Researchers at a UFO convention, held seven years after the Roswell UFO Crash Incident, claimed that a group of aliens from Venus had arrived to learn about our understanding of them.
August 1954, UFO Convention On Mt. Palomar
One of the most notable UFO conventions occurred on Mount Palomar in the United States between August 7th and 8th, 1954. The event took place at an altitude of over 1,800 meters.
The convention was organized by three well-known "contactees": George Adamski, Truman Bethurum, and Daniel Fry. It attracted over a thousand attendees, including international journalists, FBI agents, UFO witnesses, and curious members of the public.
During the convention, each of the contactees shared their own experiences. Adamski claimed that Venusians were very similar to humans and had even infiltrated our society, living in large cities. He also presented a painting depicting a Venusian.
An Unusual Presence Of Strange Visitors
On the first day of the convention, there was a commotion when the audience noticed a group of three people, consisting of a beautiful woman and two men, one of whom wore glasses. The three were light-skinned, with the woman having blond hair, but her eyes were black and intense. She also had a distinctive cranial structure and a strange mark on her forehead.
Speaker Adamski had described their features earlier, and they matched the description of the type of aliens that he said came from Venus and were able to blend in with humans. Some people in the crowd whispered that these individuals must be "Venusians" in disguise.
One of the attendees asked the group: "Are you or are you not Venusians?" The woman replied with a smile, saying calmly: "No". The attendee then engaged in conversation with the woman:
― Why are you here?
– Because we are interested in the subject.
― Do you believe in flying saucers?
– Yes.
― Is it true what Mr. Adamski says, that they come from Venus?
– Yes, they come from Venus.
Her Name Was Dolores Barrios
Brazilian journalist João Martins, who was also present at the convention, interviewed the group as well. Upon further investigation, Martins discovered that the woman's name was Dolores Barrios, a fashion designer from New York, and her friends were Donald Morand and Bill Jackmart, both musicians living in Manhattan Beach, California, as they had stated when signing the guestbook.
Martins asked if he could take their photograph, but they refused. They seemed annoyed at being referred to as Venusians. According to Martins, Dolores Barrios closely resembled the painting that Adamski had shown earlier.
The following day, at the end of the meeting, Martins quickly took photos of Dolores and her two friends using a flash, surprising them. They then fled into the forest. Soon after, a flying saucer took off, but the witness was unable to photograph it.
No one ever came forward to claim knowledge or recognition of the mysterious individuals in the photos.
But what are the facts of this case? Let's examine the original article, the key players in this significant UFO incident, and the time period in which it occurred.
The Background Of The UFO Convention In Palomar
The events described here took place in the summer of 1954, specifically between August 7 and August 8.
The Palomar Observatory in San Diego, California hosted the first known UFO convention, attended by prominent physicists, astronomers, FBI agents, journalists, contactees, witnesses, and curious individuals. As mentioned before, the main event was the panel discussions featuring the three contactees, George Adamski, Daniel Fry, and Truman Bethurum, discussing their encounters with aliens.
George Adamski's Presentation
George Adamski, a Polish-born American citizen who claimed to have interacted with and photographed extraterrestrial aliens, said he met friendly Nordic-like aliens he referred to as "Space Brothers."
Adamski claimed that these "Space Brothers" were from Venus and had landed their flying saucer in the Colorado desert on November 20, 1952. He also said that he had the opportunity to fly in their craft during his alleged contact with the Venusians.
Adamski claimed that the Venusians conveyed to him a message of concern about the future of humanity on Earth, warning that the use of nuclear weapons and wars could endanger life on the planet.
During his presentation, Adamski described the intentions and physical appearance of the Venusians, stating that they were similar to humans with some minor differences.
Adamski said that the Venusians' appearance was almost indistinguishable from humans and that they could live among us unnoticed. To illustrate this, he presented a painting of a Venusian he referred to as Orthon.
The image startled the audience. The presence of the strange trio, Dolores Barrios and her friends Donald Morand and Bill Jackmart, made this event unique and historic, especially because they resembled the Venusians described by Adamski just a few hours earlier.
It Was Published In The Magazine "O Cruzeiro"
"O Cruzeiro" was the largest magazine in circulation in South America at the time. Its reporter, João Martins, wrote about the incident in three editions of the magazine in October 1954. He was the only journalist who covered the event and made it known to the public.
On the other hand, Adamski disliked rumors and believed that the trio were attempting to discredit him by posing as Venusians.
Criticisms Behind George Adamski's Claims
During the 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, there was a pervasive fear of a nuclear war and the possibility of World War III. In addition, the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still" premiered in theaters in 1951, featuring a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to deliver a message about the need for peace or the planet will be destroyed. This message was similar to the one allegedly delivered by the Venusian Orthon to Adamski. Therefore, it is possible that Adamski's claims were simply a fantasy.
However, throughout the 1950s and 60s, Adamski presented several photos of flying saucers, some of which were later proven to be hoaxes. One particularly memorable photo may have involved a surgical lamp, with the landing struts being light bulbs. In other photos, Adamski used a streetlight or the top of a chicken brooder.
George Adamski once claimed that he received an invitation for a private audience with Pope John XXIII and was awarded a "Golden Medal of Honor" by His "Holiness." However, tourists in Rome could purchase the same medal with a cheap plastic box.
Controversies Behind João Martins And The Media
On May 7, 1952, reporter João Martins and photographer Ed Keffel were at Quebra-Mar on the west side of Rio de Janeiro covering couples seeking a secluded beach spot for a date.
After waiting for hours to interview or photograph romantic couples, they claim to have seen a blue-gray circular flying object appear before them.
The UFO performed maneuvers in the sky for about a minute, and Ed Keffel took five photographs. They rushed to the laboratory to have the photos developed in time for publication in the sensational tabloid "Diário da Noite." The photos were featured on the front page of the newspaper the next morning.
The following morning, several military personnel came to examine the photos, including Colonel Jack Werley Hughes, who believed the images were authentic based on his experience at the US Embassy.
Eight days later, the magazine "O Cruzeiro" from the same group published an extra eight pages with photos from what is now known as the Barra da Tijuca UFO Incident.
However, years later, other members of the magazine's staff came forward to confirm that it was likely a joke played within the office.
A crowd demanded the release of the "news" upon Ed Keffel and Martins' arrival in the newsroom. The situation became chaotic. They admitted to creating the photograph by using double exposure to capture an object in a studio.
Leao Gondim de Oliveira, the director of the magazine, asked for a thorough analysis of the negatives by Carlos de Melo Éboli, a criminal expert at the Institute of Criminalistics of Guanabara.
The investigation found that the shadows of objects in the scene were inconsistent. In the fourth photo, the shadow of the environment appears to be moving from right to left, while the shadow of the flying saucer appears to be moving from left to right.
The opinion of the Institute of Criminalistics of Guanabara was not made public, and the director also declined an offer from Kodak in Rochester, United States to analyze the authenticity of the negatives. This may have been because the magazine's sales for issues featuring "Flying Saucers" were high.
Years later, the Palomar event was covered in three issues, totaling 19 pages, of "O Cruzeiro." João Martins and Ed Keffel wrote a large number of articles about UFOs for the magazine.
Who Was Dolores Barrios?
Some researchers believe that Dolores Barrios was a real person, but she was not a Venusian. Rather, she was a regular person who lived a normal life, married, raised a large family, and passed away in 2008. However, some conspiracy theorists claim that she was a Cold War spy.
Another group of UFO researchers continues to entertain the possibility that Dolores Barrios could have been an alien in disguise. According to this group, the name "Dolores Barrios" belonged to a deceased woman, and it was common practice for the mob and Cold War spies to adopt new identities at the time.
The truth about Dolores Barrios and the Palomar UFO Convention may be locked away in a family's personal records, preserved to honor their loved ones. We have presented the available evidence, and it is up to you to come to your own conclusions. What do you think?
