SUBJECT: WHO'S DISINFORMING WHOM ?                           FILE: UFO2536



PART 3


                                                 4418 39th St.
                                           Brentwood, MD 20722
                                                August 5, 1993

To Whom it May Concern:

    I have read the so-called AIR#1 report and Bruce Maccabee's reply entitled
"Hot Air." Although W. Todd Zechel told me on the telephone that he had no
control over some of the content of AIR#1, and that there is primarily one
other person responsible for it, I agree that the paper bears all the earmarks
of Zechel's work and clearly is a reiteration of his past writings. If there is
another primary author, aside from being a total coward he or she apparently
doesn't have an original thought in his or her head. I shall call him or her
"Air-Head."

     It must be emphasized that, other than Zechel's obvious role in it, the
paper is totally anonymous and the list of alleged AIR members is totally
fictitious. None of the people attacked personally in the paper or (like the
Fund for UFO Research) smeared by it were afforded any opportunity to reply to
the allegations in advance, nor is there an official author or address to which
a rebuttal can be sent. The paper is full of half-truths, innuendo, and totally
false statements. Nevertheless, it has been widely circulated with obvious
intent to do harm to Bruce Maccabee and/or the Fund and so we must reply. The
fund is preparing its own separate statement, but I wish to go on record as
stating that I have known Bruce Maccabee for over 25 years and have no reason
to doubt his personal integrity. We disagree about the merits of some UFO cases
that he has worked on, but disagreement and dialogue among colleagues is part
of the scientific method. There is nothing devious or "evil" about the
positions Bruce takes on a given case, despite insinuations by Air-Head. His
position may be mistaken in sole respects or even wrong, but who among us is
perfect? He also may be right. That is for scientific research to determine.

    Bruce is absolutely correct in stating that the Fund never has had a
clandestine relationship or any other with the CIA, and it never will as long
as I am Chairman. There is at worst "an appearance of impropriety" for Bruce,
as past Chairman, to have given talks or information to parties in CIA, which
he did as a private individual. When he mentioned some of his meetings with CIA
people to us over the years, we cautioned him that it could cause a problem.
However, I find his explanation of what his relationships were with some CIA
personnel to be entirely credible and they had virtually nothing to do with the
Fund.

    At no time did the CIA have any influence over any decisions made by the
Executive Committee or National Board of the Fund. Suggestions by Air-Head to
the contrary do border on paranoia. As he points out, Bruce had only one vote
and in fact some of his ideas were voted down (some of mine have been voted
down too). For any decision by the Fund to support any given project or to take
any particular action, there is joint responsibility by the Executive Committee
and, for major funding decisions or other fundamentally important matters, by
the full 15-member National Board. The Board members are independent-minded
people whose names and track records are known, not "tools of the CIA."

     Finally, Bruce Maccabee served honorably as Chairman for 13 years
providing important leadership to the Fund, and remains a respected member of
the National Board. Whatever "mistakes" he may have made during that period may
be attributable to human failings, but not to sinister plotting or devious
behavior.


                                   [ signature ]
                                Richard Hall, Chairman
                                Fund for UFO Research




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