Chapter 8

    With respect to the time involved we know that a twenty-year period elapsed between Ezekiel's first and last encounters.  [p.132] 

    The resources available to the operation must have consisted of at least two spaceships, if we assume that in all four encounters Ezekiel always saw the same spaceship and that only one additional vehicle was present during the third encounter. Should this assumption be wrong, he saw five spaceships at most. In any case all spacecraft were clearly of the same type. In the area of equipment four different types are mentioned: those of the six men and the "writer's tool" during the third encounter, the long measuring reed and the line of flax which were carried by the man during the fourth encounter. In the area of apparel, there is mention of the bright metallic suits worn by the commander and the guide (fourth encounter) and also of the protective suit of one man during the third encounter.

    Finally, personnel deployment consists of the commander of the spaceship—and we do not really know whether he was the same commander on every occasion; the ground crew of six and the man in the protective suit; the unknown individual who took Ezekiel to the spaceship which had flown to the east gate at the end of the third encounter (probably the commander of the other spaceship); and finally the guide who led him through the temple complex during the fourth encounter. If we assume that the commander in all four encounters was the same, then we have a total of ten different ''men."

    This total assignment of resources is well explained and justified by the encounters. It is commensurate and in no way out of proportion. The most conspicuous element of that listing is the various "men" appearing as ground crew and commander. We will now study them in more detail.

    The seven men of the ground crew—consistent with their description—were assigned a local task, and were therefore stationed at that place. The nature of such a task becomes clearer if we consider these men as part of an overall organization. As we surmise that this organization was intended for exploratory purposes, that local group assumes the character of an observation post, with the task of collecting and forwarding information. The information accessible to them ranges from weather to religion; but it would be futile to conjecture what they were actually seeking. Another possible task will be discussed later in this book.

    Groups of such observers could be expected to be stationed at various important places, unless one accepts the idea that through some kind of rare coincidence Ezekiel just happened to see the only one in existence.

    The commander's task is distinctly different from that of the ground crew. That crew was posted at a certain place to perform a task which we have classified as one of exploration and data collection. The commander, on the other hand, had mobility and was not bound to any given site. As we know from the third encounter he was of a higher rank than the ground crew. In his contacts with Ezekiel he is never the one who seeks information but very clearly the one who has something to give, to impart. This last point shows the essential difference between him and the ground crew.

    The difference of apparel may be the expression of this fundamental difference in the nature of the respective tasks. As we saw, the commander wore a suit which protected him against excessive heat; the ground crew, on the other hand, was clad in the fashion of ordinary people of that time. Accordingly, the climate of that region was too hot for the commander, while it was bearable for the seven men. Since we suppose that both commander and crew came from the same original climate, the above statement seems to contain a contradiction.

    We commence the elimination of this contradiction with the commander. He protects himself against the heat and therefore apparently comes from a climate with temperatures considerably lower than those of the region we are discussing. The crew, as we already stated, must have had the same place of origin. Let us then assume, as an example, that they all originated from a climate comparable to that of northern Scandinavia, Alaska, or Siberia, and let us apply the following example to our own physical capabilities. A person coming from such regions to the desert can become adjusted to the environment if he stays there long enough. His body will adapt itself by food, way of life, and if necessary medications. But a brief exposure does not allow the body time for such adjustment and means a heavy burden for it especially if accompanied by strenuous activity. A light and comfortable suit providing the body with a controlled environment is a great help and relief in such a case.

    Accordingly, unlike the crew, the commander stays on the ground only for a short time and we can detect therein a facet of the organizational scheme involved: crews are stationed at various sites, their task consists of gathering data and transmitting it to the mothership. From that ship, which stays aloft, envoys of higher rank (whom we have called commanders because of their connection with the spaceships) come down to fulfill special assignments of short duration.

    As Ezekiel's experiences show, one of these assignments was to establish contact with men. In such cases—at least on the basis of what we could learn to date—man was not the source but the recipient of information. This fact is documented beyond any possible doubt at the beginning of the fourth encounter as reflected in the spoken admonition to pay attention. Alone this one passage would justify the conclusion that Ezekiel learned more than we would think at first. Furthermore, in Section 7 of this book we have discussed the possibility that the nontechnical parts of Ezekiel's book can be regarded as messages from the commander. Should this be correct, we would have ample material regarding conveyance of information to Ezekiel. But even without this contribution there are enough signs that this could have taken place.

    Summing up, we can therefore define the following three groups as the objectives of the program: exploration of the planet, observation and study of man, and intellectual influence on mankind.  [p.135]