Messengers of Deception
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🎬 Book or film
Contents 4
| Type | Book, film or media |
|---|---|
| On the Timeline | 3 events, 1974–1989 |
Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults is a 1979 book by French-American researcher Jacques Vallée about the social effects of UFO beliefs. Rather than studying UFOs themselves, it examines contactee groups and UFO cults, and argues that the phenomenon — and some people exploiting it — may be manipulating human beliefs.[1][2]
Argument
Vallée treated UFOs as a real phenomenon but did not assume they were alien spacecraft. He argued that the intelligence behind the phenomenon seemed to deceive witnesses in ways that changed their beliefs, and he suggested a second layer of manipulation by human groups using UFO beliefs for their own purposes. He warned of the potential of UFO-based belief systems to become irrational and anti-scientific.[1][2]
Reception
The book has been described as a unique contribution to both ufology and sociology, though some readers felt its theories were not well supported. Its warnings gained new attention as UFO-based groups such as the Raëlians and Heaven's Gate, whose members died in a mass suicide in 1997, later became widely known. A reprint with a new foreword by Vallée appeared in 2008.[2][3]
On the UAP Timeline
- Vallée's doubts about Kit Green (1974) (16 June 1974) — Vallée wonders whether his UAP talks with Kit Green are a CIA cover story.
- Vallée's 1979 conclusions on government involvement (1979) — Vallée says he is convinced the government still monitors UAP groups and stages false sightings.
- Vallée on the disinformation campaign (1989) (17 September 1989) — Vallée writes there is a large disinformation campaign around UAP.
References
- "Messengers of Deception", Goodreads · goodreads.com · archived copy
- "Jacques Vallée's Messengers of Deception", Boing Boing (25 Jun 2008) · boingboing.net · archived copy
- "Messengers of Deception reprint", The Daily Grail · dailygrail.com · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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