James Harder
Encyclopedia
James Albert Harder, Ph.D., (1926- 2006) was a professor of civil and hydraulic engineering at the University of California, Berkeley
. He was a professor emeritus there.
(APRO) from 1969-1982. APRO was one of the first civilian organizations to study the UFO phenomenon. When the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Astronautics held hearings on UFOs in 1968, he was one of six scientists asked to testify on UFOs before the committee. In a 1998 interview, Harder said the subject was generally treated with disdain by the scientific community, but he was still one of about 300 academics who were actively investigating the phenomenon.
Harder was the primary investigator on a number of classical UFO cases, mainly related to alien abductions, including the 1973 Pascagoula Abduction
and the 1975 Travis Walton case. He also took over the Betty and Barney Hill abduction investigation and continued it for many years. According to Harder, in about 95% of abduction cases he's studied, abductees report the encounter as positive, benevolent, and/or enlightening. He also investigated the claims of legendary CIA remote viewer
Pat Price (who allegedly died under suspicious circumstances in 1975). Based on his remote viewing, Price believed aliens had underground bases at four locations on Earth.
. He also firmly believeed that the subject has been covered up by the U.S. government, which he thought was extremely worried about what is happening.
One of his more controversial statements, based primarily on hypnotic regressions on alien abductees, is that there is a “Galactic Federation” of aliens similar to our United Nations
. There are perhaps as many as 57 alien species in this Federation (a number, he says, which frequently pops up in abductee recollections). Some have been visiting Earth
and studying humans for a very long time, and are generally benevolent, he believes (though not always). Many communicate through telepathy
, and, said Harder, can sometimes be channeled through subjects while they are hypnotized.
Harder had also applied his physical sciences and engineering background to the study of UFOs. In his Congressional testimony of 1968, Harder mentioned physical analysis of magnesium
fragments found in 1957 near Ubatuba, Brazil
, said to have come from an exploded flying saucer
. The magnesium was of very high purity. Harder conjectured that the lightweight metal, normally very brittle, might become exceptionally hard and strong if purified and made free from crystalline defects. If that were the case, it would be a very good metal for the construction of a flying device. Construction of such high-strength metals is now thought possible with insights gained from the emerging field of nanotechnology
.
Another theory advanced by Harder’s arose from a sighting of an oval UFO by a chemist named Wells Allen Webb near Phoenix. Webb was wearing Polaroid glasses and noticed three concentric dark rings around the object. Harder thought the observation might be explained by a very powerful magnetic field
surrounding the object causing polarized light from the sun to be rotated, or the Faraday effect
. Exactly how this magnetic field might explain the object's propulsion was unclear, but he thought it might be connected with gravitomagnetism
, an analog of electromagnetism
, predicted from general relativity
. Theoretically a gravity-like field can be generated by a moving mass
, but the effect is normally minuscule. Harder was again unsure how a practical gravitomagnetic force might be produced.
Primary fields of interest: Hydraulic systems analysis; surface water hydrology; analog simulation.
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He was a professor emeritus there.
UFO research
Dr. Harder was perhaps best known as a prominent UFO researcher who has studied the subject for over 50 years, first becoming interested in 1952. He was Director of Research for the Aerial Phenomena Research OrganizationAerial Phenomena Research Organization
The Aerial Phenomena Research Organization was a UFO research group started in 1952 by Jim and Coral Lorenzen.The group, which was based in Tucson, Arizona but had many state branches, remained active until 1988....
(APRO) from 1969-1982. APRO was one of the first civilian organizations to study the UFO phenomenon. When the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Astronautics held hearings on UFOs in 1968, he was one of six scientists asked to testify on UFOs before the committee. In a 1998 interview, Harder said the subject was generally treated with disdain by the scientific community, but he was still one of about 300 academics who were actively investigating the phenomenon.
Harder was the primary investigator on a number of classical UFO cases, mainly related to alien abductions, including the 1973 Pascagoula Abduction
Pascagoula Abduction
The Pascagoula Abduction occurred in 1973 when co-workers Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed that they were abducted by aliens while fishing near Pascagoula, Mississippi...
and the 1975 Travis Walton case. He also took over the Betty and Barney Hill abduction investigation and continued it for many years. According to Harder, in about 95% of abduction cases he's studied, abductees report the encounter as positive, benevolent, and/or enlightening. He also investigated the claims of legendary CIA remote viewer
Remote viewing
Remote viewing is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target using paranormal means, in particular, extra-sensory perception or "sensing with mind"...
Pat Price (who allegedly died under suspicious circumstances in 1975). Based on his remote viewing, Price believed aliens had underground bases at four locations on Earth.
Opinions and theories on UFOs and aliens
Harder had long been a strong advocate of extraterrestrial origins for UFOs, or the Extraterrestrial hypothesisExtraterrestrial hypothesis
The extraterrestrial hypothesis is the hypothesis that some unidentified flying objects are best explained as being extraterrestrial life or non-human aliens from other planets occupying physical spacecraft visiting Earth.-Etymology:...
. He also firmly believeed that the subject has been covered up by the U.S. government, which he thought was extremely worried about what is happening.
One of his more controversial statements, based primarily on hypnotic regressions on alien abductees, is that there is a “Galactic Federation” of aliens similar to our United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. There are perhaps as many as 57 alien species in this Federation (a number, he says, which frequently pops up in abductee recollections). Some have been visiting Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and studying humans for a very long time, and are generally benevolent, he believes (though not always). Many communicate through telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, and, said Harder, can sometimes be channeled through subjects while they are hypnotized.
Harder had also applied his physical sciences and engineering background to the study of UFOs. In his Congressional testimony of 1968, Harder mentioned physical analysis of magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
fragments found in 1957 near Ubatuba, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, said to have come from an exploded flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
. The magnesium was of very high purity. Harder conjectured that the lightweight metal, normally very brittle, might become exceptionally hard and strong if purified and made free from crystalline defects. If that were the case, it would be a very good metal for the construction of a flying device. Construction of such high-strength metals is now thought possible with insights gained from the emerging field of nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
.
Another theory advanced by Harder’s arose from a sighting of an oval UFO by a chemist named Wells Allen Webb near Phoenix. Webb was wearing Polaroid glasses and noticed three concentric dark rings around the object. Harder thought the observation might be explained by a very powerful magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
surrounding the object causing polarized light from the sun to be rotated, or the Faraday effect
Faraday effect
In physics, the Faraday effect or Faraday rotation is a Magneto-optical phenomenon, that is, an interaction between light and a magnetic field in a medium...
. Exactly how this magnetic field might explain the object's propulsion was unclear, but he thought it might be connected with gravitomagnetism
Gravitomagnetism
Gravitomagnetism , refers to a set of formal analogies between Maxwell's field equations and an approximation, valid under certain conditions, to the Einstein field equations for general relativity. The most common version of GEM is valid only far from isolated sources, and for slowly moving test...
, an analog of electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
, predicted from general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
. Theoretically a gravity-like field can be generated by a moving mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, but the effect is normally minuscule. Harder was again unsure how a practical gravitomagnetic force might be produced.
Education
- B.S., 1948, California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Institute of TechnologyThe California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
- M.S., Civil Engineering, 1952, UC Berkeley
- Ph.D., Fluid Mechanics, 1957, UC Berkeley
Career
- U.S. Navy, 1944-45 (electronics technician)
- Design Engineer, soil conservation service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1948–50
- UC Berkeley, Resident Engineer, 1952–57
- UC Berkeley, Assistant Professor, Hydraulic Engineering, 1957–62
- UC Berkeley, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, 1962–70
- UC Berkeley, Professor of Civil Engineering, 1970–91
- UC Berkeley, Professor Emeritus (1991)
Primary fields of interest: Hydraulic systems analysis; surface water hydrology; analog simulation.
Organizations
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(AAAS) - Fellow of the American Society of Civil EngineersAmerican Society of Civil EngineersThe American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
(ASCE) - Founding member, Society for Scientific Exploration website
See also
- Unidentified flying objects
- Alien abductions
- Aerial Phenomena Research OrganizationAerial Phenomena Research OrganizationThe Aerial Phenomena Research Organization was a UFO research group started in 1952 by Jim and Coral Lorenzen.The group, which was based in Tucson, Arizona but had many state branches, remained active until 1988....
(APRO) - Extraterrestrial hypothesisExtraterrestrial hypothesisThe extraterrestrial hypothesis is the hypothesis that some unidentified flying objects are best explained as being extraterrestrial life or non-human aliens from other planets occupying physical spacecraft visiting Earth.-Etymology:...
- UFO sightings in BrazilUFO sightings in Brazil- 1947 :* On July 23, 1947, topographer José Higgins was working with many laborers in Bauru, São Paulo. Suddenly, they heard an extremely sharp sound. Some moments later, a big object landed near them. Its diameter was about 45 meters, and it seemed made of metal, grey colored and landed on the...
External links
- Short biography and 1968 congressional statement
- 1968 House of Representatives Committee on Science and Astronautics, UFO panel, testimony and biography
- Interview with Harder on alien abductions
- 1998 UC Berkeley newspaper article, Harder’s controversial views of a “Galactic Federation” of aliens and alien channeling with humans
- Harder’s comments on a famous flying disc photo
- University of California Biography
- Dr. James A. Harder Biography in French