Carrion demonstrates Col. Goldbranson to have been the senior member of the deception-tasked Joint Security Control Special Section at the time he was advising FBI personnel on incidents of flying disks. Carrion explained:
This July 21, 1947 FBI memo is extremely important. It unequivocally documents the connection between US strategic deception planners and early UFO events by relating how Colonel Carl Goldbranson petitioned FBI assistance in investigating UFO events. Goldbranson was a WW2 member of Joint Security Control and one of its principal deception planners.Carrion continued:
The Special Section of JSC consisted of only seven individuals including Goldbranson who as a full bird Colonel would have been the senior member. So for those who question the importance of Goldbranson to this analysis, only one question need be answered. What are the odds that the senior member of the principal US organization and specific section charged with planning and implementing U.S. strategic deception is on record in FBI official memorandum, getting his hands dirty in the UFO controversy of 1947? Goldbranson had no reason to be involved unless he was actively promoting a deception plan.
For those unfamiliar with James Carrion's work, he focuses on the 1946-47 time frame. He cites declassified documents and related materials to present forensic historical analysis. Carrion proposes that a small group of U.S. intelligence personnel masterminded deception operations surrounding reported UFOs for a variety of purposes designed to create military advantages. Learn more in his free book, Anachronism, and keep an eye out for his forthcoming work, The Roswell Deception.
Critics of Carrion's work typically cite unrelated UFO cases or peripheral circumstances. Rarely do they directly address the material presented. Arguments are common that Uncle Sam couldn't be responsible for all reported UFO phenomena, in spite of the fact Carrion is simply sharing what he is learning about the specific 1946-47 era.
A primary point, as far as I'm concerned, is that Carrion's findings justify further research into the extent public perception of the UFO phenomenon was exploited at the time. It's clear that it happened - relevant questions revolve around how much, why, the specific instances and the consequences.
At least Carrion's moved away from Scandinavian Ghost Rockets, a largely arcane bit of Ufology that few outside that part of the world other than the most obsessed researchers know or care about.
ReplyDeleteThe unanswered question that keeps returning over and over - why "invent" spaceships from another planet as part of an intelligence operation? There are other more plausible scenarios that could have been dreamed up. This scenario only works if there were actual aircraft or airborne objects of some type that people saw, whether they were experimental aircraft or rockets of our own or overflights by foreign governments (the direction I'm leaning).
I disagree that the Ghost Rockets were an arcane bit of Ufology. In fact, Ufologists have often touted the Ghost Rockets...usually by citing that era as proof of "UFOs have always been with us...first the WW2 foo-fighters, then the 1946 Ghost Rockets, then the 1947 flying saucers, etc." As for the flying saucer scenario only working if there were objects that were really being seen, I agree. The US had many years of wartime deception experience in getting people to see what they wanted them to see-whether that was a large paratrooper force falling out of the sky that were really dummies, to fleets of non existent ships at sea, to whole airfields of air craft that were made out of rubber. The deception planners didn't have to invent spaceships, they just had to drop strange devices through the air and let the public's imagination do that job for them.
DeleteI believe people were actually seeing something that needed to be covered up to avoid widespread outrage and panic. And, no, it wasn't spaceships from another world. I've never believed that US airspace was or is as invulnerable as we've been led to believe. I suspect we have experienced many incursions especially in the post-WWII years when we were still the only country with the "bomb". And I don't think all the incursions were necessarily from unfriendly countries. No doubt our allies wanted to keep an eye on us as much as our new enemies, since we had shown we were callously willing to use the damn thing on civilians.
DeleteYou probably know different people than I do, because the people I've met with an interest in UFOs are focused on the Phoenix Lights, Stephensville, and the O'Hare incident, things that happened within recent memory that kindled that interest. All they know about the 1940s is Kenneth Arnold and Roswell.
That memo says that Goldbranson "desired the Bureau conduct some investigation of Shaver to determine whether or not he has any information pertaining to the origin of the flying saucers."
ReplyDeleteSo, am I correct in understanding that Col. Goldbranson was asking the FBI to investigate Richard Shaver to see what he knows about the origin of the flying saucers? Shaver, the guy who claimed that underground robots are fighting in caves?
This marks Goldbranson as an obvious crank.
Robert...I don't think you can describe the guy who planned the D-Day deception plans as well as the deception plans for the invasion of Japan a "Crank". Actually, your logic is nonsensical. For example, during WW2, the allies recruited an astrologer to try and influence Hitler and went to great lengths to have this astrologer's predictions "come true" to bolster his credibility. That did not make the deception planners cranks. The deception planner's goals cannot be diminished to simple guilt by association, just because you don't understand the overall goals of the deception plan.
DeleteIf Goldbranson actually thought that Shaver's writings were anything other than 100% fiction, then he was a crank. Or thought that the FBI could learn anything worthwhile from Shaver.
DeleteSo, is this the entire "proof" of "how Colonel Carl Goldbranson petitioned FBI assistance in investigating UFO events"? That he asked the FBI to interview the wacko Shaver?
Anyway, if nobody knew about this request, it wouldn't be any good as a "deception".
Robert,
DeleteAs always, your willingness to question is appreciated. Perhaps the following will assist you and others in better understanding the primary points I feel relevant and were initially cited by James:
- Col. Goldbranson is recognized as a leading deception planner of his day by academics ranging from FSU to T. Holt.
- The Special Section of the JSC was assembled for the specific purpose of planning and executing strategic deception, an activity defined as including allies and the public as those deceived when deemed justified.
- Col. Goldbranson was the senior member of the JSC Special Section when he was providing information on flying saucers to the FBI in July of 1947.
I feel that justifies further research.
Thanks for your interest,
Jack
I think these are important findings and I agree that they justify further research.
ReplyDeleteSynchronicity is a wonderful thing. I've just spent quite a bit of time researching pre-47 sightings and reports and I think James' work is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe that the JCS Special Section was behind all of the sightings and I would argue that there was very much something to the genuine phenomenon. This would make pre-46/47 reports even more relevant - and there are many.
Even as far as the wave of June '47, I think it's hard to swallow how one group could facilitate the faking of a substantial UFO wave that was reported in many, many local papers by many different witnesses as well as the mainstream press.
By late June / early July '47 (and Roswell) I think absolutely, there could have been alarm that not only were these reports so widespread, they were also regularly in restricted airspace over highly classified locations of the time (Manhattan Project as one major example). This alone would have been enough of a driver to commence the disinformation project in earnest.
I will be covering in detail my reasons for not only welcoming James' work but also my challenges with it, as soon as time permits.
Interesting stuff though and not surprised that you covered it here, Jack!
Lorin Cutts
Lorin and Robert, I suggest that you read The Deceivers by Thaddeus Holt to understand the level of effort expended and the extent that strategic deception planners and implementers went to in order to meet their objectives. They were willing to make those efforts during a World War and would not hesitate to make the same efforts in peacetime to avoid another disastrous war. So I respectfully disagree. With WW2 as the measuring stick for what strategic deception planners could accomplish, the possibility that the plethora of 1947 UFO sightings were initiated by these same deception planners is well within the realm of plausibility.
DeleteThanks, I await your new book with interest and and will check out The Deceivers.
DeleteRegarding early sightings (pre Arnold) around Hanford Nuclear Site - of which there were dozens - I wonder what intelligence services would hope to gain by drawing any attention whatsoever to a highly secret location such as this, with the potential media interest that might accompany such reports, real or bogus?
I am also curious as to what you think of other UFO flaps in other countries such as France '54? I doubt the same agents had any jurisdiction in a country such as France at this time to operate similar programs.
I do think there's merit in re-examining USA and UK events with possible JCS involvement in mind. I wouldn't at all be surprised to find that it might have been a component in some cases (especially Roswell and beyond) and thank you for bringing this to light for us to consider.
Lorin
Kevin Randle has posted his different perspective about the Goldbranson and the FBI memo on his blog. It's probably better to read the article than for me to summarize it here.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting question as to why Goldbranson would identify Shaver as someone of interest. As Robert points out we are dealing with someone who made his name by promoting Lemurian fantasies.
But Shaver is only part of the puzzle. The Shaver Mystery in Amazing Stories found support in letters that Fred Crisman wrote to the magazine. A month before the Goldbranson memo, Crisman turned up at Maury Island just in time to watch a Craft malfunction and spew debris. Kenneth Arnold began to investigate after Crisman called Ray Palmer, the editor of Amazing Stories and soon there was enough intrigue involving bugged hotel rooms and military intelligence to fuel any number of conspiracy theories involving everything from UFOs to the Kennedy assassination or Inslaw.
It could mean that Mirage Men were involved in a deception. It could mean that they were interested in whether others were deceiving.
I wonder if the FBI did anything in response and investigated Shaver. By the time Adamski came around, they were worried that he might be a communist. They had their own agenda.
So I would not say that the memo provides "hard evidence" of a deception but it points to some interesting intrigue no matter what view one takes of the role of the intelligence community in the development of the phenomenon.
My response to Randall's article can be found here: http://historydeceived.blogspot.com/2016/08/all-is-not-as-it-seems-in-lemuria_25.html
DeleteSo what is your feeling about J. Edgar Hoover. Was he deceived off getting involved in UFO, strong armed, or did J. Edgar decided to sit Roswell off and be spectator and keep collecting files on the people involved as insurance? The reason why I mention this was Hoover had to know that there were laws broken by the military even if it was in the best interest of national security. This is a whole new line about Roswell which hasn't been discussed. I spent a ton of time review the Posse Comitias Act and some court cases back then. The military didn't have the right under the law to enter the ranch. Morally they were right to enter the ranch but there was a legal matter that was overlooked.
ReplyDeleteI do believe Hoover did but with a warrant. Hoover as stated in the one document was told about the possibility of chasing flying hub caps and trash lids. Hoover didn't want to spend resources when his men were going after real Russian spies. This is why I think Col. Goldbranson was involved. To keep the whole story quiet and to keep the FBI out of the picture and to have the military take the lead.
Thoughts?
The Human Deception Hypothesis (HDH) unlike the ET Hypothesis (ETH) or other hypotheses for UFOs is subject to the scientific tenet of falsifiability - that is to prove a theory, you have to be able to disprove it as well. There are two primary reasons why I pursue the HDH, one is because it can be proven one way or another. Each declassified document provides either supporting or damning evidence.
ReplyDeleteThe second reason I focus on the HDH is because it has precedence based on documented deception operations from WW2 and deception planners and implementers at the highest level of government who were also in position in 1947 to conduct deception, including Carl E. Goldbranson, Hoyt Vandenberg, George C. McDonald, Stephen J. Chamberlin - all who were current or prior members of Joint Security Control. That is reason enough to pursue this line of research.
If UFO researchers would spend time pursuing the HDH with as much fervor as they pursue the ETH or rabbit hole fantasies like MJ-12, then instead of commenting why it can't be based only on opinion, it can be put to bed based on documented facts.
Perhaps its not that ufology has been unwilling to look at human deception theories - how many people have made a career out of alleged false flags, shadow governments, national security operations, and coverups of any number of conspiracies. Usually this just takes us down more rabbit holes, whether it be MJ-12 or insider information about the Mars Defense Force – and if you pick a different hole, then any other evidence is labeled as disinformation designed to keep us from knowing the real truth about [insert your favorite explanation here].)
ReplyDeleteHow much the deceivers were playing another hand, and how much they were being deceived is still an open question. Chris O’Brien has suggested that much of what people have experienced may be part of a larger Trickster phenomenon that we may never fully understand. Perhaps the Trickster is playing both sides of the game. But certainly there have been those that will try to use that to their own end. We know little more now then what we did when the FBI was asked to investigate Shaver. It is enough to think that deception played - and continues to play - a major role in the phenomenon, but I am not sure it goes from there.
If there is a key, it is to look at the evidence without preconceived belief about where it will lead - to second-guess our own assumptions. I am not saying that Carrion has or has not done this. I read the Anachronism and look forward to his take on the Roswell and deception.
I am not suggesting a new conspiracy, but a sanctioned deception operation that would have been approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The paperwork that documents this deception presumably would still exist and be highly classified wherever the Joint Chiefs' classified files reside. If they are to be declassified, the impetus would have to come from the highest levels of our Government by Congressional investigation. Pinpointing which agencies to investigate is crucial in that regard.
ReplyDeleteIf you look for example at the Roswell investigation initiated by the GAO at the request of Congressman Schiff, the focus was on what was recovered at Roswell, NM. That singular focus, prejudiced by the belief that something crashed, was recovered and covered up, would never lead to any documents that relate to strategic deception. All the Army Air Force did was put out a press release and the 1947 public imagination and later the modern-day UFO believers filled in the gaps.
The focus of the GAO audit was on the US Air Force. As I pointed out earlier, any agency that plays a role in strategic deception would not be made aware of the overall deception plan but only informed of the specific role it would play. The actual deception plans would be formulated by the strategic deception planners and only communicated to the agency's top official.
Mr. Carrion,
ReplyDeleteI will put up Kevin's Randle lifelong investigation results over the GAO's and Rep. Schiff's any day.
Also after WWII, there were major budget cuts in the military. I seriously doubt they had a dime to spend on a UFO deception plan before Roswell. If there was a cover-up and deception plan, it started with General Ramey.
Sorry, but you don't have me closely convinced.
What would be exponentially more costly than a deception operation was another World War. Deception was the cheaper alternative.
DeleteI am not trying to convince those who live vicariously through other's research but rather the critical thinkers than can argue substantively the evidence presented and also those who are willing to jump in and do their own research.
It's clear that most - not all, but most - of those who have commented and made blog posts do not even understand what James is proposing. And then they argue it, often while qualifying they don't get it.
ReplyDeleteThere's really nowhere intelligent to go with that, folks.
It's okay if someone's not interested or they don't care. Lots of people don't care about UFOs or anything to do with them.
But if you care enough to argue about it, read the book. And read James' papers. They're around.
Then, if someone doesn't agree, well, okay. But it's really not too much to ask for people to know what they're talking about and actually understand what it is the man is suggesting before they try to explain it to others.
If you are referring to my comments, let me say this. First, I saw a very real, very big cylinder UFO. It was so close that I didn't hear it but it was the sun's reflexion that caught my attention. It's a experience you never forget.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I have been research Hoover long before this article came out. Specifically the Posse Comatatius Act and who had the legal jurisdiction of the Roswell ranch search.
With that said, Roswell was real in my opinion. And second, I just don't buy a deception plan beforehand. The cover-up started with General Ramey.
You're entitled to your opinion, Craig. So is James and everybody else. I'm just suggesting we bother to learn one another's platform before dismissing it out of hand, especially if we're going to bother to say/write something about it.
ReplyDeleteI very much appreciate your sober and level headed approach to this subject Jack. Part of the issue with being able to discuss this subject is there is no forum where recognized experts and scholars can argue the evidence cogently. Instead anyone can voice their opinions regardless of their experience and expertise. It is like inviting the public in to an American Medical Association symposium and allowing them to actively participate in the discussion on newly discovered pathogens. It just doesn't work out to anyone's benefit. That should not deter us researchers however who do the actual research from educating others on our findings.
ReplyDeleteAgreed - and thanks.
DeleteI need not remind Delounge the idiot that factoutburst is grounded in factand history
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/09/dan-jones-cia-torture-cover-report-senate
Jones, now a consultant in Washington for the Daschle Group and his own Penn Quarter Group, said that one of the report’s shocking findings was that the CIA misled not just George W Bush on torture, but also Obama.
“This is John Brennan’s CIA, Obama’s CIA,” he said. “They’re providing inaccurate information to the president of the United States in the present day.”
these are our aliens from another dimension which is our parallel government aka deep state