Richard Dolan and the Roswell Slides

Is it fair that Richard Dolan (Jaime Maussan apart) is being targeted with a specific threads on ATS in which he is named in the title. There are others whose reputations should be brought into question as well. If not more so?

As this story has developed over the last couple of weeks though I've come to the conclusion that nothing much in the world has really changed. Roswell has long been projected into the global consciousness as "the place where aliens crashed to earth" albeit a long, long time ago. But hardly anyone was really paying attention down here on planet earth these last few days. Mainly because these slides were simply not interesting enough to attract the attention of the general populace of our small blue planet.

I still say that any rationally minded human being would have looked at the slides and concluded that they were looking at a museum exhibit of a mummified child. Because a) it looks like a small mummified child and b) it looks it was taken in a museum.

So whoever came up with the story that it was an alien from the 'alleged' Roswell crash and stuck with it for 3 years has to have been only interested in making money out of it. The only other excuse is that they are a congenital idiot. In the end it was a money making exercise so I think it's obvious what my conclusion is.

But it's actually a step forward. The more rational members of the UFO community, by concentrating on the slides and creating proof beyond any reasonable doubt that it was a mummified boy, have actually made a leap rarely seen in ufology. Of course Maussan and one or two others are using the old trick of trying to put the burden of proof on others with their "prove it isn't an alien" tactic. But it no longer washes in this interconnected world we live in. There was nothing to this story from the day someone looked at the first slide.

So where does this leave Richard Dolan, and indeed anyone else, who takes the $,£ and € from the "UFO consumer"?

I think we have to place it all in context. None of these people have ever come up with a single iota of definite proof that we are being visited or ever have been visited by alien beings anyway. They may start with honest intentions but eventually end up as "infotainers" once they hit the brick wall of realizing that there is nothing concrete in the field. They have to perpetuate the UFO mythos and keep the 'belief' alive whilst also trying to make a living out of it all. Otherwise the money dries up and they would have to pursue other ways to earn a wage. Eventually leaving these fringe topics at the hands of amateurs and/or the mainstream media.

So at the end of the day people will believe whatever they want to believe. My guess is that Richard Dolan will still continue to work in the "UFO" field and after a while this whole episode will be an almost forgotten footnote in ufology. The Santilli episode a whole generation ago has still not killed the Roswell story. And my guess is that the furore of May 2015 aimed at people like Dolan won't either.

a reply to: mirageman

To be fair, Richard Dolan is one of the "High Priests" so to speak of Ufology. So naturally, when his name is connected to something like this he'll be put under a microscope.

Anyway, I'm the OP of this thread and my original statements are not damaging in any way. In fact, I'm one of the ones that are giving Mr Dolan the benefit of the doubt here. I think he was suckered into it and had the wool yanked down over his eyes. I'm of the opinion that he didn't have all of the answers before going into it and he went into it blindly not having all of the facts. But hey, that is my opinion.

I think that there is a bitter rivalry underneath the surface in Ufology from every Ufologist involved (or at least, most of them anyway) - They all think that the next guys ideologies on the subject are bogus. Meanwhile, they parade around their own theories like its the gospel and chastise everyone elses theories. You're seeing this a lot in today's overall UFO field from the "so called" UFO experts. If given the chance, a lot of these "UFO experts" will try throwing the next "expert" under the bus via character assassination attempting to make them look like frauds. Then you have the "experts" who steal other "experts" ideas and use them as their own and so on......

I think that the UFO field is becoming a slippery slope and you have to pay attention and watch out who you're dealing with and sharing ideas with. A lot of these guys will stab you in the back when given the chance.

In the end, there are people out there that will look for any chance to take a shot at someone like Richard Dolan since he has a high stature in the UFO field. They'll twist words around and nitpick at any single hiccup that happens.

But yes, Jaime Maussan is the real "bad guy" here. Not Richard Dolan.

originally posted by: -Blackout-
a reply to: JimOberg

...
Unless you're mistaking him for someone else?

Fair question, let me go check, I owe you a checkable citation.

a reply to: JimOberg Jim,

Been meaning to tell you that I think you do great work. You're career speaks for itself. Just incredibly impressive.


I'm sure most here know who Jim is. In case you do not, here's Jim's site -

www.jamesoberg.com...

originally posted by: -Blackout-
Dolan has been a respected pillar of the UFO community for a long time and all of this seems so weird to me. I honestly feel like they must have concealed something from him when presenting it. Like the plaque for instance. They must have held that information from him, not allowing him to analyze it or even see it. In other words, Mr Dolan wasn't given every piece of information and he was fooled I bet. I cannot see Richard Dolan taking this all in hook, line and sinker like this.

Anyway, I hope that this doesn't damage Dolan's credibility because I respect the man and I love his work and opinions on the UFO subject.

What are the general thoughts of ATS about this particular situation with Dolan?

Here is my opinion about Dolan, liked or disliked. No doubt he has become a respected "authority" in the field of UFOlogy 'cause he is a published popular author. BUT, he is not an originator. He has simply taken other peoples' works, regardless of source and dressed them in new clothing. This is true of most UFO authors for all they can work with is other peoples' experiences. All he has accomplished is a rehashing of information that still doesn't change anything in UFOlogy. He is just a newer encyclopedia (of useless information).

I dislike him from the beginning when we communicated and after visiting his nascent website and I pointed out that the photo he used on his main page, which was a photo showing the D.C. capitol building at night with alleged UFOs behind it, were not UFOs but the reflections of the street lamps that had been cropped out of the image. He refused to accept my knowledge and we stopped communicating.

Richard is a believer and does not demand evidence to support his views. I know that the majority of the members here are also believers but that's a necessity for a forum such as this, and all other UFO forums, to exist. I do not have a belief system hence am not a believer and I require evidence before I accept any claim.

There are almost no distinctions between Dolan and other UFO authors. Some do footwork and some just open file cabinets. Dolan is of the latter.

Believers are easy to fool.

WOW I am amazed at you idiots that are backing Dolan, Did you even watch and listen to his closing statements? You really think that he went there and didn't get a Big Pay Day? He knew what he was doing, he saw the images in hi res and still went in front of Thousands and said that the images could not have portrayed anything known on Earth. He listed everything it couldn't be including that it could not be a Mummy. He might as well have said it had to be an alien. And his remorse? His apology? NOT THERE! Has he called for any refunds of the victimized? Not that I have heard. And you want to back this guy? If you were conned out of your home would you still back him?

And you think his reputation will remain intact? Maybe you should start reading the threads on other sites where he doesn't have a love child of his posting. He's lost all credibility.

Here is a sample of the General opinion. I trusted this guy and he ditched me for calling the scam what it has turned out to be days before he left.


"Will Christie
Richard Dolan disgraced himself long ago by kissing up to Race Hobbs continuously and proudly "headquartering" his podcast within the sleazy Race Hobb's KGRA network world. After decades of study and observation, now everyone involved with ufology is in my own "little grey basket". I find more truth in the GAME OF THRONES novels. "

"Tom Yozwiak
Dolan is now just another huckster in a field of hucksters."

Any of you that think Dolan can be trusted now are simply fools. That's all there is to it.

Dolan has no empathy at all for the thousands of people who's money was stolen. Not sorry at all.

Referring to the bogus photos as “inevitable bumps in the road,” Dolan acknowledged in a Facebook post that “I am aware that there are those who are disappointed with me over my connection to the recent event in Mexico City. Some are even angry…. Critics may think what they want; I am satisfied with my actions, and that is all that matters to me.”

And Dolan claims he didn't make any money? What do you expect him to claim? They always claim they never make any money. That does not make it true. In fact now, I wouldn't think anything Dolan said was true. The Man can not be trusted to speak truth even when speaking to over 7000 people. He was all about the Money, otherwise he would not have gambled his reputation and lost.

He's satisfied with his actions? WELL, MOST OF US SURE AS HELL ARE NOT!

a reply to: batmmannn

I stopped reading once I seen the word "Idiots".

And you talk about Dolan losing all credibility? Look in the mirror.

You create an account here JUST to discuss this Dolan situation too and post in Dolan threads. Its really hard to take anyone seriously who has an axe to grind as you clearly do with Mr Dolan.

a reply to: batmmannn

I do remember an "old" but important sticky thread about increased scrutiny in these forums. Having someone call other people "idiots" is not a good sign.

As for you, "batmmannn":

nothing better than your own words to label you (and others who either offend, insult, distort statements) in the proper way.

a reply to: LiteraryJourney

No you did not.

You somehow transformed this:

- "When he bought into Stan Romanek and his alien through the window hoax, I gave him a pass."
- "When he bought into the dying ex-CIA guy in a nursing home fairy tale about Ike threatening to send the 3rd Army to Roswell, I gave him a pass"

into "a long history of backing hoaxes".

I understand that it's hard when you so desperately want to find faults with someone or a community and you can't pinpoint more than a couple of things. But this doesn't look more than an axe to grind (or as I said earlier, rubbing hands on a chance to poke a finger into ufology's eye).

Odd.

a reply to: -Blackout-

Anyway, I'm the OP of this thread and my original statements are not damaging in any way. In fact, I'm one of the ones that are giving Mr Dolan the benefit of the doubt here.

Now you've mentioned it I realized you were cutting him some slack in the OP. There are so many people having a go at Dolan here and in a number of other threads I'd forgotten you were supporting his position (at least to some extent).
So apologies for not addressing that.

I think that there is a bitter rivalry underneath the surface in Ufology from every Ufologist involved (or at least, most of them anyway) - They all think that the next guys ideologies on the subject are bogus.

Yes it's like a religion with it's high priests and their followers all with different interpretations of the alien gospel.

There are a bunch of big names working in this field "professionally". Some more diligently than others. Yet none of them have ever really got any further than we did back in the 1950s beyond collecting a bunch of interesting stories and some circumstantial evidence. They are now just "infotainers" who continually play to their own audience. The paying audience (usually) lap it up and at the end of the day no harm is done. They switch off their TV/DVD, put their book down or go home from a conference still believing and the "infotainers" get their fees.

The Roswell Slides Research Group have made a step forward and will perhaps make the charlatans think twice in the future.They have showed what can be achieved with a modicum of resources if people really want the truth. However I am not sure people with a certain mindset do. There is still an (albeit shrinking) audience who want everything to be "alien" or "cosmic conspiracies" and are willing to stump up their cash to hear it. So Richard Dolan and others still have a hand to feed them once this incident blows over.

Personally he lost me with his musings about a "Breakaway Civilization" but he will still be asked to talk on TV and radio and at conferences in the near future. That's because ,whether you agree with his content or not, he's actually rather good at it.

Mainstream science will probably find the hard evidence for aliens before Richard Dolan or any of the other high priests of ufology.. Who will all then probably claim they were right all along when/if it does.

@mirageman,

Clever, clever bit (er...not).

"Personally, you lost me" when you went on with the following:

There are a bunch of big names working in this field "professionally". Some more diligently than others. Yet none of them have ever really got any further than we did back in the 1950s beyond collecting a bunch of interesting stories and some circumstantial evidence.

How it (almost cleverly) reads: hey, we're basically still at the 50's with the "ufo stories" and some "evidence", and we all know what "real", "official" investigators found about the UFO "phenomenon": nothing. Their word and their conclusions should suffice...

That's disregarding the many incidents taken place during the Spanish Civil War (involving military and reporters), during the dictatorship years in Portugal (involving high ranking military officers of both that country and NATO), the sightings in Belgium, Germany and finally the Rendlesham odd events and the COMETA Report.

I am a true skeptic, meaning exactly that I apply reason, rational and critical analysis in order to come to a result concerning the validity of phenomena and the data associated with it. Coming from a solid scientific background (I'm a Theoretical Physicist) and being a professional computer programmer for decades, it's relatively simple (not necessarily easy) to separate things with the potential to be valid events/evidences/data and those other resulting from misinterpretation (deliberate or otherwise).

I have come across many things that the mainstream media don't wish to pick upon, things that mystify actual scientists (not the many posters that roam forums such as these).

The current state and status quo of the "ufology community" is a bad one, filled with people with improper backgrounds, work methods and a very low work ethics. I wouldn't call it a "priesthood", but I can see the point some are trying to come across. However...

However, regardless of what the mainstream media say (and their paid consultants with obvious ties to the military or NASA itself) and the sad state of the "ufology community", there are things out there that cannot be explained in terms of a "breakaway civilization", or ultra-dark-top-secret-talk-and-your-dead military projects. It may be 5%, or just 3, or even 1%, or a fraction of that, and still we have enough incidents that should demand a true investigation and at least people asking repeatedly the obvious questions.

You may pretend otherwise. That's just fine.

originally posted by: TheChronus
@mirageman,

.....However, regardless of what the mainstream media say (and their paid consultants with obvious ties to the military or NASA itself) and the sad state of the "ufology community", there are things out there that cannot be explained in terms of a "breakaway civilization", or ultra-dark-top-secret-talk-and-your-dead military projects. It may be 5%, or just 3, or even 1%, or a fraction of that, and still we have enough incidents that should demand a true investigation and at least people asking repeatedly the obvious questions.

Philosophical question: Are you arguing that IF there WERE no such truly anomalous phenomenon involved with a residue of unexplained cases, we would otherwise BE able to explain every one of the cases on record?

a reply to: mirageman

Mainstream science will probably find the hard evidence for aliens before Richard Dolan or any of the other high priests of ufology.. Who will all then probably claim they were right all along when/if it does.

And when they do, how many will have egg on there face?



We'll need a hoax bin for humans soon enough.

oh - the joy - ANOTHER thread on the " roswell slides " debarcle i am usure that a nother 5 pages of raking over mr dolans role in this farce will actually achieve

for that matter - what will my contribution acheive ? - but meh - i am here so .................

get the fook over it

is all i really have to say

just get over it and move on

all the dramatis persona from this farce will return " next time " - and it will all start again

but the roswell slides horse is well and truely dead - so stop beating it

you sre just making a mess and damaging your beating stick

thats all - ape out

Yes we are all supposed to get over it as you say, and just let it slide. WHY? How much money has been defrauded from how many? Did anyone say it's Enron, get over it? Fraud is Fraud and in this case I believe it can be proven that this was intentional on all parts of the participants including Richard Dolan. And you want to label ME for using the word idiots?

Why would that be? What kind of person continues to defend someone that participated and acted as the main hook to draw in the most cash in the Biggest Hoax we have seen in decades? You want to say get over it? I think that is something we each have the right to decide for ourselves, and it's not about having a go at Richard Dolan, it's about the return of ill gotten money to the victims.

Just because this was a UFO event does not sanctify it safe from moral scrutiny or deciding what is right or wrong. You fellas on this thread that want to say awww get over it, can get over it, but for me I feel my trust has been violated and I know that thousands have indeed been violated and for Richard Dolan to refuse to disclose what he was paid and then to come back and state he is satisfied with his actions and that is all that matters to him is reprehensible.

Egos galore with no accounting for their actions and some of you want to say Oh it's OK get over it. I don't think so.

a reply to: TheChronus

"Personally, you lost me"

I can see that I did from the six paragraphs you followed that sentence with.

a reply to: batmmannn

basically - the people who paid to see a turd polishing event got what was coming to them - i have no sympthy

George Knapp's take on Mr Dolan:

I guess he will take a hit in the eyes of some, but I don't think he deserves much grief. He wasn't part of the reserarch team. He was invited down to hear presentation and then shared his impressions afterward. Rich is an historian, not a forensics type investigator. He had no idea that there was a placard that would eventually be revealed to the world. I think his reputation is intact...my opinion anyway..and i said the same thing on the air a few nights ago.

a reply to: Uggielicious

Richard is a believer and does not demand evidence to support his views.

Because he doesnt agree with you on this one point, you leap to he doesnt require evidence?
From what I have read, he knows his way around an argument , perhaps you dont agree with his conclusions, but they are not without basis.

As Jim noted about Cooper, I have listened to him give his misgivings about Phil Sneider because he knew he was untruthful.

BUT, he is not an originator. He has simply taken other peoples' works, regardless of source and dressed them in new clothing.

I dont think you give enough credit here, it is a tireless job sifting through document after document of useless info, trying to piece together the details of various cases. I certainly appreciate the work Karl, Jkrog and others have done here in that respect.

Believers are easy to fool

Such a wide brush, one thing Dolan has on many of us is he is widely read. It has become apparent to me on this site even, there really arent that many people who know the ins and outs of even the more famous cases like the Belgium flap. I know I have barely scratched the surface myself. Perhaps you would be more believing if you knew as much.

a reply to: batmmannn

Just because this was a UFO event does not sanctify it safe from moral scrutiny or deciding what is right or wrong.

After the alien autopsy and other such hoaxes, many really well done, people should be aware there was a possibility this wasnt real. Personally I would hope most suspected is was 99.9% a fake. And what are you really paying for here, to say I saw it first ? IF there was anything to it, it was going to be on the 6oclock news in no time.

If it wasnt for the entertainment value I get from reading the comments of Kevin Randle's blog, I would have barely given it a second thought.