SUNlite Shedding some light on and UFOs

Roughly about half the witnesses were sure they saw planes in the sky...The other half saw nothing. The elevation operator of an antiaircraft director look- ing through his scope saw many planes. His azimuth operator looking through a parallel scope on the same instrument did not see any planes...Once the fir- ing started, imagination created all kinds of targets in the sky and everyone joined in. Colonel John G. Murphy writing about the ‘Battle of LA” in 1949 Volume 3 Number 1 January-February 2011 The cover image was taken from the cover of the The people have spoken Coastal Artillery Journal of July-August 1942. This issue spends some time discussing the infamous t least the people of have. I am as well for allowing the error to ap- “”. AWhen Jeff Peckman put his “Initiative pear. 300” on the ballot last November, it was contributions from various people. Peter basically a trial balloon on how people In other news, I noticed that my last IFO Merlin’s article pretty much confirmed felt about spending tax dollars on UFOs. university article could have applied to what I already knew about the “” Peckman stated that it would not involve several prominent events in November show. He had confided with me previ- taxpayer money but the voters thought and December. There was a UFO event ously about his experience with it. It sort it might and they responded by voting that turned out to be a RC airplane with of gives you an idea how many of these “NO”! I comment on this in more detail LEDs, one involving airplane landing UFO shows are probably produced. Peter on page 16. Pay attention UFOlogy. lights (as solved by MUFON), and a UFO Brookesmith’s submission provides the photograph submitted to MUFON that reader with another aspect regarding the SUNlite has received some criticism from looked remarkably like an aircraft seen Rendlesham case; Matt Graeber provides several individuals who seem to have bi- from a distance. There was also a case us his views about UFOlogy’s dark side; ased opinions about the subjects I have of an airplane contrail causing quite the Roger Paquay provides some interesting written about. I used to have a section controversy in the media. Three of these information regarding media influence called “e-mails to the editor” but I took it are mentioned in this issue. on the Belgian UFO wave. It adds to the out when the e-mails dried up. If people piece last issue written by Jean-Michel have a specific comment/item they want The New Zealand government released Abrassart. I publicly like to thank them corrected, it is not hard to contact me via its UFO files in late December. As usual, for their efforts. I hope the readers of e-mail ([email protected]). I will cor- there was no smoking gun. However, it is SUNlite appreciate them as much as I do. rect any mistakes regarding something interesting to read the documents about factual. However, interpretation of facts the December 1978 Kaikoura UFO case. On a humorous note, I would like to point is another thing and I may disagree with out this link to an amusing video clip.It is an argument based more on belief than Last issue, I gave a brief review of the a video clip that has been used by various facts. Rendlesham case but Ian Ridpath’s work people to create parodies of just about should be considered the primary source everything (including a parody about all Speaking of errors that need correcting, of information on this. His presentation the parodies!) and comes from the movie Martin Kottmeyer received some feed- at the Unconvention 2010 was outstand- “Downfall”. I put in a few frames of the back that he was wrong on a point in ing and worth watching. Ian also sent me video here that I thought was applicable his piece about the Arnold sighting. Mr. an e-mail about a meeting attended by to many individuals I have encountered Kottmeyer acknowledges that he made Burroughs and Penniston in Woodbridge over the years when discussing UFOs. an error when he stated that the objects to “reveal the truth” . Those showing up TABLE OF CONTENTS traveled in a “V” formation. He misunder- got to view a new History Channel video stood the term “echelon” and interpreted on “Ancient Aliens” and were told that it to mean “V”. Apparently, Marty got this Penniston’s “ notebook” contains a Who’s blogging UFOs...... 2-3 impression from secondary sources such secret code he obtained from the “object” The Roswell Corner ...... 4 as the 1995 History Channel documen- that was in binary. I wonder why this is tary, “Where have all the UFOs gone?” suddenly revealed 30 years later? Didn’t More Malmstrom madness...... 5 When he was contacted concerning this we understand binary in 1980? Things Stomping around, goofing off by Peter error, he checked the primary sources that make you go hmmmm.... Brookesmith...... 6-10 and discovered his mistake. He was up- set that he had made such an error and This month’s issue has some interesting Hollywood and Area 51: A missed oppor- tunity by Peter Merlin...... 11-13 The Belgian UFO wave: A statistical study by Roger Paquay...... 14-15 Initiative 300 takes a beating...... 16 The Battle of LA UFO story...... 17-22 IFO University: Balloons...... 23 Beware the dark side of UFOs! by Matt Graeber...... 24-28 Rocket launches and UFO reports....29-30 Missile or contrail?...... 30 UFOs on the tube...... 31 Buy it, borrow it, bin it...... 31 1 The UFO Examiner revealed he now has a I read somewhere that these kinds of UFO alert condition system. I am not sure Who’s blogging things could produce UFO reports. why. It does absolutely nothing since UFO groups don’t proactively look for UFOs. If UFOs? Billy Cox seems gullible enough to be- these UFO groups were really interested, lieve Steve Bassett’s claim that for just we would see UFO watches and video $250,000 dollars, the “truth” about UFOs systems set up to capture these UFOs. Hot topics and varied opinions would be revealed. Cox reports that Bas- Strangely, or not so strangely, astrono- sett implied that President Clinton was mers’ all sky cameras have yet to report going to disclose the truth about UFOs recording any of these UFOs in but was halted by the im- these high alert areas. peachment hearings. I am not so easily sold by Bassett’s As always, the UFO Examiner bogus claims. This is the same has all those UFO reports that guy that has basically gone have yet to be investigated and bankrupt with his X-Confer- nobody hardly ever reports on ence adventures. Can you the MUFON investigation re- really trust somebody who sults (although he did reveal can’t even do something one Colorado investigation that as simple as balancing his was really easy to solve). For books? We have had a lot of instance, nobody seemed to these press conferences with bother to investigate the “white witnesses presenting their “I cylindrical object” over the Illi- know what I saw/heard” sto- nois skies on October 27th. The ries. Nobody seems to care witness stated between 10 and other than UFO proponents, 10:30 he saw the UFO going who like to proclaim that this north. He took some photographs and one presentation will be the one that reveals showed the object which he described is a diamond shaped red object. Just to the “truth” about UFOs. If Billy Cox really as being white with a dark middle band the lower left of this object (and roughly thinks this all will happen for a meager and end. He also added it had no wings. the same distance from and opposite $250,000, I suggest he start a fund to get More careful observation of the image re- the center of the image) is a very bright this started. If 10,000 people donate only veals what appears to be an MD-80 or 90 streetlight that is a square shaped (but $25 each, it would not be hard to come type aircraft. The dark middle band is the appears diamond shaped when viewed up with the cash. Like the Denver ET underside of from the angle in the photograph). It is Commission vote, I suspect such a call for the wing (see very likely that this UFO was an internal funds would receive a weak response. a comparison lens reflection. image I took at Billy Cox also complained that SETI’s left). One can Kentaro Mori indicated that the Varginha podcast interview with Leslie Kean omit- even see what case was potentially solved. The case ted discussing details about the 1989- appears to be involved some girls seeing an alien 1990 Belgium UFO case. I wonder if Mr. the rear engine near the tail section. The creature that eventually expanded into Cox (or for that matter Leslie Kean) have general description of the location ap- a crashed saucer retrieval. I don’t think ever examined ALL the information re- pears to be west of Joliet, which is south- many UFOlogists gave it any credence garding these cases. Cox talks about an west of Chicago O’Hare airport. but Mori’s article points toward a pos- analysis but I think he is only parrotting sible solution. A man called “Little Luis”, what General De Brouwer wrote in Kean’s There were other cases that were fairly who suffers from mental problems, lives book. Missing is any mention of Messen’s easy to solve but the image taken of “orbs” on the streets in the area where the later analysis and the analysis of Salmon- and a rainbow just amazed me. A high “creature” was seen. The photographs of Gilmard! Cox is complaining that people resolution image clearly showed the orbs Luis “squatting” (which is how he sits) is a are concealing the truth but chooses to were likely seagulls. Does the Examiner remarkable resemblance to the drawings conceal information that is vitally impor- bother to even look at these cases or does of the creature. tant to understand the case. he simply post them to fill up space? A blue UFO was seen in Centreville, Vir- Anthony Bragalia seems to think that Frank Warren posted a photograph of a ginia. Someone managed to record it people have a hard time accepting the UFO over Knotts Berry Farm. The pho- with their cell phone camera video func- idea of extraterrestrials in his blog post- tographer initially thought it was due to tion. It was quite the case until a local ing of why “you” can’t accept them. He glare but then concluded there was noth- news station revealed the source of the uses the “race” card (we can’t get along ing to reflect the light. However, the pho- UFO. Tony Claridge was flying his remote with each other) as the reason why ET tographer and Frank Warren did not con- controlled aircraft that night and it is would not bother to make “open contact” sider an internal lens reflection. The UFO decorated with blue LEDs. I recall that with earth. He implies that “many” on 2 He is beginning to sound like Frank Kauf- Who’s blogging UFOs? (Cont’d) mann, , etc.. earth would probably reject or abhor ET. has “discovered”. The end result of all this Andrew Wozny, Canada’s UFO examiner, It is nice to know that Bragalia finds him- speculation is more promises of great rev- posted a claim that states three large ob- self enlightened enough to inform us on elations to come. As the late Phil Klass was jects are approaching the earth and will how the majority of humans relate to each fond of writing, “lots of luck”. arrive in mid-December 2012. His source other. One would think we would have is SETI astrophysicist Craig Kasnov. How- killed each other off by now because we Finally, Reverend Bragalia has suggested ever, a search of the SETI web site pro- don’t like the way somebody looks or acts. that the Bible says ET’s are real. Is Braga- duced no Craig Kasnov. However, there That may have been the case a century lia actually considering the Bible an ac- is a Craig Kasnoff, who was involved in ago but what about today? In most of civi- curate historical document? What next... creating seti@home. He denies being lized society people of different races and creationism? involved in this in the comments section ethnicity’s work together. During my time of this blog. I find it amazing that these in the Navy, I had two commanding offi- Dr. David Clarke commented on the re- large objects are approaching the earth cers who were different races. One is a Vice cent Hastings press conference. I don’t and still are two years away. How big are Admiral today. His statements appear to think he was very impressed with the pre- they and how fast are they approaching? be directed at skeptics because they sup- sentation. His comment, “If the evidence This all sounds like Wozny is trying to cash posedly could never accept the existence for aliens interfering with nuclear weapons in on the December 2012 nonsense. of ET. His implication is incorrect. Skeptics is so good – then why does Robert Hastings and scientists would be more than willing pick such poor examples to prove his case? Keith Basterfield wrote an excellent- ar to accept an ET presence. They just are The bottom line is that extraordinary claims ticle about solving the Woomera UFO not willing to accept the sloppy research require extraordinary evidence. In both the story. This was linked to the Solway firth and wild speculation prevalent in UFOl- Malmstrom and RAF Woodbridge cases spaceman photograph. He determined ogy as evidence for the existence of alien there is absolutely no evidence” will surely there is no link and the “UFO” was just an spaceships. draw the ire of the UFOlogical elite ev- internal lens reflection. Mr. Basterfield’s erywhere. His mention of a study called, article is excellent work. Anthony Bragalia then spent some time “UAPs in the UK air defense region” is im- talking about the “Interplanetary Phe- portant. It seemed to indicate that there California is always a wonderful place nomenon Unit” in the US Army sometime is no evidence that UFOs have any inter- to see UFOs. The video at the link of the in the 1940s and 1950s. The “unit” was est in strategic assets and the only rea- object ejecting material looks fake to disbanded after that. We know it existed son that there may be reports from these me. Another UFO video at the link was based on the documentation available. locations is because they are manned by recorded by many observers. On Decem- However, what it discovered seems to be observers 24 hours a day. ber 1st and 8th, there were many vid- lost as the records no longer exist. Despite eos of UFOs taken from the Los Angeles having no documentation to support him, Paul Shroeder submitted an open letter to area. One of the persons who recorded Bragalia concluded that the unit discov- cynics and debunkers on the UFO digest the UFOs referred to them as “the silver ered that some UFOs were “interplan- blog. It sounded like the same old bro- surfer”. It did not take long for the UFOs etary”. Bragalia seems to make much of ken record where debunkers and skeptics to be identified. It may have been solved the news that the records were apparently were criticized for daring to ask questions. sooner if people looked at October’s UFO destroyed but I don’t consider it anything The funniest thing I saw was how he told sighting that was caused by the Golden significant. Various records get destroyed everyone how to call ET to your location. Knights. The Red Bull air force did some all the time simply because they are no Just go outside in your yard/parking lot/ evening parachuting over Santa Monica longer required to be retained. There whatever and the point a flashlight sky- at the same time the videos were record- seemed to be no reason for anybody to ward. The blink the light on and off ten ed on the dates in question. The Contrail retain the unit’s documentation so mak- times, then nine, then eight until you science blog analyzed the videos and ing a big deal out of it is not correct unless reach one. After that work you way back demonstrated that the data agreed with one can show they were not supposed up to ten flashes in reverse order. Keep Red Bull Air Force explanation. Like the to be destroyed. Bragalia also implicates doing this several times each night until Golden Knights in October, flares were General MacArthur being involved and the aliens come. If the aliens don’t come, attached to their legs and these pro- having UFO sightings. I would think the you probably just did not believe enough. duced the light show. It is a shame that Korean war and being heavily involved Does this work for Santa Claus too? Bill Nye jumped to the conclusions that with the rebuilding of Japan would pretty the video was a hoax but I am sure he is much occupy the general’s time between Kevin Randle pointed out that Kal Korff more than willing to alter his conclusion 1945 and 1951. After that he was not in a has claimed to have been on military ma- with this data. Compare this to Jim Dear- position to be involved in anything. One neuvers but was actually out playing paint dorff’s unshakable belief that it could not would also think there would be detailed ball. Back in SUNlite 1-3, I asked “what be parachutists. This reinforces my opin- records about his involvement in such an ever happened to Kal Korff” and felt that ion that the more publicity a UFO event organization. Historians and biographers his videos were ridiculous. Korff really receives, the less likely some UFOlogists must have missed the link that Bragalia needs to do some serious self-reflection. will be to accept any explanation. 3 The Roswell “A cluster of balloons” Probably the biggest event on Kevin Randle’s blog had nothing to do with his Corner articles but an on-going tit-for-tat battle that involved Gilles Fernandez, Christo- pher Allen, “Sourcerer”, and David Rudiak Lost memories of the most among others. Hundreds of comments memorable event in human his- were made on two blog entries going tory over the same old tired ground concern- ing project MOGUL. Nothing, as usual, I was recently going over some newspa- was resolved. Nobody can prove conclu- per articles in the Roswell daily record sively that the flight launched on June of 1981 and found a story with the title 4th did or did not have radar reflectors of “Author says ‘’ finds and could or could not reach the Foster readers around the world” (RDR Janu- Ranch. Probably the biggest evidence to ary 2, 1981 page 6). The author, Lynne suggest a cluster of balloons and radar Vanns, wrote, reflector were the source of the debris are the statements by those in 1947, who are As fate would have it, Haut had a friend in known to have recovered it. Both Marcel the Eighth Air Force whose job was travel- and Brazel in 1947 made comments that ing around the country collecting stories were consistent with materials used by and photos of UFOs. the NYU team in constructing their bal- Just before the crashed weather balloon loon flights. The photographs of the de- affair, “He had been showing us the pic- bris is also consistent with these same tures.” The friend told Haut that, as of that materials. Of course, this information Roswell fool’s gold time, none of the stories or pictures he’d does not conclusively prove that what collected had even a suspicion of being Brazel found was a flight launched by the Dr. Bill Doleman published his research the real thing. NYU team but it does increase that possi- on the Roswell dig site recently in The “So I didn’t think much of it and the whole bility. The only way for crashed spaceship Handbook of Space Engineering, Arche- thing died on the base.’’ In fact, Haut proponents to explain these statements ology and Heritage edited by Ann Gar- said he’d forgotten the whole affair until is to create a vast complicated conspiracy rison Darrin and Beth Laura O’Leary. He Charles Berlitz contacted him. that forced these men to lie to the me- wrote a chapter in the book titled, “Ar- dia. This logic has been used since the chaeology of the Putative Roswell UFO The funny thing about all of this is that late 1970s and has yet to sway anybody crash site: A case study.” Most of what I in 1981, Haut seems to have forgotten outside the UFO community. Crashed read was a rehash of what was already about the greatest event in human his- UFO proponents will have to do better if known from “The Roswell dig diaries” tory as if nothing of significance had they want to convince those to cross over and other sources. The bottom line is occurred. However, twenty years later, from the other side. Meanwhile, skeptics, that nothing important was found. Dr. he stated in an affidavit he knew many debunkers, and pelicanists (or whatever Doleman seems to have the opinion that things about the event including seeing UFOlogical epithet you want to use) are they were not digging in the right place. the alien spaceship and bodies. He was more than willing to accept the more That is most interesting because this is suddenly full of details and particulars likely possibility that a large quantity of the place that the HIGHLY RELIABLE Ro- that supported the crashed spaceship balloons and radar reflectors (no matter swell witness Bill Brazel told them was scenario. what the source) were found on the Fos- the location of the crash site. Remember ter Ranch that crazy summer of 1947. he stated it took the ground years to heal The use of the “security oath” excuse back up (even though there is not one seems a bit tired at this point. Nothing single photograph of the impact scar stopped Jesse Marcel Sr. from telling that existed for so long). With such an his story about what happened so Haut obvious mark, there should be no mis- could easily have told the details about take as to the location of the site. Maybe this the instant he was interviewed. In Brazel was mistaken or maybe he sort of over thirty years, not one person out of embellished things a bit. In either case, it the dozens who have come forward has demonstrates that, once again, one has been prosecuted in anyway for violating to take many of these Roswell UFO crash any potential “security oath” associated stories with a grain of salt. Otherwise, with the Roswell “incident”! you can waste a lot of time and money digging holes in the desert looking for Roswell gold but only finding garbage. 4 ast issue I mentioned the exchange of The Malmstrom merry-go-round Lbroadsides in the Malmstrom missile shutdown case. Robert Hastings is still threatening James Carlson with a law- true. This would mean that he would tion that supports the claims of Salas that suit. Meanwhile, others have weighed in have to publicly admit that he was a shutdown also occurred at Oscar flight. on the matter. guilty of lies through omission. Meanwhile, Tim Hebert created a blog Scientific recognition 3. To state these events were not true. with the title, “Did it really happen?” and In this case, he would open himself started off with the Malmstrom story. he UFO Chronicles blog posted an ar- to being exposed as a liar, which is Hebert is a former SAC missile crew com- Tticle where four “scientists” stated that what Carlson has stated all along. mander, which makes him familiar with UFOs challenged “scientific dogma”. This the environment in which these events seemed to be an effort to give scientific As of this writing, Hastings has failed to occurred. Hebert pretty much mirrored credibility to the press conference. How- respond, which means he seems to have the conclusions of Carlson. To his credit, ever, all of these scientists had affiliations chosen option number one. Frank Warren allowed his blog entry to be with UFOlogy or some pseudoscientific placed on his web site. However, Frank research. Let me know when scientists Academia endorses UFOs? made a comment that Hebert had some outside the UFO field start giving cre- “factual errors”. When I asked Tim what dence to this research. n an apparent effort to obtain some “facts” he got wrong, he stated Warren Isort of recognition by the academic had yet to discuss it with him. Appar- Carlson responds community, Hastings reported that he ently, Warren needed to look things up was to speak at Oxford University on the so they may not be any errors at all and n November 10th, Reality Uncov- 24th of November. While the announce- Warren may be the one who is mistaken. Oered posted an open letter by James ment mentioned “standing room only”, it Carlson to Robert Hastings. If you recall really was in reference to those with press Mr. Hastings goes to Wyoming from last issue, I suggested that Hastings’ credentials. The hall had a capacity of 200 request was nothing more than placing a but only 20 tickets had been sold by mid- hile all this was transpiring, Hast- “bounty” on Carlson’s head. Carlson sim- November. The price was only 5 pounds Wings went to Wyoming to “inves- ply fired back at Hastings challenging him (about $8 US) but even at that price, he tigate” UFO reports that could be as- to admit certain items he has left out in his had difficulty filling the hall. I -was in sociated with the missile shutdown last discussions about the Malmstrom missile formed that the actual attendance was October (see the last issue of SUNlite). By base shutdown. Among those items was 63. I hope that during the Q&A section, posting requests in the newspaper, I am Carlson asked Hastings to acknowledge they managed to ask some more chal- sure he will discover some unsubstantiat- that Figel had contacted him and stated lenging/serious questions than some of ed sightings that he can claim influenced the things that were published in the those I saw being made at the press con- the missile shutdown. It is nothing more Reality Uncovered blog (and in SUNlite). ference. than stirring up rumors, calling these wit- Carlson also asked if Hastings had ever nesses and their reports “credible”, and contacted Dick Evans as Figel requested. While it was reported as being at Oxford then adding another chapter to his “UFOs Evans was the commander of the missile University, the venue was actually St. Hil- and Nukes” book. It is speculation being squadron, which involved Oscar flight. da’s College. They had rented the hall to presented as fact. Hastings and it was not an invitation by Hastings had also proclaimed that Carlson the College for him to speak. This makes End Game? was not telling people the truth when he it a financial transaction and not an en- stated he talked to Figel. Carlson wanted dorsement of Hastings’ research. Based ill there be a court case with a po- Hastings to withdraw that claim. Carlson on the tepid response, it seems that the Wtential resolution or will this ex- seemed more than willing to take this public/students/faculty in the area felt change continue endlessly? No matter to court with Mr. Hastings. If it went to Hastings had little to offer. what facts are revealed that demonstrate court, would we see Salas, Hastings, Figel, no UFOs were involved, UFO proponents and others making actual witness state- More opinions like Hastings will continue to promote ments that could make them guilty of these cases as something involving forc- perjury if they lied? avid Clarke added an entry on his es beyond this earth. Skeptics just ask for Dblog about the “UFOs and Nukes” something verifiable to alter their opin- All of these items were pretty much yes press conference. While he spent a good ion. So far, the only thing verified is that or no answers for Hastings to respond to deal of time discussing the Rendlesham Echo had a missile shutdown. The rest of and he had one of three choices: case, he did mention the Malmstrom mis- the UFO interpretation is just wild specu- sile shutdown. His conclusion was that lation based primarily on the suspect tes- 1. To ignore the letter/not respond di- the case was so full of contradictions that timony by one individual, who originally rectly to his questions. it can only be listed as “not proven”. The could not even remember where he was facts do not support UFOs shutting down or who was with him. 2. To acknowledge these events were Echo flight and there is no documenta- 5 The People4, over his possible part in the Stomping around, goofing off events of the second night. Equally inevi- Why the US Air Force and the British MoD kept quiet tably the question of a ‘cover-up’ arose in about the Rendlesham Forest Incident the course of the exchange. In respond- ing to that idea, Conde wrote: by Peter Brookesmith Knowing the USAF as I do I am still con- o the devoted connoisseur of skeptic- vinced that if the USAF was covering any- Tversus-believer debates, the argu- thing up, it was a vice base commander ment over the ‘Rendlesham Incident’ of leading a search for UFOs off base -[em December 1980 has become a classic phasis added] accompanied by people re- of its kind. The case was early dubbed sponsible for guarding nuclear weapons. ‘Britain’s Roswell’—an appropriate sou- The fact that senior leadership did nothing briquet, for claims and counter-claims to Halt can be attributed to their desire to about both cases have unfolded along keep the situation low key. Relieving Halt strikingly similar lines over the years. would have made a splash, especially if he Believers and star witnesses have elabo- LT COL HALT: 3.30: and the objects are threw a public fit, coupled with a lack of rated the story, some in fantastical ways, still in the sky, although the one to the firm evidence. They may have believed he while intrepid truth-seekers with nothing south looks like it’s losing a little bit of was a wacko, but could not prove it.5 to gain—decried in the trade as fact-shy altitude. We’re turning around and head- debunkers and government shills—keep ing back toward the base. The object to Conde’s hint that Halt was out of order digging up bits of evidence that indicate the sou... the object to the south is still in rambling about off base was echoed nothing anomalous happened. beaming down lights to the ground. by Col Sam Morgan, who in the summer of 1981 succeeded Col Ted Conrad as Lt One phase of this decades-long debate [Break in recording] Col Halt’s immediate commanding of- revolved around the suggestion—and it ficer. In a 1984 phone conversation with was only a suggestion, not a ‘claim’—by LT COL HALT: 0400 hours: one object famously horned, hoofed, and tailed the former USAF law enforcement offi- still hovering over the Woodbridge base commentator on ufology, Phil Klass, Col cer, retired Senior Master Sergeant Kevin at about five to ten degrees off the ho- Morgan said: “Halt really had no authority Conde: that a prank he played while on rizon. Still moving erratic and similar out there in that forest anyhow. So he was a patrol at Woodbridge may have been be- lights beaming down as earlier. 1 kind of hobbyist on his own lurking around. hind one feature of the case. When I... looked into it I concluded that it Interestingly enough, two other wit- was just a bunch of guys screwing around Briefly stated, Conde—then a Technical nesses—local residents—had said they in the woods.” 6 This last phrase in turn is Sergeant—on one occasion adapted a saw coloured lights moving around in strangely redolent of Kevin Conde’s fel- USAF police car’s fancy lighting system the region of the East Gate at the same low 81st SPS security policeman Chris to generate a brilliant display of coloured time.2 So Conde’s practical joke, or one Armold’s words, in a message to the e- illuminations in a foggy night sky. This like it, looked for a while as if it might be zine UK UFO Network. 7 Apart from some could have created the impression that a good explanation for that otherwise exceedingly dry remarks about the event mysterious beams of light were being puzzling aspect of the case. On the other (such as it was—“It just was not an issue,” shone not up from, but down onto, the hand, Ian Ridpath’s analysis of which stars said Armold) and some of its latter-day Woodbridge base from above. Conde were scintillating, and subject to autoki- stars, Armold describes the venture into was not sure, but thought it possible that nesis, near the horizon on the night Halt the woods as “just a half-dozen or so of us he had perpetrated his jape at the time was in the woods, could equally well ex- stomping around goofing off.” Lt Col Charles Halt and his party were plain the remarks about ‘light beams’ on stumbling around in the dark in Rendle- Halt’s tape.3 And as Kevin Conde can’t be The official position sham Forest. If so, these exchanges, on certain when he played his prank, and the tape-recorded commentary that Halt no testimony has so far emerged to pin n April 1998, I became intrigued by made at the time, make sense: something similar on someone else on Ithis question of US airmen wandering the Night In Question, Ridpath’s explana- around, apparently on duty, en masse, in LT COL HALT: Now we’re observing what tion becomes the most parsimonious. the Suffolk woods. It struck me as strange appears to be a beam coming down to that they should feel free to do so. I lift- the ground. I mention all this simply to give Kevin ed my electric telephone, and spoke at Conde his due locus standi in the Rendle- length with the RAF and British Army M/SGT BALL: Look at the colours... shit. sham affair. Inevitably, if now perhaps to press officers at the Ministry of Defence. his chagrin, Conde was drawn into what I didn’t mention the Rendlesham case. LT COL HALT: This is unreal. one can only call an argy-bargy on the I merely asked, à propos any RAF base Internet with the late Georgina Bruni, leased to the USAF, where the USAF’s [Break in recording] author of the True Believer’s Bible on territorial responsibility ended and who the Rendlesham incident, You Can’t Tell would defend the perimeter if it were at- 6 tacked. Crown on the other, the separation of from political crisis to outbreak of hostili- military and police powers is taken rather ties generally take a long time. By the mid The answers were interesting, for they seriously by the British. Given Lt Col Halt’s Sixties it had been calculated that there suggested that Lt Col Halt had put him- position and responsibilities,9 it would be were some 40–50 discrete stages an inter- self in a potentially embarrassing posi- surprising (or at least depressing) if he national crisis would pass through before tion. They were: hadn’t been apprised of the subtleties an exchange of nuclear missiles became of the British constitution and where he inevitable.12 During that time US bases in • USAF responsibility starts (and ends) stood in relation to it. the UK would have ample opportunity to with the fenceline of an RAF base prepare their defences. leased to the USAF. Wars and rumours of wars One can safely say that any necessary • Beyond that, i.e. outside the base, t’s not hard to see that the intricacies diplomatic niceties would, in one form or responsibility for security rests with Iof the British constitution could cre- another, have been observed long before the local police. ate problems, unforeseen in the 17th any actual shooting started. One can say century, for those wanting to defend a this particularly safely because in Octo- That’s the strict legal position: Mr Plod is USAF base in the UK against a common ber 2010 the aforementioned Nick Pope, in charge. If hordes of Red Army Spetsnaz enemy. But in the interests of pragma- former Ministry of Defence (MoD) clerk 8 troops were to have parachuted into tism much may be done by way of laws, and would-be half-colonel of the British the Suffolk countryside as Soviet ICBMs leases and treaties when a country enjoys Army, stated at the Un- rained down on Birmingham, Knotty Ash, (and sometimes suffers from) an unwrit- Convention that US forces in the UK had Stow-in-the-Wold, &c, the protocol, at ten constitution. Even the egregious Nick standing authorization under the Status face value, would have been as follows. Pope, devotee of an ET interpretation of of Forces Agreement to venture off-base The US base commander complains to the Rendlesham incident and of whom if the security of a base was compromised. the RAF base commander, who passes on more later, recognizes as much: As the person who provoked this useful American expressions of distaste to the revelation, I regret not having had the wit local police who, duly incensed at the So- The legal position with regard to United to point out at the time that proceeding viets’ offence of armed trespass, request States Visiting Forces (USVF) is complex, mob-handed off-base to debunk (Lt Col (in suitably clipped tones) the Army to and there are a number of different laws Halt’s own word) a UFO or two, scarcely give military aid to the civil community. and treaties governing what USVF per- constitutes defending ‘the security of the Note that formula: the strict legal and sonnel can and cannot do in the UK. The base’ as that term might commonly be constitutional position is that the British general rule is that US jurisdiction ends at understood. military would come to the assistance of the perimeter fence, though there are a the police and thus to the defence of the number of circumstances where it would Such US exercises as occurred off-base, British sovereign, her subjects, and her be quite proper for on-duty USVF person- not being a reaction to a threat, would realm—not to the aid of the US military. nel to go off-base.10 also have been cleared with everyone concerned in the proper order, including This protocol may seem quaint and curi- One such circumstance is certainly the the British police. Constitutionally, ‘clear- ous, even Byzantine, to those unaware defence of the base. USAF security police ance’ would, after all, take no more than of the delicate constitutional position of are also trained as infantrymen, fulfilling a telephone conversation between the the British Army. This is commanded by the same role as the RAF Regiment does base commander (an RAF officer) and the the sovereign but exists only by consent on a British air base. As Kevin Conde ex- local chief constable to become legal— of parliament, which may decline to raise plained it: the latter is sufficiently autonomous— taxes to support it. The arrangement has and thereafter it’s up to him whom else, its roots in the causes of the Civil War In the event of real tensions, and the belief including no one, he might choose to tell and the Glorious Revolution of the 17th that the Russians were coming, we would about it. century, and revolves around the Brit- ... have operated freely off base. The exer- ish distaste for standing armies, which cises that have figured into some of this Out of his own mouth historically have been seen as potential controversy are an example. The major- instruments of regal tyranny. A similar ity of the hard core ‘combat’ occurred off ne circumstance in which it is legal suspicion of standing armies is built in base. Oand most definitely moral for US to the US Constitution, which insists that forces to move beyond base perimeters in funding for the military must be reviewed When in the air base ground defense formation is to deal with downed aircraft. every two years. But, as will become clear, mode we knew that if we waited until we But on the second night of the Rendlesh- the British position is important to the had Russians in the wire we were already am saga, the night Hall went snooping in ‘Rendlesham Incident’ and the nature of too late. It was our mission to go off base the woods, there was no such triggering any cover-up by the authorities. and engage them as far from the flight misapprehension about downed planes line as possible.11 to inspire (or justify) an off-base expedi- As part of a series of safeguards against tion. 13 According to Halt himself, the politicization of the Army on the one In the prelude to what turns out to be hand and the abuse of power by the a shooting war, the preliminary stages The duty Flight Lieutenant [Bruce En- 7 glund] came in, and he was quite shaken, hauled up before the local beak, but it’s added: “Halt was a bit like the boy scout and insisted upon speaking to myself and not impossible. who never grew up and was out looking the base commander about a matter of for some kind of attention or excitement.” utmost urgency. He said, “It’s back,” and Having discussed this with various par- Halt’s now-famous habit of riding around I said, “What’s back?” and he said, “The ties, I’m less convinced today that the at night with security police patrols UFO is back.” I assembled a small team of situation was quite so clear-cut. For ex- would certainly suggest a certain Walter experts and we set off in the forest, ready ample, the question of whether Charles Mitty-ish tendency. Regarding this, Col to debunk it.14 Halt and all his cohorts were in fact ‘on Morgan commented: “I was concerned duty’ (or regarded themselves as such) that he would usurp Major [Mal] Zickler’s Two points emerge from this revelation. has never been fully answered.15 Even authority and often spoke with Major Zick- In the first place, it suggests a high degree so, Halt himself had changed into a ‘util- ler to ensure he was not irritated by Halt’s of psychological priming among the air- ity’ uniform, and sallied forth to scratch actions. As long as Maj. Zickler could toler- men involved in favour of some anoma- among the trees with issue kit (a starlight ate Halt’s meddling and as long as Halt did lous occurrence, deriving (one presumes) scope and a Geiger counter, at the very not compromise his job performance, I did from reports or rumours of the events of least: the presence of light-alls is disput- not interfere.” the previous evening. In fairness, Englund ed) and certainly filed an official report. may have been using the term ‘UFO’ in Lt Bruce Englund was certainly on duty. The enlisted men who chauffeured Halt the strict technical sense it’s employed Chris Armold, by his own account, seems around were not always so sanguine, by aviators and air traffic controllers. But also to have been on duty. Sgt Monroe while independently endorsing Col Mor- Halt’s retrospective claim that he ‘set off ‘Greg’ Nevilles, who operated the Gei- gan’s that Halt was in search in the forest, ready to debunk’ the UFO ger counter (and according to Col Sam of attention and excitement. Kevin Conde suggests that he, at least, didn’t take the Morgan had had little training on the observed: term in that sense. machine and was none too bright), was also on duty: Halt recruited him as he was Senior officers generally stayed out of Second, Halt’s formulation here fits the the on-call member of the base’s Disaster our business, as they did not want to in- traditional template of believers’ rheto- Preparedness Unit. The status of Sgts terfere or become part of something they ric—the claim to have started as a skeptic Adrian Bustinza and Bobby Ball isn’t clear. [might] have to rule on later. Halt rode all but to have been slowly converted to a Larry Warren and John Burroughs seem the time—says something about his life belief in a favourite anomalous or para- just to have tagged along. In any case or lack of. ... Folks that ride with cops want normal phenomenon by the overwhelm- it seems hardly likely that any of these the excitement, and when they see some- ing nature of the evidence, etc. The in- people would disobey Halt, whom they thing dramatic it is exciting. In the end tention, conscious or otherwise, of this would regard as in charge by virtue of his though it is also frustrating, because they ploy is to endow both the evidence and rank. All of which makes Halt’s position à aren’t cops and they can’t share in the the adherent with authority; but implic- propos the standing arrangements be- excitement. All they can do is just watch. itly, it depends on the fragile notion that tween the UK Government and the USAF That’s Halt—he watched, but could not personal ‘authenticity’ and experience ambiguous at best. participate, and he hated that. Until outweigh the forces of logic and rational Christmas 80-81. Then he had the chance examination. In turn this has some bearing on how to be a man of action. 16 Halt’s commanders decided to respond to What happened next his adventure and his report. That would And Col Morgan’s take today on Halt’s also depend to some extent on how they story is this: n the original version of this article, I viewed Halt as an individual, an officer, Iremarked at this point as follows: at and a gentleman. Halt was in the same Halt was meddling as usual and went to the very least Halt should have known position anyone might be in any large check things out. Halt was over reacting enough to be aware of the possible con- corporate enterprise: how his peers and when on the scene and it was recorded sequences of going for a mass hike off- superiors reacted to his behaviour would on a pocket tape recorder. I got this tape base, on duty and in uniform. Then-Sqn depend largely on their wisdom and ur- and... [it] started a story which, for Halt, Ldr (later Wing Cdr) Don Moreland, the banity, and their view of his character. shined a light on him. He could have ad- British base commander, should have Halt was fortunate in having his expedi- dressed the facts or he could have inflated known that better than anyone. US forc- tion viewed kindly by men of experience the story. He chose to inflate the story. es overseas are subject to local law for and insight. One says ‘fortunate’ because Soon the story was much bigger than he crimes committed on the host’s territory neither the officers nor the enlisted men expected and he does not now have a and, legally speaking, Halt and his men around him seem to have formed an es- graceful way out. were trespassing. Even under the law of pecially high opinion of Lt Col Charles trespass as it stood at the time, had they Ignis Halt. Red peril, red faces caused significant damage in the forest, they would have been committing an of- Col Sam Morgan called him “a kind of twit” alt’s superiors’ response to news of fence, albeit minor, and could have been in his 1984 conversation with Phil Klass. Hhis sortie should also be seen in the prosecuted. For diplomatic reasons it’s In an email exchange with me in Decem- general political context of the time, and perhaps unlikely they would have been ber 2010 he called Halt’s foray “flaky”, and against the backdrop of the presence of 8 nuclear weapons at the Woodbridge/ drugs and rock’n’roll, and a state of affairs putes happened—that a bevy of US air- Bentwaters complex. too close to Bilko for comfort. The second men, at the behest of a Deputy Combat invites cranks and makes sure that real Support Group Commander who should At the end of 1980, there were US hos- journalists stay far away. have known better, went blundering tages still held in Iran (on 21 December, about where they should not have been. the recently self-installed ayatollahs had We know what Halt’s superiors did in (No wonder the forest wildlife was in up- demanded $10 billion for their release), these circumstances, which was send a roar.) It should be no great surprise that— and the Iran–Iraq war was in its opening bland report by Halt up the line via Sqn in the interests of good relations, and stages; there was an IRA mainland bomb- Ldr Moreland to the MoD. They, having most particularly good public relations, ing campaign in progress; the USAF base made some enquiries that established between long-standing allies—there was at Greenham Common was infested with that nothing was seen on radar, came a policy of discretion; or cover-up, if you ladies protesting against stationing US to their usual conclusion—“no defence insist. But it was only a cover-up of sorts. cruise missiles in the UK, while there had significance”—and directed their- at For there is a fairly large distinction be- recently been a rise in militant anti-nu- tention and their long-suffering quills tween studiously ignoring a potentially clear protest in general (for instance, the elsewhere. But Rogerson (as I did until profoundly embarrassing infraction of Sharpness incident of 8 July). The Soviets quite recently) clearly thought, in 2001, English law because of what it revealed had renewed jamming of Western radio that there had been a conscious, calcu- about the calibre of certain senior USAF broadcasts to the USSR; Poland was in lated decision by those on the ground at personnel, and conspiring to remain si- upheaval, threatening the integrity of the Woodbridge not to make much of Halt’s lent about the arrival of an extra-terres- Soviet empire, and there was a real pos- expedition. For the record, I’ve never as- trial craft. Or perhaps time-travellers, as sibility of invasion by the Red Army; the sumed, as Rogerson seems to here, that we are now invited to believe. Gang of Four was on trial in China; and the USAF or the MoD has throughout de- Ronald Reagan, whose rhetoric promised liberately deflected attention from some In sum: Lt Col Charles Halt should have an end to détente with the Communist Greater Secret hidden in the Rendlesham known the law, the British constitution bloc, had just been elected President of incident. and the conventions before initiating his the United States. foolhardy expedition. If he did not, he was But from what I can gather, it seems not out of order; and if he did know, he was In short, these were fairly jumpy times by to have crossed anyone’s mind that Halt even more out of order. The USAF may Cold War standards. In their light, there had, in the vulgar phrase, driven a coach be forgiven for wishing to draw a discreet was potentially a huge embarrassment and horses through the Status of Forces veil over what may have been ignorance for the USAF and for the US itself in the agreement. Whether this was inatten- or foolishness on the part of a senior of- discovery that a bunch of American air- tion to fine detail or a case of turning a ficer at a strategic air base. Unfortunately, men from Woodbridge and Bentwaters blind eye is, at the time of writing, any- as with many another attempt to conceal had been distracted from what they one’s guess. The fact of Halt’s transgres- a cock-up, this one backfired massively— were supposed to do—guard their base: sion may, of course, have crossed Don and the smoke is with us still, for an un- the heart of the USAF police task was to Moreland’s mind, but he hasn’t said so on nerving number of people seem to pre- guard the weapons systems and storage the record. Halt seems not to have had an fer breathing its enchanting fumes over areas—and go for a ramble in the forest earwiggin’ over his foray. Col Sam Morgan the refreshing ozone of rational thought. in search of a ‘UFO’. In a review in Mago- told me: “I don’t know of any wire brushing Fortunately for Halt, however, he was nia (No 74, April 2001) of Georgina Bruni’s that Halt received here over his actions, nor commanded by officers who were more You Can’t Tell The People, Peter Rogerson, did I find anyone concerned about the mat- of the civilised and forgiving variety than admittedly with some exaggeration, put ter. It was dismissed as little more than Halt they were a species of unrelenting mar- it this way: being Halt.” The urbane and tolerant view tinet. prevailed. Rather more likely is that the ...if you were the USAF or the British or wider implications occurred to the civil Ironically, if anyone is now touting a tale American governments and you were servants in the MoD, and perhaps to oth- of sinister, premeditated cover-up, it is pushed to into an absolute corner, which ers such as Gen. Charles Gabriel, to whose Col Charles Halt himself and his cronies. story would cause you the most embar- notice the incident came. But however The final word on that should go to Col rassment in the tabloids: “Drug crazed one looks at it, it wasn’t in anyone’s inter- Sam Morgan: American servicemen fired on a light- ests to make an uproar, since that would, house thinking it was an ALIEN SPACE- inevitably, have become public. Over the years Halt has expanded his story SHIP (shock horror), and these are the to the point of hinting at a cover up by the men guarding the CRUISE MISSILES” (even And finally USA and UK authorities and I would cer- more shock horror); or, “Brave lightly tainly criticize him here. I have never be- armed US servicemen confront an ALIEN one of the above bears on what ‘re- lieved that a national government would SPACESHIP, risking all to do their sacred Nally’ happened in the forest. But it be capable of such a cover up, as there duty and protect their precious charge”. does reasonably, Occam-like even, ex- would just be too many people involved. No real contest is it? True or not, the first plain why for years both the UK MoD and If nothing else, I believe Halt has insulted headline invites in all sorts of real investi- the US DoD were really not that keen to both our governments with his accusa- gative journalists, sniffing out tales of sex, let much on about what no one now dis- tions. 9 NOTES & REFERENCES http://www.ianridpath.com/ufo/ Lord Birdwood, whose office was morgan.pdf next to mine at the J. Walter Thomp- 1. A transcript of the ‘Halt tape’ can be son Company in London, in the mid- found at URL: www.ianridpath.com/ 7. UK UFO Network, #80 Pt II, 5 Sept 1960s; he in turn had it as part of a ufo/halttape.htm, and an MP3 audio 1997. Archived at http://ufoup- briefing (which included a screen- file can be downloaded from www. dateslist.com/1997/sep/m07-029. ing) concerning Peter Watkins’s ianridpath.com/ufo/halttape.mp3 shtml then-banned BBC film The War Game at the House of Lords. Having since 2. Thanks to James Easton for point- 8. ‘Spetsnaz’ is an abbreviation of Spet- searched in vain for some more con- ing out this connection, by way of sialnoye Nazranie—’troops of special crete reference, I am forced to appear : UFO Crash Landing?, purpose’. ‘Although Spetsnaz units to be name-dropping. in a post of 1 September 2003 to may be used for other purposes dur- the UFORL e-mail list: In UFO Crash ing peacetime, their primary role is 13. I suspect that the responsibility of Landing?, Jenny Randles documents to carry out strategic missions during USAF police for finding downed air- a witness, Sarah Richardson (only 12 the final days prior to war breaking craft was also covered in the leases at the time), who reportedly watched out and in war itself. These wartime and treaties to which Pope refers, enigmatic ‘light beams’, when Halt tasks would include: deep reconnais- and involved some kind of standing was making a similar observation. ... sance of strategic targets; the de- licence to cover such emergencies. At the time, she was at her mother’s struction of strategically important Once again it would clearly be mad home in Woodbridge. It was be- command-control-and-communica- to have to go through a diplomatic tween 1 and 3 am into Sunday, 28 tions (C3) facilities; the destruction of rigmarole before getting people to December.“From (Mum’s) house you strategic weapons’ delivery systems; twisted metal and roasting flesh. The could see the river and the forests and demolition of important bridges and UK’s FOIA has yet to be fully exploit- the bases. You could hear the revving and transportation routes; and the ed in finding out just what were (and of the engines. You became familiar snatching or assassination of impor- are) the arrangements, agreements, with all the spotlights and other ac- tant military and political leaders. contracts or treaties by which (even tivity. This night was different. Three Many of these missions would be allied) foreign troops could go into bands of light appeared over the carried out before the enemy could action on British soil? woods to the side of the runway ... They react and some even before war had were star-like and they were bright, actually broken out.’ —John Keller, 14. Interview with Col Halt, Strange But coloured red, blue and yellow ... the ‘Spetsnaz’, http://www.systemauk. True?, UK ITV, 9 December 1994 oddest thing was the colour changes. com/spetsnaz.htm Blue, green, yellow and so on.”Jenny 15. At the time I was writing the final also notes that on the same night, 9. Lt Col Halt’s official title was Deputy draft of this article I had had no an- local garage owner, Gerry Harris, Combat Support Group Commander, swer to an enquiry on this precise claimed to have observed near [the] a post most often referred to as ‘dep- point, forwarded via a third party to East Gate and apparently emanating uty base commander’. The Combat Col Halt on 21 December 2010. from within the forest, “three sepa- Support Commander was ultimately rate lights” which sometimes “moved responsible for all roads and grounds, 16. E-mail dated 1 October 2010, to Ian around in circles”. all buildings and structures, secu- Ridpath. rity, law enforcement, the schools, 3. See the analysis at www.ianridpath. the Commissary, the Base Exchange THANKS most especially to Kevin com/ufo/rendlesham3.htm (BX), behaviour of dependents, utili- Conde and Col Sam Morgan, for clarifying ties such as water and sewerage, and a number of points raised while revising 4. Georgina Bruni: You Can’t Tell The many other such activities. It was this article, and to Dr David Clarke, James People: The Definitive Account of the security and policing aspect of Easton, Joe McGonagle, Jenny Randles, the Rendlesham Forest UFO Mystery, his job that gave Halt the licence to Ian Ridpath and John Stepkowski for vari- Sidgwick & Jackson 2000 ride with the base law enforcement ous specific illuminations, as well as for patrols and, of course, to call on se- continuing discussions of the Rendlesh- 5. Kevin Conde, e-mail message to curity troops to join him on the night am incident over the years, and for keep- Georgina Bruni dated 17 July 2003, he went outside the wire and into ing my interest in it alive. quoted in a post to the UFORL e-mail Rendlesham Forest. list of 20 July 2003. This list is now Copyright © 2004, 2011 Peter Brooke- defunct, but some posts may still 10. Post to UFORL e-mail list, 21 July smith be retrievable through the Wayback 2003 Machine, http://web.archive.org/col- This article is adapted and expanded lections/web.html 11. Post to UFO Updates, ‘Re: More Bent- from ‘Forgive Us Our Trespasses’, pub- waters Information’, 30 Aug 2003. lished in The Skeptic Volume 17 Number 6. Klass’s typed notes of his conver- 2-3, Summer and Autumn 2004 sation can be found as a PDF at 12. I had this piece of information from 10 Hollywood and Area 51: A missed opportunity contrary – much of it available on the Internet – entire generations of viewers still believe that the Groom Lake base is By Peter W. Merlin closed.

December 2002), Mystery Hunters: Area My battle to introduce new material into 51/Roswell (YTV Canada/Discovery Kids, the scripts began with Return to Area 51 6 January 2003), UFO Hunters: Area 51 Re- in 2002. By that time, enough new infor- vealed (The History Channel, 25 February mation had become available to debunk 2009), and MysteryQuest: Alien Cover-Up some of the myths and clear up a lot of (The History Channel, 14 October 2009). I questions and misconceptions about have also consulted on several programs the Groom Lake facility. Like much of the where I did not appear on camera. viewing audience, I was tired of seeing the same stuff rehashed over and over. I Hurray for Hollywood suspected that the trouble was that pro- ducers of these programs didn’t have t is a sad commentary on the situation access to the new information that was hy can’t Hollywood produce a de- Ithat, more than a decade after it first available because they weren’t contact- Wcent documentary on Area 51? In aired, Inside Area 51 remains one of the ing the right people. They just went back the mid-1990s when the secret Air Force best documentaries on the subject. Un- to the usual suspects time and again. I base in Nevada, became a part of popular fortunately, it contains a near-fatal flaw. figured that my involvement in return to culture, very little information was pub- The original production plan included a Area 51 would be an opportunity to cor- licly available. Aviation enthusiasts had fair and balanced selection of interviews rect the Jim Wilson story and reveal de- long known that Groom Lake, about 84 representing those who believed Area tails of the facility’s history that had never miles northwest of Las Vegas, had been 51 to be a haven for extraterrestrials and been publicized. I spent a couple hours a testing ground for the U-2, A-12 (pre- their technology and those who consid- in the studio but most of my best mate- decessor to the SR-71), and the F-117A ered the base simply a government test rial never made it to the final cut. The end stealth fighter. In 1989, popular interest facility for advanced aircraft and weap- product was, in my opinion, disappoint- was sparked by claims of a man named ons testing. All of this changed when the ing. who said he had worked with June 1997 issue of Popular Mechanics reverse-engineered alien spacecraft at a magazine hit the stands. My subsequent involvement in several secret facility south of Groom Lake. Soon, other productions showed that the pro- tourists from all over the world were con- Science/Technology editor Jim Wil- ducers – it didn’t matter which network verging on a remote stretch of desert son wrote, “Area 51 has shut down.” – simply didn’t want documented facts if along Nevada Highway 375 to see if they He claimed that not only had the base rumors and rants brought better ratings. could spot any flying saucers. closed completely but that secret test op- The Canadian crew of Mystery Hunters erations had moved to a new facility near asked me to guide them to a U-2 crash As media coverage increased, various Green River, Utah. Wilson made these site. Although they paid my way (hotels, television networks produced documen- bold claims after a visit to Nevada during food, and gas), it wasn’t exactly a vaca- taries to feed the viewing public’s grow- which he made a few wrong turns while tion. I had to make a six-hour drive to ing hunger for information. Unfortunate- trying to find the Groom Lake Road, and meet them in Alamo, Nevada, and plan ly, available information was sparse but a instead ended up at a seldom-used en- for an early morning start to the two- number of researchers worked to get at trance to Range 61 of the Nellis Air Force hour journey to the crash site. When we the truth. Some focused their efforts on Range. Without knowing the dubious were just a few miles short of reaching the UFO connection while others were circumstances of Wilson’s claims, the pro- the site, the Field Producer decided they more interested in the classified (but en- ducers of Inside Area 51 rushed to inter- had driven far enough. They shot my in- tirely Earthly) military testing that took view him for the program. terview in the middle of nowhere, next place at Area 51. Some of the so-called to a road, and pretended we had reached documentaries that resulted contained Unfortunately, all other interviews had our destination though we had been just little more than rampant speculation. been completed and there was no time minutes from reaching the actual crash Others featured at least some document- to recall any of the experts to provide a site. I guess authenticity isn’t necessary if ed historical facts. rebuttal to the Popular Mechanics article. the audience doesn’t know any better. As a result, Wilson’s unsubstantiated and I have participated in over a dozen televi- easily refutable claims went unanswered. My experience with UFO Hunters was sion programs. Those specifically related The viewing audience was left with the equally frustrating. The show was billed to Area 51 include ABC World News To- indelible impression that Area 51 had as a forensic investigation of UFO-related night with Peter Jennings: Secrets of Area been abandoned. In the years since the phenomena with an investigative team 51 (ABC TV, 19 April 1994), Inside Area 51 program first aired in 1997, it has been headed by William J. Birnes, publisher (Discovery Channel, 14 December 1997), shown countless times in repeats. De- of UFO Magazine. His “team of experts” Return to Area 51 (Discovery Channel, 5 spite access to abundant evidence to the included researcher and scuba diver Pat 11 Uskert, mechanical engineer and MIT re- demeaning conditions? Haven’t you ever for melodrama. I played along grudg- searcher Ted Acworth, and investigative thought about another line of work?” ingly while trying to slip in as much truth biologist Jeff Tomlinson. I was invited to To which the worker replied, “What, and as possible. Off camera, I complained vo- participate in the final episode of Season give up show business?” cally but to no avail. 2: “Area 51 Revealed.” A number of people advised me not to get involved with UFO I’ve got news for you. I grew in Hollywood I felt most sorry for Mark Easter who has Hunters, saying that it was sensationalis- – the city and the industry. Show busi- expressed a laudable willingness to study tic and silly. I figured that it was at least an ness fame means nothing to me. As an the available facts before jumping to any opportunity to get some facts on record historian, however, I have a burning de- extraordinary conclusions. The Field Pro- to counter the myths and rumors. Even if sire to see that fantasy is separated from ducer constantly forced him to raise the most of the other interviewees came off fact and that people are getting the real ET hypothesis even though he prefers to as kooks, I could serve as the voice of rea- story of Area 51 and not some ridiculous avoid such behavior during a real inves- son. fiction. tigation. He complained bitterly about having to do and say things that were I met the crew in Alamo and we drove over This desire led to the MysteryQuest de- clearly out of character, but he still hoped a nearby mountain range on dirt roads to bacle. The show’s producers lured me to get his message across. Delamar Dry Lake where Acworth inter- in with the promise that their “expedi- viewed me as we walked across the sun- tion based investigative series” would Glenn Campbell chose the path of least baked playa. As usual, I provided a great focus on the truth about Area 51 instead resistance. He suggested that we just deal of information that had never been of the mythology. As usual, it was a lie. give them what they want, no matter broadcast on any previous television pro- Bear in mind that the name of the series how ridiculous. Glenn is perfectly happy gram. Despite the fact that I assured the was MysteryQuest, not MysterySolved. just playing along and at times we man- producers that they were getting an ex- Suffice it to say, the audience was once aged to have some fun with it. clusive scoop, the majority of the mate- again treated to the usual hype about ex- rial failed to make the final cut. traterrestrials and the standard encoun- It was mostly kabuki theater, all highly ters with “cammo dude” security guards, stylized moves. The production company I had been asked to bring a number of night-vision cameras trained on the sky, hired a contractor from Las Vegas to set items with me including aerial and satel- and a hike up Tikaboo Peak to view the up several night-vision cameras in the lite images of Groom Lake that showed base from a distance of 26 miles. desert outside the perimeter of the Nel- how the base had evolved since it was lis Range to reveal “anything flying over built in 1955. I also brought various offi- Initially, the episode was to focus solely Groom Lake.” Unfortunately, the cameras cial government maps that showed Area on current and historical activities at the had such wide-angle lenses that they 51, declassified documents, artifacts, and Groom Lake base. The cameras would wouldn’t capture anything in detail and memorabilia from the secret base. We set follow an investigative team consisting they fed into VHS tape decks so resolu- up in a different desert location to shoot a of MUFON-Nevada director Mark Eas- tion was poor. We drove down Groom “show and tell” sequence in which would ter and myself. We were later joined by Lake Road to the warning signs at the explain the significance if the items to Area 51 pop culture gadfly Glenn Camp- perimeter in order to get footage of us Acworth. Because according to the Field bell for the inevitable Tikaboo Peak trek looking at the security guards as they Producer, “there was not enough time,” and Glenn took the MysteryQuest crew looked at us from opposite sides of the we rushed though an abbreviated ver- to Green River, Utah, to “investigate” the border. There was never any danger that sion of what had been planned and most long debunked rumors of a “new Area 51” we would cross any lines or have any ac- of what we accomplished never made first espoused in the 1997 Popular Me- tual problems with base security. the final cut in any case. When the show chanics article. aired in February 2009, it mostly con- Fact or faked? sisted of shaky footage of random desert I had been promised that this show would scenery and a recap of the previous seg- tell the real story of Area 51 and that my he worst offenses came on Day Two. ment following every commercial break. expertise was needed. Unfortunately, TThe MysteryQuest producers had told Once again, my efforts had been wasted. the script outline was already fixed and me they wanted to “investigate a mys- the Field Producer stymied me at nearly tery crash site” near Area 51. I told them I Tilting at windmills every turn. If I tried to give some facts didn’t know of any unidentified sites but about Area 51 that had been uncovered that I could take them to any of several ome people have wondered why I through my dedicated research efforts, I crash sites of experimental aircraft from Scontinue to subject myself to a hu- was told that “it would spoil the mystery.” Area 51. They picked a crash site that was miliating battle against apparently insur- relatively close to the town of Rachel, our mountable odds. They might be tempted I was repeatedly told to remember that, base of operations. to suggest that it is reminiscent of the old “Area 51 is a mystery.” Well, I thought the joke about the circus worker whose job it point of the show was to solve the mys- It could have been a great story without was to clean up elephant dung. A passer- tery. Apparently that was not the case. any embellishment. In 1967, a rocket- by, who saw him hip-deep in excrement, They just wanted to tease the audience. propelled Lockheed D-21B unmanned asked, “How can you put up with such Reality was brushed aside to make room spy craft from Area 51 was accidentally 12 launched from a B-52 and crashed near a ly identifiable through its materials and The production company had rented an small rural community. According to my construction, Lockheed Skunk Works in- enormous telephoto lens in the hope of interviews with military and civilian wit- spection stamps, D-21 part numbers, and getting detailed images of the base. Since nesses, personnel from Area 51 quickly recognizable components that could be it weighed around 250 pounds in its pro- secured the crash and cleaned up every checked against photos and technical tective case, four local teens were hired trace of wreckage. Witnesses were ad- manuals. The Field Producer cut the scene to lug it up the mountain. It proved to be monished to forget what they had seen. short and told me I couldn’t say that on a fairly pointless exercise, however. Al- camera. We had to keep it a mystery so though we started hiking around sunrise, that a piece of debris could be identified it took more than six hours to reach the in the lab. I thought that seemed ridicu- summit, by which time the atmospheric lous and wasteful but the producer said, conditions were less than ideal. Look- “That’s what the audience expects.” ing though the camera, I began to point out the various buildings at Area 51 and We re-shot the scene, pretending not to identify them. Naturally the Field Produc- know what the part might have come er cut me off, “No, don’t tell us that. Ask from. When Mark was told to ask me if Glenn Campbell. He’s supposed to be our During a 2005 investigation of the crash there could possibly be anything extra- guide.” Glenn’s immediate response was, site, I had found some small pieces of de- terrestrial about the debris, he objected “What are you asking me for? Pete’s the bris along with one very large piece. Us- because it was clearly man-made and I real expert.” ing declassified technical manuals, I was objected because it was easily and com- able to identify the material as part of the pletely identifiable. The Field Producer Missed opportunity secret drone. I warned the MysteryQuest promised that between the laboratory Field Producer that we might not make analysis of debris and an interview I was he MysteryQuest episode was origi- any new discoveries on camera and sug- to give later (presenting my research Tnally to focus solely on Area 51 but gested I show them what I had already findings), we would be able to show what halfway through the final edit, the pro- found and identified. She said they didn’t it was. ducers decided to expand the scope to want to do a recreation of the discovery include a whole bunch of unrelated UFO and insisted that they would not stage a material (Roswell, Nazca lines, UFO sight- “find” but she wanted a sample to send to ings by jet pilots, etc.). Now titled “Alien a lab for identification. Cover-Up,” the script quickly changed from a coherent narrative to a confus- I had hoped that MysteryQuest would ing jumble with too many subjects being treat the D-21B crash site examination thrown at the viewers with little explana- like an episode of C.S.I. – Crime Scene tion. Investigation. Perhaps there would be a dramatic recreation of the incident, with She also said she did not want to “fake After the show aired in October 2009, In- startled ranchers seeing a mysterious any discovery” of debris. After a fruitless ternet discussion forums were filled with black craft come streaking out of the sky. search for new (i.e. previously undiscov- negative feedback from viewers. Many I would give some historical background ered) debris, however, she decided to people were dissatisfied with the slip- on the event and explain my research have Mark “discover” one of the pieces I shod production and the fact that most methods for locating the debris field. had found in 2005 – a twisted brass fit- of the material was rehashed from every Then I would demonstrate methods for ting that looked “alien.” We analyzed the previous Area 51 program. The show pro- identifying the pieces through the use of item with a Geiger counter before “col- vided almost no new information and materials, construction methods, mark- lecting” it. That may seem unnecessar- perpetuated the myth that Area 51 was ings analysis, and comparison to photo- ily melodramatic but parts of the D-21B an officially unacknowledged facility, graphs and official documentation. were made of magnesium-thorium alloy, something I long ago disproved with ex- a mildly radioactive metal. tensive documentation. That didn’t work for MysteryQuest. They wanted an unidentified object crash and Later, I was finally allowed to show some One ironic incident took place while were they insisted on sending a sample for sci- D-21 photos and documents on cam- staying in Rachel, supposedly investigat- entific analysis. It didn’t matter that the era and explain how I had identified the ing to learn the truth about Area 51. At lab would only be able to tell them the source of the debris. This interview never the Little Ale’Inn, we met a man named material was manufactured on Earth. In made the final cut. It’s too bad because Jim who worked at Area 51 for 14 years. the end, the lab technician couldn’t dis- the real story was far more interesting The MysteryQuest crew didn’t even both- tinguish between “part of an aircraft or a than the bogus “mystery crash” scenario er interviewing him. They were more than farm implement.” they featured in the show. happy, however, to interview Pat (the owner of the Inn) about her supposed When we filmed the largest piece of On the final day, we arose well before UFO sighting. Like the rest of the produc- wreckage at the site, a rocket booster dawn and drove to the Tikaboo Peak trail- tion, it was a missed opportunity. nose cone, I pointed out that it was clear- head with our guide, Glenn Campbell. 13 Editor note - Roger sent me this article re- The Belgian UFO wave: to present it month by month, using the garding the Belgian UFO wave and statis- seventeen months from December 1989 tics. I had him simplify it a bit to put it on A statistical study to April 1991 a reader friendly level. I also edited it a bit for syntax that was lost in translation. Addi- by Roger Paquay PHYSICIST (Universite de LIEGE, The whole press in the French area, lo- tionally, Roger mentioned that the number 1964)Directeur honoraire. cal press, regional press or national press of cases and reports did not agree (in some was discussing the UFO problem. So the cases the number of cases is greater than Value of this coefficient between (-1) and whole French area was covered. This was the number of reports) because SOBEPS ap- (+1). A negative value indicates there is completed by the other media, radios parently had cases reported months later. no link. A positive value indicates a pos- and TV. Each medium had its own read- All the raw data comes from SOBEPS and sible link. If the coefficient is superior to ers, listener or audience. SOBEPS data any flaws in that data are theirs. (+ 0.9) it is quasi certain. A coefficient of contained data from French press and 0.95 and more is considered as very sig- Flemish press. But there is evidence that This study was done with the data edited nificative of a real link. the reports by the witnesses were influ- in VOB2 p361 to 377 . enced by other media sources as well. Contrary to SOBEPS who did present I must first explain some simple statistical data day by day for each month, I chose SOBEPS, with the day by day data, con- rules concerning the study of data. These rules permit us to understand the mean- No. cases No. reports No. of edited Frequency of Frequency of Frequency of Frequency for ing of the numerical data, absolute or cal- lines cases edited lines reports cumulative culated. They also allow the reader to go reports to the conclusions if they don’t want to look to the table of data. Dec 1989 183 138 14633 .22789 .34453 .13193 .13193

When the values of one variable are nu- Jan 1990 34 53 3812 .04234 .08975 .05066 .18259 merous, the data will be grouped togeth- er. The interval of variation will be shared Feb 1990 53 54 1431 .066 .033503 .051625 .23422 in a certain number of touching intervals called “classes”. Mar 1992 47 109 3789 .05853 .089211 .104206 .33842

By convention it will be situated from five April 1990 81 184 7821 .10087 .184144 .175908 .51433 to twenty. Each class should contain a minimum of ten numbers but this is not May 1990 56 95 2355 .06973 .055448 .090822 .60515 absolutely necessary. The classes ideally should also have the same amplitude if June 1990 27 35 2579 .03362 .0607022 .0334608 .63861 possible. Different Cartesian graphs may relate to absolute values or to frequen- July 1990 38 37 1938 .04732 .04563 .0353728 .067434 cies and cumulative frequencies. Aug 1990 16 25 0 .01992 0 .0239 .69824 Definitions needed to understand the problem. : Sept 1990 8 16 25 .00996 .000588 .015296 .71354

Absolute value = value of the data. Oct 1990 55 55 635 .06849 .014951 .052581 .76612

Frequency = ratio between the data con- Nov 1990 44 58 2059 .05479 .0484789 .055449 .82156 sidered and the total of the data. This ra- tio is always from zero to one (0 to 1) Dec 1990 36 68 72 .04483 .001695 .065009 .88657

Cumulative frequencies = sum of the Jan 1991 41 71 140 .05105 .0032962 .067877 .95445 different frequencies when you go from one group to the following. These data Feb 1991 12 22 287 .01494 .006757 .021032 .97548 permit us to draw a graph from the point zero to the total value one. The area un- Mar 1991 43 26 391 .05354 .009206 .024856 1.0003 der the graph gives the part of data for a certain period. April 1991 29 0 505 .03611 .0118901 0 1.003

Correlation: link that can exist between two different species of data, here “num- ber of lines edited in the media” and 803 1046 42472 .99993 .9998002 .9999846 “number of UFO declarations”. 14 cluded there was no correlation between for the whole period the publications and the number of re- corr coeff = 0.934; for ports. “The correlation press-testimony is 12 months, 0.947; for totally negative” ( VOB2 page 338). This the ten first months result is very curious because SOBEPS 0.964. continue: “From the last week of January to the end of the first week in February, The graph with cu- there were very little information on UFOs mulative frequencies in the press…. And there, the media impact is very interesting and was felt. This silence in the press was linked gives us other data. to the silence of our phone.” Starting from point SOBEPS continued to deny any link be- 0.5 on the vertical axis tween publications and the number of you draw a parallel to cases but regularly called for witness the horizontal axis. reports in February, March and April be- This horizontal line cause they were concerned that number cut the curve in one of reports would drop off. point. By this point you from the information in the media and a draw a vertical line and you find a point rumor effect. The data in these seventeen classes (sev- just before the point April 1990. You can enteen months) were determined from do the same for other percentages. All SOBEPS continues, nevertheless, to deny the data in VOB2 pages 361 to 377 and this shows us that: a link between publications and UFO re- also page 356. I totalized for each month ports. the number of cases, the number of lines 50% of the reports were made in the first edited in the press and the number of four months of the wave and 60% in the It is evidence that only one statistical reports. Then I calculated the relative fre- first six months. A further six months analysis of the data can give conclusions quencies for the different monthly data: were needed to attain 80 %. that you cannot have by looking day by f = monthly cases / total cases.. I then day. placed the data in an Excel spreadsheet This shows an evident lack of interest and created the table on the previous when the media had no more interest in Do not forget that this study measured page. UFOs. only the sole impact of the written medi- but not that from TV and radio, which The bar chart and the graph of cumulative In its conclusions, VOB2 page 378, SOBEPS would influence and reinforce the written frequencies (id est sum of the frequen- recognize medias have conducted to “des data. RTBF and RTL by their TV and radio cies), called “courbe integrale” in VOB2, as témoignages stimulés positifs : positive broadcasts reached a higher number of drawn by the Excel spreadsheet. stimulated testimonies ” but also to “des people than the written media and many témoignages stimulés négatifs, negative times a day. They probably generated re- Frequencies are on the vertical axis and stimulated testimonies”. ports like the newspapers and thus rein- months on the horizontal axis. forced their impact. Their contribution to This demonstrates very well an impact the data cannot be measured. If we look the bar chart we see for the 10 first months an apparent relationship between the number of cases and the number of edited lines. But this does not match for the following months.

We search then if there is a positive cor- relation between the frequency of the number of cases and the frequency of the number of edited lines. This calcula- tion, done by the Excel spreadsheet, giv- en for the period from December 1989 to April 1991, is a very significant correlative coefficient of 0.912. If you limit to the ten first months you find the value of 0.954 a more significant link between the two data.

Remark: if we do the same for the French data without the Flemish data you find 15 think those who have been voted into Initiative 300 takes a beating office are going to be stupid enough to he November 2, 2010 elections in qualified to fill one of those positions (he create a bogus commission the elector- TDenver had a unique initiative on probably had one of those questionable ate (who they answer to every election) its ballot. Voters were to decide if they “Exopolitics” diplomas). He probably also voted against! Voters and elected officials wanted to create an “extraterrestrial af- knew three others that would have filled are much smarter than Peckman seems fairs commission”. This “commission” the four positions that were “residents of to think they are or Peckman is not as would help people interact with ETs and Denver”. One of these was probably Nia- smart as he thinks he is. their craft. The initiative on the ballot also ra Iseley, Denver’s extraterrestrial contact mentioned it would be funded by only examiner. She wrote a blog entry about I have to wonder about the individu- grants and donations. how vital it was for the people of Denver als who voted FOR the commission. to vote “Yes”. With a chance to be on the Were these voters actually knowledge- That was pretty much all that was on the commission, it was obviously vital to her. able about the initiative or did they vote ballot that voters saw. However, behind for it simply because they liked how it this smoke screen was some rather bla- In my opinion, Peckman probably knew sounded. Is this portion of the electorate tantly ridiculous UFO beliefs in the initia- the initiative had little chance of winning composed of the same kind of individu- tive that the voters would have blindly but saw that he would still gain from the als, who buy things like “Metatron tech- declared as true: publicity. He got to appear on TV and get nology”, which states you will be a more his name published in media outlets ev- coherent thinker after using it? 1. All presidents since Franklin erywhere promoting himself and the ini- Roosevelt knew about alien space- tiative. People would then go to his web It was interesting to see that Peckman’s ships visiting earth. site and maybe purchase some of his blog and web site has not been updated Metatron technology devices (which I se- since the defeat. Perhaps he was waiting 2. The US government has been sup- riously doubt even work). It seems likely for a recount. However, Seattle’s “exopoli- pressing evidence for aliens and that Mr. Peckman personally benefitted tics” examiner, Alfred Lambremont Webre their technologies. from the initiative’s publicity. gave quite an amusing rant. He equated this to an “ET go home vote”. Mr. Webre 3. Aliens and their spaceships have Just prior to the election, Filer’s Files (#44- states: been visiting earth. 2010) stated the initiative was going to pass based on two bits of information. The Denver, Colorado vote functionally Additionally, not mentioned on the ballot The first was the city auditor, Dennis Gal- represents a rejection by humanity of were the details about selecting the com- lagher, reportedly stated it was going to the opportunity to become interactively, mission. The actual commission would pass. The second was a source stating that consciously, and proactively involved in a have been made up of 7 volunteers ap- the Latinos , who were 30% of the Denver reported positive plan by intelligent civi- proved by the Mayor. Four of these had population, would all vote for the initia- lizations to intervene by 2015 to cleanse to be residents of Denver. These volun- tive. If you believed this kind of thinking, Earth’s atmosphere of excessive CO2, be- teers would have been required to have one would think that things looked good fore inevitable collapse of the planetary some unique qualifications. for initiative 300. A cold dose of reality hit ecology occurs. the initiative 300 crowd on election day. • One had to be a physical scientist. Wow....is he really stating that ET is not It did not take long to realize that Jeff going to save us because of the city of • One had to be a social scientist. Peckman’s “initiative 300” took a beating Denver??!! If Mr. Webre really believes all at the polls. Over 80% of the voters said of this, I think I can safely state he has no • A medical doctor who had published “NO” to his ET commission. After the ini- grasp on reality. something about UFOs and ET. tiative was trounced, Peckman told Billy Cox that he blamed the democrats who This initiative should be examined by • A person who had been investigat- told voters not to vote for any numbered UFOlogists as to what the general public ing UFOs for at least five years and initiatives, and skeptics, who said the ini- must think about UFOs in general. They written a book or articles on the sub- tiative would have used taxpayer money. often like to cite polls conducted about ject. Of course, it did cost the taxpayer’s mon- UFOs but this is the kind of poll where ey just to put the measure on the ballot people have to make a decision that af- • A person who received a “diploma”/ and it would have cost money to oversee/ fects them personally. When push came certificate in Exopolitics. run such a commission. Peckman then to shove, the voters of Denver decided indicated he might sue Denver’s budget that UFOs/ET were not important enough • A psychologist/social scientist who management director because he sup- to use government funding. I wonder if had talked to at least a hundred peo- posedly gave an estimate on the cost of Leslie Kean is paying attention? ple, who had close encounters with the commission that was too high. He aliens. also indicated he would find some way to form the commission without a vote My guess is that Peckman probably from the electorate! Peckman seems to 16 existed. Only by the grace of God was San pen that night. Not more than an hour The battle of Los Francisco saved from catastrophe. 1 later, a Japanese submarine surfaced off the coast of Ellwood, California and Angeles UFO story There never were any real airplanes from shelled some oil installations for twenty this “raid” but it shows the response by minutes. No damage of significance was ne of the most popular UFO stories the military upper echelon to the news reported but it fueled the concern by Othat appears on the internet is the they were at war. After Pearl Harbor, it residents that the Japanese were plan- infamous “Battle of Los Angeles” UFO. was better to overreact than not react at ning something significant on the west Most of it is based on memories of indi- all. coast. The stage was set for the “Battle of viduals, who claim they saw a UFO/exotic Los Angeles”. craft/alien spaceship that night but is this Citizens seemed to have taken these re- really true? marks seriously and started to look up Air defense for potentially threatening aircraft. The Warm up acts planet Venus, which happened to be he US Army had numerous anti-air- prominently visible in the west after sun- Tcraft batteries by various defense in- ecember 7th, 1941 is a date most set, became a cause for alarm. According stallations on the west coast. They also DAmericans recognize with little to news reports in mid-December, Ve- had radar to help them detect intruding thought. However, what transpired in nus caused quite a few reports of enemy aircraft. However, this radar was not the the next few months on the west coast planes and the police had to assure the fancy kind of radar people are familiar is not so widely known. In Hawaii, there callers it was only a planet. with today. There was no sweeping trace was concern about an amphibious inva- that plotted the echoes on a neat display. sion right after the attack. In retrospect, Instead, they were highly complex ma- that seemed highly unlikely because chinery that required several operators transporting sufficient Japanese troops to obtain the necessary data of elevation, would have slowed down the fast carrier range, and distance. The two principle strike force that attacked Pearl Harbor. radars used in the Battle of Los Angeles appear to have been the SCR-270 and Meanwhile, the west coast of the United SCR-268. States braced for potential invasion or air attack from Japanese aircraft carriers. The SCR-270 (pictured below) was a long Air defense units were activated and put range radar that on alert over major air bases and cities. displayed the sig- Citizens began to look up for potential at- nal for aircraft in tacking airplanes and began to see them. what was known Just one day after Pearl Harbor, San Fran- as an A-scope. It cisco thought it was under attack by a Making matters worse for the military would indicate Japanese carrier! was the poor amount of intelligence. The the range for a code breakers were busy trying to figure given echo but its direction usually was out the Japanese codes and essentially read by looking at what direction the ra- were stumbling in the dark trying to fig- dar was actually pointing. As a result, the ure out the Imperial Japanese Navy’s next operators could only notice that there move. Meanwhile, the west coast intelli- was a target at a distance in a given direc- gence seemed to be based mostly on ru- tion but could not determine accurately mors from the Japanese community: how many targets or their altitude.

A Jap informant in Los Angeles, for in- General DeWitt, who was in charge of de- stance, reported to Headquarters 11th Na- fenses on the west coast, was upset at the val district that there was a strong rumor response by the community of San Fran- among Japanese families, presumably cisco as they did not observe the black- based on a short wave radio report from out. He would remark the next day: Japan, that on 18 February the West Coast would be bombed.2 Those planes were over this community for a definite length of time. They were Starting the 7th of February, the west enemy planes, and I mean Japanese coast braced for potential acts of sabo- planes. They were detected and followed tage/attack. When nothing happened by to sea….it is surprising the apathy of the the 18th, the alert was extended by Gen- people of San Francisco. Last night (Mon- eral DeWitt to the 15th of March. Mean- day night) proved there are more damn while, a report came in on the 23rd of fools in San Francisco than I ever believed February that an attack was going to hap- 17 planes that flew out to sea over Long important to note that many reports in- Beach. dicated the SCR-268 radars used did not report any contacts even though observ- 0355 - More ammunition was used over ers were reporting aircraft. Santa Monica on what was reported to be another balloon. The testimony of Colonel Henry C. Davis, executive officer and acting command- 0403 - 15 planes reported over the Doug- ing officer of the 37th Brigade, was very las plant in Long Beach revealing concerning perception issues that night. He originally thought he saw 0405 - Batteries in Long Beach reported 10-15 planes over Inglewood but then firing at targets. decided it was just smoke from the anti- The SCR-268 (pictured above) was more aircraft bursts. He opined that there prob- complex in the way it was operated. It 0409 - 15 more planes reported over the ably were never any planes at all. was to be coupled with the searchlights Douglas plant. and anti-aircraft batteries. It was a short The Navy was the first to issue a state- range radar that had three operators 0413 - Another 15 planes reported over ment. The Secretary of the Navy, Frank monitoring their oscilloscope display the Douglas plant. Knox, declared that there were no planes and operating their own controls. Be- and it was a false alarm. The 4th Air Force tween the three operators, they could 0455 - A report was made that the Doug- felt there were no planes over Los Ange- determine distance, altitude, and direc- las plant had been bombed but not hit. les and the Western Defense Command tion. It required teamwork, training, and felt that many of the reports were exag- proficiency to have the unit perform Based on this information, it seems that gerations. properly. the activity started in Santa Monica, west of downtown Los Angeles. The media re- However, the Army looked at the state- The night of February 24-25th ported: ments by the witnesses and felt there was something to these reports. They n the night of the 24th of Febru- All of the action, clearly spotlighted for concluded that at least one to five planes Oary, Naval Intelligence expected an ground observers by 20 or 30 searchlights, were over the city. The Secretary of War, attack within the next ten hours. They was just a few miles west of Los Angeles Henry Stimson, would state that up to probably expected a repeat of the sub- proper....Anti-aircraft guns fired steadily fifteen planes were involved. It was sus- marine incident the night before. After for two minute periods, were silent for pected they may have been flown by sab- the alert of an expected attack, the 37th about 45 seconds, and continued that oteurs with bases in the desert or Mexico. Brigade Headquarters received numer- routine nearly half an hour.3 It was also suggested they possibly could ous reports of flares and “lights” near the have been flown from submarines, which defense plants and oil fields. After mid- Additionally, the batteries near the Doug- had this capability. night, air defense radars began to report las plant in Long Beach seemed to have contacts. At 0200, one contact had been added to the confusion. This implied The media had a field day with this “dif- picked up 120 miles west of Los Angeles that the planes were flying from Santa ference of opinion”. This cartoon from and seemed to be tracked coming within Monica to Long Beach and then out to the March 9, 1942 edition of Newsweek 3 miles of Los Angeles at 0227. At 0221, a sea. Considering they were protecting pretty much represents the attitude con- blackout had been ordered. At this point, an important defense installation, it is cerning the conflicting statements. the batteries were keyed up to expect not unexpected that they would have to see something and the “attack” be- “itchy trigger fingers” once the “battle” gan. The history of the 4th AA command commenced. documents the following sequence of events: Aftermath

0243 - Unidentified planes spotted be- he media had a field day as the Army tween Seal and Long Beach. Tand Navy began to figure out what happened. The Army conducted an in- 0306 - A balloon carrying a flare was spot- vestigation, where they interviewed vari- ted over Santa Monica. It was ordered ous personnel, who were probably very destroyed by the Anti-aircraft controller. tired and confused about what actually transpired. In the History of the 4th AA 0328 - A battery near the Douglas air- command (available at the CUFON web craft plant in Long Beach, reported 25-30 site), there is a description of the reports bombers overhead. that were made. Several reported seeing aircraft in various formations but none 0333 - Batteries in Artesia fired on 15 mentioned a single large aircraft. It was 18 The media accounts

hile the military talked to the vari- Wous individuals in their command structure and some civilian personnel, the media reported what others saw and received all sorts of conflicting reports. Because the reports seemed to start in Santa Monica and have moved towards Long Beach, they guessed it may have been a dirigible because it took so long to travel that distance. This seemed to be confirmed by a Gardena air raid warden, who stated he saw anti-aircraft destroy a “big bag that looked something like a balloon”.4

While this report described a single ob- ject, many more individuals seemed to see formations of aircraft. Several report- ed seeing aircraft “destroyed” or “shot down”. Time exposure photograph of the sky somewhere on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Photograph taken by Al During the blackout police telephones Monteverde and published in Life Magazine on March 9, 1942 (page 22). The star trails indicate the photo- graph was taken looking south and show the constellations of Lupus and Centaurus. Based on the apparent were busy with-reports that airplanes had positions of the stars, the time is between 3:10 and 3:30 AM (I computed 3:19am but there is margin for fallen here and there...Another report, dis- error). According to the article, the blur at left of center is an anti-aircraft burst. Notice how the beams tend counted by officials along with some of to terminate at one bright spot where the beams converge. The longer exposure time captured the beams the others, was that gunfire had destroyed beyond these convergence points. There are no UFOs or aircraft visible in this photograph. a big floating bag resembling a balloon To add to the confusion of anti-aircraft The most interesting account came from high in the air.5 bursts and 20-30 searchlight beams con- Ernie Pyle, who wrote about it in his March verging on spots in the sky, Anti-Aircraft 5th, 1942 “Roving Reporter” column. He Long Beach police were reported to have batteries were firing flares. Byron Box, was fascinated by the operations of the seen two waves of aircraft head out to of the Pacific Coast Petroleum Industry’s searchlights and commented how the sea. They also reported that several anti- public relation committee, saw the dis- beams appeared in the spot they focused aircraft bursts were near these planes but play from Altadena. He reported, upon: none were hit. When interviewed, Long Beach chief of police J. H. McClelland , Besides the anti-aircraft bursts, there ap- They all converged into a big blue spot in who watched from the top of city hall, peared to be 10 or 12 huge red flares fired the heavens. And that spot moved very stated: into the air. 9 slowly but very definitely across the sky, with never a falter. Of all the many straight Personally, I did not see any planes. But Ted Gill, an AP staff correspondent, blue lines shooting upward to that one younger men with me said they could.6 wrote: spot, not one ever wavered, or got lost, or had to fish or “feel” around for the target. While some saw aircraft or blimps, others Some awed spectators swore they saw They held it and moved with it across the saw absolutely nothing. Minard Fawcett formations of planes; others contended sky, like a leech that would not let go. of Redondo Beach reported: the objective looked more like a blimp; others said it could be - but they couldn’t I could not see anything in that spot, for it My wife and I were certain we observed see a doggone thing.10 was some 20 miles away. But, I could see about 15 planes trapped in the cone the anti-aircraft shells bursting around it. of light from the searchlight batteries. Newsweek seemed to pick up on this re- Now and then one seemed to burst right Later we decided the smoke clouds had port and stated: in the spot. 12 confused us and that what we saw were merely puffs of smoke from the shells.7 Excited civilian observers reported that Pyle had experienced the events in Lon- they saw planes in flights ranging from don and was somewhat familiar with Even binoculars did not seem to help one to 200...Police said a large blimp or what these kinds of barrages looked like. some observers: balloon had been seen blundering among However, the crews of these batteries the shrapnel bursts over the city. More and the civilian community had never Don Black of Douglas Aircraft said he fol- cynical and quiet observers saw nothing experienced such a massive barrage at lowed the lights with binoculars but could at all.11 night and were going to make mistakes not observe the planes. 8 in identifying what they saw. Writing after 19 the war about the incident, William Goss Just as things started to die down, anoth- rized to fire in 10 peacetime years’ target would state: er balloon was sighted at 0355 and got practices. 15 the barrage started again. By the time Probably much of the confusion came the gunfire ceased, over 1400 rounds of The unit histories describe this order to from the fact that antiaircraft shell bursts, ammunition seem to have been expend- shoot down a balloon so the basic facts caught by the searchlights, were them- ed because of two weather balloons. described by Colonel Murphy are accu- selves mistaken for enemy planes. In any rate even though I think the 1AM launch case, the next three hours produced some In 1949, Colonel John Murphy, who was time of the balloon may not be correct. of the most imaginative reporting of the part of the investigative team, would war: “swarms” of planes (or, sometimes, write: William Gross also agrees with this con- balloons) of all possible sizes, numbering clusion in Volume I of The Army Air Forces from one to several hundred, traveling at At brigade headquarters there was much in World War II: altitudes which ranged from a few thou- gloom. No one knew exactly what had sand feet to more than 10,000 and flying happened. Maj. Gen. Jacob Fickel and A careful study of the evidence suggests at speeds which were said to have varied Col. (later Maj. Gen.)Samuel Kepner flew that meteorological balloons - known to from “very slow” to over 200 miles per down from San Francisco and with the have been released over Los Angeles - may hour, were observed to parade across the writer constituted a board to investigate well have caused the initial alarm. This skies.13 the firing. We interrogated approximately theory is supported by the fact that anti- 60 witnesses - civilians, Army, Navy and aircraft artillery units were officially criti- It is most interesting that misperception, Air commissioned and enlisted personnel. cized for having wasted ammunition on the same problem associated with UFO Roughly about half the witnesses were targets which moved too slowly to have reports, seems to have played a critical sure they saw planes in the sky. One flier been airplanes. After the firing started, role in this event. vividly described 10 planes in V formation. careful observation was difficult because The other half saw nothing. The elevation of drifting smoke from shell bursts.16 The trip wire operator of an antiaircraft director look- ing through his scope saw many planes. Once the first battery opened up on the he media reported that firing started His azimuth operator looking through a balloon, others joined in the “fight” and it Taround 0305. This is the same ap- parallel scope on the same instrument became a free for all. The balloon may, proximate time that the 4th Air defense did not see any planes. Among the facts or may not, have been destroyed. Anti- command’s history states that batteries developed was that the firing had been Aircraft (AA) fire in 1942 was not that ac- in Santa Monica were ordered to shoot ordered by the young Air Force controller curate. The US Navy records for 3” AA fire down a balloon with a flare. on duty at the Fighter Command opera- (the majority of the gunfire was from this tions room. Someone reported a balloon type of gun) indicate a kill rate against Weather balloons launched at night usu- in the sky. He, of course, visualized a Ger- planes of less than 1% in 1942 (The US ally had a paper lantern attached which man or Japanese zeppelin. Someone tried Navy crews in 1942 were more experi- contained a candle for visual tracking to explain it was not that kind of balloon, enced and were shooting predominant- purposes. but he was adamant and ordered firing to ly in daylight). One also has to wonder start (which he had no authority to do). about how many crews set their fuses Once the firing started, imagination cre- properly (or not at all) and what percent- ated all kinds of targets in the sky and ev- age of these shells were ‘duds”. In any eryone joined in. Well, after all these years, case, it really does not matter if they shot the true story can be told. One of the AA the balloon down or not because once Regiments (we still had Regiments) sent the firing started, the crews were firing at up a meteorological balloon about 1:00 just about anything including their own AM. That was the balloon that started shell bursts. all the shooting! When quiet had settled down on the “embattled” City of the An- Evolution of the UFO story gels, a different regiment, alert and ener- getic as always, decided some “met” data n the early days of UFOlogy, no one, was needed. Felt it had not done so well Iapparently, considered interpreting the in the “battle” and thought a few weather “Battle of Los Angeles” as a UFO event. corrections might help. So they sent up a NICAP’s 1964 Best Evidence document balloon, and hell broke loose again. (Note: seems to have ignored it. The first men- Both balloons, as I remember, floated tion of it as a UFO event seems to have away majestically and safely.) But the in- been made as far back as 1966, when habitants of Los Angeles felt very happy. M. A. McCartney wrote a letter to NICAP They had visual and auricular assurance about a red UFO that did strange aerial that they were well protected. And the AA maneuvers that night. In the late 1960s, A pilot balloon drawing from 1942 showing the at- gunners were happy! They had fired more several books included the story at some tachment of a candle for night use. 14 rounds than they would have been autho- level. Some simply repeated the LA times 20 articles on the events, while others added investigator’s handbook”. a few extra details. It really became part of the UFO chronology in the late 1980s when in 1987, Paul T. Collins wrote an article for Fate called, “World War II UFO scare”. also mentioned it in his book, “Above Top Secret” released in 1988 citing an article written by Col- lins in 1968. would include it in his UFO encyclopedia quoting from The photograph several 1960 sources. By the mid-1990s, the internet became the prime source of robably the best evidence presented information as people dug for the small- Pfor the presence of a “true” UFO (with est details in the historical record that the implication that it was an alien space- supported the UFO version of events. ship) is the photograph that appeared These writings tended to omit the histori- in the LA Times, the NY Times, and Time cal context under which this all occurred magazine. The paper states it shows and only highlighted the portions they the searchlights focusing on an object Searchlight beam against clouds 18 felt applied. over Culver City. It stands to reason this photograph was taken from Los Angeles Ernie Pyle even commented on how the This was obvious in the 1987 Collins’ ar- and was looking in the direction of San- searchlights formed a circle of light in the ticle. It was basically a synopsis of the ta Monica (the same direction as Culver sky, which confirms that this is probably historical events reported by the media City). Santa Monica was where the bat- what was being recorded in this pho- with an ET bias. The most interesting teries first commenced firing at that pes- tograph. One can see a similar effect in part of the story was one paragraph that ky weather balloon. this LIFE magazine photograph taken in seemed to reflect UFOlogical thinking on 1939. this case: Dr. Maccabee did a lengthy analysis of the photograph and determined it could When eyewitness reports from thousands have been an object behind the beams searching the skies with binoculars under of light. However, we do not know what the bright lights of the coast artillery veri- conditions existed at the time of the pho- fied the presence of one enormous,- un tograph (i.e. camera settings, film speed,, identifiable, indestructible object - but not etc) and if the center of the light beams the presence of large numbers of planes are not simply overexposed. Compared - the press releases were gradually scaled to the LIFE magazine photograph, it downward.17 seems this image was not that long an exposure because no stars were record- This is not accurate based on the histori- ed. It is possible that the original negative Searchlight exercise in the Panama Canal Zone. Pho- cal record. Collins seems to have exag- was underexposed and, in order to get a tograph by Thomas D. Mcavoy for LIFE magazine.19 gerated the claim that “thousands” saw a print that showed all the details of the huge singular object that night. The truth faint beams and horizon, they printed it The lack of any UFO in the LIFE maga- of the matter is that most did not see any in such a way that overexposed the con- zine photograph on page 19, indicates sort of object, others thought they saw vergence of the beams. There are also that this effect was recorded by this one individual planes in formation, and some numerous AA bursts in the vicinity of the photograph. A photograph appearing on thought they might have seen a balloon/ area where all the searchlights converge. page 8 of the Long Beach Independent on dirigible. There is no consensus on what Either the photographer exposed his film February 27th also showed no UFO but was seen making it far from certain that a at “the height of the battle” or there may plenty of searchlight beams. Until other huge craft was present. have been some “artistic license” involved photographs surface showing this same in order to make the photograph look object, one can not consider this photo- In recent years, individuals have stepped more exciting. graph as good evidence of anything but forward with their own personal stories searchlights converging at one point in of that night. Some of them were very As described in the unit histories, a great the sky with the central area probably be- young at the time, so the accuracy of deal of smoke had been produced by ing overexposed. these recollections have to be suspect. these AA bursts. This smoke provided These memories may have been influ- something from which the searchlight A myth? enced by the one photograph that has beams could reflect. Since searchlights become an important piece of evidence are a circular beam, the beam would hat was eventually concluded by that a genuine UFO was involved. produce a circular appearance against a Wthe military officials and historians cloud of smoke just like this photograph, was that there were never any piloted (ET which appeared in ’s “UFO or human) craft in the skies that night and 21 that the cause of the barrage probably 9. “Anti-Aircraft fire looked like ring, was the order to shoot down a weather Altadena reports”. The Long Beach IFO University: balloon. UFOlogists seem to have latched Independent . February 27, 1942. Balloons onto bits and pieces from the media that Page 20. confirm their belief that this was some form of UFO event. The failure of the 10. Gill, Ted. “It was a good show while his issues subject is about an object unit histories to mention any large craft it lasted, LA reports”. Bakersfield Tthat has often been mistaken for impervious to AA fire is something that Californian. February 25, 1942. UFOs but sometimes laughed at when seems to have been ignored. Page 1 mentioned. A balloon is an airborne object that can, and does, result in UFO The recent addition of witnesses who 11. “Mystery alarm at Los Angeles reports. Like the planet Venus, balloons claim “they know what they saw” has bares Army and Navy confusion”. get a bad rap from UFOlogy. spiced up the story. One has to wonder Newsweek. March 9, 1942. Page about how accurate their recollections 22. Toy balloons are and why such vivid descriptions of exotic craft did not appear in any of the 12. Pyle, Ernie. “Roving Reporter”, oy/helium balloons can cause UFO re- military or media reports. It is more likely Charleston Gazette March 6, 1942 Tports. In September, a balloon release what they are saying today are recollec- Page 8. caused New Yorkers to report a fleet of tions based on all the activity that was UFOs flying over Manhattan. Close - ex happening in the sky that night. With a 13. Craven, Wesley Frank and James amination of the videos confirmed they little urging from UFO investigators, see- Lea Crate ed. The Army Air Forces were balloons. ing the photograph, and their own per- in World War II. Volume one: Plans sonal beliefs on UFOs, it does not take and early operations. Office of Air Isolated balloons can also produce UFO much to turn vague memories of the Force History. Washington D.C. reports. I have seen videos of UFOs from searchlights focusing on the sky or some 1983. Pages 283-4 Mexico that look a lot like balloons. Inade- aerial flares into a flying disc that was -im quate information prevents their positive pervious to Anti-aircraft guns. 14. War Department. TM 1-235 The identification but they certainly look a lot weather observer Washington D. C. like balloons. A recent “UFO” in Reading Notes and References June 29, 1942. p. 232. UK, was considered unique enough for William Treurniet to conduct an analysis. 1. “Take shelter or die! Army chief 15. Murphy, Col. John G. “Ninth Army Not surprisingly, he eliminated the bal- warns”. Oakland Tribune. December AAA”. Anti-Aircraft Journal. May- loon explanation because it was suppos- 10, 1941 page 15 June 1949. Page 5. edly not moving with the wind. However, he only used surface wind data and not 2. The History of 4th AA Command, 16. Craven, Wesley Frank and James wind data from other altitudes. To me Western Defense Command, Jan 9 Lea Crate ed. The Army Air Forces It looks and behaves like a toy balloon 1942 to July 1 1945 (extract)). Avail- in World War II. Volume one: Plans shaped like a number “9” or “6”. able WWW: http://www.cufon.org/ and early operations. Office of Air pdf/BattleOfLosAngeles.pdf page 1 Force History. Washington D.C. The key on identifiying balloons is to 1983.. P. 285-6 see if they are moving with the wind. 3. “Enemy blimp on west coast.” Man- There are several places one can get this chester Union Leader. February 25, 17. Collins, Paul T. “World War II UFO kind of data. However, just because the 1942. Page 20. scare”. Fate. July 1987. Available winds are coming from the northwest at WWW: http://www.rense.com/ufo/ ground level does not mean they wil be 4. “Guns hurl two-hour barrage at battleofla.htm that way at other levels. It is best to get planes over Los Angeles”. El-Paso radiosonde data from a nearby location Herald Post February 25, 1942. Page 18. Hendry, Allan. The UFO Investiga- if possible. 1. tors Handbook. London: Sphere Books Ltd. 1980. p. 48 It is also possible that some balloons can 5. “Los Angeles fires at unseen foe in have LED’s or other illumination devices reported aircraft invasion”. New York 19. Mcavoy, Thomas D. LIFE Magazine attached to them. This can produce some Times. February 26, 1942. Page 3. photo archive hosted by Google. interesting results at night since the bal- 1939. Available WWW: http://im- loons would be essentially invisible to 6. “LA slightly off beam on air raid”. ages.google.com/hosted/life observers and the lights would appear Bakersfield Californian. February 26, to float in the sky. It is thought that road 1942. Page 2. I would like to thank Peter Brookesmith flares attached to helium filled balloons/ and Vincente-Juan Ballester Olmos for garbage bags may have produced some 7. ibid their assistance in identifying some of the Gulf Breeze “Red UFOS” in the early sources for this article. 1990s. 8. ibid 22 bit sturdier. These are often are released circular. Was this my first UFO? I rapidly by the dozens as part of a celebration. It took some photographs and then exam- can produce quite the display at night for ined them closely. My excitement quickly unsuspecting viewers. waned when I zoomed into the image to see that it was a weather balloon (see im- age below). One could even see the data package suspended underneath the bal- loon.

Fire balloons/Chinese lanterns Weather balloons

hese are basically miniature hot-air eather balloons are routinely re- Tballoons. The initial design was to Wleased by weather observers in Research balloons use a plastic bag and some small birth- many locations across the United States. day candles. These would heat up the air They are much larger than ordinary bal- hese are predominantly seen in the inisde the plastic and cause it to rise. The loons and expand as they rise up into the Tsouthwest US and can be traced back candles would also illuminate the plastic. atmosphere. As a result, they can be seen to New Mexico and Texas. In 2009, there The end result would be a floating appa- from some distance away. were several widespread UFO events in ration that would hover eerily across the Arizona and Texas/Oklahoma caused by sky. There have been many examples of these launches. One involved an ama- this but the best one occurred in the Con- teur astronomer seeing the balloon low don report case #18. on the horizon right after sunset with a telescope. He was convinced he saw something truly unexplainable even though he was looking in the direction of the research balloon when it was visible to the observer.

To be honest, I never noticed them before and saw my first launch at an astronomy day celebration. It was very interesting and I followed it with my telescope for some time. I figured that would be the In recent years, the fire balloon has been only time I saw one but I soon discovered Amateur astronomer Jeremy Perez of Flagstaff, replaced by the “chinese lantern”. These they I could see them if I chose to go out- Arizona took this photograph of the June 11-12th are seem to be widely used in the United side and look for them. UFO/Balloon using an 8-inch telescope. The wide Kingdom but I have seen at least one of field view shows the star-like nature of the object these at a fourth of July celebration. So, I was taking some daylight pictures one on June 12th. Thanks to Jeremy for the use of his im- they can be seen in the US as well. The Saturday and noticed a white object float- age. You can find more at his website: http://www. balloons are just modernized “fire bal- ing through the clouds. I first thought perezmedia.net/beltofvenus/ loons”. The candles have been replaced it was an airplane but when I looked at by a flammable wax and the envelope is a with my 300mm telephoto, I saw it was 23 In the last issue of “SUNlite’ I briefly discussed ‘The act of loving UFOlogy’ Twenty-First Century UFOlogy – VIII: Beware of the Dark Side of and The “Hill Star Map” in an earlier piece drawing some very unfriendly UFOs! A brief expose of the saucer lore, aliens and the abduction fire from a pro “Hill-Wilson Star Map” enthusiast who objected to my expert mythos basic premise that Ms Marjorie Fish (The original Star Map researcher), was thorough and honest. I did not say she was correct, as my inter- by Matt Graeber edited by Grace L. Graeber ests are not with astronomy. That is precisely why I sent Ms Fish’s 1971 research notes to Mr. Printy who is knowledgable in this area of study. ic), not to mention regarding item num- Also, my ‘Sex and Saucer’ articles seem to have struck some friends and ber three (3), the Grays and some UFOs associates as being a wee bit over-the-top, down-right malicious and can also fly, hover, submerge, demateri- not necessary to point out! I will respectfully remind my prudish friends alize and pass through a brick wall with- my very first article in “SUNlite’ was about “Light Pillars” (an atmospheric out being damaged; thereby, occupying phenomenon) and a marvelous Belgium researcher named Wim Van the same space and time with all sorts of Utrecht who is a multi-talented, objective researcher. It was not about physical obstructions (much like the car- saucer-love, the nostalgic Hill case or UFO-related sexual obsessions. toon character Casper the friendly ghost). Since the Grays seem to also lack an op- However, in this article, I shall refrain from the sexual and focus on “The posable thumb (according to some of the Dark Side” of UFOs, Especially those cases which seem to have all the reports) and cannot possibly grasp and strange characteristics of a rock-solid “unknown.” This should serve to e have all heard and read stories turn a door knob a reasonable person quell the nagging suspicions that I have become a hard-nosed debunker Wabout how marvelously excep- might wonder how the aliens manage and UFOlogical turn-coat that no longer believes in saucers. The only tional the UFO experience is. How it may to construct their marvelous spaceships stipulation I wish to make in my defense is that I believe there is an IM- be intellectually stimulating, spiritually without grasping any tools? PACT of a sighting experience upon the observer(s). That is my primary enlightening and personally transforma- interest. I ask you, does that make more or less of a skeptic? I happen to tive – especially, when the little Grays, the Interestingly, thousands, if not hundreds have some very long-time friends and associates who are UFO believ- Reptilians or the creatures have of thousands of abductions are said to ers and obviously embrace what they perceive to be ‘Evidence’ of a “Real selected an individual for cross-breeding occur nightly (even in heavily populated UFO experience” as well as the ever-popular abduction malaise! experimentation, harvested their eggs urban communities). Nearly all these ab- or spermatozoa. (It seems having one’s ductions are undetected, since the aliens I guess these types of UFOOLogy should be discussed in-depth, but I genes joined with those of a big alien also possess the rather remarkable ability have not brought it up in very much detail thus far because it involves bug is thought to be ‘ desirable’ in many to ‘Switch-off people’ which enables the ‘Belief’ and ‘Faith’ which should not be part of a semi-serious discussion saucer circles!) alien’s to kidnap the individuals they seek on UFOs. But, psychology is definitely involved in the behavior of people without being noticed or bothered by as well as their beliefs… it is therefore fair game! So, if I should slip back Yes, it is a truly unique experience. But, others who might be present at the time, into my thoughts on psychology from time-to-time I hope you’ll excuse often times horrific and physically pain- thereby, avoiding interference or trouble- my brief lapses of self-control. ful according to many abductees, UFO some interruptions by family, friends, fel- experts, and several top abductologists low employees, guardians, or angry lov- If you’ll excuse a wee bit more of a diversion. I would like to mention who have painstakingly figured out: ers. Not only this, the little aliens can also that while I do tend to lean quite heavily on Jungian psychology I often instill screen memories in the minds of do this to avoid Freudian psychology because it is very sexual at times. 1.The covert alien agenda the abductees), masking and completely Moreover, there are many things about Jungian psychology I do not per- altering their true appearance and covert sonally agree with. Yet, I do make use of Dr. Jung’s brilliant concepts, ter- 2. That well over 100 different alien spe- activities. They can also create lingering minology and similar symbolic examples in my writing simply because cies or, types are currently coming to mind blockages of various types. Yet, he researched and wrote about UFOs over five decades ago and his work earth kidnapping people and... they always seem to fail to instill such has been largely ignored in many saucer circles. So, I feel he may be an mental alterations to the consciousness excellent reference source. I do respect and admire Dr. Freud, Dr. Jung 3. They have also figured out much of of the book-writing abductologist’s who and many other giants of psychology. I think they were very great men the thought to be Black Magic-like tech- frequently expose their covert activities of their times who perceived things through their prism of their unique niques and technologies the aliens rou- at UFO conventions and on radio/TV pro- personalities and circumstance. But, I have thirty-seven years of my own tinely employ. grams informing many large audiences experience(s ) in this sub-cultural field and desire to share some of it with of the dangers of the alien presence on others. It would be very foolish of me not to do so. In no way do I believe Of course, these fantastic covert meth- our planet . However, the expert’s stories I have any concrete answers to the enigma, but I may be asking some ods and highly advanced technologies appear to be quite lucrative for a few ab- questions of merit (?) I’ll ask you to be the judge on that question. Also, are employed by aliens to locate spe- ductologists on the very top of the UFO- I would like to mention I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist or UFO ex- cific victims and render them helpless logical heap because their yarns tend pert. However, in a previous article I made several errors which Mr. Mar- before they are whisked away to a wait- to titillate the sensation-seeking saucer tin Kottmeyer and others were kind enough to point out. I wish to thank ing spaceship. Oh yes, I almost forgot to buffs and cable TV viewers who are eager them for the clarifications and sharp eyed attention to detail. mention… to hear more and simply chose to believe what they are being told about the so- Matt Graeber 4. All this, while the same abduction ex- called enigma! perts bypass the rather sticky issue of proving UFOs exist in the first place (It’s But wait! There are many more contradic- sort of cart before the horse saucer-log- tions, pitfalls and common sense stum- 24 CE-II report categorization yet, this es- ters. After the incident Mrs. Cash devel- timate is almost always involves a mere oped some persistent medical problems optical distance guess by the observers which plagued her until she died on the and/or the UFO field investigators. (Are eighteenth anniversary of her1980 UFO you aware 500 feet is a distance of 1 and encounter at Huffman, Texas (reportedly 2/3 football fields back-to-back in length from complications suffered because of from goal post to goal post), and CE-II’s her exposure to high-levels of ionization are seldom a measured factor! Moreover, radiation emitted by the strange object.) when it is possible to obtain a measure- ment the so-called ‘residual evidence’ But, symptoms of a radiation poisoning which is found to be consistently very (like that which was inflicted upon the questionable in character or, as a scien- populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, tific sampling (Despite the fact it should Japan, in 1945) seem to be lacking with be ‘extraordinarily unique’ since it is ‘al- this claim since such exposure would legedly’ from another world). But, these certainly have produced death in a rela- reports are woefully anecdotal in nature tively short period of time. According to and questionable! UFOlogists often in- long-time pro-UFOlogist Mr. Brad Sparks, bling blocks to the saucer legend. One is clude a sub-category for CE-II’s it is… Ted Mrs. Cash may have been exposed in- the Dark Side of the phenomenon which Bloecher’s ’Aliens sighted, without a sau- stead to some unknown chemical in an one seldom hears about. However, I have cer being seen’ at all!… (Talk about super- aerosol form? However, the incident was decided to write about it for ‘SUNlite’ stealthy (invisible?) saucers and grasping believed by Mrs. Cash to have involved readers with the hopes it may produce a at straws to prove a point!) If no one saw a classified military test aircraft of some small “Shock of recognition” for UFO be- a UFO, how certain might anyone be the type and, Mrs. Cash was unsuccessful lievers who have happened to surf the witnesses hadn’t misidentified children with her suit against the military in court. many saucer sites and ended up here…. at play or, small human beings wearing In other words, the case remains com- For these very fortunate individuals, I of- some sort of uniforms, work clothes or, pletely unresolved to this day and like the fer (completely free of charge), the equal- costumes? Not to mention elves, pixies UFO enigma itself it remains highly con- ly exceptional and highly enlightening or, leprechauns. (Just kidding!) troversial and expert opinions (Pro and experience of NOT being bamboozled by Con) differ quite a bit on the matter. a self-appointed UFO expert, as this ar- Though we are informed by abductees ticle is penned by a mere student of the and abduction experts that the strange However, Mrs. Cash was not alone at the phenomenon who spent 37 years of his affects produced upon the abductees’ time of her sighting experience her friend life, independently investigating, evalu- minds and bodies may be considered as Vickie Landrrum and Vickie’s seven year ating and researching phantom of the evidence and/or, somehow, beneficial old grandson Colby were also present. skies reports. to the abductees. The question arises… They too, were said to have suffered simi- Whose benefit are we actually discuss- lar ailments but, milder and for shorter A clarification ing? Solely the abductees’, the aliens’ with periods of time. But, this is only one side their ‘Assumed’ failing genetic pool or, the of the Cash/Landrum story, there are also t is also very important to note; I am abduction experts’ book sales, schedule skeptical opinions, plus, other propo- Inot attempting to gain your intellectual of UFO conference lecture gigs and cable nents who have examined data and feel favor, change your UFO beliefs or, seek TV appearances… not to mention all the it is very likely that Mr. Sparks has put his your confidence for financial gain. You saucer-related novelties they hawk on- finger directly on the matter(?) Some of have the right to examine all the opin- line? Yes, the saucer ‘Entertainment busi- those researchers do not suspect the Huf- ions on the topic, hold on to your money ness’ is grand and blossoming! So, I think ford, Texas, UFO was a radiation-spewing and make up your own mind as a fully- we can safely include the benefits for the spacecraft from another world. After all, informed individual. That is what this arti- UFO experts. BTW, should you care to how would living (as we understand the cle is all about, “full disclosure.” However, learn a bit more about your favorite UFO word), beings within such a craft or the it will probably not endear me with too expert, simply type his or her name in the pilots in the helicopters possibly survive many UFO enthusiasts. little window of your PC’s search engine the radiation exposure? function. CE-II’s The UFO Pursuit Sickened by the UFO dark side? s you may know, CE-II reports (Close was once a guest on the Richard Hayes Aencounters of the second kind), are erhaps, one of the best documented Iradio program in Philadelphia during said to involve some sort of residual evi- Pcase of a UFO involv- the1990’s (Mr. Hayes was the side-kick of dence being left behind when a UFO has ing ill-affects being produced upon a wit- the legendary Arthur Godfrey a radio and landed, crash-landed and perhaps, even ness was that of Mrs. Betty Cash’s encoun- TV personality of the 1930’s to 50’s) Any- dropped items to earth from an estimat- ter with a terrible heat-producing, large way, when the call came into the Phila- ed altitude of 500 feet or less? 500 feet or diamond-shaped UFO which was being delphia talk show from a young woman less seems to be the magic number for pursued by a swarm of military helicop- who reported having driven her car at 25 92 MPH as she was relentlessly pursued many fatal auto crashes of mysterious the situation the officer panicked and by a fleeting UFO in New Jersey. She said circumstance might one speculatively at- opened fire at the oncoming light. the craft suddenly appeared about fifty tributable to UFO fears and over-reaction feet behind her auto’s right rear section to misperceptions of prosaic objects like One is reminded of the hysteria the 30’s and was no more than one hundred feet airplanes, helicopters, kites, smoke and “War of the worlds” radio drama (based above t trees which lined the highway. birds, etc? on H.G Wells famous story), The young nurse continued “You know, I and possibly the harrowing UFO pursuit was really scared to death they were go- of the Bouchard family in Ottawa, Cana- ing to catch me…. I mean, because they da, 1973. UFO pursuits are not restricted do all those horrible things to people to autos, trucks and motorcycles. Some they abduct.” aircraft pilots are also chased about the skies or, report chasing the ever-elusive She continued “I had never driven so fast saucers. Police are also not exempted in my life or, was so scared!” finishing her from UFO pursuits and interfacing with story as the Philadelphia radio station alien creatures. The popular UFO litera- went to a commercial break. I had heard ture is rife with such tales, but, in over six other woman express similar fears and decades of countless incidents, no physi- apparent concerns about UFOs during cal evidence has been brought forth con- UFO sighting interviews and while on cerning UFO reality! So, were these folks field investigations. But, this was- per Carbondale, PA. and the dark reacting to real world events or, imagined haps, the very first time they were spoken and nevertheless powerfully terrifying as incoming expressions of fears from the side of the saucer lore experiences of their own imaginations general public, broadcasted over the ra- production? dio. Then, another woman called the pro- n early November of 1973, two young gram with yet another UFO-related fear Ibrothers at Lake Ariel, Pa, which is Imaginary Friends she had long-harbored. She too, had ob- seven miles S/E of Carbondale, Pa, had viously heard (and believed) the abduc- been left unattended by their parents s children there was a dreadful bogy- tion experience is often characterized and intently listened to local radio re- Aman lurking under our bed or, ready by mounting terror and the infliction of ports about a UFO which had crashed in to spring at us from a closet. Are UFO physical pain. Not to mention the abject the neighboring community. Addition- abductions the adult version and dra- disgust of being kidnapped and subject- ally, aliens from the ill-fated saucer were matization of long-forgotten childhood ed to invasive medical procedures (while said to have been spotted moving about fears, which have been reactivated and in the waking state) involving one’s re- on the ground (rumors which were later nourished trough media hype and pro- productive organs and genitalia! found to be completely erroneous). The motions by book writing self-appointed frightened boys armed themselves and UFO experts? As an adult, one realizes the The second caller to the Richard Hayes decided to try to make their way to the childhood bogyman existed only in one’s show said she never walked in certain safety of a neighbor’s home. Along the mind. But, at what point in one’s adult areas where she knew UFOs had been way, one boy jokingly scared his brother psychological development as a think- observed and reported. Mr. Hayes had and was accidentally shot and killed! A ing, reasoning, mature person might one mentioned the existence of so-called dark side tragedy fueled by mounting suspect similar ‘heightened fears’ may be ‘UFO alleys’ shortly after her call. Any- fears, completely unfounded UFO rumor affecting a person? way, she explained she would not walk and over-zealous radio news broadcasts. in those particular UFO areas without a As adults some of us may recall having husband! Mr. Hayes quipped “Yours or, Meanwhile, back at Carbondale, Pa, dur- imaginary friends and playmates, these anybody’s?” She nervously chuckled and ing the same 1973 UFO scare, a rookie childhood playmates seemed very real replied “Mine of course!” policeman while in a recovery boat with and oftentimes were given cookies, milk several other officers was busy searching and candy by the children. Moreover, not Fears! for the source of a mysterious light seen all the imaginary playmates were human, at the bottom of a large pond (It was re- some may have been talking animals like he point is, pent up fears of such in- portedly the crashed saucer, but, was ac- baby elephants and ponies, etc. Child Ttensity which adversely influence tually a prank perpetrated by three local psychologists point out the existence of one’s behavior and the maintenance teens to scare a girl). Anyway, the pole the a very soft boundary between reality and of one’s model of the real world are not cop was handling must have nudged the fantasy existing within the youngster’s healthy. Such fears may be quite danger- battery-powered trainman’s lantern the developing mind and, children often slip ous to one’s mental and social equilibri- boys had tossed into the murky water’s in and out of reality or fantasy at will. But, um. Especially, IF the fear is not justified depths earlier causing the lantern’s light as they grow into adults the soft bound- because it is nothing more than the ac- beam to suddenly shift, which the officer aries ‘Solidify’ and the person no longer ceptance of a gross fabrication and ru- mistook as a light (i.e, a UFO), rushing to- sees his or, her imaginary friends. mor-mongering as fact, shoddy research- wards the recovery boat! In what might ing techniques and media hype. How be described as a knee-jerk reaction to 26 Recollections castrating themselves before committing In yet another bizarre incident, a New suicide. It is thought they wanted to ap- York UFO researcher conspired with sev- hile at UFORIC I investigated a pear something like the aliens which are eral other UFO enthusiasts to poison (us- Wnumber of UFO sighting reports reported to be lacking genitalia. ing radioactive particles placed within where children who were present dur- their automobiles, toothpaste, and food) ing the event contradicted their elders. UFO religion, cult suicides, and of three township officials whom the They informed me they were not con- UFOlogist’s believed were covering up vinced it was a ‘real’ UFO event, BECAUSE murders information concerning a UFO crash. The IT SEEMED TOO MUCH LIKE A VISIT BY AN UFO researcher underwent extensive IMAGINARY FRIEND, WHILE THE ADULT uring the 1950’s,’60 and early ‘70’s psychiatric treatment at a maximum se- WITNESSES WERE ABSOLUTELY CON- Dthere were churches of the UFO, curity facility and is presently no longer VINCED OF THE EVENT’S REALITY – HAD reformed churches of the UFO and the in custody. THE CHILDREN REPORTED THE EVENT firebrand preacher of the 20th Century MORE ACCURATELY THAN THE ADULTS? reformation church in New Jersey who The light sponsored a TV show about UFOs as 21st century UFOlogy fallen angels and creature sightings as t a UFO gathering in Chester, Illinois being manifestations of Satan himself. Amany years ago a speaker breath- realize to some folks this is not nearly One UFO religion today is led by a former lessly told those present of a great arma- Ias exciting reading as a CE-III case with French race car journalist and test driver da of UFOs which swept down from the alien beings. My interest is not only in who received his divine calling from wise sky, attacked and leveled their city on the what might be and possibly propels a alien life-forms during his close encoun- spiritual plane. No one in the audience but, what may make an ob- ter with a UFO while inside an inactive could actually recall seeing the armada server tick as well! For I want to learn all Italian volcano. He now enjoys a world- or, the massive devastation. The speaker about the UFO experience… doing so wide following of 50,000 church mem- then, suddenly collapsed, fainting be- doesn’t make me a hard-nosed skeptic or, bers and they embrace the idea of group hind the podium having been overcome debunker. It makes one an objective 21st. sex among consenting adult church by sinister forces from outer space. While Century UFOlogist! So, while the above members including homosexuals and in Massachusetts, a woman claiming to information on imaginary friends may lesbians. Moreover, the abduction craze/ be a UFO expert and practicing witch not tell us anything definitive about any phase of contemporary UFO lore has too, spoke about UFOs being on nightly particular UFO case, it may be something been repeatedly tainted by charges of ‘Soul counts’ in preparation for the spiri- to keep in the back of our mind when a the sexual exploitation of unsuspecting tual warfare (Between the forces of the child UFO witness contradicts what the (often hypnotized), young women, finan- dark and the light), which she knew was adults say about their group sighting. cial scandal and other breeches of ethics. imminent. While, at BUFO (Burlington A few abductologists (i.e., Abduction ex- UFO and Radio) of Wiscon- Of course, there exists a great deal more perts), have been stripped of their pro- sin, members of the group are said to be of the dark side to avoid. These fears and fessional license to practice psychology “Light Workers.” concerns seem to be more than appropri- in their states by review boards of their ate when one considers that thirty-nine medical peers. Several of these individual Psychiatrists’ inform us some Schizo- members of a UFO cult mutilated them- are still quite active in UFOlogy. Murders phrenic patients speak of aliens or, peo- selves, committed suicide and actually and attempted murders are also part of ple entering a room through the light, or, believed a flying saucer was skirting the the dark side’s story. The perpetrators of magically traveling through it anywhere tail of the Hale-Bopp comet coming to these horrible crimes have claimed ‘Aliens they might wish to go. Others may speak take them from this troubled world. They had told them to do it’ or, that they were of aliens shooting laser beams into their had prepared for their spiritually up-lift- ‘Sparing’ their victim(s) from alien abduc- eyes in order to make them do certain ing journey by shaving their heads and tion and abuse. I’ll cite just two examples things or, some behaviors that may also of UFO-related murders. be controlled by small devices implanted in their brain by aliens! The preoccupa- In a very tragic story from England a tion with the light or, traveling at and, number of years ago, a distraught grand- beyond its speed is often central to UFO mother who feared her two young grand- lore and group discussion. So too, are the children were about to be abducted by alien’s breaking of long-established laws aliens, stabbed the children to death in of physics, time and gravity concepts. order to spare them the ordeal and suf- The UFOs are ‘Assumed’ to have the abili- fering of an abduction experience. While, ty to confound physical laws with all sorts in the United States, a thirty-nine year old of highly-advanced technologies which man pleaded guilty to aggravated man- seem to be black-magical or, miraculous slaughter in the death of his ex-wife. He according to one’s spin on the subject! said he was trying to protect her from be- ing kidnapped by aliens. The judge sen- tenced him to forty years in prison. 27 Another Clarification ject by countless aficionados, many self- Carl G. Jung, a psychiatrist who was once appointed saucer experts and scientific heir-apparent to the famous Dr. Sigmund do not intend to imply UFO all witness- governmental authorities throughout the Freud. Anyway, Dr. Jung said UFOs and Ies or, abductees are mentally ill. All I am world, no one has ever proven UFOs to aliens were actually a ‘Changing of the attempting to do is point out there exists be alien space ships or time traveling gods’ (A new mythology), and it is be- certain parallels and similarities between craft from who knows where in the vast coming increasingly obvious UFOlogy is delusional and hallucinatory episodes of cosmic soup? In fact, NO ONE HAS EVER a growing religion of sorts. So, there is lit- some mental patients and the UFO lore. INCONTROVERTIBLY PROVEN A SINGLE tle reason to suspect a skeptical-scientific Even the alien creatures are reported to UFO CASE to be scientifically genuine out appeal to the ‘Saucer Faithful” will be suc- have such fantastic abilities. They can of the thousands/millions reported. cessful since for one group (The believ- pass through solid walls and levitate! ers) it is a matter of deep seated faith and Naturally, the dark side of UFOs is not al- Moreover, the so-called ‘Evidence’ which the skeptical group’s arguments involve ways mentioned prominently in the pop- is presented is often anecdotal in nature logic and common sense. In this sad case ular press or, by UFO book authors who and highly questionable in content - the “Fear’ of the loss of a belief system is are not prone to be purveyors of detailed rarely worthy of in-depth scientific scru- obviously dreaded! I have offered but a fact which is non-entertainment informa- tiny. This is why I felt it necessary to write small sampling of the dark side of UFOs. tion. UFO belief can be a very dangerous about the dark side of the saucer enigma, However, the darkness has continuously pastime. its lore and some of the over-zealous indi- popped up over the years and when not viduals who promote it as fact…. BEWARE perceived in a lone article may make UFOs Naturally, UFOs (IF they actually exist as OF THE DARK SIDE OF UFOS! Always keep appear as a perfectly harmless hobby. spacecraft from another world), are not in mind that the difference between directly responsible for the above men- UFOlogy and UFOOLogy is but a single I was once a UFO believer and like many tioned crimes.... human beings are! But, vowel. However, OBJECTIVE UFOLOGY, others and I was fortunate enough to see these are humans who may ardently be- often ’Misidentified’ as debunkerism and the light after a very short period of time. lieve in and fear UFOs, alien entities and skepticism is something else entirely. My goal now, is to spare others the disap- the saucer lore in general. Some even feel pointment and embarrassment of being the UFOs are watching over us like guard- However, believers see the many stories bamboozled by those who are definitely ian angels. These are very ill-informed and the sheer number of the reports as NOT the brightest bulbs on the block! No individuals who may be attending UFO ‘Evidence’ and ‘Proof. Their argument’s one will ever solve the UFO enigma with conferences, group meetings, abduc- are grounded in the rhetoric of belief, a singular explanation, simply because tion support groups or, amongst the faith, fantasy and unbridled assumption. it is not a product of a single cause! The researchers who are speaking at gath- Not verifiable evidence of any kind! ‘Trick’ for the UFO experts is to ‘Keep the erings. One fellow at S/E Pennsylvania illusion alive’ by insisting there is an ET MUFON meeting was quite hostile, loud A final sad story presence in our environment. and very argumentative (he had a hair- cut like Mr. Spock the Star Trek TV series a hen, there is the very sad story of a To UFO Believers; I realize this has been a character portrayed by the actor Leonard TUFO writer and cable TV promoter very long and boring read. But, ask your- Nimoy). This MUFONite later firebombed who was asked by TV executives to pro- self “How many tines do you need to have the apartment building where he and duce a documentary about ghosts NOT a brick fall from a crumbling building and others resided and then, committed sui- UFOs. But instead, he decided it might hit you squarely on the head, before you cide. Unfortunately, as a result, several be interesting to present a documentary decide to wear a hard hat or, safely walk long-time normal attendees of the MU- on the alien ghosts of an ill-fated saucer on the other side of the street?.... You FON meetings wisely left the group in crash that ‘allegedly’ occurred near Ro- know, if you should find yourself in a very fear of the changing make up, character swell New Mexico in 1947. He gathered deep, dark hole the first thing to do is and behavior of the group. Of course, as a group of UFOlogists, ghost hunters, a ‘STOP DIGGING!’ concerned parents and grandparents it spiritualist and psychics to participate might be advisable to prudently curb the in the film. The documentary was so bad Matt Graeber, ex-director of the Philadelphia-based enthusiasm of youngsters who may care- the TV executives turned it down flat! pro-UFO Report and Information Center (UFORIC) lessly wander into the UFO abyss. Young 1972-1980, is a retired commercial artist and vet- folks and the elderly are very susceptible I received a copy of this ‘Never-aired film’ eran presently residing with his wife of 42 years in to misinformation, exaggeration, mys- from a friend. I viewed the group of ex- Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Some of the case particulars terious and sci-fi like false promises- es perts who were said to be people drawn mentioned in this article first appeared in a FATE poused by charismatic individuals. (Don’t from ‘Diverse disciplines’ (Thus, sounding magazine article written by the author over a de- be bamboozled!) very scientific), and was shocked to see cade ago. them form a circle around an ‘Assumed’ It has been sixty-three years since the but, completely invisible alien spirit. EDITOR NOTE: Matt has made note that his articles onset of modern-day reported UFO Then, they put down their cameras and for SUNlite are going to dwindle in the future be- sightings of the alien creatures which other electronic equipment, held hands cause of his failing eyesight. He continues to pro- followed in their wake. Despite great in- and began to pray to the alien spirit… vide me with articles that I plan on using in the terest and much inquiry into in the sub- In 1970 I had read a book by the late Dr. future. 28 ast issue, I mentioned some meteor all the cases, the witnesses were looking Levents that could have been misin- Rocket launches and out over the Pacific Ocean towards the terpreted as UFOs. I also mentioned two track of the rocket at the same time as the rocket launches from Vandenberg that UFO reports launch. It seems very likely they were all probably did generate UFO reports. They describing the Minotaur rocket. did and I was surprised by the number of reports being made by people so close to November 5 Vandenberg Air Force Base. It was almost as if they were unaware that such launch- his was a Delta II rocket launch of a es even occurred. TCosmos satellite. There were three reports in the NUFORC database. The September 17 witnesses seemed to be pretty excited about seeing a “craft” of some kind and n unarmed Minuteman III launch at went through the motions of convincing A3:03 AM produced one report in the themselves that it could not be a rocket NUFORC database. launch even though they were look- The witness pro- nesses as “comet-like”. ing towards Vandenberg and the rocket claimed this event launch was announced. would change his September 25 life forever. His de- scription is consis- his was the launch of a Minotaur IV tent with a rocket Trocket from Vandenberg at 9:41 PM launch. The photo- in a south-southwest trajectory (photo graph at left comes of the launch above courtesy Vanden- from the Vanden- berg AFB web site). Most viewers near berg AFB web site Vandenberg would see the rocket go up, showing the launch. reach a peak, and then turn towards the south as demonstrated by the ground September 20 track below.

his was an Atlas V rocket launch at 9:03 TPM. Sky conditions must have been Back in the sunshine state good because one UFO report describing the launch came from as far north as San aving lived in Florida for many years, Jose some 200 miles away. This event HI am familiar with the hoopla associ- also had an “expert witness”, who stated ated with any rocket launch. Even the he was a criminal investigator who knew classified rocket launches seemed to how to make observations and interpret draw big crowds and were often men- them. He states he saw it to the northeast tioned on the radio. People take time at 9:15PM from Ventura but his descrip- out of their evening to step outside tion seems to match that of the rocket and watch them. This may explain why launch. The northeast direction is incor- I discovered fewer reports in two night rect but a northwest direction would be launches from 2010. I sampled two Delta fairly accurate. Several others described IV night launches. The first was March 4th the exhaust plume encircling the rocket at 6:57 PM EST. It generated no reports in launch. Apparently, as it started arc- The number of reports were interesting the MUFON or NUFORC database. The ing over the ocean, the exhaust gases and all pretty much said the same thing. second was launched on May 27th at and plume were seen together giving a They described the staging event quite 11 PM EDT. It generated nothing in the unique effect as seen by this image taken clearly as they stated they saw a bright NUFORC database and only two in the from a youtube video by Toddbronco2 light appear to “stand still” for a few sec- MUFON database. The two in the MUFON onds, then dim out and reappear for a few database were made from Naples and St. seconds before fading away. One of the Augustine, Florida. Both are well over a NUFORC witnesses thought it might be hundred miles away. a rocket launch but dismissed it because the object appeared to him to make a 60 Don’t forget Virginia degree turn (see photograph of this rock- et launch arcing over above). A MUFON allops Island, Virginia is a forgot- witness dismissed this as a rocket launch Wten launch area. They do launch because he felt the object was moving rockets and missiles there and they do This was described by some of the wit- towards the east before it went south. In produce UFO reports. Probably the most 29 obvious case happened on September It demonstrates that even video evidence 19th of 2009. A Black Brandt XII sound- Missile or Contrail? can be misleading as to the exact nature ing rocket launched the Charged Aerosol of an “unidentified”. People are going to Release Experiment that created an arti- see what they want to see and it should ficial noctilucent cloud in the upper- at be a lesson for UFOlogists. mosphere. It was visible over most of the Northeast/Atlantic states. This resulted in Of course, it did not take long for some about a hundred UFO reports in the NU- UFO supporters to jump onto this band- FORC database and tens of reports in the wagon. The most bizarre claim came MUFON database. The reports contained when Colleen Thomas stated that the some exaggerations (one suggested the I was alerted on the 9th of November by Pleiadians shot down the missile because cloud was used to cloak the UFO) and Robert Sheaffer concerning a mysterious President Obama was trying to start a the report times were not always accu- missile launch on the previous evening. war with Iran. Thomas then stated the rate (some listed it as 2200). All of these When I saw the still, I thought it was just following night, Obama ordered another witnesses were apparently unaware of a contrail but after watching the video, I launch to shoot down the Pleiadians. Of a rocket launch/experiment being con- was sold it was a missile launch from an course the Pleiadians shot this one down ducted. SSBN test firing a missile. I quickly looked as well. Does anybody really take these at the DOD site for Notice to airmen people seriously? (NOTAM) to see if there was evidence of a potential SSBN missile launch. Initially, I thought I had hit pay dirt where there was a NOTAM setting up area W537 for some activity. W537 was the same area where the launch supposedly occurred. I eagerly sent it to Robert Sheaffer and James Oberg. However, both caught my mistake when they pointed out the time was for 2000 GMT on the 9th and would Wallops island does not launch many not work since it was on the 8th the ob- rockets but they do happen every few ject was seen. I sheepishly acknowledged months. There is a Minotaur rocket the mistake and looked closer but could Speaking of being taken seriously, Dan launch tentatively scheduled for 6 April not find any other NOTAMS. James Oberg Aykroyd mentioned the missile launch 2011. I wonder if it will create UFO re- suggested it was a contrail but I was not on Jimmy Kimmel a month later. Accord- ports if it is a night launch? convinced since the clip seemed to show ing to Aykroyd: a bright rocket exhaust for a few seconds. Conclusion I was really puzzled until James Oberg We had a very interesting sighting here in gave the link for Mick West’s contrail sci- Los Angeles...we had a contrail....and they t seems the farther away one is from a ence. The more I read, the more I was said it was a 747..if you look very closely at Ilaunch site, the greater the probability convinced it was probably just a contrail. it, and we are going to get photo analysis that it will be misidentified as a UFO. A The rocket exhaust I thought I saw was of it done professionally, it’s not a jet and good night rocket launch can be seen probably just the aircraft reflecting sun- it’s not a rocket, it’s an orb...it’s an egg.... from over 200 miles away. The location light (I should have paid attention to my It’s obviously a round object, not a cylin- of the observer in relation to the rocket’s article for IFO university on airplanes!). It der..... trajectory can play a role in how easy it just goes to show you that you can easily is for the launch to be visible. The key be fooled by these sorts of things. Does MUFON really think this was any- issue with all of these reports are they thing more than an airplane or is Aykroyd were made at the same time as a rocket There were actually two aircraft that really representing current MUFON dog- launch and gave the type of description could have caused the contrail. The first ma? If only Aykroyd/MUFON read my IFO one might expect. I pointed this out in was US Airways 808 flying from Hawaii to university last month, they would have my discussion of a May1978 UFO case in Phoenix. It was originally the prime sus- understood all the misperceptions be- SUNlite 2-4 (page 9). In that case, it seems pect but further analysis of some images ing described here. Of course, MUFON/ very likely a rocket launch was involved and other aircraft tracks by Liem Bahne- Aykroyd could easily go to Mick West’s as the primary source for the UFO report man changed the culprit to being United Contrail Science or Liem Bahneman’s but UFOlogists promoting the case failed Parcels Service (UPS) flight 902. His work web site and see a wonderful analysis for to examine (or bother to mention that is very convincing and should put the free instead of paying for one. Maybe they examined) this possibility. Based on matter to rest but I doubt it will. the only analysis they will accept is one these case studies, using the “everybody that declares that it is truly unidentified knows what a rocket launch looks like” The military eventually concluded it was and must be an alien spaceship. Aykroyd excuse is just not valid. probably a contrail but the conspiracy should stick to pretending to be Yogi Bear crowd continued to howl “missile launch”. instead of pretending to be a scientist. 30 UFOs on the tube Book Reviews Buy it! (No UFO library should do without it) UFOs over the earth: Mass sightings in ing a photo processing program. When Mexico (Investigation Discovery chan- confronted with this, Avila denied hoax- UFO: The government files - Peter nel) ing the images and Maussan defended Brookesmith him based on his journalistic experience. ast issue, I talked about this series cov- The show then doubted that Carlos could This is a good starting point for anyone Lerage of the “Bucks County UFOs” and have hoaxed them because it was too so- wanting to get a quick grasp of UFOl- I was not that impressed. After watching phisticated a hoax! This sounds like the ogy’s history. There are far more detailed this episode, my opinion of this series Ed Walters excuse. books out there that cover each case in changed somewhat. detail but the layout gives a simple but Maussan chose to bring his own photo effective presentation. The chronological The show was about Mexico, which has expert in to examine the photographs. layout quickly identifies the important been, according to the show, “A hotbed Guiellermo Anaya’s analysis was a lot events and personalities in UFOlogy. of UFO activity”. However, James Car- of hand waving as he stated things like rion notes that there is really no proper aliens could alter the EXIF data and the Borrow it. (Worth checking out of library or bor- investigations being conducted. The im- pixilation could have created the “box” rowing from a friend) plication was MUFON might be able to around the UFOs. Carrion’s response at conduct some quality investigations on this point was to basically throw up his Witness to Roswell - Don Schmitt and some cases. hands and give up trying to convince Tom Carey. them that it was probably a hoax. Once Arriving in Mexico, Carrion went to UFO again, the show then let me down by I dislike this book because of the presen- central, Jaimie Maussan’s television stating, “Questions about the photo’s au- tation. General Sherman once wrote that show. He showed them several videos. thenticity remain unresolved”!!!! I think he disliked newspapermen because they One looked like a model suspended on a the show resolved this one but, for some would hang around the soldiers listen- string. However, there was one videogra- reason, the producers did not want this ing to rumors and then printing them as pher, Arturo Robles, they wanted to see. debunked completely. facts. This book contains lots of stories/ rumors from mostly enlisted men and Robles showed them some of his worm The show’s final segment involved the townspeople but no real substance to videos, which he thought might be town of Mezcala, which experienced an establish true facts. Some of the stories something living. To me they looked like exotic UFO event. According to reports, even contradict each other. I only rec- balloons strung together and, I suspect, a light passed over the city and then ommend borrowing it simply because it Carrion thought so too. When they went landed in the hills. This produced a pow- presents a lot of new testimony that may onto Robles’ roof, they saw a UFO, which er outage/fluctuation in the town. They be worth examining. Robles recorded. Unknown to Robles, it created a simulation for the townspeo- was just a bunch of balloons sent up to ple to see based on this report. However, Bin it! (Not worth the paper it is written upon - see his reaction. They then showed the the people stated this was not accurate. send to recycle bin) video to Maussan. Carrion mentioned that In fact, it seems everything they were it gave him relief to see Maussan state it told about the event was wrong! When The UFO Mystery: Solved! - Steuart looked like balloons. I just found that sort they finally interviewed somebody who Campbell of a ridiculous statement because, before recorded the event, he explained to showing it, they told Maussan it was only them the light was just on the hillside in Steuart sent me a free copy, which I ap- a bunch of balloons. It was not a good the area where power transmission line preciated, but I was unimpressed. Mr. test of how gullible Maussan could be but towers existed. They could have saved a Campbell presents the idea that just we did see that in the next segment. lot of time by talking to him but I guess about any UFO report can be solved by the producers wanted to see some sort mirages and astronomical objects. While The next segment included some pho- of computer simulation done. The light this may apply in some cases, I found it tographs that had been taken by Carlos turned out to be an electrical fault in the quite a stretch in applying this univer- Avila. Avila took some nice shots of a UFO power lines. sally to all UFO events. Trying to suggest over his neighborhood with a cell phone a star or planet (unless we are talking camera. The photographs were sent to Carrion closes with the following state- about Venus and possibly Jupiter) is an MUFON’s photo analyst, Marc D’Antonio. ment, “There are those of us in MUFON explanation for a daylight UFO sighting Right off the bat, the EXIF data on the who want to solve this mystery.... There are ignores the fact that seeing those objects photos showed two of the photographs other folks out there that want to perpetu- in broad daylight is a challenge for even were taken an hour apart instead of the ate the mystery...” It is interesting that, experienced astronomers.To suggest ca- minutes claimed by Avila. Even more despite what Carrion states, the show sual observers even noticed them under- damaging was that, after enhancement, did attempt to maintain the mystery. De- mines other cases where such explana- the UFO had a nice little box around it in- spite this, the show was far better than tions are perfectly valid. dicating it was a simple cut and paste us- the “Bucks county” episode. 31