UFOlogist Robert Dean Claims "It's Quite Easy To Lie To The American Public," And Demonstrates This Claim To Be True

Robert O. Dean, a rising star in the UFO lecture circuit, initially attracted attention by claiming to reveal the "Cosmic Top Secret" results of an alleged three-year UFO investigation by NATO in the early 1960s. But in his lecture on July 5 at the Roswell 50th anniversary celebration, Dean claims he has found extensive evidence that ETs have been visiting Earth for thousands of years. The evidence: paintings found on the walls of prehistoric caves in northern Spain and in ancient Egyptian tombs. Seemingly, Dean has become "America's own Erich von Daniken," who achieved fame with similar claims in his 1968 book, "Chariots of the Gods."

Examination of Dean's service record confirms that he did serve four years at NATO headquarters from mid-1963 to mid-1967 with the rank of Master Sergeant, as he claims. (Dean entered the Army on April 5, 1950, and retired on Oct. 31, 1976--with many decorations for combat service in Korea and later in Vietnam.) But while Dean claims he worked as an "Intelligence Analyst" at NATO headquarters, his military records show his duty assignment there was "Ch. Clk. Lang. Svc. Br." [Chief Clerk Language Service Branch]. During Dean's Roswell talk, he claimed he "was trained as an intelligence analyst." However, Dean's service record does not show he ever received such training. Nor does his service record show any assignments as an "intelligence analyst" during his entire 26 years in the Army.

According to Dean, UFOs flying over Europe during the 1950s and early 1960s almost precipitated World War III. He told his Roswell audience that "large numbers of large metallic, circular objects were flying all over Europe....These things would fly in formations out of the east toward the west over Europe, over the southern coast of England, then they would turn north over the channel and then would disappear off of NATO radars off the Norwegian Sea. For a time the Soviets thought they belonged to us. For a time, we honestly thought they belonged to the Soviets. It became apparent to both of us very quickly that these objects did not belong to either side because of their repeated and continual demonstration of an incredibly advanced technology....They would fly circles around our fighter jets....We didn't know who they were, what they were, why they were here and where they were from."

Dean Claims NATO Launched Its Own UFO Investigation In Early 1961

Dean claims that in early 1961 NATO launched a three-year investigation to determine if UFOs posed a possible military threat. The results were contained in a NATO report titled "AN ASSESSMENT (An Evaluation of a Possible Military Threat to Allied Forces in Europe)," which was published in 1964--a year after Dean arrived at NATO. The report was given NATO's top security classification--"Cosmic Top Secret"--and, with annexes, stood eight inches high. Its contents were considered so sensitive, according to Dean, that only 15 copies of the report were printed. Dean told his Roswell audience that NATO's report revealed that "there had been case after case of [UFO] landings, face-to-face confrontations, invitations to come aboard their ships. It had been going on for some years. It has been going on for centuries." 

According to Dean, the NATO report included not only in-depth studies by atmospheric physicists, astronomers and astrophysicists, but also by sociologists, historians and theologians. Dean said the report concluded that "there apparently was not a military threat because if...[ETs] were hostile or malevolent, the game would have been up a long time ago." 

Skeptics UFO Newsletter -2- Nov. 1997

However, Dean reported, NATO officials were--understandably--very disturbed by the fact that one of the four types of ETs "looked exactly like we do, and I don't mean close. I mean exactly....The admirals and the generals were terribly troubled by the idea that these guys [ETs] could be walking up and down the corridors of our headquarters and we would never know....that there could be advanced intelligence in our midst and we didn't know who they were, where they were from, why they were here or what they were up to. It drove the military planners up the wall." 

SUN Comment: Presumably, NATO headquarters security guards would not admit anyone with-out appropriate identification passes--but conceivably the human-like ETs might fabricate counterfeit credentials. One would expect that NATO would quickly have taken steps to enable its security guards to detect counterfeit credentials and to capture any human-like ETs trying to enter NATO headquarters. But Dean made no mention of any such increased security effort.

Dean Claims He Had Frequent Access To "Cosmic Top Secret" Report

If NATO did indeed launch its own UFO investigation in the early 1960s, and if its report was classified "Cosmic Top Secret" and only 15 copies were printed to restrict knowledge of its contents, how did a "lowly" Master Sergeant like Dean gain access to the highly classified report? Very easily, according to Dean. He claims he was on duty at 2 a.m. in NATO's War Room and having trouble staying awake when "an Air Force bird colonel thumped it down on my desk." (In an interview published in the winter 1995-96 issue of UFO Update AZ magazine, Dean said "this Air Force controller, a bird colonel...pulled this thing out of the vault and he said, `here read this. This will wake you up.'" Not only did Dean claim he once had access to what he calls the most sensitive document in NATO, but he claims that he "read it repeatedly, studied it, pulled the annexes out, looked at the photographs, the autopsy reports...")

In the same magazine interview, Dean said he learned from the NATO report that a 100- ft.-diameter UFO had crashed in Germany in late 1963 or 1964 and had been recovered, along with 12 ET bodies, by a British Army engineer battalion. The NATO report, according to Dean, included comments of the British pathologist during his examination of the ET bodies. These included: "Holy shit," "Jesus Christ," "My God, look at this."

Dean told his Roswell audience that "I was to learn later--before I departed [NATO] in 1967--that they concluded that we were not merely dealing with visitations from other planets or from other star systems or from other galaxies. They had begun to conclude--and I learned this later before I retired from the Army in 1976--and this is another thing that really shook our scientists and our military people up--we are apparently dealing with advanced intelligence that seems to be multi-dimensional in their source....Some of the more advanced species, more advanced races were apparently multi-dimensional." Dean said that "when I left the service in 1976, we knew of at least 12 different groups [i.e., types of "aliens"]. I have talked to old cronies, old colleagues who are still involved in government work and they say the latest estimate--my God--could be over a hundred." [SUN Comment: Seemingly, this tiny planet is a popular tourist attraction for ETs.]

Dean's Unusual "von Daniken Type" UFO Research 

Dean told his Roswell audience that he had "always been fascinated by ancient art" and that he "began to find interesting areas of [UFO] research in art....I began to find what intrigued me as strange-shaped lenticular [thin oval-shaped] clouds in so many ancient paintings. Now meteorologists will tell you, of course, there are lenticular clouds. You see them all the time, quite common, actually. But I wondered why so many lenticular clouds were continually showing up in ancient paintings--particularly about the life of that beautiful young man from Galilee 2000 years ago." In other words, Dean began to suspect that oval-shaped clouds which appeared in paintings and tapestries with religious themes were really flying saucers. 
Dean treated his Roswell audience to a slide show of some of these ancient pieces of art he has discovered.

Skeptics UFO Newsletter -3- Nov. 1997

One of Dean's slides was a Baroque painting in a European museum "showing Moses receiving the 10 Commandments, but interestingly enough in the background are three objects that look like circular domed discs." Later, Dean said he discovered that the Dead Sea Scrolls referred to the presence of "chariots of glory." Dean showed a slide of prehistoric paintings on the walls of caves in southern France and northern Spain, estimated to be 30,000 years old, which showed animals of that period and objects which he claimed are "exactly like [UFOs] in the skies over Mexico City on a daily basis." Another slide showed a 4,000-year-old painting on the wall of a cave near the Russian-Chinese border, prompting Dean to comment: "Who is this little dude? And what is this guy here with this interesting gauntlet or globe, holding some circular disc in his hand?....This thing in the sky? This little thing behind it or under it, this jet? And this little dude with the little antenna on top, with a space suit and a helmet? What in the world is this artist trying to communicate 4,000 years ago?"

Another of Dean's slides showed a painting from an ancient Egyptian tomb which portrayed the chest of an ancient Egyptian god. Dean explained: "I looked at it and thought, something's not right here, so I turned it upside down and looked at it again." When the painting was inverted, Dean found "there's a dome here, a cabin of some kind. There are jets coming out of the back of this thing....I think it's a little jet scooter...5,000 years ago."

(It may be only coincidence that Dean has focused his "UFO research" on ancient art--in which he has had a long-time interest. This would allow Dean to visit museums around the globe and charge off his expenses as research against his UFO-lecture income.)

Authentic Once "Top Secret" Documents Challenge Dean's Claims

On Dec. 2-3, 1994, the Central Intelligence Agency released 79 "National Intelligence Estimates" (NIE), previously classified "Top Secret," at a Harvard University conference (which SUN's editor attended). These NIEs, covering the period from 1950 to 1984, were prepared by the CIA in collaboration with the directors of intelligence for the USAF, Army, Navy, Atomic Energy Commission, FBI and National Security Agency (NSA). The NIEs were based on the best available information on the military situation in Europe. Roughly half of the NIEs made public in late 1994 cover the period of 1950 to 1964--when Dean claims that "large numbers of large metallic, circular objects were flying all over Europe."

NOT ONE OF THESE MANY ONCE "TOP SECRET" NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATES MENTIONS UFOs OR THAT "LARGE NUMBERS OF LARGE METALLIC, CIRCULAR OBJECTS WERE FLYING ALL OVER EUROPE."

Dean claims he is "violating my national security oath" by revealing the contents of the (alleged) NATO report. If true, he could be punished (at least covertly) by terminating his military pension. (Or he could be permanently silenced by a "burglar" with a gun entering his Tucson home in the middle of the night.) During an interview published in the Dec./Jan. 1997 issue of the British magazine UFO Reality, Dean was asked if he had ever been threatened for revealing "Cosmic Top Secret" information. Dean replied: "I've not had any overt threats, but I've faced some subtle intimidation....I've had black helicopters over my house..."

Dean explained to his Roswell audience that he feels justified in violating his secrecy oath to expose the government's UFO policy of "deceit and deception." When Dean appeared on the TV show "Roswell: Coverups & Close Encounters," which aired on the Sci-Fi Channel last July, he said: "It's quite easy to lie to the American public because they don't do their homework."

Dean said he has recently created a Coalition for Honesty in Government to petition Congress for UFO hearings, and hopes to obtain a million signatures by late this year. [IF SUN should create a Coalition for Honesty in UFOlogy, Dean will not be allowed to join.]

Skeptics UFO Newsletter -4- Nov. 1997

MUFON UFO Journal Criticized By Members For Not Being Sufficiently "Pro-UFO," Prompting Editor Stacy To Resign

The 15-page article by Kent Jeffrey in the June issue of the MUFON UFO Journal--published just before the MUFON annual conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., "infuriated" many MUFON members, and triggered the resignation of Dennis Stacy who has edited the Journal for the last 13 years. In the article, which was approved for publication by MUFON's top director, Walt Andrus, Jeffrey cited new evidence that had prompted him to change his views and conclude that the Brazel ranch debris was not a crashed ET craft [SUN #46/July 1997]. One might think MUFON members would want to learn what had prompted Jeffrey's action.

According to Andrus, "the Kent Jeffrey article infuriated the membership in general, since it was too long, full of apparent errors in reasoning, and debunking in nature," Andrus candidly admitted in his "Director's Message" column in the August issue of the Journal. "Members want to hear about UFO sighting reports, not arguments between writers." Andrus said that for many years the publication had been "the voice of UFOlogy," but it now faces competition from both print and electronic media and "no longer holds that distinguished position." MUFON's Board of Directors, which met on the last day of the conference, decided to include a survey questionnaire in the September issue of the Journal, seeking members' views on the content of the publication. Andrus admitted that MUFON has suffered "a significant decline" in membership over the last two years. Although Andrus gave no figures, current MUFON membership is about 4,300--down more than 15% from its peak--which has cut MUFON's income. Stacy promptly submitted his resignation, and by mid-September it had been accepted. He will be replaced by Dwight Connelly, who edited MUFON's monthly magazine in the mid-1970s. 

Based on SUN's occasional communications with Stacy and his writings in MUFON's journal, it is evident to SUN that he has himself become skeptical about the "Roswell Incident" and wild UFO-abduction tales--which have become the cornerstones of UFOlogy. This skepticism was evident in some of Stacy's reviews of some wilder UFO books. It was Stacy's moderation that made the MUFON publication the "voice of rational UFOlogy." But Andrus needs to please the majority of MUFON's members if the group is to survive financially.

Hopkins Claims ETs Have Amazing Power Of "Selective Invisibility"

During Budd Hopkins' lecture on July 4 at the Roswell 50th anniversary celebration, he explained why he and David Jacobs are convinced that ETs have the miraculous power to make themselves, their craft and even "abductees" invisible to some persons but visible to others, i.e., "selective invisibility." Hopkins said he has "many, many cases" where people (claim) they were beamed up to a hovering UFO in large cities, such as New York, Paris, Rome and London, where there should be many witnesses. "There is no way that these things could happen and there not be witnesses seeing people floating up beams of light and seeing spacecraft," Hopkins said. "We have many cases where people seem to be abducted in a crowded place with other people around." This lack of confirming witnesses should prompt Hopkins to question the veracity of the abduction claims. Instead, the absence of witnesses convinces Hopkins and Jacobs that ETs must have the power of "selective invisibility."

For example, in the now famous Linda "Cortile" case, Hopkins believes that ETs intentionally arranged for her "beaming up" to a hovering UFO to be witnessed by Javier Perez de Cuellar, then Secretary General of the United Nations [SUN #42/Nov. 1996], and by one woman driving across the Brooklyn Bridge--but not by other motorists whose cars (allegedly) also stalled on the bridge. In other words, ETs decide who among many potential witnesses will be able to see them, and who will not. But ETs have even more miraculous powers.

Skeptics UFO Newsletter -5- Nov. 1997

Hopkins described an incident he investigated in 1992 in Brisbane, Australia, involving a couple and their two young sons--seemingly substantiated by a color photo taken by the husband. The incident occurred while the family was relaxing on a popular beach where the husband (reportedly) took a picture of his wife and sons. When the film was processed it showed only the beach. After using regressive hypnosis on the woman and her husband, Hopkins concluded that shortly after the husband activated the camera's shutter, the wife and two boys had been beamed up to a hovering UFO--which made itself and the abductees invisible to the husband and to the many persons on the beach. 

While the wife and two sons were being subjected to a traditional medical exam aboard the UFO, the husband seemingly was paralyzed--standing on the beach with his camera in front of his face for perhaps 30-60 minutes. Because other persons on the beach would find it strange that the man continued to stand there looking into the camera viewfinder, the ETs made the husband, and his camera, invisible. (A more detailed account of this case, reported by Hopkins at the 1993 MUFON conference in Richmond, Va., can be found in SUN #23/Sept. 1993). A slide of the husband's photo showed an ordinary beach scene with no people in it, prompting Hopkins to comment: "An invisible man with an invisible camera with an invisible film in it took a photograph of invisible people and what they got was the general [beach] surroundings." 

Hopkins overlooked the most miraculous aspect of the tale. If the woman and her two sons were really standing in front of the camera but were invisible to the film, their bodies would block out the camera's view of part of the background. Yet there are no blocked-out portions of the scene. Seemingly, the ETs were able to fill in the missing details of the background on the film that were being blocked by the bodies of the woman and her two sons. The only possible alternative explanation, which is too wild to be considered by Hopkins, is that the woman was spinning a tall tale to impress a visiting celebrity--after attending his lecture.

Freedom Of Information Act Request Seeks To Verify Corso's Claims

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was recently filed with the Army seeking any information that could confirm the wild claims made by former Lt. Col. Philip Corso in his recent book, "The Day After Roswell." Corso claims that most of our advanced technologies today, such as computer chips, lasers, and night-vision goggles, are the result of ET technology recovered from the Roswell crashed-saucer [SUN #47/Sept. 1997]. Further, that he himself played a key role in the early 1960s in covertly transferring the ET technology to U.S. industry.

The recent FOIA request was filed by Peter Gersten, who in the late 1960s was the first to use the then-new FOIA law to obtain UFO information from the files of the Central Intelligence Agency and later from the National Security Agency (NSA). Gersten, then an attorney in New York City, had a long-standing interest in UFOs. His interest dimmed following the release of the MJ-12 papers a decade ago, and three years ago he moved to Scottsdale, Az.

During Gersten's visit to Roswell for its recent anniversary celebration, he met Corso and his co-author, William J. Birnes, which prompted the FOIA request. Gersten told SUN that he questions the accuracy of claims made in Corso's book, but added: "I'm unable to understand why he would just come out and lie. I don't understand the motivation." (One possible motivation is fame and fortune. Corso's book is now in its sixth printing and he has achieved international fame.)

SUN asked if Corso was willing to sign a sworn statement that the claims made in his book were true. Gersten replied that when he had posed the same question to co-author Birnes. "He turned white and tried to put me off."

Skeptics UFO Newsletter -6- Nov. 1997

When SUN asked Gersten for his current views on UFOs, he replied: "I believe this planet is in contact with another form of intelligence, but I don't believe UFOs are the best evidence. I think that `crop circles' are the best evidence....We should be studying those `crop circles'...." Gersten added that since moving to Arizona he has become interested in astrology.

MUFON's Research Director Praises Corso Book

Dr. Robert M. Wood, MUFON's director of research, offered a strong endorsement of Corso's book in the August issue of the MUFON UFO Journal. Wood's seeming acceptance of Corso's claims--that ET technology recovered from the (alleged) Roswell crashed saucer made its way into U.S. industry--is surprising. Until Wood's recent retirement, he was an official of McDonnell Douglas, involved in the company's space activities. SUN wonders if Wood can identify which of his company's advances in space technology should be credited to the debris recovered from the Brazel ranch rather than the ingenuity of the company's engineers.

Wood's lengthy review of the Corso book concludes: "I predict this book will wind its way into the list of very important books on UFOs in the next few years. No U.S. history or UFO library should be without it, since it is the first to describe a very believable reverse engineering process for alien parts." (Emphasis added.) 

Another retired military officer, Sir Peter Horsley, has found a publisher and obtained publicity for his autobiographical book by means of outlandish UFO claims. Horsley, former Air Marshal in Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF), claims he met with an ET--named Mr. Janus--in 1954 in a London flat. A feature story in the Aug. 10 edition of (London's) Mail On Sunday, quotes Horseley as saying: "We talked for hours about traveling in space and time....He didn't say he was a visitor from another planet but I had that impression. I believe he was here to observe us. I never saw him again." The article says, "Sir Peter cannot remember the date or the number of the flat...nor can he describe the man he met there--but he is adamant the encounter took place." The article quotes Horseley as saying: "Janus was there, sitting by the fire in a deep chair. He asked, `What is your interest in flying saucers?'" Horsley acknowledges that he has been interested in UFOs since 1952. In 1973, Horseley was named deputy commander-in-chief of the RAF Strike Command. His book, titled "Sounds From Another Room," was slated to be published last month.

Hopkins Makes False Accusation Against SUN's Editor

During a talk-show appearance on Philadelphia radio station WHYY on June 26, in which I did not participate, Budd Hopkins stated: "Philip Klass, who is the dean of this sort of ad hominem attack in the debunking field, was recently asked if he had interviewed any of the purported witnesses in the [Roswell] case...and he said no, he doesn't have to. He knows that this couldn't have happened....I'm in favor of skepticism. What I'm against is the kind of `true believer,' such as Philip Klass, who will simply say: `I don't have to interview anybody. I don't have to read any of the books, simply because I know that sort of thing cannot happen.'"

I have never made such a statement about Roswell, or any UFO case--including Hopkins' highly touted Linda "beam-me-up-Scotty" Manhattan abduction case. I have read every book on the "Roswell Incident" as well as every article published in the MUFON UFO Journal and in the International UFO Reporter. I have been investigating the case for eight years and have visited Roswell twice. I have personally interviewed nine key witnesses and have studied audio and video taped interviews with many others who claim involvement. 

The results of my lengthy investigation are reported in my new book, "The Real Roswell Crashed-Saucer Coverup," just published by Prometheus Books, Amherst, N.Y.

Skeptics UFO Newsletter -7- Nov. 1997

"The REAL Roswell Crashed-Saucer Coverup"

"It has been called a `Cosmic Watergate'--the greatest government coverup of all time by those who claim that the United States military recovered a crashed `flying saucer,' along with several extraterrestrial bodies, near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. This accusation, made in numerous books, articles, and TV shows on the `Roswell Incident,' is based on the decades-old recollections of persons who claim to have been involved in the incident.

"The REAL Roswell Crashed-Saucer Coverup proves beyond any doubt, based on once `Secret' and `Top Secret' Air Force and CIA documents, that there is indeed a massive coverup of the truth. It reveals that those involved in the crashed-saucer coverup are the authors of books and articles, and TV show producers, who falsely accuse the government while they themselves withhold information contained in these once `Secret' and `Top Secret' documents to line their own pockets.

"In contrast to the hard evidence contained in these once highly classified documents, author Philip J. Klass reveals flaws and contradictions in the tales told by some of the key alleged witnesses who claim to have seen a crashed saucer and/or ET bodies. He also reveals how Roswell researchers themselves sharply disagree as to what allegedly occurred and when it happened. The book documents how one Roswell researcher/author caught his long-time partner `spinning tall tales.'"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
The foregoing is from the jacket of the new book by SUN's editor, published by Prometheus Books, Amherst, N.Y. The 242-page hard-cover book is priced at $24.95. An autographed copy can be purchased from the author for $25 (which includes mailing cost). Overseas purchasers who want book sent via airmail, please send $30 in cash or money order.

"V2" Spreads The Word Via Stickers: Say NO To Alien Entities

While "abductologists" such as Budd Hopkins, David Jacobs, and Dr. John Mack seem to welcome growing numbers of UFO-abduction claims and make no effort to try to stop the (alleged) incidents, an anonymous person in the state of Washington has done so with a "Say NO To Deceptive Alien Entities" campaign and colorful stickers. He/she uses the pseudonym of "V2" and provides stickers without charge. (See sample below.)

According to V2, "The Spread The Word [STW] resistance movement began as a call for discernment and action against abuses toward humanity demonstrated by so-called alien entities. With abduction reports on the rise, the nature of the perpetrators is becoming more clear. These aliens, specifically the Greys and their associates, are breaking the laws of both Mankind and God. They kidnap, rape, implant and traumatize men, women and children repeatedly. They have no compassion for emotions or pain, mirroring the worst of our behavior. STW has established a voice of resistance through an emblem--the image on our stickers....Highly respected researchers of alien resistance are finding evidence that strength of spirit and righteous anger are successfully averting abduction attempts. People need to know and to believe: Saying NO works....Take an educated stand." Since the campaign was launched in 1995, V2 says he/she has sent out millions of stickers to numerous countries around the globe.

U.S. residents can obtain 63 of the miniature ET stickers by sending V2 a self-addressed stamped envelope. If non-U.S., SUN suggests you send $1 to V2 to cover cost of airmail. If you send several dollars, you will receive a roll of 1,000 stickers. You will also receive information on the very modest cost of bumper stickers, T-shirts, etc., that promote the "Say NO To Deceptive Alien Entities" campaign. Charitable contributions are welcome.

Write to: V2/Spread The Word
P.O. Box 911
Stanwood, Wash. 98292

Skeptics UFO Newsletter -8- Nov. 1997

Short Shrift

• Stanton Friedman's new book is panned: The June 29 edition of the Albuquerque Journal, which carried reviews of 10 recent UFO books, offered the following commentary on "Top Secret/MAJIC": "If you want to read a book about Stanton Friedman, nuclear physicist (as the UFO researcher likes to call himself), this book is for you. If you want to read a book that sheds light on the UFO phenomenon, pass. While the UFO community has largely abandoned a bundle of allegedly top secret documents about the government's MJ-12 UFO coverup as a feeble hoax, Friedman remains unrepentant. His tales about himself and his heroism to get at the truth clog up his narrative, especially when the `truth' is the pathetic MJ-12." (Emphasis added.)
  
  
• Friedman asks Roswell audience to boo SUN's editor: A report on the Roswell 50th anniversary celebration by freelance writer Antonio Lopez, published in the August issue of The Santa Fe Sun, included the following comment on Stanton Friedman's July 5 lecture: "In a rather ugly display of character assassination, nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman, best known for revitalizing the Roswell incident in his book Crash at Corona, showed a photo slide of public nemesis and UFO debunker Philip Klass, asking the audience to boo the picture. In Roswell, to many of the participants, fairness got abducted."
  
  
• If you wonder why New Mexico Congressman Steven Schiff, who prompted the GAO/USAF Roswell investigations, has "disappeared" from the UFO scene, here's the reason: Schiff's press secretary, Barry Bitzer, explains: "I've put my boss on a `no UFO media diet.' This subject made him an instant celebrity a few years ago. We got swamped with mail and television crews and that's the only thing that anyone ever wanted to talk to him about. So now, unless there's something new to discuss, he's not going to revisit the topic," according to an article in the Sept. 27 edition of the Washington Post. 
  
  
• Potpourri: Roswell's International UFO Museum & Research Center reports it had 24,588 visitors during the six days of last summer's 50th anniversary celebration. UFOlogist Michael Lindemann, who was one of the featured speakers, offers the following appraisal: "On this occasion, and perhaps for years to come, Roswell can lay claim to the title of `UFO Mecca' for earthlings in search of the ever-elusive truth about UFOs." This claim might be challenged by GULF BREEZE, FLA.--made famous by Ed Walters and his many flying saucer photos. UFOs (seemingly) return often to Gulf Breeze to provide visitors with "UFO photo opportunities," which were sorely lacking in Roswell last summer. SUN predicts that Roswell could correct this deficiency if it were to hire Ed Walters and make his payment proportional to the number of UFOs that show up in Roswell's night skies. Arcturus Books, Port St. Lucie, Fla., which specializes in books and videos on UFOs, has experienced a 15% drop in sales this year, according to owner Robert Girard despite--or possibly because of--extensive TV coverage this year.