Previously on "Project Blue Book"...
He's one of yours?
He's working with the Americans now.
I'm going to kill him for you, and then we'll be even.
You do make a pretty good team.
Yeah, he's not bad for Central Intelligence.
What's the Robertson Panel?
It seems Central Intelligence
will put the US Air Force on trial.
With a full investigation into Project Blue Book.
Ufology, the... the classification system?
Close encounter of the first kind,
visual sighting less than 500 feet away
showing angular extension and detail.
Second kind of encounter with a physical effect,
car dying, lights flickering.
Scale you're working on?
I think we have strong evidence here
for a close encounter of the third kind.
- Synced & corrected by MementMori - -- www.addic7ed.com --
And cut!
Cut it!
Allen?
What are you doing?
Just taking it all in.
It's amazing, isn't it?
What is that?
I hear it's something Steven's working on.
The reporter's here. Are you ready?
Uh-huh.
Thank you so much for agreeing to do the interview.
It's my pleasure.
So, Steven Spielberg calls you up out of the blue
and says, "I'd like my next movie
"to be based on your work,
"name it after your classification system,
and have you as my technical advisor."
Yeah, something like that.
Not bad for a college professor from Ohio State.
That... is exactly what my wife said.
You know, reading the script,
Richard Dreyfuss's character reminded me of someone.
Oh, you think so?
Family man, obsessed with alien life,
outwits military and government forces
in order to uncover the truth.
That doesn't sound like you?
Well, I suppose it does,
only Richard Dreyfuss never had to face the Robertson Panel
on his way up the mountain.
Ah, the Robertson Panel.
That was the CIA
convening an elite group of scientists
to study your work in '53, yes?
Yes, um, something like that.
There's more to the story.
There's a lot more.
Well, I'm sure our readers would love to hear about it.
- Dr. Hynek? - Yes?
What exactly happened
during the events of the Robertson Panel?
They wanna shut down Blue Book.
Officially, the CIA wants to be briefed on your casework
as it relates to national security.
And unofficially?
The agency is vying for control of the UFO program.
You set us up.
All this time you spent with us.
You've just been gathering intel, haven't you?
Look, I had no idea they were going to do this.
I found out when you did.
I came here to help.
If the CIA is in charge of this panel,
and they want control,
what are the odds of us even getting an impartial hearing?
That's the one piece of good news.
You'll actually be presented to a group of scientists.
They'll assess the validity of your work,
report back to the agency with their findings.
Those are the men you want to convince.
Dr. Menzel, Dr. Alvarez.
Oh, these are serious scientists.
And you should take them seriously.
They'll be looking for any reason to discredit your work.
Don't give them one.
We've been going through cases all night.
We have more than enough compelling evidence...
Compelling isn't good enough, Captain.
You'll need to present to them a slam dunk case
with hard evidence, a credible witness,
something that can't be denied.
This is a chance to tell the world your truth.
You may not get this opportunity again.
All right, now, I want you to watch.
All right. Very carefully.
And the first thing we're gonna do:
we're gonna... now watch me.
- Okay. - Okay.
It's there, and then we take this,
put it right there.
Sorta straightforward, right?
Yeah.
Just waiting for the magic, and...
Whoa.
- Where'd it go? - You don't have it?
I have no idea, but let me just see one thing.
Is it?
- What is... - How did...
That what... you better keep that.
Alan, I am so glad you're home.
Dr. Hynek.
David Dabrowski.
I am so, so glad to finally meet you.
Hello.
Could I ask you if you would possibly check your pocket
and see if you find anything there?
Maybe...
Ah.
Wow, Dad, how'd you do that?
Well, magic.
I'm gonna go put this one in my room.
Okay, sweetie.
David and I met at my group this evening.
Wait, who was this person?
David Dabrowski.
He, uh... he showed up at Mimi's UFO group,
or was led there, according to him.
Isn't that what he told you?
David was a bit of a celebrity in UFO circles,
and somehow, he tracked me down,
claiming to have information that only he could tell Allen.
You know, when they told me to come and find you,
they didn't give me your address,
and then I realized they must've wanted me
to meet your wife first.
David has something I think you might wanna see.
Hmm.
I'm sorry, but who exactly was it
told you to come and find me?
The beings that... that are posing in that picture.
And they told me to deliver a message to you.
Without my help,
you will never survive the Robertson Panel.
Daniel said we needed a slam dunk case.
- We don't have time for this. - No, no, no.
- He has a very compelling story. - That we would need to verify.
Which would be impossible right now.
You know I have already presented you
with photographic evidence.
Now if you would just, please, let me tell you my story,
I think you will find it worthwhile.
Okay, David,
tell us about how you first met these "beings."
All right, well,
the first, uh, contact was just a little bit over a year ago,
um, and it was on a stretch of land near my home.
You were alone at the time?
Yes.
No other witnesses?
No.
So you were out hiking...
Surveying would be more accurate.
I'm a... a volunteer assessor for the county.
I was doing my annual inspection
of the Etowah River.
It is the kind of work I have done alone for many, many years,
so even I did not believe what I was seeing at first either.
It was as if time and space just vanished,
and everything, the river, and the birds, and the air
went into this state of suspended reality,
except for me.
That's when I saw the craft.
Then came this amazing,
almost electric wind.
I thought, "grab your camera."
But when the doors opened, and I saw them,
this incredible sense of peace just filled me.
It filled my soul.
So that, when they invited me onboard, I had to go.
And what were these beings? What were they like?
They were warm, and they were intelligent,
and they were communicative.
Oh, they spoke English, did they?
No, they did not speak English.
They communicated with me telepathically.
It's extremely difficult to...
you know, I know you think that I'm crazy...
- No, no, no, no. - Yes, you do.
And let me tell you something, Captain,
there are things even you cannot explain,
like what you saw in the sky over D.C.
How do you know I was up there?
Have you tested the photograph?
Because when you do, and you find out it is not fake,
then maybe you will be able to take me seriously.
That'll take some time.
I know that you have been chosen
to tell the truth to that panel,
and I'm telling you
that I have been chosen to help you do that.
But if you don't accept my offer,
there is nothing I can do.
Thank you for your time.
You're welcome.
- You tell him about the panel? - No.
And he knew about D.C.
Where is he getting his information?
What time is it, kids?
"Howdy Doody!"
Jesus, you scared the piss outta me.
Most people knock, you know?
The hell you watching this for?
I need to see what you have.
Sure, no problem.
Nice to see you too, by the way.
You know, it'd help if you'd tell me
what you're looking for.
You know, in terms of their UFO project.
I mean, I'm kind of shooting in the dark here.
These photos are three years old.
What are you talking about?
The Americans gave you these
so that I wouldn't ask questions.
I know you're working for them. I've known for a while.
Are you serious right now?
You accuse me of being a double agent after everything we've been...
After everything we've been through is how I know.
Oh, for Christ's sake.
If I came here to kill you, you'd be dead already,
wouldn't you?
They were gonna fry me like the Rosenbergs
if I didn't cooperate, but you don't have to worry,
'cause I haven't given them anything on our program.
Noth... not a thing. I swear to God, I...
Shut up. I need your help.
Hey!
Daria is done with me.
- You with me? - I'm with you.
I'm trying to understand what's going on, okay?
All you need to know is that if I wanted to,
I could have told her about you switching sides, but I didn't.
I didn't.
So now I need you to return the favor.
What kind of favor?
Looks pretty authentic.
- Scale of one to ten? - Seven, sir.
What makes it a seven?
Well, the first thing I look at
is the naturalness of the boundaries
around the primary object.
Then I look to see if the shadows are consistent throughout.
How long would it take to complete a full analysis?
At least a couple weeks.
We have the panel in two days.
Is there some way to expedite the process?
If I could examine his camera,
that would help me a lot.
Any way you can get your hands on that?
Just tell him we need the camera,
get it quick, and go. Agreed?
Let's just see what he has to say first.
Big spread for one guy.
Nice car.
Guy doesn't have a front door,
and wants us to take off our shoes?
You found me.
Come on.
David, if you have the camera that you use,
it might help us validate your picture.
I've got it, but I could show you something
that would remove all doubt.
Trust me.
What are we lookin' at here?
This is where they like to land
whenever they come to visit.
And, uh, how often is that?
Almost every full moon.
- Uh-huh. - Captain.
I have never seen this before.
They must've come back.
- You didn't put this here? - No.
Come on, something this geometric,
and... and... and precise?
No, they must've left this here for you.
This is a message.
There we go. Three-pointed tetractys.
Yeah.
"An ancient Greek symbol
"representing meaningful archetypal relationships,
"and symbolizing the geometric and musical ratios
upon which the foundation of the universe is built."
Three lines. Three points.
- I know what this means. - You discovered a triangle?
They want the three of us to work together.
One partner's more than enough, thanks.
What do they, uh, want the three of us
to work together on?
Not sure.
But what if they could tell you themselves?
Mm-hmm, I'm gonna set that up for tonight.
This is a waste of time.
Let's just get the camera and go.
Doc, no, no. Come on, you're not seriously thinking
about going out there?
We have to prep for the panel!
And this is how we do it. Look, there's no guarantee
this camera is gonna authenticate that photo,
or that it's gonna be done in time for the panel.
Right, but we have plenty of other evidence.
Not on this scale,
and if the encounter's fake then so is the photo,
but if it is real, it's evidence
of a close encounter of the third kind.
But you don't really believe he's communicating with aliens?
I'm just looking for something, anything
to make sense of what we've seen from this guy.
Caught this at an Indian's game.
Great American pastime.
I used to go all the time with my dad.
He taught me to love it.
So tell me why you want me to call
my contact in St. Petersburg?
I need a child brought from there to the U.S.
Safely.
A child?
My daughter.
You have a daughter?
Can your contact get her here, yes or no?
He's chief of the militsiya,
so he can do whatever he wants,
but, um, it ain't gonna be free.
How much?
Five grand.
Tell him you'll wire it from your account.
Um, so, I do this for you, and you, what?
You just forget you know what you know and...
My loyalty to my country only goes so far.
I suppose you and I are the same in that way,
aren't we?
Call your contact.
How long are we gonna give this, Doc?
David, is there a timeframe
for when these beings will show up?
I wish it was that simple.
Hey, you know what? I have a good idea.
Why don't we pass the time by doing a little bit of magic?
- You got a coin? - Magic?
Come on.
All right.
Sure.
And...
This one I think, and present the hand.
Thank you very much. Now close.
And now, just think carefully
about what are you feeling right now, what do you...
what are you feeling?
Your hands are very warm.
The coin is actually disappearing, and boom!
Losing your touch?
What?
That disappeared...
God, I guess it doesn't always work.
It's getting kinda late.
I got 8:50. What time you got?
What, how'd you do that?
You just believe in magic, Captain.
You will never lose your ability to be surprised.
I'm gonna go get some more firewood.
- Guy's quite a character. - Yeah, he is.
Doc, what are we doing out here?
I mean really.
I know you don't think that aliens
are gonna come down from the sky tonight
and say hello to us.
Certainly is a nice night, though.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's beautiful out here.
I'm not ready to face that panel.
This is a good way to avoid it.
I mean, all our work, what we've seen...
If they don't validate that, then what?
You know, there's a lot on the line.
Out here...
... Is possibility, no matter how remote.
Well, look, we go there, do our best.
The chips fall where they may.
And if they shut us down?
Well, I don't like to live in that world. The world of "what if?"
- Hello, gentlemen. - David?
What's wrong with him?
David?
David isn't here right now.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Whoa, stop it!
David, are you okay?
I told you this isn't David.
Then who am I speaking with?
I'm here to answer all your questions.
David said you wanted the three of us to work together.
What are we meant to be working on?
Telling the world your truth, Dr. Hynek.
My truth?
What is my truth?
The one you can no longer deny.
All right, that's enough, pal.
Whoa.
Whoa, whoa, hey, hey.
You are in danger, Dr. Hynek,
and David is the only one who can save you.
He is the only one.
Well, if David...
David, David!
David!
He's waking up.
David?
How did I get here?
Oh, good, it's him again.
We brought you back.
You did?
Here, drink this.
So, uh, you don't remember what happened?
Oh, my God, I am so tired. I just need to rest.
You guys... you two should go.
- I want you to go. - Great.
We'll leave you to it, then. Doc?
Are you sure that you're gonna be okay?
I'll be... I'll be fine,
but I am not who you two need to be worried about.
Faye tells me you've been out of town.
Yes, we were following up on a lead
we thought might prove useful for the Robertson Panel.
Which turned out to be nothing, sir.
I see.
What do you plan to present to the panel?
- I would im... - Well, General, we, um,
pored over our case files and determined a select few
that we feel best represent our investigation
for the past couple years.
And the conclusion you've drawn?
- The conclusion, sir... - The conclusion would be
that the area of UFO investigation
continues to need further study
and, uh, resources to help it to do that.
This is a very important panel, Doctor,
not just for your department, but for the entire Air Force.
A lot is riding on your performance.
And I expect both of you to act with honor and integrity.
Yes, sir.
Who wrote this?
You're free to present any case that you like,
but it's important that you finish up with that.
"Therefore, based on our casework
"and my own rigorous scientific analysis,
"I've concluded that there is no evidence
"to support the notion that UFOs are,
"or possibly could be,
extraterrestrial in origin."
And you'd like me to present this as my, uh... as my opinion?
What other opinion would you have, Doctor?
Dr. Hynek?
Sorry, you were saying?
You were saying, actually,
that you'd been asked to read a report,
one you didn't agree with?
They wanted me to betray everything I believed,
to state conclusively that all UFOs
have an earthly explanation.
And that wasn't what you believed?
It didn't matter what I believed.
It mattered what the evidence showed.
Science is without prejudice.
It doesn't believe. It just is.
And from a scientific perspective,
there was one truth that I could not deny:
UFOs exist,
and some defy explanation.
So I was faced with a choice.
Tell the lie, save Blue Book,
or tell the truth, and face the consequences.
The end of my career, my reputation...
And what did you decide?
Sorry to do this.
Steven's setting up a shot, so we need to clear the area.
Oh, of course. Uh, can we finish this in your trailer?
Actually, um, I think I've...
I think I may have said too much already, you know?
So, um...
I hope you have what you need. Thank you.
But, Dr. Hynek, you haven't gotten to the panel yet.
It's still hard for him to talk about.
Why? What happened?
Something surprised him in the end, that just...
Were you there? Uh, what was it?
I was there, yes,
and sometimes, I still don't believe it.
Hey, Doc, why don't you come sit down?
You've been like this for two days.
The Mariana film is the best piece of film evidence we have.
They're not even paying attention to it.
Well, they have our analysis.
Hopefully, that'll help fill in the blanks.
Yeah. Without even looking at the film?
That's not what scientists are supposed to do.
I know.
Oh, oh, uh, excuse me!
Um, are you planning to study any individual frames?
Or even watch the film again?
We're done with it, actually.
We spent dozens of hours analyzing this film.
You've barely even looked at it!
They're F-94s.
Flight logs at the Air Force base nearby
confirmed they did a flyby that day.
Yes, hours after that was filmed.
You're... you're drawing a false conclusion,
and if you look at our supplemental reports,
you will see that we do point out the original film
was edited down by the Air Force
and the more enlightening evidence taken out.
Suggesting what?
Suggesting that somebody tampered with the evidence!
Do I have to spell it out for you?
Well, let's just give them a little more time here.
They have all these case files to go through.
Those? We've already gone through them.
That's our closed pile.
Closed?
Birds, weather balloons, astronomic anomalies.
We're getting to the end here, actually.
You gotta be kidding me.
I mean, this is over 50 case files right here,
with witness reports, photographic evidence.
Which we've reviewed.
No, you mean skimmed, at best!
Let's take a recess.
- What's happening? - I need to get some air.
- Is he okay? - I'll talk to him.
Hey!
You walking off the job now?
No, I'm not leaving. I'm waiting.
Waiting? Waiting for what?
You know, I realized something last night.
We have two options here, okay?
One, I read Valentine's statement.
The panel recognizes our incompetence as investigators.
Too many unsolved cases. They shut us down,
take over the program, or two,
I read my statement, tell our truth,
the generals bury us.
Unless a third option presents itself.
The hell you talking about?
Now, what's he doing here?
We call an expert witness, a fellow investigator,
someone whose seen our cases, knows our work,
who recognizes that the UFO phenomenon
demands further investigation,
and sees Blue Book as best equipped to do just that,
someone who can speak for us
when we can't speak for ourselves.
Third option.
- Daniel. - Professor.
Captain.
- They on a recess? - No, you're just in time.
Ah, better head in, then.
Uh, Daniel, uh, I just...
I really wanna thank you for doing this.
Don't thank me yet.
Come on.
Gentlemen, this is my report,
but since we're running out of time,
I figure I would give you the rundown in my own words.
As you know, I've worked closely
with Dr. Hynek and Captain Quinn
over the past few weeks,
so I've had a front-row view at the Air Force's attempt
to investigate and explain the UFO phenomenon.
Which is why I can assure you with all honesty, and candor,
the work these men are doing for the Air Force...
... is careless, biased, and full of discrepancies.
The sad truth is,
the US Air Force has completely mismanaged
its investigation into the UFO phenomenon,
and it's high time the CIA
- took that away fr... - What is this?! What are you saying?
- You son of a bitch. - How dare you!
You have no right to discredit...
Of course I do!
- They should be warned. - Warned?
Staging invasions, stealing classified material,
breaking onto bases, inciting mass panic.
I mean, you want me to keep going?
- No, I can get you to stop. - Oh, no, please just...
Please, please can we just settle for a moment?
- Calm down. - It's my recommendation
the Air Force immediately suspend all investigations
into UFOs for the sake of our national security.
Gentlemen, please, we have your file for review.
Let's take some time to look it over before we reconvene.
He was betrayed?
In front of his peers,
by someone he trusted,
but that's not the end of the story.
He turned it around.
How?
Magic.
I'm sorry. This was my fault.
I thought he was gonna save us, Mimi.
Doc, he played us both.
No, you never trusted him.
You're so skeptical with your work,
but you're never that way with people.
I suppose that makes me a fool.
No, it makes you a good man.
Excuse me a sec.
David, the hell are you doing here?
Well, it's awfully nice to see you too, Captain.
Daniel call you in, huh?
You gonna go in there and embarrass us some more?
Who's Daniel?
And, uh, no, I'm here for you.
We don't have time for this, all right?
- You need to leave. - Leave?
I am here to save you.
How did you get in here?
Oh.
That was pleasant. What is going on here?
- How are you? - Good.
- What is this? - It's a...
- Excuse me, Dr. Stenzler. - Yes, Captain?
There's just one more case we'd like to present.
I don't think that's a good idea.
Please. There's a lot on the line here,
and, uh, I think you're gonna wanna hear this
before you make your ruling.
Line drive, right field in there for a base hit.
Taken on hot, Morello throws to first base.
But Mays is there.
How about that?
He's with her.
What are you doing?
I guess I'm having what you call a change of heart,
and maybe it's not so smart to let you walk out that door.
Protect your identity at all costs, right?
Of all the times to remember what I taught you.
This business is tricky,
and truth is, I waver all the time.
But the one thing I'm clear on...
I don't wanna be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life,
wondering who might be coming to kill me.
I got plans, too.
I want kids of my own one day.
The American dream, right?
It's never too late, is it?
Hey.
Hey, hey!
Shit.
You see, what I was really doing in here earlier
was not watching "Howdy Doody."
I was finding your hiding spots.
Because I know you keep spares, and when your back was turned,
I switched these out and emptied your chamber.
I didn't teach you everything...
For a reason.
This will go down in the series called
"The Battle of the Home Run."
Look at that.
The great American pastime.
... Everybody that they possibly can use to help them out.
And the pitch. Fastball, play assist...
High fly ball deep to center.
That ball is going, going...
Thank you all for allowing me to speak.
I know you've reviewed a lot of our case work, photos,
but I think you'll better understand
the value of Blue Book by hearing from someone
who's been on the receiving end of our work. David?
This is Mr. David Dabrowski.
His case is the most recent one investigated by Blue Book.
Mr. Dabrowski, would you care to tell the panel
why you reached out to Dr. Hynek and myself?
I was directed to do so, in order to be here today.
And who exactly directed you?
The beings from the planet Vanusios,
which is two galaxies beyond ours.
And did Dr. Hynek and I investigate your case?
Oh, yes, and they appreciated it tremendously.
Although you were very skeptical,
which was disappointing.
Well, David, we were just doing our job.
They... they, um,
asked if I would, uh, deliver a message to the panel.
Go ahead.
Please don't be afraid.
Those ships that you see in the sky
and the beings you may come across...
they're not here to hurt you,
but to teach you.
Just stay open and believe.
Dr. Hynek and Captain Quinn did their job.
Nobody's listening to me now...
But they will...
someday.
Thank you.
Thank you, David.
Gentlemen, David is, in some ways,
a typical case for Project Blue Book.
There's a sighting, Dr. Hynek and I look into it.
Are we skeptical?
Yes, we are.
Perhaps sometimes to a fault,
but our job is to protect the public.
And the real truth of it is that without men like us,
men like David can cause a nationwide panic.
Blue Book has done its job.
We've closed cases.
We've calmed a public very eager to believe
in aliens from other worlds.
But without your support today, the message you will send
is that we were never a credible voice
in the science of ufology,
and that leaves thousands of cases
open for reinterpretation.
And, quite frankly, calls your own reputations into question.
We understand our role, gentlemen.
And if you understand yours,
together, we can continue to spread our message.
UFOs don't exist.
Thank you.
I was impressed.
Laid in on a little thick, eh?
You were wonderful.
I guess we wait and see now.
Well, truth is, whatever way it happens,
I think we did our job, Captain.
Hey!
What, you're not gonna say good-bye?
I'll give you this instead:
congratulations.
Looked like the tide was turning in there.
- That so? - You must be so pleased.
Well, you know what really makes me happy?
I was right about you all along.
New administration.
Vying for position. Just following orders.
Yeah.
I can understand that.
But you didn't just play against me,
you played against Dr. Hynek, and he's not one of us.
All the more reason to push him off the field.
Well, game's not over, Dan.
I think you may be right about that.
It sounds like Quinn really pulled a rabbit
out of his hat and saved Blue Book.
But that's not all he saved.
The night before the panel,
I wrote out a statement, my true feelings about UFOs,
that they do exist,
and after David's testimony I missed the chance
to declare these beliefs that ultimately became my legacy,
a legacy that lives on in the files of Blue Book
and now in this movie.
Whatever happened to David?
You know, I will always have
a special place in my heart for David.
I mean, he was a con man,
but he told us he'd save us from the Robertson Panel,
and that is exactly what he did.
- Hmm. - Professor?
They're just about ready for you.
Okay, thank you. We'll find our way back.
Shall we?
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Allen, look around.
None of this would be here if it weren't for you.
And I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.
Don't you wanna look at the UFO?
Nope, I've seen those before.
Show me something new.
Three, one, five, four, five, six, five, nine...
- Synced & corrected by MementMori - -- www.addic7ed.com --