be practically abreast of ours. This because they find it hard to
believe that any technically established race would come here, flaunt
its ability in mysterious ways over the years, but each time simply go
way without ever establishing contact."

There could be several answers to that. The Martians might not be able
to live in our atmosphere, except in their sealed space ships. They,
or some other planet race, could have observed us periodically to
check on our slow progress. Until we began to approach their level of
civilization, or in some way caused them concern, they would probably
see no reason for trying to make contact. But somehow I found a vague
comfort in the argument, full of holes though it was.

Searching further, I found other space-travel comments. On one page,
the Air Force admitted it was almost a certainty that space travelers
would be operating from planets outside the solar system. But on the
following page, I discovered this sentence: "Thus, although visits
from outer space are believed to be possible, they are thought to be
highly improbable."

What was the answer? Was this just a wandering discussion of
possibilities, badly put together, or was it a hint of the truth? it
could be the first step in preparing America for a revelation. It
could also be a carefully thought-out trick.

This whole report might be designed to conceal a secret weapon. If the
Air Force or the Navy did have a secret missile, what better way to
distract attention? The old sighting reports could have been seized on
as a buildup for space travel hints.