A scientist’s pursuit of the truth behind the UFO phenomenon
In my estimation, professor James Edward McDonald (1920–1971) might be the greatest hero in the history of ufo-investigations. His courage to oppose the U.S. Government’s official dismissal of the UFO phenomenon as scientifically insignificant should act as a template for everyone who calls themself a scientist and/or who claims to be a (sound) sceptic.
His dedication to pursuing the truth of the stigmatised UFO subject is inspiring. At the same time, tragic, since all the opposition he met from fellow scientists and politicians took a toll on him. Professor James Edward McDonald took his life in 1971 (whether it was suicide is still an open question, according to some researchers).
I will not compose a biography on the life of James E. McDonald and his resolution transforming the UFO phenomenon into a valid matter to research by scientists, and earnestly debate in the media and public (there already exists an excellent biography, The Firestorm: Dr McDonald's Fight for UFO Science (2003) by Ann Druffell).
Instead, this brief article is a way for me to express appreciation for a human being who followed his instincts, his inquisitiveness, and who thoroughly employed the scientific method of uncovering the truth about reality no matter how that truth may be.
However, I do not want to romanticise McDonald’s search for the truth and struggle to make the UFO phenomenon a legitimate scientific topic. His intense dedication — bordering on obsession — had devastating consequences for himself and his loved ones.
Besides being an homage to one of the greatest ufo-investigators up till the present day, this article also has the purpose of showing people with no or little previous knowledge of the UFO phenomenon that brilliant minds since at least the 1940s have taken the UFO issue seriously.
At the end of the article, you will find a link to “James E. McDonald's papers” at Arizona Archives Online. I recommend everyone interested in the UFO phenomenon to spend some time exploring the material on the phenomenon that McDonald collected, analysed, and compiled for posterity.
During the short time (5 years) that McDonald investigated the UFO phenomenon, he interviewed hundreds of UFO witnesses, held briefings in the United Nations and the U.S. Congress, and presentations in scientific contexts about the importance of the UFO issue.
He probably accomplished more in ufo-research than many of the current “ufologists” will ever hope to do (or me, but I am not claiming to be an ufo-researcher).
Before the link to McDonald's papers on the UFO phenomenon, I will leave a couple of other links that I hope can interest someone. This first one is a list of McDonald's publications as an atmospheric physicist in peer-reviewed journals.
This second link** goes to one of McDonald's most famous presentations on the inadequate investigations of UFOs made by the U.S. Air Force from the late 1940s to the late 1960s (“Project Sign”, “Project Grudge”, “Project Blue Book,” and “The Condon Report”). He held the presentation with the title “Science in Default” at the symposium for the American Association for the Advancement of Science in December 1969. He said the following at the end of page 3 in “Science in Default”:
The Condon Report and its Academy endorsement have exerted a highly negative influence on clarification of the long-standing UFO problem; so much, in fact, that it seems almost pointless to now call for new and more extensive UFO investigations. Yet the latter are precisely what are needed to bring out into full light of scientific inquiry a phenomenon that could well constitute one of the greatest scientific problems of our times.
And last, the papers (“James E. McDonald’s papers”) of a pioneer in ufo-research and seeker of truth and justice, professor of Atmospheric Sciences, James Edward McDonald.
**Addendum 2020–08–02: The link to McDonald´s paper “Science in Default” is no longer working (the link takes you to an unrelated website). But if you are interested, you can listen to an audio recording in which McDonald is presenting his paper “Science in Default” at the symposium for the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1969. You can listen to McDonald´s presentation on the following link: https://youtu.be/C2Al9uCpGfQ.
