Rare footage from United Nations UFO Conference - November 28th, 1978.

reply to post by Zcustosmorum

Hey mate, couldn't agree more about Dr Hynek and Vallee - Dr Mcdonald should also have been given a lot more exposure. -also found it interesting that the Tehran incident occurred just two years earlier than this UN meeting and the Pentagon were already discussing how the case 'met all the criteria necessary for a valid study of the UFO phenomenon' - too bad they're still claiming they have no interest in the UFO subject (despite documents to the contrary).

link

Originally posted by spoor

Or anything from a official UN source on this....

Spoor, there's plenty of information found in the various links to show that the conference actualy happened (if that's what you're worried about) but here are some UN documents which refer to Eric Gariy's efforts to realise a UN investigative office:

AGENDA I'rEM 123: ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AGENCY OR A DEPARTMENT OF THE UNITED NATIONS FOR UNDERTAKING, CO-ORDINATING AND DISSEMINATING THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH INTO UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS AND RELATED PHENOMENA

PDF File

Cheers.

Personal reminiscence from Peter Robbins.

The United Nations 1978 UFO Committee Initiative

Originally posted by Zcustosmorum
reply to post by karl 12

 

Much obliged for the shout mate and yeah, very good video. Kinda annoys me how Gairey stole the light on the press conferences though, maybe if Vallee or Hynek had been allowed to speak, it may have made more of an impact.

From what I remember, the UN Conference was pretty much an initiative of PM Gairy of Grenada. My memory is that it was generally covered by the media as a joke. Maybe him being a black Prime Minister of a tiny Caribbean country made it easier for the media to make fun of him and not treat his interest in UFO phenomena seriously.

But I agree that Hynek and Vallee's participation gave significance to the occasion. Same goes for witness Col. Coyne.

Its pretty hard to imagine we will ever see an event like this happen again. It was a different time.

(I notice that the Assembly seems pretty empty during the film footage)

The SR-71 was flying over China in the 70's.

She's a powerful bird. Can you imagine if they had some object attached to it and released it via a tether so all the Chinese saw was this saucer thing flinging all over?

Never seeing the SR-71 dragging her along.

Took Russia a LONG time to figure out what it was.

karl12 - There's also a thread below from ATS member Sceptical Ed/The Shrike showing personal photographs from the hearing but they appear to have been removed, hopefully he can upload them again so everyone can see them.

By request: My photos of the 1978 United Nations "UFO Day"

Thanks for the mention. I'll upload the photos in a short while, maybe Friday 28.

karl 12 posted on 21-4-2012 @ 06:11 PM
There's also a thread below from ATS member Sceptical Ed/The Shrike showing personal photographs from the hearing but they appear to have been removed, hopefully he can upload them again so everyone can see them.

The Shrike: My thread - By request: My photos of the 1978 United Nations "UFO Day"

Here are the photos. Please keep in mind as you view them that they are not of the best quality because I was using a less than ideal camera at the UN and then I took digital photos of the actual print and processed them using Picasa which couldn't restore the quality of the original but less than ideal emulsion photos. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy seeing a slice of UFOlogy not many were privvy to. The photos were taken from the gallery looking down at the UN's main room and afterwards at the reception room.

The invitation I was sent thanks to Lee Speigel


Front page of the UN program which I still have


The program page describing the scheduled proceedings


Sir Eric Gairy, PM of Grenada arrives at the Reception Room


Allen Hynek and Admirers


Sir Gairy & Mr & Mrs Jacques Vallee



UFO Researcher/Author Ralph Blum (not sure) & Jacques Vallee


Stanton Friedman


Stanton Friedman & Lee Speigel on the floor


"Mr UFO" Timothy Green Beckley & Lee Spiegel


T.G. Beckley in the viewer's Gallery


Unidentified


UN building resembling a landed UFO!


Actress Cindy Williams holding a copy of the magazine I helped edit from the movie "UFOia"

reply to post by The Shrike


Very interesting photos! So interesting to look back. I'd be interested in reading your memories of this event and the people in attendance.

reply to post by The Shrike
Shrike and Bluestreak, thanks for the added information.

I had posted additional information about PM Gairy and his immense interest in UFOology, which ultimately, led to his demise and coup.

Sir Eric Gairy

reply to post by The Shrike
Shrike and Bluestreak, thanks for the added information.

I had posted additional information about PM Gairy and his immense interest in UFOology, which ultimately, led to his demise and coup.

Sir Eric Gairy

Originally posted by Jaellma
reply to post by The Shrike

 

Shrike and Bluestreak, thanks for the added information.

I had posted additional information about PM Gairy and his immense interest in UFOology, which ultimately, led to his demise and coup.

Sir Eric Gairy

Thanks for the link to the thread. Very interesting to read that info.

I found this quote interesting:

"I know that flying saucers exist because I myself saw one three years ago, and U.N. diplomats will not think I am crazy for saying so. I am convinced that persons from outer space are studying us, or perhaps living among us as earthlings." Prime Minister Eric Gairy of Grenada - Addressing the 1977-1978 General Assembly meeting of the United Nations.

Additional thoughts and corrections.

His correct name is Lee Speigel, not Spiegel. Search his name at Google Images and see his present image. He resembles singer Tony Orlando! www.huffingtonpost.com...

The movie Cindy Williams was in is titled "UFOria", not "UFOia".

In the photo of the "Unidentified" look at the ceiling for UFO-type images.

Originally posted by bluestreak53
reply to post by The Shrike

 

Very interesting photos! So interesting to look back. I'd be interested in reading your memories of this event and the people in attendance.

After the UN event I and my wife moved to L.A. and we had such great experiences that the UN memories faded from conscious access. I wasn't in awe of the personalities so I had no reason to approach them for conversations. I had read their books and since I wasn't a believer and I had not had my later UFO sightings I couldn't discuss UFOlogy with them even though I had been a UFO enthusiast since 1958. They were just people who were active in a very interesting field but didn't have any more knowledge about UFOs than I did and I had been a field investigator and gave it up due to nothing worthwhile occurring. I was at the UN as a reporter but I wound up with nothing to report.

Originally posted by The Shrike

karl12 - There's also a thread below from ATS member Sceptical Ed/The Shrike showing personal photographs from the hearing but they appear to have been removed, hopefully he can upload them again so everyone can see them.

By request: My photos of the 1978 United Nations "UFO Day"

Thanks for the mention. I'll upload the photos in a short while, maybe Friday 28.

Shrike thanks for uploading and sharing those photos, very nice piece of UFO history there and you've got to love that 70's fashion - Prime Minister Gairy was one seriously cool chap.

Am also in awe of Timothy Beckleys hair - I don't know your opinion of the chap but I did like this comment he once made in an interview:

"I wouldn't think the future of UFOs is either bright or bleak....it just is! I know that may sound pretty stupid. But, UFOs do whatever they do without much interaction on our part — unless they want interaction. I am afraid it is pretty much a one way street with them coming and going whenever they want to come and go. At times they pay us little attention and I suspect they could not care too much if we know they are around or not".

Timothy Beckley

link

Did you manage to watch the Lee Speigel interview posted here - apparently there nearly never was a conference because 'certain parties tried to prevent it by any means'

Cheers.

Originally posted by karl 12

Originally posted by The Shrike

karl12 - There's also a thread below from ATS member Sceptical Ed/The Shrike showing personal photographs from the hearing but they appear to have been removed, hopefully he can upload them again so everyone can see them.

By request: My photos of the 1978 United Nations "UFO Day"

Thanks for the mention. I'll upload the photos in a short while, maybe Friday 28.

Shrike thanks for uploading and sharing those photos, very nice piece of UFO history there and you've got to love that 70's fashion - Prime Minister Gairy was one seriously cool chap.

Am also in awe of Timothy Beckleys hair - I don't know your opinion of the chap but I did like this comment he once made in an interview:

"I wouldn't think the future of UFOs is either bright or bleak....it just is! I know that may sound pretty stupid. But, UFOs do whatever they do without much interaction on our part — unless they want interaction. I am afraid it is pretty much a one way street with them coming and going whenever they want to come and go. At times they pay us little attention and I suspect they could not care too much if we know they are around or not".

Timothy Beckley

link

Did you manage to watch the Lee Speigel interview posted here - apparently there nearly never was a conference because 'certain parties tried to prevent it by any means'

Cheers.

Thanks for the opportunity to revisit that period and for requesting the repost of the photos.

I agree wholeheartedly with "Mr UFO"s comments as I've always felt the same which colors my attitude about the call for the release of government documents that hold secret information and about UFO crashes, etc.

We are plagued by mysterious aerial "craft" IF they are craft. Since their appearance I don't think that anyone has been privvy to any special information but the popular belief just won't go away.

You ought to see my '70s fashion sense, it was look rich and classy and always stand out from the crowd!

I just listened to Lee's interview and I had no idea of the goings on behind the scenes. I got my invitation from him while he was a maitre'd at a restaurant in NYC where I went with my wife's brother for a birthday celebration and I don't remember how the subject of UFOs was broached but I made out like a bandit securing that invitation.

reply to post by The Shrike


Hola Shrike and I don't know if you're still posting here but appreciate the reply - I also don't know if you've seen this page but if not I think you'll find it interesting as you attended the conference - there's some nice pics and documents including this one from the U.S. State Department indicating "they were closely watching the activities of Grenada, its prime minister and the group of experts who would take the world stage in November 1978 to talk about UFOs".


Doc:



Cheers.

Great thread
If you can provide links to CIA documents etc, that would be great.

Originally posted by BullwinkleKicksButt

If you can provide links to CIA documents etc, that would be great.

Hola BullwinkleKicksButt and thanks for the post, there's some good links to FOIA Government UFO documents at the bottom of this post including the Ufologie collection which contains the specific document link found in the first post of this thread -there's also a link below which takes you to the CIA Government Document Electronic Reading Room and the downloads are available under the headings 'UFO Research Conference To Hold Conference In Beijing' and 'China UFO Society Meets; To Continue Scientific Study'.

link

Cheers.


www.foia.cia.gov...

The United Nations and Rockefeller UFO initiatives discussed at the Citizen UFO Hearings

Transcripts

..At a meeting of the UN General Assembly on December 18, 1978, Decision 33/426 was adopted with the same heading to the previous Decision 32-424, “Establishment of an agency or a department of the United Nations for undertaking, coordinating and disseminating the results of research into unidentified flying objects and related phenomena.” The Grenada initiative was gradually opening the door to UFOs at the UN, but unfortunately, the effort came to an abrupt halt when the Gairy government was overthrown by a Marxist revolution led by Maurice Bishop of the New Jewel Movement in March 1979. Ironically, Gairy was in New York to meet with Kurt Waldheim regarding Decision 33/426 when the coup took place.

Some minor efforts to rekindle the UFO initiative at the United Nations were attempted by civilian investigators since the Grenada coup of 1979, but with no success whatsoever because only a sovereign member country can bring this issue back officially to the UN and no government has done so since the Grenada initiative of the late seventies. The good news, however, is that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The UN Decisions 32-424 and 33-426 are already on the books and could be revived if there was a political will.

link

originally posted by: karl 12

Also, it states in the article below you used to be a 'Security Officer' at Kirtland Air Force Base in charge of maintaining safeguards for classified government documents -did you ever happen to come across any interesting ones as it's said the base experienced a very strange UFO incident on November 4th, 1957?

Here's a thread about it.


Kirtland Air Force Base Radar/Visual UFO - November, 1957.

originally posted by: karl 12

originally posted by: karl 12

Also, it states in the article below you used to be a 'Security Officer' at Kirtland Air Force Base in charge of maintaining safeguards for classified government documents -did you ever happen to come across any interesting ones as it's said the base experienced a very strange UFO incident on November 4th, 1957?

Here's a thread about it.


Kirtland Air Force Base Radar/Visual UFO - November, 1957.

It's good to see old familiar names again reviving old familiar threads. This place used to be fun. So many have fallen by the wayside but it is a pleasure to see you're still here.

Sceptical Ed
The Shrike
Uggielicious
and others I've forgotten!