"I believe a lack of awareness of some important UFO history
has caused Mr. Oberg to make some serious erroneous assumptions
concerning the characters and motives of Drs. Hynek and McDonald.
These need to be addressed for the sake of ufology."

Jerry Cohen

My Response to Jim Oberg's (June 2003) Criticism of These Rebuttals

and specifically,

Exactly what we know about the Cooper - Edwards AFB case.

.. ..James Oberg........Gordon Cooper

O/C rebuttal: Part 1a - Introduction

• The "impossiblity of UFOs."
• UFO research isn't all anecdotal;
• We'll be examing some ufological history
  and
research by Drs. Hynek & McDonald

Gordon Cooper at the UN:

• UN agreed to have a meeting regarding UFOs.
• Jim Oberg attacks Cooper's character by linking
  him with Sir Eric Gairy.
• UN participants wouldn't have agreed to
  meeting unless they too had a problem.
 
• "The UFO Evidence" - Richard Hall
• Reactions from congressmen

Overlooked solid evidence &
other comments by author

Gordon Cooper:

• An astronaut, not known to be a hallucinator.
• I will verify Cooper Statement:
• "people have seen flying saucers at close hand.
  And in many cases they have been verified on radar.
  It is ridiculous for anyone to say that they're all
  completely unreal."

O/C rebuttal: part 2 - Intriguing bit of UFO data:
"Skything Occurred 1960"

• Anomaly tracked by minimum of three tracking stations
• Going the wrong way (didn't take advantage of earth's rotation)
• Going twice as fast
• Didn't maintain a regular schedule.
• Trackers were positive it wasn't
  a normal satellite or meteor.
• "It appears some nights, some nights it doesn't"

O/C rebuttal: part 3a - J. Allen Hynek, from skeptic to
"qualified believer"

Hynek's Life and a few of his accomplishments:

• Professor of Astronomy at Ohio State U., USA
• Hired by Smithsonian to head IGY optical
  satellite tracking program (STP)
• Operation Moonwatch - satellite observing stations
• Hynek was aware of "Skything"
• Indirectly hired by NASA
• One of the few things Hynek did fail at
  was proving UFOs weren't real
• Colorado Project & Low memo
• "The UFO Experience"
• Formation of CUFOS (Center for UFO Studies)
• Footnotes to Oberg/Cooper Rebuttal 3ab

O/C rebuttal: part 3b - J. Allen Hynek, from skeptic to
"qualified believer" (continued)

• Comments by Walter Webb (Charles Hayden Planetarium,
  Boston, Mass. USA)
• Series of Hynek "quotes" demonstrating his gradual
  change of opinion regarding UFOs & the Air Force

O/C rebuttal: part 4a - UFOs, a synopsis of an extremely
relevant history (USA perspective)

• 1947 Kenneth Arnold
• 1952 Washington D.C. radar/visuals
• 1957 Sighting Wave (Sebago/Stokes/Kirtland)
• 1960 Sky Thing
• Skeptics listened to the Air Force's rhetoric and were satisfied.
• "Most cases have been explained
  and there is nothing to UFOs."
• July/Aug 1965 Texas, N. Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas
• Sept: one month later "Exeter, NH"
• November: 1st North East USA power failure
• Dexter/Hillsdale, Michigan
• Congressional hearings ---> Condon Study (University of Colorado Project,
  paid for by the US Air Force)
• Hynek Articles in Newsweek and Saturday Evening Post
  (hyper-links to articles)
• discusses, amongst other things:
• He doesn't think it's all hogwash
• Klass (Ball Lighting theory) - Hynek disagrees
• Says Air Force didn't consult him on every case
• Information regarding the Colorado Project
  (Condon's conclusions, etc.)
• Science groups who disagreed with the Condon Study,
  and why (from NICAP files)

O/C rebuttal: part 4b - UFOs, a synopsis of an extremely
relevant history (continued)

• Closing of Blue Book
• Footnotes to Oberg/Cooper (Rebuttal 4ab)

O/C rebuttal: part 5a - Hynek takes us inside "Project Blue Book"
and reveals its deficiencies (Letter to Col. Sleeper - 447 lines)

• Delineates AF attempts to explain away UFOs at any cost
• 5 May 65 Navy sighting
• Hynek not permitted to peruse the files
• Problems with Blue Book staff in
  numbers & scientific training
• Lack of communication between BB & the outside world.
• BB never availed itself of meteorological
  know-how within the AF...
• Many evaluations have been made by Blue Book
  without consulting their scientific consultant,
  which have brought ridicule to the Air Force
• Hynek states outright that statistics being
  quoted by Blue Book were a joke
• Blue Book was not concerning itself with the unknowns
• Information input to Blue Book is grossly inadequate

O/C rebuttal: part 5b - Hynek takes us inside
"Project Blue Book" (Continued)

• 4 Feb. 68 Incident at Redlands, California (USA)
• Poor investigation of sighting by 20 observers
• Cooper's Edwards AFB photographs were sent to Blue Book.
• Is is any wonder they were lost; or were they?
• Who actually saw those pictures?
• Cases with better data are are accumulating. (Belgium 1989/90)
• Footnotes to Oberg/Cooper Rebuttal 5ab

O/C rebuttal: part 6 - Summary &
"Who is, and isn't studying the UFO Phenomenon & Why"
(Finding "real" unknowns)

• AF's own consultant defected, put his career on the line
• Hynek's "UFO Experience" book & letter to Col.
  Sleeper demonstrated that AF statistics were a "travesty"
• Condon study was greatly influenced by a fear of
  "professional ridicule."
• Robert Low's leaked memo
• Other scientists & engineers felt the opposite conclusion
  could have been reached from the case  material in the
  Condon Report & other available facts
• Professional science turned its back on UFOs defaulting it to
  obviously lesser equipped civilian "grass roots" UFO groups
• Richard Hall's contribution to finding real unknowns
• Sources of documented sightings:
  
• UFO Evidence - Richard Hall
• NICAP Journals
• Blue Book files themselves, if you could get at them.
  (j.c. 11/30/03 Above files presently at the new NICAP)
  
• The Condon Study cases themselves,
  although not the best cases available,
provided some evidence.

• FOIA requests for hidden cases hinted at
  by rumor (lawsuits, etc.)
  
• Dr. Bruce Maccabee's paper "Still in Default"
  gives other sources
  
• Footnotes to Oberg/Cooper Rebuttal 6

O/C rebuttal: part 7a - Two more cases; "Sebago" (11/7/57)
& "Stokes" (11/6/57) (242 lines)

• Introduction to three author-selected cases
• Sebago
• Stokes
• Defense of McDonald (necessary
  because of attacks by James Oberg)

O/C rebuttal: part 7b - A third "Condon/Blue Book" case,
reinvestigated by Dr. James McDonald: "Kirtland AFB,"
Albuquerque, New Mexico USA (11/4/57)

• Kirtland case as examined & presented by James McDonald

O/C rebuttal: part 7c - Kirtland conclusion / Blue Book &
Condon Study errors / McDonald's credentials / How this
all relates to Cooper's claims (355 lines)

• Conclusion of Kirtland case
• McDonald's critique of Kirtland evaluation by the Condon Report
• On McDonald's Sincerity
• McDonald embarrassed Drs. Hynek & Menzel
• Biographical Information re: McDonald
• Other cases:
• 1989\90 Belgium Cases
• Animal Mutilation Cases
• Abduction Claims
• Correspondence from Jan Aldrich (Proj. 1947) which informs me
  my 3 cases were hours, not days apart as I had originally thought.
  
  
• Footnotes to Oberg/Cooper Rebuttal 7abc

ORIGINAL OBERG ARTICLE:
In Search of Gordon Cooper's UFOs (1/3) - Oberg
In Search of Gordon Cooper's UFOs (2/3) - Oberg
In Search of Gordon Cooper's UFOs (3/3) - Oberg

MY REBUTTAL TO JAMES OBERG'S ARTICLE
Rebuttal Table of Contents
The Oberg/Cooper rebuttal(s) 

***My Response to Jim's Criticism of My Rebuttal ***

Author's Select Cases (+1978/81 FOIA Releases)
Unresolved Cases
Questions and Answers

CohenUFO Hyper-linked Master Index

CohenUFO Home Page