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r this planet。 These things； these other intelligences or OINTs as Ivan Sanderson labeled them； either reside here but somehow remain concealed from us； or they do not exist at all and are actually special aberrations of the human mind…tulpas； hallucinations； psychological constructs； momentary materializations of energy from that dimension beyond the reach of our senses and even beyond the reaches of our scientific instruments。 They are not from outer space。 There is no need for them to be。 They have always been here。 Perhaps they were here long before we started bashing each other over the head with clubs。 If so； they will undoubtedly still be here long after we have incinerated our cities； polluted all the waters； and rendered the very atmosphere unbreathable。 Of course； their lives…if they have lives in the usual sense…will be much duller after we have gone。 But if they wait around long enough another form of so…called intelligent life will crawl out from under a rock and they can begin their games again。
IV。
Back in the 1920s； Charles Fort； the first writer to explore inexplicable events； observed you can measure a circle by beginning anywhere。 Paranormal phenomena are so widespread； so diversified； and so sporadic yet so persistent that separating and studying any single element is not only a waste of time but also will automatically lead to the development of belief。 Once you have established a belief； the phenomenon adjusts its manifestations to support that belief and thereby escalate it。 If you believe in the devil he will surely e striding down your road one rainy night and ask to use your phone。 If you believe that flying saucers are astronauts from another planet they will begin landing and collecting rocks from your garden。
Many…most…of the manifestations acpanying the UFO phenomenon simply did not fit into the enthusiasts3 concept of how a superior intelligence from another galaxy would behave。 So the flying saucer clubs carefully ignored； even suppressed； the details of those manifestations for many years。 When a black…suited man in a Cadillac turned up； he couldn't possibly be one of the endearing space people so he had to be a rotten； sneaky government agent。 It was inconceivable to the hardcore UFO believers that the flying saucers would be a permanent part of our environment and that these men in black were residents of this planet associated with the UFOs。
But this is a fact； the 〃truth〃 the UFO fans have sought for so long。 And as Daniel Webster put it； 〃There is nothing so powerful as truth； and often nothing so strange。〃
You can't learn the truth by chasing UFOs helter…skelter through the skies in planes。 The air forces of several governments tried that for years。 It is vain to hire astronomers。 They are not trained in the kind of disciplines needed to investigate earthly phenomena； or even to interview earthly witnesses。 Interviewing is an advanced art； the province of journalists and psychologists。 One does not hire a parachutist to go spelunking in a cave or a balloonist to go diving for treasure。 If you need a brain surgeon you don't hire a horticulturist who has spent his life trimming plants。 Yet this is the approach our government has taken to the UFO phenomenon。
I realized the folly of trying to measure the circle from some distant point； so I picked a microcosm on the edge of the circle…a place where many strange manifestations were occurring simultaneously。 And I hit the jackpot immediately； rather like the opening of an old Max Schulman novel： 〃Bang！ Bang！ Bang！ Bang！ Four shots ripped into my groin and I was off on the greatest adventure of my life。〃
2 … The Creep Who Came in from the Cold
I。
Friday； December 22； 1967； was bitter cold and the frayed Christmas decorations strung across the main street of the little West Virginia town of Point Pleasant seemed to hang limply； sadly； as if to match the grim； ashen faces of the townspeople who shuffled about their business； their eyes averted from the gaping hole where the Silver Bridge had stood only a week before。 Now the seven…hundred…foot span was gone。 Clusters of workmen； police officers； and assorted officials stood along the banks of the Ohio； watching silently as divers continued to bob into the black waters。 Occasionally ropes would jerk and a bloated； whitened body would be hauled to the surface。 It was not going to be a merry Christmas in Point Pleasant。
A few yards from the place where the bridge had been； Mrs。 Mary Hyre sat in her office revising a list of the missing and the known dead。 A stout woman in her early fifties； her normally cheerful； alert face was blurred with fatigue。 She had had almost no sleep in the past seven days。 After twenty years as the local stringer for the Messenger； recording all the births； marriages； and deaths in the little town； Mrs。 Hyre suddenly found herself at the center of the universe。 Camera teams from as far away as New York were perched outside her door。 The swarms of newsmen who had descended on Point Pleasant to record the tragedy had quickly learned what everyone in the Ohio valley already knew。 If you wanted to find out anything about the area and its people； the quickest way to do it was to 〃ask Mary Hyre。〃
For seven days now her office had been filled with strangers； relatives of the missing； and weary rescue workers。 So she hardly looked up that afternoon when two men entered。 They seemed almost like twins； she recalled later。 Both were short and wore black overcoats。 Their plexions were dark； somewhat Oriental； she thought。
〃We hear there's been a lot of flying saucer activity around here；〃 one of them remarked。 She was taken aback。 The bridge disaster had dominated everyone's thoughts for the last week。 Flying saucers were the furthest thing from her mind at that moment。
〃We have had quite a few sightings here；〃 she responded； turning hi her chair to pull open a filing cabinet。 She hauled out a bulging folder filled with clippings of sighting reports and handed it to one of the men。
He flipped it open； gave the pile of clippings a cursory glance； and handed it back。
〃Has anyone told you not to publish these reports？〃
She shook her head as she shoved the folder back into the drawer。
〃What would you do if someone did order you to stop writing about flying saucers？〃
〃I'd tell them to go to hell；〃 she smiled wanly。
The two men glanced at each other。。 She went back to her lists and when she looked up again they were gone。
II。
Later that same afternoon another stranger walked into Mrs。 Hyre's office。 He was slightly built； about five feet seven inches tall； with black； piercing eyes and unruly black hair； as if he had had a brush cut and it was just growing back in。 His plexion was even darker than that of the two previous visitors and he looked like a Korean or Oriental of some kind。 His hands were especially unusual； she thought； with unduly long； tapering fingers。 He wore a cheap…looking； ill…fitting black suit； slightly out of fashion； and his tie