The most important moment in the event was its closing, that culminated in the issuing of the “Letter from Brasília”, a document signed by almost all of the attending researches, representing their nations and research entities. The Letter is a petition of great span, whose purpose was to express the researchers’ official position and their request to the Brazilian Government that necessary and important measures for public explanation for the UFO phenomenon be taken.

     Written out by CBU, under the coordination of UFO Magazine’s editor and with the help from Roberto Pinotti, from Italy, and Eustáquio Patounas, from Santa Catarina (Brazil), the Letter was handed to three persons of authority. Senator José Roberto Arruda, then the Government’s head of office at the National Congress, was given two copies and promised to deliver them to president Fernando Henrique Cardoso immediately, and to the president of the Congress. Mr. Arruda was positive when he claimed that Ufology should be taken most seriously.

     Two more copies of the “Letter from Brasília” were sent to colonel Zilmar Antunes, commander of the 6th Local Aerial Command (Comar), and colonel Weber Luiz Kümmel, commandant of Brasília’s Air Base. Both militaries were representing former Minister for the Aeronautics, Air Brigadier Lélio Viana Lobo, and the pledged their word before the attending researchers that they would deliver the document to the Minister, with whom they would commit themselves to recommend the necessary measures to be taken.

     Twenty copies of the Letter were made – 10 in Portuguese, another 10 in English – and signed on the spot. All researchers, both Brazilian and foreign were thus invited to support CBU’s initiative to bring the topic over to the governmental sphere, which was effectively done. Nevertheless, in spite of the openly public commitment by the present authorities, we still do not know whether the document ever reached its destinations, president Fernando H. Cardoso and minister Lélio Viana Lobo.

     No reply has ever come from those gentlemen to the members of CBU or to any other UFO researcher. As far as the Brazilian government is concerned, such a letter never existed, which is a regrettable follow-up to the endeavor. No government in the world, sufficiently aware of the situation can deny the importance of the UFO phenomenon and Brazil certainly does have a great responsibility in the field, collecting and researching data on the cases occurring here.

     It is up to the Brazilian Commission of UFO Researchers to lead off the campaign – UFOs, Freedom of Information Now. With the greatest possible participation from the public, we intend to turn our authorities’ attention to the issue, believing the whole country’s population has the right to know the truth. Some of the most important cases involving UFOs in the world have occurred in Brazil; and our researchers and investigators, sometimes under great stress, did their best to study them. The military authorities are well aware of the situation but have always refrained from discussing the issue publicly, even though they have not ceased to study the events nor to follow up with great interest the evolution of the phenomenon.

     Two of the most famous incidents occurred in 1977 and 1986. In the first, a massive wave of sightings and close encounter in Amazonia involved a significant participation by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which sent military teams to investigate UFO manifestations in the Amazon area, where people who live by the riverside and whereabouts were being terrorized and sometimes even persecuted by strange flying objects, and the military operation in the area became known as the Operation Plate (Saucer) [Operação Prato (OP)].

     The second case was notoriously known as The UFOs’ Official Evening: on May 19, 1986, over 20 unknown flying objects were seen, tracked on radar and persecuted by fighter planes, as the then minister for the Aeronautics, Octávio Moreira Lima, stated. He later refrained from restating that the Air Force had actually tried to persecute UFOs. These two incidents help illustrate the level of interest from the authorities in the UFO phenomenon, which obviously is readily admitted.

     Now, beginning with its April 2004 issue, Brazilian UFO Magazine (both through the magazine and its site), we will be reinforcing our legitimate petition to the Brazilian Government that it disclose the official information in its power, particularly on the episodes mentioned above, and recognize the hard work and dedication of the Brazilian UFO investigators, who want nothing but make the public aware of the importance and truth of the UFO phenomenon.

     All readers and subscribers to UFO Magazine can join the campaign, all well as anyone who is seriously interested in the issue, in Brazil or overseas. The campaign is formally starting on April and will be not be closed until July 15, during which time we hope to gather a considerable amount of subscriptions to endorse the fact the Brazilian Community of UFO researchers and investigators is a strong movement, whose voice is heard in every segment of society.