[[VII-5]] Barker, G. They Knew Too Much about Flying Saucers. New York: University Books, Inc., 1956.
[[VII-6]] Robertson, H. P. Personal files.
[[VII-7]] Chop, A. M. Personal communication.
[[VII-8]] Page, T. W. Personal files.
Chapter VIII
PHANTOMS ON RADAR
The evidence of radar, according to the saucer enthusiasts, provides final proof that alien spaceships indeed patrol our skies. Because radar is an electronic device, it allegedly cannot be fooled by mirages, reflections, or peculiar weather conditions. If radar records an echo from an unidentified object and, at about the same time, a human witness reports a puzzling light in the sky, the believers proclaim that the unprejudiced testimony of science has confirmed the presence of a solid flying saucer. Sometimes a radarscope reports unidentified objects at a time when observers on the ground and in search planes cannot see anything unusual in the sky. The believers then conclude not that radar evidence can be misinterpreted, but that the operators of the flying saucers may somehow be able to make both themselves and their ships invisible![[VIII-1]]
Radar as a Reporter
Any UFO investigator who presumes to evaluate electronic evidence should have much more than an amateur’s knowledge of the nature and behavior of radar. Correct interpretation of the signals requires training, experience, skill, and an expert’s acquaintance with the peculiarities of the set under varying conditions. But even the expert does not yet understand the causes of all the phenomena that can appear. He is limited by our still incomplete knowledge of dynamic meteorology—precise information about the composition of the atmosphere and how it interacts with microwaves. With proper instrumentation and first-rate operators, radar can correctly report the approximate direction, distance, altitude, and rate of motion of objects within its range. If the returns are misinterpreted, however, radar can seem to give false reports.
