Scathing Scandinavian Scandal

THE SWAMP GAS JOURNAL

Vol 7/No 4 - Winter 1996

Ole Jonny, who some have described as a bit of a rabble-rouser, posted the follwing rant (I mean, notice) in the various Internet newsgroups. It concerns a ufologist with good credentials, but apparently low credibility.

From: Ole Jonny <olejbren@idgonline.no>
Subject: MUFON uses contactee on advisory board.

MUFON USES SCANDINAVIAN CONTACTEE ON ITS ADVISORY BOARD OF CONSULTANTS: RAUNI-LEENA LUUKANEN


by Ole Jonny Brenne, UFO-Norway.

Rauni-Leena Luukanen is a Finnish-born doctor of medicine who retired in 1986 after a car accident in which she claims to have been rescued by extraterrestrials. In the early 1980s she wrote a book on life after death. Since then, she has written three books on UFOs. She currently resides in the southeastern part of Norway. In my opinion, has been actively spreading disinformation and dubious assertions during her lecture tours and media exposures. UFO-Norway have been receiving quite a lot of inquiries about Luukanen and her claims, so we feel it's time to respond.

  1. Luukanen often promotes stories most UFO researchers consider to be already resolved or identified as hoaxes. It makes us wonder if she really has, or wants to have, access to reliable information or if she is just writing books to make as much money as possible on naive persons.
    Examples of stories in her books are the "object which crashed on Svalbard/Spitsbergen in 1952" and the "UFO shot down by jet fighters over South Africa". The 1952 Spitsbergen story has been found to be nothing more than a cheap journalistic hoax. The so-called South African crash of 1989 has been thoroughly dismissed also in various journals.
    Luukanen never describes the stories completely, but only relates the most sensational parts. Details seem not to be important. In this way, she is contributing to the creation of myths around the UFO phenomenon, whether it be consciously or unconsciously.
  2. I quote from one of Luukanen's books: "A representative of a Norwegian UFO organisation once told me that the organisation had in vain tried to get the Norwegian Defense to show an interest in UFO research. Still the Norwegian Defense have unofficially assisted in UFO research, among other things in the well-known Hessdalen valley, [where there have been] numerous UFO observations. UFO researchers kept guard night and day, took photographs and sent light signals into space, and in some cases also received an answer."
    This is totally false and completely out of context. As UFO-Norway is the only UFO organisation in Norway, we have to assume it is us she refers to. Aside from the fact that no representative of UFO-Norway ever told Luukanen any of the above, UFO-Norway have not ever sent any light signals out into space, and we have never received any answers, either.
  3. Luukanen claims to have given a lecture at the UN. This is not quite right either. She has given a lecture at the United Nations Parapsychological Society, which is a club and has nothing to do with the UN itself - other than that the members are UN employees. At best, it is half a truth.
  4. Luukanen also claims that pilots, astronauts, and cosmonauts are forbidden to talk on the subject of having observed UFOs. If they do this they are subject to 10 years imprisonment and a 10,000 dollar fine.
    In Russia, among others, Vladimir Kovaljonok (Sojuz 6) has publicly spoken of his observation in 1981. In USA, James McDivitt even filmed a UFO (Gemini 4, 1965). Gordon Cooper har described, his UFO observations of 1951. There are no known incidents where a pilot, astronaut, or cosmonaut has been punished for statements on UFOs.
  5. Luukanen signs her letters with "MD, DT, MH, DPH, DHA, and author" after her name. It must be assuring to be able to impress people with all these titles, but not everyone falls for that. She doesn't investigate any reports herself, but only passes on various rumours, allegations, statements, and stories. MD means Doctor of Medicine of course, and that is fair enough. But at least one of the titles above can be purchased from The New York Academy Of Sciences for only US$80.
  6. Luukanen claims her books are written by a process known as automatic writing - often accompanied by claims of "it only took 70 hours to write this". It seems like the contents of a book is legitimated or "proven" in certain New Age circles if it is claimed to have been written by automatic writing. Psychologists and psychiatrists are generally in agreement that this phenomenon originates in the human subconscious. Why has no original information ever surfaced this way? Why are the contents always infested with misunderstandings and errors?
  7. Luukanen claims the aliens she is in contact with are here to help us, and are ready to rescue us out of "the last great catastrophe". It's probably safe and reassuring to have some cosmic friends standing by to fix things if the situation becomes too bad. This is a very dangerous attitude/belief. Where were the aliens during the mediaeval crusades, world war 2, the Vietnam war, etc etc. It is probably most sane to try and fix things on our own, instead of waiting for cosmic salvation.
  8. Luukanen claimed in several of her lectures during 1992, that former US president George Bush would announce the rumoured cooperation between the US and the extraterrestrials - in an attempt to save himself as president.
    Bush obviously forgot it - he lost the election.
  9. Luukanen claims to be in telepathic contact with extraterrestrials and also having paranormal abilities. It is characteristic that these abilities have never been demonstrated - they probably never will.
  10. In another quote from one of her books: "It's real easy to see how 'skeptics' have captured central positions in certain American, Russian, Swedish and even Norwegian UFO organisations, whereby it is easy to spread coordinated disinformation through the most important media with the aid of certain skeptic journalists."
    Well, personally, I am content with being named a skeptic - especially by Luukanen. That is exactly what I aim to be. The allegation of UFO-Norway spreading disinformation is way off the mark. Anyone accepting that can't possibly have been reading anything produced by us or subscribed to our journals. It would be of great advantage if Luukanen could have enough guts to point out more specific examples in stead of just a general accusation. One has to be skeptical (especially with regard to the UFO phenomenon) if one should have a chance of avoiding to swallow everything hook, line and sinker - like Luukanen has done.
  11. Luukanen constantly claims these extraterrestrials are really kind beings and wish us all good - everything they do is for our own good. It doesn't appear all rosy and good. How is Luukanen able to reach such a conclusion on the basis of available abduction material, is beyond me. Most reports of that kind indicate - according to the experiencers' reactions and feelings - quite the opposite. Whether the aliens are good or bad is a question we so far are unable to establish.
  12. Luukanen keep talking about "UFOs". Why? She refers to spaceships, so why not say spaceships then, not UFOs? Spaceships have nothing to do with the acronym UFO, which by definition is unidentified - unknown. This only contributes to even more confusion - and more disinformation.
  13. In several of her lectures, Luukanen claims that Kurt Waldheim, in November 1978, stated that "Sweden, Norway, the Philippines, Grenada and France have officially recognised UFOs".
    What she has done here is to uncritically pass on the rumour stated by the Earl of Kimberley during the three-hour long debate in the British House of Lords on 18 January 1979. ("Ten Governments now openly admit that UFOs exist and are real: France, Norway, Sweden, Brazil, the Argentine, Venezuela, Mexico, the Philippines, Peru and Grenada.") Apparently, the fact that the Earl of Kimberley was wrong, doesn't bother Luukanen much at all.
  14. Luukanen claims the extraterrestrials have a "horizontal circulation" (of the blood). It should be interesting to hear a medical doctor explain how this works.
  15. Luukanen often claims to give lectures at and exchanging top secret information at numerous UFO conferences with scientists and military personnel. The largest UFO conferences are the MUFON and BUFORA conferences held each year. Luukanen has never given any lecture at these conferences - at least she is totally absent from the proceedings. We have as yet not all the proceedings of all the other conferences she claims to visit, but one of the important ones is the Abduction Study Conference at MIT, 13-17 June 1992. The proceedings are called "Alien Discussions" and is at approx US$70. Luukanen is not mentioned in this close-to-700 page book, nor in the 476-page book by C.D.B. Bryan. Proceedings of the TREAT conferences are also available, but these are not secret.

In summary, we can say that UFO-Norway and Luukanen have two diametrically opposite views of the UFO phenomenon.

Luukanen is not much concerned with scientific research - the inner voice and the inner experiences are more important. She distorts and disinform on the subject - sometimes so much that we wonder if it is a conscious act.

UFO-Norway is concerned that these UFO phenomena are placed under competent scientific research, where the phenomena are measured and registered in every way possible. At the same time we recognise that the material we have available today does not validate the promotion of any specific theory.

Too bad MUFON doesn't share those views.

Back to "Articles"
Back to the home page