Biographies : Joe McGonagle

Joe McGonagle is in his mid-forties and lives in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

His interest in UFOs was sparked in the 1970's after reading a book by Eric Von Däniken, though he didn't become an active researcher until 1999 when he got access to the internet. Up until that point, Joe was a supporter of the Extra-Terrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) but became a sceptic when he discovered that much of Von Däniken’s work was flawed. This did not, however, diminish his interest in the topic. Joe is of the opinion that the area of UFOs has been neglected by academia and the authorities, and there are some puzzling aspects to the phenomena which merit serious attention.

In 1999, Joe set up an Internet email list for people interested in UK ufology. The list currently (Feb 2007) has in the order of 100 registered members, including some well-known authors, investigators, and researchers. Anyone can join the list and registration is free at:

ufologyinuk

Joe’s research has taken him to various UK locations, from North Yorkshire, to Suffolk, and Wiltshire. He usually spends a week or more each year carrying out research at The National Archives, and has also frequently visits other archives including local newspaper collections and the Jodrell Bank Archive. He also is a frequent attendee of UFO presentations, which he normally reviews for the mail-list.

Currently, Joe’s main areas of focus are:

• the history of British ufology.
• the role of the MoD in British ufology.
• promotion and establishment of standards within ufology, including training.

Position statement:

I regard myself as a true sceptic, i.e. drawing conclusions from the evidence presented to me. On that basis, the extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) is neither proven, nor disproved. Whilst I am reasonably certain (based on statistical likelihood) that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe, I am not convinced that it is (or has been) visiting our little planet, though I cannot exclude it as a possibility.

I have found that many accepted “facts” in ufology turn out not to be accurate at all, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to extract the true facts from the accepted mythology, even though it is sometimes frustrating.

Regarding the possibility that UFOs are related in some way to other paranormal phenomena, I am not convinced, and I see that line of investigation as a distraction. It may turn out that such a link does exist, but if so, that should become evident when either the UFO or other paranormal phenomena are resolved.

With respect to the possibility of Government/Military conspiracies related to UFOs I find myself becoming more convinced that the authorities are totally unconcerned about UFOs, and view them as a possible drain on resource which would be better applied elsewhere. The only cover-up that is apparent to me at the moment is that they are covering up their lack of knowledge of the phenomenon and their lack of will to seriously investigate it and assess it’s true potential threat to the security of the nation.

Joe can be reached on a premium-rate telephone number (to deter crank calls): 07092-008544
or via email at: joe@uk-ufo.org.

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