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CONFRONTATIONS: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact

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Now retired from the UFO scene, Jacques Vallee was one of the most sober, perceptive, and scientifically astute observers of the phenomenon. "Confrontations" is the second volume of his great trilogy ("Dimensions" and "Revelations" are the other two) which summed up his 40-odd years of research.

As the title suggests, this book focuses on the dangers - physical, psychological, and even spiritual - of contact (intentional or otherwise) between human beings and the energy forms known as UFOs. I say "energy forms" because Vallee discounts the idea that UFOs are spaceships from other planets or other galaxies. Instead, he sees them as "multidimenional entities" - a form of paranormal energy, indeed a non-human intelligence - that has in varying forms interacted with human beings throughout recorded history.

Drawing on his personal files, including numerous black-and-white photos, Vallee describes the debilitating effects that often result from too-close contact - sought or unsought - with the UFO phenomenon. From California to Brazil, we follow Vallee as he interviews the victims of contact and lets them tell their stories.

And they are indeed victims. Vallee's subjects have met neither the benign "space brothers" of the 1950s contactees nor - for the most part - the reptilian, bug-eyed abductors of the 1990s. But they have interacted with powerful, disorienting energies, energies capable of producing harmful mental and physical effects, up to and including death. They have been touched by the paranormal, and most are worse of because of it.

Often reading like a detective story, this book puts you on the ground with a brave and humane chronicler of the unknown. It is a moving book, one of the best ever in its field. If you are new to the topic of UFOs, you could not do better than read Vallee's great trilogy, beginning with "Dimensions," then "Confrontations," then "Revelations." In doing so, you will have gotten to the heart of the phenomenon and spared yourself a lot of nonsense.

Jacques Vallee has produced another thought-provoking book on the U.F.O. phenomena. This is the second book of his "Alien trilogy", and it focuses on research methodology. He is especially concerned about the lax methods being used to investigate claims of UFO encounters, where few investigators bother to visit the actual site or interview the witnesses firsthand.

Mr. Vallee again questions the extraterrestrial hypothesis, and takes fellow ufologists to task for only listing or collecting evidence that supports their hypothesis. He is especially concerned about the use of hypnosis in "abduction" cases, where the hypnotist may be leading the abductee to report activities that easily fall into the extraterrestrial survey camp.

Mr. Vallee offers no conclusive proof or definitive answers, just data and information for the reader to peruse and decide for themselves. This book is a wake-up call to ufologists to strengthen their research methods, and improve the current state of ufology. Perhaps, they should even re-think the questions being asked.

While I may not personally agree with all of Mr. Vallee's opinions, I think that he presents a very needed voice of caution and reason in a field fraught with high emotions. This book would make a terrific text for a class on studying paranormal phenomenon, or gather witness reports.

This book is a one of a kind. Vallee does not seem concerned with public opinion of his methods. He has had the most detailed, 1st hand knowledge of UFOs of anyone in the world and provides his assessment of what he has seen.
He discusses little known aspects of the UFO witness experience, such as numerous fatalities, severe beatings by invisible assailants long after the sighting, and other obscure data. He takes the UFO expreience out of the realm of science fiction and restores it to the unknown mystery that it truly is. His belief that these things are not from "outer space" is displayed with outstanding explanation.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in UFOs. It has a no nonsense view and is illustrated by ironclad data from the leader of UFO investigators.

"Confrontations" needs to be read by anyone seriously interested in the subject of UFOs, as -- of the literally thousands of books on the subject in circulation -- there is only a mere handful that have anything meaningful to say. Most books on the subject seemed directed at those with a near infantile mentality -- they insult the reader's intelligence, attempt to sensationalize the subject, and present speculation and falsehoods as fact. "Confrontations" not only presents the subject in a sober, sane, and scientific manner, but it is groundbreaking in it's unique methodology. First, Vallee purports that the UFOs are most likely NOT of extraterrestrial origin, but are most likely "multidimensional". Next, he states that they are not "visitors", but instead seem to have been with us since before recorded History, and indeed, may very well predate mankind. He goes on to show numerous examples of how the government, the media, academia, and the "scientific establishment" all seem to show a pattern of working together to discredit anyone who attempts to study the subject or present their research for review -- this phenomenon is well documented and appears to be widespread throughout the United States, whereas in Europe, Asia, and South America it is treated far more seriously. Conversely, fools who promote "ufology" are encouraged to present their narrow-minded fluff on every available medium for cheap entertainment value -- this serves to further discourage and discredit serious researchers. Finally, Vallee makes the important point that not only do the entities associated with UFOs show a pattern of being deceptive, but they can actually be malicious as well -- and frequently are. No "space brothers" hoping to "illuminate and advance" mankind here! His conclusion? Nobody knows exactly what is going on -- in fact, it is possible that the human mind may not even be capable of fathoming the true nature of this phenomenon -- but something is definitely happening, and everyone knows it, but for some reason the subject is being ridiculed rather than studied. A definitive book -- read it!

If you're interested in the authentic phenomena of UFOs & Aliens but are tired of new age quacks and reductionist 'scientist, Vallee is a dream come true. His 40 years of assiduous field investigations are a gift to this field. With painstaking care, he sifts through the distortion and gets beyond sensationalism. It's clear he possesses a rare order of objective sobriety, yet brings a nuanced and profound perspective to this very baffling realm. This umbrella of subjects has been monopolized by sloppy spiritual cults (see Vallee's other book Messengers of Deception) and forfeited by reductionist, flat-land 'scientists'. In contrast to that ridiculous polarity, Vallee's loyalty is to the facts. His offerings are derived from evidence, not a need to reinforce a belief system.

What is needed -and what Vallee provides- is an exhaustive, long-term study of these phenomena, without pre-conceived interpretations. Vallee is one of a very few number of researchers who possess the kind of sophisticated mind that can patiently investigate without caving into the anthropocentric craving to make it 'fit' into a pre-existing mold. Spiritual-New Age-Paranormal types are very intent on confirming their hope the phenomena constitutes contact with extra-terrestrial entities. That we are being visited by Aliens. Reductionist scientists are equally determined to dismiss tens of thousands of unexplained events, observed by the highest caliber of witnesses with documented physical and biological effects. The former is delusional, the latter is dissociative. Neither of these approaches will offer actual understanding.

Vallee's suspicion is that UFOS may be an inter-dimensional order of consciousness associated closely with this planet. UFOs and their occupants may be Reality Modulators, or translators, which approximate a bridge between different levels of consciousness in overlapping space / time locations. In other words, not extra-terrestrials, but extra-dimensionals. However, he leaves plenty of room open for all sorts of possibilities under this wide umbrella. After you read his books and consider his evidence, you may be persuaded (as I was) that the extra-terrestrial hypothesis is not the explanation that best fits the evidence. Neither (by a long shot) can hoaxes, hallucinations, or misinterpretation account for facts.

In the end, Vallee is less interested in providing the 'right' interpretation, and more passionate about providing a clear encounter with the actual evidence. He compliments the reader by emphasizing the evidence, not final interpretations.

Originally published in 1990 and re-printed in 2008 by Anomalist with minor corrections and a new introduction, `Confrontations' sees Vallee return in earnest to the work of serious field investigation which was such a principal feature of his earlier works `Anatomy of a Phenomenon' (1965) and `Challenge to Science' (1966). Vallee presents 47 cases of close encounters and abductions selected from around a hundred investigations on three continents: North America (Northern California), Europe (France) and South America (the remote regions of Amazonian Brazil).

Vallee's advocacy for his `control system' idea in opposition to the so-called `Extraterrestrial Hypothesis' as the possible origin of UFOs - structured, anomalous, apparently metallic aerial craft or anomalous aerial lights - and related phenomena like encounters with strange beings/abductions/missing time episodes, is well known. On p54 he summarises the UFO debate as presented by the mainstream media:

"The polarization between the `nonsense' hypothesis and the ETH has ...come from media hype and the heat of TV debates...designed as a contest between advocates and detractors...you have to be either pro- or con- the ETH. This is like saying that the Moon is either made of green cheese, or it does not exist"

Most readers with long-term interest in these phenomena will acknowledge no lack of imaginative speculation over the past 60 years as to their origin: time travellers, `crypto-terrestrials', materialized projections of the human psyche, `inter-dimensional beings', modern mythos, `demons/devils' and so forth. The ETH is Vallee's particular `bęte noir' (to use an appropriate French phrase), but in reality the field is not as dual-polarized as he likes to characterize it. Such black-and-white characterization nevertheless makes for quotable copy and does contain a kernel of truth.

The great value of `Confrontations' is its emphasis on patient, first-hand field investigation and careful methodology. Vallee never investigates high-profile cases whilst well-meaning `UFO groups' (for whom he exhibits deep and perennial scorn) and local media out for a sensational story are buzzing around: he will wait several months, sometimes years, until the furore has died down and then starts to investigate. He likes to build deep face-to-face relationships with the primary percipients over time, pay repeated visits to the site and examine all possible evidence. He is thorough about sample integrity and testing, inspection of medical records of those injured or otherwise affected by their encounters, and gaining as much photographic evidence as possible. As a consequence he has accumulated an enormous quantity of personal files on these cases gathered with impeccable and critical thoroughness. He rarely works alone, though with occasional exceptions. If only those members of the Condon Committee tasked with investigating UFO reports by the USAF had exhibited such professionalism and thoroughness, we might have had a very different prevailing public attitude.

`Confrontations' focuses on cases where actual harm - physical and/or psychological, even death - has resulted from one-off or repeated contact with these phenomena. Vallee saves the really extraordinary cases for his final chapters: the persistent assaults by aerial craft of various shapes and sizes, mainly by night, against a large number of people in the remote areas of Brazil, focusing on Parnarama and Belem, through 1977-1982, which Vallee and his wife visited to carry out an extended field investigation in 1988. The Brazilian government and its armed forces later became heavily involved in monitoring the incidents around Belem, which included the deaths of several percipients and serious debilitating injuries to others by beam-weapons whose results resemble those expected from pulsed microwaves. These `waves' of assaults affected thousands of people, many of whom (including almost all the doctors and schoolteachers) as a consequence abandoned their homes and livelihoods and moved away from the region, never to return. Just what was going on in Brazil, and what does it teach us about these phenomena? Vallee's investigation is probably the most thorough ever publicised and, if you harbour any beliefs about benign `space brothers' being the origin of these phenomena, then before reading `Confrontations' you should prepare to be forever disabused of such delusions.

Vallee admits he has never understood abductions very well. In `The Abduction Quagmire' (pp170-180) he accuses other researchers of trying to force-fit the data to preconceived notions, but the irony of pot-calling-kettle-black seems lost on him. Whilst (as usual) attacking with gusto those using hypnosis as a memory-recovery tool, he does however concede "the body of information (uncovered by other investigators) has been found to be exceptionally consistent and robust...only a few exceptional cases do not seem to fit".

Vallee's conclusions from his field investigations are uncharacteristically `conspiratorial' but, against the evidence, perhaps inescapable:

"The evidence that has been obtained by the major powers is so valid and has such devastating implications for future military systems that the decision has been made to keep it under lock and key, and to entrust its study only to highly specialized teams with selected, compartmentalized access. In my opinion, the work of these teams is doomed to failure, in spite of all the resources...and the absurd disinformation operation ...to keep it secure" (p225-226)

There is a very useful appendix in which Vallee returns yet again to the analytical protocols of sighting categorization which formed such a cornerstone of his early books AoaP and CtS, now updated due to greater experience and his time working with the brilliant (late) Dr. J. Allen Hynek.

Vallee is an excellent writer with a fine literate style, as eloquent in English as he is in French. The editing in `Confrontations' is exemplary and completely free of typos. Although humour is not Vallee's speciality, nevertheless his dry Gallic wit does emerge a few times in the most unexpected contexts to lighten the narrative.

'Confrontations' is not perfect, but is very good. Despite occasional (unfortunate and unwarranted) displays of arrogance and scorn for other well-meaning investigators of these phenomena who do not share the author's conclusions or investigative rigor, the unique and detailed casework in `Confrontations' marks it out as special; it's a five-star work from Jacques Vallee and unconditionally recommended to anyone seriously interested in these phenomena.

Jacques Vallee is alone among UFO investigators in approaching UFO reports without a preconception that they are vehicles operated by visitors from other planets. He does his own in-person investigations, including going to remote parts of the earth, to see the places and hear the individual stories of witnesses, and he does not discard those that do not fit the pattern of other reports. This has led him to suggest that UFOs are a "meta-system," another version of reality that can manifest itself within our "normal" reality.

In all of his books, he maintains the neutrality of a scientist, but this book is one of his best for its fascinating stories from the remote interior of Brazil and his investigation of physical effects on witnesses from their UFO experience. He also provides a scientific way to classify UFO encounters and he challenges other well-known investigators, who have been attracted mainly to abduction cases, for their lack of objectivity and overuse of hypnosis.

The UFO phenomenon may not be what people have been led to think it is - are these strange and anomalous events really instigated by beings in space ships or could they come from somewhere co-existent with our own space? Vallee was the first to suggest the similarity between tales from the Middle Ages about fairies, elves and "little people" and UFOs in his book, Passport to Magonia. Are we taking our interpretation from our own high-tech culture and imposing it on these phenomena, even as our ancestors found an interpretation that matched theirs?

It seems we can never really get to any consensus about the many anomalous events that happen to ordinary people. Most people who perceive something that shouldn't exist, something unexplainable, are likely to keep it to themselves, not wanting to be thought of as crazy. Those who do talk about it may be met with ridicule or a demand for an explanation. Humans need to fit events into a context, and we do feel we are "crazy" until we can do that. Our explanations of what happened may only reflect our need to make sense of something unexplainable. Jacques Vallee is alone in his attempt to make some sense out of the many reports from all parts of the world, without preconception. He says in his first chapter that "we are dealing with effects that are material, energetic, and interact in powerful ways with the environment...". These paranormal events are not hallucinations or lies, but they may also not be physical space ships as we have come to think of them.

The many books of Jacques Vallee have followed a different path from other UFO investigators and are still the best objective evaluations of a truly puzzling phenomena.