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Christopher O'Brien

Back in the Saddle Aginn
Staff member
Perennial favorite Paracast guest Kevin Randle re-visits the show, this time to discuss his brand new book, Encounter in the Desert: The Case For Alien Contact At Socorro (New Page Books)

"The UFO landing at Socorro has been wrapped in controversy almost from the moment that police officer Lonnie Zamora watched a craft descend and land. Zamora saw alien beings near the craft and a symbol on its side but was told that he shouldn’t mention either. Encounter in the Desert reveals―for the first time―exactly what he saw in that arroyo in 1964 and what an examination of the landing revealed to investigators.

"Socorro wasn’t a stand-alone case. Other sightings, some of them nearly as spectacular as Zamora’s, were reported at the time. A study of the Air Force investigation of this case reveals an effort, at first, to learn the truth that mutated into a clever attempt to hide the information from the public.

"Encounter in the Desert reveals all this and much more, including:
  • The first new, in-depth look at the Zamora UFO landing in more than three decades.
  • Other reports of alien creatures sighted around the country at the same time.
  • An examination of the physical evidence found on the landing site.
  • The revelation that there were other witnesses to the craft and the landing."
As many Paracast listeners know, back in 1975 Ray Stanford published Socorro Saucer in a Pentagon Pantry widely considered by many ufologists (including this one) to be the finest book ever written about a single UFO case, so Kevin must be commended for having the courage to re-visit the Socorro/Zamora case and re-open several controversies about the case that, I'm sure we'll cover in this highly revealing episode. The book's description at Amazon makes it appear that the book contains new information...we'll see.
 
It would be fantastic to have Ray along on with Kevin for this one if possible.
I'm sure we would see some Socorro Synergy created.
 
I wonder what Dr. Randle thinks about the Gaffney S.C. case of Nov. 17th, 1966 in relation to Socorro.

Two patrolmen encountered a descending object about twenty feet diameter in an isolated area near Gaffney. When the object neared the ground a door opened and a ladder went down. A four foot tall humanoid exited the object and slowly walked over to the patrolmen. The humanoid was not wearing any headgear, and he also spoke excellent English. After a few minutes the humanoid reentered the object, which ascended and then vanished from sight. The next day small footprints were found at the site. You can read John Keel's article here at the Paracast forum.

I also posted excerpts at Kevin's blog, so I am pretty sure he at least glanced at it. This sighting corresponds in some important ways to the Socorro event. But in Gaffney there were two officers, and they actually talked to the humanoid. But the humanoid had no breathing apparatus or helmet to guard against microbiological infection. So, while I see this Gaffney event as highly likely a real encounter, it strikes me that it is not "scientific" reality, but something phenomenologically oriented to impress the human observers.

If the Gaffney encounter was a real event, then how does Socorro relate to it?
 
I love Kevin Randle - he does amazing research and I think he's only gotten better with experience. I have a question that's ideal for him:

I recently heard an interview with Ray Bowyer, the pilot in the 2007 Channel Islands case where two mile-long glowing ufos were seen hovering high above the water. He says that a new copy of the lost radar tape evidence was recently unearthed by French researchers, and at the time of the interview a few months ago, it was being digitized for public study. The tape is said to show radar returns from both the Jersey Air Traffic Control and the Guernsey radar stations, and both objects can be seen appearing, and then disappearing simultaneously. In addition to the two other witnesses on Ray's plane who came forward, a pilot on another plane in the area confirmed the sighting in response to a radio request from air traffic control. Has Kevin ever looked into this case? What does he think of it?
 
This sighting corresponds in some important ways to the Socorro event.

It differs greatly in that the entity in this case sought contact, even communication, however brief, instead of departing immediately on being sighted. There have been a number of cases more like this '66 case than Socorro. Reliance on apparent rocket propulsion is not exactly typical.


But in Gaffney there were two officers, and they actually talked to the humanoid.

It's interesting that some UFO cases are greatly publicized while others remain obscure. Here there were two credible witnesses and no doubt that what they saw was not prosaic. But it got swept under the rug. I think the specific problem here is that it was "too good." Talking to an ET would seem too "far out" or adamski-ish.


But the humanoid had no breathing apparatus or helmet to guard against microbiological infection. So, while I see this Gaffney event as highly likely a real encounter, it strikes me that it is not "scientific" reality, but something phenomenologically oriented to impress the human observers.

The bulk of reported entities aren't observed with life support gear. If there were physical traces I think they were real, but perhaps not necessarily biological in nature, hence not vulnerable, or perhaps fully immunized.
 
The bulk of reported entities aren't observed with life support gear. If there were physical traces I think they were real, but perhaps not necessarily biological in nature, hence not vulnerable, or perhaps fully immunized.

In my very small number of experiences, they weren’t wearing any life support gear at all.

Which means, basically, either they’re not alien to our biosphere, or have been adapted to it, or constructed specifically for our environment.
 
Which means, basically, either they’re not alien to our biosphere, or have been adapted to it, or constructed specifically for our environment.

The second and third alternatives are the best, considering how alien they usually appear, among other things.
 
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