UFO: Proof or Mere Fiction?

For years, reports of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO's) have consumed literature, from newspapers to tabloids, bulletins to science fiction books. Alexander the Great’s army reportedly saw saucers flying in the sky in 329 B.C.  The Japanese army told of more strange sightings in 1235 AD; eyewitnesses watched the sky dance with light in 1561 in Nuremberg, Germany; aerial combat during World War II saw much more than just flying debris – balls of light began stalking aircraft on either side of the Allied and Axis powers.

Soldiers called them “Foo fighters.” Science fiction books refer to them as flying saucers. In any case, a UFO is an apparition in the sky that moves erratically, and can't be readily identified.

But do they really exist, or are they just hyperactive comets? Weather balloons set on fire? Debris from the space station? Is there any proof that UFO's exist?

Speculations began to mount early in the 20th century, as the US army, in cooperation with intelligence agencies, began a formal investigation into the UFO sightings. This led to the establishment of Project Blue Book, the Air Forces' official UFO investigation unit. All around the world, interest grew, and academics from Canada, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and France organized their own study groups.

There were two things these groups had in common: one was that they were keeping most of their work under wraps; the other was that they were asking for evidence, then returning it tainted or destroyed. Some eyewitnesses reported that their films had been burned, or their UFO pictures never given back, or their testimonies changed without their permission.

If UFO's were mere weather balloons or shuttle debris, why the secrecy?

Much more than the indirect proof of UFO's existence is the direct proof that comes in the form of physical evidence, the tangible path they leave behind. Aside from visual sightings, the following sometimes occur after a UFO visit:

• The ground is burned where the UFO has  reportedly landed. The ground will also contain high radiation levels and traces of rare metals.

• People or animals close to the sighting experience temporary paralysis, skin burns, rashes, and symptoms similar to radiation poisoning.

• Cattle are found mutilated.

• Plants near the site either grow actively, or are killed immediately.

If UFO's were mere comets or imagined ships, why the damage?

Whether direct or indirect, such secrecy and damage should not be taken lightly. Unidentified Flying Objects do exist, and when they arrive, they – and their occupants – should be received with caution.