Ufo Research:
Truth Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
Bill Knell
"What is truth?" Thanks to inclusion in the Bible of a
confrontation between Pontius Pilate and Jesus Christ, this
question or answer is possibly the most famous statement ever
made on the subject. Pilate's definition of truth was whatever
suited his agenda. That definition is still used for the same
purpose by many today.
The subject of UFOs and Aliens may or may not reach the eternal
importance of the argument between Pontius Pilate and Jesus
Christ depending on who you talk to, but the search for the
truth about them receives the same manipulation. For example,
when UFO Organizations meet for conferences and symposiums, they
often hang banners that say, "The Truth is Out There" or
"Searching for the Truth." But what truth are they looking for?
I was an avid reader of books about unidentified flying
objects, extra-terrestrials and other paranormal phenomenon as
an adolescent. When I began my own paranormal research and
investigation as a teenager, I decided to be as objective as
possible. The truth I was looking for was less theory and more
facts. Facts are objective until we decide to interpret them.
Today, many UFO researchers view the phenomenon as a buffet
table. They pick and choose what they decide is credible and
throw out the rest. Their search for the truth only includes
those facts that they can or will accept. I can't tell you how
many important cases came my way (and still do) because others
in this field simply turned their noses up at the source or
nature of the information.
I am not going to tell you that I initially appreciated,
believed or even liked some of the cases or individuals that I
have investigated over the years. I am also not going to tell
you that everything reported to me always turned out to be true.
Instead, I'll tell you that it is a mistake to prejudge
information based on some pet theory or desire to retain a
certain image for yourself or your organization.
Sometimes I believe that the original mainstream UFO
organizations invented the idea of political correctness.
Blasted by the press and scolded by scientists, most decided
that if you can't beat them, join them. They began to pander to
reporters, journalists, scientists and skeptics. And not just
pander.
It wasn't long before the notoriously skeptical, often
wishy-washy and always ideologically-driven scientific community
became the litmus test for UFO evidence credibility. If a
scientist could not find a way to fit the facts of any given
case into some current scientific theory or model, it didn't
exist. The truth became whatever they said it was and the only
information accepted the mainstream UFO research community was
that which survived scientific sifting.
I am not the kind of person that believes there are no absolute
truths and that life is one big grey area. However, I also
believe that science is a long way from understanding the nature
of those truths, being able to interpret them as a formula on a
chalk board or reproduce them in a laboratory. Science is what
we think we know about our existence. It provides a means for us
to discover and use certain principles for better or worse. It
should never be considered a final authority to judge what we
believe to be true.
Most scientists ignore facts that go against their grain of
established beliefs until those facts can no longer be ignored.
It is process of knowledge and information forced one way or
another by the whims and egos of academics. It's Investigation
by Debunking. Instead of proving something exists, let's prove
it doesn't and whatever remains is worthy of consideration. It
is, literally, backward thinking and exclusionary research.
Investigating paranormal or supernatural events requires
something more than Debunking. It requires the ability to admit
that not everything is always as it seems and sometimes things
occur that are beyond our ability to immediately comprehend
them. One of the greatest lessons that I have learned as a
result of paranormal investigation is that anything is possible.
When I first began to investigate the Philadelphia Experiment,
I was warned not to take it seriously by most in the field of
UFO investigation. Although witnesses were few and scattered and
the information seemed spurious, not all the news was bad. While
denying that it ever occurred, the Office of Naval Research
began an investigation in 1957 which involved people that became
aware of it and the information they possessed. It's always been
my belief that if you wanted to find a buried bone, you should
follow the dog that buried it.
While it's possible that the ONR was simply unaware of the
experiment and decided to take a look at the matter, it's
unlikely. Investigations on that level were not initiated
without careful consideration and approval from superior
officers in charge. The government interest in the Philadelphia
Experiment was reason enough to begin following their trail.
Part of that trail lead to Morris K. Jessup, an author and
amateur astronomer that ended up dead under suspicious
circumstances. And that was just the beginning.
The Philadelphia Experiment was said to have somehow involved
UFOs and Aliens from the very beginning. Allegedly began as a
World War II Navy Project to demagnetize ships against mines and
make the vessels radar invisible, it progressed to a point where
a ship became invisible, opened a door in hyperspace, traveled
through time and returned. Alien contact was made somewhere
along the way and their technology was eventually included in
future projects based on those original experiments in the
1940s.
Despite the ONR interest, suspicious death of Jessup, alien
involvement and other factors that made the experiment worthy of
investigation, most in the establishment UFO research community
chose to ignore it. I believe that choice was based largely on
the opinion of scientists that lined up dozens deep to explain
why it was simply wasn`t possible to conduct such an experiment
in the early 1940s. Today, many scientists are no longer arguing
over the possibility of invisibility, time travel and mind
control, they are busy arguing over which theory about these
concepts makes the most sense and how much it will cost to build
the equipment they will need to prove it.
Because they have placed their trust in shaky science, we have
ended up with useless Ufology. Over the past thirty years I have
witnessed various establishment UFO research organizations
embrace cases with dubious photographic evidence and very little
witness credibility simply because they couldn't find a way to
recreate the photos in a controlled environment. When these
cases ultimately fell apart or someone found little UFO models
in a garbage can, all UFO and paranormal researchers suffered a
serious loss of credibility.
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Bill Knell is a professional writer. Although semi-retired, he still accepts various writing assignments. Articles on most any topic are his specialty. Bill is also a talented ghost writer for people who have an idea or story to tell without the skills to create a submittable book manuscript. Sorry, Bill does not accept term paper or technical writing assignments. Bill can be contacted on
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