From Dan Wright's Mufon Newsletter Dan Wright Deputy Director, Investigations 228 S. Fairview Lansing, MI 48912 August 28, 1989 THE INVESTIGATOR'S EDGE Witness integrity is a critical area to be covered in the investigator's report, yet it is often the most difficult area to assess. Few of us have much formal education in psychology, and even that type of training might be insufficient in certain cases. Much has been said and written about hoaxed claims, which nearly always entail a dramatic close encounter story wherein the teller was the intended subject of the intruder. Other indicators to look for include: (a) precise details expressed with confidence regarding measurements, vehicle design and so forth, (b) if multiple witnesses, total agreement on all aspects of the original account, (c) instant answers to questions posed, (d) the conveyance of a message or indication of purpose by the alien intelligence, and (e) a desire for publicity by the reporting person. Some accounts are genuine despite these appearances, but they do serve as caution lights. Exaggeration and embellishment are not the same and both must be considered. The former overstates a descriptive element - proximity, size, brightness, velocity and the like - that would normally be perceived in an event of that type. If an object seen at dusk in a populated area is estimated to have been thousands of feet in the air yet a foot in diameter at arm's length, one would suspect an exaggerated apparent size. [Otherwise, police phone lines would have been jammed followed by headlines in the morning news.] Embellishment, by contrast, adds elements or details thereof that were not part of the actual observation. This might become evident when comparing original statements made immediately after the incident (to police, the investigator or someone else) with a later re-telling. For example, the object was lost from view below the tree-line and (the witness later deduces) landed. Perhaps a faint glow within the woods is added in the re-telling as well. Taking leave of the facts in either of these fashions might be quite unintentional on the part of a person who both wants to impress you, "the expert", in such matters. Thus, when questioned (s)he tends to fill in any gaps in what was truly heard and seen. Still, if repeated at various points of the account, the entire event may be called into question. A "true believer" is readily identifiable by a large crystal adorning his/her necklace, the flying saucer belt buckle, and the autographed copy of Shirley MacLaine over the mantle. Seriously, this type of individual tends to have just enough knowledge of the UFO subject to be half convincing on the surface. Certainly, randomness being a factor in the sighting annals, one of these "Children of the New Age" or just plain UFOnut may have had a real experience. However, as the sign reads on those windy mountain passes, proceed with extreme caution. If a bookcase is in view, a quick scan of its contents is always in order and may be very illuminating. In the recounting, these persons often tend to digress into a series of previous nocturnal light sightings (which sound suspiciously similar to airplanes, satellites and planets) and to offer firm opinions on the origins, purposes and/or lessons of alien visitation. For, at the heart of the true-believer mentality is a fervent desire to be in contact with mysterious forces - of the UFO variety or otherwise. By itself, this is harmless. But, being a prisoner of one's passions, IFOs are easily transformed into UFOs, and a genuine observation can trigger a delusion of meaningful communication. Lest we succumb to the temptation of seeing an abduction behind every bush, it bears reminding that there are still lots of gullible folks out there with active imaginations and a need to be part of the action. Attached is a "Survey of UFO/Metaphysical Interests," a list of questions which you and your members may find useful in sorting through matters of witness integrity. It is intended for use in those iffy cases, although the first five are suitable for general audiences. Also, investigators should be cautioned not to raise such questions until all other relevant information has been discussed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SURVEY OF UFO / METAPHYSICAL INTERESTS Date _____________________ Witness _________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 1) What books have you read on the UFO subject? ____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________. 2) Are you familiar with: Whitley Strieber? ____. Budd Hopkins? ____. Project Bluebook? ____. MJ-12? ____. 3) Have you found that tabloids (Enquirer, etc.) offer information on UFO incidents that you can't get elsewhere? ____. Do you have a favorite tabloid? ____. __________________________________________________________. 4) Where do UFO's come from? _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________. 5) Have you reached a conclusion as to why they are here? __________________ ________________________________________________________________________. 6) Are particular kinds of people selected for UFO encounters? _____________ ________________________________________________________________________. 7) Do you think psychic people have a better chance of seeing a UFO than others? ____. 8) Would an astrologer be able to predict the likelihood of a UFO encounter for a client? ____. 9) Do you feel you were destined to have an UFO experience? ____. Why? _____ _________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________. 10) How can UFO's go so fast? ______________________________________________. How can they just vanish into thin air? ________________________________. 11) Do you have an impression of what an alien looks like? __________________ ________________________________________________________________________. 12) Did you see the movie: "E.T." ____. "Coccoon" ____. "Starman" ____. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" ____. Do you feel these portray what aliens are really like? _________________. 13) Do you suspect that aliens live their lives much like we do? ___________. 14) Is it fair to assume that alien visitors mean us no harm? ______________. Why do you feel that way? _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________. 15) If you could select a friend right now to be in the same circumstance, would you want him or her to experience what you did? ____. Why? _______ ________________________________________________________________________. 16) Have you ever tried a past-life regression? ____. What did you find out? _________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________. 17) Have you attended a "channeling" session? ____. Were you impressed? _____ ________________________________________________________________________. 18) Have you ever had an episode of being outside your body? ____. What hap- pened then? ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________. 19) Is there a particular color that has a special meaning for you? ____. Why ________________________________________________________________________. 20) Have you ever had "Tarot" cards read for you? ____. Did they turn out to be accurate? ____________________________________________________________. 21) Has anyone ever done "automatic writing" for you? ____. What did you learn? __________________________________________________________________. 22) What happens after this life is over? ___________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________. MISC. _______________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ INVESTIGATOR ________________________________________________________________