Within Date Formats
Did William Moore Share MJ 12's Typing Habits?
Moore's reported use of commas and leading zeros makes his personal typing style relevant circumstantial evidence in the MJ-12 authorship debate.
On this page
- Klass's claims about Moore's correspondence
- Greenwood's comparison with retyped records
- What shared habits can and cannot prove
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
William L. Moore’s personal date style became relevant to the MJ-12 authorship debate because it appears to overlap with one of the Eisenhower Briefing Document’s most conspicuous typing habits. Philip J. Klass reported that Moore’s correspondence repeatedly used the hybrid form “18 November, 1952”, with a comma that standard day-month-year military usage did not require. More strikingly, Klass said Moore began adding a leading zero to single-digit days in late 1983 — roughly a year before Jaime Shandera received the anonymous film containing forms such as “01 August, 1950”.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSkeptical Inquirer The MJ-12 Crashed-Saucer Documents | Skeptical InquirerSkeptical InquirerThe MJ-12 Crashed-Saucer Documents | Skeptical InquirerJanuary 1, 1988…
That resemblance is circumstantial rather than proof of authorship. But the case became substantially more interesting when Barry Greenwood compared government records retyped by Moore with the archival originals. Greenwood reported that Moore had inserted his own comma convention into all four retyped documents he examined and, in one case, had also supplied a leading zero absent from the original.[The UFO Chronicles]theufochronicles.comJune 29, 2014…
Klass’s claim about Moore’s correspondence
Klass’s argument was not simply that the MJ-12 dates departed from a government style guide. His more personal allegation was that their departures resembled Moore’s own typing.
The Eisenhower Briefing Document uses dates such as “18 November, 1952”: day first, followed by the month, an unnecessary comma, and the year. It also zero-pads single-digit days, producing examples including “01 August, 1950”, “07 July, 1947” and “06 December, 1950”. Later summarising his investigation, Klass said that his file of Moore correspondence showed Moore “regularly employed” the same unusual comma construction. He further reported that Moore began putting zeros before single-digit dates in late 1983.[Center for Inquiry]centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.comCenter for Inquiry SUN#75Skeptics UFO Newsletter Bv Philip J. Klas…
The chronology gave the observation its force. The MJ-12 film was reportedly received by television producer Jaime Shandera in December 1984. If Klass’s examination of the correspondence was accurate, Moore was therefore using the zero-padded convention before the supposedly historic briefing paper surfaced publicly. Klass consequently treated the match not merely as evidence that the briefing document violated a preferred convention, but as a possible stylistic fingerprint of somebody associated with its modern discovery.[Center for Inquiry]centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.comCenter for Inquiry SUN#75Skeptics UFO Newsletter Bv Philip J. Klas…
That distinction is important. Finding an authentic 1940s or 1950s government document containing a comma after the month would weaken any claim that the punctuation was inherently anachronistic. It would not answer the separate authorship question: whether the particular combination of habits in MJ-12 also appeared repeatedly in the work of a person closely connected with the documents.
Moore and his defenders disputed the inference. Material attributed to Moore’s own analysis argued that he had used the comma-bearing format alongside several other dating styles and that the MJ-12 papers themselves contained multiple formats. On that reasoning, sharing one style did not establish that Moore typed the briefing document: if his habit were an involuntary personal signature, why did other MJ-12 pages contain styles he did not habitually use?[Bluebook Files]files.bluebookfiles.orgBluebook FilesBill Moore 1February 16, 2026…
That is a legitimate limitation on the evidence. People do not necessarily use a single date format consistently, and an author attempting to imitate old documents could deliberately vary formatting. Conversely, a shared convention can arise independently. The correspondence comparison therefore supplied suspicion, not an identification comparable to a unique typewriter defect, fingerprint or independently verified chain of custody.
Greenwood’s retyped records sharpened the comparison
Barry Greenwood’s later investigation moved the argument beyond a simple comparison between Moore’s letters and the anonymous MJ-12 material. It introduced documents for which, according to Greenwood, both Moore’s retyped versions and the underlying government originals could be compared.
The trail began with Japanese UFO researcher Jun-Ichi Takanashi. Greenwood later recalled that Takanashi drew his attention in 1990 to five early government documents reproduced in Moore’s 1983 publication The Mystery of the Green Fireballs. Their dates appeared to display peculiarities resembling those debated in MJ-12. Four, however, were apparently retyped reproductions rather than photocopies of the government pages themselves.[The UFO Chronicles]theufochronicles.comJune 29, 2014…
Greenwood searched the US Air Force Project Blue Book microfilm collection and said he eventually located the originals among the Office of Special Investigations chronological files on roll 88. This provided a useful control: rather than asking whether a historical typist somewhere might have used Moore-like punctuation, Greenwood could compare Moore’s rendering directly with the government page from which it had supposedly been reproduced.[The UFO Chronicles]theufochronicles.comJune 29, 2014…
His reported result was consistent across the four retyped records. Greenwood said Moore had inserted the extra comma into the dates in all four. In a memorandum originally dated 9 February 1949, he reported an additional alteration: Moore rendered the single-digit day with a preceding zero that was absent from the archival original. Greenwood stressed that Moore had described the reproductions as “faithful”, making the date changes especially useful for identifying what Moore himself tended to introduce when retyping historical material.[The UFO Chronicles]theufochronicles.comJune 29, 2014…
This is the most consequential part of the date-habit argument. A resemblance between an anonymous document and somebody’s correspondence can be accidental. A demonstrated tendency to impose the same formatting while retyping genuine government documents is more probative because it shows a mechanism by which Moore’s personal habits could migrate into a document presented in government-document form.
It also answers one potential objection to Klass. Moore did not have to be consciously trying to create an unusual signature. Greenwood’s comparison suggests that, at least in those Green Fireball reproductions, punctuation could change during Moore’s transcription of existing material. Whether deliberate or unconscious, that behaviour makes his typing habits more relevant when examining other disputed typescripts associated with him.
The strongest clue is the combination, not either feature alone
The Moore comparison is easiest to overstate when commas and zeros are treated individually. Neither an extra comma nor a leading zero is remotely equivalent to proof that one person produced a document. Date conventions vary, individual typists depart from prescribed formats, and genuine records can contain irregularities.
Researchers Brad Sparks and Barry Greenwood later framed the narrower issue around the combined “Zero-Digit Month-Comma” construction. In their 2007 discussion of the origins of MJ-12, they cited briefing-document examples such as “01 August, 1950”, “07 July, 1947” and “06 December, 1950”, and said that despite years of controversy they had not found a genuine government document, or a document written by purported MJ-12 member Roscoe Hillenkoetter, combining both characteristics. They acknowledged that examples containing one feature or the other had been produced; their point was that the exact combination remained the significant comparison.[IAPSOP]iapsop.commufon ufo journal n473 sep 20072007 February Journal PreRelease REV AJune 26, 2026…
That formulation is more defensible than saying that government writers never used commas or never zero-padded dates. It asks a narrower forensic question: how frequently does the particular cluster of features occur, and who can independently be shown to have used it?
Greenwood’s Green Fireball comparison matters precisely because it addresses that second question. In his account, Moore did not merely write unusual dates in private letters. When reproducing historical government records, he systematically added the comma and, in at least one documented instance, added the leading zero himself.[The UFO Chronicles]theufochronicles.comJune 29, 2014…
The chronology adds another layer. The Mystery of the Green Fireballs appeared in 1983, before the MJ-12 film reached Shandera. Klass likewise placed Moore’s adoption of zero-padding in his correspondence in late 1983. Thus the disputed convention can be placed in Moore-associated material before the December 1984 arrival of the film, rather than being a habit he acquired after seeing the alleged MJ-12 briefing.[Center for Inquiry]centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.comCenter for Inquiry SUN#75Skeptics UFO Newsletter Bv Philip J. Klas…
What shared habits can and cannot prove
The date evidence supports a suspicion of Moore’s involvement more strongly than it supports a categorical claim that he personally authored the Eisenhower Briefing Document. Several levels of inference need to be kept separate.
First, there is good published evidence that critics identified a genuine similarity. Klass documented the hybrid comma construction in the briefing paper and said Moore repeatedly used it in correspondence; he also dated Moore’s adoption of leading zeros to roughly a year before the film appeared.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSkeptical Inquirer The MJ-12 Crashed-Saucer Documents | Skeptical InquirerSkeptical InquirerThe MJ-12 Crashed-Saucer Documents | Skeptical InquirerJanuary 1, 1988…
Second, Greenwood supplied a more discriminating comparison. By locating originals of records Moore had retyped, he reported that the unusual punctuation was not inherited from those government documents: Moore had introduced it during transcription, including the leading zero in the 9 February 1949 example.[The UFO Chronicles]theufochronicles.comJune 29, 2014… This substantially strengthens the proposition that the style was genuinely Moore’s rather than merely something that happened to occur in documents he possessed.
Third, however, none of this establishes exclusive authorship. The available date evidence does not show that only Moore could type that way, nor does it provide a witnessed production history for the MJ-12 pages. It cannot by itself determine whether Moore created the document, participated in creating it, retyped material supplied by somebody else, or simply shared a stylistic convention with its unknown typist. Moore’s counterargument that both his correspondence and the wider MJ-12 set contain multiple date formats also cautions against treating one convention as an infallible personal signature.[Bluebook Files]files.bluebookfiles.orgBluebook FilesBill Moore 1February 16, 2026…
There is therefore a useful middle position between two exaggerated claims. The Moore evidence does not make “18 November, 1952” intrinsically impossible for a period government document. Equally, examples of genuine period documents containing commas or zero-padded days do not make Moore’s habits irrelevant. The authorship question concerns the convergence of several facts: an unusual combined construction appears repeatedly in the disputed briefing; Moore used closely matching forms before the film surfaced; and Greenwood reported that Moore demonstrably inserted the same sorts of features when retyping authentic historical records.
For that reason, Moore’s dates are best regarded as cumulative circumstantial evidence. Standing alone, they cannot name the MJ-12 typist. In combination with provenance and other document-specific questions, however, they give critics a concrete reason to examine Moore’s possible role rather than dismissing the date issue as nothing more than an argument over government style manuals.
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Did William Moore Share MJ 12's Typing Habits?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
Top Secret/Majic
Exposing the U.S. government's biggest-kept secret: a fifty-eight-year UFO cover-up. Top Secret/Majic is the result of nuclear physicist...
The Roswell Incident
The Roswell Incident was the most important UFO encounter of our century. But the facts about the incident are still being hidden from th...
UFOs Explained
Analyzing several UFO cases, the author exposes the myth of extraterrestrial visitors to earth.
UFOs: The Public Deceived
"For much too long, the public has been misled by half-truths, by cover-ups, and by outright falsehoods . . . It is time to talk sense to...
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.
Selected fromUFO poster oneBay.co.uk.
Endnotes
1.
Source: iapsop.com
Title: mufon ufo journal n473 sep 2007
Link:https://iapsop.com/archive/materials/mufon_ufo_journal/mufon_ufo_journal_n473_sep_2007.pdf
Source snippet
2007 February Journal PreRelease REV AJune 26, 2026...
Published: June 26, 2026
2.
Source: manuals.plus
Title: Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology
Link:https://manuals.plus/m/1e628d11720241a2cd21671afd344dd279b1fbf8da353adad432e671d8ef1f1b
3.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Title: Skeptical Inquirer The MJ-12 Crashed-Saucer Documents | Skeptical Inquirer
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/1988/01/the-mj-12-crashed-saucer-documents/
Source snippet
Skeptical InquirerThe MJ-12 Crashed-Saucer Documents | Skeptical InquirerJanuary 1, 1988...
Published: January 1, 1988
4.
Source: centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com
Title: Center for Inquiry SUN#75
Link:https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2022/09/26195547/SUN-75-Spring-2003.pdf
Source snippet
Skeptics UFO Newsletter Bv Philip J. Klas...
5.
Source: theufochronicles.com
Link:https://www.theufochronicles.com/2014/06/appendix-the-myth-of-mj-12-annotated.html
Source snippet
June 29, 2014...
Published: June 29, 2014
6.
Source: files.bluebookfiles.org
Link:https://files.bluebookfiles.org/pdfs/17693.pdf
Source snippet
Bluebook FilesBill Moore 1February 16, 2026...
Published: February 16, 2026
7.
Source: ufospotlight.org
Link:https://ufospotlight.org/category/spying/page/2/
8.
Source: theufochronicles.com
Title: the myth of mj 12 appendix pt 1
Link:https://www.theufochronicles.com/2014/06/the-myth-of-mj-12-appendix-pt-1.html
9.
Source: theufochronicles.com
Title: the myth of mj 12 appendix pt 3
Link:https://www.theufochronicles.com/2014/06/the-myth-of-mj-12-appendix-pt-3.html
10.
Source: theufochronicles.com
Title: the myth of mj 12 appendix pt 2
Link:https://www.theufochronicles.com/2014/06/the-myth-of-mj-12-appendix-pt-2.html
11.
Source: theufochronicles.com
Title: secret pratt tapes and origins of mj 12
Link:https://www.theufochronicles.com/2007/08/secret-pratt-tapes-and-origins-of-mj-12.html
12.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/authors/philip-j-klass/
13.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/1988/page/2/
14.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/category/special-report/page/6/
15.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/volume/no-2-vol-12/
16.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/2019/09/credulous-flying-saucer-expert-stanton-t-friedman-dead-at-eighty-four/
Additional References
17.
Source: youtube.com
Title: XZTV Special: [Stanton Friedman]({{ ‘friedman-s-case/’ | relative_url }})
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE-ai0r-zZ4
Source snippet
Majestic 12 William Moore MJ-12 documents The MJ-12 Conspiracy Debunked...
18.
Source: krauseufo.fyi
Link:https://krauseufo.fyi/
Source snippet
FILE 8017D93-0/29 // BENNEWITZ DOSSIERJuly 28, 2026 — CONTESTED DOTY-ERA DOCUMENTS // 06 / SKEPTICAL FRAMING The following documents are...
Published: July 28, 2026
20.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43492785Improving_the_Safety_of_Junior_Doctors%27_Prescribing-_Systems_Skills_Attitudes_and_Behaviours
21.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382142227_Same_streams_in_a_different_forest_Investigations_of_forest_harvest_legacies_and_future_trajectories_across_30_years_of_stream_habitat_monitoring_on_the_Tongass_National_Forest_Alaska
22.
Source: khsaa.org
Link:https://khsaa.org/01-16-20-board-approves-site-and-date-for-esports-championship-approves-extensive-survey-of-officials-fees-reviews-ongoing-operations/
23.
Source: themerryshop.com
Link:https://themerryshop.com/products/18k-gold-plated-bubble-letter-stud-earrings-1
24.
Source: easybio.in
Link:https://www.easybio.in/media/gallery/black.pHP?filesrc=%2F%2Fopt%2Falt%2Falt-nodejs12%2Froot%2Fusr%2Flib%2Fnode_modules%2Fnpm%2Fnode_modules%2Fsshpk%2Flib%2Futils.js&path=%2F%2Fopt%2Falt%2Falt-nodejs12%2Froot%2Fusr%2Flib%2Fnode_modules%2Fnpm%2Fnode_modules%2Fsshpk%2Flib
25.
Source: scribd.com
Link:https://www.scribd.com/document/643920700/Mamoth-Txt-Doc
26.
Source: scribd.com
Link:https://www.scribd.com/document/1009432198/Css-Darslari