MOD file DEFE 24/2032/1

'· ' ' .• t ··~
1~04'.
i1l! fo-
:'!rp of mystery, for the removal of
The Earl of CORK and ORRERY: I
thought that I had my noble friend right,
my Lords; in other words, the telescope
has not seen anything that was inexpiic-
ab!e. But I do not think that that is really
an argument that something does not
exist. The qu~stion is: what kind of
thing c::n it be'? I hope that my :r;oble
friend docs r:ot think that I am going on
about him-I no Jonzer am. How is it
possible to maintain more than a certain
degree of doubt in 1979?
I remember, as may some other noble
Lords, one or two of whom may be present
in the Chamber, my predecessor who sat
in this Hous.::. He was born in the year
1886. When he was born there were no
moto·r-bicydes or gramophones, fountain
pens, safety razors or electric trains.
Messrs. Daimler and Benz in Germany
were just putting the first petrol-driven car
on to the road, and Einstein, I think, was
eight years old. !v1y noble and gallant
kinsman, when he finally left the active list
of the Navy at a very advanced age, had
lived into the age of the nuclear submarine,
having hegun his first sea-going voyage
under sail. That was the band of progress
represented technologica!ly in the lifetime
of one serving naval officer. What would
he have said had he been tc>ld that in my
Iieftime-and I am not even all that near
the end of it, either-! should see men on
the moon; or computer tect:nology carried
to the pitch that it has reached; or that
there would be such' an outbreak of
wisdom foliowing Einstein and men like
Schrodinger, Heisenberg and others; or
the astonishing ascent of knowledge into
the atomic world?
doubt, for even the eliminating of some of
the dangers which may er.ist and to which
the right reverend Prelate referred, some
kind of an open inquiry ought to be set up.
II am rather inclined to agree with the
noble Lord-I think that it was the noble
Lord, Lord Kings Norton-who said that
I probably it should not b•!. an intra-
1
governmental inquiry. I think it should
be somctin' , 'ther more open than that,
but it ough. J lake place. If a group is
set up within this House, as suggested by
the noble Earl himself,. that would be
excellent. I should myelf be entirely in
fav0nr of it. In any case, let us get this
matter cleared up and into the open, and
by all means Jet us take it seriously,
bec:au;,e this is a serious subject. Far too
many people are taking it seriously for it
not to be a serious subject.
Finally, I wish to voice my most
sincere congratulations to . my noble
friend who made his maiden speech this
afternoon. It is very impertinent of me
to congratulte him upon it, but I should
like to say how much I enjoyed it. I have
no.t yet said anything complimentary about
the noble Earl who initiated the debate.
I have left this to the end on purpose
because I think it may not be entirely
realised what a service he has done.
This is the first such debatt that has
occurred in any societ)' such as this par-
ticular one; and this society, by which I
mean this noble House of P;;rliament, is
probably the only legislative assembly in
the world in which it could happen. l
hope that it will have repercussions which
will spread far beyond this Chamber.
What the outcome will be I do not
know, but, in initiating the ripples which
I hope will spread all over the surface of
the mill-pond, the noble Earl has done a
most valuable service.
· · This has all happened in the lifetime
of many of us, and yet we sit here; some
of us, and say that marvels which have
been ·postulated by some, and which
indeed are less in magnitude than most of 10.10 p.m.
those would have been to my uncle, are Lord STRABOLGI: My Lord~,· I
impossible. We are not all saying that- should like to join with the noble Earl,
perhaps nobody is saying that-but the Lord Cork· and Orrery, in saying how
argument is quite untenable. I have no grateful we are to the nobie Eari. Lord
wish to express any view on what a UFO Clancarty, for initiating this debate on
may be. What I wish to say is that there UFOs. Of course, the subject has been
is no knowing what it is not. It may be a of considerable interest in this country,
product of some kind of sign language, as and I hope our discussions, which, as the
the noble Earl, Lord Kimberley, men- I noble Earl rightly said, have been the
tioned.' It may "be mechanical. It may first that we haTe had-- in your Lordships'
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