Inside Ufology December 1st, 1987

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Inside Ufology

December 1st, 1987

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GERSTEN, CONTACT and FLYING WINGS

      ParaNet Alpha 11/27 -- Peter Gersten can't seem to make up his mind. 

      In April of this year, Gersten, co-founder of Citizens Against UFO 

Secrecy, announced the formation of what at that time was being called 

"Project Aquarius," a scheme to raise funds for the serious study of the 

UFO abduction syndrome. After drawing a little heat for the name, the 

organizers -- Gersten, Ron Leykis, James McCampbell and several others -- 

finally settled on "CONTACT." The ultimate goal of Contact, as McCampbell 

told ParaNet, was to "make contact" with whatever group was behind the 

abductions, if any.

      In September, Gersten and "Night Siege" author Phil Imbrogno staged 

a UFO symposium in Brewster, NY, which has been the center of phenomenal 

UFO activity over the past five years. While the theme of the Brewster 

confabulation was the Hudson Valley sightings, Gersten took the 

opportunity to formally introduce CONTACT to the public. Memberships were 

sold to the tune of $15 a head. 

      Then, early this month, Gersten sent out a letter and a package of 

documents to several ufologists and groups. In the letter, Gersten 

attacked researcher William Moore for his MJ-12 involvement, saying that 

he "was and still is actively and intentionally engaged in a continuing 

program of disinformation involving fraudulent documents," referring to 

the so-called "Eisenhower Briefing" document which supporters say proves 

the existence of a long-standing UFO cover-up.

      One of the documents Gersten included in the two mailings was 

gleaned from the Air Technical Intelligence Division of the old Army Air 

Corps, and dealt with aircraft designs and plans seized from a German 

aircraft concern called Horten Bros. The designs were for airplanes of the 

"Flying Wing" variety, similar to the Northrop B-49. Gersten's stated 

contention was that "this document is a first step in explaining the 

nature and origin of the strange and unusual objects seen in the skies 

from 1946 through 1952." In other words, experimental German airplanes and 

not alien spaceships were responsible for the beginning of the "flying 

saucer" craze, according to Gersten.

      Several questions were raised by the press release. One of them, 

posed to Gersten by his CAUS colleague Barry Greenwood, was how such 

aircraft could possibly exhibit the maneuverability and velocity extremes 

reported by most UFO witnesses of the early era. According to Greenwood, 

Gersten had no answer.

      In the meantime, ParaNet checked with the former chief test pilot 

for Northrop Aviation, Max Cutler. When asked if Northrop knew of the 

Horten plans, Culter replied that they did, but that the B-49 was based 

purely on the design of Jack Northrop. The Horten plane, said Cutler, was 

worthless and probably never got off the ground.

      It was thought by many that Gersten was giving up on the idea of 

CONTACT, and on the idea of extraterrestrials in general; indeed, 

membership fees in the organization were refunded, and Imbrogno told 

ParaNet that no more memberships were being accepted. But CONTACT member 

Ted Markley of New Jersey has reportedly received new material from 

CONTACT, soliciting new memberships in the organization. And Gersten's 

latest release of Flying Wing documents was covered by a letter written on 

CONTACT stationery.

      Gersten said he will comment at a future date on his mysterious 

doings. 

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NEW AGERS ARRESTED

      ParaNet has learned that Michael and Aurora El-Legion of Scottsdale, 

AZ, have been arrested in Hawaii on charges of credit card fraud. The El-

Legions, long popular on the UFO lecture circuit, claim to be "walk-ins", 

or hosts for discarnate extraterrestrial entities. The Honolulu Sun 

reported in August that the pair, who travel to Hawaii frequently, were 

arrested for their alleged involvement in a scheme to sell stolen credit 

card numbers.

      The El-Legions could not be reached for comment.

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MUFON COMMITTEE DISBANDED

      In the latest newsletter of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), Public 

Relations Director Marge Christensen announced the disbanding of the 

Public Information/Public Education (PIPE) committee. The PIPE committee, 

the only active subcommittee of the worldwide UFO investigating group, was 

formed five years ago to set standards for publicizing the UFO phenomenon 

in the media and lecture presentations. Among PIPE's accomplishments were 

the organization of National UFO Information Week, usually celebrated in 

July or August. Christensen cited disillusionment, lack of cooperation and 

waning enthusiasm among the PIPE committee members as reasons for the 

dissolution. "None of us has given up on the UFO subject," she said. "Its 

human nature we have grave doubts about." Christensen will carry on as 

Public Relations Director for the near future.

      The newsletter is distributed to state and regional officers of the 

organization.

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AND FINALLY...

      It's-seventh-hand,-it's-hearsay,-it's-unconfirmed-but-who-am-I-to-

stand-in-the-way-of-the-Great-Rumor-Machine-department: James Moseley 

reports that Ed Biebel of the Foundation for UFO Research told him that 

independent UFO researcher Jerry Schultz showed him a letter he had 

received from Col. Wendelle Stevens to the effect that Paul Bennewitz had 

told Stevens that Richard Doty was William Moore's source for the MJ-12 

documents. The implications of this are obvious: 1) Biebel's long distance 

bills are outrageous. 2) The Arizona prisons mail system works. (Stevens 

is doing 3-5 for child molesting) 3) Moore is protecting Doty. 4) Whitley 

Streiber did NOT portray the head of Nova Labs in the movie "Short 

Circuit." 

      --Jim Speiser