by Leslie Kean
Governor Symington responded immediately and thoughtfully, without the least bit of fanfare. “I never felt the overall situation was a matter of ridicule, although we certainly took advantage of it, no question about it,” he admitted. “But I don’t consider it a matter of ridicule. It was a legitimate occurrence; a craft of unknown origin; who knows where from; inexplicable, and probably one of the major sightings in modern history in the country, because so many people saw it in Maricopa County—and I saw it, too.”
James Fox was absolutely unprepared for such a response. “I was shocked,” he recalls. “It took me a moment to process it. I was thinking, did I really hear what I think I just heard? My immediate impulse was to make sure the cameras had been running, and they were. I didn’t want to press the point right away, but wanted him to feel at ease. I left and reviewed the tape. It took a day or two for this to really sink in, and for me to realize I had something huge here.”
Having kept the Symington story under wraps for about six months, James Fox called me in early 2007 to tell me about it, because we were approaching the tenth anniversary of the Phoenix Lights, with commemorative events planned in Arizona. We discussed the possibility of breaking the story in the print media at that time, just in advance of the updated film’s release, which included the original interview. Symington seemed pleased with the idea of having the first written piece about his witnessing the UFO presented by someone who understood the bigger issue and proper context for the story, and who would treat it with respect. As a journalist, I was of course delighted with this “scoop” and knew that the mainstream media reporters would run with it afterward, including those who had made light of the incident in the Phoenix press years ago. But this time, they would be forced to read a proper, well-researched, serious piece before they could grab the news for themselves. This was an opportunity, although fleeting, for me to present a breaking UFO story in the way it should be told.
I was introduced to Symington via telephone, and conducted a long interview in which he expanded on what he had said to James Fox. I was struck by his sincerity, and although he was now a relatively private man who had no further interest in running for political office and did not relish exposure in the media, he voiced his commitment to helping both James and me in our efforts to bring greater credibility to the subject of UFOs and to impact government policy.
On March 18, 2007, I broke the Symington story in a front-page article for a relatively small Arizona newspaper, The Daily Courier, headlined “Symington Confirms He Saw UFO 10 Years Ago.” I selected the Courier because it had a past record of providing good, fair coverage of the Phoenix Lights. As anticipated, the story had a dramatic impact and swept through national television newsrooms for days afterward, putting Symington in great demand. He made appearances on CNN and FOX News, but turned down all other requests.
Over the years, I’ve interviewed Symington several more times and come to know him. His remarkable personal journey as both a governor and a UFO witness, forced to contend simultaneously with the impact of his own sighting and the restrictive force of the UFO taboo on elected officials, is highly unusual. It certainly gives him a unique perspective, and has led him to become an advocate for change to an outdated and counterproductive UFO policy—or nonpolicy—in Washington.
But what makes Symington’s situation even more exceptional is that although he was awestruck by his sighting, and believed this craft could not have been man-made, he didn’t just simply ignore it. He went so far in the other direction as to stage a farcical press conference featuring a costumed alien that inadvertently insulted his fellow witnesses. How could he have laughed about this, and made a public joke out of it, given his direct experience of the physically real, inexplicable event a few months earlier?
Symington, in retrospect, says, “If I had to do it all over again I probably would have handled it differently.” But the state of Arizona was “on the brink of hysteria” about the UFO flyover when he called the press conference, and the frenzy was building. “I wanted them to lighten up and calm down, so I introduced a little levity. But I never felt that the overall situation was a matter of ridicule,” he says. That was why, ten years later, free of the constraints of political office, he wanted to set the record straight and make amends to constituents like Stacey Roads.
Now, we can gain insight from the former governor into what drives government officials to intensely resist the simple acknowledgment of the mere existence of something unidentified in the sky that does not have to be associated with anything extraterrestrial or alien. In this unusual case, the official knew it was real because he had seen it with his own eyes and didn’t have to rely only on other witness reports. But hundreds of others also saw it! He still held back. How could he have restrained himself? And why did he feel compelled to do so?
He explains it this way:
You’re not a normal person when you’re a governor. You have to be extremely careful about public statements and how you handle yourself. A public figure is fair game for attack. Everything is picked over by the media and your political opposition. You try to avoid being the subject of harsh ridicule because you have a serious responsibility while in this role, and your public stature is directly related to your ability to get things done. If all of a sudden you’re typed as a buffoon or a loony, you won’t be effective. I had to make a choice. My top priority was to fulfill the responsibilities I had been elected to accomplish as governor.
In the months following the event, Symington had observed the press making fun of his friend Frances Barwood for simply taking the sighting seriously in response to public pressure—and she wasn’t even a witness. He was also dealing with his share of political battles within the vicious world of Arizona politics, and says today, “Can you imagine what would have happened if I had said anything?” Although his decision is understandable, this is a sad commentary on our unspoken political policy toward UFOs, and the power of that irrational, habitual taboo that most of us have not questioned and that led Governor Symington to believe he would be branded a “buffoon” or a “loony” if he acknowledged something he and countless others had seen in the sky. Although he was at risk politically, such damaging labels are not only dangerous for political figures such as he, but are also harmfully applied to many everyday people who witness the phenomenon. Imbued with prejudice and an irrational fear of the unknown, these attitudes have been entrenched in our culture for over fifty years, and have not been well understood. But Symington’s experience, for one, shows why elected officials and military brass in America wait until after retirement before risking saying anything at all about UFOs, no matter what their experience.
At the time, this governor found himself facing an unprecedented situation. Suddenly confronted with an escalation of public outcry following unanticipated national news coverage of a state-wide UFO sighting, he had to act fast. He felt it had become urgent that he change the mood. His administration was on its own in that moment, with no idea what had passed through the skies over Phoenix, or how to handle the aftermath of this momentous event. There was no support coming to state officials from the federal government, no answers from local authorities, and public ridicule had been unleashed against those daring to question what happened. So, relying on his own personal strengths in dealing quickly with a highly unusual problem, Governor Symington opted for a public spoof to lighten things up and cut the momentum with one sharp blow. “I never felt this sighting represented any kind of a threat,” he explains. “I also had a good sense of humor. Everyone, including the media, was caught off guard. This seemed like an effective way to change things.”
Imagine, for a moment, if a government office tasked with the investigation of UFO events such as this—exactly what we’re hoping to establish now—was in place at the time of the Phoenix Lights, and the case had been properly handled. One can envision the following: During the actual event, as the result of a few calls from Washington, pilots already aloft could h
ave been asked to fly near the objects, observe them, and photograph them if possible. Air Force jets would have been scrambled to get a closer look and attempt to engage the objects further. Civilian and military air traffic controllers could have attempted to catch them on radar, and military bases could have tried to contact the objects via communications signals sent out from the best technology for doing so. High-powered telescopes would have been aimed at the skies, at the proper altitude to possibly view the objects. The lead investigator from our UFO desk would have been in phone contact with a local team of scientists and aviation experts, already on the ground in Arizona or nearby states as part of an established network.
Early the next morning, the official from our agency would be dispatched to Phoenix for a briefing with all relevant officials, including, of course, the governor. His own sighting, and perhaps those of other officials or their families, along with commercial and military pilots, would be discussed and documented. Civilian witnesses would be encouraged to file independent reports and supply drawings of what they saw, along with any photos or home videos, as quickly as possible. Reporters would supply footage and witness interviews captured on camera the previous evening. Our coordinating official from the central office would have access to all radar records, and could interview air traffic controllers, police officers, government offices receiving calls, and all pilots flying near the multiple objects. Air Force bases and military installations in Arizona—all having been put on alert during the flyover—would be approached regarding the object, and would inform the investigators whether any flare drops, unusual flight formations, or other military maneuvers had been scheduled that night.
The public would be informed through a series of press conferences—like those provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as an example, in the days following an airline crash—about progress in the investigation. Citizens would be assured that the sighting did not constitute a threat, that no one had been harmed, that the proper authorities were investigating the incident, and that the public would be kept abreast of developments. Ideally, this event would not be sensationalized or blown out of proportion by the media, and would simply be one of many news stories of the day, perhaps not even of interest to the many who didn’t witness an unidentified object themselves.
In short, a small agency, with links to experts within multiple disciplines around the country, could undertake a clean, clear, and thorough investigation of something like the Phoenix Lights within a short time frame. If the identity of the objects could not be determined after a reasonable amount of time, there would be no need to withhold that from the public. People would go about their lives, as they have done in Europe and South America when such announcements were made, and the scientific community—by now actively investigating the phenomenon—would be provided the relevant data for further study.
“If the sighting affecting so many people in Arizona could have been officially, quickly, and openly investigated, with no stigma attached, all the resulting public confusion and hysteria that I faced as governor could have been avoided,” Symington states. “This is the sane approach, as is recognized in other countries, and should become the new American policy. I would not want to see another governor go through what I did in 1997, and it’s only a matter of time before this will happen again.”
No wonder apprehension and frustration mounted in the state of Arizona. How could anyone feel safe, or trust the authorities to protect them, when such an intrusion by a massive craft is treated as if it never happened? Each of us must ask ourselves what we would have done, and how we would have felt, if we had stood beneath this silent hovering object. It makes enormous sense to have a small agency in place to be prepared for the eventuality of another widely witnessed UFO event.
Another factor, as has been pointed out by many military officials, is the risk that potentially disastrous aggressive actions might be taken against a UFO, due to a lack of preparation of those responsible for the defense of the country. If an object the size of the one seen over Phoenix came even closer to the ground, for example, or shot a penetrating beam onto an observer, or took any number of frightening actions that we could imagine, how would we respond? Pilots have attempted to shoot down UFOs from the air. What would it take for a similar response to be triggered from an air defense base on the ground? We must not forget that we are dealing with something so unknown to us, so entirely unexplained, that we have no idea what could happen the next time one appeared. The establishment of a government office would be the first step in the distribution of the appropriate data, preparation manuals, and policy recommendations to the Air Force and all other military installations around the country.
The state of Arizona has seen more than one prominent elected official confront the UFO problem. Prior to his sighting, Fife Symington had enjoyed a long-term relationship with a mentor who had strong opinions about U.S. government secrecy and UFOs. Barry Goldwater, five-term senator from Arizona, Republican presidential nominee in 1964, pilot, and friend of the Symington family, was a hero and a father figure to him beginning at age twelve. Goldwater served as campaign chairman for both of Symington’s successful runs for governor.
Symington recounts that on a number of occasions, when he was flying to campaign events with Goldwater, the former senator told him about his efforts to obtain secret UFO information from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, as Goldwater has written in his letters.9 It’s interesting that Symington never knew that Goldwater had written anything about his ventures until after he recounted these conversations to me, when, much to his amazement and delight, I sent him copies of the letters. “Barry was convinced that UFOs exist and that the government held top secret stuff and was holding it close for technological reasons. He didn’t know this as a fact, but he was highly suspicious,” Symington says. Unfortunately, Goldwater was not well enough to comment on the Phoenix Lights incident, having suffered a stroke in 1996. He died in 1998 at his home outside Phoenix.
Today, Symington is inclined to agree with Barry Goldwater that our government is withholding secret information about UFOs. “If we got our hands on a very advanced spacecraft before anyone else, you can be sure we would hold it tight and work on it, and we would be interested in the advanced technology. This is as valid as any other idea to explain why it would be kept secret,” he says.
Governor Symington’s “coming out of the closet” represents a historical turning point in the effort to bring official recognition and policy change to the UFO issue in America. Never before has a twice-elected official of this stature not only acknowledged witnessing an unmistakable unidentified flying object, but also taken a public stand advocating for change. When he was forced to test the system, the governor discovered firsthand that it doesn’t work. As a result, he has to some extent made this effort a personal mission, which is being carried forward with the support of other equally convinced former officials from other countries, some of whom have come together in this volume. As a former elected government official in America and part of the political establishment, Symington is uniquely positioned to influence a change in policy. Through his contacts and experience in government, he can help move us toward the founding of a new government agency—which he could have benefited from so much while in office—and has already done so by adding his voice and support to our international coalition.
CHAPTER 25
Setting the Record Straight
by Fife Symington III
Governor of Arizona, 1991–97
Between 8:00 and 8:30 on the evening of March 13, 1997, during my second term as governor of Arizona, I witnessed something that defied logic and challenged my reality: a massive, delta-shaped craft silently navigating over the Squaw Peak in the Phoenix Mountain preserve. A solid structure rather than an apparition, it was dramatically large, with a distinctive leading edge embedded with lights as it traveled the Arizona skies. I still don’t know what it was. As a pilot and a former Air Force offic
er, I can say with certainty that this craft did not resemble any man-made object I had ever seen.
As soon as I reached home I told my wife, Ann, about it. She listened attentively, and we both thought long and hard about whether I should make public what I had seen. Eventually, at least for the time being, we reached the conclusion I should not, as doing so would most likely result in ridicule from the press that would distract me and my entire administration from the work we had been elected to accomplish.
The same incident was witnessed by hundreds if not thousands of people in Arizona, and my office was at once besieged with phone calls from concerned Arizonians. Even so, I managed to keep my head down—until two months later, when a story about the sightings appeared in USA Today. Catalyzed by the article, hysteria intensified to a point that I decided to lighten the mood and add a note of levity by calling a press conference at which my chief of staff arrived in alien costume. Originally my idea, this was one my team immediately embraced with enthusiasm. Not only would it dampen any incipient panic, it would show the human face of those who hold public office.