entists viewed this inability as proof that his story was a hoax。 In their final report they implied he was not telling the truth。
Actually there are a great many cases in which the witnesses found they could not relocate the site of their experience。 Buildings and landmarks clearly seen at the time seem to vanish。 Roads and highways disappear。 This bewildering phenomenon is well…known in psychic lore also； probably because many psychic experiences are hallucinatory； too。 There are innumerable stories about restaurants that seemed to dissolve after the witnesses stopped there。 Tales of disappearing houses are mon。 A weary traveler stops at an old abandoned house for the night； just like in the movies； and later learns the house he stayed in does not exist。。。 or had burned down years ago。
True to the reflective factor； as I was writing this I received a letter from F。 W。 Holiday； the British investigator； in which he tells the following：
A family in the south of England still spend their weekends driving around woods looking for a mysterious lake they encountered some fifteen years ago。 Out in the middle they saw a huge rock with a sword driven into it。 Later they went back to do some research but there was no trace of such a lake。 No one had heard of it and it isn't on the maps。
One could fill a book with such incidents； and； indeed； some authors have。 Long ago I classified such episodes as distortions of reality。 Throughout history people have been straying through Alice's looking glass； seeing things that don't exist； visiting places that spill off the maps into some hallucinatory other dimension。 Fifteen years ago there was a lake in England with a sword jutting out of a stone； waiting for some king to e along〃 and pull it out； shouting； 〃Excalibur！〃 This is no more ridiculous than stumbling upon a secret flying saucer base nestled in the hills of New England and bustling with activity。 Contactees have claimed such things。
An engineer Rex Ball swears he came upon a mysterious underground installation in Georgia in 1940； manned by small Oriental…looking men in coveralls and a few American military officers。 When he was caught in the tunnels； one of the officers issued the curt mand； 〃Make him look like a nut！〃 He woke up in a field； uncertain whether his experience had been real or a dream。
That seems to be the battle cry of the phenomenon。
〃Make him look like a nut！〃
13 … Phantom Photographers
I
〃How much did Keel pay you to say these things？〃 a middle…aged man with a cultured voice demanded over and over again as he systematically called several of the witnesses named in my syndicated newspaper columns。 All those long…distance phone calls must have cost him a lot of money and all he succeeded in doing was raising the ire of people who had already been plagued by an endless stream of unwele visitors； crank phone calls； and crazy letters。 Some of them forwarded their mail to me； not knowing if they should answer； or how。
Our UFO enthusiasts are pulsive letter writers。 A major portion of the mail received by witnesses are letters scribbled on sheets of cheap ruled paper in pencil demanding； 〃Send me everything you know。〃 Others are neatly typed and cover forty or fifty pages。 Threatening letters are not unmon； some are laborious paste…ups using words clipped from magazines and newspapers 。。。 〃Do not talk about flying saucers。〃 Others are painfully written in block letters in red ink。 Almost unreadable mimeographed forms are sent out by many of the teen…aged UFO investigators who spring up after each flap； asking such vital scientific questions as： 〃Which planet did they e from？〃
Unfortunately； no qualifications are necessary to join the various nationwide UFO correspondence clubs。 Anyone who could scrape up the five or ten dollars could receive an impressive…looking membership card which gave them carte blanche to harass local police and witnesses。
Members of the 〃little old ladies in tennis shoes〃 brigade found instant identity in joining such clubs。 Then they trooped about their state； lecturing on the ing of the Brothers； appearing on local radio and television as the local 〃experts；〃 and； more often than not； bringing more ridicule to an already ridiculous situation。
Although they are largely a harmless； humorless lot； a few of the ego…tripping characters in ufology are not above creating a few hoaxes of their own； placing prank calls； and； of course； circulating the idiotic rumors。 Ivan Sanderson referred to them as 〃neurots；〃 short for neurotics。 Dr。 Edward Condon of Colorado University labeled them 〃obstructionist。〃 On several occasions I did find that some of these card…carrying ufologists had warned witnesses to report only to them。 Members of peting correspondence clubs often engaged in open battles； trying to reach witnesses first and accusing each other of all kinds of misdeeds。 Donald E。 Keyhoe； head of the Washington…based NICAP； had spent years building and publicizing his case against the air force。 The only tangible result of his campaign was the quality of the people attracted to ufology； and to his ideas。 Paranoid…schizophrenics and obsessive…pulsive personalities dominated the field。
Many of these groups collapsed inwardly in a short time because of the conflicting egos and the excessive paranoia （members often regarded their fellow members as 〃agents of the air force〃）。 Even NICAP； which had been founded in 1956 by a physicist who was hot on the trail of the secret of frying saucer propulsion systems； came apart at the seams in the late 1960s。 The few qualified members of its headquarters staff departed in an atmosphere of rancor； taking choice files and mailing lists with them； and Stuart Nixon； the office boy during the Keyhoe regime； became director of the organization。
The air force and CIA did not have to try to disrupt the ufological movement。 It is by its very nature a self…disrupting network of disoriented people。
In the spring of 1967； following the publicity that attended Mothman and the UFOs； mobs of strangers descended on Point Pleasant。 Cars filled with students from neighboring colleges would arrive unannounced at the homes of witnesses named in newspaper accounts； often late at night； and expect to be weled。 Mary Hyre and all the others were subjected to silly interviews by people who obviously didn't have any notion of how to go about investigating anything。 Some of these investigators were tactless and impolite； as only teen…agers can be； to the point of being offensive。 One by one the witnesses fell silent； refusing to talk to any more strangers； so newers saw a new mystery…someone had obviously ordered everyone in the Ohio valley to shut up。
While reporters from all the neighboring cities were flocking to Point Pleasant and writing extensively about the UFO and monster sightings； the little local daily； the Point Pleasant Register； ignored the whole situation。 When a girl on the Register staff was pursued by a UFO one night that spring； Mary Hyre printed the story in the Messenger。 The young editor of the Register remained steadfastly anti…UFO throughout the fracas。
It was then my policy to publish only reports in which the witnesses allowed their names to be used。 I avoided 〃blind〃 items。 But as time went on and I saw what was happening to some of these people； I realized they had to be protected； not from Men in Black or sinister government agencies but from the UFO believers themselves。 This unfortunate problem persists； and this is why I have used blind items here； or； in some cases； altered the names of the witnesses or their location。 This is a mon policy in medical books and scientific literature； but it is sad that it bees necessary in studies of this kind。
II
One Sunday afternoon in the spring of 1967； I was walking along Forty…second Street and Third Avenue with a lady friend。 There were very few people on the streets at the time。 Suddenly a tall； thin man came around a corner。 His face was gaunt and pointed； and he was carrying a camera。 He raised th