The Man Who Invented Flying Saucers

**Skeptical**

Here is a very interesting article written by none-other-than John Keel. It is an homage of sorts to Ray Palmer, the editor of such magazines as Amazing Stories and Fate.

http://greyfalcon.us/The%20Man%20Who%20Invented%20Flying%20Saucers.htm

This is a good read but, as usual, Keel tends to overstate his case. It is probably accurate that Palmer did contribute much to establishing UFOs in the popular consciousness. Still, Keel has a way of oversimplifying things to bolster his case. I hardly think that Palmer single-handedly carried ufology on his back from 1957 to 1964.

Still it is interesting that Palmer got hooked up with Kenneth Arnold almost immediately after his June 24th, 1947 sighting. I'll give him credit for figuring out how to turn a buck off of Arnold's experience.

S
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"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." -- Thomas Jefferson

**dr wu23** · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 2245 Location: Indiana

Palmer has been mentioned by many over the years as being largely responsible for ufo tales. He did have magazines . Fate. as well as another one called Amazing Stories (Tales?) where he presented ufo tales that were often outlandish like the Dero strories of aliens who lived in the hollow earth. If anything he gave a bad name to the ufo field early on by his wild tales.
_________________
"Some say the valley has always been haunted ever since River ran.
The rippling waters fast as the colors conceal the Green Man."
Roy Harpur from The Green Man

Jimmy · Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Posts: 44

Paul68 · Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 67

Don't forget Keels close ties to Grey Barker, also a big part of Fate and other sources responsible for much of ufology's classics.

http://www.carpenoctem.tv/cons/mib.html

**Skeptical** · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:25 am Post subject:

Barker was a showman more than anything else. Even Keel will admit that Barker's mantra was "if the story isn't good, I'll make it good."

When a serious, life-long UFO researcher like Ted Phillips can't recount a single encounter with MIBs or shadowy government agents, it does sound pretty silly that Air Force guys make a habit of going out and scaring housewives.

S
_________________
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." -- Thomas Jefferson

**dr wu23** · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 2245 Location: Indiana

**Skeptical** · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:52 pm Post subject:

Obviously, I can't prove it but I suspect the biggest source of shadowy people has been UFOlogy itself. I would not be surprised at all to find out that a number of these ersatz Air Force officers were really some over-zealous would-be ufo "researchers" .

S
_________________
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." -- Thomas Jefferson

**dr wu23** · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 2245 Location: Indiana

Skeptical,
This is a weird read about the occult origin of the MIB that I found many years ago.
http://www.greylodge.org/occultreview/glor_001/mib.htm

Cool

_________________
"Some say the valley has always been haunted ever since River ran.
The rippling waters fast as the colors conceal the Green Man."
Roy Harpur from The Green Man

**Carol Nistri** · Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Posts: 3283

If it wasnt for the weird discription of the MIBs it shouldnt seem at all strange to us that someone was sent to investigate a claim.How else at that time could the government talk to the individuale without drawing attention to itself and the fact that they were gathering very sketchy information? The discription of walking cadavars with cheap suits is what thru this a curve ball.