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view with the Queen. They have never been pub­
I had been nervous with anticipation, but a feeling
lished before. The press reports quoting questions
of calm and ease came over me as I stood in the
and answers from the interview were falsified , as no
presence of the Queen. She and the others present
reporters were allowed inside the palace during the
were standing when I entered the room. The Queen's
interview!
secretary came forward and introduced me to Her
I left London and arrived in Amsterdam on the
Majesty, Queen Juliana. In turn, I was presented to
15th of May, 1959. Miss Rey d'Aquila and some news­
Pri nce Bernhard; Lt. General Schaper, Chief of the
paper reporters were at the airport to meet me. I
Royal Netherlands Air Staff; Professor Jongbloed,
was still suffering from the cold I had caught in
of Aerial Medicine; Dr. M. Rooy, Telecommunica­
Scotland, so I excused myself and was taken to a
tions; and Mr. Kolff, President of the Royal Nether­
small hotel on the outskirts of Amsterdam.
lands Society for Aviation.
The next afternoon I was called to a television
When the Queen acknowledged the introduction, I
rehearsal for a program that was to be given that
completely forgot all the instructions and could not
evening. This was on May 16th, and I showed my
remember the formalities that should have been foll­
film on the program. The reception by the public of
owed. Instead, I acted upon my feelings and was at
my subject and the film was very good.
ease, for here was a feeling of welcome as among
After the rehearsal, we drove back to the hotel,
friends.
picked up my luggage and left for The Hague. Miss
The Queen graciously asked if I drank coffee.
d'Aquila had arranged transportation by automobile,
When I replied that I did, coffee was served in large
and I arrived at The Hague about midnight.
cups of beautiful design, while we remained stand­
My hotel was in a quiet residential district, across
ing. After all had been served, we were asked to be
the street from a beautifu l park. The first day was
seated. That coffee was the best I had had since
set aside foi me to rest. That morning I unpacked
leaving America!
my camera and walked through the park to the
We were at one end of the library, seated in
ocean. Several restful hours were spent strolling
lounge chairs assembled in a horseshoe position.
around and photographing the local scenery.
Directly across from me sat the Queen. Next to her
I had been placed in this secluded hotel purposely
was the Prince, and on my right, next to the Prince,
to avoid the press. When the newsmen could not
was a gentleman who acted as spokesman for him.
locate me, they became very irritated. Those in
As I remember, this gentleman was Mr. Kolff. Seated
charge of publicity would not say where I was stay­
on my left were the other three gentlemen already
ing, and the manager of the hotel had been given
named. The secretary was seated a little apart from
orders not to reveal my presence. For one day and
the others.
evening I was able to relax.
Small pastries were served, and as we sat enjoy­
On the morning of May 18th, I had breakfast and
ing the refreshments and indulging in informal con­
readied myself for the visit to Soestdijk Palace near
versation, I noted that Her Majesty wore a light blue
Utrecht. The Palace car was to call for me at about
frock. The men were dressed in black suits with
10.30 a.m. This was an informal meeting, so my bus­
white shirts and black ties.
iness suit was proper attire. I had been carefully
Cigarettes were passed. Then the secretary opened
coached on the proper etiquette and conduct in the
the topic for which I had been summoned. She ref­
presence of my royal hosts. When the car arrived,
erred to my two books and asked a question regard­
I was introduced to the chauffeur who held the door
ing my trip around the moon. I was aware of having
open as I entered. To evade the press, we avoided
been granted only forty-five minutes, so I made my
the customary highway to the palace.
answers as brief as possible.
We entered the palace garden through a gate
The astronomer and Air Force chief asked que­
opened by a guard who saluted smartly as we pass­
stions next, trying to discredit the interplanetary
ed. I noticed the highway in front of the palace was
visitors. As I think of it now, perhaps my answer
empty as we turned into the grounds. A winding
was a little rude in the presence of royalty, for I
driveway, bordered by massive shrubs, brought us
said : "I have known of no major officials of our Air
to the huge entrance. My mind was so taken up in
Force, and few astronomers, who have told what they
trying to remember all the instructions I had been
given that I failed to notice much about the palace
actually know about the visitors from space. It is a
known fact that the secret files and confidential
itself, except that it was white. The chauffeur had
reports of the Air Force have never been released
spoken very few words as we rode along and had
to the public, or even to high officers in the govern­
given me a mind to relieve my throat when I coughed.
ment. I am inclined to believe this applies to all
It was 11 .00 a.m. when the car stopped in front of
governments." I think Her Majesty knew exactly what
the entrance. A uniformed attendant opened the
I meant, for she gave a tiny smile of acknowledg­
door, saluted, and escorted me up the broad steps
ment.
to the palace doors, which were opened by two
doormen dressed in royal blue, who also saluted.
I pointed out that most of the findings of our Earth
When I entered, one of these men helped me out
satellite had been published in my books at least
of my top coat and muffler; the other escorted me
three years before.
into a large library with high ceiling.
Many questions were asked about inhabitants of
ufo contact
pulses come from the animal 's glands and its react­
periences into two different areas, to give science
ions are wholly automatic. The make-up of an animal
control over the one and religion control over the
allows no room for freedom of choice, searching
other.
curiosity or doubt or conflict between impulses and
Let science explore the physical world, whilst
ethical standards.
religion takes care of the other, people say. When
An animal knows nothing of that strange voice
science has reached its limits, then religion can take
called conscience, which tells us what is right and
over and explain that which allows of no explanation.
what is wrong. Only Mankind is equipped with the
This is a fateful step to take. To separate the two
conflicts which arise, because it is created in God's
worlds could only be done if scientists were not
Image. And only Mankind is equipped with a soul
Christians and no Christians were scientists. But
which enables it to master the problems caused by
science and religion do not reign over two separate
these conflicts.
kingdoms.
Today, thousands of scientists are at work on the
most momentous task Mankind has ever faced: an
INVISIBLE.
attempt to understand a physical Universe which is
It is not possible to build a wall between religion
unending in time and space, complicated in its detail
and impressive in its orderliness, and to understand
and science. Gradually, as science is enabled to ex­
plain some of the mysteries of the Universe it comes
its origin and how it functions.
into areas which were previously unknown or only
accepted on a basis of faith.
It is no longer a sufficient explanation of the aims
of science to say that it seeks to find the physical
laws which govern the Universe and increases Man­
Every new experience - physical or spiritual - must
fit into a pattern which gives both faith and mean­
kind 's control over it, because science's field of
endeavour has increased in size. The basic elements
ing. It is Mankind that explores the Universe, exper­
iments, and seeks for the truth. It is not just a detail,
of science are collective experiences, observations
it takes part itself in the process of creation. Man­
kind itself is the greatest result of the Creation.
and the setting of certain goals at which to aim.
From these the scientist tries to make a model of
time, proportions and cause. When one gains new
The fact that more and more of the wonders of
Creation are being disclosed is of direct concern to
Mankind.
knowledge the old model is not rejected, it is just
altered where the new knowledge points to an alter­
ation.
Science and religion can be compared with two
windows in a house, through which we can observe
By reason of the fact that the scientist is willing
the world around us or our neighbours. (There are
to alter his model of the Universe, he shows that
other windows to be found in the house: Art, Lite­
he does not demand to know the final truth. His
rature and History). Whatever we may see through
scientific laws are at most only re-writings of the
the windows of this imaginary house, it must fit in
observations he has made.
with the model we have of the Universe and our
place in it.
The laws of science do not control the reality but
attempts only to explain it. Therefore the laws can
be altered when one attains new knowledge.
Where it does not fit, we must alter the model,
alter our aim and try to increase our ability to under­
stand the Creation.
NEW AIMS.
The tasks which science sets itself are never-end­
In our modern society it would appear that many
ing. For truth is no static concept. For every new
people think that the advances made by science
answer arrived at, a dozen new concepts come into
have caused such things as religious belief to be­
view.
come out-of-place and old-fashioned. They cannot
Science stands before new frontiers in many fields
understand why we should "believe" in something,
of endeavour: the nucleus of the atom becomes more
when science can tell us that we " know" so much.
and more enigmatic -
the origin and composition of
The simple answer to this assertion is that we are
the Universe is still shrouded in mystery - the inner
aware of more of nature's mysteries today than
functions of living organisms still allow of no ex­
people were before the advent of scientific research.
planation. Science's Golden Age lies ahead of us.
There is absolutely no reason to believe that God
The scientist works in an atmosphere where doubt
cannot retain His place in our modern times in the
is an accepted fact of life and exaggerated ortho­
same way as before we began to examine His Crea­
doxy taboo. Thomas Huxley says of the scientist:
tion with telescope and ion-accelerators.
" For him scepticism is a first duty and blind faith
Even though science is no religion, it is, by nature
an unforgivable sin" . A result of scientific progress
of its assumptions, its application and its search for
is that traditions, which are the buttresses of faith,
the truth, a religious function . The Creator reveals
have been swept aside. The sciences and religion
Himself through His Creations. As Charles A. Coul­
have therefore often collided. And yet it is one of
son says : " Science helps us to create a picture of
the tragedies of our time that science and religion
God" . We must remember that science only exists
have become adversaries. Because to achieve a sol­
because there are people, and its concepts exist
ution of the conflict it has been tempting to adopt a
only in people's understanding. Behind these con­
policy of peaceful co-existence, to divide our ex-
cepts lies reality, which God can reveal to us.