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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Black Vault Acquires Project Blue Book Data


John R. Houk
© February 21, 2018


When I was a young teenager until about my mid-20s, I was an obsessive Science Fiction fan. I put a lot of believability in Sci-Fi novels, UFOs, Sci-Fi Conspiracy Theories and the like. Since I am 61 today, you should realize this obsessive hobby took place long before the existence of the Internet. Thus my knowledge was largely attained from books, magazines, conventions and films in the old Sci-Fi culture.

The history of life from marriage, work, kids and grandkids largely diluted the obsessive part of Sci-Fi to a more of a whimsical fascination. Ah the memories of growing older.

Anyway, I keep loose tabs on the genre via the Internet & cable TV. 😊

Ergo, I am a subscriber to The Black Vault which is a bit of a UFOlogy website that actually collects government documents via FOIA. In a recent Black Vault email alert I discovered the website founder John Greenewald, Jr. came across some authentic Project Blue Book files that had been stored by a former participant of the Project.

A Wikipedia entry for Project Blue Book pretty much follows the official government conclusions of the once classified project. Here’s an excerpt:

Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) conducted by the United States Air Force. It started in 1952, and it was the third study of its kind (the first two were projects Sign (1947) and Grudge (1949)). A termination order was given for the study in December 1969, and all activity under its auspices ceased in January 1970.

Project Blue Book had two goals:

1.      To determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and

2.     To scientifically analyze UFO-related data.

Thousands of UFO reports were collected, analyzed and filed. As the result of the Condon Report (1968), which concluded there was nothing anomalous about UFOs, Project Blue Book was ordered shut down in December 1969 and the Air Force continues to provide the following summary of its investigations:

1.      No UFO reported, investigated and evaluated by the Air Force was ever an indication of threat to our national security;

2.     There was no evidence submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings categorized as "unidentified" represented technological developments or principles beyond the range of modern scientific knowledge; and

3.      There was no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as "unidentified" were extraterrestrial vehicles.[1]

By the time Project Blue Book ended, it READ THE REST (Project Blue Book; Wikipedia; Page last edited 1/22/18 16:39)

Any UFO believer worth their salt would scream, “GOVERNMENT COVER-UP!” Here is a level-headed excerpt from the some truth is missing crowd:

In 1969, the U.S. Air Force closed down their “Project Blue Book” investigation of “Unidentified Flying Objects” by claiming their evaluations of more than 12,000 sightings had not yielded a single instance where a UFO had ever posed a threat to national security, nor demonstrated technology “beyond the range of present day scientific knowledge”, nor been categorized as extraterrestrial. Headquartered at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio where legend long suggests recovered salvage from the 1947 Roswell incident was taken for further research and development, all of the project’s declassified records were allegedly transferred to the National Archives and Records Service.

But did the Air Force really shut down the project, or just move it into a private sphere where the public could be kept at arm’s length? A handful of government documents have slipped out over the years pointing to the latter scenario. A look back at Project Blue Book is insightful here, for knowledge of how the project evolved remains relevant to modern assessments as well as the effort to gauge what current high-level insiders might know. Historical information indicates that the Army Air Force took serious attention to UFOs when reports of “foo fighters” started coming in from pilots during World War II. Further sightings at military installations in 1947 led to classified orders that UFO reports be sent to division offices at Wright-Patterson Air Field where General Nathan Twining was selected to oversee any type of evaluation.


A variety of notable experts have strongly suggested that there were other agendas to Project Blue Book and that its termination did not mark the end of government investigations and research into UFO phenomena. Prominent author and Ufologist Kevin Randle, once a special investigator with CUFOS organization, was one of the first to review Project Blue Book’s declassified files in 1976 and found evidence to indicate that Blue Book was not being sent the reports on sightings that were deemed potential threats to national security. Modern Ufologist Grant Cameron, a widely recognized expert on presidential knowledge of UFOs, has suggested that the shutdown of Project Blue Book merely moved the project into the “black budget” era of deeper secrecy. Ufologist Christopher Chacon, best known as one of the world’s top Anomalists, knew Hynek personally and has been continuously investigating close encounter incidents worldwide for nearly thirty years. Chacon’s stint with a scientific think-tank allowed him an unprecedented access to all of Project Blue Book’s files, including those that are still classified, Chacon noting the presense of multiple agendas behind Blue Book’s existence and supposed termination. Historian Richard Dolan a pre-eminent expert on the topic of government secrecy surrounding UFOs, not only rebutted Edward Condon’s conclusions in the Condon Committee’s report, but also found sources that state many of the Project Blue Book cases were fictitious and part of a misinformation campaign. Researcher John Greenewald, best known as the creator of The Black Vault website, has become one of the top experts on Blue Book because of READ ENTIRETY (PROJECT BLUE BOOK: A Retrospective; By Greg Black; Open Minds; 10/5/17)

The U.S. government claims their research does not indicate the existence of UFOs. UfOlogists smell a government cover-up. Where would you lean after discovering the Obama Administration weaponized the FBI and probably various Inteligence agencies to keep President Trump from winning the November 2016 election and then trying to throw fake evidence of treason with the Russian to entice Impeachment proceedings.

JRH 2/21/18
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From the Desks of Project Blue Book

Email Alert Sent Feb 18 at 6:31 PM
Email Alert Sent by: john@greenewald.com

Intro From Email Alert

What if one of the military officers working with Project Blue Book rescued thousands of photographs, books, texts, documents, letters, memos etc. from the garbage, when the secret "UFO Study" was terminated in late 1969? What if he took them home, and stored them in his garage until someone came along that saw their value?

Well, that is exactly what happened when UFO Research Rob Mercer discovered that Lt. Carmon Marano preserved this amazing UFO history, and was gracious enough to share it.

Mr. Mercer has worked tirelessly to obtain, catalog and digitize this collection, and now, has agreed to allow The Black Vault to host it for the world to see.

The Black Vault is proud to now host these files in a section called, "From the Desks of Project Blue Book” — all with a special thanks of Investigator Rob Mercer for allowing this.

Many of these files are not available anywhere else, and are here due to the research efforts and archival efforts of Mr. Mercer. None of this can be reproduced without the express permission, as Mr. Mercer personally scanned this material for archival purposes, but it is 100% available to you all, for free.
++++++++++++
From the Desks of Project Blue Book



Note: Additional information is still being scanned. There is still a ton of information below, but check back often!

The Black Vault is proud to host files from the “Desks of Project Blue Book” — courtesy of Investigator Rob Mercer.  Many of these files are not available anywhere else, and are here due to the research efforts of Mr. Mercer.  None of this can be reproduced without the express permission, as Mr. Mercer personally scanned this material for archival purposes.

Background


Rob Mercer is a longtime follower of the UFO phenomenon and a history buff, as well as a UFO Investigator from Ohio. He resides in the Springfield, Ohio about 20 minutes from Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Wright Patterson has a rich history of research and development. It also plays an important part in UFO lore, with its ties to Roswell in 1947 and other UFO events. The Air Force also conducted their different investigation programs of UFO’s there, including Project Blue Book.  Rob had spent years doing service work in homes in the Dayton area, including those of personnel who worked at the base.  During this time, it was not uncommon for him to come across people that are also interested in UFO’s. Some would have collections of books or binders put together from private investigators. Items that will eventually be passed on to relatives, who in most cases, don’t care to keep them. It is a good bet that a lot of these collections will meet the curb, but from time to time you can find items such as these on Ebay or similar sites. Cost, time, and effort with shipping are required with these, something that most won’t bother with. Craigslist however, provides a place that is free, and it allows for local pickup. For this reason, he long thought that if he kept an eye out, he might come across some deals on some personal collections.
    
One evening in late 2013, under a UFO search on Craigslist in the Dayton, Ohio area, he came across an ad that advertised Project Blue Book Pics and Documents. The ad was from Centerville, which is located just south of Dayton. It stated that the materials were apparently the property of an Air Force Captain who was assigned to Project Blue Book. They were found behind a pile of lumber bought at auction in a garage in Fairborn, Ohio. A good portion of Wright Patterson is located in Fairborn, so upon seeing this he was instantly intrigued. There was a good chance that it was the real deal. The next morning when Rob received a response, he was told that there had been no interest in the files up to that point. After work, he made the trip to view the items and was convinced of their authenticity. After purchasing the files (ALL UNCLASSIFIED), to be safe he made sure to get a screenshot of the ad in hopes of protecting himself if the files ended up having been stolen.




After returning home Rob began to trace their origin, as everything the seller knew about them was in the ad. He found a name that was on many of the later documents, and began his search there. He was able to determine the name was associated with a house that had been sold a few years before. A search showed this same house having an auction a couple of months prior. He drove by the house, and saw that there was a two-story garage behind it. This was perfect place for items to be stored, misplaced and possibly lost over time.

Convinced that the story was true, and that he was on the right track, Rob set about confirming that this was the actual Air Force Officer, and not just someone else that shared the same name. Everything matched up and he began trying to figure out how to approach him. In the case that he was unaware of the files being out, he did not want to expose him to trouble. The box contained slides showing “UFO” photos and other briefing documents, two binders with case summaries and photos, a 16mm from Moline, IL and various other files.




Contact was eventually made with the Officer and they ended up spending a couple of hours talking. He said that he didn’t realize that he had left them behind when he moved out. They spoke about his time in service, the UFO program and politics. After 45 years his memory was a little fuzzy, but he remembered some of the cases. The Officer said he grew up a fan of science fiction, and mentioned that when he was first assigned to the program he planned to prove that we were being visited. After two years he became burned out and convinced otherwise. When looking at some of the hoaxes and other photos submitted to Blue Book, along with the amount of paperwork that went into each case, it is easy to see why this would happen. By the late 60’s, little resources and staff were available.  


His duties included briefings on UFO’s for the Air Force and investigating sightings. During his time, he was also charged with organizing the case files. Blue Book didn’t have the best relationship with the press, and from time to time they would get requests about specific cases. He took it upon himself to make the process friendlier, he copied case files and organized them into books to make it easier for them. When the program shut down and closed in 1970, he declassified all of the case files except for Navy sightings. They could not be declassified because they would reveal military whereabouts. From there they sent the files on to Maxwell Air Force Base.

After seeing how much Rob enjoyed subject, the Officer informed him that he had a few more boxes from his Blue Book days back home where he stays during the spring and summer. Rob was sent four more boxes, including: Books, photos, case files, memos, rules & regulations, film, reel to reel sound tape, correspondences and more (ALL UNCLASSIFIED). He learned that the files he acquired were some originals, as well as copies that were used for the press, as well as UFO investigation tools, books, and other UFO related documents and interoffice memos (ALL UNCLASSIFIED) from their actual desks. They were earmarked for the trash, the officer kept them as souvenirs.

[Blog Editor: Below are documented (primarily) PDF links from Project Blue Book. Here I am only posting a few catagories to wet your whistle. You’ll have to go The Black Vault’sFrom The Desks of Project Blue Book” page to view the rest.]

Document Archive








·        Cartoons & Comics





·        History of Project, Undated







·        Project Sign, February 1949



·        Sightings and Statistics













Individual Case Files




·        Alamogordo, New Mexico – 11 November 1957 – It is noted that the PBB staff incorrectly spelled “Alamogordo.”


… THERE IS MUCH-MUCH MORE TO READ & VIEW
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Black Vault Acquires Project Blue Book Data
John R. Houk
© February 21, 2018
________________
From the Desks of Project Blue Book

The Black Vault copyright info at the bottom of page:

© 2015 Copyright. The Black Vault.

This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. we believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
_____________
About The Black Vault from Wikispooks.com


Started: 1999
Founder: John Greenewald

The Black Vault, run by John Greenewald, has published a number of US government responses to his FOIA requests, into important topics such as Operation 40,[1] Operation Gladio,[2] MK Ultra,[3] the Tor software,[4] 9/11 and so on.
________________
About John Greenewald, Jr. from Wiki.UFOHQS.com

In 1996, John Greenewald, Jr. began researching the secret inner workings of the U.S. Government at the young age of fifteen. With targets like the CIA, FBI, Pentagon, Air Force, Army, Navy, NSA, DIA, and countless others – Greenewald utilized the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to gain access to thousands of records. With a pile of documents on the topics of UFOs, the JFK Assassination, chemical/biological/nuclear weapons, top secret aircraft and more, Greenewald began scanning the documents to the internet for the world to access.

In time, this online archive, known globally as The Black Vault, has grown into the largest private online collection anywhere in the world, totaling more than 460,000 pages. John Greenewald has been featured on television networks such as The History Channel, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, A&E, FOX, NBC, along with international networks such as the BBC (UK) and NTV (Russia).

In published media, Greenewald has been featured and quoted in more than one hundred articles, in papers such the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Baltimore Sun, and featured on the front page of Yahoo! as one of the top stories for the day.

In broadcast radio, Greenewald has been featured on stations worldwide, including Coast to Coast AM (Premier Radio Network - syndicated), the Adam Carolla Show (CBS Radio - syndicated), the Bob & Sheri show (Greater Media Radio – syndicated), and many others.

At the age of twenty-one, Greenewald published his first book Beyond UFO Secrecy in 2002. This book has recently been put into a second expanded edition, and re-published by Galde Press in January, 2008.


Today, his path in creating The Black Vault led him to a career in television production, as a supervising producer, writer, director and editor. His many shows can be seen on The History Channel, National Geographic Channel, and Discovery Military to name a few. (Page last modified 10/1/11 10:41.)


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