Philip J. Klass

This article is about the UFO researcher. For the science fiction author, see William Tenn.
Philip Julian Klass
Klass in 1977
Born(1919-11-08)November 8, 1919
Des Moines, Iowa
DiedAugust 9, 2005(2005-08-09) (aged 85)
Cocoa, Florida
Alma materIowa State College (B.S.E.E., 1941)
Occupation(s)Aviation/Aerospace journalist
Electrical Engineer
Ufologist
Organization(s)Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
American Association for the Advancement of Science,
Aviation/Space Writers Association,
National Press Club,
National Aviation Club,
CSICOP

Philip Julian Klass (November 8, 1919 – August 9, 2005) was an American aviation/aerospace journalist[1] and UFO researcher, best known for his skepticism regarding UFOs. In the ufological and skeptical communities, Klass inspires polarized appraisals. He has been called the "Sherlock Holmes of UFOlogy".[2][3] Klass demonstrated "the crusader's zeal for what seems 'right,' regardless of whether it brings popular acclaim," a trait he claimed his father instilled in him.[4] "I've found," said Klass, "that roughly 97, 98 percent of the people who report seeing UFOs are fundamentally intelligent, honest people who have seen something—usually at night, in darkness—that is unfamiliar, that they cannot explain." The rest, he said, were frauds.[5]

Longtime ufologist James W. Moseley illustrated the ambivalence many UFO researchers feel about Klass. On the one hand, Moseley argued that Klass was sincere in his motives and that his work ultimately benefited the field of Ufology. In his memoirs, Moseley contended that, when pressed, most leading ufologists would admit that Klass knew the subject and the people involved and was welcomed, or at least pleasantly tolerated, at UFO meetings.[6] However, Moseley also wrote that he and Klass "have had and continue to have intense doctrinal and factual disagreements, and there are things about Phil's 'style', like his attack on James E. McDonald, that I do not admire or agree with."[6] In his 1999 interview of Klass, fellow debunker Gary P. Posner wrote that despite some recent health problems, the 80-year-old "Klass's mind—and pen—remain razor sharp, to the delight of his grateful followers and to the constant vexation (or worse) of his legions of detractors."[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Posner, Gary P. (1999), "Extraterrestrials may be out there: But he says they're not here", Skeptic, 7 (4), The Skeptics Society, ISSN 1063-9330, archived from the original on 2023-10-27, retrieved 2013-06-08{{citation}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). from the original on October 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Martin, Douglas (August 12, 2005). "Philip Klass, 85, Debunker of Claims of Flying Saucers, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Longden, Tom. "Famous Iowans: Philip Klass". DesMoinesRegister.com. Gannett. Archived from the original on 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  5. ^ Miller, Stephen (August 12, 2005). "Philip Klass, 85, Journalist, Debunked UFO Reports". The New York Sun. TWO SL LLC. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Moseley, James W.; Pflock, Karl T. (2002). Shockingly Close to the Truth: Confessions of a Grave-Robbing Ufologist. Amherst, NY: Prometheus. p. 230. ISBN 978-1573929912. OCLC 48942361.