UFO Magazine - November, 2000
Summer of the Saucers:
Captain Edward J. Ruppelt
Reviewed by Diana Botsford

Book by Michael David Hall and Wendy Ann Connors
Edited by Miranda Jane Emmert
Rose Press International
SBN: 0970505507

As our recent presidential election so aptly proved, there is no such thing as objectivity.  Everyone has a bias, whether you want to believe that or not. We all have a particular goal or mission in mind, a certain set of objectives, even when seeking the truth.  There’s the rub, as Hamlet would tell us, for which version of the truth will satisfy who?

Michael David Hall & Wendy A. Connors' new book, CAPTAIN EDWARD J. RUPPELT: SUMMER OF THE SAUCERS -1952, goes to great lengths to teach us this painful lesson about humanity and it’s failing efforts at searching for truth – in this case the truth regarding UFOs.   And, as candidly pointed out by Connors & Hall, more’s the pity because 1952 was a hell of a year for UFO research.

The book opens with the authors painting a clear picture of life in the early 50’s and what sort of circumstances Capt. Ruppelt had to deal with.  It’s an important history lesson as the environment of the day truly affected the future of Ufology and how information from the past has been handed down to us.

UFO sightings of the 1950’s were certainly accompanied by local newspaper articles (in fact, more frequently than today!) but without the benefit of instant computer simulations televised on the local news nor immediate postings to the Internet.  The events remained in a somewhat more untainted form without outside influences such as the benefit (sic) of CNN coverage. 

News flow aside, the key element to understanding the mentality of Ruppelt’s superiors and colleagues in dealing with the UFO phenomena was the Cold Warrior mentality.  While Ruppelt’s team would actively attempt to seek information regarding the scientific issues surrounding flying saucers, the National Security Council and it’s cohorts were making the issue one of politics in a knee jerk reaction to their own fears of a potential USSR strike. 

Hall & Connors provide us with repeated examples of how this stone wall effected the results of Project Bluebook and Ruppelt. While Ruppelt was actively seeking to coordinate information from all branches of the armed forces, establishing standardized protocols for sightings reports and developing methodologies by which to by to investigate the enormous quantity of cases pouring in, the NSC.

Science vs. Politics.  And what are politics anyways?  In the case of Project Blue Book’s efforts under the management of Edward Ruppelt, it was a difficult uphill battle with hyphenations and abbreviations like the CIA, the FBI, the OSI and the OPI.  At a time where cooperation between all these entities could have brought us closer to answers regarding this ongoing enigma, the lack of support that Ruppelt was given is in essence the true fault behind Project Blue Book’s failures. This, joined with the fact that paranoia was a stronger force that the search for knowledge, seriously damaged a tremendous opportunity to learn about UFOs:  The Saucer Flap of ’52.

We have yet to see anything in modern times that compares to the Great Saucer Wave of 1952.  From June onward, as well documented in Hall & Connors’ tome, the United States was bombarded with hundreds of UFO sightings from coast to coast. Coupled with the lack of media contamination I mentioned earlier, this particular time could have set an altogether tone for the next 50 years where information was king and secrecy a non issue.

Although this was certainly not their only intention in laying out the life and times of Edward Ruppelt, head investigator for Project Blue Book during the 1952 national flap, Connors & Hall do a fantastic job of pulling the reader into the difficulties and confusement surrounding his efforts.

Three years in the making, this is the most documented account of Captain Ruppelt and the rise of Project Blue Book ever written. Containing new photographs of Capt. Ruppelt and the people behind the military investigation of flying saucers, the reader is given a new look at the intrigue and drama behind the scenes of the great Flying Saucer Wave of 1952, how Blue Book began and how the CIA neutralized it forever. You'll learn what really went on behind the scenes and along with some surprisingly new information that might well change how we perceive Ufology.

Between the covers you will find new insights into well known cases and how Blue Book was organized and how it functioned, as well as documents from Ruppelt's own papers, which have not been publicly available until now. This is an historical look at the beginning of the third official investigation into UFOs by the United States Air Force designed to bring together all the drama and intrigue that surrounded the Ruppelt years and Project Blue Book.

Documentation was impressively extensive with footnotes at the end of each chapter and a full bibliography and index at the back.  For those interested in purchasing the book, it can be obtained through: 

ARCTURUS BOOKS, INC.
1443 S. E. Port St. Lucie Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL  34952
Cost is $27.95 plus $3 postage.