Brazil Releases Classified UFO Data

[Ivan Seeking]

Friday, May 20, [2005] was an historic day for Ufology in Brazil and in the world as the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), for the very first time in its history, officially receives a committee of top UFO researchers to openly discuss sightings in the country and fully exam classified UFO documents in several military facilities in Brasilia, the Federal Capital. [continued]

http://www.rense.com/general65/braz.htm

Just providing a quick link here to what was discussed on The History Channel last night, which appears to be the follow up story to this news release. When time allows, I or perhaps other members will post links to better information.

I was aware of some really wild claims coming out of Brazil for the last ten years, but what I saw last night [assuming that it's reasonably accurate] absolutely knocked my socks off! This may be the best documented and most dramatic UFO case in modern history. As reported, what is contained in the government files are videos, photographs, and detailed drawings made by Air Force personnel who were responding to "UFO attacks" on people. It was assumed that some foreign government was violating Brazilian airspace, but instead, the responders encountered exactly what was being described by witnesses to previous attacks. Allegedly, and no doubt, this gets really wild, some eighty people were attacked and burned by lights in the sky that emitted beams of light which left pit marks and/or large burns on the victim. Two of the victims alleged died and apparently due to their encounter. Also, many of the drawings clearly show a craft, with four or five of the common configurations seen which are easily recognized from the literature. A number of claims of encounters with aliens are made as well.

From what I saw, most of this appears to be credible information - there seems to be little doubt about this. But as always, perhaps with some more digging it will be found less dramatic than claimed.

 

[wolram]

official secret documents can be downloaded at: www.ufo.com.br/documentop.php.

Can anyone traslate ?

 

[PIT2]

I remember they also made a documentary about it, also one with english subtitles.
It was quite disappointing because it turned out that most(all) of the drawings and photos were taken by a single military guy who was in charge (captain hollanda or something) and he also had mental problems and killed himself after giving an interview.

Heres the video:
http://www.ufo.com.br/publico/Linha_Direta_25_Agosto/Program Linha Direta in English.wmv

Some screenshots from the video:
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1607/bscap0069af.jpg
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7846/bscap0042ps.jpg
http://img277.imageshack.us/img277/6110/bscap0088ge.jpg
http://img277.imageshack.us/img277/4300/bscap0076li.jpg
http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/5967/bscap0097mx.jpg

 

[SGT]

official secret documents can be downloaded at: www.ufo.com.br/documentop.php.

Can anyone traslate ?

The first paragraph:

OPERAÇÃO PRATO 1 – PARTE 1 – Primeira parte do documento resultado da Operação Prato, conduzida pela Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB) na Amazônia, através do I Comando Aéreo Regional, de Belém (PA), entre setembro e dezembro de 1977. Trata-se do relatório final do programa secreto da FAB, coordenado pelo então capital Uyrangê Bolívar Soares Nogueira de Hollanda Lima, fechado em dezembro de 1977 e encaminhado ao Comando de Defesa Aérea Brasileira (Comdabra), em Brasília.
50 páginas em PDF de 8,1 Mb.

OPERATION PRATO 1 - PART 1 - First part of the document resulting of Operation Prato, conducted by Brazilian Air Force (FAB) in Amazonia, through the first Regional Air Command, from Belém (PA), between september and december 1977. This is the final report of FAB secret program, coordinated by the then captain Uyrangê Bolívar Soares Nogueira de Hollanda Lima, closed in december 1977 and sent to the Brazilian Air Defense Command (Comdabra), at Brasilia. 50 pages in pdf 8.1 Mb.

The other paragraphs refer to parts 2 and 3 of Operation Prato 1 and to Operation Prato 2.

Prato is literally dish, or perhaps saucer.
When I have some time I will try to read at least one of the pdf files, but I do not believe there is anything conclusive there.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I remember they also made a documentary about it, also one with english subtitles.
It was quite disappointing because it turned out that most(all) of the drawings and photos were taken by a single military guy who was in charge (captain hollanda or something) and he also had mental problems and killed himself after giving an interview.

His story was discussed in detail. It could go either way really depending on how you look at things. But when taken along with the official files - as claimed, over one-hundred hours of video, five-hundred photographs, and I forget how many pages of reports - and other witnesses [allegedly hundreds of them] including the town doctor, the story seemed far too big for one man to fake.

 

[PIT2]

I know i was enthusiastic about it also, but what I've seen so far has been very disappointing. There is another documentary made by the history channel which had a little bit that said Hollanda himself drew all those sketches. It also said the military decided to stop the operation because they thought Hollanda was screwing up. Most of the witness stories they showed were also very average. I haven't seen any good video or pictures from it either.

It all left me with the impression that it was the ufologists and hollanda that blew it out of proportion.

http://ufologie.net/htm/colarespics.htm

 

[SGT]

I looked quickly at the pdf file. It is not an official document of Brazilian Air Force. There is no header nor logo indicating it. And if it was an official secret document, there should be the word SECRETO in all pages.
I believe that this is a report made by captain Hollanda, but I don't think military authorities gave any attention to it.
In the document I saw, there are sightings made by fishermen and by a priest in the Amazon, all of them mentioning luminous flying objects moving at high velocities.
Since you can only estimate the velocity of an object if you know the distance, the information of high velocity has no meaning.
There are some sightings made by captain Hollanda's crew. They mention heights of 35000 ft. How did they measure it? Specially at night.
Before someone claims that an experienced pilot can evaluate height, it should be noted that captain Hollanda belonged to the quartermaster corps.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I know i was enthusiastic about it also, but what I've seen so far has been very disappointing. ]

I saw that but this information seems to easily dismiss the debunking. As I said, this appears to go far beyond the reach of one man. The doctor was interviewed as were other witnesses to the alleged events. Also, as the highest ranking official on site at the time, it would make sense that he filed the official report.

I don't trust the debunkers anymore than the true believers. Also, I don't know about the links provided by Wolram, but this was a case of the government giving permission for limited access to official files.

Edit: No doubt there is a lot of information to sort out, and what came from whom, and when, is another thing altogether. But it seems to me that at some level the story must basically be true.

 

[wolram]

I don't trust the debunkers anymore than the true believers. Also, I don't know about the links provided by Wolram, but this was a case of the government giving permission for limited access to official files.


I am with you on this one Ivan, the (burning) clinched it for me, official
files mean nothing, as goverments are some of the biggest liars in history.

 

[dgoodpasture2005]

Of course this is true :) Why believe anything the governments say? Have they EVER been honest with us? Yes the man killed himself... of course... he was a "father" and then he was exposed to extra-terrestrial presences... if you were extremely religious... then something like this happened and everyone told you that you were crazy... you'd probably do the same thing. I almost did.. and I'll leave it at that.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I'm pretty sure I saw a thing about the same cases of people being attacked on TV in the past three months or so. They interviewed a woman who was an emergency room doctor (or maybe just a GP) who treated some of the victims. She, herself, later went to the town and saw and was chased by one of these things, she said.

 

[SGT]

It's weird that the only alleged observations at close range were made by civilians. The military only saw lights at great altitude (over 35000 ft, according to the report).
Also one of the witnesses speaks of several equipments and aircraft used by Air Force personnel during the investigations, but captain Hollanda's report only mentions a unmarked vehicle, binoculars, cameras and a theodolite.
Anyway, a big scale operation would never be commanded by a captain.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It's weird that the only alleged observations at close range were made by civilians. The military only saw lights at great altitude (over 35000 ft, according to the report).
Also one of the witnesses speaks of several equipments and aircraft used by Air Force personnel during the investigations, but captain Hollanda's report only mentions a unmarked vehicle, binoculars, cameras and a theodolite.
Anyway, a big scale operation would never be commanded by a captain.

I think that you are only seeing one or a few of perhaps hundreds of reports. It was claimed that even some of the Air Force personnel were attacked by or encountered these things. As for a captain, I think the key is that they were surprised to find anything at all. It had been assumed that the alleged attacks were due to hysteria so it wasn't treated like a big deal. But as I said, there appears to be a lot to sort out. I need to spend some time digging.

Those do look like copies of the original report but I too wonder why we don't see any letterhead... perhaps they don't use official or rubber stamped paper for all government business, as we do here.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'm pretty sure I saw a thing about the same cases of people being attacked on TV in the past three months or so.

I have seen a few shows and probably hundreds of UFO reports from Brazil and about this event over the last few years. I'm not sure how new this show was but it has to have been made within the last six months or so since the files were declassified in May of last year.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I am with you on this one Ivan, the (burning) clinched it for me, official
files mean nothing, as goverments are some of the biggest liars in history.

That has always been a big question in all of this: How far would the government go to fake UFOs? We know that the military has used UFOs as an easy cover story, as did the Soviets, but would they or other governments intentionally fake reports...or even attack villagers with high energy LASERs? I have always assumed that this is not the case. For one, in many cases the conspiracy would have had to wait twenty to forty years for the files to be declassified, which seems to rule out any useful conspiracy in that sense, and in this case. And we know that the files existed because the person who made them was still alive and even interviewed for three days. Also, I believe that the investigators had to track him down. But that doesn't rule out that a military or some private group might have tested a weapon on a small population.

Until now I have always attributed the stories of burns to encounters with ball lightning, but I had no idea that so many people were allegedly attacked.

 

[wolram]

Ivan, i weep at the lack of evidence in these reports, my encounter was at time, when i was a hard nosed rocker, the only talk in those days was mod
bashing , if i had talked about it i would probably have been sorted out, there is some thing that is not universaly known hapening out there.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It seems that Col Halt ran into similar beam emitting balls of light at RAF Woodbridge, three years after the alleged events in Brazil.
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/ufo/dep_ba1.pdf

 

[SGT]

I think that you are only seeing one or a few of perhaps hundreds of reports. It was claimed that even some of the Air Force personnel were attacked by or encountered these things. As for a captain, I think the key is that they were surprised to find anything at all. It had been assumed that the alleged attacks were due to hysteria so it wasn't treated like a big deal. But as I said, there appears to be a lot to sort out. I need to spend some time digging.

Those do look like copies of the original report but I too wonder why we don't see any letterhead... perhaps they don't use official or rubber stamped paper for all government business, as we do here.

I am a retired officer of Brazilian Army. I have been in the military for almost 30 years and can assure you that all official documents have letterheads. And classified documents are stamped in every page in red with the words: RESERVADO or SECRETO.
I believe the document presented was a personal report typed by captain Hollanda and given to the Brazilian UFO research group.
Notice that in the web page of the group it is said that they were cordially received by an Air Force general, but there is no mention of the release of classified documents

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I am a retired officer of Brazilian Army.

What a coincidence!

I have been in the military for almost 30 years and can assure you that all official documents have letterheads. And classified documents are stamped in every page in red with the words: RESERVADO or SECRETO.
I believe the document presented was a personal report typed by captain Hollanda and given to the Brazilian UFO research group.
Notice that in the web page of the group it is said that they were cordially received by an Air Force general, but there is no mention of the release of classified documents

Well then these clearly aren't the documents released by the government.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

So you are a 30 year military professor?

I am a professor, with no quotes and I don't care if you believe it or not. Of course this does not make me an authority in every subject and I have never claimed that. I don't know why you are mentioning it.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=85863&page=6
post 81

 

[SGT]

So you are a 30 year military professor?


https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=85863&page=6
post 81

No, when in the active service I was at the Army Research and Development Institute. After I retired I became a professor at an engineering school in Rio de Janeiro.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Could you link your web page?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Could you link your web page?

I think a request like this should be accompanied by a link to yours, Ivan.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I think a request like this should be accompanied by a link to yours, Ivan.

I don't have one.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

If someone wished to cite their unique authority on a subject as justification for taking their answers at face value, then some kind of proof must be offered.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I don't have one.

I for one have no doubt whatever that SGT is Brazilian ex-military, now professor of engineering and I wouldn't ask for any confirmation of that that would require him to give personal information about himself anymore than I'd require you to give me your name, name of your business, and schooling information so I could check that you're really what you claim.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I for one have no doubt whatever that SGT is Brazilian ex-military, now professor of engineering and I wouldn't ask for any confirmation of that that would require him to give personal information about himself anymore than I'd require you to give me your name, name of your business, and schooling information so I could check that you're really what you claim.

As I said, if someone wishes to cite their unique authority on a subject as justification for taking their answers at face value, then some kind of proof must be offered.

The only difference here is the need to provide links and specific information that support claims made, which we all have to do.

 

[zoobyshoe]

As I said, if someone wishes to cite their unique authority on a subject as justification for taking their answers at face value, then some kind of proof must be offered.

What I percieve is you asking for a "proof" when that proof entails something most people wouldn't do under any circumstances, and if he declines you'll try to construe it to mean he was lying.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What I percieve is you asking for a "proof" when that proof entails something most people wouldn't do under any circumstances, and if he declines you'll try to construe it to mean he was lying.

Oh really! I didn't realize that you had such great insights into what I might do.

Look, you have to admit that what SGT claims is pretty coincidental. If true, great! Glad to have you here. And I see that you, SGT, do post very good information in the engineering forums, so I recognize that you are very competent in some subjects here.

I am certainly skeptical but I didn't delete any posts or call him a liar, but come on, the coincidence is a little overwhelming. I'm due my fair share of skepticism. But in any case I'm not about to take anyone's claim as true at face value - and we can't recognize anyone as an authority - unless they can show it to be true. You are free to believe him or not, but unless SGT can back up what he says, and although the desire for anonymity is certainly understood, his claims are no better or worse than anyone elses here. In the same sense, we take someone like Jim Oberg at face value [without the requirement for supporting information] because we do have references for his credentials.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Oh really! I didn't realize that you had such great insights into what I might do.

You're acting like I couldn't possibly percieve what you're up to yet you plainly revealed you think he's lying with your previous "What a coincidence!"

Look, you have to admit that what SGT claims is pretty coincidental. If true, great! Glad to have you here. And I see that you, SGT, do post very good information in the engineering forums, so I recognize that you are very competent in some subjects here.

I am certainly skeptical but I didn't delete any posts or call him a liar, but come on, the coincidence is a little overwhelming. I'm due my fair share of skepticism. But in any case I'm not about to take anyone's claim as true at face value - and we can't recognize anyone as an authority - unless they can show it to be true. You are free to believe him or not, but unless SGT can back up what he says, and although the desire for anonymity is certainly understood, his claims are no better or worse than anyone elses here.

This isn't an "I think..." or "It's my understanding..." type thing where a person's statements can be held in limbo as "no better or worse than anyone elses here." He is either lying or telling the truth about having been an officer in the Brazilian military. By calling him into question you force his word to be either better or very much worse, than anyone elses here.

In the same sense, we take someone like Jim Oberg at face value [without the requirement for supporting information] because we do have references for his credentials.

What I find completely consistant with SGT's statement of being an ex-military officer is that he "writes" military: always very formal, never personally warm (apologies SGT), which is pretty unusual for a Brazilian, since they tend to be quite extroverted. He doesn't joke around and doesn't socialize here. All business. In addition, he has never given me the slightest reason to suspect he would fake any information to win an argument.

In another thread here I asked Aether if he was familiar with some of the more bizarre electromagnetic effects. He replied that he happened to be an expert in magnetic sensors and had designed a few. I didn't sarcastically remark "What a coincidence! Can you provide credentials?" By the same token I didn't find SGT's revelation he was ex-Brazilian army to be any sort of "overwhelming" coicidence. My first thought was that it explained why his tone is the way it is, and it fit right in with my preconceptions about him.

 

[SGT]

Only now have I seen the exchange between Ivan and zoobieshoe. I thank zoobie for his defense. As for Ivan, I don't have a web page, so I can't prove my affirmations. I don't have to. The only appeal to authority I made was about official documents in Brazil having letterheads and classified documents being so labelled. This is not too hard to believe. Even if Brazil lies in the southern hemisphere, we are not so backwards as you seem to think.
I did not use my military background to dismiss captain Hollanda's report. I believe that he made the document. What I doubt is that the pages presented came from the Air Force. They seem to be carbon copies of a document typed in a mechanical typewriter.
It is possible that the originals are filed in some military organization and captain Hollanda kept the copies with him. There is no reason for those documents being secret. The only information there that could affect national security are the sketches of the region, but with satellite imaging, I am sure that better maps are available, even at Google Earth.

 

[SGT]

And Ivan, if you really think it is important, I can send you in private a copy of my military ID and of my badge at the engineering school.

 

[PIT2]

SGT may be from the brazilian army, but these documents were made and released by the airforce, so there could be a difference. From what i remember the brazilian ufologists know that the airforce has even more documents about this, but they won't release them. They also know the army has documents about this but the army won't cooperate at all.

Here is a video of them paying a visit to the airforce and some of the officers say something in portugese:
http://www.ufo.com.br/videos-traillers/fantastico/UFOLOGIA.wmv

source: http://www.ufo.com.br/videos/ufologosBrasilia.htm

 

[SGT]

SGT may be from the brazilian army, but these documents were made and released by the airforce, so there could be a difference. From what i remember the brazilian ufologists know that the airforce has even more documents about this, but they won't release them. They also know the army has documents about this but the army won't cooperate at all.

Here is a video of them paying a visit to the airforce and some of the officers say something in portugese:
http://www.ufo.com.br/videos-traillers/fantastico/UFOLOGIA.wmv

source: http://www.ufo.com.br/videos/ufologosBrasilia.htm

The video you linked to is from a variety show in Brazilian TV, named Fantástico. It is aired every Sunday by TV Globo.
It shows the visit of Brazilian ufologists to Brazilian Air Defense and Air Traffic Control Command (COMDABRA). The guys were received by an Air Force general who allowed them a guided visit at the installations. At the end of the visit they saw 3 files containing UFO related documents, one of them the OPERAÇÃO PRATO file, and 2 file drawers containing classified documents dated since 1954. They were informed that the documents are labelled confidential (much less restrictive then secret) and were not accessible to the public yet, but the Ufologists were encouraged to ask for the disclosure in the proper instances.
I have never denied that the guys were received by Air Force authorities. Their web pages show photos of their visit and I have no reason to believe they are faked.
As for I being from Army and not Air Force, I assure you that all official documents in Brazilian administration, be them military or civilian, have letterheads.
The information in the video that the documents are not released to the public, confirms my suspicion that the ufologists had access to a personal copy of them.
And before Ivan challenges me again, I assure you that I speak Portuguese very well, but I have no means to prove it.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Only now have I seen the exchange between Ivan and zoobieshoe. I thank zoobie for his defense. As for Ivan, I don't have a web page, so I can't prove my affirmations. I don't have to. The only appeal to authority I made was about official documents in Brazil having letterheads and classified documents being so labelled. This is not too hard to believe. Even if Brazil lies in the southern hemisphere, we are not so backwards as you seem to think.

I didn't want to allow unchecked authoritative discussion, but I checked and I see that you are in Brazil. Since that alone is pretty coincidental, I must admit to a significant reduction in my skepticism. Is English a second language for you?

As for the letterhead, I didn't see it as a significant issue. That is to say that I could see personal notes being used in official files. That's not so hard to believe.