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This is PART 4 of the material distributed with the ROSWELL- 
DECLARATION. Have you received the previous parts?
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===>>Continuation of PART 3 **(PART 3 and PART 4 are one document)**

The Roswell event involved a large number of people and has been
publicized since 1980.  Logic would dictate that had there been
a more mundane explanation for the unusual debris, numerous
individuals would have come forward to set the record straight
by corroborating the "weather balloon" story or by providing
some other explanation for the wreckage, such as a V2 missile or
experimental aircraft.  That has not been the case.
Furthermore, records rule out a missile or aircraft.
Additionally, the amount and nature of the debris rule out any
type of balloon or balloon instrument package, including that
from project Mogul -- the most recently postulated prosaic
explanation.

While it is possible that the Roswell witnesses, who live in
diverse parts of the country, have been engaged in a perfectly
orchestrated, long-term hoax with no clear motive, it is
unlikely.  It is true there are a few minor gaps and
inconsistencies in some of the accounts, but that is to be
expected.  There were many individuals involved and it has been
a long period of time.  Human memory is not perfect.  For those
familiar with the Roswell evidence, however, it would be hard to
imagine a scenario in which the core event was not true.

With Roswell so well documented, the question that arises is why
the mainstream media has not pursued the story.  Two factors
stand out.  The first is that of a negative mindset.  There is a
tendency in human nature to resist anything that challenges our
preconceived perceptions of reality.  In most cases, such an
attitude serves us well and manifests itself as a healthy
skepticism.  In other instances, it may result in a close-minded
refusal by otherwise intelligent people to consider compelling
evidence -- especially when that evidence seems to defy common
sense or prevailing scientific theory.  Many past revelations of
science, for example, have met such resistance -- a round earth,
evolution, relativity, continental drift, quantum theory, an
expanding universe -- to name a few.

The second and most damaging factor is ridicule.  Unfortunately,
UFOs have long been associated with tabloid stories, hoaxes, and
the "lunatic fringe."  In addition, people tend to put UFOs in
the same category as ghosts, mysticism, magic, and other forms
of the occult or the supernatural.  As a result, anything even
remotely related to the area of UFOs is a difficult subject to
broach without risking a loss of credibility.  Consequently,
members of the mainstream media rarely approach the subject,
much less treat it with any degree of seriousness or depth.  No
one wants to make himself an easy target for cynicism or
ridicule.

Moreover, it is not necessary to resort to the supernatural to
explain UFOs any more than it is necessary to resort to the
supernatural to explain the Space Shuttle.  UFOs could probably
best be looked upon as an extrapolation of where our own
technology might be thousands of years from now.  A television,
jet aircraft, or nuclear bomb would have seemed magical or
supernatural to a person from the Middle Ages.  Similarly, by
virtue of the fact that they apparently violate the laws of
known physics, UFOs are perceived by us as an aberration of
reality.  They are, however, probably quite explainable under
laws of science we aren't even close to discovering yet.

Further exacerbating the credibility problem has been the
extreme negative position taken by the U.S. Government.  Almost
everyone has heard pronouncements from government officials
claiming there is no evidence to support the existence of UFOs
or extraterrestrial intelligence.  Ironically, no matter how
high their rank or position, those touting this line may be
uninformed, yet telling the truth as they know it.  With the
U.S. Government's high degree of compartmentalization and
need-to-know philosophy, chances are that few agencies or
individuals would be briefed on or have access to such
information.

Agencies in which something might be known, such as the CIA,
have refused to cooperate with investigators.  When seeking
Roswell or UFO-related documents through the Freedom of
Information Act, researchers have been repeatedly stonewalled.
Claims are made that documents don't exist or can't be released
for national security reasons.  The few documents that have been
released have often been so blacked out that they are rendered
meaningless.

By way of contrast, in 1991 the Belgian Ministry of Defense
released radar tapes from two Belgian Air Force F-16s that had
been scrambled to pursue a UFO detected by four ground-based
radar stations and seen by numerous citizens and by police.  The
tape was impressive-- showing digital readouts of incredible
altitude and speed changes made by the UFO.  Under present
government policy, it is hard to imagine such a scenario ever
taking place in the United States.  Perhaps the world's greatest
democracy could learn a few things about a free and open society
from its small NATO ally.

There was actually hope at one time that U.S. policy might
change.  It came when Jimmy Carter was elected President in
1976.  In October 1969 while Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter
had reported a UFO sighting .  Later, in 1976 as a presidential
candidate, he pledged: "If I become president, I'll make every
piece of information this country has about UFOs available to
the public and the scientists."  He then somewhat mystifyingly
never said one more word about it publicly after taking office.
If he found there was no information to release, why did he not
announce it? Doing so would have been a natural and easy way to
honor his commitment.

Why the U.S. Government defiantly maintains there is nothing to
the UFO phenomenon and why it would want to withhold evidence of
extraterrestrial intelligence remain a matter of speculation.
Three possible reasons have been suggested: fear of mass panic,
perceived national security problems, and concern about
offending religious groups.  Whether arguments in any of these
areas have merit is questionable.  Most would agree, however,
that whatever reasons there may be for withholding such
information, they are far outweighed by those for releasing it.

The classic argument for government withholding of information
on extraterrestrial intelligence from the public is that it
might cause a response similar to that of the famous 1938 Orson
Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast.  (The program featured
a simulated news broadcast announcing an attack by Martians on
Grover's Mill, New Jersey, which panicked a small number of
listeners who had tuned in late.)  The argument, however, is
flawed and the comparison is invalid.  It is not realistic to
compare a simulated emergency news broadcast graphically
describing a devastating, ongoing attack or invasion to a
low-key, formal announcement confirming that other intelligent
life exists in the universe and occasionally visits earth.

Furthermore, we are nearly 35 years into the Space Age and at
the brink of the 21st century.  This is a generation that until
recently lived for years under the threat of nuclear destruction
and that now must deal with such threats as AIDS, rising rates
of violent crime, international terrorism, etc.  The possibility
that the confirmation of extraterrestrial intelligence would
cause mass panic in this day and age is so remote that it hardly
merits mention.

The arguments for maintaining secrecy based on national security
are just as specious as those based on mass panic.  Assuming the
wreckage the military retrieved from Roswell was that of an
extraterrestrial craft, it would be understandable that the U.S.
Government would want to reverse-engineer the technology.  It
would be reasonable that the government would want to keep
certain details of that technology secret.  As with any
technology with the potential for misuse, such precaution would
be prudent and justified.  However, the very existence of such a
craft would have profound implications.  The mere knowledge by
the public of that existence would not pose any kind of threat.
Denying the public such knowledge would not be justified and
would be an abuse of the power entrusted to those who oversee
the country's national security.

When the Carter campaign pledge was not carried out, it was
speculated that concern about offending certain religious groups
was the reason.  If true, it would represent a violation of the
principle of separation of church and state.  It would also be
placing the interests of a small minority above those of the
majority.

Like the discoveries of Darwin and Copernicus, the Roswell
evidence could have implications that challenge certain
religious doctrines.  Darwin's theory that there could be fossil
evidence linking modern man and other present-day higher
primates to a common primate ancestor conflicted with the
creationist view on the exalted position of man with respect to
other forms of life.  Likewise, the  Roswell evidence, which
would imply the existence of a superior nonhuman intelligence,
could be seen as equally threatening to the creationist
viewpoint.  It could be interpreted as implying that on a scale
comparing the evolutionary development of different advanced
species throughout the universe, human beings may not rate very
high.  Such a humbling realization might bother some people, but
probably not most.

Copernicus' finding that the earth along with the other planets
circled the sun contradicted the teachings of the time that the
earth was the center of creation.  That notion persists today in
that many perceive the earth to be the center of intelligent
life in the universe.  The Roswell evidence could dispel such an
ethnocentric view by confirming that the human race is just one
single member in a large community of other intelligent races in
the universe.  Specific effects, if any, that such a revelation
might have on society would be purely a matter of speculation.
Generally, however, when knowledge replaces ignorance, the
long-term result is positive.  There is no reason to think that
that would not be the case here.  If nothing else, the knowledge
that it is possible for a civilization to survive the growing
pains of becoming technologically advanced, without completely
destroying itself and its environment in the process, would in a
sense provide a renewed hope for the future of man and his
environment.

Despite the media's inattention to the matter, and contrary to
what some in the U.S. Government would like people to think,
Roswell is not a figment of someone's imagination or the product
of modern folklore.  It involves real people and a real event.
The man who issued the press release announcing that event,
Colonel William Blanchard, was not someone prone to making
mistakes, much less monumental blunders.  He would go on to
achieve the highest peacetime rank attainable in the U.S.
military, four-star general.  Credible witnesses, including
retired generals, have testified that the original press release
issued by Blanchard was correct and that the Roswell wreckage
was of extraterrestrial origin.  A United States Congressman was
recently stonewalled by the Defense Department on the matter and
has expressed his belief that there is a coverup.  Yet the U.S.
Government steadfastly maintains it has no evidence indicating
extraterrestrial intelligence.  Something does not ring true.
There is a gross inconsistency here, and it involves an issue of
great magnitude, an issue that should transcend domestic
politics and that demands an explanation.  It is time to lay the
cards on the table so that this matter can be resolved, one way
or the other.

History has shown that unsubstantiated official assurances or
denials by government are often meaningless.  Nevertheless,
there is a logical and straightforward way to ensure that the
truth about Roswell will emerge: an Executive Order
declassifying any information regarding the existence of UFOs or
extraterrestrial intelligence.  Because this is a unique issue
of universal concern, such an action would be appropriate and
warranted.  It is essentially what presidential candidate Jimmy
Carter promised and then failed to deliver to the American
people eighteen years ago in 1976.  Additionally, it would cost
nothing, offend no one, and be applauded by all.

To provide positive assurance for all potential witnesses, the
Order would need to be clearly stated and written into law.
Security-clearance violations can bring heavy fines and long
prison sentences.  In addition to the original witnesses from
1947, there are most certainly individuals involved with the
Roswell material today who would be affected by such a
declassification.  Undoubtedly, many of them, along with the
original witnesses, would want to see this information shared
with others -- be they friends, family, grandchildren, or all
mankind.

If, as is officially claimed, no information on Roswell, UFOs,
or extraterrestrial intelligence is being withheld, a
declassification order would be a mere formality, as there would
be nothing for anyone to disclose.  What legitimate concern
could there be about declassifying "nonexistent" information?
If, however, information is being withheld, there could be
significant resistance to officially disclosing it.  This
resistance could range from contriving excuses as to why an
Executive Order should not be issued, to ignoring the matter
altogether.

In the end, however, whether information is being suppressed or
whether it is not, the effect of an Executive Order
declassifying it would be positive.  If nothing is being
withheld, the result of such an Order would be to set the record
straight once and for all.  Years of controversy and suspicion
would be ended, both in the eyes of the United States' own
citizens and in the eyes of the world.

If, on the other hand, the Roswell witnesses are telling the
truth and information on extraterrestrial intelligence does
exist, it is not something to which a privileged few in the
United States Government should have exclusive rights.  It is
knowledge of profound importance to which all people throughout
the world should have an inalienable right.  Its release would
unquestionably be universally acknowledged as an historic act of
honesty and goodwill.