Editor's Message

Embittered and emboldened by this state of affairs, I partnered with two like-minded friends and started a magazine entitled “The Excluded Middle.” We championed the vast spectrum of discourse which lies between total belief and total skepticism (which is often another form of belief). We interviewed researchers such as parapsyhcologist Dr. Dean Radin, Army remote viewer Joe McMoneagle, and abduction researcher Dr. Karla Turner. For myself, this became a sort of advanced degree course in forbidden subjects.

My first article on the subject “The Space Brothers Are Watching You,” was published in 1987. Soon after, I met the infamous UFO researcher/ author Bill Moore and very quickly, life became a lot more interesting. Moore had two books under his belt: The Philadelphia Experiment and The Roswell Incident, both co-written by language school mogul (and former Army Intelligence officer) Charles Berlitz. In 1989, Moore appeared at the National MUFON conference in Las Vegas and delivered a still-controversial speech on his connections and agreements with the US Intelligence Community in exchange for a paper trail of unreleased documents dealing with the UAP issue. The audience was hostile and disruptive. For sheer drama, this is probably the most entertaining speech I have ever attended. Rather than answer any questions, he exited out the door near the stage. I promised Moore that I would help out at his book sale table ofter the talk, and with no one else to vent their frustrations, I weathered a blistering storm of vitriol.

In 2004, I wrote “Project Beta,” which detailed the period that Moore referred to in his Las Vegas talk. Two extensive trips to New Mexico (where the action took place in the later 1970s and early ‘80s) involved speaking to former intelligence personnel who were part of the operation, including Air Force Office of Special Investigations Sgt. Richard Doty and a DOD scientist Dr. Jerry Miller. I also interviewed former State Policeman Gabriel Valdez, who knew the principals in the story because of his early investigations of the cattle mutilation mystery.

In the intervening years between 2005 and the present, interest waxed and waned, until I was considering simply leaving the subject alone. Frustrated UFO fans are legion, but only in a few cases have I known anyone to leave the field entirely. I knew that it might be revitalized if the issue was taken up in a serious way by the media, and more importantly, academics and science. This seemed farfetched.

In October 2017, I met Diana Pasulka while she was finishing her manuscript for “American Cosmic”. I was stunned that someone with the weight of scholarly research was tackling the subject absent of sensationalism or ridicule. She introduced me to Jeffrey Kripal, who in turn made me aware of many other scholars from a variety of disciplines who were taking the subject seriously, in no small part due to the “Glowing Auras and Black Money” feature that ran in the New York Times on December 16, 2017.

In 2023, I joined Mike Cifone for breakfast in Los Angeles. He seemed to be cautiously circling the subject, and said he was starting a learned society to encourage the sciences to engage with the UAP issue. This was a wonderful development, and I asked him to keep me updated on his progress. Soon after, I learned that academics from a wide spectrum of disciplines were joining the board of what he was calling The Society for UAP Studies. Another exciting piece of news.

SUAPS seemingly grew at an exponential pace, alongside other serious organizations like the Scientific Coalition for UAP and SOL. This renaissance was something almost completely unexpected. Questions were being asked and serious research was beginning. The publications and conferences were a revelation. I actually enjoyed learning about statistical analysis, materials science, physics, anthropology, as well as many others. No more talks about how many aliens from the Pleiades were here to usher in a New Age of Cosmic Understanding, which I had been suffering through for over 30 years.

Mike and my friend David Metcalfe continually encouraged me to join SUAPS, but my resistance to groups in general held me back. When I had a chance to spend a few days with Mike, he asked me to give it a try. Through a strange set of circumstances over which I had little control, and seemingly carried along by a series of situations that seemed natural, I was given the post of Senior Correspondent, and eventually editor of our newsletter.

For those who have been waiting for a serious, scholarly, yet inclusive approach to the UAP world, your time has arrived.

- Greg Bishop