An analysis of the thousands of previously classified official FBI documents which were made available following the US Freedom of Information Act. The author claims that these papers reveal that the FBI has been engaged in covertly monitoring UFOs for the last fifty years, and reports on those documents which refer to such activities.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Despite repeated denials (including one by J. Edgar Hoover himself), the Federal Bureau of Investigation took an active interest in certain aspects of the UFO phenomenon from 1947 to at least 1988. Though many of the documents described and illustrated here came to light soon after the passing of the Freedom of Information Act of 1974, Redfern has done an excellent job of bringing them all together and placing them in historical context. Charged with guarding U.S. internal security, the FBI in 1947 naturally had to take reports of unidentifiable, high-performance aircraft in American skies seriously; in those cold war days, the FBI saw Communists around every corner, and if silvery discs were violating our airspace with impunity, Hoover wanted to be sure they weren't Russian. It was also not unusual that the FBI later maintained files on certain UFO investigators and even individuals who claimed personal contact with Venusians--the FBI relentlessly kept track of anyone who expressed radical ideas. Yet some of the documents hint at a more X Fileslike interest on the part of the Bureau, particularly with regard to incidents of cattle mutilation in the 1970s. Redfern, whose 1997 book, A Covert Agenda, examined the British government's UFO interests, sometimes comes off as overly speculative. Nonetheless, the book presents a clear FBI-UFO paper trail that can't readily be denied. George Eberhart
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Captivating, if utterly inconclusive, material from FBI investigations into unidentified flying objects and aliens, culled from declassified files and assembled here by veteran UFO researcher Redfern. Lest there be any doubt about where he is coming from, Redfern asserts, I am convinced that many UFOs are indeed piloted space vehicles which originate with an intelligence from beyond earth. In an effort to convince his readership of the same, he puts before them documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from the FBI that detail their inquiries into reported sightings. It is perhaps the most gratifying disclosure of the book that the FBI was called in when the Air Force suspected the first reported sightings might have been by individuals of Communist sympathies with the view of causing hysteria, for the rest of the stories are old hat, strewn with caveats and tied off with the likes of still unclear and tantalizingly unresolved, by Redfern. We are treated to a variety of old favorites, including the glowing green balls of light in the New Mexican skies, the strange case of the cattle mutations of the 1970s (truly creepy), the Roswell and Aztec crashes and purported recovering of alien bodies (no evidence), and patrolman Lonnie Zamora's close encounter south of Socorro, New Mexico in 1964 (his word, your call). Not new but always fascinating are the many testimonies from credible witnesses, such as experienced pilots who weren't looking to sell their story; if nothing else the sheer volume of these episodes is unnerving. The official reports reprinted here are noncommittal and essentially void of analysis, and that they come from FBI archives no longer carries the aura of sanctity it once did, the FBI being exposed as only humanand not always very niceover the last two decades. It is little wonder that the FBI considered these documents suitable for declassification, considering their acute lack of anything original, though it is something to witness the FBI's collective befuddlement in face of the events: Join the crowd. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
Nick Redfern is a full-time author and journalist specializing in a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFO sightings, government conspiracies, alien abductions and paranormal phenomena. He writes regularly for the London Daily Express newspaper, Fortean Times, Fate, and UFO Magazine. His previous books include Three Men Seeking Monsters, Strange Secrets, Cosmic Crashes, and The FBI Files. Among his many exploits, Redfern has investigated reports of lake monsters in Scotland, vampires in Puerto Rico, werewolves in England, aliens in Mexico, and sea serpents in the United States. Redfern travels and lectures extensively around the world. Originally from England, he currently lives in Dallas, Texas.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
FBI Files Author Doesn't Have a Clue!,
By m. john velier (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The FBI Files: The FBI's UFO Top Secrets Exposed (Hardcover)
This book doesn't rate one star, but that is as low as the rating system goes. The author doesn't have a clue about how the FBI operates and obviously did little if any research to learn. There are no FBI secrets exposed in this book. In addition the author does nothing more than duplicate memos and letters to and from the FBI and arrives at erroneous conclusions based on his own perception, beliefs and inuendos. Just some basic research on the FBI would have indicated that Mr. Hoover probably never saw any of the documents he displays in the book. All comunications to FBI Headquarters from the field offices are addressed to Director, FBI. All communications to the public from headquarters are from the Director, On no document that he displays do Hoover's initials appear, which means he did not personally see or create the document. On none of the documents is there an indication of any active investigation. A little research would have indicated that the FBI has no investigative jurisdiction over UFO's. All investigative jurisdiction is specifically allocated by Congress, which limits the authority of the FBI. On page 2 he calls Mr. Hoover and Mr. Kelley liars when they both stated "The investigation of Unidentified Flying Objects is not and never has been a matter that is within the investigative jurisdiction of the FBI." The FBI has no investigative jurisdiction in UFO's. Further a little research would have indicated to the author the file numbering system that the FBI uses. The "62" classification that appears on most of the documents revealed in the book is an administrative classification, not a substantive case classification, meaning no active investigation. These are just afew of the obvious shortcomings of the author's lack of understanding of the FBI and it's operation. The book is a strong indicator of what is wrong with the UFO community--Lack of objective research, unqualified authors, and trying to put the square peg in the round hole. As one famous author once put it, "The eyes see and the ears hear what is already in the mind." This author had his ideas in mind and wasn't going to let the facts get in the way!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hiding under a blanket and telling each other ghost stories.,
By W. Staples (West of 40 degrees Lon and South of 40 degrees Lat) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The FBI Files: The FBI's UFO Top Secrets Exposed (Hardcover)
Nick Redfern is always fun. I wouldn't trust him to read me a number from the phone book, but he IS fun. I make it a point not to miss his books.In "The F.B.I. Files: The FBI's UFO Top Secrets Exposed," Redfern prints letters from the files of the F.B.I. about UFOs, cattle mutilations, men in black and gives his cockeyed take. It is both interesting and pathological.
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