(NICAP Stands for National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena)
OPEN LETTER Daniel W. Fry to N.I.C.A.P.
The following letter was written to the National Investigating Committee for Aerial Phenomena by your Editor, in reply to a request for answers to a list of questions issued by N.I.C.A.P. and directed to those who have reported contact with extraterrestrials. In order that his position be understood by all concerned, Mr. Fry requested that his letter be printed in its entirety in the Nicap publication. Some five months have passed and the Editors of Nicap have been unable to find room in their publication for the letter. Therefore, in order that it become available to the public, it is being printed here.
N.I.C.A.P.
Washington, D. C.
Gentlemen:
I am writing this letter in the hope that it may clarify my position in regard to the "policy on contact claims" announced in the July issue of your publication.
In the first place, allow me to point out that I make no "claims,' nor have I ever made any. The word 'claim' implies the desire or intent upon the part of the claimant to acquire something as the result of the claim. There has never been any desire or intent upon my part to acquire anything as a result of the report which I made concerning the event which occurred at the White Sands Proving Ground. I published the report only because I felt that there might be a few people, in this country and abroad, who could benefit by the information contained therein. I believed that if there was any value in the report, that value would be recognized by discerning minds, and once recognized, it would stand upon its own feet without need for substantiation. That my belief was correct, has been demonstrated by the thousands of letters which I have received from all parts of the world, written by those who have been able to discern the value, and, in many- cases, to make practical use thereof.
At the present time, my report, which is called "The White Sands Incident" and its sequel "To Men of Earth" have been translated from the English, and are being printed in German, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek and Icelandic and are being set up for printing in Braille. In thus making available the information which I received, I have discharged the duty which was placed upon me as a result of the contact. I do not have, nor have I ever had, the slightest desire to force upon any individual or group, the realization of these beings. Those who can profit by the information are able to discern the reality without being forced, while those who are unable to discern the reality would be unable to make use of the information, and would probably be harmed rather than benefited by being forced to face the reality.
My attitude toward the U.S. Air Force investigation is as follows:
Several years ago the Air Force group which was charged with the investigation of the UFO reports, made the official statement that "In their opinion the UFO did not represent a danger to the people of the U.S." With this statement, I fully agree; and, inasmuch as the sole duty and entire purpose of the Air Force is to protect the people of the U.S. against the possibility of danger from the air, when the investigating group had made this statement they had completed their duty, and their responsibility was ended. From that moment on, they had no further right to expend public funds in the investigation of a subject which could be better assigned to The State Department, or some other agency more competent in this type of inquiry. I would never knowingly be a party to any attempt to convince the leaders of any branch of the armed services of the reality of the craft or of the existence of their operators. I cannot conceive of any agency more likely to toss a monkey wrench into the machinery of interplanetary relations.
In composing my report of the incident at White Sands, I took great care to present it in such a manner that it would immediately be dismissed as nonsense by the `military' type of mind, and yet would present all the vital information in such a. manner that its value could readily be understood by the type of mind capable of making use of it.
The Air Force has frequently stated that it does not believe that these objects exist. If this statement actually represents their opinion then I believe that this is a very fortunate situation, and one which should be allowed to continue as long as possible, or at least until we have had time to become better acquainted with our visitors.
I cannot see how any particular-purpose could be served by attempting to establish an opinion in the minds of the Investigating Board of N.I.C.A.P., particularly in view of the repeated statement that the aforesaid members already have opinions. It was also stated that their opinions would not influence the final decision. To this I can only reply that if this condition can actually be achieved, then it will be the first time in the history of mankind that such a feat has been accomplished. No juryman is ever allowed to serve upon a jury if he admits that he has already formed an opinion concerning the case.
It has always been, and will continue to be. my policy to answer to the best of my ability, any sincere question concerning the event at White Sands or anything which has come about as a result, providing that I know the answer and providing that I feel the answer may be of some benefit to him who asks. I have spoken in public many times upon the subject of the UFO and their significance, but I have never yet sought an audience. Every talk which I have ever given has been in response to the urgent request of some other person or group. I am employed as the Superintendent of Research for the Crescent Engineering and Research Co. of El Monte, a job which requires from nine to ten hours per day of my time. During the past several years I have spent a very considerable portion of the salary which I receive from this position, and all of my spare time, in the effort to be of service to my fellow man. I am perfectly content to leave the decision concerning the factuality of the White Sands Incident to the judgment of history, which, after all, has proven to be a better judge than any individual or group can ever hope to be.
As a founding member of N.I.C.A.P., I respectfully request that this statement be published, verbatim, and in its entirety, in the next issue of the UFO Investigator. In this way, my position will become known at once, both to the Investigating Board, and to the readers of our publication. With best wishes for the continued success of N.I.C.A.P.
I remainDaniel W. Fry
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This letter was in the 1958 Understanding magazine published by Dan Fry.
P. Urial
You can read the entire Understanding newsletter here along with many other things Fry wrote.
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