A couple of issues ago, Jim Moseley's Saucer Smear made mention of my top ten and bottom ten ufologists lists from a while back (I suspect that contributing editor Karl Pflock may have drawn Moseley's attention to the lists). Moseley made the top ten list, much to his (apparent) surprise. As a result, he added me to his non-subscriber list for Saucer Smear, which I have read for some time now on the Internet. I've always been a fan.
He also asked about my relationship with Stan Friedman. So, by way of thanks for the non-subscription, and to answer his question, I sent him a letter, which he ran in the most recent issue of Smear. Here it is (original can be seen here):
"PAUL KIMBALL is "Supreme Commander" of Redstar Films, a leading producer of documentary films in Canada. He is also a meticulous flying saucer investigator. He writes:
"Thanks for the mention in the current 'Smear' of my Top Ten and Bottom Ten lists for Ufology, which appeared a month or two ago at my blog, www.redstarfilms.blogspot.com....
Your inclusion in the Top Ten was an obvious choice to me. I know there are those in the ufological community who pooh-pooh your contributions to ufology, including some people who are friends of mine. However, as I said at my blog, every field of study needs a court jester, a role you have filled for decades with aplomb and wit. And no matter what Wendy Conners says, 'Shockingly Close to the Truth" is a must-read - one of the few UFO books that is both genuinely interesting and well-written (many often being either one or the other, but rarely both).
Now, as for your questions about my relationship with Stan Friedman, I can only say:
(a) Yes, he is my uncle (married my Dad's sister 25 or so years ago), a fact that neither of us has ever hidden.
(b) He and I often disagree, particularly about MJ-12 and Wilbert Snith, but we also agree about a great many things too - like the ridiculousness of exopolitics, for example. Our biggest disagreement centers on the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis - he places the emphasis on the Extraterrestrial part, and I place it on the Hypothesis part, even as I tell anyone who asks that I find it an entirely plausible, although unproven, hypothesis; and
(c) Despite the disagreements mentioned above, I have nothing but the greatest respect, admiration and affection for Stan. I may know him as well, at least in a personal sense, as anyone in ufology. He is sincere in his beliefs, and a decent, honorable man, through and through. Plus he was a hoot to have around at family reunions when I was a kid!
Anyway, thanks again for the 'subscription', and all the best for the future. May 'Saucer Smear' and its Esteemed Supreme Commander live long and prosper!"
The only correction I would make is that Stan and my aunt Marilyn have been married for 30 years, not 25 (although, in my defense, I did say "25 or so").
Anyway, it's good to be on the non-subscriber list for Saucer Smear - as I said in my letter, may Moseley and his 'zine live long and prosper.
Paul Kimball
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