2.14.9: Ann Druffel (p.1) on BoA:Audio :: Preview

THIS WEEK: Ann Druffel (Part 1 of 3), The Tujunga Canyon Contacts, www.anndruffel.com

BoA:Audio's longest interview (nearly 4 hours) sees our first-ever 3-part "miniseries" featuring esteemed Ufologist Ann Druffel, discussing both The Tujunga Canyon Contacts and Firestorm: Dr. James E. McDonald's Fight for UFO Science. It's 800 pages of total text covered in true BoA:Audio style.

In this week's installment, we'll be covering The Tujunga Canyon Contacts from a number of angles. This recently re-issued book, which Ann co-wrote with D. Scott Rogo, was only the second alien abduction book ever written, when it was originally released in 1980. Ann will tell us how she got involved in the case, how the world of Ufology and abductions met in the 1970's, the "contagen" effect of the abductions discussed in the book, Ann's unique and groundbreaking theory on abductions and how she applies other aspects of the phenomenon to her hypothesis, details of the book including how she felt about one of the abductee's inability to break through memory blocks, if abductors had specific interest in people with alternative lifestyles, the alleged "cancer cure" given to one of the abductees by the "aliens," and tons more.

We'll also remember two key figures in Ann's life, her mentor Idabel Epperson, who was head of the Southern California NICAP chapter, and her co-author D. Scott Rogo, noted parapsychologist who was murdered in 1990.

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NEXT WEEK: Ann Druffel (Part 2 of 3), Firestorm: Dr. James E. McDonald's Fight for UFO Science, www.anndruffel.com

In the subsequent two weeks, we'll go in-depth on Firestorm and cover the remarkable life and amazing contributions to Ufology by renowned atmospheric physicist James McDonald. This richly detailed interview will also cover a wealth of major events in Ufology's history, including Project Blue Book, the 1968 Congressional Hearing on UFOs, the Condon Report, and the folding of NICAP, all of which were experienced and witnessed first-hand by Ann and then re-experienced from McDonald's perspective when she wrote Firestorm, providing priceless perspective on this era of the history of UFO studies.

In next week's episode, we'll find out how Ann ended up writing Firestorm, speculation on how Ufology would look today if MacDonald hadn't died in 1971, MacDonald as "leader" of Ufology in the late 1960's, how he bridged the gap between science and civilian UFO groups, his visit to Blue Book in 1966 and how he ripped the lid off of what was really going on there, his relationship with J. Allen Hynek, the lost MacDonald "small notebooks" referenced throughout Firestorm, MacDonald's view of the ETH as the "least unsatisfactory hypothesis," MacDonald's trip to Australia and the subsuquent political fallout, his feud with Phil Klass, the 1968 Congressional hearing on UFOs, Jim & Coral Lorenzen and APRO, and the Heflin photos. Plus, of course, tons and tons more.

In the 3.1.9 episode, dropping in two weeks, we'll be discussing MacDonald's goals for a national UFO monitoring system, the unspoken pressure on MacDonald to provide a UFO "breakthrough," how much Hynek may have known about other government agencies investigating UFOs, the Condon Report, in-depth, including the "Low memo" and how MacDonald was responsible for that document getting widely released, the reaction of Ufology to the Condon Report and if Ann thinks the UFO field was permanently damaged by the series of events that befell it in the late '60s / early '70's.

We'll also examine the folding of NICAP, and the events that led up to MacDonald's death, beginning with his clandestine meeting with "top government officials," the SST Congressional hearings which saw MacDonald publicly ridiculed by a Congressman, family issues that plagued MacDonald towards the end of his life, and his subsequent suicide and Ann's thoughts on what may have been behind it and the result of MacDonald's mysterious death on other scientists who may have been interested in UFOs. Plus, so much more in this comprehensive interview.