WHEN THE CHILDREN SQUABBLE: Menzel As Gadfly

Scanning the manuscript by Hector Quintinella Jr. regarding his experiences with the life, and death, of Project Blue Book, one is struck by the animosity he expresses regarding J. Allen Hynek. True by the last few years of the program Hynek was chaffing a bit as his personal views had shifted somewhat from his previous hubris driven role as official debunker to a scientist more often to fully and scientifically exploring the mystery of the "UFO". 

Oddly, in that same swan song time of the project another name, usually seen only in the shadows or through massive copies of his gallery sheets or photocopied sections of his book, comes forward.  Dr. Donald H. Menzel, who many believe was one of the early consultants, from a distance, used by the Pentagon when the "flying discs" first showed up.

Stanton T. Friedman, in his book, TOP SECRET/MAJIC: Operation Majestic-12 and the United States Government's UFO Cover-up (NY: Marlowe, 1997).  Among the information Friedman had found, regardless of where one stands on the truth or hoax of the MJ-12 papers, were some fascinating tidbits of background missing from most official bios of Menzel. 

-According to Friedman, he had been an acquaintance of Vannover Bush since the mid-1930's Bush was the man who would head up what would become the Atomic Energy Commission. He was a firm believer in the use of compartmentalization for security issues.  The AEC grew out of the Manhattan Project and would eventually become the Department of Energy. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that as a young man getting his degree, earning his "spurs", and making a name for himself, he might have become associated with clandestine government work.

- According to Friedman, that is what he did, and his association was with agencies who were so secret their very existence was largely unknown for many years. 

It is interesting that General George F. Schulgen was in Massachusetts in 1930 within driving, rail, or walking distance of MIT, Harvard, and other offices and specialists. Menzel. himself, in the summer around that time was doing internship work at Harvard.  Schulengen was with Intelligence for the Air Force. What he was doing there is unknown, but he stayed at a very respected hotel; his career is all fairly mysterious until he pops up post the Roswell debris debacle and is enlisting the "help" of the FBI. Subsequent records indicate he was paving the way for the FBI to do the leg work while the Air Force followed a separate agenda regarding the "flying discs."

Indeed, one source does outline his involvement with Naval intelligence: "During the years before World War II, Menzel began teaching at Iowa, Ohio, and Harvard. During the war, Menzel was asked to join the Navy as Lieut. Commander, to head a division of intelligence, where he used his many-sided talents, including deciphering enemy codes. Until 1955, he improved radio-wave propagation with the Navy by tracking the Sun’s emissions and studying the effect of the aurora on radio propagation for the Department of Defense." (Source: Donald Howard Menzel and the UFOs - SciHi BlogSciHi Blog)

It is interesting to note that Menzel wrote a book on "UFO's" called "Flying Saucers" (Cambridge: HArvard Press, 1053) and it has been mostly or intentionally forgotten. He preferred that term, apparently, for its minimizing and demeaning aspects.  The Wikipedia article on him does not mention his later work with Boyd at all. Oddly, he mentions that the "official Air Force report recounts Arnold's story in some detail" (pg. 7) and presents the questions for a "Report Sheet for Saucer Observers" with instructions to send it to ATIC at Wright Field or to him and if he felt it contains significant information, he wouold forward it to the Air Force (pg. 297). Nowhere, however, in preface material, content, or notes does he list the Air Force as the source of help, information, or access. A startling oversight in a book written by an academic and published by an academic publishing house.

It appears that his book "The World of Flying Saucers: A Scientific Exploration of a Major Myth of the Space Age" , written with Lyle G. Boyd (1963, Doubleday) was a rehash with some updated examples of the explanations he provided in the earlier book. 

With all that in mind, it makes the appearance of more prominent and informal communication with PBB Head Quintinella in 1968 seem a bit - interesting. He seemed particularly upset by the times Hynek used - or allowed go be used - the term "Air Force Consultant." Quintinella seemed extremely disturbed by the fact he was a "Project Blue Book Consultant" NOT the Air Force. To the majority of the population they were one and the same, unless Quintinella knew something we do not.  

In the August 15 file for events at Xenia and Yellow Spring, Ohio ( a 72 pgs file) there are portions of two letters between Quintinella and Menzel. It was obvious that Quintinella was running cases by Menzel because they were commenting about Hynek's interpretation of the case. Menzel's tone is scathing and professionally insulting.

In the process, he clarifies his own presumptions and attitudes, concerning the value of eyewitnesses and their ability to see and report with any accuracy.  He dismissed Hynek's acceptance of witness statements. "I simply don't share Hyneks' faith in the reliability of human beings." (Nov. 8, 1968, letter written by Donald H. Menzel in PBB Archive file 1968 08 9676993, August 1968, Xenia and Yellow Springs, OHIO). In an October letter to Quintinella he recommended terminating Hynek's consultancy agreement (contract).

Just as exploring the back issues of the NICAP newsletter, "UFO Investigator" discloses a lot of targeted attacks against NICAP and the UFO field in general from the Pentagon Press Office of the Air Force, the presence of these 'shadow' influencers in the Project Blue Book files are hard to explain. There was apparently no secret project of a magnitude to warrant the attacks, the false presentation of report facts, and other tactics.

It was clear in the time right after the 'flying disc' in 1947 there was extreme competition between the three "children" of the U.S.: The Navy, the Air Force, and the Army.   It was clear that there was some competition between the FBI and the Air Force. Was there an equal amount of in-fighting in the clandestine ranks as well?

There is an almost ironic twist to things in one section where he explores how a Denver university class dealt with a "expert" (renowned hoaxer-conman Newton of Aztec NM fame). The instructor developed a set of criteria for judging authenticity and reliability of information. It is humorous because the first is apparently one he was not following later in life (as expressed by the letters in the file) and others were indicators of just the Air Force Project Blue Book failed as an investigative effort. 

"Criteria for judging authenticity and reliability of information:

1.  First-hand account.
2.  Free from all prejudice
3.  Information carries more weight from trained vis untrained observers
4.  Data should be available for double checking 
5.  Statements must be signed. Unsigned statements carry no implied responsibility for correctness." (pg. 149, Menzel. Flying Saucers. 1953)

QUINTANILLA: Summer of 1965

He was the last man in the "hot seat".  When they left the office and turned out the lights on Project Blue Book, he had been the man in charge from 1963 until 1969.

Born in Mexico, Hector Quintanilla, Jr., came with his family to the United States in the 1920's and his life was a reflection of the both the struggles and achievements of an immigrant. He became a United States Citizen 25 October 1946, in San Antonio, Texas.

He received a physics degree from St. Mary University in 1950. He decided to pursue a military career and was offered a commission of Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in 1951.  He retired as a Lt. Colonel shortly after the project closed down in 1969. He died in an accident in San Antonio in 1998.

He was an earnest, honest, and intelligent man and officer. He attempted to do the best he could in often difficult and challenging circumstances and environments. He was a fine military man to the bone, dedicated, trained, and adapted to the structure found in the United States military system. He sought for answers as well but sometimes the very system he was so dedicated to did not provide the support and answers he deserved.  He inherited attitudes, limitations, secrets, and power struggles not of his making but he served well until the closing of the project post the release of what would be known as The Condon Reprot. 

"UFOs: An Air Force Dilemma” by Major Hector Quintanilla, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), 1975. Book proposal is located at this LINK: Quintanilla Manuscript.PDF (minotb52ufo.com) and also at Quintanilla Manuscript.PDF (ufocasebook.com).   

It is a fascinating read, both for what is left out as much as for what is left in.

In August of 1965 he gave an interview - a lengthy one - with photos that appeared in some newspapers in total. Other newspapers simply truncated parts of the statement. It can after the boondoggle of the Monday, Aug. 2, 1965, press release out of Dayton, Ohio and Wright AFB, home to Project Blue Book, that the numerous reports of UFO's/flying saucers made through the great plains had been caused by people seeing the planet Jupiter or one of several stars (Arcturus, etc.).  {Note: if anyone finds a copy of this longer release, please send a copy to this page!}

Most of the country, apparently, heard that and listened no further. 

Two astronomers in Oklahoma, however, found themselves asking "Where did the Air Force get its information???"   They were quick to point out that - at the time of the sightings in Oklahoma - the named planet and stars were not visible. They were then seen on the opposite side of the globe.

Screech! [insert sounds of breaking glass and tires squealing as the brakes are applied and the Air Force backs up...].   The Oklahoma sightings had not yet made it to the AF desk when the press release had been sent out. THAT explanation referred, said the AF, to the sightings in WYOMING (at F.E. Warren AFB) and NEBRASKA (at the Sioux Army Ammunition Depot). A quick view at an astronomical record indicates that the same situation would apply to WY and NE for the given times. The time variation for the two regions would have been minimal as the planets and stars indicated would have risen back into view AFTER the nighttime reported sightings and in daytime.

Hence the interesting longer version of the interview with Quintanilla that came AFTER that and made slight mention of that faux pa and stressed the planet and stars and temperature inversions to such an extent that articles using information from that release made the same implication. The summer of 1965 sightings over from 8 to 13 states, seen by thousands of people and more than a hundred missile silo military personnel, had been (regardless of location) caused by temperature inversions and misidentifications of the planet Jupiter or one or more stars. 

This, despite, indications in documents in PBB that NORAD and the PENTAGON were both notified and being updated that reports were CONSISTENT in shape, format and movement.  That there were reports of LANDINGS.

Either, the events of summer 1965, was a mass practice event that run amuck and was covered up OR it was a real, serious, and wide-spread UFO event. The end result was the almost total disappearance from most chronologies of the events of the summer of 1965. The "summer of the saucers", is what Marilyn A. Hudson calls it, and that seems to be the real truth. 

Post-Script

Oddly, in the manuscript he wrote of his life and times as last head of the Blue Book project, he has little to say about 1965. 

This is interesting since the end of the line statistics he includes at the end of the document infer strongly that the majority of non-astronomical reports were the products of "Hoaxes, Hallucinations, Unreliable Reports and Psychological Causes." Since there are vast instances were it was apparent that the report statistics were as creatively handled as a thief keeping double books, the statistics at closure are suspect. Too many report documents indicate that the primary goal was not investigation but application of a pre-determined answer from a pool of potential choices (astronomical, balloon, aircraft, etc.). Witness statements were ignored, Several sightings from the same location were defined by the one event that best fit the predetermined selections. Many of the consultants used, and the investigating air personnel, never actually investigated.  Often those who did reveal some investigation that hinted at something beyond the normal were changed and the summary sheet reflected a predetermined answer and not the questions. 

Yet, instead of using those "stats" to show that people were getting a little carried away and that the classifications of those reports proved that argument, he says next to nothing.  The truth appears to be that, for whatever reason, the widespread events of 1965 had a muzzle firmly in place.

Post, this year is a massive, multi-front push to close down the Project Blue Book. With so many sightings by credible people, and some incredible events happening, that makes it all the more interesting. As recent events have now shown, the Air Force got of the UFO business, but other parts of the government and the military apparently kept right own working on the topic.