The Missing Times [Paperback]

Terry Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2001

The Missing Times is an investigation into whether some of America's most influential news organizations, many of which have maintained close ties to the U.S. intelligence community, have willingly suppressed full and accurate news coverage of the UFO phenomenon for a variety of national- security reasons. After a "case study" of news coverage about UFO encounters at Montana nuclear-missile facilities, Hansen reveals the remarkable and persistent difference in UFO-related news coverage between local and national news organizations. The author then reviews the history of censorship and propaganda during the twentieth century. He explains how and why the elite news organizations work closely with government agencies during times of national crisis, and reviews the evidence for such media-government collusion over the course of the half-century-long UFO controversy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Terry Hansen is an independent journalist with an interest in scientific controversies and the politics of mass media. He has followed the UFO controversy for decades and has written about it for various media. In addition, he has organized and moderated two symposiums about "The Science and Politics of the UFO Research" for the Science Museum of Minnesota. Hansen holds a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in science journalism, both from the University of Minnesota. He is a founding partner of KFH Publications, Inc., a Seattle computer-magazine publishing company. He is also an active private pilot with ratings for single-engine aircraft and gliders. He lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington, with his wife and two parrots. Hansen can be reached via electronic mail at: [e-mail]

Cover Design: Geoff Olson

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp; 1st edition (February 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738836125
• ISBN-13: 978-0738836126
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #895,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry Hansen is an independent journalist with an interest in scientific controversies and the politics of mass media. He has followed the UFO controversy for decades and has written about it for various media. In addition, he has organized and moderated two symposiums about "The Science and Politics of the UFO Research" for the Science Museum of Minnesota. Hansen holds a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in science journalism, both from the University of Minnesota. He was a founding partner of KFH Publications, Inc., a Seattle computer-magazine publishing company. He is also a licensed private pilot with ratings for single-engine aircraft and gliders. He lives in the Canadian Gulf Islands with his wife, Jess. Hansen can be reached via e-mail at: [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More light shed from a most important angle, March 19, 2002

By 

R. Blake Tobias "Blake - TCP keys, bass" (Hopewell Junction, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Missing Times (Paperback)

I have an extensive library on UFO and related topics. Missing Times is one of my most important books because it so eloquently describes an aspect of the UFO topic which has received such little attention, while being of utmost importance in the shaping of public opinion - the national media. Terry does an outstanding job at logically articulating the role big media has played to cooperatively (although sometimes unwittingly) manage public perception of UFOs and warfare in concert with government throughout this century. He makes sure you are aware of the factual content as opposed to mere theory or conjecture. And make no mistake - there are a number of important and corroborating facts in this book. It is truly a groundbreaking effort on the subject that captured my intense interest from cover to cover. An absolute must read for media students, UFO researchers, and anyone remotely interested in government activities. And consider buying this book for those who can't seem to come to grips with the reality or gravity that public perceptions have been and continue to be managed.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revealing and disturbing work., September 19, 2001

By 

Dennis Hawley (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Missing Times (Hardcover)

'The Missing Times' is a darkly fascinating analysis of how the mainstream media have been used by government intelligence groups to control information and manipulate the public.
While the book is a superb case study of how significant UFO events, well-reported at local levels, are either altered, marginalized or completely censored by the national media, the real value of the book goes much further. It provides a solidly documented expose of how our world view is shaped by forces not even imagined by most Americans; how the claim of "national security" has been invoked to hide from the public not only legitimate defense-related information, but incompetence, dishonesty and illegal activity as well.
It's a shame that this book will likely be read by a relatively small number of people, mostly those with an interest in UFOs. It should be required reading for every journalism student in the country. In fact, it should be read by anyone who still believes in our system of democracy. It will inform, shock and anger.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Journalism for Critical Thinkers, January 31, 2003

By 

"duncanives" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Missing Times (Paperback)

In The Missing Times, Terry Hansen provides a clear, documented history of the relationships that exists between the national media and the United States Government, particularly on issues of national security. This aspect of the book alone is frightening to one's faith in the media as objective reporters of information. In fact, once you have read this book, you will never read a national daily, or watch a network newscast in quite the same way again. Hansen details how our military and intelligence communities are in the business of shaping public opinion and reaction through information management. How incompetent would they have to have been not to recognize the national media as an indispensable, efficient tool for their goals? Mr. Hansen details the exact mechanisms by which the government exercises their influence over the national media with chilling clarity, right down to CIA infiltration.

Local media, without strong connections to Washington D.C., corporate ties to defense contractors or heavy infiltration from intelligence agencies are shown to be less likely to present the government viewpoint, and may present more accurate information on any number of subjects, including UFOs.

A picture then evolves of the complicit relationship that exists between the government and the media. Through historical review, Mr. Hansen demonstrates how the press follows a government line when it comes to issues of secrecy and national security.

What happens when we insert UFOs into this equation? The answer is a perfect fit; the national media treats UFOs exactly as it does other subjects deemed to be of great national security importance and secrecy. This fact is skillfully demonstrated through an examination of UFO incursions over nuclear missile silos near Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Unidentified objects could enter and leave restricted airspace with impunity. Such incidents have obvious national security implications. Widely reported in the local media, these astonishing and well-documented incidents were ignored by the national media until much later. Could the media have been influenced by a government that, despite their protests to the contrary, knows full well that UFOs are a national security issue?

Mr. Hansen goes out of his way to avoid speculation, and seems to be calling his fellow citizens not to believe in UFOs, but to be skeptical about what the national media, as a front for the government, tells us about them. It is a wise lesson that you won't forget.

The Missing Times is written with clarity and journalistic integrity. It is not a hastily written UFO book full of anecdotes and fuzzy pictures. It is objective reporting of the undeniable relationships between the government, the media, and you. It is also one of the most heavily footnoted books I have ever read, providing proof of the depth of research that went into it. If the Pulitzer Prize were given for merit, quality, insightful analysis and relevance, journalist Terry Hansen would have one on his bookshelf right now.