Symposium on unidentified flying objects: hearings before the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninetieth Congress, second session, July 29, 1968.

112
including
its
apparent
reaction
to
other events
in
the
environment
with
emphasis
upon
establishing
independence or
non
-independence of separate
witnesses.
(b)
Those
portions
of
the
problem
that
result
from mass
hysteria
need
to
be
studied
intensively
to
improve
our
understanding of
mass
hysteria
toward
the
end
of
controlling
its
potentially
dangerous
consequences.
(c)
Some
systematic
means
of monitoring
and
observing
should
be
developed
so
as
to
add
well
documented
new
cases
with
specific
reports
of
details
obtained
independently
from
different
observers.
3.
Serious
consideration
might be
given to
the
idea
of
setting
up
a
formal
adversary
proceeding,
modeled
after
our system of
justice.
Just
as
courts
have
attorneys assigned
to
build
the
best
possible
ease for the
prosecution
and
others
to
build
the
best
case for
defense,
we
might have
a
staff
assigned to
build
the
strongest
possible
case for
each
of
the
three
major
explanations
of
UFO
reports.
If
each
had
to
confront
the
others
and
answer
their
criticisms,
we
would
probably
force
a
clearer
focus
on
the
crucial
points
that
need
to
be
settled.
My
closing
comment
returns to
my
starting
point.
The
situation
that
we
face
in
UFO
reports
is
an
exciting
and
challenging
one which
presents
a
rare
scientific
opportunity,
no
matter
whose
interpretation
and
explanation
you
may
accept.
REFERENCES
Bauer,
R.
A. and
Gleicher,
D.B.,
1953.
Word-of-mouth communication
in the
Soviet
Union.
Public Opinion
Quarterly,
17,
1953, 297-310.
Cantril,
H.,
1940.
The
invasion
from
Mars.
Princeton:
Princeton
University Press,1940.Festinger,
L.,
1957.
A
theory
of
cognitive
dissonance.
Evanston:
Row
-Peterson,
1957.
Hall,
R.
H.
(ed.), 1964.
The
UFO
evidence.
Washington, D.C.
:
N.I.C.A.P.,
1964.
Johnson,
D.
M.,
1945.
The
"phantom
anaesthetist"
of
Mattoon:
a
field
study
of
mass
hysteria.
Journal
of
Abnormal and
Social
Psychology,
1945. 40, 175-186.
Kerckhoff,
A.
C.,
and
Back,
K.,
1968.
The
June
bug.
New
York:
Appleton-Century
-
Crofts,
1968.
Medalia,
N.
Z.,
and
Larsen,
0.
N.,
1958.
Diffusion
and
belief
in
a
collective
de-
lusion:
the
Seattle
windshield
pitting
epidemic.
American
Sociological
Review,
1958, 23,
180-186.
Shibutani,
T.,
1966.
Improvised
news: a
sociological
study
of
rumor.
Indianapolis
and
New
York:
Bobbs-Merrill, 1966.
Simmons,
J.
L.,
1964.
On
maintaining deviant
belief
systems:
a
case
study.
Social
Problems,
11, 1964, 250-256.
Smelser,
N.,1963.
Theory
of
collective
behavior.
New
York:
Free
Press of
Glencoe,1963.
Smith,
M.
B.,
Bruner,
J.
S.,
and
White,
R.
W.,
1956.
Opinions
and
Personality.
New
York:
John
Wiley
&
Sons,
1956.
U.S.
Air
Force,
1968. Projects
Grudge and
Bluebook Reports 1-12 (1951-1953)
Washington, D.C.
:
N.I.C.A.P.,
1968.
Mr.
Rousx.
Our
next
participant
is
Dr.
J.
A.
Harder.
Dr. Harder,
we
are delighted
that
you can
participate.
We
are
get-
ting into
another area here
now. Again,
as with the other gentlemen,
Dr. Harder
has
a
distinguished career
behind
him and
probably aneven
more
distinguished career
ahead of
him.
Dr. Harder,
will
you
proceed.
(The
biography of
Dr.Harder
is
as follows:)
DR.
J.
A. HARDER
Born:
Fullerton,
Calif.,
1926.
B.S.
California Institute
of Technology, 1948; Ph.D.
(fluid
mechanics), 1957;
Associate Professor of
Civil
Engineering, University of
California,
Berkeley,
1962
to present; Assistant Professor,
Hydraulic Engineering, 1957-62; Resident
Engineer, 1952-57;
Design Engineer,
soil
conservation service,
U.S.
Department
of Agriculture,
1948-50;
U.S.
Navy,
1944-45.Scientific Societies:
Fellow of the American
Association for the Advancementof Science, Society of Civil
Engineering