What do you think?
Rate this book
UFO Chronicles of the Soviet Union: A Cosmic Samizdat
Interviews with Soviet scientists, government and military officials, media figures, and one cosmonaut reveal classified information and anecdotes about unexplained phenomena.
- GenresNonfiction
212 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 1992
3 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Jacques F. Vallée
66 books390 followersExcerpted from wikipedia: Jacques Fabrice Vallée (born September 24, 1939 in Pontoise, Val-d'Oise, France) is a venture capitalist, computer scientist, author, ufologist and former astronomer currently residing in San Francisco, California.
In mainstream science, Vallée is notable for co-developing the first computerized mapping of Mars for NASA and for his work at SRI International in creating ARPANET, a precursor to the modern Internet. Vallée is also an important figure in the study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), first noted for a defense of the scientific legitimacy of the extraterrestrial hypothesis and later for promoting the interdimensional hypothesis.
In mainstream science, Vallée is notable for co-developing the first computerized mapping of Mars for NASA and for his work at SRI International in creating ARPANET, a precursor to the modern Internet. Vallée is also an important figure in the study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), first noted for a defense of the scientific legitimacy of the extraterrestrial hypothesis and later for promoting the interdimensional hypothesis.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 21, 2024
VALLEE RECOUNTS HIS EXPERIENCES WITH SOVIET RESEARCHERS
Jacques Fabrice Vallée (born 1939) is a French astronomer, computer scientist, ufologist, and author. He also was the person who served as the model for ‘Claude Lacombe’ in the movie, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’
He explains in an introductory section, “‘Samizdat’ is a Russian word for a document that is secretly copied by individuals to be circulated among trusted friends… The situation is the former Soviet Union is changing, but even today the major sources of documentation on this subject are barely readable carbon copies of the reports and commentaries that a few dedicated Soviet researchers have been collecting.”
He begins this 1992 book by recounting how an editor of his faxed him a copy of a release from the Russian news service, Tass, about a “large shining ball or disk” from which “three creatures, similar to humans” emerged. “The report also mentioned that a team of scientists… was studying the case, and that the path followed by the aliens had been ascertained ‘through the use of biolocation.’” But “By the time the report appeared in the New York Times… the word ‘biolocation’ had been garbled to ...‘bilocation,’ which made no sense whatever… The Soviets seemed to be saying that they had a team of official scientists studying UFOs using the techniques of parapsychology… yet the American press… missed it… they quickly garbled the few verifiable facts beyond all recognition. They ridiculed the story instead of researching it. That was only the beginning. Ove the next few days and incredible display of ignorance, confusion, arrogance, and plain stupidity spread over the Western press… In fact, as American journalists commented with glee, it was as if Moscow had suddenly discovered the joys of tabloids and wallowed in their newfound ability to confuse facts with utter fiction.” (Pg. 3-6)
He recalls a meeting with one of the Soviet’s leading UFO experts, Professor Vladimir Azhazha: “As Professor Azhazha explained his work, the words of an American skeptic came to my mind. James Oberg… had made fun of the Soviet research on UFOs… he had even said of Ashazha that his specialty seemed to be ‘embellishing foreign UFO reports and fobbing them off as Russian originals.’ There was only one thing wrong with [Oberg’s] sarcasm: none of their writers… had ever taken the trouble to meet Azhazha.” (Pg. 30)
Turning to the Tunguska case, he acknowledges, “Believers and skeptics alike agree that the major frustration in the study of UFO comes from our inability to establish firmly the physical facts. Even… when we have actual traces, multiple witnesses, and repeated events, it is very hard to come away with the proof that a truly paranormal event happened. One may be personally certain that it did, but the kind of evidence that could convince the scientific world to sit up and take notice simply does not exist.” (Pg. 63)
Speaking with Russian researchers, they mentioned ‘The Invisible College’ (one of Vallee’s books), and he said, “‘How could you know about this book? … None of my works have been translated into Russian.’ [They replied] ‘We know your works. They circulate here in samizdat form, underground. We type such books ourselves. We make copies. We pass them around.’” (Pg. 123) One of them added, “Don’t be surprised if so much knowledge continues to thrive underground here. After all, the invisible colleges are second nature to us.” (Pg. 129)
Speaking to a Russian scientist who is a UFO skeptic, Vallee mused, “Those were arguments I had not heard in the West for many years. It is now a well-demonstrated fact that the unexplained reports often contain more data, with greater precision and reliability than the identified cases. In fact, that observation represents the real challenge of the UFO problem. If the data were always ‘obsolete, insufficient, contradictory,’ the problem would have gone away a long time ago. As for the lack of pictures of extraterrestrials, that represents another example of faulty reasoning. Why should UFOs, if they exist, necessarily be extraterrestrial in nature?” (Pg. 157)
He recounts a discussion with a group: “During our roundtable discussion several people brought up the point and asked incisive questions about studies being done in the West, and about my own philosophical position on the matter. I had to admit that, with few exceptions (notably in the very popular notion of speculation about ancient astronauts and possible reinterpretations of the Bible), our social scientists had not paid much attention to the phenomenon either in its modern or in its historical aspect. As for the major UFO civilian research organizations… they had increasingly discouraged this line of research out of a narrow policy that emphasized the abductionist theory and the space visitors concept…” (Pg. 173)
He concludes, “Several incidents… suggested that our presence in Moscow was regarded as more than a simple opportunity for an exchange of information on an interesting scientific subject. The high level at which we were greeted, the various personalities to whom we were introduced, and the status of some of the people who attended the various meetings were all indications that the matter was receiving attention far beyond the academic level… These developments give us hope that a fruitful, long-term development might be operating at last between researchers in the Soviet Union and their Western counterparts. For it is only through such dialogue that the UFO mystery will eventually be solved.” (Pg. 180-181)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying UFOs and related phenomena.
Jacques Fabrice Vallée (born 1939) is a French astronomer, computer scientist, ufologist, and author. He also was the person who served as the model for ‘Claude Lacombe’ in the movie, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’
He explains in an introductory section, “‘Samizdat’ is a Russian word for a document that is secretly copied by individuals to be circulated among trusted friends… The situation is the former Soviet Union is changing, but even today the major sources of documentation on this subject are barely readable carbon copies of the reports and commentaries that a few dedicated Soviet researchers have been collecting.”
He begins this 1992 book by recounting how an editor of his faxed him a copy of a release from the Russian news service, Tass, about a “large shining ball or disk” from which “three creatures, similar to humans” emerged. “The report also mentioned that a team of scientists… was studying the case, and that the path followed by the aliens had been ascertained ‘through the use of biolocation.’” But “By the time the report appeared in the New York Times… the word ‘biolocation’ had been garbled to ...‘bilocation,’ which made no sense whatever… The Soviets seemed to be saying that they had a team of official scientists studying UFOs using the techniques of parapsychology… yet the American press… missed it… they quickly garbled the few verifiable facts beyond all recognition. They ridiculed the story instead of researching it. That was only the beginning. Ove the next few days and incredible display of ignorance, confusion, arrogance, and plain stupidity spread over the Western press… In fact, as American journalists commented with glee, it was as if Moscow had suddenly discovered the joys of tabloids and wallowed in their newfound ability to confuse facts with utter fiction.” (Pg. 3-6)
He recalls a meeting with one of the Soviet’s leading UFO experts, Professor Vladimir Azhazha: “As Professor Azhazha explained his work, the words of an American skeptic came to my mind. James Oberg… had made fun of the Soviet research on UFOs… he had even said of Ashazha that his specialty seemed to be ‘embellishing foreign UFO reports and fobbing them off as Russian originals.’ There was only one thing wrong with [Oberg’s] sarcasm: none of their writers… had ever taken the trouble to meet Azhazha.” (Pg. 30)
Turning to the Tunguska case, he acknowledges, “Believers and skeptics alike agree that the major frustration in the study of UFO comes from our inability to establish firmly the physical facts. Even… when we have actual traces, multiple witnesses, and repeated events, it is very hard to come away with the proof that a truly paranormal event happened. One may be personally certain that it did, but the kind of evidence that could convince the scientific world to sit up and take notice simply does not exist.” (Pg. 63)
Speaking with Russian researchers, they mentioned ‘The Invisible College’ (one of Vallee’s books), and he said, “‘How could you know about this book? … None of my works have been translated into Russian.’ [They replied] ‘We know your works. They circulate here in samizdat form, underground. We type such books ourselves. We make copies. We pass them around.’” (Pg. 123) One of them added, “Don’t be surprised if so much knowledge continues to thrive underground here. After all, the invisible colleges are second nature to us.” (Pg. 129)
Speaking to a Russian scientist who is a UFO skeptic, Vallee mused, “Those were arguments I had not heard in the West for many years. It is now a well-demonstrated fact that the unexplained reports often contain more data, with greater precision and reliability than the identified cases. In fact, that observation represents the real challenge of the UFO problem. If the data were always ‘obsolete, insufficient, contradictory,’ the problem would have gone away a long time ago. As for the lack of pictures of extraterrestrials, that represents another example of faulty reasoning. Why should UFOs, if they exist, necessarily be extraterrestrial in nature?” (Pg. 157)
He recounts a discussion with a group: “During our roundtable discussion several people brought up the point and asked incisive questions about studies being done in the West, and about my own philosophical position on the matter. I had to admit that, with few exceptions (notably in the very popular notion of speculation about ancient astronauts and possible reinterpretations of the Bible), our social scientists had not paid much attention to the phenomenon either in its modern or in its historical aspect. As for the major UFO civilian research organizations… they had increasingly discouraged this line of research out of a narrow policy that emphasized the abductionist theory and the space visitors concept…” (Pg. 173)
He concludes, “Several incidents… suggested that our presence in Moscow was regarded as more than a simple opportunity for an exchange of information on an interesting scientific subject. The high level at which we were greeted, the various personalities to whom we were introduced, and the status of some of the people who attended the various meetings were all indications that the matter was receiving attention far beyond the academic level… These developments give us hope that a fruitful, long-term development might be operating at last between researchers in the Soviet Union and their Western counterparts. For it is only through such dialogue that the UFO mystery will eventually be solved.” (Pg. 180-181)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying UFOs and related phenomena.
September 11, 2024
a nice, short read. vallee covers in depth his visit to russia in 1990, which i enjoyed. he talks about things like the hotel décor, his struggles with navigating the subway, and the stress of having to give up his passport upon arrival, which keep it from feeling like a dry catalog of third party reports.
it was interesting hearing about cultural differences that informed the ufo topic between russia and west, particularly the russian view of dowsing (or “biolocation”). vallee sounded quite amused as he recounted that even serious soviet scientists viewed the practice as scientific, or at least a reputable method of tracking different kinds of “energy fields.”
this booked help me fill out my understanding of the political & intellectual climate of the USSR in the 1990s, and the interesting ways their treatment of the UFO topic overlap and diverge from their US counterparts.
it was interesting hearing about cultural differences that informed the ufo topic between russia and west, particularly the russian view of dowsing (or “biolocation”). vallee sounded quite amused as he recounted that even serious soviet scientists viewed the practice as scientific, or at least a reputable method of tracking different kinds of “energy fields.”
this booked help me fill out my understanding of the political & intellectual climate of the USSR in the 1990s, and the interesting ways their treatment of the UFO topic overlap and diverge from their US counterparts.
July 25, 2025
I hate ufos
June 4, 2019
A superb treatment of
sightings behind the Iron Curtain,
especially during Glasnost and
Perestroika. It appears that Roswell
was not the first occurrence.
sightings behind the Iron Curtain,
especially during Glasnost and
Perestroika. It appears that Roswell
was not the first occurrence.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews