UFO Debunker / Disinformant Philip J. Klass.

[Karl12]

Klass 'modus operandi':

Hendry objected strongly to Klass's modus operandi, which Hendry argued was based on suppressed and distorted evidence, unscientific reasoning, ad hominem attacks, smear campaigns, character assassination, scientific bait and switch tactics, and seemingly refusing to evaluate evidence that conflicted with his preconceptions.

Following on from this (rather good) analysis of the CIA sponsored UFO Robertson Panel, Richard Dolan just released another video featuring researcher Kathleen Marden discussing the antics of debunker / pseudosceptic / disinformant Philip J. Klass.

Some interesting info in there including how Klass was under FBI investigation and thought the vid did a great job of exploring his 'modus operandi' within UFO research and the possible agendas behind his active smear campaigns, ad hominem attacks and insidious character assassination attempts.



Disinformation Agent: The Truth About Philip Klass.

In the history of the study of UFOs, Philip J. Klass takes the title as the leading debunker of the subject. For forty years, his name was practically synonymous with the idea of UFO skepticism. He was regularly cited throughout the mainstream media as an authoritative voice on the subject, and his work helped to stifle acceptance about the reality of UFOs. But Kathleen Marden has investigated the background of Philip Klass and found it to be highly questionable.. Without a doubt, Klass's knowledge of the UFO subject was superficial, but his relentless smear campaigns and personal attacks against leading UFO researchers more than made up for that. To this day, Klass is lionized by the skeptical community, but in fact has left them with a shameful legacy. Kathleen's research on this subject is highlighted in her recent book, Fact, Fiction and Flying Saucers: The Truth Behind the Misinformation, Distortion, and Derision by Debunkers, Government Agencies, and Conspiracy Conmen, which she co-authored with the late Stanton T. Friedman.

Shame he''s not with us anymore but Stanton Friedman's last book 'Fact, Fiction and Flying Saucers' was co-authored with Kathleen Marden and also contains some insanely interesting nuggets of info on Klass revealed from the American Philosophical Society Archives.

Here she is discussing the close (and extremely curious) connections between Klass, Menzel, Low and Condon.













My own personal feelings are that Klass was the exact opposite of a genuine, open minded sceptic and the way he hounded and derided (lots of) other UFO witnesses, researchers and scientists like Dr James E. Mcdonald (who he mounted an 'extended, concerted campaign' against) was an absolute disgrace.

Seems the USAF also didn't take him very seriously and even the sceptical team of plasma experts on the notoriously agenda based Condon Committee rejected his theories as 'unscientific' - perhaps that's why he eventually abandoned them and just arrogantly assumed that all UFO incidents could be explained as hoaxes or misidents.

Also seems there are quite a few avenues to explore in his connection to the CIA (just like Menzel was in the employ of the NSA).

Philip Klass, an electrical engineer who according to one well respected researcher Jerome Clark, 'was an obsessed crank who contributed little to the UFO debate except noise, strange rhetoric, pseudoscientific speculation, and character assassination'  - as always any opinions welcome as long as they stay on topic.

[Karl12]

How the UFO cover up works - news media complicity with the late Terry Hansen.

Terry also brings up the pseudo-scepic UFO debunker outfit CSICOP (now CSI) populated by individuals like Klass and Oberg.

He also examines the creation of 'pseudo-environments' and precision propaganda techniques with which military intelligence communities shamelessly manipulate public perception.

Pretty fascinating presentation.















Bit of a long read (but well worthwhile) Hanson also goes into more detail here about CSICOP and specific intel agencies.

Regarding CSICOP [now CSI], Hansen examines the possibility that the skeptical organization was infiltrated early on by a small but determined group of U.S. government-affiliated operatives, whose true motives have far more to do with disinformation than skepticism.

He writes, “[The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal] is an organization of people who oppose what they contend is pseudo-science...CSICOP, contrary to its impressive-sounding title, does not sponsor scientific research. On the contrary, it’s main function has been to oppose scientific research, especially in areas such as psychic phenomena and UFOs, two topics that, coincidentally or not, have been of demonstrated interest to the U.S. intelligence community over the decades. Instead, CSICOP devotes nearly all of its resources to influencing the American public via the mass media.” 

Hansen continues, “CSICOP can accurately be described as a propaganda organization because it does not take anything approaching an objective position regarding UFOs. The organization’s stance is militantly anti-UFO research and it works hard to see that the news media broadcast its views whenever possible. When the subject of UFOs surfaces, either in the news media or any other public forum, CSICOP members turn out rapidly to add their own spin to whatever is being said.

Through its “Council for Media Integrity” CSICOP maintains close ties with the editorial staffs of such influential science publications as Scientific American, Nature, and New Scientist. Consequently, it’s not too hard to understand why balanced UFO articles seldom appear in those [magazines].”

Hansen further notes, “CSICOP’s public stance on UFOs is best personified by [the late] Philip J. Klass, head of the organization’s UFO Subcommittee. Klass isn’t a scientist. In fact, his education is in electrical engineering. After graduation from Iowa State University in 1941, he went to work for the avionics division of General Electric, one of the nation’s largest weapons and nuclear energy contractors. In 1952, Klass joined the aerospace trade publication Aviation Week & Space Technology, where he has often written about ‘black budget’ military projects such as those covertly funded by the CIA...Over the decades, Klass has made a name for himself publicly sparring with UFO researchers and injecting his particular spin on UFOs into the mass media at every opportunity, not always accurately or with much scientific merit...Despite his lack of scientific credentials, Klass has enjoyed remarkable popularity with the news media.” 

Hansen might have added that Klass’ long-time employer, Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, has a remarkable track-record of scooping its competition by publishing articles based, in part, on information provided by government insiders. Indeed, Aviation Week may be considered as a conduit to the public for information originating from many of the key players in the aptly-named military/industrial complex. 

To illustrate the rather cozy relationship between the magazine and the intelligence community, in particular, I earlier noted that Klass once boasted in a private letter that he could cite as character references both Admiral Bobby R. Inman (USN Ret.)—the former Director of the National Security Agency, who also held Deputy Director positions at both the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency—and Lt. General Daniel O. Graham (USA Ret.), the former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In the letter, Klass stated that “Both men have worked with me and gotten to know me [through] my efforts for Aviation Week.”

Hansen, whose diligent journalistic investigation of CSICOP goes well beyond that conducted by any UFO researcher, observes, “If the [CIA’s] Robertson Panel had wanted to set up a front organization to debunk the UFO phenomenon, it could have hardly done a better job than to infiltrate CSICOP and encourage its media management activities. Perhaps its not surprising, then, that Philip Klass has occasionally been charged with being a covert government agent, a charge he has vigorously denied...” 

Hansen goes on to note that during a 1994 confrontation with Klass, at a CSICOP meeting in Seattle, the UFO debunker first said that an official UFO cover-up would not be possible because the U.S. government could not keep such an important secret. When Hansen challenged that assertion, and cited examples of other important secrets which the government had successfully kept from public view—such as decades-old cryptographic-related programs—Klass apparently reversed himself and admitted that some secrets could indeed be kept long-term. Then, in what was arguably a very telling comment, Klass told Hansen that some secrets should be kept, for reasons relating to national security. He went on to mention that his employer, Aviation Week, had once agreed to keep secret its knowledge of the SR-71 spy plane, at the government’s request. If nothing else, this admission by Klass only further illustrates the magazine’s cooperative, mutually-beneficial relationship with the various agencies and departments of the U.S. government—in which one hand washes the other, so to speak. 

“So,” Hanson summarized, “under cross-examination, Klass had gone from claiming the government can’t keep secrets to saying that it can, it must, and even that his own publication had been complicit in keeping government secrets. Klass did not appear very happy about the course this conversation had taken and he soon reverted back to his [initial] claim that UFOs did not exist...A charitable view of Klass is that he is simply a zealot, another of those for whom scientific dogma supplies the reassuring psychological bedrock that others find in religious fundamentalism. When confronted with evidence that calls into question his core beliefs, Klass responds—as any fundamentalist would—by rejecting the evidence. Thus, his duplicity can be accounted for by human nature. One does not need to resort to more conspiratorial explanations.” 

“On the other hand,” Hanson continued, “Klass also has many of the qualifications one would expect in a deep-cover propagandist. He has a history of working for the secretive military-industrial complex, a demonstrated aptitude for duplicity, a District of Columbia address, remarkable mass-media savvy and success, an evident belief in the necessity of government secrecy and, of course, cover as a journalist with Aviation Week.” 

CSICOP, Now CSI: CSI’s “Scientific” Analysis of UFOs: Thanks, but No Thanks

[Karl12]

Professor Robert Jacob's makes some interesting comments below and describes the letters sent to him by Klass (who was citing Chief CIA disinfo leader Bobby Ray Inman as a reference) - also relevant is how Klass sent malicious letters to the University of Maine which resulted in Professor Jacobs losing his job.







See 22:30















Also more info below about Klass and the notorious UFO pseudo-sceptic group 'CSICOP'.






The Debunkers vs. the UFO Menace - Part one


The Debunkers vs. the UFO Menace - Part two