| COMETA
UFO Report (France)
The following is an unedited version of journalist Leslie Kean's article on the 3-year French COMETA study on UFO/ET, posted with her permission on UFOUpdates. Her landmark article appeared, in edited versions in the Boston Globe, Irish Times, and VSD (France). June 2000
By Leslie Kean [From
VSD: The recent diffusion in the United States of the Cometa report generates
multiple reactions starting from politicians from
Last month's release of the first detailed satellite images of Area 51, the top-secret US Air Force test site in Nevada, prompted a Web site meltdown as people from across the nation logged on in search of clues about unidentified flying objects. ''The interest has been really phenomenal,'' said David. Mountain, marketing director for Aerial Images Inc., which posted the high-resolution photographs of Area 51 on the Internet. But those hoping to see signs that captured UFOs are stored at the site (as some aficionados have suggested) were destined to be disappointed. Most of Area 51's operations occur underground, making photos meaningless. Anyone looking for fresh information on UFOs would have better luck trying a new, but less publicized, source: a study by the French military, just translated into an approved English edition. High-level officials - including retired generals from the French Institute of Higher Studies for National Defense, a government-financed strategic planning agency - recently took a giant step in openly challenging skepticism about UFOs. In a report based on a three-year study, they concluded that ''numerous manifestations observed by reliable witnesses could be the work of craft of extraterrestrial origin'' and that, in fact, the best explanation is ''the extraterrestrial hypothesis.'' Although not categorically proven, ''strong presumptions exist in its favor and if it is correct, it is loaded with significant consequences.'' The French group reached that conclusion after examining nearly 500 international aeronautical sightings and radar/ visual cases, and previously undisclosed pilots' reports. They drew on data from official sources, government authorities, and the air forces of other countries. The findings are contained in a 90-page report titled ''UFOs and Defense: What Should We Prepare For?'' ''The number of sightings, which are completely unexplained despite the abundance and quality of data from them, is growing throughout the world,'' the team declared. The authors note that about 5 percent of sightings on which there is solid documentation cannot be easily attributed to earthly sources, such as secret military exercises. This 5 percent seem ''to be completely unknown flying machines with exceptional performances that are guided by a natural or artificial intelligence,'' they say. Science has developed plausible models for travel from another solar system and for technology that could be used to propel the vehicles, the report points out. It assures readers that UFOs have demonstrated no hostile acts, ''although intimidation maneuvers have been confirmed.'' Given the widespread skepticism about UFOs, many will quickly dismiss the gener als' ''extraterrestrial hypothesis.'' But it is less easy to do so once the authors' credentials are considered. The study's originators are four-star General Bernard Norlain, former commander of the French Tactical Air Force and military counselor to the prime minister; General Denis Letty, an air force fighter pilot; and Andre Lebeau, former head of the National Center for Space Studies, the French equivalent of NASA. They formed a 12-member ''Committee for In-depth Studies,'' abbreviated as COMETA, which authored the report. Other contributors included a three-star admiral, the national chief of police, and the head of a government agency studying the subject, as well as scientists and weapons engineers. Not only does the group stand by its findings, it is urging international action. The writers recommend that France establish ''sectorial cooperation agreements with interested European and foreign countries'' on the matter of UFOs. They suggest that the European Union undertake diplomatic action with the United States ''exerting useful pressure to clarify this crucial issue which must fall within the scope of political and strategic alliances.'' Why might the United States be interested - albeit, privately - in a subject often met with ridicule, or considered the domain of the irrational? For one thing, declassified US government documents show that unexplained objects with extraordinary technical capabilities pose challenges to military activity around the globe. For example, US fighter jets have attempted to pursue UFOs, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command logs and Air Force documents. Iranian and Peruvian air force planes attempted to shoot down unidentified craft in 1976 and 1980. Belgium F-16s armed with missiles pursued a UFO in 1990. Further, the French
report says that there have been ''visits above secret installations and
missile bases'' and ''military aircraft shadowed'' in the United States.
COMETA spokesperson Michel Algrin says that the report was delivered to French president Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. "No response is awaited, only action," he says. "The COMETA made no request to the US government. It is not entitled to do so," says Algrin, an attorney and political scientist. "But, in its report, it recommended to the French government to seek for a cooperation [sic] with its American ally on the subject of UFOs." Dr. Edgar Mitchell, the Apollo 14 astronaut who was the sixth man to walk on the moon, is one of many supporters of such cooperation. "It's significant that individuals of some standing in the government, military and intelligence community in France came forth with this," he said in a recent interview from his home in Florida. Mitchell, who holds a doctor of science degree from MIT, is convinced "at a confidence level above 90%, that there is reality to all of this." He joins five-star Admiral Lord Hill-Norton, the former head of the British Ministry of Defense and Major Gordon L. Cooper, one of America's original seven Mercury astronauts, in calling for Congressional fact-finding hearings into the UFO question. "People have been digging through the files and investigating for years now. The files are quite convincing. The only thing that's lacking is the official stamp," Mitchell says. Despite the fact that Mitchell is a national hero and has been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the USN Distinguished Service Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, his request for an investigation has been ignored by U.S. officials. As the COMETA report points out, the U.S. is unique in its silence on this issue. UFOs and Defense notes that many UFO files are classified above top secret, and accuses the U.S. of following a policy of disinformation. It says that the government has an "impressive repressive arsenal" in place, which includes military regulations prohibiting public disclosure of UFO sightings. Air Force Regulation
200-2, ``Unidentified Flying Objects
Although some documentation has been released through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), researchers have had an increasingly difficult time accessing information about a subject that the U.S. government claims does not exist. A 1980 Federal suit is a case in point. The case was filed in the US District Court of the District of Columbia against the National Security Agency (NSA) for 156 UFO documents the agency refused to release. The NSA provided U.S. District Court Judge Gerhard A.Gesell with a 21-page, Above Top Secret affidavit justifying the withholding. No one else was permitted to see the affidavit. The judge dismissed the lawsuit stating that "public interest in disclosure is far outweighed by the sensitive nature of the materials and the obvious effect on national security their release may entail." MILITARY CLOSE ENCOUNTERS A few months after the French release of the COMETA report, U.S. Naval Reserve Commander Willard H. Miller agreed to go on the record about his participation in a series of previously undisclosed briefings for Pentagon brass about national security and military policy regarding UFOs. Miller has been a key liaison to the Pentagon on the subject for years. "It's time to give some credibility to the fact that there are those in high places in the government who have an interest in this subject," he says, taking a considerable risk by coming forward. Miller retired in 1994
from active duty on the Current
It has not been easy for Miller to overcome the taboo that the UFO subject carries among his colleagues in the military. "It is treated much the way we used to view mental illness. Hide the crazy daughter in the attic," he says. In a February, 2000
confidential memo titled "Selected
Concerned that many high-ranking military officers are not properly informed about the UFO phenomenon, Miller believes that the generals who have come forward in France could have a significant impact. "Without preparation and planning for encounters, precipitous military decisions may lead to unnecessary confusion, misapplication of forces, or possible catastrophic consequences," he says.. The Navy Commander's concern is justified by the historical record. Declassified government documents show that unexplained objects with extraordinary technical capabilities pose challenges to military activity around the globe. U.S. fighter jets have been scrambled to pursue UFOs, according to North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) logs and U.S. Air Force documents. Peruvian and Iranian Air Force planes attempted to shoot down unexplained objects during air encounters, and Belgium F-16's equipped with automatically guided missiles pursued UFO's in 1990. In earlier decades,
such concerns were openly discussed among American government officials.
In 1960, for example, Representative Leonard G. Wolf of Iowa entered an
"urgent warning" from former CIA Director Vice Admiral R.E. Hillenkoetter
into the Congressional Record that "certain dangers are linked with unidentified
flying objects." Wolf cited Gen. L.M. Chassin, NATO coordinator of Allied
Air Service, warning that "if we persist in refusing to recognize the existence
of the UFOs, we will end up, one fine day, by
Wolf also referenced a three-year study which determined that air defense scrambles and alerts had already occurred due to the presence of UFOs. All defense personnel "should be told that UFOs are real and should be trained to distinguish them - by their characteristic speeds and maneuvers - from conventional planes and missiles" the study said. These concerns were
taken seriously enough to be incorporated into the 1971 "Agreement on Measures
to Reduce the Outbreak of Nuclear War" between the U.S. and the Soviet
Union. The treaty states that the two countries will "notify each other
immediately in the event of detection by missile warning systems of unidentified
objects...if such occurrences could create a risk
The COMETA assures its readers that UFOs have not been the cause of any hostile acts "although intimidation maneuvers have been confirmed." In France, they say, there have been "visits above secret installations and missile bases" and "military aircraft shadowed" by UFOs. Like Miller, they warn against impulsive, uninformed actions. "In the face of an unknown situation, one must be on guard against any instinctive self-defense reaction that could be easily interpreted as a provocation." Reports such as the one from France may open the door for the U.S. and other nations to be more forthcoming. Chile, for example, is openly addressing it's own concerns about air safety and UFOs. The now retired Chief of the Chilean Air Force has formed a committee with military and civil aviation experts to study recent near collisions between UFOs and civilian airliners. GOVERNMENT WITNESSES: EXTRAORDINARY AND UNAMBIGUOUS EVENTS While Commander Miller alerted the Pentagon, researcher Dr. Steven M. Greer was working the issue within the U.S.Congress and the executive branch. Greer, an emergency physician who has assembled government documents, visual evidence and credible witness reports on UFOs, also attended some of the Pentagon briefings with Miller. In 1993, Greer was invited to meet with President Clinton's first sitting CIA Director, Admiral James Woolsey. The three hour event was arranged by futurist John L. Petersen, President and founder of the Washington area think tank The Arlington Institute, who "specializes in the area of national and global security" and currently serves as a Pentagon consultant, according to Institute materials. Petersen's credentials include stints at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council staff. Petersen declined to
answer questions concerning his purpose in hosting the dinner meeting at
his home in Arlington, Virginia. However, he obviously was aware of the
high stakes involved. In a sensitive memo he sent to Greer just prior to
the meeting, he said that the dinner with Woolsey would "move the whole
thing to a much, much higher plane..." and that "the most powerful people
Greer says he only needed 15 minutes to present Woolsey with the documentation he brought in a large briefcase. Woolsey was already convinced as to the reality of UFO's. Most of the meeting was spent discussing "what all of this means" and "the geopolitical implications of disclosing this matter fully to the public," Greer says In August 1995, philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller provided Greer's briefing materials to President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Presidential science advisor Jack Gibbons while they spent a weekend at Rockefellers' Wyoming ranch. Clinton then instructed Associate Attorney General at the Justice Department, Webster Hubbell, to investigate the existence of UFOs, as disclosed in his book Friends in High Places. Despite this request from the Commander-in-Chief, Hubbell was unable to obtain information on the subject. Greer has worked tirelessly
in an effort to bring about
Apollo Astronaut Edgar Mitchell has talked to a number of these witnesses. "They have stated their first hand experience with conviction and their stories check out," he said. Coupled with the new military disclosures acknowledging national security concerns, advocates for Congressional hearings believe that the testimonies of these highly credible government witnesses could force, once and for all, a government examination of the "extra-terrestrial hypothesis" as has been done in France. As a small prelude to these hearings, eleven witnesses risked coming forward "for ethical, moral and patriotic reasons" as Greer explained it. On April 9, 1997, Greer and his associates held an unprecedented, confidential congressional briefing at the Westin Hotel in Washington. The VIP's in attendance included Representative Dan Burton, Chair of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, with his chief of staff, and staffers from nearly thirty congressional offices. Representatives from the executive branch, including a staff member from Vice President Gore's office, were present, along with representatives of two state governors, the Department of Defense, and the scientific community. Greer told the attendees
that the witnesses "have directly
For over one and a half
hours, participants heard from a
Witnesses touched on national security concerns such as those brought to the Pentagon by Commander Miller. Loring Air Force base was visited by a silent triangular ship which hovered over B-52's on strategic alert. A senior admiral, amid command center chaos, issued a "force down" order against an elliptical-shaped craft of unknown origin, tracked by satellite, radar, and chased by military planes. According to the witness, it literally jumped between states in under a minute, flew out to sea and suddenly left the earth's atmosphere. By all accounts, the VIP's present paid close attention. They had been clearly informed that these witnesses were only the tip of the iceberg out of a pool of more than 100. "This is a subject that can either bore you to death or shock you to death or absolutely leave you speechless" witness Major Steven Lovekin told them. A veteran Congressional staffer received a standing ovation when, unsolicited, she took the floor and declared her determination to bring this information to the public by organizing for hearings on capitol hill. The next day, Miller, Lovekin, Mitchell and Greer brought the same information to the Joint Staff Vice Director for Intelligence at a private Pentagon briefing. PROTECTING HARD-EARNED REPUTATIONS Two years after the Washington briefing, the COMETA released its dramatic report which ended by stating that "only increasing pressure from public opinion, possibly supported by the results of independent researchers, by more or less calculated disclosures, or by a sudden rise in UFO manifestations might perhaps induce U.S. leaders and persons of authority to change their stance." Witness testimonies and other evidence presented in 1997 did not seem to create movement in that direction. "Because the Congress is afraid they won't get re- elected, they don't even want to talk about this. I just think somebody should do something," says the Congressional staffer who is working for hearings behind the scenes. When Representative Burton left the Westin Hotel that night, he requested that all information on the subject be sent to his office. Yet a recent inquiry to Burton's office revealed that whatever interest the Congressman may have shown will not bear fruit until the demand for hearings - from both the press and the public - escalates. "We haven't heard a very loud call for hearings on this issue yet," said press secretary John Williams. "As far as any intention of holding hearings regarding the existence of UFOs or anything that pertained to that briefing, we have no intention of holding any hearings on that right now." Williams stated that Burton's interest in the subject is purely personal. Some representatives are interested, but only behind closed doors, says a democratic campaign manager, requesting anonymity, who has been intimately involved in electoral politics for 29 years. He has met personally with a number of members of congress on the subject. "With our thirty second commercials' ability to destroy hard-earned reputations, particularly using a subject like this, people are very hesitant to take a leading role on the subject, although they know that it's a very real matter," he says. Nonetheless, one congressman did respond to public pressure. In 1993, New Mexico representative Steven Schiff requested that the General Accounting Office investigate the infamous 1947 crash of a mysterious object in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. Two years later, he learned from the GAO that all documents and radio messages during the relevant time period had been destroyed "without proper authority." Schiff was unable to attend the Washington briefing in 1997 and died of an aggressive skin cancer the following year. No other member has picked up where he left off. Dr. Greer, who has privately
briefed both Representative
Missouri, the "Show Me" state, has become the first to launch a ballot initiative urging Congress to convene hearings in which government witnesses can testify "regarding their personal knowledge of any UFO-related evidence." Certified by the Missouri secretary of state in March, the initiative states that "the Federal Government's handling of the UFO issue has contributed to the public cynicism toward, and general mistrust of, government - a development injurious to our republic." Robert Bletchman, a
Connecticut attorney who conceived of the initiative, has no doubt it would
win votes in the November election, as long as the requisite number of
signatures are collected in time. "My expectation is that Missouri will
kindle a firestorm of proactive interest throughout the country in those
sixteen states that allow for the direct initiative," he says. Hundreds
of thousands of votes would be involved. "What does Congress pay attention
to? How real people at the ballot box actually vote," Bletchman says. "Maybe
for the first time the
THE REAL NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT On September 15, 1998, Commander Willard Miller and Dr. Steven Greer entered the Pentagon through the VIP entrance. After passing through metal detectors, they were escorted past armed security guards, up the massive staircase and into the innermost ring of the Pentagon. An electrically controlled door brought them into the comfortable outer office of the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), adorned with mahogany, walnut, brass, and military plaques. Thirty minutes later, the DIA Director came out of his inner chamber, parting company with an entourage of high- level foreign Admirals and Generals. He graciously ushered in his two guests, taking his place at the head of a massive wood table. According to Miller's confidential memo of February 2000, an Army Colonel, a DIA staff member and a Defense Department clerk were also seated around the table. The briefing lasted 50 minutes. Greer provided the military
officials with declassified
Commander Miller's Military
Information Outline prepared for the briefing included a discussion of
national security
His point was dramatically illustrated in the aftermath of an extraordinary event that occurred one spring evening over the state of Arizona. On March 13, 1997, thousands observed enormous, lighted, triangular craft flying low and silently, sometimes hovering wingless over populated areas. Hundreds of feet long, air traffic controllers failed to register them on radar. To this day, the people of Arizona do not know what penetrated US airspace that night. In response to public demand, Phoenix city council member Frances Barwood initiated an investigation into the Arizona triangles. "I like answers. I don't like unfinished business. People need to push their elected officials to find out what is invading our air space," she says. Barwood says she personally spoke with over seven hundred people who saw the objects. She was never provided any reasonable explanation. Instead, the councilwoman was given the run-around from her city, state and federal government - including Arizona Senator John McCain - and was publicly ridiculed by the mayor of Phoenix. Yet she still considers this "an issue of state and national significance." Barwood has retired from politics to write a book about this experience. "The fact that the government never interviewed one witness doesn't make me feel too secure about our national security," she commented during a recent interview. Arizona attorney Peter Gersten responded by filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Defense in 1999. The case challenged the adequacy of the governments "reasonable search" for information about the triangular objects seen over Arizona in 1997, and elsewhere in the US over the last twenty years. As recently as January 5, 2000, four policemen at different locations in St. Claire County, Illinois, witnessed a brightly lit, huge triangular craft flying at 1000 feet, according to the Los Angeles Times. Most alarming was the report from Lebanon police officer Thomas Barton that he witnessed the hovering object jump at least 8 miles in 3 seconds. Aeronautical expert Paul Czysz, who spent 29 years at McDonnell-Douglas designing faster-than-sound aircraft, says that such rapid motion cannot be explained in conventional terms. The object would be a "fireball" and "people on board would be mush," he says. Yet nearby Scott Air Force base and the FAA purport to know nothing On February 29, 2000, a reporter brought the issue of military denial and the Arizona lawsuit to the attention of U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona at a California press conference. "I think it's of great interest," responded the Presidential candidate, acknowledging that the 1997 "lights" seen over Arizona have "never been fully explained." Nonetheless, the DoD continues to maintain that it can find no information about the triangular objects. It provided details of its search to the court as required by U.S. District Court Stephen M. McNamee of Phoenix for Gersten's lawsuit. On March 30, 2000, the judge concluded that "a reasonable search was conducted' even though no information was obtained, and he dismissed the case. Like Barwood, Gersten is incredulous. "What is it that has unlimited, unrestricted access to our airspace in populated areas?" he says. "With so many worries about terrorist attacks, how could they not know what these triangles are?" The danger of such blatant denial is what Navy Commander Willard Miller brought to the attention of the three star general from the Defense Intelligence Agency that day in 1998. Miller told him that the continued denial of information "causes the public to begin to loose additional faith in the military and the government. That's not good for the country. That type of non-response threatens the stability, trust and fabric of an open democratic society," he said. Miller and Greer left
the DIA director with a multi- volume
Once again, the French Generals make the same point raised by their American counterparts. "How can one try to ignore a phenomena that is manifested by the regular crossing of our air space by moving objects...If we do nothing, the very principle of defense and air intelligence would be called into question," they state. According to Miller,
all of the high-ranking military officers
"WHAT SHOULD WE PREPARE FOR?" ASK AMERICAN FIRE FIGHTERS UFOs and Defense: What
Should We Prepare For? recommends that the French government reflect on
"the measures to take in the event of a spectacularþand indisputable
manifestation of a UFO." Surprisingly, the United States has taken one
small step in that
"Do not stand under a UFO that is hovering at low altitudes. Do not touch or attempt to touch a UFO that has landed," the book warns. Researched primarily by now deceased US Naval Reserve Captain Charles Bahme, a Los Angeles deputy fire chief who also worked for the Department of Defense and the U.S. State Department, the chapter describes the role that fire fighters should play "in the event of the unexpected arrival of UFOs in their communities." As an example, it outlines a scenario of a UFO crashing into the boiler room of a school, where the spilled oil ignites, endangering the lives of those inside the craft. The fire officials are instructed to let the military take over. Dr. William M. Kramer,
professor of Fire Science at the
The French Institute
of Higher Studies for National Defense and the National Center for Space
Studies are a few steps ahead of the United States military and NASA. Not
only do they openly present information acknowledging the existence of
UFOs and attempt to explain their origin, they also recommend a widespread
information and training campaign on preparedness which would reach all
sectors of the relevant political, military, and civilian spectrum in their
country. Perhaps the report by the bold French generals - with its goal
of "stripping the phenomenon of UFOs of its irrational layer" - will be
a catalyst for American authorities to examine the issue of UFO's in a
new light.
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