1967 Congress of Scientific UFOlogists

History

James W. Moseley convened the Congress of Scientific UFOlogists at the Hotel Commodore, Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street, New York City, on the evening of Friday June 25, 1967. Timothy Green Beckley served as master of ceremonies. The Grand Ballroom filled to standing capacity. Tickets continued to sell after all seats were taken, with Moseley offering refunds to anyone unwilling to stand. The proceedings were transcribed by Bessie J. Gibbs, Court Reporter, of Winchester, Virginia, producing a verbatim record that runs to over a hundred pages.

The speaker list assembled the full spectrum of 1960s American ufology in a single hotel ballroom. Professor Gordon Evans opened with the keynote. John A. Keel spoke on the Men in Black silencing phenomenon and the question of whether extraterrestrials had really landed. Gray Barker discussed his investigations. Ivan T. Sanderson, the naturalist and Fortean researcher, delivered what was effectively an extended lecture. Paris Flammonde, Stewart Robb, and Rev. Richard Basile represented the serious research and philosophical wings. Howard Menger, the New Jersey contactee, presented his claims. Long John Nebel, the legendary WOR Radio late-night host, appeared alongside "Vi-Venus," a woman who claimed origin on the planet Venus.

James Randi, the magician and later prominent sceptic, also spoke. His inclusion alongside contactee claimants and Fortean researchers captures the convention's deliberate range. Moseley positioned the event as entertainment as much as research: "We are at the part of the convention which is entertainment, and as stated many times, there will be either motion picture films or slides or both at each of these four open sessions." Three closed business sessions preceded the four public presentations.

The convention circulated a petition to the United Nations: "We, the undersigned, wish to express our strong dissatisfaction with the manner in which the United States Air Force has conducted its investigation of unidentified flying objects during the past twenty years; and we hereby petition the United Nations to begin a formal and thorough investigation of the UFO enigma, and to release its findings and conclusions to the Public." Sheets were collected after the final session and delivered to the UN. Miss UFO of 1967, Rhona Stiriss, opened the Friday evening programme.

The collection includes the full convention transcript and two issues of the Journal of the Congress of Scientific Ufologists, which continued as a publication beyond the 1967 event.