Mac was a very good friend of mine; and like all his friends I was shocked to the core when he passed away suddenly and tragically in October 2009, at the age of only 34.

But, I am pleased to say, Mac’s latest – and, inevitably, final – piece of work ensures that his memory, legacy and ability to think outside of the conventional ufological box will live on. That work is The Cryptoterrestrials: A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us.

Like Vallee and Keel, Mac rightly recognized that UFO encounters could not be dismissed as the ravings of lunatics, the tales of the fantasy-prone, or the lies of those seeking fame and fortune. But, he was also careful not to get sucked into the near-viral mindset that practically screams (take a deep breath): UFOs = alien spaceships piloted by little gray chaps from across the galaxy, who are on a mission to save their dying race by stealing our DNA, eggs and sperm.

Rather, Mac – right up until the time of his death – was chasing down the theory suggesting that the UFOnauts may actually represent the last vestiges of a very ancient race of distinctly terrestrial origins; a race that – tens of thousands of years ago may have ruled our planet, but whose position of power was thrown into overwhelming chaos by two things: (A) the appearance of a “debilitating genetic syndrome” that ravaged their society; and (B) the rising infestation of a violent species that threatened to eclipse – in number – their own society.

They are the Cryptoterrestrials. And that violent species that blusters around like an insane, unruly and spoiled child, and that has done more damage in its short life-time than can ever be truly imagined, is, of course, us.

“The Internet,” he says, “has certainly brought it chaos, but it has also been a catalyst for new life and opportunities. It’s now easier to be taken seriously if you have what you believe is an extra-terrestrial experience—and the very organisations you might try to contact in this case have also had to adapt to change brought about by the internet.”

True, the new methodology applied to the study of UFOs encompasses everything from using programs and utilities like Google Earth to “map” UFO hotspots, to capturing occasional airborne anomalies using outdoor webcams. More simply, however, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are making waves in the field, with online fan groups, networking forums, and even syndicated feeds that bring relevant news to our news collectors and cell phones without anyone having to look for them. Thanks to the web, mankind has all but created a filter that catches the summation of our ideas and interests, categorizing and capitalizing on them in new, exciting, and accessible ways.

But it’s not just the Internet that’s hooking up UFO hunters in ways that previously were unavailable. More and more photographs of strange things in the skies are now captured with camera phones, and images can not only be circulated from phone to phone via SMS text messages and email, but they can also be uploaded directly to the web via mobile applications, putting the stranger, seldom seen aspects of existence more in touch with the masses than ever before.

Although Google Earth is becoming a common tool used in the dissemination of information about odd locations and, occasionally, aerial phenomenon photographed via satellite, another feature Google provides is at the forefront of providing information to researchers once it has made its way to the web. Google News allows people to search for the most relevant news stories that include key terms they enter, and even sorts them into categories spanning frequencies as little as stories posted within the last hour! Additionally, Google Alerts will automate the same function in reverse: enter a term you want Google to send you notifications about, and you can get email messages with links every time they appear anywhere on the web. Instant news, and for users of BlackBerrys and other phones that carry email services, instantly at your fingertips!

With the growing availability of social networking and web-based resources, the field of Ufology will indeed continue to change… as well as virtually every kind of news gathering and reporting. Terms like “citizen journalism” come to mind, and a future of rich, constantly renewable source material is growing closer with every nanosecond. But what lies around the next bend? Where will it go from here, and more importantly, will technology be smart enough to crack any new leads on the mystery of strange objects seen in the skies?

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One must ask if, in the event something were to have been conclusively identified as some kind of natural phenomenon (i.e. ball lightning, etc), wouldn’t this have helped the MoD reach the same ultimate conclusion that the activity warranted no special concern? Granted, part of the process used to judge what sorts of activity might pose a threat would have to entail some measure of inquiry into the nature of the phenomenon itself. Still, it is stunning how dismissive officials can be of something which may represent, at most, some kind of non-human intelligence engaging in activity here on Earth. Had the MoD attempted to investigate further, might details pertaining to future potential dangers or aggressive activity have been uncovered?

I ask this with such obvious criticism only because one of the official statements being issued by the British Government, as stated above, actually describes this behavior as their typical plan of action. In truth, I can only speculate as to what kinds of inquiries were being made off the record, so to speak, for if the kinds of UFO reports recounted around various military bases and in conjunction with military operations over the years haven’t warranted official concern in at least some capacity, than it’s hard to guess what else would.

In his book UFOs and Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites, author Robert Hastings points out a variety of concerning accounts from former officials that detail credible UFO interactions with US military operations. As stated at his website, he believes that a link exists between the arrival of nuclear weapons in the mid-1940s and “an overall increase in UFO sightings since that time.” Hastings also asserts that “one of the reasons the U.S. government has attempted to conceal its real but secret assessment of UFOs relates to its unwillingness to admit that unknown observers, piloting enormously superior aerial craft, have been systematically monitoring—and occasionally tampering with—our nuclear weapons.”

Indeed, there is some evidence that strange aerial phenomenon has been reported in conjunction with militaristic and naval operations elsewhere. Let us not forget the release of UFO documents similar to those Britain offered last week, made available by the Russian Navy late last year. If these reports can be called into question here as true and accurate, they appear to indicate that Russian nuclear submarines had been followed and observed by advanced submersible craft on a number of occasions. Furthermore, they indicate that Naval diving operations that took place beneath Lake Baikal in 1982, Earth’s largest and most voluminous freshwater body and site of the Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope since 1933, resulted in the death of military personnel after the appearance of “humanoids” that appeared mysteriously at extreme depths. In a Fox News report that appeared in July of 2009, the military divers spotted “a group of humanoid creatures dressed in silvery suits. The encounter happened at a depth of 50 meters, and the divers tried to catch the strangers. Three of the seven men died, while four others were severely injured.” No further details as to what caused the deaths and injury were provided.

How such instances of harmful interaction could be dismissed by any governing body is hard to fathom; unless, of course, the official explanations issued to the public reflect dismissal on the grounds that UFOs are deemed “non-threatening” as a measure for not causing alarm. Though this may indeed be the case, regardless of the circumstances behind such action, independent researchers would be wise to consider all available perspectives and potentials. As little as we know and can verify about the nature and intention of UFO occupants (if we are to assume they are intelligent and controlled), discounting any possible course of action as a potential threat would simply be unwise.

Also, below is a quick excerpt from the piece:

Many times throughout history, especially in recent times as modern technological advances continue to push the boundaries of our capabilities as humans, we have asked, “if other civilizations exist out there in the cosmos, are they like us?”

Less frequently do we ponder whether this is something that should concern us; with humanity’s history of conquest, capture and colonialism, if alien beings were anything like us, what if they decided to act in this manner toward humans if they visited Earth?

More than fifty years have passed since the appearance of Howard’s “jellyfish,” prompting many to assume the strange encounter would be left to speculation in the annals of Ufology. However, Scottish UFO investigator Martin Shough now believes he has solved the half-century-old mystery. According to a new article in Fortean Times, Shough has gathered weather data and primary evidence taken from the crews’ statements shortly after the incident. At the FT website, the following conclusions are drawn:

Shough concludes there can be little doubt the crew and passengers saw an unusual mirage. And far from being rare, he discovered this sighting was just one of “an unrecognised class of very similar mirage observations from aircraft”. His definitive study proves it is poss¬ible to resolve even the most perplexing UFO reports with enough time and effort. It also shows there is valuable scientific data lurking within the noise that constitutes the UFO enigma.

Case closed? Perhaps… but the elements of esoterica that nonetheless swarm around this unique story are only beginning to come to light. Read on, dear seekers of supernatural lore…

The mirage phenomenon referred to here, in one of its various forms, has a rather Fortean name, “Fata Morgana,” which at present I find preferable due to its esoteric allusions. Fata Morgana refers to none other than Morgan Le Fay, the witch prominent in Arthurian legends and “fairy mistress of the of the salt sea.” The latter association between Morgan Le Fay and the sea stems from around the time Wolfram von Eschenbach was penning his Arthurian epic Parzival, in which he calls the Sicilian volcano Etna “The Mountain of Morgan the Fairy”. This coincided with legends detailing how sirens, fairy temptresses of the deep who swam the warm waters around Sicily, would use their infectious song to lure weary sailors to their deaths. This, it seems, led to an association with the folkloric Morgan le Fay being dubbed a siren, and even”mistress of the fairies of the salt sea”, in French Arthurian texts.

Tying Fata Morgana in with Howard’s sighting of a Jellyfish UFO, of particular interest here are legends that state how Morgan created “boats that fly above the sea and never approach the shore and caused golden castles to float in the air above the straits of Messina, castles that no one was ever able to reach and that were nothing more than an optical illusion—a mirage, the Fata Morgana, as she was called in Italy.” The idea of “boats that fly above the sea” sounds eerily reminiscent of some maritime UFO encounters of old; could it be insinuated that some seagoing UFO reports over the years stemmed from the Trickster-like Fata Morgana?

ABOVE: The Gralien crew tests out our own “Flying Gople” in the Summer of 2009 (LEFT TO RIGHT: Forrest Connor, Caleb Hanks, Cristopher McCollum and Micah A. Hanks)

One final (albeit strange) parallel worthy of noting here also deals with the idea of jellyfish-shaped UFOs in general. One famous photograph of a Danish UFO, dubbed “The Flying Gople,” depicts what is understood to be a cloud-like burst from a smokestack photographed in the vicinity of a nearby factory (see image at the top of this article). Strange atmospheric conditions permitted the moisture pocket to take on a strangely saucer-like shape, as well as formations resembling long appendages stemming from its base. Altogether, the object resembled a huge jellyfish floating in the sky! Although this photograph was understood to be a freak combination of various atmospheric influences, I was captivated with the idea that strange jellyfish-like UFOs sometimes appear (and which can be constructed using various methods, as in the demonstration featured in the video below):

Flying Jellyfish Robot from Tierney O’Dea on Vimeo.

Excerpting a segment from an earlier blog post on this subject that appeared here at the Gralien Report, there are also early fiction references to “atmospheric life forms” in the work of none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that resemble flying jellyfish. In his 1913 fiction story “The Horror of the Heights,” the following ornate passage of the discovery of a large, tentacled monstrosity gliding along in the Earth’s upper strata is related by a pilot who dared to glide to altitudes that challenged Earth’s extremities:

The thought was in my mind when my eyes looked upwards and I saw the most wonderful vision that ever man has seen. Can I hope to convey it to you even as I saw it myself last Thursday? Conceive a jelly-fish such as sails in our summer seas, bell- shaped and of enormous size–far larger, I should judge, than the dome of St. Paul’s. It was of a light pink colour veined with a delicate green, but the whole huge fabric so tenuous that it was but a fairy outline against the dark blue sky. It pulsated with a delicate and regular rhythm. From it there depended two long, drooping, green tentacles, which swayed slowly backwards and forwards. This gorgeous vision passed gently with noiseless dignity over my head, as light and fragile as a soap-bubble, and drifted upon its stately way.

Perhaps Doyle’s fantastic meanderings of the mind would inspire Charles Fort to muse along the same lines in his 1931 book Lo!, in which he discussed giant beasts that could exist in the skies above us. More than two decades later, an article published in 1955 in American Astrology magazine by Countess Zoe Wassilko-Serecki described similar creatures as “large luminous bladders of colloidal silicones that assume different shapes depending on whether they are stationary or moving.” This particular description of alleged “sky beasts” seems to draw again from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s descriptions of monsters in his fiction, as illustrated n the following passage:

But a more terrible experience was in store for me. Floating downwards from a great height there came a purplish patch of vapour, small as I saw it first, but rapidly enlarging as it approached me, until it appeared to be hundreds of square feet in size. Though fashioned of some transparent, jelly-like substance, it was none the less of much more definite outline and solid consistence than anything which I had seen before. There were more traces, too, of a physical organization, especially two vast, shadowy, circular plates upon either side, which may have been eyes, and a perfectly solid white projection between them which was as curved and cruel as the beak of a vulture. The whole aspect of this monster was formidable and threatening, and it kept changing its colour from a very light mauve to a dark, angry purple so thick that it cast a shadow as it drifted between my monoplane and the sun. On the upper curve of its huge body there were three great projections which I can only describe as enormous bubbles, and I was convinced as I looked at them that they were charged with some extremely light gas which served to buoy up the misshapen and semi-solid mass in the rarefied air… Its method of progression… was to throw out a long, glutinous streamer in front of it, which in turn seemed to draw forward the rest of the writhing body. So elastic and gelatinous was it that never for two successive minutes was it the same shape, and yet each change made it more threatening and loathsome than the last.

Indeed, there appear to be parallels between descriptions of “sky beasts” the likes of Howard’s mirage that pertain to Ufology’s golden era; could they also have been the phantasmal “Fata Morgana,” or might they draw from Doyle’s own imaginative creatures? Probing further, could this have been the inspiration for such monsters that pepper more fringe UFO theories proposed by the likes of Trevor James Constable, Charles Fort, and even Ivan Sanderson?

Of the reports concerning missiles fired from the ocean near the Southern coast, journalist C.L. Cook quoted MacKay, who said “We [the Canadian government] will provide money to build a landing strip for UFOs at Harbour Mille.” The Defense Minister quickly added that this was a joke, and assured news agencies that he had “checked with foreign countries,” claiming there is “no cause for panic.”

Late last week, a few key witnesses suggested that Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials may have advised that a missile launch had taken place, but a spokesperson, Sgt. Wayne Edgecombe, quickly asserted that these were only rumors. Statements issued later were even less conclusive, merely explaining they had “gotten to the bottom” of the mystery, and forwarded further requests to Public Safety Canada. What is known, however, is that the RCMP is in charge of the official investigation.

Looking elsewhere, The French Ministry of Defence has also drummed up controversy, after posting a message on its website admitting to the launch of a missile from a submarine around the same time. However, according to the flight path described by witnesses of the Harbour Mille UFO, the French also advised that this could not have been the missile they launched.

Based on the evidence available at present, the objects seen over Newfoundland were, in all likelihood, missiles or other projectiles; who fired them, and for what purpose, remains a mystery. As concerned officials continue probing the situation to discover whether public safety was ever in jeopardy, perhaps more answers will come to light as to the identity of the strange “ghost rockets” seen over Newfoundland last week.

It’s finally here… the inaugural edition of a brand new feature you’ll be seeing more of here at the Gralien Report: “Gradio Podcasts.” By following this link you can learn more about the new show, as well as download the latest edition featuring special guest Timothy Green Beckley. Tim (aka Mr. UFO) shares his legendary insights pertaining to UFOs, subterranean mysteries, MIBs, late-night radio and a huge number of other esoteric subjects… not an interview you’ll want to miss!

Click here to visit the new “Gradio Podcast” page!

UFO Sighting Puzzles N.L. Residents

The photograph appears to show a missile or other elongated object, emitting flames or what has been described as “heavy smoke” illuminated by the light of sunset (keep in mind, the Trident II missile in the image to the right is merely for illustrative purposes). Another witness, Emmy Pardy, stated that “It appeared to come out of the ocean,” and “was like it was in the middle of the bay.”

This alone may be the most curious aspect of the sighting; however, if what it entails is of any merit, it may also be the most frightening. Gralien Report correspondent Christopher McCollum, who sent the story along, referred to the object as a “USO,” borrowing the term used by the late Fortean scholar Ivan T. Sanderson which denotes an “Unidentified Submerged Object.” Submarines with the Russian Navy operating in international waters throughout the Atlantic have reported an overwhelming number of “USO” encounters, as described in recently declassified documents released by naval officials in 2009. However, if this object weren’t some kind of “USO” or other unidentified object, what are the alternatives?

In William R. Forstchen’s 2009 novel One Second After, the United States falls victim to an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack that results from nuclear devices being launched into near-space above the United States. Destruction and devastation is limited to planes and other large craft falling to Earth due to failure of electrical systems, but in a country dependent on technology that is suddenly thrust into a modern dark age, all hell breaks loose as Americans struggle to exist in an environment where cell phones, computers, lights, televisions, stoves, and even cars are rendered useless.

In Forstchen’s “nightmare novel,” it is later learned that an “enemy of the United States” had launched the devices from ships far out at sea, hence any mention of objects firing out of the ocean–like the one described over Newfoundland–causes a bit of concern. Granted, if there had been any obvious danger associated with the object photographed by Mrs. Stewart, we surely would have known about it by now. However, the question lingers… what was it, and where did it come from? Was it evidence of some strange activity taking place beneath our oceans, or perhaps even worse, could it indicate militaristic activity that might warrant concern?

In reality, if aliens with advanced anti-gravitational aircraft and plasma blasters ended up stranded on Earth and didn’t attempt to attack us, would it seem strange to you? According to one expert, it’s not only strange… it’s highly unlikely.

Extra-terrestrials, according to Cambridge University Professor Simon Conway Morris, would have all-to-human “foibles,” which he doesn’t doubt would include greed, violence and similar tendencies to gathering up and exploiting resources that humans have shown for centuries. Morris says that, although they could in fact show up more-or-less peacefully searching for a place to live like the Prawns in District 9, they would inevitably become squatters, and in acting out colonialism similar to our past expansive conquests, they would “help themselves to water, minerals and fuel.”

“In short,” Morris says, “if there is any life out there, then it is likely to be very similar to us.” That being the case, should we be worried?

Perhaps not, since Morris also advocates the notion that there may not be any alien life out there after all. Since the Universe around us is far older than we are, he estimates that it is likely we would have heard from aliens by now, if they existed. However, one must wonder in what capacity we might expect to “hear” from an extraterrestrial intelligence; as acclaimed “physicist of the impossible” Michio Kaku points out in his well-known “allegory of the ants,” he compares humans to ants on the side of a road, oblivious to more intelligent life mere meters away. If indeed flying saucers and strange things seen in the skies were not alien craft, but were instead some kind of strange “drones” used to attempt to contact us, we would have to be failing pretty miserably at holding up our end of the communication.

Nonetheless, Morris, citing his personal skepticism, complains that “It is very, very quiet out there. Suspiciously quiet. Where on Earth are they?” Maybe that, in itself, is a better question to be asking: Where on EARTH are they?

It has been asserted many times already that Russian Naval documents, released in 2009, indicate that a tremendous number of encounters with strange UFO craft occur below the ocean’s surface. What if there turned out to be far more “extraterrestrial” activity here on Earth than we realize? Furthermore, are we prepared to engage in a thought game where we might combine Morris’ skepticism with such outlandish ideas, and guess that there could be a sentient race coexisting right here on Earth, having done so unnoticed (well, seldom noticed, at least) for eons? What if our “aliens” were no more alien to this planet than we are?

Legends famously shared by native tribes such as the Dogon in Mali have included controversial claims that incorporate knowledge of stars, particularly those invisible to the  naked eye, that existed orbiting visible stars like Sirius. Additionally, many ancient cultures have shared legends pertaining to strange “men” would emerge from the oceans by morning, and came to teach early man the proper agricultural, mathematical, architectural and other technological studies necessary for civilization to thrive. While on land, these beings would “take no food in that season,” and by the evening, the strange “amphibians” would return again to the sea.

Perhaps it is the vastness of the unexplored depths that fascinates–and frightens–humanity almost unconditionally; and thus, it seems likely that we would weave fanciful stories such as these that deal with mermen who seldom emerge from the waters, only to impart us with knowledge or buzz around in hi-tech flying craft. Indeed, it does sound more like science fiction than science fact, but if all else fails, it makes good “fish food” for thought! If this hypothesis, as strange as it sounds, were correct, the evidence we’ve been looking for out there in deep space–and missing almost entirely–would not conflict with reports of flying saucers and alien abduction; instead, the aliens would merely be hiding among us.

Until our own technology allows us to navigate the deeper ocean waters, and perhaps even the inner Earth, we’ll only be able to maintain wild speculation. Though it is likely that the “aliens” we’ll find in these remote locales will comprise as-yet discovered animalia, rather than sentient humanoids like us, for the time being our imaginations are the limit.

Dogon tribesmen photo (above) by Devriese.

Two days ago, Roger Marsh bragged on the work of Fletcher Gray, a Texas MUFON Field Investigator who uncovered the evidence pertaining to an alleged January 9th encounter, at his UFO Examiner page. Below is an excerpt that details a bit of Gray’s detective work:

Behind the scenes–what you as the public cannot see–are the personal details witnesses must give up. These are details that remain private for the trained and certified investigator’s eyes only so that they can conduct research into the case. In this instance, the first clue was a Yahoo email address that was created on the same day that the report was made.

The phone number for the report turned out to be a local business and there was no match between the name behind the email address and anyone working with or associated with that business.

A deputy for the Ward County Sheriff’s office was contacted who said that no reports came to his office on this case nor were there any UFO reports recently for the greater Grandfalls area. And the “old power plant” on Fifth Street – does not exist.

Thus, as Marsh writes of the incident, “Case solved.” He does, however, give the author of the bogus report “at least a “B” on the narrative,” though he warns that, “All kidding aside, please take your fiction somewhere that counts.”

As expressed on this blog in the past, I don’t know that I would be so generous with my grading scale. Subsequent to the initial two Texas area sightings, I looked at a few of the grammatical quirks pertaining to the wording used in both, which, in my opinion, would have called for a few points being deducted. At least one of them might have received a “C-” had I been the instructor.

But all that aside, of greater importance is the fact that in my original article, I had also pointed out the several obvious similarities the two reports contained. Though the writing style also provided at least some credibility, I advocate suspending judgment in such circumstances (in this case, until MUFON investigators the likes of Fletcher Gray could respond), although I had noted that these similarities “may call some skepticism into question.” Indeed, it seems that most parties agree, in retrospect, that the writing was of some merit… but it simply wasn’t enough to conceal the bogus underlying claims.