Howard Menger Synchronicity

Howard Menger film.

UFO sighting by 3 police officers;

On a January night in 1978 Sergeant Tony Dodd and Police Constable Alan Dale were driving in the vicinity of Cononley, near Skipton, Yorkshire, in their official line of duty, when a strange aerial machine came into view. 'We were going down a country lane,' Sergeant Dodd explained, 'and you know what it's like up there - it was dark - and the only light you've got is your headlights. Suddenly the road in front of us lit up. Of course, the immediate reaction is, where's the light coming from? But it was coming from above. We stopped the car, looked up, and there was this thing coming from our right to our left.' The object was about 100 feet away, moving at less than 40 mph.' It was glowing; like a bright white incandescent glow, and it came right over our heads,' the police sergeant recalled.' The whole unit was glowing. It was as if the metal of what this thing was made of was white hot. And there were these three great spheres underneath, like huge ball-bearings - three of them equally placed around it. There was a hollow area underneath and like a skirting around the bottom, but these things protruded below that.' It was absolutely awe-inspiring to see it. I don't know how to explain it to you - it was such a beautiful-looking thing. It seemed to have portholes round the dome - an elongated domed area. And what stood out more than anything else was the coloured lights dancing round on the outside of the skirt at the bottom. . . which gave the visual impression that it was rotating. Now whether the thing was going round, or whether it was just the lights that were going round and give that impression, I don't know.I would say it was the lights that were going round because, when you were looking at the portholes, they didn't seem to be going round in a circle as you would have expected.' The object was completely soundless. 'When the thing had passed over our heads it sort of went into the distance then suddenly appeared to come down: there's a big wood to our left, right on a distant hillside, and it appeared to go down in that wood,' said Sergeant Dodd, who added that a third police officer had seen the object. 'We carried on along this road and as we got towards the village we could see these lights coming towards us from the other direction - it was another police car. We stopped, and he said, "I've just been watching this damn great UFO, and it seems to have come right down somewhere over here! 

Space Brother Contactees

Just found this (recently uploaded) documentary on Howard Menger and other early contactees. Above is part 1 (of 5).

Mystified

Weird photograph belonging to the Howard Menger case.

Scoutcraft Stew

In the fifties people started seeing a lot of 'Adamski type scoutscrafts' and also apparently photographing them. Here's a comment from ufocasebook.com on the photograph (above).

Australia, 1954. This very compelling photograph of a clearly defined round UFO with top and antenna was taken by sheep farmer W. C. Hall in 1954. If you look real closely, you might see another unknown object in the distance just above a mountain. An excellent photo, and for a newspaper clipping, it is in excellent condition.

So, what to make of it? I do believe some of the material from the 1950s is in fact genuine but to complicate matters there certainly were people jumping on the bandwagon and deliberately faking photographs. With the W.C. Hall picture I remain undecided. George Adamski and Howard Menger did have many eyewitnesses that supported some of their claims and claimed to have seen the 'scoutcrafts' as well. On the other hand, some photographs do look suspicious and there were also attempts by the skeptics faking photographs or films - passing them off as genuine - exposing them later on and thereby ridiculing UFO believers who 'bought' it.

Frame of a faked movie by Gray Barker, Jim Moseley and John Sheets

I'm at odds if attempts like the one made by Moseley, Barker and Sheets are a service or disservice for Ufology. I suppose it's both. People are reminded that they can be easily fooled but it can swing to other side of the spectrum where genuine photo's are arbitrarily dismissed. I'm not sure that faking material, passing them off as genuine and later exposing it as a deliberate hoax, is the way to go. The ridicule that comes with it can't be a good thing. On another note, people who did hoax UFO material do suffer the full force of skeptics and believers alike and are branded for life. So why should the skeptics receive praise for the same act?



To make matters even more complicated there are pictures out there claimed by several people. The one above has been claimed by Neil Slade, I read on the net that Paul Villa took it and another source lists it as taken by Tahalita Fry (Dan Fry's wife). (And there are even more claimants.) This is of course a mess since only one source can be the right one. About the picture itself, I have my doubts. I'm leaning towards probably faked - 'Adamski copycat.'

Even in the 1950s there was already mayhem in abundance. In some ways it shows more about the people involved then actual UFOs. If there were actual contacts back then, I'm sure the aliens were scratching their heads as well.

Annoyed With Greg Bishop

Yesterday when I found out Howard Menger had died I found this article by Greg Bishop. Although informative there are a number of elements in the obituary which I find distasteful, to use a mild term. It seems like Greg couldn't help himself by injecting a few skeptical cheapshots which in my opinion are not only misplaced but disrespectful as well.

Now I admit Howard Menger is somewhat of a hero to me in UFO matters. I read his accounts way back in my childhood and was fascinated by his stories. Later on in life I checked up on his stories again on the internet and Timothy Good's book 'Alien Base' also recharged my interest in the Howard Menger case. I know there's plenty of controversy there and that Howard himself could have handled matters more wisely. At one point he did recant his story which was a blessing for all the skeptics out there. Later on however Menger commented that he wanted to leave the UFO field because of all its hardships and that everything he wrote in his book was the truth. But I guess a lot of people missed that. Howard Menger's story is weird and yes, there is controversy. However some matters do not have to be taken out of context.

Greg Bishop makes some assertions which I find not only intellectually unfair but also have no place in an obituary. Let me point them out. Greg comments on the 'Space Brothers';

Some of his later published descriptions sound distinctly sexual in nature, although he carefully couched them in language that could be construed as platonic.

What's your point here Greg? Howard Menger described his contacts as physically perfect and attractive, both men and women. I don't recall Menger ever claiming to have had a sexual relationship with any of them. So why this approach Greg?

Greg comments superficially on the research being done;

Many investigators visited the Menger home and interviewed witnesses whose stories varied with the telling or did not match each other.

That's strange. I seem to recall that many witnesses apparently corroborated some of Menger's claims. Menger's father appeared on radio supporting his son, his wife and even ex-wife experienced unusual events and stated so to researchers. Other people as well came forward. Timothy Good wrote some of those accounts in his book 'Alien Base'. It's there. I think you're being a lousy skeptic here Greg.

Greg comments on the work of other researchers;

Fortean writer Ivan Sanderson arrived at the Menger residence..... Jim Moseley recalled that Menger....

Just how relevant are these anecdotes Greg, besides from making Howard Menger look bad? So Menger got mad at Dr. Pazzaglini. Maybe he was snooping around? We both know Jim Moseley is no credible researcher. Moseley admitted digging up old burial sites in South America looking for gold and Moseley admitted engaging in fraud by sending false letters out using stolen official State stationary. But I don't mind you using anecdotes by Moseley and Pazzaglini, because it shows where you're coming from.

Menger did change his story and therefore can be viewed as inconsistent. I suspect Menger got overwhelmed by the all the people and attention and wanted out. His life was probably under a great deal of pressure, not only by believers but also by skeptics clinging on every word he said and ripping it totally out of context. It's strange that the latter still continues after Menger's death.

Now, I don't mind people being skeptical about Howard Menger, but it's just totally sad people have to do that in obituaries such as the one written by Greg Bishop where the skepticism just oozes out. Further damaging Menger's reputation, and that makes me upset.

Howard Menger Passes

One of my childhood ufological heroes, Howard Menger, passed away on the 25th of February.

Obituary
Howard Menger, 87, beloved husband, father, retired Army veteran of World War Two, business owner, inventor, author, speaker, and long time resident of Vero Beach, transitioned peacefully at 11:11 PM on Wednesday, February 25, 2009.

Born in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up during the Great Depression on a farm in Highbridge, New Jersey, and joined the U.S. Army at the age of 19. Trained in a flame-thrower unit of the 713th Armored Tank Battalion, Howard served honorably in the service of his country while at war with Japan in the Pacific. During the battle for Okinawa, he earned the Purple Heart and several campaign medals. He left the service after the war and returned to Highbridge to start his own business in outdoor advertising and raise his family. During that time, he witnessed unexplained phenomenon that were described as “flying saucers” and wrote a book about his experiences. He also spoke to the public about these strange occurrences, appearing first on the Long John Nebel show in New York in the 1950s, as well as many other radio and television broadcasts over the years. He was both defamed and honored for his outspoken stories, and eventually left New Jersey to live in Florida, away from the public life.

Howard and his loving wife, Connie Menger, moved to Florida in 1962 to continue in the sign business and enjoy the beautiful weather. In Florida, Howard also worked on several alternative energy inventions in his own backyard shop, while he and Connie raised their family and built their local business, becoming one of the most successful outdoor advertising businesses in Indian River County. Howard and Connie eventually retired in 1991 from the business world and pursued other interests, primarily their family and their friends, including their domestic and wild animal friends! Howard always enjoyed nature, and loved to sit on the porch at his home, watching the birds and squirrels share his yard. He often built them their own homes, and made sure he kept their water bowls full. He also took time to write another book with Connie, and was asked to speak occasionally, both in the United States and abroad, about his early experiences in Highbridge.

Howard is survived by his wife, Connie, son Eric Menger, daughter Heidi Menger, and grandchildren Kristen, Tiffany, Christopher, and Caitlin Menger. Children from a former marriage are Richard and Patricia Menger. Howard and Connie celebrated their 50 year anniversary in May of last year.


May he travel among the stars.