Our 2008 keynote speaker is Richard Dolan, author of a 500-page study entitled UFOs and the National Security State, the first volume of a two-part historical narrative of the national security dimensions of the UFO phenomenon from 1941 to the present. Included are the records of more than fifty military bases relating to violations of sensitive airspace by unknown objects, demonstrating that the U.S. military has taken the topic of UFOs seriously.

Dolan holds master’s degree in history from the University of Rochester and a bachelor’s degree in history from Alfred University. He earned a Certificate in Political Theory from Oxford University and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. Prior to his interest in anomalous phenomena, Dolan studied U.S. Cold War strategy, Soviet history and international diplomacy. Our speaker has appeared on numerous television documentaries for the History Channel, Sci Fi Channel, as well as BBC and European networks. He appears regularly on radio stations throughout the U.S., including “Coast to Coast,” and has been a featured speaker at conferences internationally. In 2006, he hosted a six-episode series, “Sci Fi Investigates,” produced by NBC for the Sci Fi Channel.

Joining Mr. Dolan at our Speaker's Forum is Robert Nichol, a producer and filmmaker with Genesis Communications based in British Columbia, Canada. Nichol is an award-winning director, producer and filmmaker with 25 productions to his credit. His motivation is to encourage the development of a new spiritual consciousness while seeking to bring about a new awareness for humanity’s purpose. Mr. Nichol will also host our Saturday morning screening of his documentary Star Dreams about the mystery of crop circles, followed by questions from the audience. The film deals with the many possibilities of how these beautiful crop circles are created (more than 11,000 have been reported all over the world since 1980) and what they might signify, with commentary by top-rated ufology experts. Go to www.stardreams-cropcircles.com for additional information on the documentary and the filmmaker.