European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                States Ide this photo of a flying object is the Type of evidence that fuels the suspicions of ufos believers a and of ufos sceptics. Ufos museum a Mecca for True believers by Timothy Appleby Toronto Globe and mail Ith its outsize head slim Torso and dangling limbs the inflatable rubber Quot alien Quot parked in the front window of the International ufos museum and research Center in Roswell n.m., is nothing if not Eye catching. Quot almost 24,000 people have been through Here since we opened last year says tour guide Shirley Barker with a gleam in her Eye As she shows a visitor the collages of photographs news dipping and Glass Fibre spaceships dangling from the ceiling. Quot there s a lot of interest Quot indeed there is As the publishers of supermarket tabloids discovered Long ago a although Many museum visitors Are said to be disappointed at the Lack of exhibits from outer space. Roswell is in a class of its own in the extraterrestrial ism annals for it was in the Lincoln county desert outside the town of 50,000 in southwestern new Mexico that in 1947, there occurred the most famous ufos incident in . History. Something crashed to Earth during a violent thunderstorm and a nearby rancher discovered a Field full of unusual Metal like debris. Astonishingly military officials at the Roswell army air Field initially decided the Craft had come from outer space. Quot Raaf captures flying Saucer Quot the Roswell daily record trumpeted in a scoop that sparked amazement around the world As accounts began trickling in of alien Quot bodies Quot that had been found a strange and vile smelling Complete with pliable Heads and suction pads on their  pandemonium erupted the military carted the wreckage away and revised its Story declaring that the mysterious object was in fact a High Altitude weather balloon. Too late. The alien theory was Well out of the bag and it has been bouncing around Ever since fuelled this Spring by the publication of a new Book the truth about the ufos crash at Roswell. To believers like the authors and tour guide b Arker the evidence is dear a flying Saucer full of extraterrestrials crashed and the authorities perhaps mindful of the uproar that accompanied a we must break Down the Wall of ridicule that has been built up Over 50  ufos believer Orson Welles s radio broadcast of War of the worlds nine years earlier embarked on a massive coverup. Another suggestion is that the military was eager to replicate the other worldly technology found aboard. Certainly the army did nothing to dispel those suspicions. After issuing its weather balloon explanation a suspect on a number of grounds a it dropped a Blanket of official silence that has prevailed Ever since thwarting years of efforts to obtain the relevant documents under the Freedom of information act that could change. Sen. Sam Nunn d-ga., head of the Senate armed forces committee has come under pressure to release data on Roswell. Quot we must break Down the Wall of ridicule that has been built up Over 50 years Quot one ufos aficionado picketing Nunn s office said recently. The Roswell museum shows a lengthy video on the incident Replete with Organ music dramatic footage of the desert sky at night and sketches of cute Little aliens the film reconstructs the events of 1947, chiefly through interviews with players peripherally involved. Sadly not one piece of empirical evidence is produced which May be fair enough Given the lapse of time and the elusive Quality of aliens. Equally absent however is any Effort to Deal with a or even mention a one troublesome incontrovertible fact that probably is at the Center of it All. As the cold War unfolded in the postwar years new Mexico and Nevada with their wide open spaces and Small populations were the principal testing grounds for new weaponry being feverishly developed amid massive secrecy. It was around Here that the atomic bomb was developed and tested. High above new Mexico s White Sands proving ground a couple of hours drive Southwest of Roswell stealth bombers still routinely make forays. At a Bookstore near the museum the latest Roswell offering a there have been three others a sits prominently displayed. Sales Are not exactly booming the clerk says. Quot what do i think Quot she says. Quot i think that thing was the precursor of the stealth or something like that Quot but try telling that to some of these  Howard news service Short subject for a Price old comic heroes can be saved by Siobhan Mcdonough the associated press Susan Cicconi does no to have to be faster than a speeding Bullet or More powerful than a locomotive to keep Superman in one piece. Cicconi applies restoration techniques she honed at the museum of Fine arts in Paris to Spruce up Vintage comic books increasing their value dramatically. She a been known to increase the Worth of a 10-cent comic to $10,000. And a 1938 Superman comic Book she restored was expected to fetch up to $50,000 at a recent auction in new York. Cicconi began applying Basic restoration techniques to the likes of spider Man Batman the Flash and Captain Marvel in 1986 when she took Over the restoration lab in Watertown mass., founded by restoration Pioneer William Sarill. She is one of Only three people in the United states who repair a Golden age Quot comics from the 1930s to 1950s and a Silver age comics from the 1960s and Early 1970s. With surgeon like precision Cicconi treats stains dirt dents rips tears and kinks and fills. In holes. She cleans presses mends and paints. She uses scalpels tweezers and scissors in restorations that can last up to 12 hours with her fee running at $75 an hour. But the High Price does t deter the 100 or so people on her six month waiting list. After All comic books have become big business. The new York auction planned to sell 5,000 comic books some expected to bring As much As $100,000 Cicconi Hopes the expected lofty bids at the comic Book auction will mean added recognition for her painstaking work. Quot it will educate people in the comic Book world that restoration is a Good thing to do despite the Cost she said. A there s no cutting Corners in this  Susan Cicconi s restoration skills make it possible for comic heroes to live again. Tuesday july 19, 1994 the stars and stripes 15