John R. Houk
© February 21, 2018
When I was a young teenager until about my mid-20s, I was an
obsessive Science Fiction fan. I put a lot of believability in Sci-Fi novels,
UFOs, Sci-Fi Conspiracy Theories and the like. Since I am 61 today, you should
realize this obsessive hobby took place long before the existence of the
Internet. Thus my knowledge was largely attained from books, magazines,
conventions and films in the old Sci-Fi culture.
The history of life from marriage, work, kids and grandkids
largely diluted the obsessive part of Sci-Fi to a more of a whimsical
fascination. Ah the memories of growing older.
Anyway, I keep loose tabs on the genre via the Internet
& cable TV. 😊
Ergo, I am a subscriber to The Black Vault which is a
bit of a UFOlogy website that
actually collects government documents via FOIA. In a recent Black Vault email
alert I discovered the website founder John Greenewald, Jr. came across some
authentic Project Blue Book files
that had been stored by a former participant of the Project.
A Wikipedia entry for Project Blue Book pretty
much follows the official government conclusions of the once classified
project. Here’s an excerpt:
Project Blue Book was
one of a series of systematic studies of unidentified
flying objects (UFOs) conducted by the United States Air Force. It started in
1952, and it was the third study of its kind (the first two were projects Sign (1947) and Grudge (1949)). A termination
order was given for the study in December 1969, and all activity under its
auspices ceased in January 1970.
Project Blue Book had two goals:
2.
To scientifically analyze UFO-related data.
Thousands of UFO reports were
collected, analyzed and filed. As the result of the Condon Report (1968),
which concluded there was nothing anomalous about UFOs, Project Blue Book was
ordered shut down in December 1969 and the Air Force continues to provide the
following summary of its investigations:
1.
No UFO reported,
investigated and evaluated by the Air Force was ever an indication of threat to
our national security;
2.
There was no evidence
submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings categorized as
"unidentified" represented technological developments or principles
beyond the range of modern scientific knowledge; and
3.
There was no evidence
indicating that sightings categorized as "unidentified" were
extraterrestrial vehicles.[1]
By the time Project Blue Book
ended, it … READ
THE REST (Project Blue Book; Wikipedia; Page last
edited 1/22/18 16:39)
Any UFO believer worth their salt would scream, “GOVERNMENT
COVER-UP!” Here is a level-headed excerpt from the some truth is missing
crowd:
In 1969, the U.S. Air Force closed
down their “Project Blue Book” investigation of “Unidentified Flying Objects”
by claiming their evaluations of more than 12,000 sightings had not yielded a
single instance where a UFO had ever posed a threat to national security, nor
demonstrated technology “beyond the range of present day scientific knowledge”,
nor been categorized as extraterrestrial. Headquartered at the Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio where legend long suggests recovered salvage
from the 1947 Roswell incident was taken for further research and development,
all of the project’s declassified records were allegedly transferred to the
National Archives and Records Service.
But did the Air Force really shut
down the project, or just move it into a private sphere where the public could
be kept at arm’s length? A handful of government documents have slipped out
over the years pointing to the latter scenario. A look back at Project Blue
Book is insightful here, for knowledge of how the project evolved remains
relevant to modern assessments as well as the effort to gauge what current
high-level insiders might know. Historical information indicates that the Army
Air Force took serious attention to UFOs when reports of “foo fighters” started
coming in from pilots during World War II. Further sightings at military
installations in 1947 led to classified orders that UFO reports be sent to
division offices at Wright-Patterson Air Field where General Nathan Twining was
selected to oversee any type of evaluation.
…
A variety of notable experts have
strongly suggested that there were other agendas to Project Blue Book and that
its termination did not mark the end of government investigations and research
into UFO phenomena. Prominent author and Ufologist Kevin Randle, once a special
investigator with CUFOS organization, was one of the first to review Project Blue
Book’s declassified files in 1976 and found evidence to indicate that Blue Book
was not being sent the reports on sightings that were deemed potential threats
to national security. Modern Ufologist Grant Cameron, a widely recognized
expert on presidential knowledge of UFOs, has suggested that the shutdown of
Project Blue Book merely moved the project into the “black budget” era of
deeper secrecy. Ufologist Christopher Chacon, best known as one of the world’s
top Anomalists, knew Hynek personally and has been continuously investigating
close encounter incidents worldwide for nearly thirty years. Chacon’s stint
with a scientific think-tank allowed him an unprecedented access to all of
Project Blue Book’s files, including those that are still classified, Chacon
noting the presense of multiple agendas behind Blue Book’s existence and
supposed termination. Historian Richard Dolan a pre-eminent expert on the topic
of government secrecy surrounding UFOs, not only rebutted Edward Condon’s
conclusions in the Condon Committee’s report, but also found sources that state
many of the Project Blue Book cases were fictitious and part of a
misinformation campaign. Researcher John Greenewald, best known as the creator
of The Black Vault website, has become one of the top experts on Blue Book
because of … READ
ENTIRETY (PROJECT BLUE BOOK: A Retrospective; By Greg Black; Open Minds; 10/5/17)
The U.S. government claims their research does not indicate
the existence of UFOs. UfOlogists smell a government cover-up. Where would you
lean after discovering the Obama Administration weaponized the FBI and probably
various Inteligence agencies to keep President Trump from winning the November
2016 election and then trying to throw fake evidence of treason with the
Russian to entice Impeachment proceedings.
JRH 2/21/18
**************************
From the Desks of Project Blue Book
Email Alert Sent Feb
18 at 6:31 PM
Email Alert Sent by: john@greenewald.com
Intro From Email Alert
What if one of the military officers working with Project
Blue Book rescued thousands of photographs, books, texts, documents, letters,
memos etc. from the garbage, when the secret "UFO Study" was
terminated in late 1969? What if he took them home, and stored them in his
garage until someone came along that saw their value?
Well, that is exactly what happened when UFO Research Rob
Mercer discovered that Lt. Carmon Marano preserved this amazing UFO history,
and was gracious enough to share it.
Mr. Mercer has worked tirelessly to obtain, catalog and
digitize this collection, and now, has agreed to allow The Black Vault to host
it for the world to see.
The Black Vault is proud to now host these files in a
section called, "From the Desks of
Project Blue Book” — all with a special thanks of Investigator
Rob Mercer for allowing this.
Many of these files are not available anywhere else, and are
here due to the research efforts and archival efforts of Mr. Mercer. None of
this can be reproduced without the express permission, as Mr. Mercer personally
scanned this material for archival purposes, but it is 100% available to you
all, for free.
++++++++++++
From the Desks of Project Blue Book
Note: Additional
information is still being scanned. There is still a ton of information below,
but check back often!
The Black Vault is proud to host files from the “Desks of
Project Blue Book” — courtesy of Investigator Rob Mercer. Many of these
files are not available anywhere else, and are here due to the research efforts
of Mr. Mercer. None of this can be reproduced without the express
permission, as Mr. Mercer personally scanned this material for archival
purposes.
Background
Rob Mercer is a longtime follower of the UFO phenomenon and
a history buff, as well as a UFO Investigator from Ohio. He resides in the
Springfield, Ohio about 20 minutes from Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Wright
Patterson has a rich history of research and development. It also plays an
important part in UFO lore, with its ties to Roswell in 1947 and other UFO
events. The Air Force also conducted their different investigation programs of
UFO’s there, including Project Blue Book. Rob had spent years doing
service work in homes in the Dayton area, including those of personnel who
worked at the base. During this time, it was not uncommon for him to come
across people that are also interested in UFO’s. Some would have collections of
books or binders put together from private investigators. Items that will
eventually be passed on to relatives, who in most cases, don’t care to keep
them. It is a good bet that a lot of these collections will meet the curb, but
from time to time you can find items such as these on Ebay or similar sites.
Cost, time, and effort with shipping are required with these, something that
most won’t bother with. Craigslist however, provides a place that is free, and
it allows for local pickup. For this reason, he long thought that if he kept an
eye out, he might come across some deals on some personal collections.
One evening in late 2013, under a UFO search on Craigslist
in the Dayton, Ohio area, he came across an ad that advertised Project Blue
Book Pics and Documents. The ad was from Centerville, which is located just
south of Dayton. It stated that the materials were apparently the property of
an Air Force Captain who was assigned to Project Blue Book. They were found
behind a pile of lumber bought at auction in a garage in Fairborn, Ohio. A good
portion of Wright Patterson is located in Fairborn, so upon seeing this he was
instantly intrigued. There was a good chance that it was the real deal. The
next morning when Rob received a response, he was told that there had been no
interest in the files up to that point. After work, he made the trip to view
the items and was convinced of their authenticity. After purchasing the files
(ALL UNCLASSIFIED), to be safe he made sure to get a screenshot of the ad in
hopes of protecting himself if the files ended up having been stolen.
After returning home Rob began to trace their origin, as
everything the seller knew about them was in the ad. He found a name that was
on many of the later documents, and began his search there. He was able to
determine the name was associated with a house that had been sold a few years
before. A search showed this same house having an auction a couple of months
prior. He drove by the house, and saw that there was a two-story garage behind
it. This was perfect place for items to be stored, misplaced and possibly lost
over time.
Convinced that the story was true, and that he was on the
right track, Rob set about confirming that this was the actual Air Force
Officer, and not just someone else that shared the same name. Everything
matched up and he began trying to figure out how to approach him. In the case
that he was unaware of the files being out, he did not want to expose him to
trouble. The box contained slides showing “UFO” photos and other briefing
documents, two binders with case summaries and photos, a 16mm from Moline, IL and
various other files.
Contact was eventually made with the Officer and they ended
up spending a couple of hours talking. He said that he didn’t realize that he
had left them behind when he moved out. They spoke about his time in service,
the UFO program and politics. After 45 years his memory was a little fuzzy, but
he remembered some of the cases. The Officer said he grew up a fan of science
fiction, and mentioned that when he was first assigned to the program he
planned to prove that we were being visited. After two years he became burned
out and convinced otherwise. When looking at some of the hoaxes and other
photos submitted to Blue Book, along with the amount of paperwork that went
into each case, it is easy to see why this would happen. By the late 60’s,
little resources and staff were available.
His duties included briefings on UFO’s for the Air Force and
investigating sightings. During his time, he was also charged with organizing
the case files. Blue Book didn’t have the best relationship with the press, and
from time to time they would get requests about specific cases. He took it upon
himself to make the process friendlier, he copied case files and organized them
into books to make it easier for them. When the program shut down and closed in
1970, he declassified all of the case files except for Navy sightings. They
could not be declassified because they would reveal military whereabouts. From
there they sent the files on to Maxwell Air Force Base.
After seeing how much Rob enjoyed subject, the Officer
informed him that he had a few more boxes from his Blue Book days back home
where he stays during the spring and summer. Rob was sent four more boxes,
including: Books, photos, case files, memos, rules & regulations, film,
reel to reel sound tape, correspondences and more (ALL UNCLASSIFIED). He
learned that the files he acquired were some originals, as well as copies that
were used for the press, as well as UFO investigation tools, books, and other
UFO related documents and interoffice memos (ALL UNCLASSIFIED) from their
actual desks. They were earmarked for the trash, the officer kept them as
souvenirs.
[Blog Editor: Below are documented (primarily) PDF links
from Project Blue Book. Here I am only posting a few catagories to wet your
whistle. You’ll have to go The Black Vault’s “From The Desks of Project Blue Book” page to view
the rest.]
Document Archive
·
The Unidentified Flying Object Program
presented to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, by Major Hector
Quintanilla, Jr. – 22 April 1967
Individual Case Files
·
Alamogordo, New Mexico – 11 November 1957 –
It is noted that the PBB staff incorrectly spelled “Alamogordo.”
… THERE IS MUCH-MUCH MORE TO
READ & VIEW
____________________
Black Vault Acquires
Project Blue Book Data
John R. Houk
© February 21, 2018
________________
From the Desks of Project
Blue Book
The Black Vault copyright
info at the bottom of page:
This site may contain
copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically
authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an
effort to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights,
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If you wish to use
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_____________
The Black Vault, run by John Greenewald, has published a number of US government
responses to his FOIA requests,
into important topics such as Operation 40,[1] Operation Gladio,[2] MK Ultra,[3] the Tor software,[4] 9/11 and so on.
________________
In 1996, John Greenewald, Jr.
began researching the secret inner workings of the U.S. Government at the young
age of fifteen. With targets like the CIA, FBI, Pentagon, Air Force, Army,
Navy, NSA, DIA, and countless others – Greenewald utilized the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) to gain access to thousands of records. With a pile of
documents on the topics of UFOs, the JFK Assassination,
chemical/biological/nuclear weapons, top secret aircraft and more, Greenewald
began scanning the documents to the internet for the world to access.
In time, this online archive,
known globally as The Black Vault, has grown into the largest private online
collection anywhere in the world, totaling more than 460,000 pages. John
Greenewald has been featured on television networks such as The History
Channel, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, A&E, FOX, NBC, along with
international networks such as the BBC (UK) and NTV (Russia).
In published media,
Greenewald has been featured and quoted in more than one hundred articles, in
papers such the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Baltimore
Sun, and featured on the front page of Yahoo! as one of the top stories for the
day.
In broadcast radio,
Greenewald has been featured on stations worldwide, including Coast to Coast AM
(Premier Radio Network - syndicated), the Adam Carolla Show (CBS Radio -
syndicated), the Bob & Sheri show (Greater Media Radio – syndicated), and
many others.
At the age of twenty-one,
Greenewald published his first book Beyond UFO Secrecy in 2002. This book has
recently been put into a second expanded edition, and re-published by Galde
Press in January, 2008.
Today, his path in creating
The Black Vault led him to a career in television production, as a supervising
producer, writer, director and editor. His many shows can be seen on The
History Channel, National Geographic Channel, and Discovery Military to name a
few. (Page last modified 10/1/11 10:41.)
