Top Secret/Majic: Amazon.ca: Da Capo Press: Books

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From Library Journal

Friedman, a nuclear physicist and noted "UFOlogist" (Crash at Corona: The Definitve Study of the Roswell Incident, Marlowe, 1994), examines the documentary evidence for the existence of a clandestine government group called "Majestic-12" (sometimes shortened to "MJ-12" or "Majic"), supposedly formed in 1947 to deal with the remains of a crashed flying saucer near Roswell, New Mexico. The U.S. government has consistently denied there ever was such an incident or group. Friedman attempts to authenticate purported MJ-12 documents that mysteriously appeared in 1984 and 1994. He also refutes arguments by debunkers such as Carl Sagan and Phillip Klass and criticizes the findings in Kevin D. Randle and Donald R. Schmitt's recent The Truth About the UFO Crash in Roswell (LJ 6/1/94). Included here for the first time is part of a 1984 "Special Operations Manual" for the recovery and disposal of extraterrestrial entities and technology. If authenticated, it would lend credence to Friedman's belief in a governmental cover-up he terms a "cosmic Watergate." While this book is speculative to some degree, Friedman operates mostly as a scientist, carefully weighing all evidence before coming to a conclusion. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The Majestic-12 documents are controversial adjuncts to the now famous UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. Obtained under unusual circumstances, they refer to a top-secret research operation created by President Truman to coordinate the study of debris and alien bodies recovered from the crash site. Although the documents are considered by many historians and ufologists to be hoaxes, Friedman has studied them intensively and answers criticisms in great detail. He reviews the most recently discovered document, an alleged 1954 manual for the recovery and disposal of extraterrestrial entities and technology, as well as the notorious "alien autopsy" film that was broadcast on the Fox network in 1995. This book will delight those who can't get enough of crashed saucers and government cover-ups. George Eberhart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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2.0 out of 5 stars On the balance of probabilities etc., Jan 14 2003

By

Frank La Tella (Sydney, Australia ...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Top Secret/Majic (Paperback)

Entertainment or statement of fact? How should anyone consider the "facts" when all you are presented with are witness testimonies and NO HARD EVIDENCE. I have seen Major Marcel's videotaped account of the debris site, and I personally found it compelling. I've also read (and re-read) Friedman's book and found it to be thoroughly enjoyable in the same sense one would find a detective story to be similarly intriguing. But one must be true to his or her own sense of the plausible and it is in this spirit that I feel we must look for the "approximate" solution. Friedman's book, in many parts, contains several comments which, in my opinion, require further elaboration and even correction. However my first objection is that any book purporting to be based on fact should not contain an introduction by a writer of ufo abduction lore. Especially in a book about ufo crashes. Second, Friedman is correct in his dismissal of most academic reports about interstellar travel since they use yesteryear's technology to extrapolate likely future developments. However on page 34 his statement that doubling the speed of a "moon rocket" coasting towards the moon will shorten the travel time by a factor of twenty, is just wrong. (Since travel time is proportional to distance and inversely so to speed, a doubling of speed only gets you there twice as fast). I'll give Friedman the benefit of the doubt (this is most likely a misquotation). However on page 20 Friedman admits that Jaime Shandera was to be the director of a movie about ufo's proposed circa 1980. A movie in which Friedman was to act as a technical consultant. By 1984 (when he allegedly received the MJ documents) Shandera clearly had four years in which to think up a script! I am certain that Mr. Shandera holds a crucial key to the MJ story, perhaps it's time for Mr. Friedman to press Mr. Shandera for a full disclosure. To his credit Mr. Friedman, on page 67, asks the question "...So couldn't we have just made up the documents ourselves?" I personally don't believe a scientist would make up such a story solely in order to benefit financially from it at the risk of being discredited by his peers. I think the truth lies with Shandera and Moore. At this point it is customary to quote William of Occam's "razor" so that the most likely conclusion could be reached. However Occam's razor is neither a physical nor a logical principle and so in all honesty cannot be used to decide an outcome with any certainty. I do have further comments but I will leave the readers to consider the evidence for themselves.

From a sympathetic skeptic.

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1.0 out of 5 stars More of the same garbage, Sep 15 2005

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Greg - See all my reviews

This review is from: Top Secret/Majic (Paperback)

I've read most of his stuff, have met the man and at the end of the day, below the ego, the insanely pompous self-reverance and the dull repitition to anyone within earshot of the grand myth of himself - the work is skewed, biased and pointless.

There might be UFO's, there might be a conspiracy - or there might not. The fact that friedman is so definitive is all the proof one needs that his opinions are pointless. If he were to argue his various cases based on his interpretation of provable fact, that's one thing. He argues based on unprovable faith. Kind of like saying that God is 100% real and heaven and hell are 100% real. They may be, or they may not be. No one knows.

Friedman is pointless because he stamps his feet and rails about being a "valued " scientist yet argues facts that can't be proven or tested, cites "informants", "people on the inside" blah, blah, blah.

Anyone who can't see this for what it is - exploitative capitolism, deserves the lighter wallet and the inane pseudo-science of a fool.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, Mar 2 2004

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Green Eggs and Ham (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Top Secret Majic (Hardcover)

I am writing this review to counter Reticuli's overwhelmingly negative picture. First off, I find that he would dismiss the large body of evidence for a coverup simply stunning. His rationale appears to be that because some phonies have made rather wild allegations (ie: Bill Cooper and Bob Lazar) there isn't a coverup! Stanton Friedman has never supported these people and is in fact quite a vocal debunker of these fantasies. There are many perfectly credible witnesses for a coverup; Majors, Sergeants, Generals, etc.

Reticuli does not mention the Eisenhower Briefing Document once (the focus of this book), dismisses SOM 1-01 as a forgery without offering any arguments (regardless of it's authenticity or lack thereof, the book does not make a position on it either way), and spends most of his time debunking connections with documents which are not mentioned once in the book, with the exception of the Cutler-Twining memo. I can't help but wonder if Reticuli didn't just visit the Wood's website (since he seems to be taking issue with their content) and decided to write from ignorance and smear by association.

Friedman's book is a profoundly important work that has not been debunked since it's publications. I recommend it to anyone with an open mind.

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