THE DILEMMA OF OFFICIALDOM
As early as 1954, a high-ranking official of the Brazilian Air Force went on record attesting to the reality and seriousness of the UFO situation. ‘There has been a staggering increase in UFO sightings since the explosions of the atomic bombs,’ said Colonel Adil Oliveira, chief of the information service, Staff Headquarters. ‘The Brazilian Air Force has never been unmindful regarding this mystery.’
Yet what could the military, or the politicians, do about the situation in Itaperuna? Given the bizarre nature of the encounters and the rather sinister implications thereof, would it not be expedient to simply play down the situation, or ignore it altogether? ‘The widespread anxiety and alarm engendered by these events,’ wrote Gordon Creighton, ‘may provide food for thought for those who are so ready to criticize governments for censoring or suppressing UFO reports.