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UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Impeccably researched, this riveting journalistic investigation separates fact from fiction, and documents the existence of—and government reactions to—actual UFOs.
“A treasure trove of insightful and eye-opening information.”—Michio Kaku, PH.D., bestselling author of Physics of the Future
Leslie Kean, a veteran investigative reporter who has spent the past ten years studying the still-unexplained UFO phenomenon, reviewed hundreds of government documents, aviation reports, radar data, and case studies with corroborating physical evidence. She interviewed dozens of high-level officials and aviation witnesses from around the world. Among them, five Air Force generals and a host of high-level sources—including Fife Symington III, former governor of Arizona, and Nick Pope, former head of the British Defence Ministry’s UFO Investigative Unit—have written their own breathtaking, firsthand accounts about UFO encounters and investigations exclusively for this book.
With the support of former White House chief of staff John Podesta, Kean lifts the veil on decades of U.S. government misinformation about this mysterious phenomenon and presents irrefutable evidence that unknown flying objects—metallic, luminous, and seemingly able to maneuver in ways that defy the laws of physics—actually exist.
With a Foreword by John Podesta
“The most important book on the phenomenon in a generation.” — Journal of Scientific Exploration
“Written with penetrating depth and insight, the revelations in this book constitute a watershed event in lifting the taboo against rational discourse about this controversial subject.” —Harold E. Puthoff, PH.D., Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin
“Kean presents the most accurate, most credible reports on UFOs you will ever find. She may not have the final smoking gun, but I smell the gunpowder.” —Miles O’Brien, science correspondent for PBS’s NewsHour
“A treasure trove of insightful and eye-opening information.”—Michio Kaku, PH.D., bestselling author of Physics of the Future
Leslie Kean, a veteran investigative reporter who has spent the past ten years studying the still-unexplained UFO phenomenon, reviewed hundreds of government documents, aviation reports, radar data, and case studies with corroborating physical evidence. She interviewed dozens of high-level officials and aviation witnesses from around the world. Among them, five Air Force generals and a host of high-level sources—including Fife Symington III, former governor of Arizona, and Nick Pope, former head of the British Defence Ministry’s UFO Investigative Unit—have written their own breathtaking, firsthand accounts about UFO encounters and investigations exclusively for this book.
With the support of former White House chief of staff John Podesta, Kean lifts the veil on decades of U.S. government misinformation about this mysterious phenomenon and presents irrefutable evidence that unknown flying objects—metallic, luminous, and seemingly able to maneuver in ways that defy the laws of physics—actually exist.
With a Foreword by John Podesta
“The most important book on the phenomenon in a generation.” — Journal of Scientific Exploration
“Written with penetrating depth and insight, the revelations in this book constitute a watershed event in lifting the taboo against rational discourse about this controversial subject.” —Harold E. Puthoff, PH.D., Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin
“Kean presents the most accurate, most credible reports on UFOs you will ever find. She may not have the final smoking gun, but I smell the gunpowder.” —Miles O’Brien, science correspondent for PBS’s NewsHour
335 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
1019 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 324 reviews
August 24, 2011
I loved it!
Fascinating and very well written. The author is able to suck you right in her book, weather you are pro or contra theses "stories". She does never try to convince you of any thing, just lists the facts, that she obviously took some time and effort to gather together, with unemotional and sober judgement.
An insightful conglomerate of information, from various sources, that Believers as well as Skeptics will find entertaining and revealing. Great, great read!
What conclusions your draw from it, is up to you... But remember: the truth is out there...
Fascinating and very well written. The author is able to suck you right in her book, weather you are pro or contra theses "stories". She does never try to convince you of any thing, just lists the facts, that she obviously took some time and effort to gather together, with unemotional and sober judgement.
An insightful conglomerate of information, from various sources, that Believers as well as Skeptics will find entertaining and revealing. Great, great read!
What conclusions your draw from it, is up to you... But remember: the truth is out there...
October 4, 2010
The definitive work on a much maligned and ridiculed subject. Closes the case—whatever UFOs are, there's no denying they are real. The pilots, generals, and military officials provide firsthand, unimpeachable evidence that no debunker can refute. An instant classic.
June 22, 2025
A serious, sober book, with contributions from many professionals — military personnel, commercial pilots, scientists, investigators. Kean really hammers the point home how much the phenomena is seriously and openly studied in other countries, such as France and Great Britain, while it is only secretly studied in the U.S. (if at all—who really knows?).
Covers major incidents such as the Belgium UAP wave in the late 1980s (thousands of witnesses) and the Hudson Valley New York wave a few years later (also thousands of witnesses).
Also chapters on the roots of a decades-long propaganda/disinformation campaign in the U.S., and social scientists suggest reasons why a nationalist regime would seek to hide their ignorance or powerlessness.
Ultimately, based on the COMETA Report from France and other investigations, the conclusion is simply this — something is happening and we don't know what it is. Surely, scientists say, there is more than enough evidence to warrant investigation rather than ridicule.
Many people have theories why the U.S. is lagging behind on this topic in terms of openness, but it is the case that since this book was published (2010) the U.S. has released some footage of military pilots and their encounters with unknown objects.
Covers major incidents such as the Belgium UAP wave in the late 1980s (thousands of witnesses) and the Hudson Valley New York wave a few years later (also thousands of witnesses).
Also chapters on the roots of a decades-long propaganda/disinformation campaign in the U.S., and social scientists suggest reasons why a nationalist regime would seek to hide their ignorance or powerlessness.
Ultimately, based on the COMETA Report from France and other investigations, the conclusion is simply this — something is happening and we don't know what it is. Surely, scientists say, there is more than enough evidence to warrant investigation rather than ridicule.
Many people have theories why the U.S. is lagging behind on this topic in terms of openness, but it is the case that since this book was published (2010) the U.S. has released some footage of military pilots and their encounters with unknown objects.
December 8, 2021
UFOs: GENERALS, PILOTS, AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS GO ON THE RECORD is very good for what it sets out to do. Whether or not that goal was what the Reader wanted may be a different story. I generally enjoyed it overall, although it is repetitive from time to time (especially in reiterating its message).
At its core, the book is a plea for the United States to formally join with other countries that currently (as of the book’s writing) have official services that investigate UFO sightings. The reason is not only scientific curiosity, but to promote air safety. Detailed in the pages are reports of what seem to be “near misses,” and there are a number of reports of air space and safety protocols being repeatedly violated. At certain points, the writer appears to take a “It’s only a matter of time before something happens” position.
Central to this is the argument that despite the acronym, UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) has come to mean less that the object is unidentified and more that it is of extraterrestrial origin. Therefore, “Do you believe in UFOs?” is not asking if there is a belief in some flying objects not being identified, but a belief in aliens visiting the Earth. Consequently, a new acronym has been developed: UAP for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Of course, except in certain circles, UFO is still the preferred identifier.
The bulk of the cases cited occurred after the termination of Project Blue Book. This eliminates the need to state the “official” explanations since no agency in the US government is acknowledged as studying UFO sightings. (There are references, though, that indicate there are investigations still occurring … just not in an “official” capacity.) Witness accounts are provided by those who have acknowledged “respectability” (being an “insider” or a trained observer), and not from any of the many UFO organizations and groups based in the US.
No “alien abduction” or “Men In Black” stories will be found here. No “alien crash sites” are visited. And there are no “alien autopsies.” The focus is on what has been observed at a distance by responsible witnesses.
The book then turns to what other countries have done that do investigate UFO sightings. (In some cases, the sheer number of reports have required a significant scaling back.) It then analyzes why the US government has maintained an aggressive campaign to debunk UFO sightings, and to cause those who have had such experiences to keep silent to avoid public ridicule. There is some general speculation as to how very covert investigations may have continued, but it avoids entering “conspiracy theory” territory.
When this book was published, President Obama was in office. Considering all of the events that have been occurring since, the likelihood that any action to reopen formal investigations in the US is less than remote. The UFO phenomenon remains intriguing, though. For those wanting a more restrained and thoughtful approach to it, this book is a good introduction.
At its core, the book is a plea for the United States to formally join with other countries that currently (as of the book’s writing) have official services that investigate UFO sightings. The reason is not only scientific curiosity, but to promote air safety. Detailed in the pages are reports of what seem to be “near misses,” and there are a number of reports of air space and safety protocols being repeatedly violated. At certain points, the writer appears to take a “It’s only a matter of time before something happens” position.
Central to this is the argument that despite the acronym, UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) has come to mean less that the object is unidentified and more that it is of extraterrestrial origin. Therefore, “Do you believe in UFOs?” is not asking if there is a belief in some flying objects not being identified, but a belief in aliens visiting the Earth. Consequently, a new acronym has been developed: UAP for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Of course, except in certain circles, UFO is still the preferred identifier.
The bulk of the cases cited occurred after the termination of Project Blue Book. This eliminates the need to state the “official” explanations since no agency in the US government is acknowledged as studying UFO sightings. (There are references, though, that indicate there are investigations still occurring … just not in an “official” capacity.) Witness accounts are provided by those who have acknowledged “respectability” (being an “insider” or a trained observer), and not from any of the many UFO organizations and groups based in the US.
No “alien abduction” or “Men In Black” stories will be found here. No “alien crash sites” are visited. And there are no “alien autopsies.” The focus is on what has been observed at a distance by responsible witnesses.
The book then turns to what other countries have done that do investigate UFO sightings. (In some cases, the sheer number of reports have required a significant scaling back.) It then analyzes why the US government has maintained an aggressive campaign to debunk UFO sightings, and to cause those who have had such experiences to keep silent to avoid public ridicule. There is some general speculation as to how very covert investigations may have continued, but it avoids entering “conspiracy theory” territory.
When this book was published, President Obama was in office. Considering all of the events that have been occurring since, the likelihood that any action to reopen formal investigations in the US is less than remote. The UFO phenomenon remains intriguing, though. For those wanting a more restrained and thoughtful approach to it, this book is a good introduction.
October 26, 2010
Interesting book that was maybe a little too long for the subject. The book surveys many of the most interesting UFO incidents seen by government officials like pilots and police. The accounts were interesting and generally believable. The book did spend an inordinate amount of time asking why the U.S. doesn't take UFOs more seriously. The last 2 chapters should have been 2 pages.
May 14, 2019
Very well organized and interesting book on unexplained aerial phenomena and some personal accounts from highly credible sources. A lot to take away from the read full of so much information, the case studies used were all very good. A bit long-winded at points, but I enjoyed the investigative journalism feel to the whole thing, along with the sincerity of the contributors, not to claim there are aliens or anything, but that there are occurrences in the skies over nations all over the world which are not understood and cannot be explained with current knowledge. Even if it’s just five percent of the sightings reported that cannot be explained with a better understanding of traditional science or technology currently being used, that’s enough to warrant some sort of investigation from someone. Just from a safety standpoint, the UAPs may not be hostile, but they may interfere with airline safety or cause citizens to panic. Nothing would be more disastrous than remaining unprepared. The text is a call to establish a collaborative group effort, from the entire world, to join in the investigation to make our skies and air travel safer, and maybe even elevate our species to the next level.
From the text this stuck with me - “I humbly insist, therefore, that our current knowledge must be inherently insufficient for comprehending everything.”
From the text this stuck with me - “I humbly insist, therefore, that our current knowledge must be inherently insufficient for comprehending everything.”
November 18, 2016
A thorough, investigative approach to key UFO case files. It's nice to see a professional with bonafide writing credentials take on the subject with an even handed approach. Some very well known cases are spotlighted, so for UFO buffs, you may not learn anything new, but the way the facts are laid bare is compelling. It all boils down to one singular fact : there are UFOs in our skies. The question no one can answer yet is : what are they and where do they come from?
April 17, 2011
This is a fantastic book. While I love science fiction and astrobiology, I am always hesitant on anything related to the validity of UFOs because they are mostly silly, unprofessional and written by die-hard believers who don't discredit anything. This is a must read for anyone interested in the subject for all the right reasons.
This is more than a book about eye witnesses: its a collection of government reports and a detailed analysis of numerous high-ranking officials who have everything to loose in reporting that they saw something they can't explain in the sky. When you compile official reports and eye witness accounts of hundreds of people on the same event and it is still unexplainable, you have something very interesting.
This is an extremely professional book without suggesting any radical explanations: simply presenting very remarkable occurrences and detailing all the facts without jumping to conclusions. This is a must read for anyone remotely interested in UFOs and does a fantastic job of expressing concern of the "taboo" in the USA whenever the UFO subject is related in the media. It was a sad moment when I had no more pages to read.
This is more than a book about eye witnesses: its a collection of government reports and a detailed analysis of numerous high-ranking officials who have everything to loose in reporting that they saw something they can't explain in the sky. When you compile official reports and eye witness accounts of hundreds of people on the same event and it is still unexplainable, you have something very interesting.
This is an extremely professional book without suggesting any radical explanations: simply presenting very remarkable occurrences and detailing all the facts without jumping to conclusions. This is a must read for anyone remotely interested in UFOs and does a fantastic job of expressing concern of the "taboo" in the USA whenever the UFO subject is related in the media. It was a sad moment when I had no more pages to read.
November 21, 2017
OKAY HEAR ME OUT PPL!! READ THIS BOOK THEN COME TALK TO ME!
After traveling for 5 months to 9 different countries, I realized that most nations take UFOs far more seriously than we do. In fact, pretty much everywhere I went someone had a UFO story. From India to Japan to Australia, it became evident to me that UFOs are a nearly universal phenomena....with the States being the big exception.
This book helps explain the steps the US government has deliberately taken to reduce UFO research and discussion to the fringes. It does not offer any overwhelming evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life forms, but rather suggest there are objects we see that do not fit within any current scientific schemas. THATS ALL!! SEE? IM NOT CRAZY!
But IN ALL SERIOUSNESS it's a huge shame that as a nation with outstanding resources we aren't contributing (and maybe even halting) some really cool research. Mainly because I want to see an alien before I die
After traveling for 5 months to 9 different countries, I realized that most nations take UFOs far more seriously than we do. In fact, pretty much everywhere I went someone had a UFO story. From India to Japan to Australia, it became evident to me that UFOs are a nearly universal phenomena....with the States being the big exception.
This book helps explain the steps the US government has deliberately taken to reduce UFO research and discussion to the fringes. It does not offer any overwhelming evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life forms, but rather suggest there are objects we see that do not fit within any current scientific schemas. THATS ALL!! SEE? IM NOT CRAZY!
But IN ALL SERIOUSNESS it's a huge shame that as a nation with outstanding resources we aren't contributing (and maybe even halting) some really cool research. Mainly because I want to see an alien before I die
September 14, 2010
It is unlikely that there is not something to the UFO question. The actual interviews were very interesting, but the writer's ongoing commentary was redundant and tedious and so it was a difficult read.
May 14, 2017
A well laid out book that contains reliable expert witness testimonials. I highly recommend this to anyone, who is in the least bit interested in the fascinating subject of unidentified aerial phenomena.
April 16, 2020
This book was very long, and here is what I learned:
- Sometimes people see UFOs
- Usually there are flashing lights
- The government doesn't like this
- Sometimes people see UFOs
- Usually there are flashing lights
- The government doesn't like this
July 26, 2023
Well researched; a little repetitive. The author often got in the way of the subject.
January 29, 2019
Avec ce livre, Leslie Kean s'adresse avant tout aux septiques et personnes mal informées pour les sensibiliser à la réalité d'un phénomène qu'ils refusent, considèrent comme ridicule, mais dont ils ne savent surtout rien.
Dans cet objectif, elle se limite à des cas très documentés impliquant des militaires (souvent de haut rang), des pilotes confirmés (qui ne prennent pas des vessies pour des lanternes), des politiques; et souvent confirmés par des preuves physiques, pas seulement des photos, mais des enregistrements radars ou des traces au sol. Ces traces physiques sont commentées par des témoins de haute crédibilité.
Le livre n'a pas pour objectif de couvrir l'ensemble du phénomène ovni, et ne seront pas abordés les sujets les plus délicats, spectaculaires, mais surtout controversés propres à faire fuir les septiques, tels que : rencontres du 3è et 4è types (= rencontres avec des aliens hors ou dans un astronef), enlèvements, implants, mutilations de bétail, men in black, crop circles, personnes prétendument “contactés”, ou affaire UMMO, encore moins les cas de crash d'ovnis même les mieux documentés (Roswell, ou Varginha au Brésil).
Le livre évite donc tout sensationnalisme, encore que certains cas bien établis devraient stupéfier les ignorants comme celui de Phoenix en 1997, confirmé et raconté par le gouverneur de l'Arizona, ou celui de la forêt de Rendlesham en 1980. Sont également exposés le cas de la vague belge de 1989, par le général De Brouwer chargé des opérations militaires visant à clarifier la nature du phénomène, et le cas très similaire de la vallée de l'Hudson au début des années 1980 qui avaient également connus des dizaines de milliers de témoins (incluant des policiers) mais qui avait été superbement ignoré par les agences gouvernementales et les médias nationaux.
Leslie Kean montre que malgré le tabou et l'aveuglement dont font preuve officiellement les USA, le phénomène est traité sérieusement par certaines nations, et au premier chef la France, mais aussi la Grande-Bretagne, le Chili, le Brésil, le Pérou, et quelques autres, qui ont ouvert des agences officielles d'étude du phénomène (en France, le GEIPAN, dès 1977), et rendu leurs archives publiques sur internet.
Elle montre aussi que chez ces nations l'intérêt est réel chez les militaires dont la fonction est de protéger le territoire et qui ne peuvent pas délibérément ignorer une potentielle menace de nature inconnue. Cet intérêt s'est concrétisé en France par la publication en 1999 du fameux Rapport COMETA rédigé par des militaires et des ingénieurs, et destiné au président de la république et au premier ministre. Ce rapport est disponible dans le commerce à un prix modique. Il a parfois été source de motivation pour des militaires américains cherchant à en savoir davantage et qui menèrent des investigations isolées aux USA.
Dans une dernière partie, Leslie Kean traite des raisons du tabou, laissant la parole à des universitaires américains qui évoquent la crainte des USA de montrer son incompétence face à un phénomène « surhumain ». Cette incompétence supposée se substitue à des hypothèses plus sensationnelles mais sans preuves directes comme raison du secret entourant la question, telle que la possibilité d'alliances (ou de conflits) avec certaines races extraterrestres. En l'état, de telles hypothèses relèvent de la théorie du complot et ne provoquent, avec raison, que rejet et commentaires ironiques de la part des septiques.
Les impacts potentiellement dévastateurs sur le plan culturel d'un contact ouvert avec les extraterrestres sont à mon avis trop rapidement évoqués. Il est manifeste que de nombreux humains ne sont pas préparés à une telle révélation pour des raisons religieuses ou culturelles, ou simplement par peur. Même une rencontre avec une civilisation très bienveillante pourraient totalement désorganiser notre société. Que deviendraient nos croyances, nos philosophies, notre économie, la valeur du travail, l'intérêt d'une recherche scientifique, la pertinence des professions médicales, et plein d'autres choses si nous rencontrions une civilisation qui apporte toutes les connaissances et nous abreuve de tous les bienfaits ? Ce point essentiel de réflexion qui explique pourtant l'absence de contact « officiel » avec les extraterrestres n'est malheureusement qu'effleuré.
Globalement, le livre remplit pleinement sa fonction d'informer un public ignorant ou réticent. On peut lui reprocher d'être un peu trop verbeux par moment, et j'ai peur qu'il soit un peu trop long pour maintenir jusqu'au bout l'intérêt d'un public peu acquis à sa cause. Il ne faudra donc pas hésiter à survoler les passages de moindre intérêt pour éviter un désintérêt complet avant la fin. Aux personnes qui connaissent déjà bien le sujet, le livre apporte peu ou aucun fait nouveau, ni aucune nouvelle interprétation du phénomène, et l'achat n'aura d'intérêt que pour prêter le livre aux amis septiques.
Dans cet objectif, elle se limite à des cas très documentés impliquant des militaires (souvent de haut rang), des pilotes confirmés (qui ne prennent pas des vessies pour des lanternes), des politiques; et souvent confirmés par des preuves physiques, pas seulement des photos, mais des enregistrements radars ou des traces au sol. Ces traces physiques sont commentées par des témoins de haute crédibilité.
Le livre n'a pas pour objectif de couvrir l'ensemble du phénomène ovni, et ne seront pas abordés les sujets les plus délicats, spectaculaires, mais surtout controversés propres à faire fuir les septiques, tels que : rencontres du 3è et 4è types (= rencontres avec des aliens hors ou dans un astronef), enlèvements, implants, mutilations de bétail, men in black, crop circles, personnes prétendument “contactés”, ou affaire UMMO, encore moins les cas de crash d'ovnis même les mieux documentés (Roswell, ou Varginha au Brésil).
Le livre évite donc tout sensationnalisme, encore que certains cas bien établis devraient stupéfier les ignorants comme celui de Phoenix en 1997, confirmé et raconté par le gouverneur de l'Arizona, ou celui de la forêt de Rendlesham en 1980. Sont également exposés le cas de la vague belge de 1989, par le général De Brouwer chargé des opérations militaires visant à clarifier la nature du phénomène, et le cas très similaire de la vallée de l'Hudson au début des années 1980 qui avaient également connus des dizaines de milliers de témoins (incluant des policiers) mais qui avait été superbement ignoré par les agences gouvernementales et les médias nationaux.
Leslie Kean montre que malgré le tabou et l'aveuglement dont font preuve officiellement les USA, le phénomène est traité sérieusement par certaines nations, et au premier chef la France, mais aussi la Grande-Bretagne, le Chili, le Brésil, le Pérou, et quelques autres, qui ont ouvert des agences officielles d'étude du phénomène (en France, le GEIPAN, dès 1977), et rendu leurs archives publiques sur internet.
Elle montre aussi que chez ces nations l'intérêt est réel chez les militaires dont la fonction est de protéger le territoire et qui ne peuvent pas délibérément ignorer une potentielle menace de nature inconnue. Cet intérêt s'est concrétisé en France par la publication en 1999 du fameux Rapport COMETA rédigé par des militaires et des ingénieurs, et destiné au président de la république et au premier ministre. Ce rapport est disponible dans le commerce à un prix modique. Il a parfois été source de motivation pour des militaires américains cherchant à en savoir davantage et qui menèrent des investigations isolées aux USA.
Dans une dernière partie, Leslie Kean traite des raisons du tabou, laissant la parole à des universitaires américains qui évoquent la crainte des USA de montrer son incompétence face à un phénomène « surhumain ». Cette incompétence supposée se substitue à des hypothèses plus sensationnelles mais sans preuves directes comme raison du secret entourant la question, telle que la possibilité d'alliances (ou de conflits) avec certaines races extraterrestres. En l'état, de telles hypothèses relèvent de la théorie du complot et ne provoquent, avec raison, que rejet et commentaires ironiques de la part des septiques.
Les impacts potentiellement dévastateurs sur le plan culturel d'un contact ouvert avec les extraterrestres sont à mon avis trop rapidement évoqués. Il est manifeste que de nombreux humains ne sont pas préparés à une telle révélation pour des raisons religieuses ou culturelles, ou simplement par peur. Même une rencontre avec une civilisation très bienveillante pourraient totalement désorganiser notre société. Que deviendraient nos croyances, nos philosophies, notre économie, la valeur du travail, l'intérêt d'une recherche scientifique, la pertinence des professions médicales, et plein d'autres choses si nous rencontrions une civilisation qui apporte toutes les connaissances et nous abreuve de tous les bienfaits ? Ce point essentiel de réflexion qui explique pourtant l'absence de contact « officiel » avec les extraterrestres n'est malheureusement qu'effleuré.
Globalement, le livre remplit pleinement sa fonction d'informer un public ignorant ou réticent. On peut lui reprocher d'être un peu trop verbeux par moment, et j'ai peur qu'il soit un peu trop long pour maintenir jusqu'au bout l'intérêt d'un public peu acquis à sa cause. Il ne faudra donc pas hésiter à survoler les passages de moindre intérêt pour éviter un désintérêt complet avant la fin. Aux personnes qui connaissent déjà bien le sujet, le livre apporte peu ou aucun fait nouveau, ni aucune nouvelle interprétation du phénomène, et l'achat n'aura d'intérêt que pour prêter le livre aux amis septiques.
February 19, 2011
UFOs are the strangest topic. Completely dismissed by the media, a subject that was believe it or not taken quite seriously up to about 1970 has been almost completely discredited among the intellectual classes in the U.S. Wild conspiracy theories and bizarre tales of "alien abduction" have served to create an ever-expanding mythology that has relegated the entire phenomenon to tabloid status.
Yet for people like me who have followed the literature and tried to separate the slim stalks of wheat from the ocean of chaff, it is quite clear that there is ample evidence that something unexplainable has been going on for the past 60 years. This book concentrates on the most well-documented cases, in which a combination of evidentiary factors would leave only the most close-minded of readers without at least a sliver of doubt. Ground and air radar tracking combined with corroborating ground and air eyewitness reports by military and aviation officials, buttressed by government documents and even government analyses from around the world, lead to only one rational conclusion, which is far from a conclusion:
A real phenomenon that is unexplainable by our current paradigm of consensus reality exists.
What exactly that is nobody knows with any degree of certainty. Are they extraterrestrial? Naturally occurring phenomena that mimic intelligently controlled aircraft? Or beyond top secret aircraft from some nation that have the ability to break physical laws as commonly understood?
Whenever I read this stuff, I always feel disoriented for a number of days after, mostly because the evidence seems clear enough, yet the topic in America has been so thoroughly tainted with ridicule that it is virtually impossible to have an intelligent conversation about it with anyone not already versed in the small % of cases that merit exploration. One of the more interesting things about the public's attitude toward unexplainable airborne phenomena is that the most intelligent people I know are the ones who dismiss it the quickest. That is a paradox that creates a tremendous amount of cognitive dissonance in my own mind. To read the facts, then to be told by the purportedly most rational people to dismiss them is somewhat crazy-making... In some respect, I view the topic the same way I view those raised by Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky -- there is one acceptable reality and no amount of facts presented can penetrate that construct.
Another way to look at it: For most people, theory trumps observation. There are certain scientifically sanctioned possibilities, and anything observed outside of those must be immediately dismissed for the theories to hold up.
Anyway I have stopped trying to interest people in this topic, because for one thing, it's pretty much irrelevant to people's lives. It's very discomfiting to delve into it all while still trying to pay the bills and just deal with all the shit people have to every day.
But I do recommend this book. Testimonials as to the reality of the phenomena include:
-the head of the Belgian Air Force, who investigated a series of well documented sightings and military encounters in that country in 1990 -- and came to the conclusion that whatever people were seeing was technologically out of reach for any human-created aircraft
-the 3rd in command of the FAA in America, who tracked an unexplainable craft on radar while a Japan Airlines pilot corroborated with eyewitness real-time reports; then briefed reagan's science advisors on the sighting
-the former governor of Arizona, who publicly dismissed reports of huge aircraft sighted by thousands in 1997, then admitted 10 years later that he saw it himself and now says he thinks it was extraterrestrial
-pilots both military and civilian, defense officials, and scientists, all of whom have either encountered, investigated, or analyzed the evidence and find it more than robust enough to call for further investigation.
As I said, the topic was taken much more seriously in America (other govts are actually much more open to the phenomena even now) pre-1970. Enough so that congressional hearings were held, air force press conferences given, and official studies commissioned (the Air Force's Project Blue Book for one) due to pressure from panicked and curious constitutencies. Ultimately, the govt found it much more useful to debunk everything and encourage ridicule of serious inquiry. Which makes sense...who in govt wants to acknowledge that something is making frquent incursions on sovereign air space and there's nothing they can do about it?
Also, some of the craft are driven by Bigfoot the end
Yet for people like me who have followed the literature and tried to separate the slim stalks of wheat from the ocean of chaff, it is quite clear that there is ample evidence that something unexplainable has been going on for the past 60 years. This book concentrates on the most well-documented cases, in which a combination of evidentiary factors would leave only the most close-minded of readers without at least a sliver of doubt. Ground and air radar tracking combined with corroborating ground and air eyewitness reports by military and aviation officials, buttressed by government documents and even government analyses from around the world, lead to only one rational conclusion, which is far from a conclusion:
A real phenomenon that is unexplainable by our current paradigm of consensus reality exists.
What exactly that is nobody knows with any degree of certainty. Are they extraterrestrial? Naturally occurring phenomena that mimic intelligently controlled aircraft? Or beyond top secret aircraft from some nation that have the ability to break physical laws as commonly understood?
Whenever I read this stuff, I always feel disoriented for a number of days after, mostly because the evidence seems clear enough, yet the topic in America has been so thoroughly tainted with ridicule that it is virtually impossible to have an intelligent conversation about it with anyone not already versed in the small % of cases that merit exploration. One of the more interesting things about the public's attitude toward unexplainable airborne phenomena is that the most intelligent people I know are the ones who dismiss it the quickest. That is a paradox that creates a tremendous amount of cognitive dissonance in my own mind. To read the facts, then to be told by the purportedly most rational people to dismiss them is somewhat crazy-making... In some respect, I view the topic the same way I view those raised by Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky -- there is one acceptable reality and no amount of facts presented can penetrate that construct.
Another way to look at it: For most people, theory trumps observation. There are certain scientifically sanctioned possibilities, and anything observed outside of those must be immediately dismissed for the theories to hold up.
Anyway I have stopped trying to interest people in this topic, because for one thing, it's pretty much irrelevant to people's lives. It's very discomfiting to delve into it all while still trying to pay the bills and just deal with all the shit people have to every day.
But I do recommend this book. Testimonials as to the reality of the phenomena include:
-the head of the Belgian Air Force, who investigated a series of well documented sightings and military encounters in that country in 1990 -- and came to the conclusion that whatever people were seeing was technologically out of reach for any human-created aircraft
-the 3rd in command of the FAA in America, who tracked an unexplainable craft on radar while a Japan Airlines pilot corroborated with eyewitness real-time reports; then briefed reagan's science advisors on the sighting
-the former governor of Arizona, who publicly dismissed reports of huge aircraft sighted by thousands in 1997, then admitted 10 years later that he saw it himself and now says he thinks it was extraterrestrial
-pilots both military and civilian, defense officials, and scientists, all of whom have either encountered, investigated, or analyzed the evidence and find it more than robust enough to call for further investigation.
As I said, the topic was taken much more seriously in America (other govts are actually much more open to the phenomena even now) pre-1970. Enough so that congressional hearings were held, air force press conferences given, and official studies commissioned (the Air Force's Project Blue Book for one) due to pressure from panicked and curious constitutencies. Ultimately, the govt found it much more useful to debunk everything and encourage ridicule of serious inquiry. Which makes sense...who in govt wants to acknowledge that something is making frquent incursions on sovereign air space and there's nothing they can do about it?
Also, some of the craft are driven by Bigfoot the end
July 6, 2024
terrific presentation of the us thought dichotomy on ufos-- that either it is "ufos are aliens i know it" or "all ufo sightings are explainable by natural phenomena already known to us" with no room for "there are some things unknown to us and worth taking seriously"
unfortunately ufos ARE aliens and EYE know it; i am not a militant agnostic simply advocating for freedom of information and collaborative international research; i am out to lunch, with an alien, and i am immediately obsessed with the theory put forward by the man in charge of ufos in france pointing out pretty exact correlations between the appearances of ufos and the detonations of a-bombs!!!
unfortunately ufos ARE aliens and EYE know it; i am not a militant agnostic simply advocating for freedom of information and collaborative international research; i am out to lunch, with an alien, and i am immediately obsessed with the theory put forward by the man in charge of ufos in france pointing out pretty exact correlations between the appearances of ufos and the detonations of a-bombs!!!
April 25, 2015
Although companion to the late Bud Hopkins, noted for his research on the abduction phenomenon, Leslie Kean confines her first book on UFOs to only the most substantiated cases involving multiple witnesses and, in most cases, physical traces. There are no close encounters of the third or fourth kind here. What are presented, however, provide a compelling case for the reality of what herein are termed "unknown aerial phenomena".
On this basis, Kean, and an array of notables, including military officers, political scientists, scientists and the former governor of Arizona, call for the USA to follow the lead of a host of foreign governments in taking the UAP seriously by funding a centralized, official research office to coordinate investigations.
This book is highly recommended for skeptics and for those who otherwise have not given serious attention to these matters.
On this basis, Kean, and an array of notables, including military officers, political scientists, scientists and the former governor of Arizona, call for the USA to follow the lead of a host of foreign governments in taking the UAP seriously by funding a centralized, official research office to coordinate investigations.
This book is highly recommended for skeptics and for those who otherwise have not given serious attention to these matters.
July 14, 2021
Måtte lese denne i kjølvannet av Pentagon sin rapport/innrømmelse om at disse greiene finnes, i den forstand at enkelte hendelser har flere vitner (profesjonelle piloter i det amerikanske forsvaret) som har sett det samme, med både video og radar som backer opp observasjonene.
Jeg vet ærlig talt ikke hva jeg skal tro, men det som er upåklagelig dokumentert er flyvende, solide objekter som beveger seg på måter som rett og slett er vanskelig å forklare. Det er fryktelig vanskelig å balansere på knivseggen mellom nysgjerrige skeptikere og konspitasjons-lunatics i denne sammenhengen, så jeg lar bedømmingene mine stoppe der. Spent på om denne nye åpenheten fjerner tabuet slik at man får noe reell forskning på dette.
Jeg vet ærlig talt ikke hva jeg skal tro, men det som er upåklagelig dokumentert er flyvende, solide objekter som beveger seg på måter som rett og slett er vanskelig å forklare. Det er fryktelig vanskelig å balansere på knivseggen mellom nysgjerrige skeptikere og konspitasjons-lunatics i denne sammenhengen, så jeg lar bedømmingene mine stoppe der. Spent på om denne nye åpenheten fjerner tabuet slik at man får noe reell forskning på dette.
July 12, 2024
Honestly, I can't imagine a better introduction to the issue of UFOs than this one. Forget "introduction". I can't imagine a better BOOK on the subject than this one. It's written by a very reputable, highly competent reporter, who takes great pains to present a factually based, meticulously researched approach to the topic.
Be sure to pay attention to the subtitle here. Her sources are also reputable individuals, generally highly placed, who likewise follow a factually based path when discussing a subject they are well qualified to expound upon. Their separate essays on the topic serve as the "meat" of the book, while Kean's connecting chapters function as the "potatoes". Taken together it's quite a feast of fascinating witness and insider accounts, coupled with closely reasoned arguments as to the proper course governments worldwide need to follow when investigating the subject.
The main premise here is that UFOs DO exist, regardless of where they may or may not come from. They sometimes present hazards to aviation safety and even to national security, esp. where nuclear weapons and facilities are concerned. It is egregiously irresponsible NOT to investigate them scientifically, rigorously.
Some governments are already doing so (France, for one), while others refuse to acknowledge ANY ongoing investigation of these phenomena (eg. the USA). Instead, they rely on denial, obfuscation and ridicule to trivialize the issue and avoid public disclosure of what they do or do not actually know about UFOs.
Kean and her sources propose a rational and relatively transparent approach to the UFO problem, which seems like nothing other than common sense to me. To discover the details of their proposal, read the book. These folks explain it much better than I could ever do.
Finally, I have to say: I love this book, and I respect its author and her eminently rational approach to the UFO phenomenon. Every literate human being should read this one. If you have even a passing interest in the subject, please, give this book a hard, open-minded look. You won't be sorry.
Be sure to pay attention to the subtitle here. Her sources are also reputable individuals, generally highly placed, who likewise follow a factually based path when discussing a subject they are well qualified to expound upon. Their separate essays on the topic serve as the "meat" of the book, while Kean's connecting chapters function as the "potatoes". Taken together it's quite a feast of fascinating witness and insider accounts, coupled with closely reasoned arguments as to the proper course governments worldwide need to follow when investigating the subject.
The main premise here is that UFOs DO exist, regardless of where they may or may not come from. They sometimes present hazards to aviation safety and even to national security, esp. where nuclear weapons and facilities are concerned. It is egregiously irresponsible NOT to investigate them scientifically, rigorously.
Some governments are already doing so (France, for one), while others refuse to acknowledge ANY ongoing investigation of these phenomena (eg. the USA). Instead, they rely on denial, obfuscation and ridicule to trivialize the issue and avoid public disclosure of what they do or do not actually know about UFOs.
Kean and her sources propose a rational and relatively transparent approach to the UFO problem, which seems like nothing other than common sense to me. To discover the details of their proposal, read the book. These folks explain it much better than I could ever do.
Finally, I have to say: I love this book, and I respect its author and her eminently rational approach to the UFO phenomenon. Every literate human being should read this one. If you have even a passing interest in the subject, please, give this book a hard, open-minded look. You won't be sorry.
January 9, 2013
There are thousands and thousands of UFO books out there. They range from such folderol as 'A Dweller on Two Planets', 'Secret Nazi UFO Bases Revealed', or the timeless classic 'GREETINGS EARTHLINGS My name is Appleton and I come from the Planet Reginta' to serious studies of the phenomenon (or phenomena) written by credentialed military officers, main stream scientists, professional historians and investigative journalists.
Ms. Kean's book needs to be added to that latter list, and in my view it should be placed a long way up the pile, amongst the select few books on the subject that must be read by anyone, be they believer, skeptic or debunker who expects to be taken seriously in a real discussion on the subject.
Ms. Kean, an investigative journalist by trade, was first introduced to the subject of UFOs, or UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon - not such a pejorative term) when in about 1999, a reporter colleague in Paris sent her a copy of the COMETA Report. This remarkable 90 page white paper, authored by a group of distinguished retired French generals, scientists and space experts, including the former head of the French equivalent of NASA, was a result of three years study analyzing records of military and pilot encounters with UFOs. No jokes about 'distinguished... French' being a tautology please.
Amongst the conclusions which startled Ms. Kean when she read the COMETA Report, was that when all factors on 'good' reports were considered, although about 95 percent were explainable there was a residue of about 5 percent of 'good' sightings which could not be explained by known natural phenomena or earthly sources, such as secret military tests. They concluded that this 5 percent seemed to be '...completely unknown flying machines with exceptional performance that are guided by a natural or artificial intelligence'.
This was the start of Ms Kean's personal journey and I heartily approve of the route she has taken and the travelogue she has written for those of us without her perseverance nor investigative skills.
Along the road, Ms. Kean has been joined, as the title implies, by serving and retired high ranking military officers, military and commercial pilots, space scientists and government officials from many countries whom she has persuaded and assisted to end decades of silence and go 'on the record' about their own UFO experiences.
Her witnesses include, amongst others:
- the Airforce General responsible for scrambling F 16 fighters to (unsuccessfully) chase the silent black triangles seen by thousands of witnesses, photographed and tracked on radar over Belgium in 1989 and 1990;
- the former United States Federal Aviation Administration Division Chief for Accident Investigations who followed up the 1986 Japan Air incident when a UFO 'larger than an aircraft carrier' circled a 747 over Alaska and was tracked on aircraft and ground radar;
- the Iranian Airforce Major (who retired as a General) who attempted to fire missiles on a giant brightly lit UFO over Tehran in 1976. His F-4 Phantom jet's airborne radar picked it up but when he tried to lock his missiles on to it his controls froze and he lost all of his instruments;
- the American missile launch officer who while on duty in 1967 in an underground command bunker at Malmstrom Airforce Base in Montana, watched ten Minuteman nuclear missiles shut down and go off-line within minutes of his top-side ground security calling to report a UFO hovering over the launch complex; and
- the American Deputy Commander of a nuclear armed Airbase in Suffolk who in 1980 investigated a UFO landing at his base involving physical and radiation traces along with multiple military and law enforcement witnesses.
Ms. Kean's whistle-blowers include serving and former military and government officials from France, Belgium, the UK, Chile, Peru, Iran, Portugal, former US military, aviation officials and NASA scientists and the former two-term Republican Governor of Arizona. The forward of the book was written by President Bill Clinton's Chief of White House Staff who also served on the National Security Council. These are not people with tinfoil pyramids on their heads.
I recall being thrilled by the COMETA Report when it came out and I had high hopes it would blow the lid off what I believe to be the greatest news story of our known human history. I was disappointed, not for the first time, when this didn't happen.
Ms. Kean's contributors include two prominent social/political scientists who explain the American and Western media 'taboo' against acknowledging UFOS quite clearly and that is one of the most interesting parts of the book, together with her discussion and analysis of the postulated American cover-up.
Ms. Kean goes to great lengths to stick to the facts and the book is comprehensively referenced and indexed. She repeatedly makes the point that even though COMETA and other serious investigators have concluded that the extraterrestrial hypothesis is the most likely explanation, it is by no means proven. All we really know for sure is that something unknown is flying around in our skies, all over the world, buzzing our aircraft, airports, cities (and nuclear weapons depots) and we not only can't stop them, we really have no idea what they are or whether they might be dangerous to us.
Her basic question is: isn't it time we stopped pretending there's nothing there and try to figure it out?
Seems like a reasonable proposition to me.
To all of you earnest, well-meaning (and ignorant) self-styled 'skeptics' who like to maintain the position that 'there is no reliable physical, photographic or other evidence to demonstrate the reality of the UFO phenomenon', you are flat out wrong and clearly have looked no further than the pages of James Randi's debunk-rag 'The Skeptical Enquirer' and the ends of your own nose.
Ms. Kean's book, easily read in a day, would be a good start to get you to uncross your eyes and look up. As one of the reviewers (the science correspondent for PBS's NewsHour) who is quoted on the cover puts it "She may not have the final smoking gun, but I smell the gunpowder".
Ms. Kean's book needs to be added to that latter list, and in my view it should be placed a long way up the pile, amongst the select few books on the subject that must be read by anyone, be they believer, skeptic or debunker who expects to be taken seriously in a real discussion on the subject.
Ms. Kean, an investigative journalist by trade, was first introduced to the subject of UFOs, or UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon - not such a pejorative term) when in about 1999, a reporter colleague in Paris sent her a copy of the COMETA Report. This remarkable 90 page white paper, authored by a group of distinguished retired French generals, scientists and space experts, including the former head of the French equivalent of NASA, was a result of three years study analyzing records of military and pilot encounters with UFOs. No jokes about 'distinguished... French' being a tautology please.
Amongst the conclusions which startled Ms. Kean when she read the COMETA Report, was that when all factors on 'good' reports were considered, although about 95 percent were explainable there was a residue of about 5 percent of 'good' sightings which could not be explained by known natural phenomena or earthly sources, such as secret military tests. They concluded that this 5 percent seemed to be '...completely unknown flying machines with exceptional performance that are guided by a natural or artificial intelligence'.
This was the start of Ms Kean's personal journey and I heartily approve of the route she has taken and the travelogue she has written for those of us without her perseverance nor investigative skills.
Along the road, Ms. Kean has been joined, as the title implies, by serving and retired high ranking military officers, military and commercial pilots, space scientists and government officials from many countries whom she has persuaded and assisted to end decades of silence and go 'on the record' about their own UFO experiences.
Her witnesses include, amongst others:
- the Airforce General responsible for scrambling F 16 fighters to (unsuccessfully) chase the silent black triangles seen by thousands of witnesses, photographed and tracked on radar over Belgium in 1989 and 1990;
- the former United States Federal Aviation Administration Division Chief for Accident Investigations who followed up the 1986 Japan Air incident when a UFO 'larger than an aircraft carrier' circled a 747 over Alaska and was tracked on aircraft and ground radar;
- the Iranian Airforce Major (who retired as a General) who attempted to fire missiles on a giant brightly lit UFO over Tehran in 1976. His F-4 Phantom jet's airborne radar picked it up but when he tried to lock his missiles on to it his controls froze and he lost all of his instruments;
- the American missile launch officer who while on duty in 1967 in an underground command bunker at Malmstrom Airforce Base in Montana, watched ten Minuteman nuclear missiles shut down and go off-line within minutes of his top-side ground security calling to report a UFO hovering over the launch complex; and
- the American Deputy Commander of a nuclear armed Airbase in Suffolk who in 1980 investigated a UFO landing at his base involving physical and radiation traces along with multiple military and law enforcement witnesses.
Ms. Kean's whistle-blowers include serving and former military and government officials from France, Belgium, the UK, Chile, Peru, Iran, Portugal, former US military, aviation officials and NASA scientists and the former two-term Republican Governor of Arizona. The forward of the book was written by President Bill Clinton's Chief of White House Staff who also served on the National Security Council. These are not people with tinfoil pyramids on their heads.
I recall being thrilled by the COMETA Report when it came out and I had high hopes it would blow the lid off what I believe to be the greatest news story of our known human history. I was disappointed, not for the first time, when this didn't happen.
Ms. Kean's contributors include two prominent social/political scientists who explain the American and Western media 'taboo' against acknowledging UFOS quite clearly and that is one of the most interesting parts of the book, together with her discussion and analysis of the postulated American cover-up.
Ms. Kean goes to great lengths to stick to the facts and the book is comprehensively referenced and indexed. She repeatedly makes the point that even though COMETA and other serious investigators have concluded that the extraterrestrial hypothesis is the most likely explanation, it is by no means proven. All we really know for sure is that something unknown is flying around in our skies, all over the world, buzzing our aircraft, airports, cities (and nuclear weapons depots) and we not only can't stop them, we really have no idea what they are or whether they might be dangerous to us.
Her basic question is: isn't it time we stopped pretending there's nothing there and try to figure it out?
Seems like a reasonable proposition to me.
To all of you earnest, well-meaning (and ignorant) self-styled 'skeptics' who like to maintain the position that 'there is no reliable physical, photographic or other evidence to demonstrate the reality of the UFO phenomenon', you are flat out wrong and clearly have looked no further than the pages of James Randi's debunk-rag 'The Skeptical Enquirer' and the ends of your own nose.
Ms. Kean's book, easily read in a day, would be a good start to get you to uncross your eyes and look up. As one of the reviewers (the science correspondent for PBS's NewsHour) who is quoted on the cover puts it "She may not have the final smoking gun, but I smell the gunpowder".
April 29, 2022
My journey into UFO lore continues with one of the most impactful and serious examinations of the phenomena I’ve read. Eye opening and more than a little unsettling.
August 7, 2022
just give it a chance u guys
September 10, 2016
If you're new to the subject or think there's nothing to UFOs but hoaxes, misperceptions, frauds, hallucinations, etc, then this is the book to show you otherwise. The present volume documents a lot of the best cases from intelligence sources, military, generals and pilots. It documents best cases that there are, indeed, intelligently controlled objects traversing our skies (provided the history told here is accurate).
The most interesting cases to me are the ones that get jet fighters scrambling to intercept, only to be out performed, out maneuvered. The 1980 Peruvian case involving Air Force Comandante Oscar Santa Maria Huertas engaging in a dog fight of sorts with one is just incredible. If the encounter happened as Huertas describes, then we truly have something magnificent going on.
The present volume also shows that although the United States government "officially" stopped investigating UFOs in 1969 with the closing of Project Blue Book, other countries still do. In fact, many have active investigation units still engaging in the study. However, Kean discusses an exchange between herself and a Commander Will Miller of the United States Navy (Ret.) with lots of impressive credentials. He advises that the subject matter of UFOs is so secret in the United States, that it's on a Need to Know basis and he didn't know. Nor do most people regardless of their status, not even the Joint Chiefs. He was convinced there is a well-concealed UFO program and he's pretty sure of this because of statements he's heard from military personnel over the years. My skeptical ear goes up because, if it's so concealed, how are these "military personnel" leaking? Who are these people making such statements? What kind of things are they saying that would make someone believe there's a deep, black UFO program? In the end, it's nothing we can verify. The whole field of UFO research suffers from things like this.
What the present volume makes somewhat clear is that there is no grand X-Files kind of cover-up going on. Government and military officials at the highest levels are just as confused as the rest of us (even if there is a well-concealed, Need to Know, control group in the United States). However, what seems to be the consensus of those interviewed for the present volume is captured in this quote from the book, "we now have accumulated enough data to establish the reality of some kind of consistent physical phenomenon without a doubt."
This is, in fact, why I myself, remain in the game. It just might be.
The most interesting cases to me are the ones that get jet fighters scrambling to intercept, only to be out performed, out maneuvered. The 1980 Peruvian case involving Air Force Comandante Oscar Santa Maria Huertas engaging in a dog fight of sorts with one is just incredible. If the encounter happened as Huertas describes, then we truly have something magnificent going on.
The present volume also shows that although the United States government "officially" stopped investigating UFOs in 1969 with the closing of Project Blue Book, other countries still do. In fact, many have active investigation units still engaging in the study. However, Kean discusses an exchange between herself and a Commander Will Miller of the United States Navy (Ret.) with lots of impressive credentials. He advises that the subject matter of UFOs is so secret in the United States, that it's on a Need to Know basis and he didn't know. Nor do most people regardless of their status, not even the Joint Chiefs. He was convinced there is a well-concealed UFO program and he's pretty sure of this because of statements he's heard from military personnel over the years. My skeptical ear goes up because, if it's so concealed, how are these "military personnel" leaking? Who are these people making such statements? What kind of things are they saying that would make someone believe there's a deep, black UFO program? In the end, it's nothing we can verify. The whole field of UFO research suffers from things like this.
What the present volume makes somewhat clear is that there is no grand X-Files kind of cover-up going on. Government and military officials at the highest levels are just as confused as the rest of us (even if there is a well-concealed, Need to Know, control group in the United States). However, what seems to be the consensus of those interviewed for the present volume is captured in this quote from the book, "we now have accumulated enough data to establish the reality of some kind of consistent physical phenomenon without a doubt."
This is, in fact, why I myself, remain in the game. It just might be.
March 3, 2015
As a skeptical fan of the mysteries of our Universe, I have found very little to get excited about on the actual fact front. Leslie Kean co-founder of the Coalition for Freedom of Information, investigative journalist, and author has taken a fresh approach to a field that has been horribly mishandled. There is no question, if you spend a little time digging, that there are completely legitimate "unidentified flying objects" that have four common characteristics:
1. They have been caught performing aerial feats, our current technology cannot match
2. They have been witnessed in the middle of the day by thousands of witnesses, who are otherwise unrelated and have every reason not to report their siting.
3. They have been seen by every culture throughout recorded history.
4. The veracity of their witnesses is beyond question in numerous cases, as the title of Kean's book suggests.
The reason is say Leslie Kean takes a fresh approach, in contrast to say Erich Von Danikken(Chariots of the Gods), is because she shows tremendous deliberation and restraint in her findings. Edward R. Murrow would have no problem with her journalistic integrity. She forms no conclusions as to why, how, from where etc. Instead she goes straight for hard evidence, of which, eyewitness testimony is included. The governor of Arizona, Jimmy Carter, and so many commercial, military, and civilian pilots as to boggle the mind. She reminds the reader of this question: what possible motivation could there be for a person who makes their living based on their integrity and accountability in the air(steward to numerous souls) for a pilot, or air traffic controller in completely fabricating some fantastical detailed account of another aerial craft that is clearly not from this planet or dimension? The accounts she give are often hair-raising and the effects on the witnesses stay with them for life. I loved this book for its courage,and for its ultimate sanity. I will leave you with a question. When multiple air traffic controllers capture an object hovering and then disappearing completely, re-appearing doing aerial gymnastics that defy known physics, then take off at Mach 25, and all of this is simultaneously witnessed by ground crew and civilian as well as military pilots all of whom have gone on the record do we not have to take notice?
1. They have been caught performing aerial feats, our current technology cannot match
2. They have been witnessed in the middle of the day by thousands of witnesses, who are otherwise unrelated and have every reason not to report their siting.
3. They have been seen by every culture throughout recorded history.
4. The veracity of their witnesses is beyond question in numerous cases, as the title of Kean's book suggests.
The reason is say Leslie Kean takes a fresh approach, in contrast to say Erich Von Danikken(Chariots of the Gods), is because she shows tremendous deliberation and restraint in her findings. Edward R. Murrow would have no problem with her journalistic integrity. She forms no conclusions as to why, how, from where etc. Instead she goes straight for hard evidence, of which, eyewitness testimony is included. The governor of Arizona, Jimmy Carter, and so many commercial, military, and civilian pilots as to boggle the mind. She reminds the reader of this question: what possible motivation could there be for a person who makes their living based on their integrity and accountability in the air(steward to numerous souls) for a pilot, or air traffic controller in completely fabricating some fantastical detailed account of another aerial craft that is clearly not from this planet or dimension? The accounts she give are often hair-raising and the effects on the witnesses stay with them for life. I loved this book for its courage,and for its ultimate sanity. I will leave you with a question. When multiple air traffic controllers capture an object hovering and then disappearing completely, re-appearing doing aerial gymnastics that defy known physics, then take off at Mach 25, and all of this is simultaneously witnessed by ground crew and civilian as well as military pilots all of whom have gone on the record do we not have to take notice?
January 12, 2021
Leslie Kean's UFOs is a straight-forward, dispassionate examination of the UFO question, supported by firsthand accounts of pilots and government officials around the world. It is also a call for greater transparency. In the introduction, Kean cites the COMETA Report, a whitepaper written by French officials who studied decades of UFO claims and were unable to attribute "earthly sources" or human technology to as many as 5 percent of them. The information Kean lays out through the rest of the book is compelling, at times even alarming, if not always presented that way. This is a UFO book for skeptics, after all, and for those who at least want a healthy dose of evidence before buying in.
But the firsthand accounts from people that are meant to assuage readers' doubts are the very thing that weigh the narrative down. Interspersed with Kean's leaner and well-structured writing, these short, technical, and often blandly written essays interrupt any sense of cohesion. A sergeant and colonel each detail what they witnessed at Rendlesham Forest, a major general explains what he saw during the UFO wave in Belgium, a fighter pilot describes a dogfight with a UFO in Tehran. This may sound like exciting reading, and it should be, except none of these witnesses are writers. Their credentials lend their stories credence, but the stories themselves rely on jargon, idioms, and other cliched techniques. In many ways, they read like slightly more reflective versions of government reports.
Ultimately, Kean's book presents information worth considering, but it's disappointingly conveyed. It's a book you can dip into for a handful of pages to learn about a sighting, and then forget for a few days and come back to. This would have been an interesting project to have edited or helped assemble, of course. On the one hand, it's imperative for credibility's sake to allow these high-ranking witnesses to speak for themselves. On the other, there was almost certainly some editing that occurred, at least to fix common grammatical mistakes. You almost wish there had been more, if only to make the book a more fluid, gripping read.
But the firsthand accounts from people that are meant to assuage readers' doubts are the very thing that weigh the narrative down. Interspersed with Kean's leaner and well-structured writing, these short, technical, and often blandly written essays interrupt any sense of cohesion. A sergeant and colonel each detail what they witnessed at Rendlesham Forest, a major general explains what he saw during the UFO wave in Belgium, a fighter pilot describes a dogfight with a UFO in Tehran. This may sound like exciting reading, and it should be, except none of these witnesses are writers. Their credentials lend their stories credence, but the stories themselves rely on jargon, idioms, and other cliched techniques. In many ways, they read like slightly more reflective versions of government reports.
Ultimately, Kean's book presents information worth considering, but it's disappointingly conveyed. It's a book you can dip into for a handful of pages to learn about a sighting, and then forget for a few days and come back to. This would have been an interesting project to have edited or helped assemble, of course. On the one hand, it's imperative for credibility's sake to allow these high-ranking witnesses to speak for themselves. On the other, there was almost certainly some editing that occurred, at least to fix common grammatical mistakes. You almost wish there had been more, if only to make the book a more fluid, gripping read.
December 2, 2013
One of the worst of books I've read in a few years! I've read this book because I heard Michio Kaku recommend it. I am awfully disappointed. The only evidence here in the favor of extraterrestrial hypothesis are personal experiences. Author tried to sound sciencey at the beginning of the book, but soon after changed argumentation to as the extraterrestrial explanation is the only one explanation left. On the other way as I was reading I could still find plenty of other explanations. For example The case of Frederick Valentich. Brian Dunning made this wonderful episode about still other plausible and also simple one http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4385. Author of the book choose to complain about scientific community distancing from this cases rather than acknowledging weaknesses in her rigor. Wrong premiss at the start and everything that follows is also flawed.
March 1, 2018
Very interesting. There is a lot more to UFO's than we've been led to believe, if you believe the well documented incidents described in this book. Definitely worth a read. It was especially interesting to learn how countries other than the US treat UFO sightings. They treat them as serious, potentially credible incidents about which they are not afraid to inform the public, rather than as situations which need to be "explained away" as swamp gas, northern lights, or the usual nonsense we've been told for decades.
March 13, 2022
Mostly a collection of accounts from primary sources. Sober accounts, from sober sources. It avoids the usual craziness that the subject attracts. There does seem to be something going on that we don't understand. It seems to defy the laws of physics as we have come to know them, and our cultures have taboos that keep us from understanding them. Mission control, we have a problem . . .
September 17, 2013
I just had to read this. She makes a convincing case that the phenomenon that underlies UFO sighting should be taken seriously enough to be investigated. Rather dry reading, though, for all the firsthand accounts, though they are, by and large, from credible sources.
July 26, 2024
UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record
Author: Leslie Kean
Publisher: Harmony Books
Publishing Date: 2010
Pgs: 335
=======================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Genre:
Conspiracy Theories
UFOs
Government Cover Ups
Unexplained Mysteries
Why this book:
UFOs…I’m in.
_________________
Favorite Character:
Lots of familiar names here from years of Ancient Aliens, UFOs, and science programming on multiple cable networks.
Favorite Scene:
The Iranian Air Force encounter over Tehran and the Peruvian Air Force encounter over Arequipa are fascinating. I do wonder if the Peruvian pilot is the only one to have ever shot at a UFO from a fighter plane or if there are other examples that are still classified. Of course, there is the UFO flap called the Battle of Los Angeles where anti-aircraft guns fired at a UFO repeatedly. But that one is the classically discounted and derided weather phenomena or balloon.
Hmm Moments:
The Belgium UFO flap beginning in late 1989; the described vehicle sounds surprisingly like the so-called Phoenix Lights vehicle. Add the Ohio and the Hudson Valley UFO waves or flaps or whatever the term is for multiple sightings. The Cosford, UK incident appears to be the same type vehicle.
The idea coming out of the Belgian Air Force and the 1989+ flap that the reason there aren’t any good pics of “real” UFOs is that they emit a lot of UV light which messes with optics is interesting. Someone get in touch with Travis Taylor and the Skinwalker Ranch guys and let’s see what they find.
Uhm Moments:
“I believe that a demand for the release of yet more files—even in the United States—is no longer a useful focus. It’s an interesting sidetrack, but it does not speak to the heart of the problem. Undue emphasis on seeking further release of documents could even prolong the international stalemate we now face, and give governments a way out through claims that they have done their part by declassifying files or will be doing so in the near future.” …uhm, no. This plays into the hands of the deniers, debunkers, and Men In Black. This book came out before Luis Elizondo surfaced into the media spotlight whose oeuvre puts the lie to the idea that the US, specifically, have released and declassified everything without national security aspects.
Wisdom:
The Peruvian Air Force pilot’s story could’ve had a much worse ending similar to the one where the American pilot chased a UFO too high, too fast and lost his plane and his life.
_________________
Last Page Sound:
When the book talks about incidents, it shines. When it spends its closing chapters on the cover-up and denial in the U.S. as compared to the test of the world, it drags.
Conclusions I’ve Drawn:
UFO research should be turned over to an independent United Nations connected research group. Many in the US chain of command would happily wash their hands of involvement and leave it to the “powerless” within the international community. They’ll continue their above top secret research and investigation free of a public facing component. Their current public facing has been dragged out of the deep shadow by Elizondo, Podesta, and former Senator Harry Reid.
Author: Leslie Kean
Publisher: Harmony Books
Publishing Date: 2010
Pgs: 335
=======================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Genre:
Conspiracy Theories
UFOs
Government Cover Ups
Unexplained Mysteries
Why this book:
UFOs…I’m in.
_________________
Favorite Character:
Lots of familiar names here from years of Ancient Aliens, UFOs, and science programming on multiple cable networks.
Favorite Scene:
The Iranian Air Force encounter over Tehran and the Peruvian Air Force encounter over Arequipa are fascinating. I do wonder if the Peruvian pilot is the only one to have ever shot at a UFO from a fighter plane or if there are other examples that are still classified. Of course, there is the UFO flap called the Battle of Los Angeles where anti-aircraft guns fired at a UFO repeatedly. But that one is the classically discounted and derided weather phenomena or balloon.
Hmm Moments:
The Belgium UFO flap beginning in late 1989; the described vehicle sounds surprisingly like the so-called Phoenix Lights vehicle. Add the Ohio and the Hudson Valley UFO waves or flaps or whatever the term is for multiple sightings. The Cosford, UK incident appears to be the same type vehicle.
The idea coming out of the Belgian Air Force and the 1989+ flap that the reason there aren’t any good pics of “real” UFOs is that they emit a lot of UV light which messes with optics is interesting. Someone get in touch with Travis Taylor and the Skinwalker Ranch guys and let’s see what they find.
Uhm Moments:
“I believe that a demand for the release of yet more files—even in the United States—is no longer a useful focus. It’s an interesting sidetrack, but it does not speak to the heart of the problem. Undue emphasis on seeking further release of documents could even prolong the international stalemate we now face, and give governments a way out through claims that they have done their part by declassifying files or will be doing so in the near future.” …uhm, no. This plays into the hands of the deniers, debunkers, and Men In Black. This book came out before Luis Elizondo surfaced into the media spotlight whose oeuvre puts the lie to the idea that the US, specifically, have released and declassified everything without national security aspects.
Wisdom:
The Peruvian Air Force pilot’s story could’ve had a much worse ending similar to the one where the American pilot chased a UFO too high, too fast and lost his plane and his life.
_________________
Last Page Sound:
When the book talks about incidents, it shines. When it spends its closing chapters on the cover-up and denial in the U.S. as compared to the test of the world, it drags.
Conclusions I’ve Drawn:
UFO research should be turned over to an independent United Nations connected research group. Many in the US chain of command would happily wash their hands of involvement and leave it to the “powerless” within the international community. They’ll continue their above top secret research and investigation free of a public facing component. Their current public facing has been dragged out of the deep shadow by Elizondo, Podesta, and former Senator Harry Reid.
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