Article from the newspaper Daily Times, March 2002.
By Debra Mayeux / Staff writer
FARMINGTON - It reads like a good science fiction novel -an unsuspecting reporter gets his hands on a newspaper publisher's secret files. The files contain drawings, photographs and considerable correspondence with scientists and ufologists about extraterrestrial contact.
But this story is not fiction. It's real.
Lincoln O'Brien, the founder and former publisher of the Farmington Daily Times, had a distinct interest in UFOs. He had numerous correspondence with individuals involved in the early UFO movement, beginning in the 1940s and continuing through the 1960s.
His letters, documents, Western Union telegrams, photos and drawings were locked away in a file and forgotten after the gentleman turned his publishing company, New Mexico Newspapers, Inc. over to his son Elliott.
It wasn't until the mid-1990s, when The Farmington Daily Times instituted a computerized filing system, that the secret files were discovered and nearly destroyed.
Former managing editor Ralph Damiani went through all of the old clips and library files and began throwing things away. When he found a file marked UFO, he gave it to a reporter with an interest in the subject.
"I couldn't believe somebody was thinking about discarding it," said El Reportero Misterioso. "As soon as they threw it on my desk, I knew I had something valuable of historical content."
El Reportero, who wishes to keep his identity secret for safety reasons, kept the files safe. He didn't want them to fall into the wrong hands because of their historical value.
In these files O'Brien actually has written contact with Professor George Adamski, who some consider the father of the extraterrestrial movement, wrote the book "Flying Saucers Have Landed."
There are a number of letters between O'Brien and Adamski, as well as correspondence with friends of the professor's -people who also claim to have witnessed extraterrestrial contact.
One of the letters, written Jan. 19, 1953, is from Adamski to O'Brien. It begins: "It has been sometime since I last wrote to you, but I have thought of you often because of your interest in the Flying Saucers and the mission of your papers to give the Truth to people.
"These visitors from other worlds are still with us and their numbers are increasing. It is my belief that they are coming earthward for a definite purpose and they will continue coming until their mission is fulfilled," Adamski wrote.
O'Brien wrote back Jan. 21, 1953: "I am very interested in your letter and enclosures of January 19th. Frankly, this is either the best story of the year or it is unprintable. If there was some way to prove these facts I should be vitally interested but I am afraid without outside proof it is too much. Perhaps you were in the position of the first Indian who saw Columbus' boats. I guess a lot of people didn't believe him either."
This led to numerous letters between O'Brien, Adamski and various witnesses to ET contact. There was also a story published by O'Brien on March 16, 1953.
The story, which has not been found in The Daily Times archives, supposedly described a close encounter of the first kind between Adamski and a man from Venus.
Later correspondence shows that Adamski and his followers were not pleased with the article.
"In every issue of your papers in a little box on the top left corner of the front page is carved these words - Our Mission Truth. But in this story about George Adamski, you have betrayed the truth. You have ridiculed it and blasphemed it - and I am sorry," wrote Lucy McGinnis, a witness to the alleged contact.
Adamski also wrote: "The man with whom I talked for 45 minutes was just as solid and firm as any man walking the streets on Earth today. He was no materialization! He was a living, breathing, talking and thinking human being!
"Why the battle is against me, I don't know. I am only trying to live the American way of sharing my knowledge with those who care to share it with me," Adamski wrote.
But during the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Truman administration instituted a law to keep government knowledge of those types of events secret, according to ufologist Linda Moulton Howe.
Howe and others question O'Brien's interest in UFOs and ET contact. Some believe he may have been a government pawn, working with the administration to discredit UFO sightings and contacts.
"Would the government appeal to him to suppress information in the interest of being an American patriot," Howe questioned. "The government has thought that they are super patriots by keeping this secret."
What O'Brien's motives for keeping files on UFOs will never be known, but the files exist and they are now in the hands of the Friends of the Aztec Library and will be on display during the upcoming Fifth Annual UFO Symposium, March 21-25 in Aztec.
El Reportero Misterioso recently donated the files to the library because he wanted them to be in good hands.
"I had lent them out to ufologists around the country, and then they returned them to me," Misterioso said. "I wanted to put it to a good cause."
The Friends of the Library are thrilled to have such a piece of history.
"We were looking through this material, and I said 'Do you realize what this is,'" said Charles Pike, a Friends member. "What a cultural find. We're real excited to have had these things and make it all come together to reflect this area."
Also in O'Brien's files were drawings from Adamski of the man from Venus's footprints. The markings on the feet are supposed to have a significant impact on the future of mankind, but there was no indication as to the deciphering of symbols.
There was also correspondence concerning the historical Farmington Armada fly over. This occurred in March 1950.
In a Western Union telegram, dated March 18, 1950, O'Brien wrote to Ken Purdy, the editor of True Magazine, "Whole city Farmington New Mexico (where we own daily) sees large force flying saucers. Airmailing you full reports. Story terrific not fully developed. If you want to send man Farmington we will assist him in every way."
This is just one of several telegrams, something Misterioso finds fascinating.
"It must have been an exciting time in Farmington," he said.
The files show that O'Brien was also in contact with the Flying Saucer Television Network Show, the San Francisco Times and the Unidentified Flying Objects Research Committee.
George Popowitch, of the committee, asked O'Brien about the fly over. "What was the official explanation for that one? The people's charge accounts which became astronomical and their bills floating around town," he wrote.
Others across the country wrote to O'Brien to share their stories about sightings.
The files are extensive and historical for the area, said Leanne Hathcock of the Aztec Library.
They will be on display to the public during the symposium and will be kept in the hands of the Friends of the Aztec Library for historical preservation purposes.
Debra Mayeux: debram@daily-times.com
