Leonard Stringfield

Did Einstein Inspect a Crashed UFO and Aliens From Roswell?

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by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”

Scientist Albert Einstein poses for a portrait in 1947. (Photo courtesy Library of Congress/Getty Images)

The announcement on July 8, 1947 by the intelligence office at Roswell Army Air Field that they had recovered a flying saucer from a ranch in the area quickly faded from the public consciousness after it was announced the next day that what was found was actually a weather balloon. It wasn’t until 1978 that the story was resurrected after Stanton Friedman stumbled upon it. After that, it spawned a cottage industry that many people profited from with books, speaking engagements, television appearances, videos and assorted merchandise. The original story of a flying saucer being recovered grew until there were two crash sites, recovered alien bodies, and even a living alien. Much of this is now doubtful as the credibility of the people who made those sorts of claims has been called into question, as is reported in detail on the website, roswellfiles.com. The thing about the Roswell case is, once one piece of testimony or evidence is put into question or totally debunked, someone comes along with “new evidence” that is promised to be “the smoking gun.” Read more →

A 1976 UFO Encounter in Kentucky: THE INVESTIGATION

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By Charles Lear

In last week’s blog, we looked at a UFO encounter in Kentucky reported by three women, Louise Smith, Mona Stafford, and Elaine Thomas. According to them, they saw a craft that shone a blue light into their car and seemingly took control of it. They felt pain down through the tops of their heads and in their eyes, felt the car being pulled backwards and then suddenly found themselves almost eight miles away in what seemed like an instant. The UFO was gone. They continued on to Liberty, Kentucky and stopped at the trailer home of Smith, who had been the driver. They became aware that they all had a number of physical ailments, including burning and tearing eyes, skin that burned when in contact with water and one-inch-by-three-inch marks on the backs of their necks. There was also about 80 minutes they couldn’t account for. Smith looked to see if any of her neighbors were awake and she saw a light on in the trailer next-door belonging to Lowell Lee. The women went over to his house and Lee listened to their story. He looked at the marks on their necks, and then had them go to separate areas and draw what they said they saw.  The drawings were almost identical. The story found its way into the press and it wasn’t long before interested UFO investigators approached the women to look into the case. Read more →

UFOs, Contactees, Humanoids and a Thorn in the Side of the Air Force

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by Charles Lear

The year 1957 was a very interesting one in UFO history. In that year, UFO occupant reports were accepted as worthy of investigation by serious organizations such as the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization and Civilian Saucer Intelligence of New York; Contactees were in the spotlight thanks to the Long John Nebel Show; and Maj. Donald Keyhoe USMC ret. became the director of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. The main question in the early days of flying saucers had been  whether or not they came from outer space. The Air Force had assured the public that they were working to find the answers to the mystery, but now the public’s faith in the Air Force was waning and the mystery was more complex. Who to believe and what to believe were now complicated by competing factions and commercial interests. A person could get in there and diligently research and investigate, sit back and enjoy the circus or join the circus and cash in.

The editorial in the May, 1957 CSI News Letter No. 19, “The Price of Being Too Factual,” encapsulates the state of UFOlogy at that time. It begins with the announcement that Leonard Stringfield will no longer be issuing the periodical Orbit. This was the newsletter for his organization, Civilian Research Interplanetary Flying Objects. Stringfield had a reputation for being a no-nonsense investigator and was a trusted source for sightings reports. That he was unable to cover his printing costs while a “tongue-in cheek entertainer,” like John Nebel, and “a purveyor of a gospel,” such as George Adamski, were able to maintain a mass audience is noted as boding “ill for the future of UFO research.” Providing hope is the news that NICAP is under new management and the writer ends by encouraging readers to support the organization and that “it’s time to put up or shut up.”

NICAP was founded in 1956 by T. Townsend Brown, who claimed to have developed an anti-gravity device. Keyhoe had been instrumental in recruiting many prominent people, including Rear Adm. Delmar C. Fahrney USN ret., to sit on NICAP’s board of governors. NICAP had lofty ambitions and having a paid, full-time staff was one of them. An $85,000 a year payroll for that staff, which included Brown, was “suggested” and an argument ensued that resulted in Brown leaving and Keyhoe taking over as director. Read more →