The Ummo Affair:

A Chronology of Contact, Controversy, and Cosmic Communication

Prologue: A Mystery Begins

In the mid-20th century, a series of enigmatic letters began arriving at the homes of scientists, journalists, and UFO enthusiasts across Europe—primarily in Spain and France. These documents, often typed in formal Spanish and laced with strange symbols and technical jargon, claimed to originate from an extraterrestrial civilization known as the Ummites, inhabitants of a planet called Ummo, allegedly orbiting the star Wolf 424 in the constellation Virgo.

The letters, signed by the “Ummoaelewe” (the supposed central government of Ummo), were formal, clinical, and often began with headers detailing the language, number of copies, and recipient’s name. The Ummites claimed to have arrived on Earth in 1950 and to be observing humanity while maintaining minimal contact.

The First Wave: 1960s Emergence

1954–1965: The Groundwork

In 1954, Spanish civil servant Fernando Sesma founded the “Society of Friends of the Visitors from Space,” which met in Madrid’s Café Lyon.

Sesma began receiving cryptic messages in the early 1960s, including a 1962 phone call from an alleged alien named “Saliano” from the planet Auco.

In 1965, Sesma received the first of what would become hundreds of Ummo letters.

1966: The Valderas Sighting

On February 6, 1966, a UFO was reportedly seen over Aluche, Madrid. Witnesses described a craft bearing a strange symbol resembling an “H” with a circle—later known as the Ummo symbol.

On June 1, 1967, a more dramatic sighting occurred in San José de Valderas, where photographs of a flying saucer with the Ummo symbol were published in the newspaper Informaciones. This event catapulted the Ummo affair into public consciousness.

The Letters: A Corpus of Cosmic Thought

Between 1965 and the late 1970s, thousands of pages of Ummo documents were distributed. These letters covered a staggering range of topics:

Physics and Cosmology: Descriptions of multidimensional space, anti-gravity propulsion, and quantum field theories.

Biology and Medicine: Discussions of DNA, cellular regeneration, and alien physiology.

Sociology and Ethics: Insights into Ummite governance, social organization, and moral philosophy.

Linguistics: A constructed language with its own syntax and vocabulary, often interspersed with Spanish.

Each letter was typewritten, often with meticulous formatting and diagrams. Some were sent to multiple recipients, but each copy was individually typed, suggesting a deliberate and labor-intensive process.

The Investigators and Theories

Fernando Sesma

As the first known recipient, Sesma became the public face of the Ummo affair. He published several books, including:

¡Sensacional! Los Extraterrestres Hablan (1966)

Ummo, Otro Planeta Habitado (1967)

La Lógica del Visitante del Espacio (1969)

Antonio Ribera and Rafael Farriols

These Spanish ufologists took a more analytical approach, compiling and translating Ummo letters in Un Caso Perfecto (1979), treating the affair as a potential case of genuine contact.

Denis Denocla

A French researcher who approached the Ummo corpus as a structured system of knowledge. He focused on:

Linguistic coherence of the Ummo language

Metaphysical and cosmological models

The possibility of Ummo as a “teaching system” rather than a literal alien contact

The Hoax Hypothesis and the Peña Confession

In the 1990s, Spanish engineer José Luis Jordán Peña claimed responsibility for fabricating the Ummo letters as a psychological experiment. He admitted to creating the documents and orchestrating the sightings, including the Valderas photographs.

However, many researchers remain skeptical of Peña’s confession, citing:

The sheer volume and consistency of the letters

Technical content beyond Peña’s known expertise

The possibility of multiple authors or intelligence involvement

Legacy and Cultural Impact

The Ummo affair remains one of the most enigmatic and polarizing episodes in UFO history. Whether viewed as:

A brilliant hoax

A psychological experiment

A symbolic transmission

Or genuine extraterrestrial contact

…it continues to inspire researchers, artists, and theorists.