A scientist’s pursuit of the truth behind the UFO phenomenon

In my estimation, Professor James Edward McDonald (1920–1971) might be the greatest hero in the history of UFO-investigations.

McDonald’s courage in opposing the US government’s official dismissal of the UFO phenomenon as scientifically significant should act as a template for everyone who calls themselves a scientist and/or who claims to be a (sound) sceptic.

James E. McDonald (1920 - 1971), circa 1950.

His dedication and courage in pursuing the truth of the stigmatised UFO subject is inspiring. At the same time, tragic, since all the opposition he met from fellow scientists and politicians took a toll on him. James Edward McDonald took his own life in 1971; whether it was suicide is still an open question, according to some researchers.

I will not compose a biography of the life of James E. McDonald and his resolution transforming the UFO phenomenon into a valid matter for science and public conversation. Because there already exists an excellent biography, The Firestorm: Dr McDonald's Fight for UFO Science (2003) by Ann Druffell.

Instead, this post is a way for me to express appreciation for a human being who followed his instincts, his inquisitiveness, and who thoroughly employed the scientific method of uncovering the truth about reality no matter how that truth may be.

In a previous blog post, you can read about two current scientists' proposal to use McDonald's paper “Science in Default” as a template for a scientific approach to study UFOs.

However, I do not want to romanticise McDonald’s search for the truth and struggle to make the UFO phenomenon a legitimate scientific topic. His intense dedication — bordering on obsession or mania (?) — had devastating consequences for himself and his loved ones.

Besides being an homage to one of the greatest UFO investigators up till the present day, this post also has the purpose of showing people with no or little previous knowledge of the UFO phenomenon that brilliant minds since at least the 1940s have taken the UFO issue seriously.

During the short time (5 years) that McDonald investigated the UFO "problem", as he called it, he interviewed hundreds of UFO witnesses, held briefings at the United Nations and the U.S. Congress, and gave presentations in scientific contexts about the importance of the UFO phenomena.

He likely accomplished more in UFO-research than many of the current “ufologists” will ever hope to do (or me, but I am not claiming to be an UFO-researcher).

In my first post about McDonald, you can explore material on his UFO-research - and I highly recommend that you do.

McDonald's most famous presentation on the inadequate investigations of UFOs made by the U.S. Air Force from the late 1940s to the late 1960s (“Project Sign”, “Project Grudge”, “Project Blue Book,” and “The Condon Report”), is titled “Science in Default”. He held the presentation at the symposium for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in December 1969. McDonald said the following at the end of page 3 in “Science in Default”:

The Condon Report and its Academy endorsement have exerted a highly negative influence on clarification of the long-standing UFO problem; so much, in fact, that it seems almost pointless to now call for new and more extensive UFO investigations. Yet the latter are precisely what are needed to bring out into full light of scientific inquiry a phenomenon that could well constitute one of the greatest scientific problems of our times.

You can listen to McDonald's presentation "Science in Default" (AAAS, 1969) on this YouTube channel (duration: 40 min.).

McDonald, and his contemporary proponents and debunkers of the UFO problem: 

[P]layed a critical role in shaping, not only the current mythology of UFOs, alien contact, and secret government conspiracies in the public’s imagination, but also two sides of an ongoing conversation about what is and is not worth the application of scientific study, military resources, and the attention of everyday citizens so barraged with information (and so frequently lacking information literacy) that we already scarcely know who or what to believe, or why. (Source)

In other words, "nothing new under the Sun", or that UFO-history matters for understanding what is going on with the UFO problem today. 

This was an homage to atmospheric physicist, meteorologist, and UFO-researcher/activist, James E. McDonald. But his life and death are also a warning to everyone entering the realm of the UFO issue.

Take care!

New incursions by unknown flying objects over protected facilities in Sweden

The geopolitical situation with the Russian-Ukraine war and Sweden's Nato membership makes it challenging to decipher the nature of the unidentified flying objects.

Two years ago, simultaneous incursions occurred by unidentified flying objects over at least three Swedish nuclear facilities. A similar simultaneous incursion by unidentified flying objects happened on the 9th of March 2024 in the south of Sweden.

What happened on the 9th of March 2024 and where?

According to the Swedish newspaper, Sydsvenskan, “several drones have been observed during the evening and night to Saturday on several locations in Skane” (“Skåne” is the most south region of Sweden). The news media company, TV4 Nyheterna, reports that “according to information given to TV4 Nyheterna, several big drones have been observed on several locations in Skane”. Some of those locations were the closed nuclear facility Barsebäck (closed since 2005 and today a protected facility), and Malmö Airport (Malmö is the biggest city in the south of Sweden, and the third biggest in Sweden). Other locations were the “drones” — or UFOs — were observed was in Svedala and Ystad (see the map below).

Several big “drones” were observed in several locations in the most south region of Sweden on the evening of the 8th of March and night to the 9th of March 2024. Most notable of those locations are the closed nuclear facility Barsebäck and Malmö Airport.

Both the Sydsvenskan and TV4 Nyheterna report that the police and defence department are working together on the investigation of the simultaneous incursions by several “big drones” over protected facilities/areas like Barsebäck and Malmö Airport. A spokesperson for the police of Region South, Sara Andersson, tells the Sydsvenskan that these kinds of simultaneous observations and incursions are “relatively unusual”.

Debunkers and (blind) believers of the UFO phenomenon: What's the difference?

Or how opposing factions in the ufo-community could relate to each other in a way that furthers everyone's understanding of the UFO issue.

I think there is a vital distinction between being a sound skeptic of the UFO phenomena and an unsound skeptic. The latter mindset you will find in individuals called “debunkers”. What do I mean by an “unsound skeptic” or a “debunker”? I'm talking about people who can't or won't consider other people's views and won't change their opinions even when faced with facts. To be fair, that definition can fit us all from time to time, but the key is that debunkers show a stable pattern of rigid cognition and close-mindedness.

Photo by Emiliano Bar on Unsplash

How can you have an open and reciprocal discourse on the UFO-issue with a debunker or a blind believer (a similar stable pattern of rigid cognition and close-mindedness, but in the opposite direction) in UFOs? 

In the following, we will explore one viable approach that might increase the chance of a constructive conversation with a debunker or a blind believer of UFOs. That approach is about validating and respecting the human behind the rigid thinking (ethical virtue) as much as evaluating what is being said (intellectual virtue). I hope and think that the approach will be intelligible along the way, since this text does not have an obvious structure.

Less official UFO transparency confirmed?

Unfortunately, my prediction of less transparency by the U.S. Navy on the UFO issue seems to come true. But negative outcomes can point to other possibilities.

On September 8, 2022, the Black Vault published the article “U.S. Navy says ALL UAP/UFO are classified and exempt from release.” In the article, John Greenewald describes a two and half year long FOIA effort to get the U.S. Navy to release all of its videos designated with UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, or more commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects, UFOs).

The response Greenewald received from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations was:

The UAP Task Force has responded back to DNS-36 and have stated that the requested videos contain sensitive information pertaining to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and are classified and are exempt from disclosure in their entirety under exemption 5 U.S.C. § 552 (b)(1) in accordance with Executive Order 13526 and the UAP Security Classification Guide…

And furthermore:

The release of this information will harm national security as it may provide adversaries valuable information regarding Department of Defense/Navy operations, vulnerabilities, and/or capabilities. No portions of the videos can be segregated for release.

After listening to the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence (ONI), Scott W. Bray, at the C3 subcommittee hearing on UAP/UFOs in May 2022, I was worried that the ONI had emulated the “Project Blue Book”-attitude toward transparency on the UFO issue. That is, little or no transparency at all.

The UFO phenomena: from stigma to charisma?

One of the founding fathers of sociology, Max Weber, meant that charisma has been the great revolutionary force in history. Charismatic movements often begin in the fringes of society. Are UFOs going from a taboo topic to a captivating one that could change humanity?

Adinkra symbol of greatness, charisma, and leadership.

In the following, we will look at Max Weber's (1864–1920) view on charismatic authority and how the concept might relate to the UFO phenomena and the implications of greater official transparency on the UFO issue. Or as UFO or UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) are re-labeled in the Fiscal Year 2023 Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) (S. 4503), unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena (the UFO-related material is on pp. 87–117 in the PDF-version of S. 4503).

We will return to the IAA, because the language in the bill might transform the stigmatised UFO subject into a charismatic and revolutionary force in history. The truth about the UFO issue will eventually be known to the world. However, the central question is how the people will perceive the truth and the consequences of society's cohesion of that perception. 

But first, let us look at Weber’s concept of charismatic authority and how it transfers to the UFO issue and its existential implications (Weber, of course, did not discuss UFOs in his body of work).