Britain's X-traordinary Files

This looks to be a good, forthcoming book from Dave Clarke: Britain's X-traordinary Files.

And here's the book's description:

"David Clarke opens The National Archives’ own X Files to uncover the secret, official accounts behind legendary paranormal and extraordinary phenomena.

"From mediums employed by the police to help with psychic crime-busting to sea monster sightings reported to the Royal Navy, Britain’s X-traordinary Files brings to light a range of secret documents created by military intelligence and government agencies who have investigated and even used extraordinary phenomena or powers in recent history.

"Each chapter is underpinned by original, official records held at The National Archives, which throw new light on many rumors and unsolved historical mysteries, including the Angels of Mons and other legends of the Great War plus a variety of strange phenomena reported both in the sea and in the air, from phantom helicopters to the great sea serpent of the Victorian era. The final chapter scrutinizes official interest in the infamous Loch Ness Monster of Scotland and the ‘Beast of Bodmin.'

"These accounts are supplemented with contextual material gathered from interviews and the author’s own investigations, making truly eye-opening reading for anyone interested in the paranormal."

Sprites, Plasmas, Saucers and More

Well, if that post-title has caught your eye, check out the full article: it's from Dr. Dave Clarke and covers intriguing ground regarding the potential origins of at least some UFOs...

Amazingly Roswell-like!

Dr. Dave Clarke has an excellent new post at his blog that you should not miss. And, if you do, I'll send the MIB around "for a chat."

This is a very good article that tells us a great deal about how real events can become mixed in with folklore, rumor and much more - to the point where a tale of near-Roswell proportions develops.

Dave begins like this:

"Picture the scene: A shepherd visiting a remote area stumbles upon strange wreckage strewn across the ground which could be the remains of a crashed spaceship. The debris consists of pieces of unusual metal and strange drawings. On reporting his find at the local police station, search teams and military personnel descend on the area. The wreckage disappears – no one knows where – and civilians are told to ‘keep quiet about it.’

"You are probably thinking ‘Roswell, New Mexico, 1947’.

"But no, this incident occurred in the Scottish Highlands one spring morning in 1962. It has uncanny links to its American cousin, even down to the ‘cover story’ used hide the true identity and purpose of the ‘crashed spaceship.’"

And here's where you can find the complete article on what I am very tempted to call "McRoswell."

But, that wouldn't be politically correct, would it? Well, I've never been a fan of political correctness anyway...

One final thing: who doubts that, fifty years from now, there will be no less than seventeen books available on this affair? It will be discussed in hallowed tones where the UFO faithful gather. And the Ministry of Defense will try and lay it all to rest with confusing tales of weather balloons and (when the "bodies" angle finally surfaces, as it inevitably will one day) crash-test dummies.

The new Roswell: surely destined to become the same as the old one! Methinks that means it's time to slit my wrists!

More on the Blair Story

Here's a couple of additional items on this new release of UFO files in Britain - one from England's Daily Telegraph newspaper, and the other from Dr. Dave Clarke's site, which is without doubt the most accurate and detailed account of the affair.

And I've already had an email arrive this morning from what is clearly a paid-up member of the tinfoil hat brigade, ranting on about me being one of (what else?) "them." I suspect this means I'm supposed to work for "the government."

It says a lot about certain people in Ufology when I try and open a few doors to get the files released and I end up - 15 years later - getting this (copy-pasted below without corrections from me to the shitty spelling and punctuation):

"If they read youer book then they must have spoken to you about it. Theres a belief you wree part of the process of getting people ready and these files prove it."

Er...no. No-one spoke to me, and no I'm not "getting people ready" for anything. Although, if I ever meet this fool I may get them ready for a broken jaw.

I wrote A Covert Agenda 15 years ago, and thought that - because the book contained official papers on UFOs, many of which had not been seen publicly before - it might be a good idea to send a copy to Blair in the hope - even the remote hope - that it could, in theory, lead to a positive development or several. And that's it.

In fact, since I heard no more - beyond receiving a standard reply along the lines of: "Thank you for your book, blah, blah, blah..." - I forgot about the whole thing until yesterday, when I was told about the files and the references contained in them to my book.

That won't stop the tin-foil terrors from coming up with additional claims, I'm sure. If they do, I'll be sure to post them here.