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HOST (over TV): One of these
three men is an expert on
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unidentified flying objects.
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What is your name please?
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CONTESTANT 1 (over TV):
My name is J. Allen Hynek.
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CONTESTANT 2 (over TV):
My name is J. Allen Hynek.
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CONTESTANT 3 (over TV):
My name is J. Allen Hynek.
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RODEGHIER: J Allen Hynek came
into the UFO field with the
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typical scientific attitude,
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which is, they
shouldn't be studied,
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there's nothing to them.
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O'CONNELL: Ultimately
that changed, and
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that's sort of the core of
the J Allen Hynek story.
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HOST (over TV):
I, J. Allen Hynek,
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am a consultant to the
United States Air Force
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on unidentified
flying objects.
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KEAN: Like so many other
key figures of that era,
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Hynek had to push against
the government that he once
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worked for and stand
up for the truth.
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HOST (over TV): I am also a
professor of astronomy and
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director of a large
university observatory.
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KEAN: Hynek believed
that science was the tool.
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Science could get us to an
understanding of what UFOs are.
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And that's what
he advocated for.
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O'CONNELL: There are a lot
of people who don't always
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understand his rationale
for the things he did or the
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things he said, but Hynek's
impact today, I think,
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is immeasurable.
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MAN (over TV): Only one
of these men is the real
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J. Allen Hynek.
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The other two are imposters
and will try to fool this panel
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On To Tell The Truth!
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HYNEK: We get
reports every night.
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MAN: I don't know
what the hell it is.
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MAN 2: A rotating
light around it...
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MAN 3: I'd like to report a UFO.
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(theme music plays)
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RODEGHIER: The US government
closed its formal study of UFOs,
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Project Blue Book,
in late 1969.
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And the government as a whole,
says we're not interested in
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UFO reports.
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POWELL: The Air Force made
the decision: let's get out of
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this business of
investigating UFOs.
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Our business is national
security, we see no threat.
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Let's stop Project Blue Book.
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KEAN: J. Allen Hynek who was
the scientist who worked for
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Project Blue Book
for almost 20 years,
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actually came through that
with the opposite perspective,
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which was that UFOs were
something serious and
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they should be investigated.
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HYNEK: In my association with
Project Blue Book, I know and
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I know very well that it
was not a scientific project.
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I also know that they never,
never would notify the media
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when an
interesting case came up.
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They did everything they
could to keep it down,
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so they definitely
withheld information.
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RODEGHIER: Dr. Hynek realized
that this was a serious problem,
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UFO reports could not
all be explained, and that
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the military should be
taking this more seriously.
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KEAN: We now know that there
were UFO cases during this
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time that did seem to have
national security implications.
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ELIZONDO: I think the public
would be shocked to realize
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that there were incidents
going back even into the '60s,
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where our nuclear missile silos
were being interfered with.
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MELLON: Production facilities,
weapons facilities.
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We've had incidents over
numerous ICBM bases.
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KEAN: During the Cold War,
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intercontinental ballistic
missiles, called ICBMs,
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were strategically located
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throughout northern parts
of the United States,
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where they were within striking
distance of the Soviet Union.
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There were almost identical
UFO events at two of the
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Minuteman ICBM locations:
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at Minot Air Force base
in North Dakota in 1966,
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and at Malmstrom Air Force
base in Montana in 1967.
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SALAS: My name
is Robert Salas.
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In 1967, I was a
lieutenant in the Air Force,
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stationed at Malmstrom
Air Force Base, Montana.
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SCHINDELE: My name
is David Schindele.
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I'm a retired Air Force captain
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at Minot Air Force Base
in North Dakota.
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In 1966, my responsibility
was to launch our ten
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nuclear tipped missiles upon
appropriate and verified order.
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JAMISON: My name
is Robert Jamison.
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I was a first lieutenant in
the United States Air Force,
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Malmstrom Air
Force Base in Montana.
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One of my jobs was to, if
a missile goes off alert
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for any reason, is to
go out and restart it.
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MAN (over film): The Air
Force includes missile men.
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Here at Malmstrom Air Force
Base a strategic missile wing
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controls the most
modern Minuteman in its
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underground silo.
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The Air Force specialists
on this job, by continuous
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readiness to launch their
bird, help prevent rather
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than start a nuclear war.
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SALAS: We had Minuteman 1
missiles and that's an
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800-kiloton weapon.
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And just for reference the
weapons that were dropped on
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Hiroshima and
Nagasaki were 20 kilotons.
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MELLON: That capability is
helping to keep the peace.
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We have a policy of
mutually assured destruction.
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It would be suicide for us or
our potential adversaries to
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launch a nuclear attack.
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Unless they could disable that
capability in that system.
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Then they could conceivably
decapitate the United States,
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destroy the Capital without
fear of a retaliatory response
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and change the
global balance of power.
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SALAS: Our location
was 60 feet underground.
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SCHINDELE: We were
very well protected.
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SALAS: It was a concrete
steel-reinforced capsule.
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SCHINDELE: And this capsule
was sitting below what we call
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the launch controls facility.
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SALAS: We had six security
guards topside.
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They had the responsibility
for making sure
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there was nobody
trying to break in.
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(laughs)
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SCHINDELE: I traveled
to base to attend a
pre-departure crew briefing.
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After the briefing, several
missile crews came up to me
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and said, "Did you hear
what happened overnight?"
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SALAS: Sometime in the evening
hours, I get up a call from
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the main guard upstairs.
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He tells me that there
are strange lights flying
over the facility.
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They're looking at
reddish-orange, glowing,
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pulsating light.
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It's hovering just
above the front gate.
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SCHINDELE: And he pointed with
his arms, and he says it's
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right out there hovering,
motionless and without sound.
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SALAS: He did think that there
was a solid object within the
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light, sort of oval-shaped.
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I kind of dismissed it.
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I even said,
"You mean like UFOs?"
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and, uh, kind of
laughed at him.
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And he said, "Well,
they're not airplanes, sir."
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About five minutes later,
he calls back and he is
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screaming into the phone now.
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He's very frightened.
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He's babbling.
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He said, he's got all the
guards out there with their
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weapons drawn.
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They wanted
orders on what to do.
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I told him, "Make sure nothing
enters the fenced area."
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When I hung up the phone, I
thought we were under attack.
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By who or what, I had no idea.
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And then we get bells
and whistles going off
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at our control panel.
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And, we could see the lights
going from green to red,
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all across the board.
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Meaning the missiles
were inoperable now.
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MELLON: If the president had
given the order to launch the
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missiles, we could
not have launched them.
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♪ ♪
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SALAS: Losing 10
missiles was a shock.
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Except for that instance,
I never lost more than
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one missile at a time.
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MELLON: Somehow, some way,
vehicles were able to maneuver
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right over those
ICBMs and turn them off.
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JAMISON: We don't know
why they went down,
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and still don't know.
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There's no other reason I can
think of that would cause the
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ten to go off
alert within seconds.
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SCHINDELE: We knew it wasn't
an ordinary man-made machine
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because we had
nothing like that.
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SALAS: After the incident, I
was required not to speak to
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anybody about it.
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SCHINDELE: I attempted to
question the security guard,
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and he said, "sorry, sir,
I've been told to keep quiet.
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And he was told that as far
as you're concerned,
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it never happened.
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JAMISON: I had to go
through a special briefing.
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This is where they told me,
"You're not supposed to say
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ever again that
something happened,
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because nothing happened."
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Of course, the first thing I
did when I got home was,
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"hey honey, guess
what happened."
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There was a man from
Air Force Office of
Special Investigations.
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All he wanted me to do was to
sign this document stating
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I would never speak
about this again.
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Once we signed that document,
we were released,
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told to leave,
and that was that.
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I never spoke about
any of this until 1994,
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so that was about
27 years later.
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KEAN: Three years after the
Malmstrom incident in which
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ten missiles were shut down,
the Air Force released a
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"Fact Sheet" to the public,
announcing the close of
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Project Blue Book.
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And it stated that no UFO
reported, investigated or
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evaluated by the Air Force was
ever an indication of a threat
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to our national security.
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Meaning not even one has
represented any kind of
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national security threat.
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SALAS: That was certainly um...
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a lie.
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Let's, let's use the right word.
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The Air Force knew full
well these were UFO-related
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incidents and that UFOs
were responsible for the
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shutdown of these missiles.
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KEAN: We found out later, in
1979, that in fact a secret
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memo had circulated called
the Bolender Memo which stated
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00:10:51,317 --> 00:10:54,897
that any national security
cases could continue to be
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00:10:54,904 --> 00:10:59,334
reported through
channels already in place.
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00:11:01,911 --> 00:11:06,001
And so it was a complete
black and white contradiction
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00:11:05,999 --> 00:11:09,669
between what was being said to
the public and what was being
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00:11:09,669 --> 00:11:12,419
said behind the scenes.
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00:11:21,222 --> 00:11:22,722
JAMISON: There's something
that's in our atmosphere that
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00:11:22,724 --> 00:11:25,394
we just don't know what it is.
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00:11:25,393 --> 00:11:29,863
These things seem to
be interested in our
nuclear capabilities.
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00:11:29,856 --> 00:11:32,776
And that's something we
should be concerned about.
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00:11:33,693 --> 00:11:36,613
SCHINDELE: I kept the
secret for 40 years.
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00:11:36,946 --> 00:11:40,906
It was a long time to
have this burden on the
back of my shoulders.
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00:11:40,909 --> 00:11:43,659
I'm normally a quiet
personality, and I just
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00:11:43,661 --> 00:11:46,081
don't want to be
in the limelight.
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00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:49,790
But the public
needs to know this.
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KEAN: Robert Salas did not
speak out about what happened
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00:11:53,004 --> 00:11:54,554
for many, many years.
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00:11:54,547 --> 00:11:58,967
And it shows how
intimidated these people
are to come forward.
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00:11:59,510 --> 00:12:01,930
Decades will go by and they
won't even talk about it.
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00:12:03,765 --> 00:12:04,965
SCHINDELE: Good morning.
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00:12:04,974 --> 00:12:07,604
My name is David Schindele.
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00:12:07,602 --> 00:12:12,862
In 2001 I found an article
describing Robert Salas'
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00:12:12,857 --> 00:12:17,697
incident, and when I
saw it I said, oh my God.
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00:12:17,695 --> 00:12:20,775
The incident that he had
was almost identical
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00:12:20,782 --> 00:12:22,662
to the one I had.
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And I experienced a,
just a joyful freedom, and
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00:12:27,497 --> 00:12:31,077
I finally was able to tell
my wife my secret.
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And so thanks, Robert,
for helping me out.
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00:12:39,217 --> 00:12:42,387
SALAS: After the incident,
the guards had called me and
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00:12:42,387 --> 00:12:45,927
literally begged me to come
out and see them because this
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00:12:45,932 --> 00:12:49,852
was a very traumatic
experience for the guards.
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00:12:49,852 --> 00:12:53,402
But I had just signed a
nondisclosure statement,
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00:12:53,398 --> 00:12:57,738
so I had to tell them on the
phone that I could not see them.
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00:12:58,319 --> 00:13:03,119
So when I talk about this, I
do it partly for those airmen
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00:13:03,116 --> 00:13:07,156
that begged me to come see
'em and I just couldn't do it.
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00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:11,500
HYNEK: There's a shyness and a
reluctance on the part of many
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00:13:11,499 --> 00:13:15,839
witnesses, and understandably
so, against reporting, because
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00:13:15,837 --> 00:13:19,507
too many have been ridiculed
and life has been made
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00:13:19,507 --> 00:13:21,797
somewhat miserable for them.
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00:13:21,801 --> 00:13:25,471
MELLON: Dr. Hynek grew
increasingly disillusioned by
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00:13:25,471 --> 00:13:28,891
the Air Force's dismissive
approach to these sightings
238
00:13:28,891 --> 00:13:32,231
and dismissive
approach to the evidence.
239
00:13:32,228 --> 00:13:34,938
RODEGHIER: Hynek gradually
realized that this was a
240
00:13:34,939 --> 00:13:37,979
subject that
demanded serious study.
241
00:13:38,651 --> 00:13:41,111
O'CONNELL: Back when Hynek was
in Project Blue Book, there
242
00:13:41,112 --> 00:13:45,322
was a case that involved
a father and his two
sons in Idaho.
243
00:13:45,950 --> 00:13:50,580
One day they saw this object
just zoom down this gully,
244
00:13:50,580 --> 00:13:53,080
down the river
bed and disappear.
245
00:13:53,082 --> 00:13:54,632
They, all three, saw it.
246
00:13:54,625 --> 00:13:56,165
Hynek found it
fairly convincing.
247
00:13:56,169 --> 00:13:59,839
He ended up writing it off as
something with a natural cause.
248
00:13:59,839 --> 00:14:03,969
That was Hynek's official
report to Project Blue Book,
249
00:14:03,968 --> 00:14:08,098
Why this is significant is
years later when Hynek started
250
00:14:08,097 --> 00:14:11,727
to change his mind,
he had regrets about
that specific case.
251
00:14:12,310 --> 00:14:14,730
He said, "With that case,
I should have said,
252
00:14:14,729 --> 00:14:17,519
'You know what?
It doesn't add up completely.
253
00:14:17,523 --> 00:14:19,113
I think there's
more going on here.
254
00:14:19,108 --> 00:14:20,608
I'm not gonna dismiss it.
255
00:14:20,610 --> 00:14:22,280
I'm gonna try to
find out more.'"
256
00:14:22,278 --> 00:14:23,948
So, that was kind
of the first chink
257
00:14:23,946 --> 00:14:27,236
in Hynek's façade as a debunker.
258
00:14:28,367 --> 00:14:31,287
HYNEK: I began to get certain
doubts because it was the
259
00:14:31,287 --> 00:14:33,117
people themselves.
260
00:14:33,122 --> 00:14:36,042
I said to myself, well now,
come on, how much longer am
261
00:14:36,042 --> 00:14:38,462
I going to call
these people crazy.
262
00:14:38,461 --> 00:14:41,011
And when I changed my glasses
you might say, a little bit,
263
00:14:41,005 --> 00:14:44,005
and took a view that maybe
these people aren't crazy,
264
00:14:44,008 --> 00:14:47,348
and began to realize what
sort of people they were:
265
00:14:47,345 --> 00:14:49,465
good, solid people.
266
00:14:49,472 --> 00:14:53,892
I said to myself, well, the
time has come to maybe
267
00:14:53,893 --> 00:14:55,733
change my attitude."
268
00:15:01,275 --> 00:15:03,185
♪ ♪
269
00:15:03,194 --> 00:15:05,954
POWELL: With the United States
Air Force leaving the role
270
00:15:05,947 --> 00:15:10,117
behind of taking in UFO
investigations, this left a
271
00:15:10,118 --> 00:15:14,458
large vacuum that civilian
organizations began to fill.
272
00:15:15,123 --> 00:15:17,793
KEAN: In 1974,
J. Allen Hynek founded
273
00:15:17,792 --> 00:15:20,882
The Center for UFO Studies,
abbreviated "CUFOS".
274
00:15:20,878 --> 00:15:24,718
This was a civilian group
composed of very qualified
275
00:15:24,715 --> 00:15:29,175
people that runs the gamut
of the average person with
276
00:15:29,178 --> 00:15:34,558
enthusiasm, to a very highly
trained scientist or academic.
277
00:15:35,601 --> 00:15:39,611
And the records that they
provided are absolutely crucial.
278
00:15:45,069 --> 00:15:47,199
RODEGHIER: I'm Mark Rodeghier,
the scientific director of the
279
00:15:47,196 --> 00:15:50,406
Center for UFO
Studies in Chicago.
280
00:15:50,408 --> 00:15:54,578
Dr. Hynek mentored me and
designated me as his successor.
281
00:15:54,579 --> 00:15:58,079
Dr. Hynek was the
classic professor.
282
00:15:58,082 --> 00:15:59,672
He loved teaching.
283
00:15:59,667 --> 00:16:02,917
He also really enjoyed jokes,
you know, and a good time.
284
00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:04,710
He wasn't stuffy.
285
00:16:04,714 --> 00:16:06,304
He had a little
twinkle in his eye.
286
00:16:06,299 --> 00:16:08,969
People really
warmed up to him.
287
00:16:08,968 --> 00:16:13,218
Allen was very open minded,
and that is really the
288
00:16:13,222 --> 00:16:15,932
background to him
being interested in UFOs.
289
00:16:17,643 --> 00:16:20,563
UFO groups, you know, they're
not massive organizations.
290
00:16:20,563 --> 00:16:24,323
In fact, we're now sitting
in the basement in my
291
00:16:24,317 --> 00:16:26,857
UFO office here in my house.
292
00:16:27,778 --> 00:16:30,528
The Center is really like
a scientific think tank.
293
00:16:30,531 --> 00:16:34,831
Dr. Hynek realized that there
was a need for a focused,
294
00:16:34,827 --> 00:16:38,077
professional
group to study UFOs.
295
00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:41,290
That involves
mainly three things.
296
00:16:41,292 --> 00:16:43,882
Being a place for people
to report sightings.
297
00:16:43,878 --> 00:16:47,418
Number two is to be a place
for reliable information.
298
00:16:47,423 --> 00:16:50,933
We publish a journal, a
periodical, with monographs.
299
00:16:50,927 --> 00:16:53,797
And finally, of course,
a place to do research.
300
00:16:53,804 --> 00:16:57,484
We've stayed pretty
close to that mission
all through the years.
301
00:16:58,893 --> 00:17:00,443
O'CONNELL: One of the first
things that CUFOS did was
302
00:17:00,436 --> 00:17:05,436
establish a national
hotline for UFO reporting.
303
00:17:05,441 --> 00:17:08,441
They distributed this hotline
to law enforcement agencies
304
00:17:08,444 --> 00:17:10,364
around the country and said,
305
00:17:10,363 --> 00:17:11,913
"Put this on your
bulletin board.
306
00:17:11,906 --> 00:17:15,326
If you ever get a call from
someone who has seen a UFO
307
00:17:15,326 --> 00:17:18,446
call us on this hotline, and
we will do the investigation."
308
00:17:19,372 --> 00:17:23,042
WITNESS (over phone):
But it didn't look like
anything I know of...
309
00:17:25,086 --> 00:17:27,206
POWELL: But there was a big
difference between civilian
310
00:17:27,213 --> 00:17:30,263
and military
investigations of UFOs.
311
00:17:31,133 --> 00:17:36,103
The military has access to other
information civilians don't.
312
00:18:27,481 --> 00:18:29,571
KEAN: In the 70s and 80s in
general, government officials
313
00:18:29,567 --> 00:18:32,397
were not talking about UFOs.
314
00:18:32,403 --> 00:18:34,743
But some presidents were
also interested in getting
315
00:18:34,739 --> 00:18:37,159
information about UFOs.
316
00:18:37,158 --> 00:18:40,618
When Jimmy Carter was the
governor of Georgia in 1969,
317
00:18:40,620 --> 00:18:43,660
he had a sighting with a
group of other witnesses.
318
00:18:43,956 --> 00:18:47,336
CARTER: All of us saw a very
bright light in the western sky.
319
00:18:48,044 --> 00:18:51,054
And it got closer and closer
and then it seemed to stop in
320
00:18:51,047 --> 00:18:53,217
its proximity to us.
321
00:18:53,215 --> 00:18:57,465
And then the color of it changed
from white to blue to red.
322
00:18:58,638 --> 00:19:00,558
KEAN: Jimmy Carter was
very impressed by that.
323
00:19:00,556 --> 00:19:02,386
It really impacted him.
324
00:19:02,391 --> 00:19:05,811
Then in 1973, he filed a
written report on this with a
325
00:19:05,811 --> 00:19:08,231
number of civilian UFO groups.
326
00:19:08,230 --> 00:19:09,980
So it's on the record.
327
00:19:09,982 --> 00:19:12,862
So when he did become
President, he approached NASA
328
00:19:12,860 --> 00:19:15,910
to see if they would open up a
new investigation that could
329
00:19:15,905 --> 00:19:18,735
continue what the Air Force
had been doing prior to
330
00:19:18,741 --> 00:19:20,951
closing down
Project Blue Book.
331
00:19:20,951 --> 00:19:23,541
The Air Force would not have
wanted this to happen
332
00:19:23,537 --> 00:19:26,497
seven years after closing
Project Blue Book.
333
00:19:26,499 --> 00:19:30,629
So the Air Force jumped in on
the process and said to NASA,
334
00:19:30,628 --> 00:19:33,418
"we don't want
you to do this."
335
00:19:33,422 --> 00:19:36,932
After a series of exchanges,
336
00:19:36,926 --> 00:19:40,506
NASA did decline the
president's request.
337
00:19:41,097 --> 00:19:43,177
PLANTE: Under pressure to
answer by the end of the year,
338
00:19:43,182 --> 00:19:46,272
NASA concluded that it would
be pointless to mount a new
339
00:19:46,268 --> 00:19:49,438
research effort because of
the lack of physical evidence.
340
00:19:50,439 --> 00:19:52,819
KEAN: It was kind of stunning
that a request from the
341
00:19:52,817 --> 00:19:56,107
president would
have been denied.
342
00:19:58,989 --> 00:20:00,779
♪ ♪
343
00:20:00,783 --> 00:20:03,043
SHALIT: If there is no
concrete evidence of people
344
00:20:03,035 --> 00:20:06,155
from outer space,
how do you write a
whole book about UFO's?
345
00:20:06,163 --> 00:20:08,583
HYNEK: That's exactly why I
called it The UFO Experience
346
00:20:08,582 --> 00:20:10,042
instead of something that
would've sold more,
347
00:20:10,042 --> 00:20:11,752
like Sex and the UFO.
348
00:20:11,752 --> 00:20:15,012
I call it "The UFO Experience"
because that's what I was
349
00:20:15,005 --> 00:20:18,045
talking about: the
experience that people had.
350
00:20:18,050 --> 00:20:20,220
And you can't convince a
person who's had a real
351
00:20:20,219 --> 00:20:22,639
UFO experience that
he hasn't had it.
352
00:20:23,013 --> 00:20:25,813
KEAN: In the early '70s,
J. Allen Hynek came out with
353
00:20:25,808 --> 00:20:28,888
his monumental book,
called The UFO Experience.
354
00:20:28,894 --> 00:20:31,524
It wasn't just about research.
355
00:20:31,522 --> 00:20:35,152
He was somebody that
would listen and took people
356
00:20:35,151 --> 00:20:38,701
seriously who had had sightings,
and had experiences.
357
00:20:38,696 --> 00:20:43,076
He would go on lots of TV
shows and radio interviews and
358
00:20:43,075 --> 00:20:47,285
he was a public figure
advocating for official
359
00:20:47,288 --> 00:20:50,998
recognition and study of UFOs.
360
00:20:52,334 --> 00:20:55,924
MELLON: With the space program
taking off, there was a
361
00:20:55,921 --> 00:20:59,301
groundswell of
interest in outer space.
362
00:21:00,426 --> 00:21:02,676
ARMSTRONG (over TV): It's one
small step for man,
363
00:21:02,678 --> 00:21:06,218
one giant leap for mankind.
364
00:21:07,141 --> 00:21:09,061
MELLON: It was a
national movement.
365
00:21:09,059 --> 00:21:12,729
And so, people's imaginations,
of course, run wild.
366
00:21:13,898 --> 00:21:17,938
Hollywood was able to capture
that and feed people's thirst
367
00:21:17,943 --> 00:21:20,113
and imagination.
368
00:21:20,112 --> 00:21:24,452
And it led to a
longstanding, powerful genre.
369
00:21:24,867 --> 00:21:26,537
MAN (over TV): May the
force be with you.
370
00:21:27,578 --> 00:21:30,658
KEAN: So UFOs became
a cultural, creative,
371
00:21:30,664 --> 00:21:32,884
imaginative area.
372
00:21:32,875 --> 00:21:34,955
And Hynek's book
was a big hit...
373
00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:37,050
SHALIT: Dr. J. Allen Hynek...
374
00:21:37,046 --> 00:21:40,006
O'CONNELL: Steven Spielberg
bought the rights to Hynek's
375
00:21:40,007 --> 00:21:44,347
book and hired Dr. Hynek
as a technical consultant.
376
00:21:45,137 --> 00:21:48,017
KEAN: And so Spielberg worked
with Hynek in helping to get
377
00:21:48,015 --> 00:21:51,345
the facts accurate for
his movie Close Encounters.
378
00:21:53,479 --> 00:21:55,649
SPIELBERG: Yeah, I was very
influenced by J. Allen Hynek
379
00:21:55,648 --> 00:21:59,898
because he was not looking
at UFOs as science fiction,
380
00:21:59,902 --> 00:22:03,662
but he was looking at
them as science speculation.
381
00:22:04,156 --> 00:22:07,156
So I met with him and I used
him and I picked his brain
382
00:22:07,159 --> 00:22:09,699
and, and he consulted with me.
383
00:22:09,703 --> 00:22:12,163
RODEGHIER: Dr. Hynek was the
fellow that coined the term
384
00:22:12,164 --> 00:22:13,924
"Close Encounters".
385
00:22:13,916 --> 00:22:16,206
HYNEK: Close encounters of the
first kind is when it's close
386
00:22:16,210 --> 00:22:18,500
and nothing really happens.
387
00:22:18,504 --> 00:22:20,464
O'CONNELL: A close encounter
of the second kind
388
00:22:20,464 --> 00:22:23,844
includes physical damage
to the environment.
389
00:22:23,842 --> 00:22:26,762
That could be landing pad
imprints in the grass where a
390
00:22:26,762 --> 00:22:29,222
UFO was said to have landed.
391
00:22:29,223 --> 00:22:31,273
HYNEK: And the close
encounters of the third kind
392
00:22:31,267 --> 00:22:33,187
are the most
interesting of all.
393
00:22:33,185 --> 00:22:37,015
SPIELBERG: Close encounter
of the third kind...
394
00:22:37,022 --> 00:22:40,152
is really when you meet 'em.
395
00:22:41,235 --> 00:22:44,065
KEAN: It was clear that
Spielberg wanted real science,
396
00:22:44,071 --> 00:22:47,451
real data, accurate
information about UFOs
397
00:22:47,449 --> 00:22:51,119
and that's why he called
on J. Allen Hynek.
398
00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:53,210
ELIZONDO: They were
drawing from real
399
00:22:53,205 --> 00:22:55,955
U.S. government information,
on how these things
400
00:22:55,958 --> 00:22:58,708
operated and maneuvered.
401
00:22:59,795 --> 00:23:02,545
Hypersonic velocities, or
fast speeds, instantaneous
402
00:23:02,548 --> 00:23:05,428
acceleration, even
biological effects,
403
00:23:05,426 --> 00:23:08,506
where Richard Dreyfuss, half his
face has this sunburn.
404
00:23:09,013 --> 00:23:11,523
Those were all observables
that we were seeing in the
405
00:23:11,515 --> 00:23:13,055
US government.
406
00:23:13,058 --> 00:23:16,228
Real observables that made their
way onto the Hollywood screen.
407
00:23:16,228 --> 00:23:19,608
And that's because
Steven Spielberg was provided
408
00:23:19,607 --> 00:23:23,397
information from people
from Project Blue Book.
409
00:23:25,279 --> 00:23:28,069
KEAN: Along with Hynek,
Spielberg also talked to
410
00:23:28,073 --> 00:23:31,203
Jacques Vallée, a French
scientist who was well known
411
00:23:31,201 --> 00:23:35,041
in the UFO field and had written
numerous books on the topic.
412
00:23:35,539 --> 00:23:38,289
VALLÉE: I had the privilege
of working with Dr. Hynek for
413
00:23:38,292 --> 00:23:42,962
five years and we built the
first computer based data
414
00:23:42,963 --> 00:23:47,133
catalog of UFO sightings,
starting with the Air Force
415
00:23:47,134 --> 00:23:51,894
files, which covered
about 20,000 cases.
416
00:23:52,848 --> 00:23:54,808
(speaking in French).
417
00:23:54,808 --> 00:23:57,478
BALABAN: These people have come
from all over their country.
418
00:23:57,478 --> 00:23:59,858
VALLÉE: The French scientist
in the movie, the character of
419
00:23:59,855 --> 00:24:03,685
Lacombe, was based
loosely on, on me.
420
00:24:04,485 --> 00:24:09,695
France has an official
scientific committee for UFOs
421
00:24:09,698 --> 00:24:13,198
that includes physicists,
the military, including
422
00:24:13,202 --> 00:24:16,122
sociologists and
psychologists.
423
00:24:16,914 --> 00:24:19,384
SPIELBERG: By letting the
project team leader be a
424
00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:23,295
Frenchman it immediately
gave more of a depth to the
425
00:24:23,295 --> 00:24:25,795
understanding of UFOs.
426
00:24:28,467 --> 00:24:30,677
VALLÉE: In the whole history
of American movies,
427
00:24:30,678 --> 00:24:34,718
It's always, they come from
somewhere, they kill somebody,
428
00:24:34,723 --> 00:24:37,983
so we bring the tanks and they
destroy all the tanks...
429
00:24:37,976 --> 00:24:43,816
that's a very American way of
looking at an alien life form.
430
00:24:44,233 --> 00:24:45,613
SCIENTIST: If everything's
ready here on the dark side of
431
00:24:45,609 --> 00:24:48,739
the moon, play the pipe tones.
432
00:24:48,737 --> 00:24:51,947
VALLÉE: The movie was the
first movie in which we were
433
00:24:51,949 --> 00:24:57,199
greeting these aliens and they
were coming to us as equal,
434
00:24:57,204 --> 00:25:00,424
and we were going to have an
intelligent discussion with
435
00:25:00,416 --> 00:25:03,536
them, or,
intelligent exchange.
436
00:25:04,086 --> 00:25:05,706
(chimes playing)
437
00:25:05,713 --> 00:25:08,843
(loud horn)
438
00:25:11,385 --> 00:25:14,925
KEAN: Close Encounters just
captured the spirit of the
439
00:25:14,930 --> 00:25:18,140
mystery of the phenomenon, the
scariness of the phenomenon
440
00:25:18,142 --> 00:25:21,312
and kind of the impact
that it has on people.
441
00:25:21,311 --> 00:25:22,651
ANCHOR: Whatever the government
may think about them,
442
00:25:22,646 --> 00:25:24,976
unidentified flying
objects seem to be
443
00:25:24,982 --> 00:25:26,782
popular with the people.
444
00:25:26,775 --> 00:25:28,565
Columbia Pictures
reports that its film,
445
00:25:28,569 --> 00:25:30,489
Close Encounters
of the Third Kind,
446
00:25:30,487 --> 00:25:33,277
has grossed
$39 million in 3 weeks.
447
00:25:33,824 --> 00:25:36,244
SPIELBERG: I owe a lot
to J. Allen Hynek;
448
00:25:36,243 --> 00:25:39,463
his instilling in me a
professional's point of view
449
00:25:39,455 --> 00:25:42,115
on this kind
of field reporting.
450
00:25:42,124 --> 00:25:43,964
And he helped me make the
movie more credible than it
451
00:25:43,959 --> 00:25:46,709
would have been
without his, his existence.
452
00:25:47,129 --> 00:25:49,669
O'CONNELL: Steven Spielberg
actually brought him on set
453
00:25:49,673 --> 00:25:53,973
for when they filmed the
movie's huge climax at the
454
00:25:53,969 --> 00:25:57,099
secret UFO base in Wyoming.
455
00:25:57,097 --> 00:26:00,727
MAN (over film): Captain,
United States Navy, 0-4-3-4-3-1
456
00:26:01,769 --> 00:26:04,189
O'CONNELL: And of course
Close Encounters,
457
00:26:04,188 --> 00:26:05,768
it became a household term
458
00:26:05,773 --> 00:26:07,823
because of
Steven Spielberg's movie and
459
00:26:07,816 --> 00:26:10,816
really catapulted Hynek
to a degree of celebrity.
460
00:26:10,819 --> 00:26:13,819
HOST (over TV): Therefore, will
the real Dr. J. Allen Hynek
461
00:26:13,822 --> 00:26:16,872
please stand up?
462
00:26:18,327 --> 00:26:22,617
(audience gasps and applause).
463
00:26:22,623 --> 00:26:24,963
KEAN: Even though Hynek worked
for our government for almost
464
00:26:24,958 --> 00:26:26,458
two decades.
465
00:26:26,460 --> 00:26:29,170
What he was doing in the
70s and 80s seemed to have
466
00:26:29,171 --> 00:26:31,551
no impact at all on
the government.
467
00:26:31,548 --> 00:26:34,128
And sightings continued.
468
00:26:34,134 --> 00:26:36,764
HYNEK: There's the fantastic
sightings last year and this
469
00:26:36,762 --> 00:26:39,892
year in the Westchester
and Putnam County areas.
470
00:26:39,890 --> 00:26:42,600
Those are literally
out of this world.
471
00:26:42,601 --> 00:26:46,061
I can find no logical
explanation for them.
472
00:26:46,980 --> 00:26:48,900
WITNESS: I don't know
what the hell it is!
473
00:26:52,820 --> 00:26:58,330
♪ ♪
474
00:26:59,201 --> 00:27:01,371
WORTHINGTON: We were
coming home from grad school.
475
00:27:01,370 --> 00:27:04,290
And we were just
yakking like we are now.
476
00:27:04,289 --> 00:27:07,709
And all of a sudden, Doris says,
what are those lights up there?
477
00:27:09,461 --> 00:27:11,301
SORAVILLA: I was driving
north on 118, and I was
478
00:27:11,296 --> 00:27:12,836
approaching the light here.
479
00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,630
I looked into the northern
skies, saw what appeared to be
480
00:27:15,634 --> 00:27:19,604
a large aircraft with landing
lights flying very low,
481
00:27:19,596 --> 00:27:21,596
about 500 feet.
482
00:27:21,598 --> 00:27:24,688
And it stopped and
rotated 180 degrees
483
00:27:24,685 --> 00:27:27,225
and started to head west.
484
00:27:27,229 --> 00:27:30,649
SANT: I looked up at
Interstate 84 and it was
485
00:27:30,649 --> 00:27:32,439
a parking lot.
486
00:27:32,442 --> 00:27:35,402
People were out of their
cars, blinking lights,
487
00:27:35,404 --> 00:27:37,034
pointing up at the sky.
488
00:27:37,030 --> 00:27:41,990
And there was that city
of lights hovering over
in my backyard.
489
00:27:41,994 --> 00:27:45,294
ACOSTA: And it went from
like night to broad daylight.
490
00:27:45,831 --> 00:27:48,961
SANT: And all of a sudden,
it was, "It's gonna land!
491
00:27:48,959 --> 00:27:50,629
It's gonna land!"
492
00:28:07,728 --> 00:28:10,308
ACOSTA: You could
hear a pin drop.
493
00:28:10,814 --> 00:28:13,234
SANT: And I said, "Oh,
what do with my family?
494
00:28:13,233 --> 00:28:16,033
How am I gonna
handle all this?"
495
00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,450
SORAVILLA: What I
saw was unbelievable.
496
00:28:21,450 --> 00:28:23,410
Mind boggling.
497
00:28:23,410 --> 00:28:26,410
The whole town saw this.
498
00:28:28,248 --> 00:28:31,748
KEAN: Beginning in around 1983,
There was an incredibly
499
00:28:31,752 --> 00:28:35,212
dramatic series of sightings
that took place in the
500
00:28:35,213 --> 00:28:38,013
Hudson Valley area of New York
state and in Connecticut,
501
00:28:38,008 --> 00:28:40,428
which was actually a wave
502
00:28:40,427 --> 00:28:42,847
because it took
place over years.
503
00:28:42,846 --> 00:28:46,136
People would report these
UFOs to the police or maybe
504
00:28:46,141 --> 00:28:48,441
to local UFO groups.
505
00:28:48,435 --> 00:28:52,145
And a lot of people were
kind of awed and frightened.
506
00:28:52,606 --> 00:28:53,816
BROOKS: It was a
little spooky.
507
00:28:53,815 --> 00:28:55,065
REPORTER: How come?
508
00:28:55,067 --> 00:28:57,397
BROOKS: Because it
was unexplainable.
509
00:28:57,402 --> 00:28:58,742
REPORTER: What Jim Brooks saw...
510
00:28:58,737 --> 00:29:00,947
MELLON: There was a
lot of local reporting,
511
00:29:00,948 --> 00:29:03,368
some local civilian
investigation.
512
00:29:03,367 --> 00:29:04,907
SCARBOROUGH: Now, researchers
have set up a special UFO
513
00:29:04,910 --> 00:29:06,620
hotline in Westchester...
514
00:29:06,620 --> 00:29:09,960
MELLON: But it was something
that involved hundreds,
515
00:29:09,957 --> 00:29:12,957
at least, witnesses,
if not more.
516
00:29:13,710 --> 00:29:16,920
KEAN: There was nothing coming
from our government,
517
00:29:16,922 --> 00:29:20,932
even though these gigantic craft
were cruising around over
518
00:29:20,926 --> 00:29:24,006
a part of the United States.
519
00:29:24,304 --> 00:29:26,264
REPORTER: The Federal Aviation
Administration has joined the
520
00:29:26,264 --> 00:29:29,694
Air Force and many astronomers
in attributing most UFO
521
00:29:29,685 --> 00:29:32,805
sightings to man-made objects
and natural phenomenon.
522
00:29:32,813 --> 00:29:36,533
SCIENTIST: Believe it or not,
the planet Venus is a fairly
523
00:29:36,525 --> 00:29:38,355
common UFO sighting.
524
00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:40,490
WITNESS 1: It moved very slowly.
525
00:29:40,487 --> 00:29:41,737
WALSH: We looked up in the sky
and we saw six lights
526
00:29:41,738 --> 00:29:43,568
in a V-shape.
527
00:29:43,573 --> 00:29:45,663
KEAN: Even after all these
witnesses had seen these
528
00:29:45,659 --> 00:29:48,329
objects and had reported
them to their local police,
529
00:29:48,328 --> 00:29:51,248
it still became
a kind of a joke.
530
00:29:51,248 --> 00:29:53,788
CARBONE: The head of my
school, he said, you know,
531
00:29:53,792 --> 00:29:56,882
some people might
think you're crazy.
532
00:29:56,878 --> 00:30:00,338
SANT: I was the commissioner
of motor vehicles and I was
533
00:30:00,340 --> 00:30:03,300
involved in a
political race at that time.
534
00:30:03,301 --> 00:30:06,181
The last thing I wanted to
be known for was little
535
00:30:06,179 --> 00:30:09,469
green people or UFOs.
536
00:30:09,474 --> 00:30:12,894
ACOSTA: My husband also
thought I was nuts, and so
537
00:30:12,894 --> 00:30:15,364
I didn't talk about it too much.
538
00:30:16,189 --> 00:30:18,069
HYNEK: What is interesting,
tragic, and amusing all at the
539
00:30:18,066 --> 00:30:21,486
one and the same time is that
lots of people are afraid to
540
00:30:21,486 --> 00:30:22,776
talk about it.
541
00:30:22,779 --> 00:30:24,779
Their friends will
laugh at them and so forth.
542
00:30:24,781 --> 00:30:30,411
And we need to let these people
543
00:30:30,412 --> 00:30:32,832
feel safe and talk about it.
544
00:30:33,582 --> 00:30:37,592
KEAN: On August 25th of 1984,
Hynek came to the Hudson Valley
545
00:30:37,586 --> 00:30:40,456
and he gave a talk
at the middle school there.
546
00:30:40,464 --> 00:30:43,764
This was the last case that
he was involved with before he
547
00:30:43,759 --> 00:30:46,849
died and it made a
huge impression on him.
548
00:30:46,845 --> 00:30:48,885
HYNEK: Here's the sketch
of the thing going on in
549
00:30:48,889 --> 00:30:51,099
Westchester County now.
550
00:30:51,099 --> 00:30:54,939
There's this large
boomerang-shaped object
551
00:30:54,936 --> 00:30:59,316
that moves slowly, far below
the stall speed of aircraft;
552
00:30:59,316 --> 00:31:00,816
moves silently.
553
00:31:00,817 --> 00:31:03,357
I've been told by highly
responsible witnesses that
554
00:31:03,361 --> 00:31:05,951
it is as large as
the football field.
555
00:31:05,947 --> 00:31:08,367
ZIMMERMAN: It speaks to
the importance of the
556
00:31:08,366 --> 00:31:12,496
Hudson Valley wave that
J. Allen Hynek came here.
557
00:31:12,496 --> 00:31:15,956
He thought it was important
enough, to speak to the
558
00:31:15,957 --> 00:31:19,127
witnesses, to go to the sites.
559
00:31:19,127 --> 00:31:21,877
SANT: I spent a
weekend with Dr. Hynek.
560
00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:26,680
Dr. Hynek could ask you a
question and he'd sit back and
561
00:31:26,676 --> 00:31:29,926
he would listen and if one
of my kids jumped into the
562
00:31:29,930 --> 00:31:33,060
conversation, he would just
kindly just put up his hand
563
00:31:33,058 --> 00:31:35,388
and go, "I'll get right back
to you," with a little wink.
564
00:31:35,393 --> 00:31:38,313
And you were the most
important person for that
565
00:31:38,313 --> 00:31:40,233
moment he was talking to you.
566
00:31:40,232 --> 00:31:43,192
That's the way
he made me feel.
567
00:31:43,443 --> 00:31:46,033
KEAN: It was very important
for these witnesses who were
568
00:31:46,029 --> 00:31:48,699
not getting any official
recognition that somebody like
569
00:31:48,698 --> 00:31:50,578
J. Allen Hynek,
570
00:31:50,575 --> 00:31:52,655
an astronomer who had
worked for the government,
571
00:31:52,661 --> 00:31:55,371
that he came there,
and spoke with them,
572
00:31:55,372 --> 00:31:57,672
and took them seriously.
573
00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:00,093
SANT: And we walked through
the whole sighting,
574
00:32:00,085 --> 00:32:02,125
he wanted to go every place.
575
00:32:02,129 --> 00:32:04,709
And every time we
made a stop he said,
576
00:32:04,714 --> 00:32:06,224
"What were you feeling?
577
00:32:06,216 --> 00:32:07,676
Did you feel
anything in your gut?
578
00:32:07,676 --> 00:32:10,346
Did you feel
connected to this object?"
579
00:32:11,638 --> 00:32:14,098
KEAN: It made a huge
difference to have him
580
00:32:14,099 --> 00:32:16,639
on site during the wave.
581
00:32:16,643 --> 00:32:18,273
HYNEK: In the Westchester case
in New York for instance we
582
00:32:18,270 --> 00:32:21,230
had witnesses geographically
independent of each other,
583
00:32:21,231 --> 00:32:24,401
didn't know each other, and
yet reported identically the
584
00:32:24,401 --> 00:32:28,531
same things now you cannot
call that mass hallucination.
585
00:32:29,698 --> 00:32:31,658
KEAN: Lack of scientific
involvement or government
586
00:32:31,658 --> 00:32:34,868
acknowledgement of
UFOs encourages people's
587
00:32:34,870 --> 00:32:38,670
imaginations to go wild with,
"What are they hiding?
588
00:32:38,665 --> 00:32:40,575
WORTHINGTON: We called the
police when we got home and
589
00:32:40,584 --> 00:32:43,214
they didn't tell us that night
but a couple of days later we
590
00:32:43,211 --> 00:32:45,961
were reading they
thought they were ultralights.
591
00:32:45,964 --> 00:32:47,674
The planes?
592
00:32:47,674 --> 00:32:50,054
HYNEK: The chief
meteorologist at the
Westchester County Airport
593
00:32:50,051 --> 00:32:52,551
with some 25 years
experience told me that
594
00:32:52,554 --> 00:32:55,814
when he saw it overhead, it
moved very slowly like a
595
00:32:55,807 --> 00:32:57,807
ship docking at a berth.
596
00:32:57,809 --> 00:33:01,769
Now that cannot possibly be
ultralights flying in formation.
597
00:33:01,771 --> 00:33:03,691
That's just out
of the question.
598
00:33:03,690 --> 00:33:05,280
ROSE: The plane flying in
formation is one of the
599
00:33:05,275 --> 00:33:10,315
reasons cited including an
article in Discover Magazine.
600
00:33:10,322 --> 00:33:13,742
KEAN: This article that was in
Discover Magazine talks about
601
00:33:13,742 --> 00:33:17,162
the pilots who were going
up and hoaxing UFOs and it
602
00:33:17,162 --> 00:33:20,622
implies that's probably
what all the sightings were.
603
00:33:21,666 --> 00:33:23,916
WITNESS: Hear the engines?
604
00:33:23,919 --> 00:33:25,249
SANT: Planes fly all the time.
605
00:33:25,253 --> 00:33:27,173
Do you hear 7,000 people
coming out and saying,
606
00:33:27,172 --> 00:33:28,672
"Ah, I saw planes over my head."
607
00:33:28,673 --> 00:33:29,723
No.
608
00:33:29,716 --> 00:33:31,546
They saw something different.
609
00:33:31,843 --> 00:33:34,473
WORTHINGTON:
Ultralights make noise!
610
00:33:34,471 --> 00:33:35,891
CARBONE: They do make noise!
611
00:33:35,889 --> 00:33:39,479
WORTHINGTON: So we've
never had a good explanation.
612
00:33:43,104 --> 00:33:46,574
KEAN: So these pilots did a
huge disservice by creating
613
00:33:46,566 --> 00:33:50,856
this hoax situation to confuse
everything, and to bring a
614
00:33:50,862 --> 00:33:53,662
lack of credibility and to
give the government something
615
00:33:53,657 --> 00:33:55,447
to hang their hat on when they
were asked what people were
616
00:33:55,450 --> 00:33:56,870
actually seeing.
617
00:33:56,868 --> 00:34:00,618
ZIMMERMAN: People
began doubting themselves.
618
00:34:00,622 --> 00:34:04,132
It kept the entire
wave suppressed.
619
00:34:05,126 --> 00:34:08,046
KEAN: Hynek was just stunned
by the fact that this was
620
00:34:08,046 --> 00:34:10,086
not getting attention.
621
00:34:10,090 --> 00:34:12,050
HYNEK: The subject came up in
the United Nations recently.
622
00:34:12,050 --> 00:34:15,430
We have reports from
133 different countries.
623
00:34:15,428 --> 00:34:18,428
And the same pattern
exists around the world.
624
00:34:18,431 --> 00:34:21,311
It's not just localized in one
particular country, you see.
625
00:34:21,309 --> 00:34:25,609
KEAN: So while our government
was telling the public that
626
00:34:25,605 --> 00:34:28,935
there was nothing to UFOs,
that the investigations had
627
00:34:28,942 --> 00:34:30,652
all been shut down...
628
00:34:30,652 --> 00:34:34,362
documents reveal that
officials were, in fact,
629
00:34:34,364 --> 00:34:37,334
monitoring cases in
other countries.
630
00:34:37,784 --> 00:34:40,164
POWELL: What they were seeing
was very similar to what was
631
00:34:40,161 --> 00:34:42,461
seen in the Hudson Valley.
632
00:34:42,455 --> 00:34:43,745
(beep).
633
00:34:57,971 --> 00:35:00,601
HYNEK: This map was prepared
by Dr. Jacques Vallée.
634
00:35:00,598 --> 00:35:04,138
UFO reports are truly global,
and that they seem to occur in
635
00:35:04,144 --> 00:35:06,734
waves or "flaps" as
they are often called.
636
00:35:07,606 --> 00:35:10,146
Notice how the flaps have been
distributed throughout the
637
00:35:10,150 --> 00:35:12,650
years and over the world.
638
00:35:12,652 --> 00:35:16,282
MELLON: This is truly an
international phenomenon.
639
00:35:16,281 --> 00:35:18,371
There's no question about it.
640
00:35:18,366 --> 00:35:22,946
There's a very similar
pattern, very similar reports.
641
00:35:22,954 --> 00:35:25,294
Foreign militaries are
also having encounters.
642
00:35:25,290 --> 00:35:28,340
The Belgian Air Force had
some extraordinary encounters.
643
00:35:41,348 --> 00:35:43,478
KEAN: A few years after the
Hudson Valley wave,
644
00:35:43,475 --> 00:35:47,055
a very similar wave
occurred in Belgium.
645
00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:51,020
ZIMMERMAN: These
large black triangles.
646
00:35:51,024 --> 00:35:54,284
Again, all the characteristics,
silent, low,
647
00:35:54,277 --> 00:35:57,987
beams of light, hovering.
648
00:35:58,740 --> 00:36:02,080
KEAN: Belgian authorities
would scramble jets in order
649
00:36:02,077 --> 00:36:04,327
to try to get a better
look at the objects.
650
00:36:04,329 --> 00:36:08,539
They wanted to identify
what it was that was invading
651
00:36:08,541 --> 00:36:11,171
protected airspace
over their country.
652
00:36:11,169 --> 00:36:14,049
They felt that this was
their responsibility.
653
00:36:14,047 --> 00:36:17,837
POWELL: The F-16s that the
Belgian military had
654
00:36:17,842 --> 00:36:20,262
tracked these objects on radar.
655
00:36:20,261 --> 00:36:24,141
So they actually have radar
imagery of the unknown,
656
00:36:24,140 --> 00:36:26,560
moving through Belgian airspace.
657
00:36:26,559 --> 00:36:29,059
KEAN: And the contrast from
how the Belgium government
658
00:36:29,062 --> 00:36:31,902
handled it there versus how
our government didn't handle
659
00:36:31,898 --> 00:36:35,938
the events in Hudson Valley
are really striking.
660
00:36:36,528 --> 00:36:39,568
The Belgian Air Force became
actively involved with a group
661
00:36:39,572 --> 00:36:42,872
of scientists to collect
reports from witnesses.
662
00:36:42,867 --> 00:36:46,747
They assigned a colonel to
head up in an investigation.
663
00:36:53,002 --> 00:36:56,132
KEAN: And they held a press
conference packed with media,
664
00:36:56,131 --> 00:36:59,261
in which they disclosed
everything they knew and
665
00:36:59,259 --> 00:37:01,089
how they were approaching this.
666
00:37:03,888 --> 00:37:05,518
KEAN: And the public were
encouraged to file reports.
667
00:37:14,816 --> 00:37:17,896
ZIMMERMAN: Air Force officers
were coming forward, and
668
00:37:17,902 --> 00:37:20,742
speaking about it.
669
00:37:20,738 --> 00:37:24,118
They gave it a legitimacy that
we have yet to see here in
670
00:37:24,117 --> 00:37:25,947
this country.
671
00:37:25,952 --> 00:37:27,002
ANCHOR: You said the
government stopped
672
00:37:26,995 --> 00:37:28,705
investigating back in 1969.
673
00:37:28,705 --> 00:37:30,865
Do these UFO watchers have
any reason to expect the
674
00:37:30,874 --> 00:37:34,094
government to get re-involved
in investigating these claims?
675
00:37:34,085 --> 00:37:35,875
REPORTER: Right now
they're a bit disappointed the
676
00:37:35,879 --> 00:37:37,879
government has not gotten more
involved than it has in the
677
00:37:37,881 --> 00:37:39,421
last ten years.
678
00:37:39,424 --> 00:37:42,144
But we do know that the CIA
and the Defense Department
679
00:37:42,135 --> 00:37:45,505
have been doing some research
into other sightings in other
680
00:37:45,513 --> 00:37:47,603
nations, like the
Soviet Union and Iran,
681
00:37:47,599 --> 00:37:50,769
but in the United States,
they seem very skeptical.
682
00:37:51,060 --> 00:37:53,150
KEAN: The Belgian case
was documented by
683
00:37:53,146 --> 00:37:55,056
U.S. government officials.
684
00:37:55,064 --> 00:37:57,864
Colonel de Brouwer had
approached American officials
685
00:37:57,859 --> 00:38:00,319
to inquire
whether this was ours.
686
00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,360
And we had told them no.
687
00:38:02,363 --> 00:38:05,283
And we had said also, "We'd
like to know whose it was."
688
00:38:05,283 --> 00:38:08,703
So there was a document filed
about the Belgian wave,
689
00:38:08,703 --> 00:38:12,543
but no document filed about
a wave in our own country.
690
00:38:12,540 --> 00:38:14,670
At least that we are aware of.
691
00:38:17,837 --> 00:38:21,627
HYNEK: To me, the greatest
evidence for the existence of
692
00:38:21,633 --> 00:38:24,473
something strange going
on is the caliber of
693
00:38:24,469 --> 00:38:26,139
many of the witnesses.
694
00:38:26,137 --> 00:38:28,597
For instance, in Westchester,
we had meteorologists,
695
00:38:28,598 --> 00:38:33,518
Navy test pilot, IBM executives,
priests, CPAs...
696
00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:35,190
ROSE: Are they
all saying the same thing?
697
00:38:35,188 --> 00:38:37,568
That it is not
explainable to them
698
00:38:37,565 --> 00:38:40,605
by any conventional explanation?
699
00:38:40,610 --> 00:38:42,030
HYNEK: You just
said it, Charlie!
700
00:38:42,028 --> 00:38:43,398
That's exactly what
they're saying.
701
00:38:43,404 --> 00:38:44,914
They're seeing
the same things.
702
00:38:44,906 --> 00:38:47,196
WORTHINGTON: You know, there
were so many people that saw it.
703
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,660
It wasn't, you know, if
I saw it alone, I probably
704
00:38:49,661 --> 00:38:51,251
wouldn't have told anybody.
705
00:38:51,246 --> 00:38:53,456
If the three of us saw it, I
might have told my family.
706
00:38:53,456 --> 00:38:54,956
CARBONE: Yeah.
707
00:38:54,958 --> 00:38:56,498
WORTHINGTON: But there were
so many people that had saw it,
708
00:38:56,501 --> 00:38:58,001
that I was
fine with, you know.
709
00:38:58,002 --> 00:38:59,092
CARBONE: Yeah.
710
00:38:59,087 --> 00:39:00,257
WORTHINGTON:
Spreading the word.
711
00:39:00,255 --> 00:39:01,705
CARBONE: Me too.
712
00:39:01,714 --> 00:39:02,514
WORTHINGTON: And everybody
that I told said, they were
713
00:39:02,507 --> 00:39:03,967
sorry they didn't see it.
714
00:39:05,009 --> 00:39:07,429
O'CONNELL: A lot of people
took solace in the fact that
715
00:39:07,428 --> 00:39:09,968
Hynek was a guy who
was on their side.
716
00:39:09,973 --> 00:39:13,733
If you witnessed a UFO, Hynek
was one person who would take
717
00:39:13,726 --> 00:39:17,516
you seriously, wouldn't make
fun of you, and really try to
718
00:39:17,522 --> 00:39:21,322
get a full picture of your
experience and that, that's so
719
00:39:21,317 --> 00:39:24,147
huge just to someone who has
seen something weird in the
720
00:39:24,153 --> 00:39:27,123
sky and doesn't know how
to tell anyone about it.
721
00:39:27,115 --> 00:39:28,985
SANT: I felt validated.
722
00:39:28,992 --> 00:39:31,912
That's the way Dr. Hynek
made me feel.
723
00:39:31,911 --> 00:39:35,041
So I could say, "There's
nothing wrong with me and
724
00:39:35,039 --> 00:39:36,669
nothing wrong with my eyes
725
00:39:36,666 --> 00:39:39,336
and nothing wrong
with my intuition.
726
00:39:39,335 --> 00:39:41,415
They're all intact."
727
00:39:42,839 --> 00:39:47,339
VALLÉE: Dr. Hynek was someone
who was very alive, very open.
728
00:39:47,802 --> 00:39:50,892
He told me once that the
reason he became interested in
729
00:39:50,888 --> 00:39:55,178
UFOs was about the
challenges, about, you know:
730
00:39:55,184 --> 00:39:56,694
what is this world?
731
00:39:56,686 --> 00:40:01,476
If this is real, what does
that mean for human existence?
732
00:40:02,900 --> 00:40:05,780
KEAN: The last thing Hynek did
before leaving this earth,
733
00:40:05,778 --> 00:40:10,328
was try to understand the
nature of the denial and
734
00:40:10,325 --> 00:40:12,575
the disconnect among human
beings when something
735
00:40:12,577 --> 00:40:14,947
this dramatic happens.
736
00:40:14,954 --> 00:40:18,544
Hynek wrote an essay that was
a rough draft that was left on
737
00:40:18,541 --> 00:40:20,541
his computer when he died.
738
00:40:20,543 --> 00:40:23,383
He said, "How is it possible
that in the United States
739
00:40:23,379 --> 00:40:26,879
where even trivial events
are often flashed across the
740
00:40:26,883 --> 00:40:31,183
world, only one national TV
and radio network carried an
741
00:40:31,179 --> 00:40:34,889
account of these
utterly astounding sightings?
742
00:40:34,891 --> 00:40:37,561
Was no one minding the store?
743
00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:39,810
Was everyone
asleep at the switch?"
744
00:40:40,855 --> 00:40:44,225
Hynek was a different person
than he was previously when
745
00:40:44,233 --> 00:40:46,283
he worked at Project Blue Book.
746
00:40:46,277 --> 00:40:50,867
Here he was saying: UFOs,
they're of scientific interest,
747
00:40:50,865 --> 00:40:53,485
the witnesses
should be taken seriously.
748
00:40:53,493 --> 00:40:57,543
It was just the most
profoundly important moment
749
00:40:57,538 --> 00:40:59,788
in setting a course of events
that continued through the
750
00:40:59,791 --> 00:41:02,591
'70s, '80s and '90s.
751
00:41:03,294 --> 00:41:05,004
HYNEK: Starting as
a complete skeptic,
752
00:41:05,004 --> 00:41:07,094
I underwent a transformation.
753
00:41:07,090 --> 00:41:10,220
And now, I guess the best way
of saying it is that it's an
754
00:41:10,218 --> 00:41:12,848
itch that I just
have to scratch.
755
00:41:12,845 --> 00:41:16,675
I feel that we have a
phenomenon that, could be,
756
00:41:16,683 --> 00:41:19,853
of tremendous potential
importance to the human race,
757
00:41:19,852 --> 00:41:22,562
I feel that strongly about it.
758
00:41:22,563 --> 00:41:29,033
♪ ♪
759
00:41:29,862 --> 00:41:31,492
MAN: It's a definite UFO
or something like that.
760
00:41:31,489 --> 00:41:33,989
It just flew right over me.
761
00:41:33,992 --> 00:41:35,662
HILKEVITCH: This is
highly restricted airspace.
762
00:41:35,660 --> 00:41:38,370
You don't want something up
there that doesn't belong there.
763
00:41:38,371 --> 00:41:40,751
KEAN: The culture as
a whole didn't really
764
00:41:40,748 --> 00:41:42,918
take UFOs seriously.
765
00:41:42,917 --> 00:41:46,957
FOX: I stuck with it despite the
level of ridicule for decades.
766
00:41:46,963 --> 00:41:48,843
CALLAHAN: He described it as
a huge ball of light turning
767
00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:52,840
around and he says it was about
four times bigger than a 747.
768
00:41:53,553 --> 00:41:56,513
KEAN: My immediate response was,
"I wanna break this story!"
769
00:41:56,514 --> 00:41:57,774
Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.
61556
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