-- When it comes to the subject of unidentified flying objects, also popularly known as "flying saucers," independent researcher and lecturer Robert Hastings of Myrtle Beach, S.C., says "we're all in for a real interesting future" when the truth about UFOs is revealed. Hastings shared his views and research during a talk called "UFOs: The Hidden History" recently with a crowd of 200 in the Magale Recital Hall at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Having lectured at hundreds of colleges and universities on the subject since the early 1980s, Hastings spoke before an audience made up mostly of students, although some visitors traveled from as far away as Baton Rouge to hear him speak. Hastings discussed the modern era of the phenomenon, beginning in 1947, when reports of flying saucers began capturing the public's imagination. A disinformation campaign, Hastings said, was used by the military, particularly the Air Force, to throw off the public. This was done, he said, by investigators saying a UFO sighting had been misidentified as "temperature inversions" or "marsh gas." Hastings, who said he saw a UFO himself at a Montana Air Force base in 1967, said that formerly classified documents, since released to the public through the Freedom of Information Act, show that the military was aware of the "UFO reality."

He said the military was concerned about these objects but knew that revealing these concerns would alarm the public. "They decided to keep the public in the dark about this" subject, Hastings said, noting that the Air Force investigated UFO sightings until 1969. To this day, he said, the Air Force, the CIA and other U.S. agencies will tell the public their findings show these objects "do not pose a threat to national security." However, Hastings pointed to the relationship between UFOs and their appearances at nuclear test sites and nuclear missile silos, particularly during the Cold War years, an issue he linked to national security.

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