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180 landings and alien abductions had seemed preposterous. But once the idea of genuine UFOs in the sky had been recognized, then it would be a short step to the acceptance of more direct approaches. After all, the government had admitted lying about the very existence of UFOs! Why assume any of its other denials were based on reality? Of course, you, the president, could stick to the old party line and continue to insist there are no UFOs at all. Each time there has been a major flurry of sightings in the past, the press showed signs of losing confidence in official explanations. But then, after the furor died down, everything went back to the way it had been before. UFOs were forgotten by almost every- one, since nothing had resulted from their presence, just the way it would have been if they had never been here in the first place. But there is a serious risk in making repeated denials in the face of a growing mass of evidence from more and more expert witnesses. If the public and/or the press ever decide the govern- ment has been dishonest in its handling of the UFO question, then all is lost. Nothing the president says will be believed, and even the most outlandish rumors may be accepted, in the absence of a dependable, official source of information that is responsive to the public need. When the point is reached that the danger is not being be- lieved exceeds the danger of the public learning what has really been going on, then it will be time to start releasing the truth about UFOs, no matter whose reputation is sullied in the pro- cess. With hundreds of people involved in the complex decep- tion demanded by a massive cover-up, some of them will have to suffer when it all comes out into the open. As long as the president's aides can twist things around to make it look like he is on the side of truth and justice, the others will have to fend for themselves. Then comes the problem of deciding when and how to re- lease the information so long withheld. Do you simply dump it on the people and hope that it will be carefully sorted through and analyzed by thoughtful citizens who won't jump to con- CRASH AT CORONA