Greetings! Provenance. The modern history of the UFO phenomenon is littered with the wreckage of alleged government/military documents about unidentified flying objects that have not held up after intense scrutiny. In the process of examining such documents, perhaps the most important aspect of said examinations is the search for the original source. The point of origin. Whenever a document surfaces that is somehow connected to the UFO problem, the lack of provenance is perhaps the red flag which stands out the most. The Majestic-12 documents are a prime example of such alleged documentation which has not held up to examination, although their authenticity is still a point of debate to this very day. Unfortunately, the Majestic-12 documents have no provenance. None whatsoever, which makes the attempts to validate them somewhat moot, but, like other cases, documents, and testimony that have been debunked, they have a life of their own. The Aztec, Aurora, Maury Island, and San Agustin cases come to mind, hoaxes all. The testimonials of Frank Kaufmann (hoaxed,) Clifford Stone (embellished,) and Gerald Anderson (misleading,) also come to mind. They are the stuff of legend. The UFO field has a penchant for ignoring red flags, even to the point of accepting data which is invalid. That is a shame. Thank you for the privilege of your time.
Provenance
Gail Hodson Shirk
UFO’Real? A Historical Review
By William Pullin, UFO Historian
Provenance
Greetings! Provenance. The modern history of the UFO phenomenon is littered with the wreckage of alleged government/military documents about unidentified flying objects that have not held up after intense scrutiny. In the process of examining such documents, perhaps the most important aspect of said examinations is the search for the original source. The point of origin. Whenever a document surfaces that is somehow connected to the UFO problem, the lack of provenance is perhaps the red flag which stands out the most. The Majestic-12 documents are a prime example of such alleged documentation which has not held up to examination, although their authenticity is still a point of debate to this very day. Unfortunately, the Majestic-12 documents have no provenance. None whatsoever, which makes the attempts to validate them somewhat moot, but, like other cases, documents, and testimony that have been debunked, they have a life of their own. The Aztec, Aurora, Maury Island, and San Agustin cases come to mind, hoaxes all. The testimonials of Frank Kaufmann (hoaxed,) Clifford Stone (embellished,) and Gerald Anderson (misleading,) also come to mind. They are the stuff of legend. The UFO field has a penchant for ignoring red flags, even to the point of accepting data which is invalid. That is a shame. Thank you for the privilege of your time.