Roswell : Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe [Hardcover]

Karl T. Pflock (Author), Jerry Pournelle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

In this definitive study of the Roswell incident, longtime UFO researcher Karl T Pflock - who is convinced that some UFO reports are real alien sightings - concludes, after an exhaustive investigation, that no alien craft or bodies were ever found at Roswell. Pflock admits at the outset that he too once strongly believed there might be something to the Roswell alien stories, and he describes how he then came to discover the whole truth. Using formerly classified records he proves that the US government has absolutely no physical evidence of aliens, shows how critical weather data completely refute key claims of Roswell believers, and explains why the case now rises and falls on the testimony of just one witness, who cleverly manipulated leading investigators and continues to do so today. Pflock's intensive research and access to once-classified documents - including facsimilies of important formerly classified documents, 28 witness affidavits, and the entire Pratt-Marcel interview transcript - make this book must reading even for UFO buffs - believers and skeptics alike - who feel they know everything about Roswell.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

UFO researcher Pflock has written the definitive book on facts and fantasies surrounding the now-familiar series of 1947 events at Roswell, N.Mex., interpreted by many as an air force coverup involving extraterrestrial bodies at a UFO crash site. Over the years, in the fashion of urban legends, a modern mythology has developed around Roswell, providing fuel for TV movies, feature films, TV series and a full shelf of books, along with UFO museums and annual celebrations that bring tourists to the town. A New Mexico resident and former believer, Pflock offers exhaustive research, spanning eight years, a fascinating probe that has transformed him into a skeptic. With photos, drawings and interviews, Pflock focuses on secret high-altitude balloon research conducted for the U.S. Army Air Force by New York University in 1947. These balloon trains, taller than the Washington Monument, were launched from Alamogordo Air Force Base, 90 miles southwest of Roswell. Assembling formerly classified documents, along with 1947 United Press wire transmissions, weather data and 28 witness affidavits, Pflock attempts to refute past "witness" tales, expose claims made by other books on this subject and prove the U.S. government has no physical evidence. He has succeeded at this in a major fashion, creating an unusual and authoritative study. As Pournelle notes: "This is a courageous and important book." Many who come to it will be persuaded that it cracks the mystery, wipes the slate clean and exposes the hullabaloo about Roswell as nothing more than a fabulous fairy tale, peaking in a delightful paragraph that tracks the famed purple-pink "alien hieroglyphics" to a novelty company on New York City's Canal Street. (June 30)Forecast: Reviews, controversy and word-of-mouth will prompt both believers and nonbelievers to seek out this title.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Just when it seems the market cannot bear another book on crashed UFOs at Rockwell, New Mexico, another book finds its way to publication, but this one will definitely need a place on the shelf. Pflock, a former Defense Department official and CIA intelligence officer, presents a well-argued, well-written, well-documented, and well-illustrated case against the 1947 crash being that of an alien spacecraft. His approach is more tempered than those of other skeptics, including Kal Korff (The Roswell UFO Crash, 1997) and Philip J. Klass (The Real Roswell Crashed-Saucer Coverup, 1997). Step by step, he identifies the weak points in supporters' arguments, picks apart ambiguous evidence, reexamines critical testimony, and finds little more than wishful thinking for an alien scenario. The best case yet to explain the crash, according to Pflock? A Project Mogul balloon gone astray. Is this the last word on Roswell? Probably not, since Pflock shades a few questionable points in his favor, but an equally reasoned and comprehensive argument will have to be presented to counter Pflock effectively. George Eberhart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 331 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573928941
• ISBN-13: 978-1573928946
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,123,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be listed under "reference" or "required reading"., July 30, 2001

By 

S. Reid "Milhouse-Vanhouten" (London, England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Roswell : Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe (Hardcover)

After plodding my way through this book, I came to one conclusion, Mr. Pflock has written the finest book on the events in and around Roswell, New Mexico during the early days of July, 1947. Don't let the term "plodding" distract or deter you, the book is pedantic as hell, and a good read nonetheless. This sort of treatment has been sorely lacking, and the recent spate of "pulp fiction" about Roswell hasn't helped anything.

Mr. Pflock includes photographs, documents, affidavits, everything the serious student of Roswell needs to make their own decision. Coming from the the "believer" side of the Extra-Terrestrial Hypothesis, Mr. Pflock has truly written a wonderful, exact, and incisive book.

Want to know what happened at Roswell? Buy it now. Don't be a cheapskate, buy a couple for yer friends. They make great Christmas gifts. Be a real doll and send one to Stanton Friedman, or Kevin Randle, they need this book. Oh, be extra generous and send one to Whitley Streiber and Art Bell, they REALLY need this book.

'Nuff said.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive work on Roswell, July 7, 2001

By 

Herb Taylor (Oceanside, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roswell : Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe (Hardcover)

Perhaps after more than two decades of often bitter controversy, we can now finally put to rest a major myth of the Space Age. I'm referring, of course, to the alleged Roswell, New Mexico UFO "recovery" of early Summer 1947. For the most part (with some notable exceptions) we have been treated to far more heat than light on this badly mis-reported matter. Now comes along a most important book by veteran UFO researcher Karl T. Pflock that deals with virtually every facet of the Roswell story in a clear and perceptive manner. Based on his careful and in-depth investigation since 1992, there is no doubt in my mind that this is THE definitive work on the Roswell story. Entitled, "ROSWELL: Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe", this book is an absolutely must read for anyone with a serious interest in finding out what really happened on the high desert of New Mexico at the very beginning of the modern UFO era. A testament to rational thought and critical-thinking, this book should find a prominent place on everyone's bookshelf. Pflock deserves the deep appreciation of all those who really care about inconvenient facts not getting in the way of getting at the truth.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roswell Laid to Rest, July 30, 2001

By 

James E. Napier, Ph.D. (Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roswell : Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe (Hardcover)

Like JFK's death, a mini-industry has grown up around Roswell, New Mexico, and the claim that a spacecraft crashed there in July of 1947. In recent years there have even been network broadcasts of film footage purporting to show the autopsy of alien beings, together with countless books, TV series, museums, and annual UFO festivals in the desert; and a counter-industry, almost as large, has been devoted to debunking these myths. When biased and self-serving research came under attack, there were cries of conspiracy and cover-up, only deepening confusion and suspicion in the public mind.

Finally someone with a first-rate intellect and a genuinely open mind has tackled this issue, and after painstaking research has laid the demons to rest. Sifting through literally thousands of bits of information and conflicting claims, Pflock has organized them all into a well-researched, lucid, and compelling account of what happened that day in July, and in the over half-century since then. His narrative brings together traditional claims and counter-claims, official documentation, and original interviews with many of the people involved. It makes for fascinating and convincing reading.

Pflock comes to the subject with some impressive credentials, having been a a former intelligence officer with the CIA, and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence. Drawing heavily on his investigatory and analytical skills, he leads us through the labyrinth of conflicting facts, claims and theories that is Roswell to emerge on the other side with a clear and convincing account, well-documented and closely reasoned. This is not only a book for UFO fans and their critics; it is a model for anyone committed to careful reasoning, rigorous research, and lucid writing. I cannot recommend it too strongly!