The following is a letter from Don Ware and Charles Flannigan concerning a recent article in the Pensacola News Journal dealing with the Ed Walters UFO photographs. The letter was sent to both the Pensacola News Journal and the Gulf Breeze Sentinel. --------------------------------------------------------------- October 30, 1990 Dear Editor, As the primary investigators of the famous Gulf Breeze UFO case now involving over 70 photographs, Charles Flannigan and I feel we must comment on the "road shot." This photo, #19, has received doubtful comment in newspapers and TV recently. One investigator said that the reflection on the road doesn't form a round spot, so the photo most be a double exposure. A careful look at the surface of Shoreline Drive, 191B where the UFO hovered, will help explain the reflection resulting from the large bright light source on the bottom of the UFO. Looking down on the surface, you can see that about 30% is mostly white with some tan rock. This rock has a hard smooth surface. It is embedded in comparatively soft dark asphalt, and the light colored rocks have become oriented with mostly flat surfaces up. Over time, some asphalt has worn away 1 to 2 millimeters below the hard rock surfaces. A series of photos taken with a 100,000 candlepower light shining at various angles on the road shows enhanced reflectivity at shallow angles. This seems to be the result of spectral reflection from the light colored rocks. Because the asphalt is worn down below the surface of the rock, only the rock is visible when looking farther down the road. This causes more photons to reach the camera than you would normally expect from light reflected at a small angle. Now the shape of the reflection from the UFO becomes easier to understand. For those who still have doubts about the authenticity of this photo, you might look carefully at two photos in a copy of THE GULF BREEZE SIGHTINGS. Turn to page 129 and look at the daylight photo of the road. Compare the brightness of the double-yellow line between the hood and windshield wiper with the brightness near the spot where the UFO hovered. Now look one page back at photo #19 and make the same comparison. (Good light is helpful here.) The double-yellow line appears brighter near the UFO. This tells us that light from the UFO is reflecting off the line; hence, NO DOUBLE EXPOSURE (emphasis theirs). We have had the good fortune of getting to know Ed and Frances Walters well since our extensive investigation of the many Gulf Breeze UFO encounters of 1987 and '88. They are two of the most considerate, hard-working, and lovable people we know. They have shown great courage and composure under public attack by several UFO debunkers. We wish them the best of luck in all of their endeavors, whether it is a $1-a- year job or the sale of a mind-broadening book. Charles D. Flannigan MUFON Field Investigator State Director Donald M. Ware MUFON Field Investigator Eastern Region Director