John F. Schuessler
International Director
MUFON, Inc.

January 2001
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" -- Arthur C. Clarke

A UFO (unidentified flying object) is only classified as a UFO after a thorough investigation where no plausible answer resulted from the investigation. Everything else is an IFO (identified flying object).

Please read through the entire article. Revisit specific selections with links below.

BACKGROUND / OBSERVATIONS / SYNCHRONICITIES / INTERACTIONS
INVESTIGATIVE TOOLS / EXPERIENCERS / INTEGRATED APPROACH

BACKGROUND

During the past 50+ years, experts of every kind have tackled the UFO mystery, but to no avail. All have failed in their attempts to supply a plausible answer to the question "what are UFOs?" Every answer given to date has been hypothetical and never proven.

I believe that a big part of the problems lies in the fact that UFO investigations are always backward looking. We have dealt with the problem as a history mystery, not a real-time mystery. And nothing is going to change until we become proactive rather than reactive in our approach.

Several years ago I conducted a detailed evaluation of media reports of the 1897 UFO (airship) flap in the Midwest. Some other researchers have done similar studies in other parts of the country. I was surprised to find that the technology observed in most of the sightings was just a bit ahead of what was available in that era. The objects were larger than the balloons of the day, appeared as airships which were not yet a reality, had bright lights unlike anything in use, were observed over cities hundreds of miles apart, were investigated by scientists and lay people in the manner of current investigations, and when observed closely, exhibited technology that was definitely ahead of that time period. It was almost like someone came to earth from somewhere else and manufactured exploration vehicles that appeared like they could belong in that era, but were operating with systems and equipment that was quite advanced.

UFO reports from every decade since the 1940s have had similar characteristics, in that the technology (if we may call it that) involved is always ahead of the time in which it is occurring. My first UFO symposium paper, given at the 1970 MUFON UFO Symposium in Peoria, Illinois, reflected on the technology issue. It was entitled: "UFOs, Just Beyond the State-of-the-Art." Nothing much has changed. Current reports are still just ahead of the state-of-the-art. Unfortunately, all investigations have and still do focus on what has been, not what will be. For this reason, we have a massive amount of information about what has happened, but we do not seem to be any closer to the answer about what is really happening.

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OBSERVATIONS

Reliable people have observed amazing things. Physical evidence has been collected. Still we have an unsolved mystery. Perhaps we need a new way of looking at the evidence. Although this is not an exhaustive listing, the following observations serve to show the breadth of the problem:

• UFO sightings come in waves or flaps
  
• Some locations have more sightings that others (i.e. hot spots)
  
• Some locations seem to be "windows" for activity
  
• A few locations have very few reports
  
• UFOs change shapes
  
• UFOs change colors
  
• Color changes are often related to speed changes
  
• UFOs may appear and disappear in clear air
  
• They may blink out when an aircraft nears and blink on after it is gone
  
• Pace aircraft
  
• Fly on collision course with aircraft, veering at the last minute
  
• Affect aircraft avionics
  
• Affect car motors, radios, lights, etc.
  
• May be seen by only 3 or 4 people, even when others are present
  
• At times they are seen by huge crowds of people
  
• Bend light beams
  
• Emit truncated light beams
  
• Have unusual lighting patterns - unlike aircraft
  
• Injure humans
  
• Damage plants
  
• Affect animals
  
• Leaves ground trace patterns
  
• Emit various kinds of electromagnetic radiation
  
• Cause time loss
  
• Cause time dilation
  
• Appear to come through portals
  
• Fly without observable motive power
  
• Unusual animal encounters
  
• Animal mutilations
  

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SYNCHRONICITIES

Several years ago my friend Bob Pratt brought a series of synchronicities to my attention. They seemed to reach out through time and space, but many people write them off as coincidence. Some examples are:

• Reports occurring on the same date or recurring on the same date
  
• Sightings over towns with the same name, but located far apart
  
• Sightings appearing to people with the same name
  
• Similar events but in different parts of the world at the same time
  

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INTERACTIONS

Throughout the history of the UFO mystery, people have claimed to interact with UFOs. While it is difficult to prove whether or not this really happened, the number of claims seems to have reached a critical mass. Some examples are:

• Individuals and groups claim they can go to a hot spot and meditate and the UFOs respond by appearing
  
• People claim UFOs can be called by the flashing of bright lights or by laser beams
  
• Some people experience a vibration or other reaction when a UFO is in the area
  
• Light beams from UFOs seem to seek out some people
  
• Earth disruptions seem to call UFOs. When the nuclear power plant was being built at Bay City, Texas, the earth moving went on around the clock. Heavy equipment operators reported UFO activity there on a frequent basis
  
• UFOs are reported around major fireworks displays
  
• UFOs are reported during meteor showers
  
• In the 1950s and 1960s UFOs were reported in abundance over nuclear facilities
  
• Very religious people often report bizarre UFO events
  
  

There may be interactions of other kinds going on but we are not prepared to recognize them yet. This may be a fertile area for future research.

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INVESTIGATIVE TOOLS

For the past 50+ years, civilian UFO organizations have been collecting, categorizing and archiving UFO reports. By using proper investigative techniques they have amassed an incredible amount of information. A major portion of this database is drawn from eyewitness testimony; supplemented by films, videotapes, and electronic signal detectors. The various U.S. Government projects (Grudge, Sign, Blue Book, et al) used many of the same techniques. As a result, political and scientific entities have casually dismissed the evidence as inconsequential. All the while, various government agencies were using all sorts of advanced technologies for intelligence gathering purposes. With a few exceptions, civilian groups have no access to these new tools or the data gathered by them. Some examples are as follows:

• Optical holographic filters
  
• Laser radar imagers
  
• Infrared photography
  
• Thermal infrared imaging
  
• Acoustic detectors
  
• X-band track-while-scan radar
  
• All weather sensors
  
• The ballistic missile early warning system
  
• USAF Space Command SPACETRACK system
  
• Ground-based electro-optical deep space surveillance system
  
• Nuclear detonation detection satellites
  
• Phased-array radar systems
  
• Remote sensing systems
  
• Space-based remote sensing imagery
  
• Multi-spectral imaging
  
• Long range optical telescopes
  
• Laser range finders
  
• Keyhole satellites
  
• Global Hawk surveillance aircraft
  
• Vertical-pointing radar
  
• Holographic radar
  
• FAA air traffic control radar systems
  
• Weather satellites
  
• Aircraft gun camera films/videos
  
• NORAD's uncorrelated targets
  

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EXPERIENCERS

Jacobs, Hopkins, Mack and others have written some very thought provoking books on their work with experiencers. Each has come to a different conclusion about what this part of the mystery means. Many experiencers report similar effects (paralysis, tranquilized partner, removal from room or car, movement through walls, seeing little abductors and big abductors, scoop marks, sleep problems, fear, repeat engagements, and much more) and after effects. Experiencers vary in their response to this intrusion into their lives. Most are changed in some way.

• Some get messages about saving the planet or the ecology of the planet
  
• Some gain insight into some advanced technologies. Thirty years ago a good friend, a Lutheran pastor reported visions of new technology that he was getting. He was not a technical person and this caused him to seek answers from technically oriented people. Many other have reported similar experiences.
  
• Some get the message of endearment and love for their abductors
  
• Some are struck by great waves of fear and hate
  
• Some learn new skills, make drastic changes in their careers, and do things quite out of the ordinary for them
  
• Some report enhanced psi/pk abilities
  

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INTEGRATED APPROACH

How may we integrate the information from the myriad of inputs we are receiving to come up with a "future think" approach to the problem?

• The tendency has been to use traditional approaches to UFO investigations and to throw out anomalous inputs. We may need to take another look at the anomalous data, because that may be where the breakthrough information actually resides.
  
• A wealth of historical UFO information has been amassed by experienced and dedicated UFO researchers. F1`2uturists use historical data as a roadmap to the future. This should be the case for UFO research also.
  
• There has been a tendency to trust (believe) in a select few experts. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but it can result in a narrow view of the mystery and is not conducive solving the problem. A cross-disciplinary approach could be more productive as has been demonstrated by the Apollo program, International Space Station program, atom bomb project, Microsoft's software revolution, etc.
  
• Everyone expects physical evidence to be something completely different. As a result we may be missing the real evidence.
  
• Are there interactions of another kind? We may recognize the major interaction; but we may be missing the subtle interactions that could lead to the answers.
  
• Are we being trained (2001 monolith concept), brainwashed, or is it something completely different.
  
• All the futurist think tank tools are available to us, but are seldom used in this field. Nothing should be overlooked or ignored.