Customer Reviews

The Cover-Up Exposed, 1973-1991 (UFOs and the National Security State, Vol. 2)

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Much like Volume One of this series, "The Cover-Up Exposed" is an worthwhile history for those with a casual interest in the UFO subject, and a great Reference work for the veteran researcher. After reading Volume Two one can easily understand why it took so long to finish. Far too many controversial incidents and hot button issues surfaced durring this time period. Dolan does a fine job of sorting them out and presenting them as they occurred. He does this with objectivity and thoughtful personal insights.

A fine example is the way this author has handled the MJ-12 Controversy and related matters. From personal knowledge I can say that Dolan has done an excellect job of presenting these events and personalities in a well summarized form. He accepts the possibility of a very active Counter-Intellignce role in the UFO cover-up while examining this issue. And he presents all of this without jumping to conclusions!

More important, Dolan is also willing to ask many questions when he does not have the answers. He will leave the individual subjects open ended so the reader or researcher can look into matters further for themselves (Plenty of References to help with that). Such a perspective is rare enough when so many in the field of Ufology think they already have all the answers! If there is a UFO Cover-Up, then perhaps it is rather foolish to have a great deal of certainty about what is being covered-up and why? There may be aspects and implications to this subject we barely understand. And "The Cover-Up Exposed" is a great way to get us thinking about them.

What Mr. Dolan has accomplished in this second volume of ufo material is quite simply, to create a timeline of footnote driven easy to follow information on the ufo history in the US (and at times, overseas). This is not the definitive volume on any one ufo encounter, observance, or incident, but it is in my opinion the definitive resource (don't overlook volume 1 also which covers 1941-1973) one could utilize in their desire to dive deeper into an incident that interests them.

Dolan stands out as a researcher in the truest form as he reports his findings rather than draw a conclusion daring the reader to disagree. Dolan respects the reader and the topic matter to an exceptional degree. His ease of prose is also noteworthy.

I had first heard of Mr. Dolan on Coast to Coast AM and was impressed with Mr. Dolan's candor and ability to convey research. His writings match his eloquent speaking ability.

I highly endorse Mr. Dolan and applaud his work.

The second volume of the planned trilogy of "Ufo's & The National Security State" follows the methodical coverage of the UFO events in America and other parts of the world between 1973 to 1991. As in the first volume, the narrative is fluid and well organized, making it a page turner. The cases and reports exposed are not just interesting but also well referenced. Dolan clearly delineates when a case is fully supported or is just unproven (but suggestive). In addition, Dolan presents a parallel account of world wide events that might have been affected by the narrative of the UFO cases covered by the book. Although the book follows the chronological account of cases as in the first volume, this volume hints at a possible evolution of the UFO narrative (or folklore, depending on the reader) in consonance with the rise of corporate power as the main factor of power in the developed world. This second volume, as the first does not look for a direct and simple answer to a multifaceted issue such as the UFO's, instead presents the existing evidence about the most relevant cases and allows the reader to shape an informed opinion. The only remaining issue is, when is the volume three going to come out!?

When the author spoke to me in Washington DC in April 2009 about this, the then-unpublished middle-volume of his planned three-volume history of the UFO phenomenon and its management by the "National Security State", he was pleased with the result. This second book, he felt, was a more coherent narrative than the first in presenting a clearly argued and compelling case for the existence of the worldwide cover-up and also in exploring the real nature of the "black world", what might be going on behind the scenes with deconstructing ET-derived technology and where it might all be leading. His tentative conclusions for the consequences of secrecy and for the future are as radical as they are intriguing.

Readers may be aware that Dolan originally planned to write a two-volume history of "UFOs and the National Security State." The first volume covered the years 1947-73 and has become a minor classic. However, he soon discovered that the quantity of pertinent material and documentation from 1973 onwards was too great to accommodate into a single book, so has divided the narrative into two further volumes. This is to be the middle one of the series, covering 1973-91 and concluding with the geo-political changes following the end of the Cold War with the dissolution of the USSR in 1989-91 and its impact on how the ET-UFO issue was subsequently managed.

The book follows a broadly chronological narrative from 1973 to 1991 and is on one level an excellent summary of the open history of the UFO phenomenon in this period. Dolan takes a global perspective and explores major encounters and the interactions of UFOs with the air forces and military of different nations, particularly the Soviet Union, and how effectively these events were media-managed. The efforts of Grenada's Prime Minister Eric Gairy to bring the UFO issue to the UN and a detailed examination of the Belgian black-triangle wave are particularly noteworthy examples.

The development of UFOlogy through the period is analyzed with just the right amount of detail. Leonard Stringfield's original revelations about the alleged crash-retrieval and cover-up of alien artefacts, the disinformation campaign behind the MJ-12 documents and the professional debunking campaigns of Philip Klass are some examples. The extravagant and unsubstantiated claims of Cooper and Lear are placed in historical context; the Hudson Valley and Gulf Breeze waves, LMH's exposure of the cattle mutilations and the parts played by Budd Hopkins, Whitley Strieber and others in this period in exposing the abduction phenomenon for the first time are all written in a factual, informed and non-judgmental style which makes for absorbing reading. Dolan makes a convincing case that the birth of the internet had the most enormous and significant impact ever on UFOlogy, and changed it permanently.

Dolan has been criticised by more skeptical commentators for some of his methodology - the citing of a few "dead" references, use of uncorroborated (i.e. evidentially weaker) sightings and of course, his "Grand Conspiracy" narrative. There is some small merit in these criticisms, but Dolan always makes clear when he is reporting factually and when he is cautiously speculating.

The "Grand Conspiracy" narrative comes from the author's attempt to tie together the 60-year UFO cover-up, the evidence of appropriation of trillions of dollars by the "black world" to develop radical new aero-technologies derived from retrieved alien vehicles (possibly with assistance from actual Earth-based extraterrestrials), and the various informal international organizations promoting globalization. It is the author's view that during this period, evidence of the manufacture and deployment of new technologies derived from ET sources emerged: the goings-on at Area 51/Groom Lake/Dreamland initially reported by Bob Lazar and multiply-witnessed flights over the Nevada desert of vehicles with extraordinary flight characteristics; consistent reports of "Alien Reproduction Vehicles," the legends about the "Aurora" and the use of revolutionary anti-gravity technology in new aircraft like the B2 bomber. There's a lot of stuff on this, from many sources, and if not conclusive then it's certainly compelling. Less compelling is the speculation that organizations broadly promoting globalization and international co-operation such as the Bilderburgers might be party to the ET secret, and be involved in the cover-up in some way. This reviewer finds little compelling evidence presented to support this speculation, and the Rockerfeller Initiative would seem to argue that many "old-money" people know little of what is happening in the "black world" unless directly involved in the development of these new technologies. But the truth is, we just don't know.

In the concluding chapter, the author writes:

"Secrecy relating to UFOs was a logical course of action initially that became an addiction the longer it continued. The longer maintained, the harder to reveal, and the greater the gap between official and black world societies. One might therefore think that this secrecy, which continues to this day, is bound to last indefinitely."

This line of reasoning, together with evidence for the secret development and deployment of ET-derived technology so advanced that it has little relationship to that known in open society, Dolan claims argues for the possible existence of a "breakaway civilization" grown in secret, whose understanding of concepts such as time, matter, advanced physics, gravity, human consciousness and mind control may now be decades ahead of the mainstream culture and its current academic paradigms. Different civilizations with different levels of scientific understanding have, he argues, existed simultaneously on this planet in the past and had few or no points of contact. No doubt the author will develop this hypothesis in his third book, which will take the history up to the present day and to which we should look forward with interest.

It's important to state that the author ends the book on a broadly optimistic note, and sees the cover-up to be impossible to maintain indefinitely as for example a spectacular mass sighting witnessed by thousands of people might be undeniable in the internet age of instant global information-sharing, and that will be the end of it. The human race as a whole will then need to confront its future with new paradigms, whether ready or not.

Meanwhile, if you have not read "...The Cover-up Exposed", it's time you did. At 583 densely-written pages (excluding the extensive bibliographies and index) it can be intimidating, but don't be put off. It's beautifully written by an intelligent, informed and literate writer, it's worth the effort and time, and if you're interested at all in the most important subject of the age, you should read it.

WOW . . .volume two was certainly worth the wait ! If you are a skeptic and looking for a well balanced and contemporary discussion of the UFO subject, this is the book for you. If you're a veteran truth seeker looking to update and refine your interest, this is also the book for you.
What do we know for sure about the nature of UFO's? Well, most people will agree that there is a phenomenon taking place that may have roots going back centuries, even longer. This well researched book reinforces my own opinion that the phenomena presented by UFOs is far more complex than "aliens from space". Dolan reminds me of a good "investigative reporter" who gathers evidence, presents a well balanced story and allows the reader to draw his own conclusions. Dolan develops three themes throughout this 637 page book covering the years 1973-1991. (1) the stories themselves (2) how different countries deal with the political, social and national security implications and (3) the evolution of our ideas about the nature of UFOs. He also details that this "phenomena" is truly global in nature, citing numerous cases from France, England, Russia, Brazil and Argentina, just to name a few. I'm still amazed at his descriptions of how foreign defense departments are so much more open than we are when it comes to sharing information with their public. This will be an instant classic. Thanks.

I thoroughly enjoyed Volume 1 of Richard Dolan's trilogy in progress on the recent history of the UFO phenomenon. But I enjoyed his second volume even more, for several reasons. First, I can relate to the period covered, 1973 - 1991, as I first became aware of the UFO issue at the beginning of this period when I was in my early teens. Second, I found this volume even better written than the first, and I had trouble putting it down. The cases he chooses, especially involving military and scientific witnesses, are very compelling. If you can choose only one book on the subject of UFOs to hand a sceptic, I believe it should be this book. It's impossible to read this book with an open mind and truly believe there's nothing out of the ordinancy going on with this phenomenon, even if the 'extraterrestrial hypothesis' doesn't seem to fit all cases.

A very serious exposition, employing top-notch research, on one of the most fascinating topics in modern history. Richard Dolan's trilogy-in-the-making will end up being one of a handful of highly professional works that anyone with even a slight interest in the subject should read and own. This particular installment comes highly recommended. It covers all UFO-related, major and minor, direct and inderect, events over a period of roughly two decades, from the 70's to the early 90's. It's a page turner...to say the least, one that will keep you up most of the night.

I have been anxiously anticipating this second installment of Richard Dolan's planned trilogy and was very pleased after reading only the first few pages. I've not read the entire book yet, but I have read enough to write a review. I'm the type of reader that skips around a bit from chapter to chapter pulling out details that I think would benefit my own personal research. This book covers the major events from 73 to 91. The references alone are worth the price of the book. For me, these references, especially the historical data that Dolan has collected are of tremendous significance to my own work in this field. While reading through the first few chapters I realized just how painstaking some of this research must have been. Dolan has created an unbiased look at this topic in the context of the "cover-up."

After reading this book, it is difficult to not accept that a cover-up has gone on for a very long time. This goes way beyond Roswell. Dolan paints a very accurate and detailed picture of just how the governments and intelligence agencies have handled UFO secrecy.

This is simply one of those seminal pieces of work that comes along now and again. It is the second in a trilogy and is a masterpiece of historic writing concerning the UFO enigma. The combination of the three will eventually be a reference, not only to newcomers to the field but seasoned veterans of ufology. 10/10.

Craig Anderson.

Best recollection of ufo's events so far, with bits of history related chronicles here and there, so precious when dealing with timelines. Bibliography ad Index with names and places are perfect, one of those things I'd like to see more often on every book that's not properly a novel...

This volume 2 is really good job, thanks Mr. Dolan! And thanks for pointing out at 'different and richer alternatives to mere extraterrestrial' hypothesis, but intelligences from other dimensions.