Dr. Bruce Maccabee Passes at 82

Dr. Bruce Maccabee was a retired physicist who spent his working life at the U.S. Naval Weapons Center. He is best known outside his work environment for his research into the nature of UFOs including an in-depth examination in the Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting that sparked the public interest in flying saucers and flying discs. He used his training to examine the McMinnville UFO pictures, the New Zealand film, the Meier contact claims and the Gulf Breeze photos and other sightings with a photographic component.

Dr. Bruce Maccabee. Photo by Randle

He worked with Dr. J. Allen Hynek, was active in the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) and was a leader in the Fund for UFO Research (FUF0R).

He was sought out for his expertise and provided a briefing paper for John Gibbons, President Bill Clinton’s science advisor. He participated in the Smithsonian UFO debate in 1980 and appeared on numerous radio and television programs.

I had the privilege of interviewing on my radio show/podcast. You can read a short synopsis of that interview and listen to it here:

http://kevinrandle.blogspot.com/search?q=Bruce+Maccabee

The link to the that interview is embedded in the article.

Like so many others, he requested UFO files from various governmental offices and organizations resulting in the release of many documents including what was once the FBI’s secret UFO file. He also examined the University of Colorado’s UFO investigation, conducted by Edward Condon and sponsored by the Air Force. He concluded that Condon was less than candid about the results of that investigation. Evidence obtained later, including correspondence between the committee and the Air Force proved that this scientific investigation was not very scientific and Condon himself had been less than candid.

He published more than a hundred papers, articles and monographs on the topic. He was well respected in the UFO community. He had just turned 82 when he died.