what kind of powers they may be up-against. Persistence In this dogmatic atti-
tude will only tend to deteriorate public morale If not the public trust In the Air
Force when Irrefutable proof of the existence of these objects manifests itself.
Those behind this official "blackout" should be displaying real responsibility
to all of us by desisting from the practices of ridiculing sincere witnesses and
belittling sightings that defy explanations and at least extend public acknowl-
edgement of some credence to the evidence that abounds. Instituting a policy of
dealing honestly, for a change, with the people would prepare the way to a mini-
mum of possible panic (assuming this to be the basic reason for the censorship)
upon arrival of that "moment of proof." (Please, excuse the pun.) Consider
the contrast of the disrespect shown Americans to the consideration extended the
citizens of Argentina and Chile. For example, on August 3, 1065, the radio and
TV stations of Santiago, Chile, alerted the populous to view the three luminous
discus hovering over the city for some 25 minutes before moving slowly away.
With the hope that we may yet receive such courtesy Instead of treatment as
children, I respectfully urge that you consider the undertaking of a hearing into
this despicable situation. Until this condition is brought out'into the open, much
of the news media Will continue to refrain from giving the UFO's serious consider-
ation they so justly deserve.
All statements made in this letter can be substantiated by the National Investi-
gations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) located at 1536 Connecticut
Avenue NW., Washington, D.C. Documented evidence and authentication re-
quired to support the asserton that a censorship does In fact exist will be put at
the disposal of your committee by NICAP upon request.
Respectfully yours, JoHn R. GRAY, Huntington Beah, Calif.
(From Life magazine. Apr. 1, 19601
A WELL-WITNESSED "INVASON"-BY SOMETHING
FROM AUSTRALIA TO MICHIGAN, A FLURRY OF EERIE UFO SIGHTINGS
Call them wlifit you will: flying saucers, unidentifled flying objects (UFO's).
optical illusions, or the first symptoms of the silly season. They are back
again-and seen by more people than ever before. Some are greenish afid-irl-
descent, like the mystery thing that swooped down over Perth, AustrAlia, several
weeks ago. Others are football shaped and aglow with pulsating lights. Last
week the manifestations seemed almost to have reached the proportions of an
Invasion. Near Ann Arbor, Mich., 52 witnesses, Intdilding a dozen policemen,
saw 5 strange objects hovering over a swamp. The next day a glowing thing
floated over a small college in Hillsdale, Mich. and was sighted by 87 students,
an assistant dean and the local civil defense director. Whatever the explanation
of the peculiar phenomena---seen and described similarly by so many-something
surely was in the air.
"IT WASN'T NO HULLABILLUSION," SAID THE FARMER, AND 52 AGREED
(By Paul O'Nell)
DEXTER TOwNSHIP, MIOH.-Frank Mannor has never believed in flying saucers.
Hasn't any need of them. Wishes he'd never seen one. Frank should have been
born , in the day of Dan'l Boone. Since he wasn't, he's on the unemployment.
Still, he's a happy man. Or was.
He Is a husky, grizzled fellow of 47 who has 10 children, a well'of water with
an outside pump, a solidly build privy, a TV set and a battered refrigerator wIth
the coil on top. Four disembodied automobiles rest beside his white, tumble-
down, two-story farmhouse In the open country 12 miles northwest of Ann
Arbor. They provide parts for his good car. He has an ancient schoolbus for
hunting expeditions. He also has six dogs. The dogs started it all. When they
began "barkIn' and bellerin' at 8 o'clockthat Sunday'night, Frank ran.46ittde--
even though he was wearing his suit pants--and looked east into swampland
from the rise of ground on which the house is built. He saw lights and"a faint
red glow "like cigarets being smoked."