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How could this be? It is no wonder that we have never been able to ask satisfactory questions about the phenomenon. I have even thought that it may simply be what the force of evolution looks like when it acts upon conscious creatures. After all, our entire five-thousand-year history is but a moment in the life of our species, less than an instant in the evolution of the universe. It may be that our history is in its entirety one of those magnificent explosions of evolutionary force that suddenly change everything — effectively equivalent to the "moment" when Cro-Magnon man burst on the scene or the much longer "moment" when the dinosaurs disappeared. And the visitors — a dark and highly active phenomenon that seems to inhabit cracks in the unconscious, cracks in space-time, and cracks in history — are somewhere close to the essence of what is happening. Dr. Vallee elucidates the basis of what must surely become a new vision of the UFO phenomenon, one that will sweep aside the various levels of illusion behind which it hides. Dr. Vallee argues that the force that now appears in the form of UFOs and attendant manifestations has emerged into history many times, operating as a sort of control mechanism that has altered and shaped human affairs, often profoundly. He demonstrates, for example, that the miracle of Fatima was a sort of hybrid appearing in part as a religious phenomenon and in part as a classic UFO encounter. One is left to wonder if there might not have been a very real technology behind the miracles and apparitions that have done so much to influence the growth of our cultures. Indeed, viewed from this perspective, it can be vigorously argued that most major religions have emerged out of visionary experiences that are, in fact, understandable in the setting of the UFO encounter. Thus the phenomenon becomes not simply one of a group of things that influence the evolution of culture, but rather a primary engine. It could very well be the single most important influence on our history. And it is arguably more active now on a global scale than it has ever been before. This should tell us something about the importance of this moment in history, and should suggest to us that the time to come to a clear and correct understanding of the phenomenon is now. The longer we remain ignorant of it, the more we guarantee that it will retain its power over us. It is time to appraoch this phenomenon with all of the clarity of mind that it deserves. Dr. Vallee, it seems to me, has taken a dramatically important step in this direction. A mystery that has lingered in human imagination for many years, the mystery of unidentified flying objects and their occupants, is coming back to the front pages of our newspapers with a parade of new claims: not only are these objects seen in the sky and on the ground, but they are said to have contacted humans and, in some cases, abducted them. The public has reacted to these stories with a mixture of skepticism, awe, and fear. The lack of reliable data and the absence of serious research are intensifying this concern. Therefore the time has come to reexamine the UFO phenomenon and to reopen the archives that deal with that ancient dream of our civilization, of every civilization: contact with alien beings. Each culture has sought to assemble this puzzle in its own way, and each culture has contributed something to the great pool of legends, folklore, and traditions that link human imagination with the heavens. Today the rapid pace of technology precipitates a new awareness of the importance of the problem. The modern reader needs a new perspective, a new paradigm in which fear can be set aside and knowledge can prevail. Above all, he needs more facts. In an effort to help answer this need, the present book represents the distillation of some twenty-five years of research. It gathers and updates some previously published material into a new, more manageable collection of the most significant events that have marked the rich history of the UFO phenomenon. And it leads to a new conclusion: Although I am among those who believe that UFOs are real physical objects. I do not think they are extraterrestrial in the ordinary sense of the term. In my view they present an exciting challenge to our concept of reality itself. Introduction: Closed Minds, Open Questions