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Review of Harbinson's Genesis






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                                   June 14, 1991

                                   GENESIS2.ASC
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       The following book  review  was  taken from FSR Vol 26 #4 (1980) and
       the response by the author of the  book  "GENESIS" is taken from FSR
       Vol 27 # 1. I believe that the "novel" Genesis is a  must  read item
       for anyone interested  in the field of ufology. I personally fail to
       understand why the normally respectable  Ms.  Randles  "beats up" on
       what is clearly labelled as a novel.

                     REVIEW OF A NEW NOVEL THAT CONJURES UP A
                          NIGHTMARISH PICTURE OF UFOLOGY

          Normally, Flying  Saucer  Review  would not concern  itself  with
          books of  the  fictional  kind,  for  that is what Genesis, a new
          Corgi paperback by W. A. Harbinson  (published  October 1950, 612
          pages) turns out to be.  The  theme,  however,  is  UFO'S,  so
          it  merited  a mention.

             For me it proved to be a horrifying book. Not  only horrifying
          because its content is a kind of souped-up horror story conceived
          around the UFO mystery, but also because of the dreadful image it
          conjures up  both  of  the subject and the people involved in it.
          Again there must be UFO enthusiasts  who,  weaned on the cover-up
          idea that  so obsesses the author, will find sinister  undertones
          in what Corgi Books label " " . . .the epic novel of the world's
          most fearsome secret".

             Novels based on ufology are rare: the theme of the very

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          reasonable Miracle  Visitors  by  Ian  Watson (Panther Books) was
          written around the Vallee/Jung school of thinking.
          This new offering, however, seems to be culled from the hard-line
          ufology of Kehoe, Stringfield  and  Co.  There was  scope  for  a
          literary  exploration  of the cover-up mythology.   Genesis tries
          to do  that,   but  its idea isn't entirely original, for our own
          Gordon Creighton touched on it - albeit in a light-hearted manner
          - in his article " "Those cunning British: the truth at last. , ,

             The complex plot introduces  elements from all over the world,
           but  is centered on  Britain -  an  abduction   in  Cornwall and
           regression hypnosis  by  a London doctor - and the plot revolves
           around the activities of two full-time  American ufologists-cum-
           scientists, whose  role  is  never quite explained.   Apparently
           they do  not work for the government, yet they stroll in and out
           of military bases with a freedom  that  is ridiculous to say the
           least. Nor  is  it explained who pays these redoubtable  workers
           during the course of the action between 1974 and 1975.

             One of  them  is  an  older  man with an incurable disease the
           other is a Whizz-kid who either  spends  a  globe  trotting life
           following up UFO incidents, or wallows in strong drink in drugs.
           This younger  one  is hell-bent on breaking the  great  cover-up
           mystery before  his buddy dies, and one is forced to assume that
           his methodology is standard both for him and other assoeiates of
           his: in one scene he heats the truth out of one participant who,
           soon afterwards,  dies  of.  a  heart  attack.   Other   methods
           involve getting  his   witnesses  drunk,  in drugged,  and  then
           hurling four  letter  words  at  them he even resorts to rape to
           elicit the truth from one unfortunate.

              In parts  of  the text Mr. Harbinson  actually   intermingles
           real events and characters with fictional ones  even the late Ed
           Ruppelt of  Project  Blue  Book fame, and poor James E. McDonaId
           who, unhappily, can no longer  speak  up  for  themselves. Other
           characters are    paraded   who   seem   to   parallel    living
           investigators, and FSR also gets a mention, but fortunately only
           in the  authors  notes,  where it is recommended as " "mandatory
           reading, , - but with a " "selective eye".

              Basically the author presents  a  theory  (based  on  obscure
           documents  said  to  have  been  discovered  in   West  Germany)
           that everything   which  we  link  with  UFOS  -  19th   Century
           airships,  the   Tunguska   explosion,    Foo   Fighters,  ghost
           rockets and  the  Bermuda  Triangle - are the  work  of.  a  mad
           genius, at   one   time  associated  with  the  Nazis,  who  has
           discovered - and applied - secrets  of  longevity,  and when has
           found a hide-out in Antarctica.  Naturally this  person  is bent
           on world  domination,  but I'll leave the rest of. the story for
           anyone who may wish to read it.

              For myself., all I can do is shudder at the false picture of
           UFO investigators and researchers  that  will be created by this
           monster novel. The horrifying aspect is that  many  may  read it
           who could  well   have   their   own   UFO experience at a later
           date, and keep their peace when  they recall the behavior of the
           fictional investigators. My only hope is that many  readers will
           not be  taken  in  by  the fanciful and artificial nature of the
           book, which as far as the painstaking researchers and careful

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           documenters of  ufology  are  concerned,  belongs  to  the murky
           waters at the bottom of another barrel.

       HARBINSON RESPONDS:

                  GENESIS: Miss Randles please note
                  ---------------------------------

            Sir. - Any book published is going to receive both positive and
            negative reviews, and while all authors worth their salt should
            enjoy the former and keep quiet  about  the  latter,  no author
            should take  lying  down  the sort of distortions  purveyed  by
            Jenny Randles in her review of my novel Genesis in the November
            issue of  FSR.  The  following  corrections are therefore to be
            noted.

              It is suggested that the author  never  explains  who his two
            leading characters are working for. In fact, in the very first
            chapter (page 16), it is made clear that they  are  working
            for a  civilian  organization   called  the  Aerial   Phenomena
            Investigations Institute.   based  in Washington, D.C. The work
            of that  institute, obviously  based  on NICAP, is discussed by
            both characters in the same chapter. I apologize for not
            discusing  their  income  (another complaint by  Jenny),  but I
            can't imagine many readers being interested.

                lt  is   also   claimed  that  my  two scientists,  who  do
            not  work  for  the government,  stroll  in  and  out  of
            military bases with a freedom  that  is  ridiculous  no say the
            least.,, To say the least. my scientists pay calls on only two
            such  establishments  throughout  the course of  the novel: one
            to Winslow Air Base, Arizona, and the other to NASA.

                Regarding the former, Winslow is not a secret
            establishment and  it  would be perfectly easy for a journalist
            or scientist to obtain the sort  of  pass used by my character:
            regarding the latter.  Rather than have my characters  ""stroll
            in and  out   . . .   with   a  freedom  that  is ridiculous,,.
            I clearly show them being refused entry to NASA.

                Jenny describes the younger of my two scientists as someone
            who ,"wallows in strong drink or drugs.,,  In fact,  that
            particular character, Stanford, has two major confrontations in
            the book - one with an alcoholic  and  one with a drug addict -
            but during  neither scene does Stanford either  ""wallow,,   in
            drink or take drugs; and nowhere in the 612 pages of Genesis is
            it even remotely suggested that he has ever indulged  in  such
            delicious vices.

               According to  Jenny, the reader is " " forced  to  assume. ,
            that young   Stanford's   admittedly    violent    methods   of
            interrogation (on  only  two  occasions.  I   might   add)   is
            ""standard for both him and other associates of his.,, In fact,
            Stanford's only  other  associate is clearly shown to be a kind
            and gentle old man who treats everyone  with  unfailing
            decency. As for Stanford, contrary to the monster  suggested
            by the unduly sensitive Ms Randles, he is drawn as an obviously
            intelligent,  amiable  but uncommitted  young  man  whose  two
            outbursts of violence in the latter half of the book  arc

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            borne  of  increasing frustration, fear and desperation - a not
            abnormal reaction  under  the  circumstances  described  in the
            novel.

              Jenny suggests that one of  the  characters  died  of a heart
            attack because of a beating received by Stanford. This is
            simply  not  true.  The  character  in question   is   actually
            murdered by someone else.

              Jenny claims that Stanford ""resorts to rape  to  elicit  the
            truth  from  one unfortunate. ,, This, also, is untrue. The
            girl is  obviously  willing  and Stanford uses no force; it's a
            mutual seduction by two people who hardly know what they're
            doing.

              Finally,  Jenny  seems  particularly  offended  than I should
            recommend FSR  as "mandatory reading"   but with  a  "selective
            eye" .,  To  that  l  can only reply that no higher praise than
            ""mandatory reading" can be  applied  to  any  publication; and
            that judging by your own admirably democratic and therefore
            argumentative  letter    columns,   a  ,"selective   eye",   is
            frequently utilized by your most faithful readers.

              Any reviewer  is  entitled  to  dislike  a  book; no reviewer
            should be allowed to distort the contents of that book.

              Otherwise. l thank you for  the  review  -  and  I  shall, of
            course, continue to read FSR.

            Yours in hopes of democratic treatment.

            W. A. Harbinson,
            44 Rosebery Road,
            Muswell Hill.
            London N10 2LJ
            March 31 , 1951

          PS:  The  novel  doesn't  conjure  up a nightmarish   picture  of
               Ufology  it conjures up a nightmarish picture of the
               possible abuse of current technology: the Ufologists are not
               accused; the scientists are . . . So!

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       Vangard note...

            We highly  recommend the book Genesis.  It contains much detail
            on many of the secret weapons which the Germans were alleged to
            have been working on toward the end of WWII.

            Peter Kelly first told us of  the  book  which was reprinted in
            the 80's.   Copies  of  the  book  are very difficult  to  find
            although some of our contacts did locate several editions.

            We recently acquired a copy of Intercept UFO by Renato Vesco
            on which  the  Genesis  book is heavily based.  This book gives
            even more  detail  on the German  devices.   These  range  from
            cannon powered by electromagnetic fields (developed in 1943) to
            cannon powered by vortex rings of highly compressed  air.   Not
            to mention the suction aircraft technology as developed by

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            Victor Schauberger, Henri Coanda and other German scientists.

            Interestingly enough,  we  stumbled on an article on the Coanda
            Effect in an old Popular Mechanics which will also be listed on
            the board.

            To date, there is STILL NO CONCLUSIVE  PROOF  just  what  UFO's
            are, how they actually fly, who or what pilots  them  and  what
            country or  planet  they are from.  Not to mention what do they
            want or what purpose they serve.

            Harbinson offers a fascinating  scenario based on documents and
            extrapolation from many sources.  The Airship  mystery  of 1890
            is one  which  we  find  of particular interest since it was at
            that time that Keely demonstrated  his flying machine to the US
            ARMY.  The machine disappeared at about the  same  time  as the
            many mysterious  sightings  across  the  United  States  in the
            1890's.  Files  to this effect  are  included  on  KeelyNet  as
            AIRSHIP1 through 3....

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         as  this  paper covers,  please  upload to KeelyNet or send to the
           Vangard  Sciences  address  as  listed  on the  first  page.
              Thank you for your consideration, interest and support.

           Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
                             Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet

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