Daniel Fry

One of the most prominent UFO contactees in the 1950s

Name	Daniel Fry
Age	84
Born	July 19, 1908
Died	December 20, 1992
Famous for	Having telepathic communication with an alien

Daniel Fry is one of the best-known UFO contactees, with one of the most interesting stories. However, instead of being immediately ridiculed, he was probed from a different perspective.

His claims occurred during the Cold War, when the military was on edge over the possibility of government infiltration from Soviet spies, not aliens. This was one of the most pressing narratives at that time. UFO cases were likely associated with weaknesses in government security rather than with extraterrestrial stories.

However, Fry’s was an exception, especially since all that his visitor advocated was world peace. What was Daniel Fry’s story?

Who Is Daniel Fry?

Born in 1908 on the banks of the Mississippi, Fry was orphaned at the young age of 9. He grew up under his grandmother’s care, with whom he came to California in 1920. Fry’s parents left him without an inheritance, so when he came of legal age, he had to fend for himself and became entirely dependent on his own resources.

There is little information available about Daniel Fry’s earlier life. He completed his high school education but was unfortunately unable to attend college due to the great depression. However, this didn’t stop him from learning.

Fry studied independently in a corner of the Pasadena public library, where he spent most of his evenings reading books on subjects he would’ve taken in a university. He became particularly interested in chemistry and explosives, which later led to his employment as a missile and rocket testing engineer at Aerojet General Corporation for five years.

From 1940 to the 1950s, Fry spent most of his time working at White Sands Proving Ground. There, he held multiple positions, including explosive expert and rocket technician. It was also at this time that he encountered his first UFO contact.

What Happened During The White Sands Incident?

Not only have I seen one, I have touched it, entered it, and ridden in it. Also, if I can still trust my senses, I have communicated at some length with the operators.

This was what Daniel Fry wrote in his book. First published in 1954, The White Sands Incident was a retelling of Fry’s UFO encounter and the alleged communication he had with a being—the very story that made him one of the most well-known UFO contactees in the 1950s.

Fry’s story happened on July 4, 1949. He was at the White Sands Proving Ground and intended to go to Las Cruces for a fireworks display when he missed the last bus. Stranded in a deserted army camp, he decided to stay in his room until it got hot and stuffy.

It was 8:30 PM, as he recalled, when he strolled around the camp. He was half a mile past the Organ Mountains when he first saw it.

The sun had long set, and only the moon and stars illuminated the area. At first, Fry thought he was only watching a passing plane, until he realized the light was moving more slowly than it should have. The longer he stared at the blinking lights, the more he realized something.

“Whatever it was that was cutting off the light of the stars was increasing rapidly in size,” which meant it was coming towards him.

The Craft

Fry had difficulty seeing the craft clearly due to the lack of light in the area. He could only make out its appearance when it came very close for him to see:

• It was an oblate spheroid with a diameter of 30 ft and a height of 16 feet.
• It flattened at the top and the bottom.
• It had a polished metal surface with a slight violet iridescence.
• It emitted no sound—no propellers, flashes, or roars.

Thinking it was futile to run away from it and being reassured by how slow it glided, Daniel Fry stood motionless to watch. The craft settled 70 ft away from him, and for the next 20 to 30 seconds, he merely stared at it.

This could not be a craft from Russia, or anywhere else on earth, for that matter; for whoever had built this craft had solved a lot of problems of which our best physicists are only beginning to dream.

The Telepathic Communication

Fry found himself unconsciously approaching the craft. Circling it, he noticed it had no seams or any indication of an opening. He gingerly extended a finger to touch it, feeling its smoothness, and compared its texture to “a large pearl covered with a thin soap film.”

Before he could inspect the craft any further, a voice came out of thin air, “Better not touch the hull, pal, it’s still hot!”¹ This was the first communication Fry established with an intelligent being, who would later reveal itself as “A-Lan” or Alan.

In The White Sands Incident, Fry detailed his conversation with the being. They talked about the craft, its mechanisms, and the reason for the visitation. In summary, Daniel Fry learned:

• The craft is surrounded by a powerful field that helps its flight and protects its surface from any damage.
• Prolonged exposure to its surface causes the skin to produce “antibodies” in the bloodstream, which can lead to death.
• The visitation is conducted to determine humanity’s adaptability to foreign ideas.
• The beings are seeking “sufficient minds” who are open to receiving these new ideas.

Later in their conversation, Alan would also reveal that this wasn’t their first contact. Three nights before the White Sands incident, the being “ransacked” Fry’s mind to the point where he now knew more about Fry than he would himself.

Inside the Craft

The UFO encounter didn’t end after the conversation. Alan invited Fry inside the craft, which he mentioned was only a cargo carrier. The being also stated that he wasn’t in the craft but rather “in the central” or what would be known as the mothership, 900 miles above the earth.

The top of the craft opened to let Fry in, and he left a detailed description of what was inside:

• The compartment was only 9 ft deep and 7 ft wide.
• The ceiling was over 6 ft above the floor.
• There weren’t any sharp corners or angles.
• There were four seats that looked like body contour chairs.

Once Fry settled on one of the chairs, Alan told him that they were about to take off. The being suggested they go to New York, which was thousands of miles away, and return in 30 minutes—and just like that, Daniel Fry’s first trip via spaceship happened.

However, this wouldn’t be his only UFO encounter.

What Other UFO Encounters Did Daniel Fry Have?

After their first contact, Daniel Fry would claim to have four other UFO encounters related to Alan. One was still telepathic communication; the other two were UFO sightings, and the last was direct contact with Alan.

His Last Telepathic Contact

On April 28, 1954, Daniel Fry would have his third and last telepathic contact with Alan, who revealed that the man had a personal responsibility in helping him “alter the natural flow of events, and thus avert the holocaust which is otherwise inevitable.”

Fry had been in his place in Oregon Woods that day. He had been completely alone for three days before Alan’s voice came to him.

The being first questioned why Fry wasn’t spreading the word about their initial contact, to which the technician honestly answered, raising two reasons:

• He was unknown.
• He didn’t want to be ridiculed.

Fry wrote what he claimed was Alan’s brilliant response to the second point.

Ridicule is the barrier which the ignorant erect between themselves and any truth which frightens or disturbs them.

His UFO Films

After this incident, Daniel Fry would then claim two personal UFO sightings he photographed.

September 18, 1954	Daniel Fry claimed Alan helped him get a picture of a spacecraft. He was driving in Baldwin Park when Alan said that if he got his camera and film, he could snap photos. 20 minutes later, Fry would see the craft.
May 1964	Almost a decade later, Daniel Fry would claim to have seen another UFO in Oregon and to have filmed it on 16mm film.

Both of these photos were heavily criticized, particularly by Timothy Good. The author commented that the “craft” looked like “lampshades or similarly shaped devices fixed together and suspended with fine twine.”

However, Good still gave Fry’s UFO contact story the benefit of the doubt. He stated that while the photos could easily be fake, this doesn’t prove that the technician was lying about his UFO experiences, adding that he probably “thought that a few fabricated films of ‘saucers’ would bolster his unprovable claims.”

His Direct Contact with Alan

Three years before his most recent “UFO film,” Daniel Fry claimed he had met the spaceman in person. Alan allegedly landed with his ship in Merlin, Oregon. This was also around the time Alan asked him whether he would fulfill his personal duty to assist his mission.

The time has come when you must make the final decision as to whether you will be that person… If you do not wish to assist us, you will be permitted to return to your quarters at once. All memory of this meeting and the previous one will be erased from your mind…

If, on the other hand, you decide to assist us, you may find yourself in a situation that is not easy to endure. You will have thankless tasks and seemingly profitless investments of time, effort, and money… The only reward we can promise you is the inward satisfaction of having assisted in the survival of your race.

Fry was said to have assisted Alan, who he claimed started working as an international businessman and engaged in peace talks. Since the being couldn’t obtain all the necessary documents, he helped him through some secret activities.

In a 1983 trip to Puerto Rico, Fry stated that Alan lived and worked in Cairo. This aligned with an impromptu trip to Cairo that the technician took with his wife. Later, he would go on subsequent trips to London, Egypt, Jordan, and Greece—all of which were allegedly connected to Alan.

When asked to describe the spaceman, Fry said he was an ordinary-looking person who appeared middle-aged. He was about Fry’s height, had blue eyes, and light brown hair.

How Did Daniel Fry Help Spread Alan’s Message?

Aside from publishing his book, Daniel Fry actively supported Alan’s mission. His biggest initiative was founding his organization called Understanding.

Understanding, Inc. and Its Role in Alan’s Mission

Founded in 1955, Understanding’s core mission was to spread the belief that UFOs came to earth to promote world peace and personal development. The organization started with only nine members, but by 1975, it already established 86 local units across:

• California
• New York
• Washington
• Michigan
• Nevada

These units engaged in lectures and gatherings with other UFO witnesses or contactees and advocated for Understanding’s core teachings, which are based on Alan’s wisdom.

• Humanity won’t survive if it doesn’t succeed in reaching a balance between physical science, social science, and spiritual science. This would be comparable to achieving a balance among the physical, emotional, and intellectual/spiritual aspects for people.

Unfortunately, the organization wouldn’t last as long as Fry or Alan would have liked. In 1978, an arsonist burned some areas of Understanding’s center, which was not rebuilt. And by 1979, its members started resigning due to a growing internal conflict.

Daniel’s Personal Activities

After Understanding’s gradual disbandment, Daniel, along with his wife, began publishing a two- to three-page newsletter in 1981.

This included commentaries on world events and politics, and raised awareness of problems hindering peaceful coexistence between nations. With this, they also began holding lectures across the country and distributing pamphlets to politicians and other world leaders.

How Did Daniel Fry Fit Into the 1950s Contactee Movement?

A surge in claims of UFO contacts or abductions happened throughout the 1950s.

• George Adamski in 1952
• Truman Bethurum in 1952
• Orfeo Angelucci in 1952
• George Van Tassel in 1953

Daniel Fry was grouped alongside these contactees as the first people to proclaim that UFO encounters warranted deeper conversations. They were pioneers of various organizations that advocated a better understanding of UFOs, each driven by a goal they claimed had been given to them by intelligent beings.

What Is Daniel Fry’s Legacy in Modern Ufology?

To this day, Daniel Fry will be remembered as one of the central UFO contactees of the 1950s. He helped popularize the idea that UFOs weren’t just a spectacle to be curious about, but might convey a deeper meaning; in his case, it was urging humanity toward peace.

Beyond his narrative, Fry’s legacy rests on the founding of Understanding, Inc. He became the genius behind transforming a single UFO encounter into an organization that advocated the phenomenon through lectures and local units. While he remains controversial for the skeptics, he also still stands as a significant figure in shaping early UFO culture and the theme that these beings serve as guardians of humanity.

To learn more about other UFO researchers, browse through the profiles we’ve published at UFO Connect.

FAQ

What was The White Sands Incident?

The White Sands Incident is Daniel Fry’s 1954 book detailing his alleged UFO encounter and flight aboard a spacecraft. It’s a diligent narration of what happened on July 4, 1949, expounding on the telepathic conversation he had with the spaceman named A-Lan.

How did Daniel Fry differ from other UFO contactees?

Beyond sharing his UFO experience, Daniel Fry focused on technical explanations of spacecraft propulsion, drawing on his background. This separated him from the more mystical contactees.

Was Daniel Fry’s story verified?

There has been no scientific verification of his claims, nor is there an established way to do so. Still, many researchers classify his account with the broader 1950s UFO contactee movement.

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