Included in the package was a cover letter dated July 8, 1997. The letter, addressed to the president, reads in part:
"This letter is accompanied by over 20,000 signed copies of a statement known as the Roswell Declaration. The Declaration requests a mandated policy of openness on the part of the U.S. government with respect to any knowledge it might possess or acquire about UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. The signatories to this mainstream, grassroots effort, the International Roswell Initiative, include hundreds of scientists and engineers, three retired air force generals, and two former U.S. astronauts.
"While the initiative was originally inspired by the 1947 Roswell event," Jeffrey wrote, "extensive research has established that the Roswell incident itself did not involve an extraterrestrial craft."
This opinion shocked many in the UFO research community earlier this year when Jeffrey first announced his revised conclusions about the Roswell case. Major Roswell researchers, including Stanton Friedman, Kevin Randle and Donald Schmitt, as well as witnesses such as Dr. Jesse A. Marcel Jr., have all criticized Jeffrey's change of heart as ill-founded and illogical.
Jeffrey spelled out his views in a long article in the June issue of MUFON Journal, following which Stanton Friedman, among others, blasted Jeffrey's "investigation by proclamation," "political naivete," and complete lack of understanding of government secrecy.
Regardless of Jeffrey's current view of Roswell, however, he seems to remain committed to the idea of openness on UFO information. His letter to the president continues:
"Whether it is justified or not, there is a widespread lack of confidence in the government's forthrightness with regard to the UFO phenomenon, even among those who do not believe a UFO crashed at Roswell in 1947... An executive order guaranteeing that information as profound and important as that relating to other intelligent life in the universe would never be withheld by the U.S. government would surely be considered a positive move by those on all sides of the issue. Whether or not any such information exists, such a mandate would undoubtedly do much to alleviate the American peoples' long-term distrust and suspicion of their government concerning this subject."
As of August 16, CNI News has not learned of any government or presidential response to the Roswell Declaration initiative.
Original file name: CNI - Kent Sends to Prez
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