Free E-Books on the UFO Subject.

[karl 12]

I´m sure many folks here have read them before but below are a collection of free UFO E-books -the first one by Project Bluebook´s  Edward J. Ruppelt is a great one and has been described as an 'essential read' when it comes to the UFO subject -whatever your position.

This is Edward J. Ruppelt's memoir of his role in the seminal US Air Force UFO study projects: Projects Sign, Grudge and Blue Book. According to this account, he coined the acronym 'UFO' and put many of the official procedures for reporting and studying UFOs in place. An enjoyable read, this book captures the feel of working for the mid-20th century US military. He describes the changing attitudes of the USAF about UFOs during the early 1950s: wobbling between denial, ridicule, paranoia, and genuine inquiry.

A key point of this book is to resolve doubts about the military's role. Ruppelt makes a strong case that UFOs weren't a top secret weapons system; the reports were not disinformation by intelligence agencies; nor was there a concerted effort to cover up UFOs by the US government. Ruppelt does recount many times when the brass tried to dismiss reports without investigating them sufficiently. However, this comes across as simply standard-issue military 'cover-your-ass' behavior, not a vast conspiracy.

He gives unique details on some of the most impressive sightings on his watch. These were largely witnessed by highly trained observers such as radar operators, fighter and commercial pilots, astronomers, and other scientists, often during the course of their official duties. The Air Force group that Ruppelt worked for had access to data on top secret balloon launches and test flights, so they were able to sort out which reports could be explained in this way. He consulted with a wide range of scientific specialists, many of whom were in favor of the extraterrestrial hypothesis, and some who were skeptics.

Fully a quarter of the reports were still unexplained after this rigorous filtering. Ruppelt is decidedly agnostic, but open-minded, about the reality behind the 'unexplained' sightings.

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[karl 12]

The UFO Evidence - published by NICAP

A synthesis is presented of data concerning Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) reported during the past 20 years through governmental, press and private channels. The serious evidence is clarified and analyzed. The data are reported by categories of specially trained observers and studied by patterns of appearance, performance and periodic recurrence.

During the process of selecting the most reliable and significant reports, emphasis was placed on the qualifications of the observer and on cases involving two or more observers. This resulted in 740 reports being selected, after consideration of over 5000 signed reports and many hundreds of reports from newspapers and other publications.

An overall look is taken at the UFO problem: The historical development of the mystery, Congressional attitudes and activity, consideration of the problems and dangers involved, and discussion of what is needed in the way of organized scientific research.


Evidence is presented in support of the hypothesis that UFOs are under intelligent control, making plausible the notion that some of them might be of extraterrestrial origin.

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The Flying Saucers Are Real by Donald Keyhoe [1950]

This was one of the first books published about the UFO phenomena. We are fortunate that it ended up in the public domain.

It is a template for much of what would follow: the paranoia, the government disinformation, the inescapable conclusion that the saucers are not of this earth. Keyhoe, with his spare, matter of fact writing style, which also conveys a profound sense of wonder, has to be the prototype for the deadpan Fox Mulder of the X-Files.

On one hand we can see the birth of a key modern mythology. On the other, there is a body of almost naive evidence in this text unpolluted by that very mythology. The case studies are real. The witnesses were highly reliable. These cases are still unexplained.

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Inside Saucer Post 3-0 Blue by Leonard Stringfield 1957

Leonard Stringfield was born in 1920. He was director of CRIFO (Civilian Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects) - one of the world's largest research groups during the mid-5Os and publisher of its newsletter, ORBIT (1953-1957). He also worked in cooperation with the United States Air Force (1953-1957), investigating and reporting UFO activity, having been assigned a special code number to report by phone to the Air Defense Command in Columbus, Ohio. For over 30 years Stringfield served in several of the major UFO Organizations in a public relations capacity. From 1957 to 1970, he was public relations adviser with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. Later on it was director of public relations and board member of the Mutual UFO Network. He was also regional investigator for the Center for UFO Studies directed by Dr. J. Allen Hynek.
Stringfield was also advisor to Sir Eric Gairy, former Prime Minister of Grenada, 1977-78, during his efforts to establish a UFO research agency within the framework of the United Nations. He passed away in 1994.

link (pdf)

[karl 12]

Regional Encounters - the FC files. A century of UFO sightings and Close encounters in the Mid West. - Francis Ridge

This is a collection of the best UFO sightings that the UFO Filter Center in Indiana has investigated.  It is of local interest since the emphasis is on Midwest sightings, most notably Indiana but also several Ohio cases.  Regional Encounters has illustrations taken from UFO reports of various UFOs.  Some are disc shaped, others are boomerang shaped, others are cigar shaped.
The book takes a chronological approach.  Each section is devoted to a particular year or decade.  The earliest sightings are from 1897.  The biggest year for sightings was 1952.

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UFOLOGY - A Major Breakthrough in the Scientific Understanding of Unidentified Flying Objects - James M. McCampbell

Very few subjects have attracted as much attention throughout the world as Unidentified Flying Objects. Nearly everyone in the civilized world has at least heard of them. Even some natives beyond the reach of modern communications have described things in the sky that fit the definition. Beyond that, however, there is little unanimity. Every individual has naturally formed his own opinion on the topic, and beliefs vary greatly. Most reasonable people would accept a full and convincing proof of the identity of these mysterious objects. UFOs remain controversial, however, because no attempt at explaining the phenomenon has been entirely successful.

The fundamental fact confronting us is the existence of a large number of UFO sighting reports. Some of these reports may be fraudulent, but most investigators have concluded that the major ity are quite valid; that is, the witnesses themselves believed that they saw something real, external, artificial, and unusual. The primary aim of this book is to seek a satisfactory interpretation, or understanding, of these experiences..

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Flying saucers, fact or fiction? by Max B. Miller

Twelve year research of U.F.O.'s in our skies revealed by the top scientists, astronomers, Airforce personnel, and technical observers.

link (pdf)

[karl 12]

Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects -Committee on Science and Astronautics - US House of Representatives,1968.

"Today the House Committee on Science and Astronautics conducts a very special session, a symposium on the subject of unidentified flying objects; the name of which is a reminder to us of our ignorance on this subject and a challenge to acquire more knowledge thereof. We approach the question of unidentified flying objects as purely a scientific problem, one of unanswered questions. Certainly the rigid and exacting discipline of science should be marshaled to explore the nature of phenomena which reliable citizens continue to report"

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UFOs: A NEW LOOK - A Special Report by the The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP)

"One of the most significant developments since 1964 has been the increasing concern over the UFO problem demonstrated by professional scientists and engineers. The growing involvement of scientists insisting on a careful review of the evidence decreases the likelihood that the problem could or would be buried or glossed over in the future before a proper evaluation is made".

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'Need to Know: UFOs, the Military and Intelligence' by Timothy Good

An acknowledged authority on the controversial subject of UFOs, and an indefatigable researcher, the author of "Above Top Secret" tells readers what they need to know regarding UFOs, the military, and intelligence.

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[karl 12]

'The Canadian UFO Report: The Best Cases Revealed' by Chris Rutkowski and Geoff Dittman

The Canadian UFO Reports is a popular history of the UFO phenomenon in Canada, something that has captured the imaginations of young and old alike. Drawn from government documents and civilian case files - many previously unpublished - the book includes a chronological overview of the best Canadian UFO cases, from the very first sighting of "fiery serpents" over Montreal in 1662 to reports from the past year. There are chapters on the government's involvement with UFOs, UFO landing pads, media interest, and even UFO abductions.

What were the "ghost airplanes" seen over the Parliament Buildings in 1915, or the flying saucers seen by military officers over Goose Bay Air Force Base, Newfoundland, in the 1940s and 1950s? Was a prospector burned by a UFO in Manitoba in 1967? Did a UFO crash off the coast of Nova Scotia? Was Quebec invaded by UFOs in 1973? Find out here.

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'UFOs over Canada: personal accounts of sightings and close encounters' by John Robert Colombo

Once more, Colombo has turned his attention to the paranormal, this time focusing on "UFO" phenomena. Colombo, one of Canada's chief compilers of occult and mysterious events, presents 60 personal accounts of sightings and encounters with unidentified flying objects from across the nation. Colombo's preface is surprisingly good: informative, unbiased, and altogether rational.

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'Night Siege - The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings' by Dr J. Allen Hynek:

New Year's Eve 1982 marked the beginning of one of the most puzzling UFO cases in recent times: the Hudson Valley "siege." The siege begot over 7,000 sightings of a boomerang-shaped craft or crafts moving silently through the sky over New York and Connecticut between 1982 and 1995. Night Siege is the collaborative effort of Hynek, Imbrogno, and Pratt to report the data gathered from witnesses of this mystifying experience, without speculation of what it might be..

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[karl 12]

'Passport to Magonia: On UFOs, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds' by Dr Jacques Vallee

Over two decades ago, eminent scientist Vallee wrote a provocative book about alleged UFO landings, folklore, and certain unexplained phenomena. That long-out-of-print book--which discussed the most interesting reports of more than 1,000 apparently reliable witnessess--has become an underground classic..

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UFO Frontier by Kenny Young

In UFO Frontier, Cincinnati-based Ufologist Kenny Young's body of work is revealed including his investigations into Jackie Gleason and "The Pickled Men", pre-Roswell UFO crashes, the 1997 "Phoenix Lights", phantom blasts, mystery planes, weird creatures, stealth aerospace technology, crop circles, police and government UFO incidents, and private industry involvement. No crackpot flying saucer personality or organization is safe from his level-headed criticism. Editor and fellow paranormal researcher S. Patrick Feeney merges several of Young's unpublished works into this single anthology.

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The Challenge Of Unidentified Flying Objects by Professor Charles A. Maney

Accounts of phenomena popularly referred to as "flying saucers," more dignifiedly labeled "unidentified flying objects" or UFOs, con­tinue to persist in the world news. The reports of these strange phenomena of the skies have been attracting public attention for thirteen years and there is apparently no let-up in sight. Although within a given region on earth long lulls between sightings have been noted, during such local lulls, other parts of the world have witnessed extra concentrations of sightings.

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[starwarp2000]

Thanks for these books Karl.

Now to some reading 

[karl 12]

Thanks for these books Karl.

Now to some reading 

Starwarp, thanks for the reply matey and happy reading -thought 'Ufology' by James M. McCampbell was a very good one

This other book from Charles Fort is a bit of an old one but also contains some interesting reports which suggest UFOs were being seen way back before the 1940s:

New Lands by Charles Fort

As in his other books, many of the phenomena here are straight-on UFO reports. Fort gives numerous instances of 'airship' sightings, some with multiple attestations over wide regions. Many of the sightings occurred decades before humans attained heavier-than-air flight. What is striking to modern readers is the language used by the authorities to explain these sightings: bright stars, luminescent gas, mirages, ball lightning, and mass hysteria...and, just prior to WWI, reports of mysterious cylinders over south England were attributed to the Germans. So not only have there been mysterious lights in the sky long before the initial UFO flap in the late 1940s, the powers that be have likewise attempted to dismiss these reports in similar terms for a long time...

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Cheers.

[karl 12]

Dimensions -Jacques Vallee

In Dimensions, the first volume of a trilogy, Dr. Jacques Vallee reexamines the historical record that led to the modern UFO phenomenon and to the belief in alien contact. He then tackles the enigma of abduction reports, which come from various times and various countries, as well as the psychic and spiritual components of the contact experience. In the last portion of the book, he notes the factors that inhibit research into the phenomenon – the triple coverup and political motivations – and concludes that the extraterrestrial theory is simply not strange enough to explain the facts.

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'Flying Saucers From Outer Space' by Major Donald Keyhoe

Three years ago, in a book entitled The Flying Saucers Are Real, I reported the results of my first investigation into this world-wide mystery. At that time I stated my belief that the U.S. Air Force knew the answer and was hiding it from the public.

Since July, 1952, in a new investigation of the saucers, I have been privileged to cooperate with the Air Force. Because of my present understanding of their very serious problem, and certain dangers inherent in the situation, I have been given information unknown to most Americans.

Scores of impressive sighting reports by service pilots have been cleared for me, with the conclusions of Air Technical Intelligence—some so incredible they would have been ridiculed two or three years ago.

As a result of this close association, this book reveals, I believe, all that the Air Force has learned about the flying saucers. It also explains the contradictions that have come, from time to time, from various Defense officials, as well as the reasons for official silence.

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The Mantell Incident: An Anatomy of an Investigation

The Mantell Incident: An Anatomy of an Investigation, is more than a diary of what happened each day. It includes transcripts of discovered documents and "lost" press releases, as well as actual copies of important documents. The report includes analyses by numerous researchers of specific issues. The Report would not be complete without the analytical expertise of independent researcher, Brad Sparks, who wrote the very detailed analysis based on all the evidence collected.

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[karl 12]

'Report on the UFO Wave of 1947' by Ted Bloecher, Introduction by Dr James E. Mcdonald.

Just over twenty years ago, the problem of the Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) burst into public attention. In a single two-week period in the summer of 1947, the UFO problem was laid in confusing disorder before the American public by means of banner headlines and wire-stories in profusion.

A few writers have already nibbled at the edge of a journalistic review of that curtain-raising two-week episode in late June and early July, 1947. In the present book, Bloecher gives us what will probably come to be regarded as the definitive analysis of that important episode in UFO and journalistic history.

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'Alfred Loedding and the great flying saucer wave of 1947' by Michael D Hall & Wendy A Conners

When UFOs first appeared in numbers during the great flying saucer wave of 1947, few people made the jump to an extraterrestrial hypothesis. The subject of this book, Alfred Loedding, is significant because he did eventually lean toward that assumption. Because he played such an instrumental role in the first official Air Force investigation into the phenomena, it is important to analyze the progression of his theories.

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'Forbidden science: journals, 1957-1969' by Jacques Vallee

Known principally as an investigator of the UFO phenomenon ( Dimensions ) and a science fiction novelist, the French-born Vallee (now a resident of the U.S.) has also worked as a computer scientist in both academia and industry. Ufologists will not find the answers to all of their questions here, for although Vallee believes that UFOs exist, he has no idea just what they are. Therein lies the excellence of his dazzling diary: it offers a glimpse into the mind of a scientist who seems to challenge every preconception and established piety. To his academic training as a mathematician and scientist, which stressed rational approaches to problems, Vallee has brought an interest in the mystical, the psychical, the paranormal.

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