James Clarkson gestures toward one of his slides showing headlines that followed purported UFO sightings. He spoke Saturday at the Timberland Regional Library.
Even before Orson Welles' legendary broadcast of the classic novel The War of the Worlds had families nervously huddling around their transistor radios, many people have kept the age-old questions in the back of their minds: Are we truly alone? Are there other life forms out there beyond our comprehension? Have we unknowingly had contact with these creatures?
An audience of 60 packed into a conference room of Centralia's Timberland Library on Saturday afternoon for a standing-room only lecture, eager to hear one man’s answer to those questions.
To some, such as Rochester resident Jo Aton, the evidence is clear.
"I've had so many friends that have seen UFOs, in daylight even," Aton recalled. "People are so afraid to talk about these things and I don't know why. Too many people have seen these things for it to be a fluke."
Unfortunately, evidence for some does not always translate for others.
That's where James Clarkson comes in.
Clarkson has been investigating reported UFO incidents with the Washington state branch of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) since 1986. Currently, he serves as the Washington State Director of MUFON and resides in Olympia. With a resumé that includes about 40 years worth of careers centered around investigation in the Western Washington area, Clarkson seems well-equipped for the task.
Clarkson was no stranger to the confines of the conference room, having presented from the same position three times before. This time, he had a specific incident in mind that hit home — literally. About 71 miles away and 35 years ago, an "unknown flaming aircraft" crash-landed and the ensuing events erupted in controversy that still remains a mystery today.
Being flooded with questions from the moment he crossed the threshold, Clarkson was able to begin his lecture on time. He chose to open with background on the field of ufology and his organization.
For a UFO sighting report to be considered for investigation, it must first meet the minimum criteria, also known as a Close Encounter of the First Kind. The Close Encounter system was created by J. Allen Hynek, who is widely recognized as a revolutionary in the profession.
"If Ufology has a founding father, he'd be one of them," Clarkson said.
Hynek's rubric contains three levels that are universally accepted in the field, with the Third Kind obviously being an influence for Spielberg's 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a box office hit that also gave Hynek's theory tremendous publicity.
The First Kind involves a visual of a UFO that is seemingly less than 500 feet away with considerable detail. The Second Kind is in which a physical effect is alleged through electronic interference, physiological effect in the witness or some sort of physical or chemical trace. Third Kind entails an animated creature being present who seem to be occupants or pilots of the UFO.
MUFON is a nationwide non-profit organization of about 3000 members in the United States. Clarkson informed anyone who truly felt passionate that the organization is always looking for more members, just don't get the wrong idea about your responsibilities.
"Don't have unrealistic expectations as a field investigator," Clarkson joked. "Most UFO reports we get don't involve beating the military to the scene of the crashed aircraft and recovering evidence. Most reports involve trying to figure what somebody saw in the sky. We're trying to combine events having high strangeness with highly credible witnesses."
Clarkson also added some pet peeves of the job before proceeding to the main matinee of the day. He noted that the most often confused UFO sightings are, in actuality, chinese lanterns or the International Space Station, due to its extreme light.
"You will not want to be a member of MUFON on July 4th or January 1st," Clarkson warned. "We get absolutely buried in UFO reports, and most of them are fireworks."
On Sunday, Nov. 25, 1979, at 10:50 p.m., a fiery UFO was first sighted 33 miles from its eventual impact in the Elk River mudflats area near Westport. Just 18 miles away, a young James Clarkson was in his rookie year of what would be a 20-year tenure at the Aberdeen Police Department. With all the excitement of his new job, Clarkson somehow missed the headline in the Daily World that boldly read "UFO Wreckage in Elk River?"
It wasn't until 2008 that Clarkson got his hands on a copy of three articles from the Aberdeen newspaper and found a shocking detail — the U.S. military intervened, fast. The only way it would have been possible is if they left Fort Lewis well in advance, which would imply prior knowledge of the object, Clarkson said.
After interviewing many people claiming to be witnesses — a group that Clarkson said includes several career law enforcement officers and a professional research scientist — Clarkson came to the conclusions that an aerial vehicle did indeed descend on the skies of Grays Harbor and crash in the Elk River area. He also concluded that the craft appeared under intelligent control with attempts to slow the descent, but it was in trouble. Lastly, it appeared the military was already en route to the location. Once there, they did a security operation and a retrieval operation, after which they proceeded to deny their presence.
"We now have another incident that has become a local legend," Clarkson said. "This is now part of the history of the Northwest, whether the Air Force likes it or not. There are many people that I've talked to that absolutely know that this really, really happened."
The case is not closed for Clarkson, however, who will continue to hope for crucial evidence to piece the rest of the Westport UFO Crash mystery together. The case is special to Clarkson because of the opportunity to cover a local investigation. What intrigues him the most are the bigger issues.
"There's something going on all around us all the time," Clarkson preached. "We're living with blinders on and we're not getting it. The reason that I keep doing these presentations is because I want to help other people ask the questions. I don't want people to stop being curious."
Clarkson has included much more information and all of his research to date in his short book, Westport UFO Crash Retrieval Event: A Case Study. For more on James or interests in helping the cause of MUFON, visit www.jamesclarksonufo.com for your extra-terrestrial needs.
Of course, Clarkson ended his lecture just as he started: with a witty remark, this time aimed at government.
"The last piece of advice I want people to know is don't believe anything unless it has been officially denied," Clarkson said.
