The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters

by Story, Ronald

  On the other hand, a large part of the “UFO phenomenon” is psychosocial, and is therefore susceptible to investigation by means that are to hand. It is a fact that these things are reported, and there is a great collection of psychological facts to be found in the reports of sightings and contacts and the theories about them. These can be studied and, at least for the foreseeable future, form the only basis for anything that can be called a “science of UFOlogy.”

  —DENNIS STILLINGS

  Story, Ronald D. (b. 1946). Author, technical writer/editor, and founder of the original UFO Encyclopedia Project. In association with the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), between 1976 and 1979, Story compiled and edited the first UFO encyclopedia entitled The Encyclopedia of UFOs (published by Doubleday and New English Library in 1980).

  Story studied anthropology, astronomy, and logic in preparing for his degree in philosophy at the University of Arizona, where he graduated (with honors) in 1970.

  Story’s interest in UFOs dates from his student days at the University of Arizona, where he met professor James McDonald, during the late 1960s. Together, Story and McDonald investigated a “ghost light” that Story had photographed in his home state of Missouri.

  As a technical writer/editor, since 1983, Story has worked primarily in the high-tech defense industry for aerospace companies such as Hughes Aircraft, Rockwell, McDonnell-Douglas, Raytheon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin.

  As a science writer, Story first wrote The Space-Gods Revealed (1976), a scientific critique of Erich von Däniken’s ancient astronaut theory as presented in Chariots of the Gods? (1968) and other books. Story was assisted on the project by leading astronomers and archaeologists, such as Carl Sagan (who wrote the foreword), Frank Drake, William Hartmann, Thor Heyerdahl, Edwin Ferdon, William Rathje, Merle Green Robertson, et al.

  Story’s other books include Guardians of the Universe? (1980) and UFOs and the Limits of Science (1981).

  Address:

  3540 32nd Ave. N. #114

  St. Petersburg, FL 33713

  U.S.A.

  E-mail:

  RonaldDStory@aol.com

  Web site:

  www.RonaldStory.com

  Ronald Story

  POSITION STATEMENT: I think UFOs represent a wide variety of different phenomena: some natural, some manmade, and some, perhaps, of extraterrestrial origin. It may very well be that some UFOs carry alien beings on a mission to Earth. Although absolute proof is lacking, there are enough anomalous events to establish probable cause; therefore, I think the prudent course is to prepare ourselves for anything that may happen

  Though I favor the psychosocial approach, I think it is possible that an extraterrestrial intelligence may have had a hand in humanity’s origins and that we could be in for a second coming. In any case, I believe the impact of such open contact and intervention with people of Earth would constitute the single most significant event in human history.

  According to the Bible, we were created by an extraterrestrial intelligence (which in Hebrew is pluralized as Elohim or “gods”) with our fate depending on our relationship with that superior force. In this respect, modern-day contact with such a superior intelligence would affect every aspect of our lives, including, perhaps, our own survival.

  Therefore, I believe in making every effort—using the scientific method—to continue our search for the truth, wherever it may lead.

  —RONALD D. STORY

  Story’s UFO “observations”:

  1) “UFOs,” in one form or another, have existed since ancient times.

  2) Whatever else “they” or “it” may be, the “UFO” is a perennial symbol. It connotes the magical, the technological, and the unknown. “UFOs” are the modern equivalents of comets and other unknown lights and shapes seen by the ancients that have always meant impending change.

  3) “UFOs” have always been associated with a superior, extraterrestrial—or ultraterrestrial—intelligence.

  4) UFO-aliens seem to be modern replacements for angels and demons, as well as fairies and other magical creatures of earlier times. In fact, many today still believe in angels and demons as well as aliens. Belief in fairies has declined slightly.

  5) The UFO phenomenon did not just happen one day—it evolved. Spiritualism became contacteeism. The age-old spirits became the aliens of today. Their history can be traced, and their messages are essentially the same.

  6) The UFO/ET myth fulfils psychological needs, which are ageless and timeless. If aliens did not exist, we would invent them.

  7) The human mind seeks order, meaning, and explanation. Superior alien lifeforms (advanced intelligence) fulfills those needs.

  8) Humans are fallible. So-called “eyewitness testimony” and alleged “contact” experiences do not constitute proof of anything. They “happen,” in one sense or another, but their interpretation is open to question and debate.

  9) Fantasy is not just simple nonsense; it is a natural and pervasive component of everyday life. It provides us humans with a coping mechanism to deal with the dullness and disappointments of reality. Without all sorts of fantasy thinking—taking place mostly at the unconscious level—the real world would be impossible for most of us to endure.

  10) For most of us post-moderns, science fiction has become our myth, and science has become our religion. Due mainly to media influences and a hideously complicated world, most people are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality. And many do not want to.

  11) As in earlier times, most people are heavily influenced by authority figures, and today those authority figures are scientists, government and business leaders, and to a lesser extent—the clergy. Unlike earlier times, today we look to science for answers to most of our questions about life in the universe. The world has become more materialistic than spiritualistic, and so our spiritual needs go largely unmet.

  12) Advanced extraterrestrials are accepted by many today as the gods of the age of science. Others see them as gods of both the material and spiritual realms.

  13) UFOs and ETs may be visiting Earth, but this writer sees a different pattern in the data.

  14) Alleged “contact” experiences are almost always surrealistic in nature. Freud called this the “dreamwork.” UFO-contact experiences have all the telltale signs of the dreamwork as do myths and dreams. Surrealism is the fingerprint of fantasy and virtually all alien contacts bear the fingerprint.

  15) In this writer’s view, the key to the UFO phenomenon is to rise above the literal and materialistic viewpoints, and begin to understand the “UFO message,” which matches the wisdom of the ages as taught by the greatest philosophers and religious teachers of Earth. In UFOlogy, these teachings are called “Cosmic Laws,” and they have universal application.

  16) If these teachings are not implemented soon, it may be too late for humankind and we could become an extinct species. What survives will not be human, but rather an alien nation (as in the word “alienation.”). The ”Borg” of Star Trek is a fantasy (or metaphorical fiction) that will become even more real than it already is. Humans will become increasingly more like robots, and dehumanization on Earth will be complete.

  —RONALD D. STORY

  Stranger at the Pentagon, The (I.E.C., 1967). Evangelist Frank Stranges claims he befriended a Venusian named Valiant Thor here on a mission to neutralize Earth’s nuclear weapons. Stranges says he met Thor at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. where he had taken up residence for three years as the guest of President Dwight Eisenhower.

  —RANDALL FITZGERALD

  Stranges. Frank E. (b. 1927). Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Frank Stranges was close to death at birth, and weak and sickly in his youth. As a young man he was kidnapped, robbed, and shot at, but, he says, “By the Grace of God, I dodged all that fate was able to hurl at me and scurried on to an active life.” He has been active, indeed, as an evangelist who combines his teaching of the scriptures with books, lectures, and movies on UFOs.<
br />
  In part, his special mission was spurred on by a supposed meeting with a man from Venus, by the name of Val Thor, whose purpose on Earth was “to help mankind return to the Lord.” This meeting allegedly occurred, of all places, within the confines of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

  Frank Stranges

  Dr. Stranges gives his academic credentials as follows: “a Ph.D. in psychology, a Th.D., D.D., B.Th, B.C. Ed., Ll.D., Doctor of Humanities, and Grand Evangelist of the Sovereign Order of Alfred the Great.” He says he attended “colleges in the United States, doing further study at the Graduate Theological Seminary, Macau, Asia; Hong Kong; and at the Society of St. Luke the Physician, London, England”; also, “a Ph.D. from the National Institute of Criminology, Washington.” Another source has his doctor of psychology and philosophy degrees coming from Faith Bible College and Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

  Stranges is the president of International Evangelism Crusades, Inc. (IEC), as well as the National Investigations Committee on Unidentified Flying Objects (NICUFO). His early books included: Flying Saucerama (1959); My Friend from Beyond Earth (1960); and The Stranger at the Pentagon (1967). He has since expanded this list considerably to include many other books, as well as numerous audio and video tapes.

  Address:

  14617 Victory Blvd.

  Suite #4

  Van Nuys, CA 91411 U.S.A.

  E-mail:

  drfes@earthlink.net

  POSITION STATEMENT: UFOlogy, in and of itself, presents a number of avenues of investigation and research. However, there is one avenue that has been sadly neglected: that being the spiritual ramifications.

  When one deals with the deeper, more important aspects of UFOlogy—other than the “nuts and bolts” of the mystery—one tears aside the veil and cannot help but notice a spiritual side. A new door is opened, which reveals that those from other worlds are deeply interested in our spiritual well being

  My personal experience with one at the Pentagon in 1959 causes me to believe that many of those from space are here to assist the human family in a most wonderful and exci1ing manner.

  Consider that a being, traveling millions of miles from deep space, would not travel to this planet unless there was more than a reason, simply to land on the White House lawn and loudly announce their presence. The evidence reveals a deeper, more effective and valuable reason for their visits.

  Knowing this, I have been privileged to share this information with other people, which has: (1) elevated their spiritual consciousness; (2) given them ways and means to improve their living status and prosper in their respective communities; and (3) revealed ways and means toward better health.

  The spiritual information shared by those from other worlds is far more important that information as to how to build a spacecraft. This is my opinion regarding the spiritual value of space contact. As a clergyman for some 50 years, I am well acquainted with the ancient records that are recorded in the Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew bibles. There is far too much evidence within the confines of the Bible that totally supports the truth that UFOs are real and that they are here for a divine purpose.

  —FRANK STRANGES

  Strauch photo At 6:10 P.M., on the evening of October 21, 1965, Mr. Arthur Strauch, Deputy Sheriff of Sibley County, Minnesota, in the company of four others, was returning from a bow-hunting trip by car when he spotted a strange object which seemed to be two thousand feet above the ground and a quarter-mile distant to the northwest. They were two miles west and two miles north of Saint George. The group stopped the car and watched. Strauch got out and observed the object through 7x35 binoculars, while the others watched from inside the car.

  After watching for about ten minutes, the group drove down the road about a half-mile and stopped. Strauch got out of the car and snapped a photo just as the object began to move. It moved into the wind (northeast) for what appeared to be several hundred feet and then stopped for a few seconds, at which time its lights changed from a bright white to a dull orange, alternating several times. It then moved toward the southeast at a high rate of speed and disappeared out of sight. As it passed over their heads, the witnesses heard a high-pitched whining sound.

  Photograph by Arthur Strauch

  The witnesses were: Arthur A. Strauch (47), Deputy Sheriff of Sibley County, Minnesota; his wife, Mrs. Katherine Strauch (44), housewife; Gary Martin Strauch (16), high school student and son of Mrs. and Mrs. Strauch; Donald Martin Grewe (26), a technician, and his wife, Mrs. Retha Ann Grewe (25), a registered nurse.

  Strauch used a Kodak Instamatic camera with Ektachrome color-slide film. He had the focus set at infinity, and the shutter speed was set at 1/60th of a second.

  The sun had just set and the sky was clear. The moon had not risen, and Venus was clearly visible in the southeast. One small star was visible to the right and below the UFO.

  Testimony of the witnesses differs only in minor details. Whereas Arthur Strauch said the object appeared as large as a quarter held at arm’s length, his wife just said it was much larger than the evening star; Gary Strauch said it was like a quarter held at arm’s length, and so did Donald Grewe. Mrs. Grewe said it was the size of “a large star.”

  Eyewitness drawing by Arthur Strauch

  Mrs. Grewe, Mrs. Strauch, and Gary remained inside the car, while Mr. Grewe and Mr. Strauch got out to observe the object. At first they heard no sound. But then as the object flew over them, Grewe described the sound as a “whistling whine.” Strauch called it a “high-pitched whining sound, as made by an electrical motor starting up.”

  Mr. Strauch’s description was the most detailed as he viewed the object with the aid of binoculars. He said: “I have no idea what it was. All I can report is that it was different from anything I had ever seen in the sky. I’m positive it was a machine driven by some inner power that has tremendous speed. The outline was unmistakable through my binoculars as that of a flying saucer.”

  Strauch stated: “The rounded top of the dome was a metallic-silver gray that reflected the rays of the setting sun, turning the object into a large orange ball. Surrounding the dome were four small portholes that emitted a bright yellow light. Just below the windows or ports was an area that glowed a light blue. This light seemed to be a reflection of some inner light or perhaps exhaust. From the edge of the blue light’s reflection to the edge of the flat saucerlike surface (outer edge), the outer ring was rotating counterclockwise, causing it to throw off an aurora or halo of light that changed from orange to white with an overall tinge of blue and green. The extreme outer edge of the saucer glowed a bright orange, and this part did not move or rotate.”

  Strauch said, “I do not believe that the light went out in the machine as… we lost sight of it, but rather that it had such tremendous speed that it just disappeared into space.”

  —CORAL & JIM LORENZEN

  Strieber, Whitley (b. 1945). Whitley Strieber is probably the world’s most famous “abductee” and certainly the most articulate. His book Communion—a #1 bestseller in 1987—has sold over ten million copies worldwide, and was also made into a full-length motion picture. In this and other books, Strieber speaks freely about childhood abductions, rectal probes, alien implants, mind control, and government involvement. Communion was the first book of its kind: a first-person account of the surrealistic “Visitor” phenomenon, as Strieber calls it, composed by a literary master with obvious intelligence and insight

  Strieber was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and spent many years living in New York. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Texas, and studied at the London Film School.

  A master storyteller, Strieber is the author of eighteen books, including the novels The Wolfen (1978) and The Hunger (1981), both of which were made into feature films. Andrew Sarris has ranked The Hunger among the top ten horror films of all time.

  Strieber’s other successful books include: Warday (1984), Nature’s End (1986), Transformation (1988), and Majestic (1989).
Strieber’s books have sold over twenty-two million copies worldwide

  Strieber’s nonfiction title Confirmation (1998) was made into a two-hour special by NBC. It aired on February 17, 1999, and reached over thirteen million viewers.

  Since 1987, Strieber has made hundreds of television appearances and has become well known as a leading authority on mysteries of science.

  His latest book, The Coming Global Superstorm (1999), was written in partnership with radio talk-show host Art Bell. Strieber, himself, is now the host of the popular “Dreamland” segment of the Art Bell Show.

  Address:

  5928 Broadway

  San Antonio, TX 78209

  U.S.A.

  E-mail:

  whitley@strieber.com

  Web site:

  www.whitleysworld.com

  Whitley Strieber

  POSITION STATEMENT: The [UFO] evidence, if it is properly addressed by science, has the power to change completely the way we deal with this issue, possibly providing us with wonderful new discoveries and in formation. But there are problems. Not everybody is open-minded. Not everybody is ready to entertain such evidence as may be presented….But as a society, it would seem that we can now take the whole question another step forward and maybe at last start to move toward some satisfactory answers. Taking an interest need not imply a commitment to belief in alien contact, but we must seriously ask who or what is causing the UFO and close encounter phenomena, why it is taking place, and, above all, what its significance may be.

  It is also necessary to face the fact that the existence of the evidence means that there really may be aliens here—aliens who are creating an extraordinary theater in the sky while at the same time entering the personal lives of many people in extremely bizarre and secretive ways.