Scanned: Case Number 243544: 42-t-1127712-20060476F-001-001-2013

MUFON UFO JOURNAL
Although the
Roswell
Declaration
was inspired
by the 1947
Roswell event,
it is by no
means tied to
it. The
Declaration re
quests "an
Executive Order
declassifying
any informa
tion regarding
the existence
of UFOs or ex
traterrestrial
intelligence."
Such an assur
ancewould
still be timely,
appropriate,
and beneficial
to both the U.S.
government
and its people.
June
Number 350
Page 4
issue here, nonetheless, because the accusations
seem to be so widespread.
First of all, no individual or agency has ever
attempted to influence 01: pressure me in any
way, shape, or form with regard to Roswell
or anything else. Furthermore, if Roswell had re
ally happened and if there had been any kind of
attempt to intimidate me, such an action would
have been the biggest mistake possible. Being
somewhat rebellious by nature, I would have
then pursued the matter with a vengeance,
spurred on by the knowledge that I was really on
to something.
Secondly, I am not employed by the govern
ment in any capacity whatsoever. My sole occu
pation for the past 26 years has been that of air
line pilot. I am employed by a major U.S. carrier
and presently fly international routes, primarily
to Europe. Although I have never seen a UFO, I
have had a long-term interest in the phenome
non. My interest in Roswell came about in part
because my father, Arthur Jeffrey, a retired Air
Force colonel, knew and worked in the early six
ties with one of the key Roswell figures, General
William Blanchard.
While I did feel for a long time that there was
a "significant" chance that Roswell involved a
crashed UFO, 1 never at any time believed it to
be the case with absolute certainty. However,
even if I had only felt that there was a "slight"
chance that Roswell involved the crash of an
alien spaceship, I still would have pursued the
matter vigorously, because, if true, it would
have been the story of the millennium.
The International Roswell Initiative
There are apparently those who also feel that
by reversing my position on Roswell I am drop
ping the ball and letting down the twenty thou
sand plus individuals who have signed the
Roswell Declaration. That is anything but the
case.
First, with regard to reversing my stance, it is
important to remember that the objective of the
Roswell Initiative has been to find the truth, not
define it. Unfortunately, the truth turned out to
be different from what I thought it might be, or
hoped it would be. However, now that I am ab
solutely certain that the debris recovered from
Roswell was not that from an extraterrestrial
craft, I feel an obligation to get that information
out as well. Not to do so would be less than
forthright and less than honest.
Secondly, as for the Roswell Declarations,
the plan is to deliver them to the White House,
along with a cover letter to the President, during
the week of the 50th anniversary of the Roswell
event this July. Whether or not the government
has any substantive information on UFOs, from
a public relations standpoint, the situation has
not been handled well. The government's quasi
official policy over the last few decades of ig
noring the UFO issue has led to a definite suspi
cion on the part of its citizenry. A 1996 Gallup
pole revealed that 71 percent of the American
public believes that "the U.S. Government
knows more about UFOs than they are telling
us."
Although the Roswell Declaration was in
spired by the 1947 Roswell event, it is by no
means tied to it. The Declaration requests "an
Executive Order declassifying any information
regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterres
trial intelligence." Such an assurance would still
be timely, appropriate, and beneficial to both the
U.S. government and its people.
As is stated in the Declaration, if no informa
tion is being withheld, such an action would,
nonetheless,have the positive effect of setting
the record straight and clearing up years of sus
picion and controversy. On the other hand, if in
formation is actually being withheld, it would
represent knowledge of profound importance to
which we are all entitled, and its release would
be acknowledged as an historic act of honesty
and goodwill.
Misleading Information
Many of the books and documentaries about
Roswell imply that it is highly probable, if not
certain, that the recovered debris was from a
crashed Hying saucer. Some of that information,
however, is misleading or incorrect. It ranges
from fabricated stories on the part of seemingly
credible witnesses to exaggeration and selective
presentation of fact.
In some instances, it is probably more a case
of o'{erzealousness on the part of authors than
intentional deception. In other instances, credi
bility is stretched beyond limits. For example,
after the conclusion of the story in the movie
Roswell, statements of purported fact just prior
to the credits inform us that Jesse Marcel, Sr.,
died in 1986 and that "since then over 350 wit
nesses to the event have agreed to talk." In actu
ality, because so few people ever saw the debris,
it is doubtful whether even one tenth that num
ber of witnesses could ever be produced.
In retrospect, there is much about Roswell
that I wish I had questioned more thoroughly,
early on. For example, I received a very interest
ing letter, dated March 20, 1993, written on the
stationary of a respected majOl' UFO organiza
tion. The author of the letter, in addition to being
1997