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Klass' out of context paraphrasing and quoting, and ignoring contradicting evidence and pertinent details of the reports, demonstrates an important principle that applies to all of Klass' writings: the secret of Klass' success is that he superficially sounds very knowledgeable and authoritative about what he is writing. Only when you know the complete details of the cases do you realize he is selectively omitting evidence that would contradict his theories. |
This relates to alleged documents who were supposed to have leaked from a top secret governmental group covering up the truth about UFOs. Soon after the so called "Majestic 12" documents were published, several ufologists have established that they are not consistent, and numerous ufologist indeed think that the US government has a secret agenda about UFOs, it was very soon established that these documents were hoaxed.
Later, more such hoaxed "majestic 12" documents appeared again, and Philipp Klass heroically denounced them as frauds.
So, this is a good example of Philipp Klass contribution to science: he waits for forged documents, and when they appear, he will bravely denounce them.
A book to explain to the kids that there are no flying saucers. A 48 pages paperback book he published in July 1997, the reading level is for ages 9-12. So is the writing level.
The Klass technique is very simple: take an information, removes its context and use it. Here is a set of examples:
| Case description: | Complete information: | Klass statement: | Explanation: |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 24, 1948, the pilot and co-pilot of a DC-3 at 5000 ft over Alabama both observe an elongated object, the size of a B-29 fuselage, rushing towards them on a near collision course. The object exhibits window-like openings along its side from which emanated a bright glow, and it had a bluish glow from nose to tail along its undersurface, including a bright red flame-like wake. | A passenger said "I could discern nothing in the way of a definite shape or form... " | "unequivocally" the result of a bright fireball. In contradiction with the pilot, the passenger says there were no windows-like openings. | Klass truncates the passenger's statement: it is true that the passenger did not see the windows-like openings, because, as he adds: "...I was so startled that I could not get my eyes adjusted to it before it was gone". Klass supresses this. |
Philipp Klass has a lot to do with all the UFO reports. After all, to "explain" all of them is a harassing work. Sometimes, there is a need to give them a fast explanation. Here is a set of examples:
| Case description: | Klass explanation: |
|---|---|
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January 5, 2000, several police officer eyewitness a UFO as a large, 200-600 feet linear, 40-60 feet thick, triangular-shaped object possessing on its underside, downward pointing white lights arranged at the corners, a red light near the center, possible additional red lights spaced at intervals across the underside and near the perimeter, and a row of multicolored lights along one side between two corner white lights. There also appeared to be large windows with light emanating through them. |
It was the planet Venus. |
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1965, Exeter, Norman Muscarello was hitchhiking home. An object suddenly came out of the clear sky towards him. He described it as about 90 feet in diameter, with bright, pulsating lights around what appeared to be a rim. It silently wobbled and floated towards him. A woman had already reported that a large silent object with red flashing lights had followed her car, a distance of 12 miles, until it suddenly shot up into the sky. Later, 2 policemen see it too. |
It was a thunderball. |
"In nearly 30 years of searching, investigating famous cases, I have yet to find one that cannot be explained in down-to-earth prosaic terms. Therefore, if somebody says to me, "I have been abducted by strange looking creatures that do these dreadful things to me," I'm quite confident that they could not possibly be extraterrestrials. Maybe they're mischievous Irish leprechauns; maybe they're the mischievous elves of Santa Claus; maybe they are agents of the devil - now I don't believe in any of these. But I have not spent 30 years investigating whether the leprechauns exist. But I am quite confident that there is no scientific credible evidence to show that we've had alien visitors, let alone that they're doing these dreadful things.
The facts: Klass should visit this web site. UFO observations are real. Scientists study them, Air Forces all over the world report them, physical evidences do exist. Unfortunately Klass does not know this.
Rather than diverting us with his opinion on the Leprechaun and Santa Klaus, Klass should read what true scientists, form the GEPAN, paid by the French government to give a conclusion about ufos are writing:
"There are now sufficient material evidences that some ufos are flying machines driven by an intelligence and having flight characteristics that today's human technology is far from reaching."
The bottom line is that Klass actually is NOT a scientist, only an amateur pusruing the goal to dismiss UFOs against all evidence.
"I myself spent four hours arguing with Philip Klass, the most widely published current UFO skeptic, who raged that abductees make their claims only to get on TV. That's absurd. I've met dozens of them, and they fervently protect their privacy. Only one has ever let me print his name. So I had to ask: Which abductees had Klass met? "The ones who appear with me on television," he replied without a trace of irony."
