SUBJECT: THE GUARDIAN FILE: UFO2914 The Four-week series: Conspiracy 3: UFOs 04/10/93 THE GUARDIAN IT IS estimated that five million Americans have sighted flying saucers. This is almost as many as have seen Elvis since he died. Either way, it is an impressive figure and bears testament to the fact that UFOs have been visiting earth for centuries, often, it is said, to warn us of our follies. Rumours persist that the last attempt at such a mercy mission was when the M25 was in the late planning stages. However, the aliens got stuck in traffic coming round their own version of the motorway near Saturn, and were too late to warn us. That governments worldwide publicly deny this and other sightings, is, say UFOlogists, due to a massive global conspiracy. Theories as to why this should be range from the blackmail of world leaders by intergalactic powers to not wanting to campaign on the "Let's make friends with the alien" ticket. More plausible is a theory that is as curious as it is sinister. When pressed, high ranking officials of many countries admit to dismissing UFO sightings purely as a way of keeping crackpot theorists everywhere harmlessly watching the skies for joy-riding Venusians. The reasoning is that no government would want an army of endlessly patient obsessives rumaging though its dirty laundry for a new conspiracy to call their own. These same officials will also admit to taking kickbacks from The Weekly World News and the Sunday Sport. One official corroboration of the existence of UFOs would destroy their circulations overnight. Such an admission would also be a loss to cult film makers and school pranksters the world over. UFO "sightings" are still the most fun you can have with a dustbin lid and a camera. ********************************************** * THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo * **********************************************