by R. Leo Sprinkle, Ph.D.
(Author of Soul Samples)

Welcome, reader, to the world of Paola Leopizzi Harris. Ms. Harris, who lives in Rome, Italy, has served well as a photojournalist, futurist, and secondary school teacher in Italian and USA schools. But the position in which she does her best work is not an official position: She brings together high energies, deep issues, and powerful personalities.

My wife Marilyn and I first met Paola in 1981, when she invited several persons to a meeting in Boulder, Colorado. Paola’s special guest, J. Allen Hynek, Ph.D., shared with new/old friends his on-going investigations of UFO experiences.

Twenty years later, Marilyn and I were talking with Paola about our occasional visits, the UFO research community, and the personal fate of UFO investigators who seem to share a common destiny. We were driving by car, July 2001, to Albuquerque, N.M., so that Paola could interview Richard Hoagland. During that special journey, I reflected on Paola’s activities and her uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time.

On the surface, Paola is an intelligent, energetic, international traveler who quickly becomes aware of those around her. She conducts herself professionally, but she is able to obtain personal information from others in what seems to be a casual, almost effortless, manner. With a charming smile, and sometimes a hearty laugh, Paola surrounds her interviewee with a comforting trust. She is both a nurse and a healer who eases the stresses that burden the body, mind, and soul of any UFO researcher.

Paola learns about the investigator’s activities and invites information about the hopes and fears of solving the UFO mystery. She allows the interviewee to speculate, not only about the phenomena, but also about the social and spiritual implications of the ET presence.

And yet, beneath the surface, Paola is somewhat of an enigma, even to herself. She sometimes puzzles: How was this interview arranged? Why did the theme of this interview shift? What is the underlying purpose of these interviews? When will we know the answers to these questions?

Paola does not view herself as a UFO experiencer, yet she recognizes the pattern of coincidences, or synchronicities that characterize her intuitive decisions. With a busy schedule and limited budget, she travels great distances, under improbable conditions, to arrange interviews with credible persons who report incredible experiences.

Like most UFO investigators, Paola began with a curiosity about the physical conditions that might identify an unidentified flying object. Now, like most seasoned investigators, she is fascinated by the psychical connection of humanity and extraterrestrial communications.

Although Paola is puzzled by the “particle/wave” reality (á la Hynek) of flying saucers, and the “aliens among us” (á la Ruth Montgomery), she is dedicated to her personal mission: To locate and learn from persons who are exploring the intersection of humankind and cosmic cultures, persons who, perhaps, are building a bridge between Heaven and Earth.

Enjoy, dear reader, your opportunity to view the world of Paola Leopizzi Harris.