Monday, July 22, 2013

UFO Researcher of the Year Displays some Careless Research


Grant Cameron is a well-known in the UFO community as a researcher who specializes in documentation, especially about supposed "Presidential UFOs." I earlier wrote about Cameron's speech to the 2013 International UFO Congress near Phoenix, Arizona:
Grant Cameron
He spoke on "Consciousness and UFOs." He explained that he is convinced that no real progress in knowledge about UFOs will be made until we successfully contact the beings involved, which he is sure is possible. He noted that one person claiming mental contact was the former Democratic Congressman, Dennis Kucinich, who not only had a sighting that lasted several hours [how can you watch something like that for hours without getting cameras, binoculars, the neighbors, the news crew, the police, etc?], but also said that he "felt a connection" with the UFO that he and the others sighted. "You have to make contact, you can't watch from a distance," says Cameron. He feels that the idea of UFO contact has been made disreputable because of certain people whose famous claims of contact are not credible. He showed photos of three persons he was implying to be phonies: Billy Meier, George Adamski, and Steven Greer. (No argument there!)
 On July 19, 2013, Cameron wrote in his Blog, "Is there a UFO Government Control Group? – New Information ." In it he said
John [Alexander] was a Colonel in the US Army, and had been interested in the UFO mystery since a young boy in 1947. He also had done work on “esoteric projects, specifically in the intelligence community with psychokinesis.”

Alexander wrote a book on his UFO investigations called “UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies, and Realities.” In the book Alexander pointed out that although UFOs are real, they are of no interest to the American government, and therefore there is no cover-up of the facts by American officials.
Alexander is the author of  UFOs Myths Conspiracies and Realities (NY: Thomas Dunne Books, 2011). He is not a popular figure in UFOlogy today, even though he is a UFO proponent. As I wrote about Alexander's speech to the 2011 MUFON Symposium:
I'd say that the most interesting talk was the first one on Saturday afternoon, retired Army Colonel Dr. John Alexander. He is among the most skeptical of UFO believers, and because of this he excited (or more properly, inflamed) the audience more than anyone else. His heresy was not that there are not real ET UFOs, but merely that there is no government coverup, or secret UFO-related program. Alexander stated that "disclosure has already happened," pointing to a few mostly-ambiguous statements by world leaders (such as Jimmy Carter, or Prince Philip) that suggest a belief in UFOs. Alexander claims that the government already knows that UFOs are real and interplanetary, but they simply don't care. They have so many more pressing problems - the economy, wars and terrorism, health care, etc. - that they simply have no time or inclination to deal with UFOs.

Mostly, Alexander's talk was a recital of what he does not believe in: Alien Reproduction Vehicles, MJ-12 papers, antigravity drives, underground UFO bases, and (worst of all) no Grand Coverup, no 'secrecy police' (Men in Black). Even the Holy Roswell Crash was doubted. To those who claim to have been harassed or silenced because of UFO sightings, Alexander said, "come to me, I will protect you and defend your case." According to Alexander, "the UFO community" has become its own worst enemy, and it is necessary to make the study of UFOs intellectually respectable.
Paradoxically, while denying that the U.S. military is involved in any UFO coverups, Alexander is a strong proponent of the famous Rendlesham Forest alleged UFO landing, which took place in England in 1980 but involved U.S. Air Force personnel. The U.S. Air Force operated the base at Woodbridge, as part of the NATO defenses against possible Soviet agression. So apparently Alexander believes that the U.S. Air Force does not cover up domestic UFOs, but it does cover-up foreign ones. And he does not seem concerned that the principal witnesses have greatly "improved" their stories over the years.
John Alexander (left) chats with James McGaha at The Amazing Meeting 2012, South Point Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cameron Continues:
In a June 15, 2013 interview with radio show host Nancy Du Tetre Alexander, Alexander suddenly announced that the MJ-12 group had existed.[ii] This sudden disclosure was strange. That is because the MJ-12 controversy is central to the whole government cover-up theory believed by most in the UFO community. Yet Alexander did not talk about the MJ-12 idea in his book which had as its basic premise that there is no government control group dealing with the UFO mystery.
Cameron is quite wrong about this. Chapter 7 in Alexander's UFO book is titled "Majestic 12," and it is ten pages long (hard cover edition).  Obviously Cameron has not read the book. He continues:
This is the transcript of the interaction;

Alexander: I think that there actually was a group and they were created something known as COG – continuity of government – and it was to prevent nuclear decapitation of the United States. It was really super super sensitive.

Nancy Du Tetre: Well let me ask you this. Does MJ-12 as far as you know exist today?

Alexander: I don’t think so. I had someone whisper to me that it had existed. I didn’t think it had existed at all, but when I looked into it and asked if the names were correct, and they said yes and that should tell me what I need to know to figure it out. That’s how we came up with this particular occupation because most of them were into nuclear warfare. That was one common thread of all the people on the list, and much more so certainly than with UFOs.[iii]
Cameron's story was written up by paranormal reporter Jack Brewer on The Examiner, headling "Grant Cameron reports John Alexander confirmed MJ-12,"   and has now become a big news story in UFO circles.

Before going ballistic on this, Grant Cameron should have actually read the chapter on the alleged MJ-12 "documents" in John Alexander's book. Alexander examines the claims, and is generally skeptical of them. On p. 130, he suggests "COG - An Alternative Solution." He cites a 'confidential source' he trusts who tells him that "the topics the group was involved in studying had nothing to do with the Roswell crash in particular or UFOs in general." In other words, a group existed called "MJ-12," but it had nothing to do with UFOs. He speculates that it may have been involved with "continuity of government" following a nuclear war, but he doesn't know for sure. In his book Alexander does not claim that the names of the alleged MJ-12 were "correct," but he does say "Those named as the MJ-12 constituency dovetails appropriately with a body created that might advise a POTUS." Possibly what Alexander meant in the radio interview that the names were "correct" for a COG panel. He has not yet replied to several requests for clarification, including mine.

So, John Alexander was being interviewed on a radio show, and said almost exactly the same thing he had said in his book two years earlier. Grant Cameron seized upon Alexander's statement as a "sudden disclosure" and it became a big UFO news story.

Lee Speigel notes in the Huffington Post that "At the recent 22nd annual International UFO Congress in Arizona [2013], Cameron -- co-author of "UFOs, Area 51, and Government Informants" -- was honored with the researcher of the year award for his outstanding achievement in the field of UFO studies."

Given that Cameron was chosen "UFO Researcher of the Year," this tells us a great deal about "UFO Research!"

14 comments:

  1. Maybe UFO researchers should get awards for consistency? It might help.

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  2. Yes---he is the cream of the crop!

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  3. Hi Robert, this is a little off topic but I was wondering if you have ever seen posts from " UFO sightings daily" regarding " giant ufos orbiting the sun"? The web master claims that these ufos have been known to NASA for years and that NASA will not comment on them because it would somehow make the claims/ photos valid? The images from SOHO camera he presents show very strange objects around the sun, but if they are there the earth and some the size of Juipiter? Would we not have massive gravitational effects on our world from such objects? The web fool claims NASA will not comment because they are trying to keep ufo secret. Really? Just wondering if you have an explination for the images so NASA does not have to waste time?

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    1. "The streaks in question are consistent with energetic particle (proton) impacts on the CCD, something which is apparent in just about every image," Nathan Rich, of the NRL's solar physics branch, told the website.

      "These artifacts do not persist from image to image," Rich added...."


      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/26/ufo-near-the-sun-or-a-camera-glitch_n_1456380.html

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  4. I had some correspondence with Grant Cameron years ago about Wilbert Smith (yes the guy who in his infamous memo of November 1950 unwittingly launched the whole MJ-12 fiasco).

    Cameron seemed besotted with Smith who, we should remember, hoped to construct a working flying disc in his lab in the early 1950s.

    I believe Cameron still intends to produce a book on Wilbert Smith's life, sometime. I am surprised Cameron did not mention in his conference speech that Smith was an early contactee himself and was conversing mentally with extraterrestrials soon after Adamski, though Smith never claimed to have met them face-to-face.

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    1. Chris, oh yes he did talk about Wilbert Smith at the Congress. I didn't re-post all I'd written then (and I left out the backlink - sorry! It's fixed). In that entry I also wrote:

      "Cameron spoke at length about a well-known but still somewhat mysterious figure in the early history of UFOlogy: Wilbert Smith, a Canadian radio engineer. In 1953 Smith somehow convinced Canadian authorities to allow him to set up a small project to investigate flying saucers, having supposedly determined that the American government considers the subject of the highest priority and secrecy. Smith was among those who supposedly experienced 'contact' with the extraterrestrials."

      I don't know if I mentioned this before, but it appears that Smith was actually a member of the famous end-of-the-world saucer cult made famous in "When Prophecy Fails." Smith was into not only magnetism, but also mental contact with saucers (as they were then called).

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  5. Hey, I’ve had spam emails from Alexander, and so I expect has everyone in his address book. What’s with a guy who supposedly knows Top Secret government stuff yet can’t even keep his computer free of malware? Or were the emails really spreading some kind of Secret Message and I missed it by junking them?

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  6. "UFO Researcher of the Year"
    Acceptance Speech

    First, I'd like to thank the UFO community of bestowing this award to me even if I was the only nominee. Before I speak, I need to make an announcement:

    Would the person or Extraterrestrial that double-parked their UFO please move or fly it to a designated parking space. Thank you.

    Raise your hand if anyone in the audience has seen an UFO?
    OK... almost everyone.

    Raise your hand if anyone in the audience has been abducted?
    Wow!.... even MORE people.

    Well that's why the UFO research is so important.

    People ask me, what makes a great UFO Researcher?
    And I say you don't have to be great, just average, or below average works just as well.

    I also like to say to aspiring UFO Researchers out there.
    Anybody can do this. Just print business cards with a title "UFO Researcher Extraordinaire and other Paranormal Stuff" and you're now an UFO expert.

    But it takes dedication.

    I'll be lying to you if I said it wasn't hard work.
    There are countless hours of viewing YouTube UFO videos and skimming through UFO books. Don't bother reading the books since it takes up too much time.

    (laughter)

    And interviewing people is part of the job, too.
    Remember the UFO Researcher's Golden Rule - their story is far more interesting than the facts. Stick with that and you can't go wrong.

    And don't fret about inconvenient facts. That's not what UFO research is about. If you're not sure make stuff up! Be creative. Need a UFO photo? Well, that's what PhotoShop is used for.

    So what is UFO Research really about, you ask? It’s about having fun. I must admit it is fun to introduce yourself has a real life Fox Mulder at cocktail parties. The ladies will be impressed.

    I'll display this “UFO Researcher of the Year” next to my "World's Greatest Dad" coffee mug.
    Thank you.

    (applause)

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    1. Re business cards:

      It is equally impressive if you display the words "Nuclear Physicist" on the front of all your publications, i.e. papers, books and videos, at conferences. That way people will take real notice of your writings and the ideas expressed therein.

      Leave out those vital two words and your credibility plunges sharply.




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    2. Or try "Head of the MoD UFO Project".

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  7. So, am I to take it that after 22 years, the International UFO congress is still rehashing stories about MJ-12, Roswell, etc.? Do the attendees find it a little repetitive? "Well, we don't have anything new, per se, but we do have a few new speakers to bring up the old stuff."

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  8. IMHO, the fundamental question is, if there really were aliens on the earth, where are their bases? All vehicles need to be maintained, no matter how advanced. We have spy satellites and survey satellites constantly surveying the land; we have submarines constantly traversing the oceans. If there were any alien bases, it seems rather probable that they would have been found by now. There simply is not that much unexplored territory any more. The moon and the other planets and moons have been photographed for years--again, no sign of an alien presence. And, of course, the big hurdle to overcome for any alien species to come here is the limitation of speed to that of light. Speeds can be higher, but then the velocity equation inverts, and we have motion in time, not space--hence warp drive is infeasible. Besides, there is no evidence that space or time can be "warped" anyway. Therefore, the UFO and "Ancient Astronaut" communities haven't even begun to prove their case--they've never supplied any hard evidence of alien bases--not even Area 51--which obviously is a top secret U.S. Air Force base.

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  9. Was idly wondering who else has been awarded this dubious accolade. Turns out that Cameron is only the third recipient. The first two were Leslie Keane and Lee Spiegel. Difficult to tell if the level's going up or down.

    BTW, speaking of Spiegel: is the letter visible at 1 minute into this movie genuine?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No3Q5f5CwKg
    It supposedly comes from the Grenada delegation to the UN but refers to the Prime Minister of Grenada as "Sir Gairy". Anyone in the Grenada government or its diplomatic missions would surely know that the correct form of address is "Sir Eric". Only someone unfamiliar with British terminology would write "Sir Gairy". It's the kind of mistake that Americans often make. So who could have written it? Another case for the UFO Researcher of the Year!

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  10. Barry Chamish will convince you ufo's exist. His books are great.

    sean

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