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First and foremost, I'd like to thank the eighteen distinguished contributors whose pieces form the essential core of this book, and who made it all possible. It has been a privilege to work with this exceptional group. My deepest thanks to each of them for their trust and for their diligent work on many drafts. These men have courageously gone on the record about the reality of UFOs, and I hope others in comparable positions will now be moved to do the same. r4 wot. ln I extend a special appreciation to John Podesta for his eloquent foreword and for his ongoing public support of the Coalition for Freedom of Information (CFi). His brilliance and honesty are inspiring. Others made major contributions to the text: Yves Sillard of GEIPAN wrote an important commentary, and Andre Amond, J. Dori Callahan, Julio Chamorro, Anthony Choy, Jean-Pierre Fartek, Will Miller, and Robert Salas provided interviews and helpful material. I am very grateful to former Arizona governor Fife Symington III for his encouragement, which helped launch the book. Phyllis Wender, my agent from the Gersh Agency in New York, believed in this project from the outset. I thank her wholeheartedly for her appreciation of the approach embodied by the book and her unwavering determination to see it published. Her wise advice has been indispensable, and her assistant Lynn Hyde also deserves my thanks. At the Crown Publishing Group, I am indebted to Shaye Areheart for her vision, leadership, and commitment to the book, and to my enthusiastic editor, Kate Kennedy, who guided me throughout the lengthy publishing process and made many significant editorial contributions that improved the manuscript. A special thanks goes to my close friend Budd Hopkins for providing daily, steady support as I dealt with the myriad personal and professional challenges inherent in producing this book. He dutifully read and reread every word of the manuscript at its various inceptions and offered many perceptive edits and suggestions. I'm also grateful to David M. Jacobs, Paul McKim, and Lloyd Garrison for reading parts of the manuscript and providing useful feedback. I cannot overlook two key colleagues who profoundly influenced my life before I was unexpectedly confronted with the issue of UFOs. Burma activist and writer Alan Clements inspired me with his compassionate activism and commitment to a people's struggle, and opened up a new world to me. Investigative reporter Dennis Bernstein, host of Flashpoints on Pacifica radio, taught me the principles and craft of advocacy journalism, leading me into the world of freelance publishing and, eventually, radio broadcasting. I can't thank my dear friends Alan and Dennis enough for giving me the foundation that made it possible for me to later take on the risky subject of UFOs. At the beginning of my UFO explorations, Ralph Steiner helped me navigate and offered much reassurance, Stephen Bassett was supportive, and Clifford Stone, Steven Greer, and Grant Cameron provided me with