THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO UFO SIGHTINGS SINCE 1945

The Essential Guide to UFO Sightings Since 1945, Frank Schwede, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd, Atglen, PA, 2017, 112pp, $9.99.

The author states that the purpose of this book is “to suggest that perhaps we should put our firmly established world view into question and at least not exclude the possibility that there is more between heaven and Earth than we believe we know today.” I was disappointed in the lack of information on the Aztec UFO crash, which occurred less than a year after Roswell. Otherwise, Schwede does an exemplary job of providing information on sightings of possible UFOs from 1945 to the present. These sightings come from all around the world, and as he states in the Preface, Schwede is attempting “to get on the track of the truth…” 

        There is a lot of information packed into the 112 pages, and that could be because the print is very small, which may be a challenge for some readers. There are photos and drawings to illustrate the appearance of various UFOs. Very nice reference! In writing about UFO dimensions and speed, Schwede uses both Western measurements (feet, miles, miles per hour) as well as metric (meters, kilometers, kilometers per hour), so readers familiar with either will be able to follow along. 

        There may be “natural” explanations for sightings (cloud formations, stars or planets, weather, etc.) and Schwede includes explanations by skeptics in many instances. In the Preface, he presents three hypotheses of where our “visitors” come from: 1) Extraterrestrial, 2) Visitors from the Future, 3) Visitors from Parallel Universes. Read each explanation and determine which (if any) you believe. Also in the Preface he offers one example of a sighting with explanations of how a “UFO” might be as seen from various points of view. 

        Many people believe world governments and militaries are hiding the truth. This may be. Schwede does point out that skeptics are usually believed over actual witnesses, and many investigations are quickly shut down before questions are answered. After a meeting where a sighting could not be satisfactorily explained, one CIA agent allegedly said, “This meeting never took place. We were never here, you are all sworn to secrecy, and we are confiscating all this data.” Using “national security” as a reason for secrecy has been used for decades. Yet this past week it was reported that the Pentagon has been funding UFO investigations from 2007. 

        Schwede notes that pilots don’t report UFO sightings because “they fear for their families.” Is it because UFOs cannot be adequately explained away and pose a potential threat, or is it because at least some UFOs are secret or experimental craft made here on Earth?

        Perhaps we are now beginning to look at UFOs in a different way. Maybe we’re no longer so quick to dismiss them as “natural” phenomena. It does take time, however. After all, it wasn’t until 1992 that the Vatican “rehabilitated” Galileo, who had asserted (500 years earlier) that the Sun, not Earth, was the center of our universe. 

         The Essential Guide to UFO Sightings Since 1945 is an informative book that makes the reader think. What do you believe? Is there enough evidence to assert that UFOs are visitors from somewhere outside Earth’s atmosphere? It’s an enjoyable read, and any UFO aficionado (or anyone curious about sightings) will surely enjoy it.

-          Kyle Boone