Welcome to the essays of ‘jimnicholsufo.com’. It all seemed so easy at first…

Even as a kid, a Baby-boomer back in the Sixties, the answer to the ‘Flying-Saucer’ mystery seemed so perfectly obvious. Here were stories and photographs of circular flying machines, physical craft of intelligent design, which could not be accounted for, given our 20th Century understanding of aerodynamics—no wings, no propellers, no turbojets, no rockets! Yet somehow these machines were able to ‘fly’ by means unknown to Earthly physics. So, if they were not built by Earth humans–that meant they must have been built by ‘somebody’ from ‘somewhere’ else! Leaving the unavoidable conclusion that intelligences from other worlds far out in space were responsible for these flying contraptions! Right? Obviously we were not alone in the universe.
Wasn’t that easy? What clarity of perception! What insight! Imagine such a simple common-sense deduction from a kid in junior high. Who needs Ph.D.’s?

And since it was also obvious that whoever piloted these saucers was not making war with humanity, or out to take planet Earth by military conquest, they must be simply random, curious (non-aggressive, if not benevolent) explorers anonymously peeking in on our ways of life.

If we Earthlings had ships to visit other planets, isn’t that what we’d do? I saw such things all the time on TV, like High Adventure with Lowell Thomas. Here was a famous intrepid world explorer who shared his films of expeditions to exotic, remote locations around the world, the Congo, Borneo, New Zealand or the headwaters of the Amazon. And invariably he’d show us the strange life-ways, customs and cultures of the native inhabitants there. Wouldn’t it seem natural for curious visitors from space to do likewise?

 

Thus I formed my earliest no-muss-no-fuss ‘theory model’ that handily explained the sensational mystery of UFOs—they were curious explorers visiting from other planets who flew in really COOL ships!

So, many years later, this was still my general mind-set regarding the UFO phenomenon, when as an artist, I became associated with researcher Wendelle Stevens and his investigation of the famed ‘Billy’ Meier contact case in Switzerland in 1980. Imagine my excitement discovering—according to Meier’s eyewitness account and the physical evidence in hand–curious visitors from another star system were visiting Earth! My ‘theory-model’ was proving to be true!

Thus I found myself irresistibly drawn into the intrigue of UFO research. For the record, let me confess I cannot claim a doctorate in physics, aeronautics or a high-level, military security clearance. In the Army I rose to the lofty rank of PFC during a sixteen-month stint as a clerk in a finance office on Okinawa. Although I did glimpse a “Top-Secret’ SR-71 spy-plane parked on the tarmac at nearby Kadena, AFB, that was the nearest I came to viewing ‘classified’ hardware during my military experience. No, I am merely a private citizen, who by a curious circumstance found himself delving into the secrets of UFOs.

In 1980 I already had about ten years experience as an artist painting, with a crisp, photo-realistic style, the spectacular mountains and cactus of the Sonoran desert surrounding my home in Tucson, Arizona. However, my original art training had been illustration and I secretly longed to paint scenes that told an epic story—and the tale of ‘Billy’ Meier’s incredible UFO contact introduced me to just that—an epic! Therefore, rising to the occasion, the many paintings I produced to depict that case became my unique offering to further advance understanding of the UFO mystery.

Ten years later, in the process of my pictorial UFO research, I found myself recruited to co-host a weekly TV UFO talk-show produced in Tucson, thus further expanding my investigation horizons–interviewing researchers and eyewitnesses from all over the world. Once overcoming my initial shock of stage fright, I rather enjoyed the notion of sharing the revelations of UFO research with a mass audience. Along with my simple ‘visitors-from-space’ theory, I very innocently assumed the whole world would welcome an opportunity to understand this incredible phenomenon.

However, over the course of my personal involvement in the UFO field: both as an artist and as a TV co-host, I soon discovered a related phenomenon far more bizarre than any flying saucer or creepy alien could ever hope to be…

In the face of perhaps the premiere discovery of the Millennium, I discovered, to my astonishment, a virtually impenetrable stonewall of governmental obstruction, media hostility and general public apathy to potentially the most important discovery in all human history—actual proof that we share this universe with other intelligent creatures! Could it be that the strangest creatures in the universe are not extraterrestrials…but the humans of planet Earth?

To my dismay, I learned that in the process of trying to get to the bottom of the UFO enigma–one can never get to the bottom of the UFO enigma! Both government and social resistance to the notion of extra-terrestrials is ‘high strangeness’ more outrageous than the UFO enigma itself. Either by accident or design, this issue remains perpetually fogged by constant muddle of confusion and controversy. It works like an efficient physics axiom—“for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction”—in other words, for every piece of UFO ‘information’ there is equal and opposite ‘disinformation’, that effectively nulls any research with ‘plausible deniability’.

For example:
The 1947 Roswell UFO crash = weather balloon.
George Adamski’s 1950’s ‘Venusian’ encounter = lunatic crackpot.
1960’s UFOs in Michigan woods = swamp gas.
‘Billy’ Meier’s Pleiadian UFO photos = models, a hoax.
Ed Walter’s Gulf Breeze UFO photos = faked.
Bob Dean’s NATO UFO ‘Assessment’ document = never existed.
England’s ‘crop circles’ = hoaxed by Doug & Dave.
No proof, ergo no UFOs! Nothing out of the ordinary exists!

The late Carl Sagan, noted astronomer and author, was for many years an outspoken, high profile critic of UFO research, much to the dismay to those of us seeking legitimacy of such research. Yet, his brilliant novel and subsequent movie, Contact, with Jodie Foster clearly revealed Sagan’s compassionate consideration for the ET issue. In a nutshell drama, he vividly portrayed the full kaleidoscope of electrifying social issues that the sudden reality of ETs could provoke: military paranoia, religious hysteria and the general public uproar of a society ill-prepared to cope with such an eventuality. Clearly Carl had given much more serious thought to this issue than he had ever acknowledged professionally. And though his story, Contact, certainly did not excuse the need for excessive secrecy, he at least gave us a glimpse of the reasons why.

And to further explore those reasons for secrecy became my greatest focus of interest. It seemed clear to me that further research into any particular UFO case was a waste of time. Instead, I’ve become more fascinated by the psychology of ‘denial’ itself, regarding the extraterrestrial issue—so rather than a UFO researcher, I see myself as a ‘phenomena watcher’, one trying to grasp the motives and meanings behind the social obstructions hindering serious UFO investigation. And to be sure, this has proven to be an equally fascinating avenue of study unto itself!

So I offer the collection of essays and articles contained in this website as some of the possible answers to this enigma. Be advised, I do not offer this information as definitive conclusions, but simply as the extent of my research thus far.

Also, I wish to acknowledge the dedicated and diligent efforts of the many researchers quoted herein. The secrets they reveal are all hidden in plain sight! All assembled materials that I have quoted are from sources in public domain. As well, I make no claim to the absolute veracity of the material shared herein. I only offer it as an, ‘alternative myth’ to the consensual daily ‘reality’ we’ve all come to believe. Whatever is true will eventually be revealed over the natural course of history…

Considering this, I cordially invite you to browse my random ramblings, always keeping in mind–the quest for answers still continues…

James H. Nichols

“The Incredible Tomorrow” by James Nichols