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July 27, 2011

Famous Black Triangle UFO A Fake


The mystery of the iconic Petit-Rechain black triangle UFO photo has finally been solved. The photographer, a man named only as Patrick, has admitted making the UFO out of polystyrene in an interview with mainstream Belgian TV channel RTL-TVI.

The photograph was taken 21 years ago in 1990 at the height of the Belgian UFO flap and was an instant hit around the world, with many publications using the photo as a kind of banner for the UFO phenomenon.

It was known as the Petit-Rechain photo after the Belgian town where it was photographed, but Patrick revealed he and some friends made the model in a short space of time before photographing it some hours later that evening.

Patrick said “You can do a lot with a little, we managed to trick everyone with a piece of polystyrene” and he is right. The photograph has kept “experts” busy for years, with many of a ufological persuasion using this as proof of alien visitation.

“We made the model with polystyrene, we painted it and then we started sticking things to it, then we suspended it in the air … then we took the photo,”

The prank was originally meant to fool some work colleagues at the small business where Patrick worked as a fitter, but quickly went global soon after leaving the walls of the factory.

Patrick assumed their deception would be discovered, and takes pride in the fact that it never was.  He apologised for fooling so many believers, but clearly got a lot of laughs out of the whole thing after admitting he wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again.

In actual fact, Patrick is incorrect when he thinks the deception was never discovered, because the exact method of how he did it was revealed as recently as March of this year in Tim Printy’s (excellent) SUNlite magazine, Volume 3 Number 2.

On pages 19-22 there is an in-depth analysis by Roger Paquay which deconstructs various arguments presented by experts on the believer side of the fence, while presenting readers with the most likely explanation of what the image actually is.

“The various analyses cannot exclude effects based on a cardboard triangle suspended by a thin thread, giving the rotation effect seen on the picture.”

“This behavior doesn’t agree with an observation of an exotic object. The more likely conclusion is in favor of a fake made to illustrate the observation of a plane or to match with the description of the “Triangular UFO” found in the media for the previous four months.”

“It is very curious that, in a such a highly populated area, with people looking for UFOs, nobody else reported seeing this large object at low altitude. Only the photographer could explain what is really on his picture but his desire to remain anonymous will prevent any further resolution on the issue.”

Substitute cardboard for polystyrene and I would say he got it spot on!



Filed under: Ufology History,UFOs — Tags: , , , — Stephen Broadbent @ 11:11 pm



April 24, 2011

Proof: ET Body a Fake


Alien Body HoaxThe recent furore surrounding the find of a supposed alien body in Russia refuses to go away, despite the reporting by several sources that the whole thing was faked by a couple of young Russians, Timur Hilall, 18, and Kirill Vlasov, 19 (Pictured left, with their “alien”).

The original video which was uploaded to You Tube already has more than six million hits, and many people believe the reports explaining it all away as a prank or hoax is nothing more than a cover-up by the Russian authorities.

After reading the initial reports, I decided to contact Valery Novikov, the chief editor of local newspaper Kabansk-Info, who had contacted the police after viewing the video and thought the alien body might be that of a small child.

After learning of the prank, Valery interviewed the two men and after being impressed by their ingenuity, decided to make a film showing how they did it.

Timur and Kirill (above) both believe in alien visitation and life elsewhere in the universe, which was just one of the motivations in making the alien body. They fashioned their ET using nothing more than bread crumbs wrapped in chicken skin and plasticine for the head. In the original video, the body already appears to be fake, but better quality images of the actual doll (as shown above) make this more obvious.

Valery sent me a short teaser video and explained the full version would be ready on the 27th April. Luckily for us, he has uploaded the video earlier than planned and you can now view it for yourself below. He also explained he is running on a very small budget and is unable to pay for a translator in order to cater for the western audience, but as you can see, the images actually speak for themselves.

If you are able to help in the translation of this video, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Believers and sceptics alike have been annoyed by this episode, yet another in a long series of hoaxes and lies to hit the field of Ufology. Once again, the mainstream media lapped it up and reported the story as if it really was an alien who had been killed in a UFO crash. Once again however, we shouldn’t be surprised by this.

The way the original video was shot should have been enough to cry foul in the first place, footage of the actual body should also have been enough, but for some people the need to believe is just too strong and logic and common sense seem to fly out of the window.

If you still believe the whole thing was real after viewing this video, can I interest you in a once in a lifetime trip to Serpo? You better hurry though, places are limited and interest is high…

Discuss this and more in the Reality Uncovered Forums or leave a comment below.



Filed under: ET,UFOlogy,UFOs,Weird — Tags: , , , , — Stephen Broadbent @ 11:46 am



April 12, 2011

FAA Instructions to Staff on UFO Sightings Debunk Cover-Up Claims


Early this year, the FAA issued a series of new changes to its official Air Traffic Organization Policy. Specifically, this release was related to “air traffic control procedures and phraseology for use by personnel providing air traffic control services.”

Even though the document mentions how air traffic control staff should respond to UFO sightings, it has gone virtually unnoticed by Ufology.

The document first lists a small change in what organization where staff should report sightings. On page 17 under a review of document contents, the document states:

“This change corrects one of the organizations to which UFO/unexplained phenomena activity can be reported. NIDS is defunct and has been replaced by BAASS as the proper reporting agency. This change also includes a phone number and e-mail address for BAASS.”

This section is important because it makes it clear that there has already been an accepted FAA policy related to reporting UFOs even before this document was published, and that the “proper reporting agency” was NIDS – the organization formerly owned by Robert Bigelow and now defunct.

FAA Instructions on How to Report UFO

On page 401 of the document, section 9-8-1 provides a more specific explanation of how the FAA wants its staff to deal with Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) Reports:

“Persons wanting to report UFO/unexplained phenomena activity should contact a UFO/unexplained phenomena reporting data collection center, such as Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies [contact details removed], the National UFO Reporting Center, etc.

If concern is expressed that life or property might be endangered, report the activity to the local law enforcement department.”

It’s pretty clear from this internal document that the FAA does not discourage its staff from issuing UFO reports. In fact it leaves little doubt that staff are encouraged to report sightings to either private UFO reporting agencies or to the local authorities.

This document flies in the face of how most UFO proponents have always stated that the FAA discourages the reporting of UFOs, and that the agency seeks to cover up all UFO sightings.

John Callahan’s FAA “Cover-Up”

For example, in October of 2000, acting as one of the Witnesses in Stephen Greer’s “Disclosure Project”, a man by the name of John Callahan offered his own testimony concerning a UFO sighting that took place over the skies of Alaska.

According to Greer, Callahan was a Division Chief of Accidents and Investigations in the FAA for six years.

The story is now fairly well known within UFO circles – in 1986 a Japanese Airlines 747 flying over Alaska was allegedly followed by a UFO for about half an hour.

In his testimony, John stated that after the incident, there was a meeting with staff from the CIA, FBI and Reagan’s Scientific Study group. Callahan claimed that after reviewing the boxes of data, one of the CIA men stated that the meeting “never happened.”

“When they got done, they actually swore all these other guys in there that this never took place. We never had this meeting. And this was never recorded.”

Callahan didn’t stop there, he further stated that from his own personal experience, the FAA had a history of covering up such incidents when he stated:

“Well, I’ve been involved in a lot of cover-ups with the FAA. When we gave the presentation to the Reagan staff I was behind the group that was there. And when they were speaking to the people in the room, they had all those people swear that this never happened.”

Contradictory Witness Statements

At this point, Callahan’s credentials and story has never actually been independently confirmed. In fact, back in 2007, as we were attempting to verify his claims, we contacted CIA Science Analyst Ron Pandolfi. Ron admitted that both he and Maccabee had in fact attended an FAA meeting like the one Callahan described. However, he did not recall anyone making any statement that the meeting never happened, or that the data should be covered up.

Pandolfi stated, “I don’t recall trying to ‘keep the sighting hushed’ since it was already widely publicized.”

In fact Pandolfi turned over all the data to Maccabee to conduct a full investigation and report (which Maccabee published in 1987).

Pandolfi did say that he recalled John Callahan being present at the meeting, and that all discussion regarding “delaying dissemination of information” was between Bruce and Callahan. This implies, of course, that Callahan could have mistaken Maccabee for a “CIA guy,” when he was actually only there as a private contractor.

We contacted Maccabee and he also confirmed that he was at such a meeting and received all of the data for his analysis and report, but he also did not recall anyone at the meeting trying to cover it up.

We reported this contradiction to Leslie Kean of the Coalition for Freedom of Information – the only listed contact for Callahan – and she initially did not believe us. Therefore, I put her in direct contact with Pandolfi and Maccabee, who both told her exactly what they told us. Kean refused to let us speak directly with Callahan to resolve the discrepancy, and eventually refused to cooperate regarding getting any clarification from Callahan.

Leslie Kean Hits the Ufology Media Circuit

In fact, Kean completely ignored the contradictory witness statements that she received first-hand, and instead went on to publish a book in 2010 titled UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record, where she repeated Callahan’s testimony in full on page 222, and even focused on the “this never happened” statement.

She completely left out the fact that she had received direct testimony from both a CIA analyst and Bruce Maccabee, stating that they were at such a meeting that matched the meeting John described, and that no one said anything about covering-up.

Regardless of the reasons why Callahan made that statement, the fact that the data was immediately released to Maccabee to do a full public disclosure immediately following the event blows both Kean and Callahan’s claim of secrecy completely out of the water. And the fact that Kean ignored the contradictory evidence offered to her first-hand does the same to her journalistic integrity.

This latest FAA release provides a much clearer example of what the FAA really tells its staff – not what Ufologists would like you to believe. There is no vast conspiracy to cover up UFO sightings at the FAA. In fact, as you can see in this document, the FAA tells its staff to report all UFO sightings to the appropriate UFO organization, or in the case where life or property is threatened – to the local authorities.

 



Filed under: UFOlogy,UFOs — Tags: , , , , — RyanDube @ 10:20 am



April 11, 2011

FBI UFO Memo: Proof of Lazy Journalism


FBI UFO MemoA so-called “new” UFO FBI memo has recently started doing the rounds, both in UFOlogical circles and even in the mainstream media.

Sensational tabloid headlines such as “FBI: Aliens DID land on earth” and “Aliens Exist say real life X-Files” from the notorious Sun newspaper, along with “The memo that ‘proves aliens landed at Roswell’… released online by the FBI” from The Daily Mail have added to the plethora of websites proclaiming the truth has finally been revealed.

As is to be expected, those headlines and proclamations couldn’t be more wrong if they tried. The only truth revealed so far is that of one we’re used to in this field of research;

The truth doesn’t matter!

The FBI UFO memo in question, from  March 1950 and written by Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Guy Hottel to the FBI Director at the time, J. Edgar Hoover, is available to view and download from the FBI website. The text contained therein is reproduced below:

The following information was furnished to SA [censored] by [censored]

An investigator for the Air Forces stated that three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico. They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only 3 feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed flyers and test pilots.

According to Mr. [censored] informant, the saucers were found in New Mexico due to the fact that the Government has a very high-powered radar set-up in that area and it is believed the radar interferes with the controlling mechanism of the saucers.

No further evaluation was attempted by SA [censored] concerning the above.

This author has to wonder if journalists of the tabloid variety have lost their basic reading capacity, surely one of the requisite skills needed for such a profession? The first line of the memo states in clear terms that the information was given to the Air Force investigator by someone else. “The following information was furnished to SA [censored] by [censored]”. Further down the memo, we see the person who told the Air Force investigator was also not a first-hand witness, having received the information from yet another source! “According to Mr. [censored] informant”.

Far from being proof of anything, the memo is nothing more sensational than Guy Hottel reporting information as told to him several times removed from the original source.  The last line of the memo serves to ram home the insignificance of the information, when it states the AF investigator attempted no further evaluation. He clearly hadn’t been born the day before.

You will also note that despite headlines to the contrary, there is no mention of Roswell contained in the memo whatsoever. The incident the information refers to IS in New Mexico, but at Aztec, not Roswell.

The Reality Uncovered article Play it again, Scam from February 2009 deals specifically with the Aztec hoax, but in a nutshell the story refers to an elaborate con game perpetrated by Silas Newton and Leo GeBauer. Some people have also touted this memo to be new information, but once again this is flat wrong.

The same day the Aztec article named above was published, in February of 2009, Reality Uncovered administrator “Access Denied” refers to this exact same FBI memo in a post on the forum. Not only does his post prove the memo is far from new, it also shows how the information contained therein had already been debunked years earlier! (Emphasis added)

One particular aspect of the Aztec hoax I find interesting is this…

[from Dave Thomas’ page]

http://www.nmsr.org/aztec.htm

On May 31st and June 1st, 1998, on the nationally-syndicated radio programs Dreamland and The Art Bell Show, noted UFO researcher Linda Moulton Howe described a secret FBI memo from March 22nd, 1950, written to J. Edgar Hoover himself. Memo author Guy Hottel, of SAC, described an investigator’s report of a flying saucer recovery in New Mexico, with mention of three saucers, three-foot tall bodies, metallic cloth, and bandaged alien bodies. The crash was supposedly due to interference from high-powered radar. But all of these elements (saucers, aliens, cloth and tape, radar site) have been firmly traced to the yarns spun by our two swindlers! William Moore even traced how the story got from Silas Newton to J. Edgar Hoover: Newton told George Koehler (employed at radio station KMYR in Denver), who told Morley Davies, who told Ford dealers Murphy and van Horn, who told auto dealer Fick, who told the editor of the Kansas City Wyandotte Echo. By that time, Koehler had become “Coulter,” just like a game of “gossip” (or a game of “pi”)! This article was picked up in the news, where it caught the interest of the OSI. The OSI agent passed the story on to Guy Hottel of the FBI, and he gave the 8th-hand story to Hoover.

So, if you see any stories proclaiming proof that the aliens are here because the FBI said so, send them to Reality Uncovered for a history lesson!

Discuss this and more in the Reality Uncovered Forums or leave a comment below.



Filed under: Disinfo,ET,Exopolitics,The Core Story,UFOlogy,Ufology History,UFOs — Tags: , , , , — Stephen Broadbent @ 2:33 pm



March 4, 2011

British UFO Files: Over 8500 new pages released by The National Archives


The National ArchivesThe National Archives yesterday released their largest batch of UFO information to date, with over 8500 new pages now available to download at their website.

Following on from six previous releases, the last one being in August last year (2010), the latest files cover the years 2000-2005 and contain information regarding sightings and reports and document “how UFOs became a global issue, discussed by the highest levels of government around the world, including the United Nations, the US Central Intelligence Agency and Britain’s House of Lords.”

The files have been sorted into categories and are supplemented by a Highlights Guide and a Research Guide by Dr. David Clarke. it is largely thanks to the efforts of Dr. Clarke and other researchers that the Ministry of Defence were persuaded to release their UFO files starting back in May 2008 – an action that has since been replicated by other Governments and agencies throughout the world.

The Categories

• Files released under the Freedom of Information Act

• Parliamentary interest in UFOs

• Government Policy on UFOs

• UFO sightings and Reports

• Sighting reports by geographical location

Help I’ve been abducted

One of the more amusing reports contained in the files concerns a London man who believed he had been abducted by aliens. The man had apparently witnessed an aircraft hovering above his house one evening in October 1999.

He awoke the next morning and realised he had experienced some missing time during the night.

“The MoD responded to his letter stating the aircraft was likely to have been an airship and that the clocks had gone back an hour that night which would account for him gaining an hour”.

[File DEFE 24/1999 (p106)]

Another report details a student hoax from 1967 which involved Four police forces, bomb disposal units, the army and the MoD’s intelligence branch. Engineering students from Farnborough Technical College had come up with the idea as part of their rag-day celebrations. [File DEFE 24/1986]

Close to home

One of the files grabbed my attention, when I realised it dealt with my very first UFO sighting as a twelve year old back in 1978! Some friends and I witnessed what appeared to be something burning high up in the atmosphere. A lot of people gathered outside in the street to see but no one had any idea what it was. Being young and naive, we decided it must have something to do with aliens and thought no more about it. Actually that’s not true, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve often wondered what it was but thought I’d never find out. Thanks to this latest release, it turns out the sighting can be put down to space “junk” re-entering the earth’s atmosphere and causing a flurry of UFO reports in the process. [DEFE 24/2048 (p108-138)]

It’s a conspiracy!

Along with the “usual” standard UFO reports contained in the files, there are some that will give plenty of ammunition to the conspiracy theorists who believe there has been a cover-up by governments around the world with regard to the UFO phenomena.

The HMS Manchester UFO

One of these such cases details an alleged UFO sighting by crew members of HMS Manchester and other Royal Navy ships during an exercise off the coast of Norway in 1998/99. In a letter to the Ministry of Defence on 24th September 2002, (now deceased) Lord Hill-Norton writes:

Dear Lord Bach,
You will know of my keen interest in reports of incidents involving unidentified aerial
craft, especially where such incidents involve the military, and are self-evidently
therefore of defence significance.

I have recently been informed of one such incident which involved HMS Manchester.
Apparently the ship encountered an unidentified craft during a naval exercise, with
several hundred people in Manchester and other HM ships witnessing the event. At
the same time, personnel on a Norwegian naval ship tracked the object on radar and
were openly discussing the incident on the Operations Room communications
network.

The ex-RN person who has recounted this incident is unsure of the precise date on
which it occured, but is reasonably certain that it fell between either 26th October and
6th November 1998 or 8th February and 3rd March 1999.
I ask, therefore, that you arrange for HMS Manchester’s log to be searched for
reference to this incident, and for copies of any such pages to be sent to me.

Aside from the fact the ex Royal Navy person could not remember if the incident happened a couple of months before or after the Christmas of only four years previous, it is surprising that mention of the alleged incident had not made it into the mainstream already. Several hundred witnesses is a lot more than is usually the case for UFO sightings and the odds on them all having kept quiet will be very high indeed.

The fuel for this latest conspiracy fire is provided by the answer Lord Hill-Norton received in a reply from Lord Bach at the MoD almost a month later. In it Lord Bach states (in part):

You asked that HMS MANCHESTER’s log [for the periods requested] be scrutinised for references to
unidentified aerial craft sighted by the ship’s company. No such references have been
found in any of the log entries which are available.

Unfortunately, I have to add the rider that HMS MANCHESTER’s log covering the
period 1 Feb until sunrise on 13 February 1999 was lost in Bodo, Norway, during the
deployment. The log was positioned, as is the custom, at the head of the gangway when
the vessel was alongside in port, and an unusually strong gust of wind carried it
overboard. [snip]

The log becoming lost due to a gust of wind is unfortunate. Quite unsurprisingly, this is now being grasped at as evidence that incidents like this are being covered up. The field of UFOlogy is already populated by people who will use anything remotely tangible in order to drive their message home, so the lost log certainly won’t help matters.

However, there is more to this story than some UFO proponents might have you believe. During the course of the search for HMS Manchester’s log, the Directorate Air Staff (DAS) wrote the following on 30th Spetember 2002 in reply to a request for assistance:

As DAS leads on the subject of ‘UFO’, we have checked our database to see if there was any report
made of an incident at sea between 26th October and 6 November 1998 or 8 February and 3 March
1999. We have found no trace of any such incident and would, therefore, be very grateful if you would
undertake appropriate research.

One would expect at least a passing reference in the database for an event that was supposedly witnessed by hundreds. In the “Loose Minutes” communication from DAS to the Ministerial Correspondence Unit, we see that upon discovering the loss of the log, the Commanding Officer of HMS Manchester was contacted by DAS and he “has no recollection of any unusual activity during this or any other depolyment by the MANCHESTER while under his command, that could be construed as involving ‘unidentified aerial craft’.” The same information was given to Lord Hill-Norton in the letter quoted further above. The Loose Minutes document also gives further information regarding the two date ranges given by the anonymous ex-Royal Navy person that triggered Lord Hill-Norton’s request in the first place.

The periods to which Lord Hill-Norton refer cover two seperate naval exercises, between 26 Oct and
6 Nov 98, and 8 Feb and 3 Mar 99. A holding reply was sent by the Minister pending
examination of the relevant log entries by CinCFleet. This search has now been completed.
No reference to any unidentified aerial craft has been found in the ship’s log
for the specified periods. Unfortunately, however, the log for the first part of Feb 99
was lost overboard at Bodo in Norway during the second exercise. The available
record therefore does not begin until 08.26 hours on 13 Feb 99. It is nevertheless well
documented elsewhere that HMS MANCHESTER left Portsmouth on 8 Feb 99 and carried out
weapon training on passage to Bodo in Norway, where she arrived on 12 Feb.

One has to wonder about the motives of the witness who reported the alleged sighting to Lord Hill-Norton in the first place. It was well known in UK UFOlogy circles that the Lord had an active interest in UFOs, having written about them and asked questions about them in Parliament. That no one else – out of hundreds of multi-national witnesses – has ever come forward about the alleged incident is very damaging to the credibility of the “case”, as is the apparent poor short term memory of the witness in question. A UFO incident would certainly stick in the minds of most people. Perhaps this particular witness saw something much less exciting than a UFO fly-by? A log book being blown overboard by a gust of wind, for example. [File DEFE 24/2092 p225]

RendleSHAM Forest Scam: files destroyed

Groan. This is another that is going to run and run. It transpires that a collection of Defence Intelligence files from 1980-82, including files pertaining to the RendleSHAM “incident”, had been destroyed. As if that wasn’t bad enough, other files from the surrounding years had survived.

Officials from MoD warned that if what it called this “apparent anomaly in the records” were made public “it could be interpreted to mean that a deliberate attempt had been made to eradicate the records covering this incident”.

Quite. [File DEFE 2026 p182]

Whichever side of the fence you are on, these files are certainly worth the download. They are available for free for one month, after which a small fee applies.

Discuss this and more in the Reality Uncovered Forums or leave a comment below.



Filed under: Disclosure,UFOlogy,Ufology History,UFOs — Tags: , , , , — Stephen Broadbent @ 8:16 pm



September 26, 2010

The Echo Flight UFO Debate Continues


After the last four articles published here at RU covering the witness statements obtained from primary Echo Flight witnesses Walter Figel and Eric Carlson, an already fiery online “debate” grew even more heated.

Apparent supporters of Robert Salas and Robert Hastings began posting statements to our blog stating that RU researchers would never have a chance of catching up to Robert Hasting’s 30+ years of UFO experience – we shouldn’t even try, give it up, game over.

It took RU’s Stephen Broadbent no longer than a few minutes to determine that most of the apparent “supporters” were actually a single person (same IP) posting under various names. That raised a few eyebrows.

The lengths that some grown men go…

Setting aside the drama, one good thing that came out of those comments was another promise that Hastings would produce the mythical “audio tapes” that he’d been promising to publish for many months, which would apparently show that James Carlson and his father are liars. Having already waited for the tapes that were promised over five months ago, no one was holding their breath. So we were pleasantly surprised when we were told that Robert Hastings finally turned up the goods in an article titles “The Echo/Oscar Witch Hunt” at UFO Chronicles.

The Walter Figel Tapes

I’m not certain who the witches are and who exactly is doing the hunting, but one thing is for certain – Robert Hastings and Robert Salas sure don’t want anyone to know what Walter Figel is now saying. I read through Hasting’s recent article very carefully, and his only reference to recent events involved telling readers that James Carlson and Eric Carlson are lying about everything.

He failed to directly respond to Walt Figels more recent comments in 2010, and when James Carlson attempts to reference the comments on the forums that Robert Hastings frequents, James’ posts get deleted. There is certainly a cover-up going on, that’s for sure. Just not the sort of cover up Hastings and Salas would like you to believe.

However, after reading Hasting’s article, I admit to being a bit frustrated with Mr. Figel. Despite his recent comments clarifying the matter to James, it’s clear what he was saying to Hastings and Salas according to those recordings, at least as far back as 1996. After reading Hasting’s article, I decided to contact Walter Figel myself. I did so because Hastings keeps calling James a liar, so I needed something in my hands that would prove one way or another that Figel’s more recent comments about the Echo Flight case were real.

While Hastings failed to produce the promised audio tapes where he and/or Salas supposedly had post-2008 contact with Figel, with claims supposedly proving that James and Eric are now lying – there are still questions that need to be answered. Even though these older recordings don’t prove anything new (except that Hastings most likely does NOT have any more recent interactions with Figel proving anything he’s been claiming about James) – they do require clarification from Figel.

Walter Figel Responds

I wrote an email to Figel and cc’d Eric and James asking Figel, point blank, why he said what he said in those recordings. He responded to me, asking for the link. James responded to his request with the following email, providing Figel with the transcripts.

James wrote:

Robert Salas just published the following transcripts of a conversation he had with you in 1996. He never mentioned anything about your testimony until well after 2002.

Did you actually do this interview, and if so, why is it so different from what you have repeatedly told me, and from what my father has repeatedly claimed?

James ends his email with a comment that makes it very clear to me that he’s not only being as truthful as he can be, but he’s only interested in the truth, and clearing his family name – he has no interest in UFOs or “debunking” the nuclear missile stories found throughout Ufology. He is only interested in the case that his own father was a primary witness to. James continues:

I would very much appreciate some clarity here. I understand that you don’t want to get involved, but you are involved. You can’t get rid of that involvement, not after you’ve basically said that my Dad is a liar. I don’t care what a bunch of wack-jobs waiting for the next flying saucer pick-up have to say about me, because they’ve been doing that for years, but I will not just sit and let them do the same thing to my father.

If you are not willing to fix this — and that means making a cohesive statement of one thing or another, and calling Salas and Hastings and telling them, one way or the other, then please tell me, because this back and forth is ridiculous. These people are telling everybody that I never spoke to you — that I have made the whole thing up from the very beginning. If I am that dissociative, somebody should tell me

Walt finally responded at length to both James and I. He listed the major points that he believes are at issue here. Figel clearly states as of Sept 24th, 2010 – that not only does he believe UFO’s were not involved at Echo Flight, but Figel also reveals some shocking insight into some of Salas’ other claims regarding issues beyond the Echo Flight case. Here is what Figel had to say on the matter.

James,

First – your dad has not lied about anything nor do believe that he is even capable of lying about anything at all. He was, is, and always will be an honorable man. You should remember that always – I will.

Second – Bob Salas was never associated with any shutdown of any missiles at any time in any flight and you can take that to the bank. Just think about this for a split second. He is a person wrapped up in UFOs to the Nth degree. Yet he could not remember he was not at Echo. Then he thought he was at November – wrong again. Then he thought he was at Oscar – wrong again.

Third – There is no record about anything happening at November or Oscar except in people’s minds that are flawed beyond imagination. Salas has created events out of the thin air and can’t get the facts straight even then. My best friend to this day was the flight commander of the 10th SMS at the time. He and I have discussed this silly assertion in the past couple of years – he thinks it is all madeup nonsense for sure. I put both Salas and Hastings in touch with him and he has told them both that an incident at November or Oscar never happened. In addition he was subsequently stationed at Norton AFB where the engineers tested the possible problems. No little green men were responsible.

Fourth – I have always maintained that I do not nor have I ever believed that UFOs exist in any form at any place at any time. I have never seen one or reported that I have seen one. I have always maintained that they had nothing to do with the shutdown of Echo flight in Montana.

Fifth – The event at Malmstrom has a hand written log from me that was turned in just like all the other logs that I wrote over several years. I would think that if I wrote something like that in the log, there would be copies, it would have been classified at the beginning and then released along with the classified SAC messages and base reports. Nothing in that urgent SAC message even hints of UFOs at all and I think that it would if the official logs or telephone calls had referenced that fact.

Sixth – When it happened, neither your dad nor I were “visibly shaken” by the events. It was just another day with a unexpected event in our lives. It was rather underwhelming at the time. No one rushed out to see us, no one made us sign any papers, no one interrogated us for hours on end.

There is no Air Force “cover-up” it just did not happen the way Salas and has portrayed the course of events. I am sorry that you are all caught up in a pissing contest with these people, I really am. They are just not going to let go no matter what you say or do. He has made a 15 year career pandering about the country talking about things he has no knowledge about. I am not at all interested in taking them on – it’s not worth my effort – I have more important things to do with my life. I much rather just stay out of it.

Hopefully, we can move on. I did read about a briefing on the 27th here in DC. I am here in VA about 10 miles away. Interesting. Hopefully this helps you and confirms to you at least that your dad is a straight shooter and does not lie to anyone.

Sincerely,
Walt Figel

While I am still personally not satisfied with the lack of explanation for why he said what he said to Hastings and Salas back in 1996 and 2008 – there is plenty of room for speculation. Maybe the ground crew were joking (he did say he didn’t take them seriously) and Figel was reporting to Hastings and Salas what he thought they wanted to hear – that someone mentioned “UFOs” related to Echo flight.

Maybe he assumed they would report his statements without spinning it to support the reality of UFO’s – which he repeats he does not believe in. Or maybe Figel saw an opportunity to be an “authority” with someone writing a book on the issue, and a chance for a little bit of fame. Who knows at this point. But what is especially revealing is when you look at the points Walter made beyond the simple matter of the recording clips Hastings published.

Witness Walter Figel is Not Invited to the Press Conference

Figel’s following points are rather powerful, I must admit.

-> He confirms James father is an honorable man and has not lied about Echo Flight.
-> He writes: “Bob Salas was never associated with any shutdown of any missiles at any time in any flight and you can take that to the bank.”
-> Walt’s friend, the flight commander of the 10th SMS agrees that the UFO nonsense about Echo Flight is made up – and he apparently told Hastings and Salas that an incident at November or Oscar never happened, yet they’ve never reported that statement to the public.
-> Nothing in the released SAC message (from the declassified documents on the case) contained “even hints of UFOs at all.” Walt maintains that if he’d written anything about UFOs – it would have been reflected there, but it’s not.
-> Walt admits that Eric Carlson’s statement was true that no one made them sign anything, and no one raced out to interrogate them.

Walt’s final statement was probably the most powerful…because he makes such an excellent and revealing point, as he writes:

“I did read about a briefing on the 27th here in DC. I am here in VA about 10 miles away. Interesting.”

Upon seeing this comment, my eyes froze at that line. What an important point.

Yes, indeed, why would Hastings and Salas hold a press conference on the 27th in DC, and not invite Walt Figel, one of their primary and most important witnesses to one of the allegedly largest nuclear missile silo UFO shutdowns in the history of Ufology? Why would they not have retired Lt. Walt Figel standing in front of the cameras admitting that yes, indeed, a UFO was involved at Echo Flight?

At the time of the conference, he is located only 10 miles away, yet they didn’t invite him. I wonder why?



Filed under: UFOlogy,UFOs — Tags: , , , , , — RyanDube @ 2:56 pm



September 8, 2010

Malmstrom AFB Missile/UFO Incident – Part III


In part 3 of this Malmstrom AFB UFO series (there will be four parts in total for anyone who is wondering), I am going to provide a brief update as to the recent testimony of Eric Carlson. Anyone familiar with the alleged Malmstrom UFO incident knows that Captain Eric Carlson, along with First Lieutenant Walt Figel were key witnesses in the events that took place at Echo Flight on March 16, 1967.

It’s important to understand the scope of what is involved in this analysis. For some reason, a lot of readers – particularly Ufologists and/or various UFO researchers – are under the impression that the intent of this report is to debunk any and all claims of UFO activity at nuclear missile sites around the country during this time period.

The reality is that James Carlson’s research, interviews and analysis is centered upon one thing and one thing only; proving that this particular incident occurred exactly as his father, a primary witness, described it as occurring – not as Robert Hastings described it in his book, and not as Robert Salas has detailed in his account.

Since our tagline here at RealityUncovered is that we are passionate about the truth, then this is an easy enough situation to get a good grasp on and shake out the truth. There are real witnesses and real people involved. In the previous posts, you’ve seen feedback from Walt Figel that states unequivocally that he was not aware of any UFO involvement in the Echo Flight malfunction. It seems inconceivable that this primary witness statement could so directly contradict the claims that Robert Salas and Robert Hastings have made regarding Echo Flight. Yet it does. This also calls into question the accuracy and veracity of Salas’ claims regarding Oscar Flight events as well.

James Contacts His Father

The second primary witness to events within the facility, Captain Eric Carlson, responded to direct queries from his son James recently (Aug 25, 2010) with a response that really leaves very little doubt as to what he reports happened at Echo Flight. The reason James Carlson decided to contact his father again was because he noticed that people were questioning the lack of input from Eric Carlson, James’ own father. James wrote (in the RU forum):

“Many peoplehave asked why my father hasn’t been interviewed to the extent that Col. Walt Figel was. I asked him, therefore, to give me some kind of a written statement. It’s actually pretty fun to read; if anybody believes that this statement is not from my father, then ask him yourself. As Salas has repeatedly insisted that my father confirms his version of this event, I think it’s necessary to examine the contents of this statement.

To enable a fuller understanding of my Dad’s communication with me, I’d like to point out a few facts first:

(1) Salas says my father confirms his story;

(2) throughout my interest in this event, Robert Hastings has repeatedly stated that my father told him I have severe mental problems that have worried my family, implying that the arguments I’ve made, and the issues I’ve examined cannot be trusted as a result of these mental problems; I am seriously considering a lawsuit directed at Robert Hastings for slander and defamation of character;

(3) critics, particularly Robert Hastings, have suggested that my father has memory problems, and that his testimony, to a great extent, cannot be trusted for that reason. With these facts in mind, I ask that you please give his statement the attention it deserves”

A Statement From Primary Witness – Captain Eric Carlson

Eric responded to his son’s query as follows (emphasis mine).

“Let me start by stating that, as best as I can recall, my only contact with Salas and Hastings has been on the phone. I did tell Salas that he could release my name to whomever he wished, don’t know why he needed my permission. I have talked to a newspaper writer in Great Falls, several years ago, and a TV producer from one of those UFO shows. With both these individuals I denied any knowledge of any UFO’s at Malmstrom. In addition, I stated that there was no, repeat no, incident at Oscar flight as Salas maintains. The man is either lying or delusional.

My onlly contact with Hastings was a call I received from him regarding his book. I stated that his book sounded interesting and he later sent me a copy which I read and gave away to Gabriel or Kier. At no time did I mention anyones mental status; yours, mine, his, or Salas’, although in retrospect I could comment on Salas’.

My memory is quite good regarding the events at Malmstrom and there is no doubt in my mind that there were no reports of UFO’s and no incident at Oscar flight. I will be willing to discuss this with anyone who is truly interested in the facts.


Be sure and let me know when you write something else as your e-book was factual and interesting.”


Following up this statement from his father – I decided to take Mr. Carlson up on that offer. As of tonight, I’ve interviewed retired Captain Eric Carlson myself. Unless his father has shared the interview with him, even James himself is unaware of the answers his father provided in response to my direct questioning about this event. James requested that he be left completely out of the loop and unconnected to the interview, as he expected opponents and critics to accuse him of tampering or otherwise affecting the witness. I was impressed by this, and moved forward with coming up with questions for Eric. I will be publishing this final interview in the last update – part 4 – of this series.

In closing I would like to refer readers to a press release that James Carlson issued on September 6th, directly taking Hastings and Salas to task for their upcoming National Press Conference to be held on September 27th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. It is certainly the hope of James Carlson, and probably the hope of readers out there who are also passionate about the truth – that maybe, with any luck, there will be a reporter present who has read Captain Eric Carlson’s statement, and Walt Figel’s statements earlier in this blog, and will ask Robert Hastings and Robert Salas direct questions at the National Press Conference about those witness statements.



Filed under: UFOlogy,Ufology History,UFOs — Tags: , , — RyanDube @ 4:50 am



September 1, 2010

The Malmstrom AFB Missile/UFO Incident – Part II


In our last blog update, we heard from James Carlson, the son of one of the Echo Flight witness Eric Carlson (witness to the fact that it was a non-event, that is). In that update, James detailed, in the prolific prose for which he is now very well known for, the current dilemma that Robert Hastings and Robert Salas find themselves in.

Witness Walt Figel, upon being interviewed by James Carlson, reports that there was no UFO. Hastings claims there was a UFO event. So – what’s the story?

James Carlson has been working hard to get to the bottom of this discrepancy, and all he has received for his efforts up until now has been attempted discrediting by Hastings – with claims that James has never spoken to Figel.

In this update, James goes a step further and provides email evidence to support his direct contact with Echo Flight witness Walt Figel. As we progress in this story, RU is working to obtain final evidence to confirm the new information James now offers, which directly counters what Hastings and Salas are reporting about Echo Flight.

But first, we will continue with James’ comments in our forum – comments aimed directly at Robert Hastings and Robert Salas and challenging them to provide proof for their claims about Walt Figel and Carlson’s father. Make sure to read through to the bottom of this post, where James provides evidence of his communications with witness Walt Figel.

James Writes:

“If Walt Figel was aware - as Hastings has continuously asserted for some years now - that a UFO shut down the missiles at Echo Flight, and that my father was aware of this as well and has simply lied about the event, while Figel told the truth, then I challenge him to prove it.

Call Walt Figel, Robert, as you have promised to do time and again for the past four-and-a-half months. Your problem has come about because nobody has ever required any real standards of proof from you as a result of your ridiculous and silly claims. You’ve never attempted to apply any form of peer review to your assertions, and you’ve grown lazy, because most people who have adopted your point-of-view don’t require proof and don’t need confirmation.

The rest of the world still does, Robert, and you are unable to provide it, or you would have done so already. If I’m wrong, show me - prove it.

Make another phone call to your primary witness at Echo Flight, and show the world that Walt Figel says there was a real UFO at Echo Flight on March 16, 1967, and that my father has been lying about this for over forty years. Frankly, I’m sick of your crap, and your slanders and attacks and your continuous claims that I’m lying and that you can prove it. However, you don’t have the will or the time to do so.

I’ve got some news for you - you knowingly lied about what Figel told you regarding Echo Flight. You’ve repeatedly claimed that he confirms your UFO myth, and that my father has been lying about the event for years. You’ve claimed over and over and over again that my assertions are lies and bluff, and that you can prove this easily, and yet, in the four-and-a-half months since I spoke to him, you’ve produced NOTHING.

You and Robert Salas are frauds - you have knowingly lied to your audience about UFOs at Echo Flight. You knew long ago that Figel’s discussion of this event did not “prove” UFOs were involved at Echo Flight, but you have repeatedly claimed that they do, and your primary source for this – according to your own statements – is Walt Figel. You’ve also claimed that Walt Figel’s assertions are proof that my father has lied about this event, and you knew that wasn’t true as well.

You once offered to give me Walt Figel’s phone number so I could speak to him and thereby discover that my father had lied to me about this event. I didn’t need it, because it was easy enough to track him down on my own. But, maybe you should use it now. Do what you have been insisting you could do for the past few months and prove to the world that I haven’t spoken to Figel and that Figel hasn’t personally refuted every one of your conclusions regarding this incident. So far you’re just a lot of talk, and a lot of insulting rhetoric. In light of your prior comments, that’s pretty pathetic, don’t you think?

I have been 100% honest with the members and readers of this forum.

-> I have outlined a complete record of the events in March, 1967

-> I have backed that up with both documented evidence and the testimony of those individuals who were actually involved in that event.

-> I have asserted and proven that previous versions of this very real incident are incomplete, factually incorrect at times, and improperly confirmed.

In fact, the only possible conclusion that can be reached is that these individuals (Hastings and Salas) have very carefully and very consciously distorted the facts in order to create a paradigm supporting an event that they have invented – for whatever reason.

I think they did it for money, but maybe they did it for other reasons. The fact that they DID it, however, can’t be denied by anyone who looks at the evidence, unless they just dismiss everything and insist that I’m lying – which is what Hastings has recently suggested. I suspect that after reading the complete record of my communications with both Walt Figel and Frederick Meiwald below, he will alter his claims to suggest that Walt Figel, Frederick Meiwald, my father, and I are ALL lying, and that Robert Salas is as honest and golden as the sunrise.”

Communications Between James Carlson and Echo Flight Witness Walt Figel

James continues: “Please keep in mind that ALL of this has been part of the record since last March (2010) at the latest. If you still think I’m lying, it should be very easy to confirm, so do so. I am absolutely sick of people suggesting that I have lied about this matter without once attempting to confirm such slanderous assumptions. Robert Salas, Robert Hastings – even Frank Warren - don’t want an open discussion or dialogue regarding this matter; they want people to think I’m lying!

In fact, Hastings’ commentaries generally start with that assumption! When was the last time someone demanded any affirmations of the degree they’ve demanded of me from someone who claimed they SAW a UFO? I’m willing to bet Hastings has NEVER demanded such a level of proof – I’ll bet he simply accepted their claims without examination. I know for a fact he hasn’t applied any such need for immediate proof to Robert Salas, because if he had, Salas could never have been so inconsistent regarding his own claims - and inconsistency is the single most consistent and common factor characterizing those claims!

Please find attached the complete text of my written communications with COL.(Ret.) Walter Figel, Jr., currently living in Colorado.

I have also included my communications with LTCOL.(Ret.) Frederick Meiwald, the commander of Oscar Flight who Robert Salas insists was with him the day the missiles at Osar Flight supposedly failed as the result of extreme interference by a UFO that emptied the command post of all security personnel during an armed event, and injured one security policeman to such an extent that he required a medical evacuation via helicopter. He asserts as well that he doesn’t believe in UFOs, which is a strange thing to say in light of Salas’ claims that a man under his command was injured and evacuated as a result of said injury by a UFO. In any case, in my final letter to him, I extended my sympathies regarding his mother, and promised not to disturb him again. I haven’t written to him, nor have I heard from him since.”

[Note from author - Oscar Flight witness communications will be published in the blog in the next post. For the sake of brevity, I've omitted James' initial emails to Figel do to their length, but you can read them in their entirety in the forum.]

Walter Figel’s Response to James on Thursday, February 18, 2010:

Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:10 PM

From Walter Figel, Jr. Fri Feb 19 01:10:36 2010

James

First – you are not bothering me at all

Second – you are welcome to call me any time that you would like

Third – Your dad and I always got along and there is no problem between us at all that I am aware of

Fourth – If I can be of any help to you, please ask away

I hope that your dad is well

Home phone [WALT FIGEL'S HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER]

Cell [WALT FIGEL'S PRIMARY CELL TELEPHONE NUMBER]

I am retired from [FORMER EMPLOYER] but I still do some consulting for them

I am home this week

Please feel free to call any time to about 10:00 pm

I am home this evening

I will be home all day Friday except from 11:30-13:30 for a lunch appointment

I will be at my son’s house Sat and out to dinner that evening

Sunday I’ll be in Colorado Springs with the boys for an art exhibit

Monday I fly to Albany

Walt

After publicly reporting the things that he learned on the phone directly from Walt Figel, James found himself under direct attack from Hastings and his supporters. James went back to Walt for some support to defend himself.

Re: Request

Sunday, February 28, 2010 5:14 PMFrom: “James T. Carlson” To: ” Jr.Walter Figel” < [WALT FIGEL'S EMAIL ADDRESS] >

Dear Mr. Figel,

If you don’t have the time or desire to contact me again regarding this matter, please tell me.

Robert Hastings is now stating “As for Col. Walt Figel not confirming what I’ve written, how would you know, given that you have been too cowardly to call him, to hear what he told me directly, despite my pleas that you do so? His comments posted on this thread are verbatim excerpts from my taped conversation with him. As others posting here have previously noted, you are the *only* one who thinks that Figel agrees with your position. Talk about deep denial. (Drew Clueless doesn’t count here, given his 100/1 inaccuracy-to-accuracy ratio when attempting to interpret anything anyone else has posted here.)”

Some kind of response from you would be appreciated, particularly some discussion regarding the issues I asked you about on 2/19, but if you don’t intend to respond, knowing that would be helpful as well.

Thanks in advance.

Most sincerely,

James Carlson

Albuquerque, NM

Unfortunately – James found himself in the middle of a situation that truth-seekers here are RU are accustomed to. Discover the truth, report it with evidence, and come under harsh attack from believers and of course the promoters of false claims. Standard situation – unfortunately, until James came to RU, he was fighting this fight alone.

Walt Figel, understanding this characteristic of the horrid UFO community, Walt responds on March 2 with the following comment (emphasis mine):

I am not a fan of Salas, Hastings, or the whole UFO crowd

I have never seen one and flatly don’t believe they exist at all

I just want you to be clear of my position on UFOs

They make good science fiction – nothing more

I have read both of their books

There are many inaccurate statements and events in the books

I have told them both that

For instance, Oscar flight NEVER had any problems and Salas was NEVER involved in any of them at all just for starters

I think that they are just enjoying the notariety of the situation

Let me know when to call and I will do so tonight

Regards

Walt

About a week later, after once again coming under attack by Hastings and his supporters, James is forced yet again to ask Walt for confirmation regarding some of Hastings more recent claims.

Forwarded Message: Re: telephone conversation

Re: telephone conversation

Thursday, March 11, 2010 3:26 AM

From: “James T. Carlson” To: ” Jr.Walter Figel” < [WALT FIGEL'S EMAIL ADDRESS] >

Dear Col. Figel,

I’ve had a couple of emails from different people today regarding some statements I wrote; specifically RobertHastings wrote them a letter stating the following:

“I re-interviewed Walt Figel on Monday evening. Salas re-interviewed him on Tuesday evening. We have both conversations on audiotape and we are currently transcribing them. We asked Figel to address James Carlson’s interpretation of his statements and position on various things. James will not like what Walt had to say.

Figel has given Salas and me permission to publicize his statements as we see fit. I will post a comprehensive rebuttal to James’ flawed claims in the next few days, providing verbatim excerpts from the conversations. I may even make key portions of the original audio tape available online.”

[snip]

If you would please send me a quick email or telephone me, I would very much appreciate it. I’ve told the above gentlemen what I believe to be the truth, and that the email from Robert Hastings is probably just more of his garbage, but if I’m wrong, I’d like to know, so I can correct my errors. And if my acts got you more involved in a discussion you didn’t want to get further involved with, I am sincerely sorry for that.

Tell me what I can do to fix it, and I promise you I will do so — whatever it is; just tell me how you’d like it done.and that the email from Robert Hastings is probably just more of his garbage, but if I’m wrong, I’d like to know, so I can correct my errors. And if my acts got you more involved in a discussion you didn’t want to get further involved with, I am sincerely sorry for that. Tell me what I can do to fix it, and I promise you I will do so — whatever it is; just tell me how you’d like it done.

Regards,

James Carlson

[PRIVATE INFORMATION DELETED]

Albuquerque, NM

Walt Figel Provides a Full Writeup in Response to Hastings’ and Salas’ Claims

Walt wrote a fantastic response to James – a detailed and full review of the situation and his take on it. In this author’s opinion, Walt’s statement is the final word on the matter, and Hastings and Salas have much to answer for. Walt wrote (emphasis mine):

Re: telephone conversation
Thursday, March 11, 2010 9:03 AM
From Walter Figel, Jr. Thu Mar 11 14:03:27 2010

Re: telephone conversation.eml

James

I guess you must have posted something somewhere that got Hastings attention
He did call and we did speak for a bit, so did Salas.
You should know that both calls were very cordial as was ours.

However, I think you guys have a pissing contest going that I would rather not get in the middle of. I have no vested or financial interests in UFOs and actually not even a passing interest in them. Guess I am different from most people. But, I could really care less about the subject.

I reasserted that I personally never did see a UFO at any time.
I do not personally “believe” that UFOs had anything to do with Echo flight shutting down that year.
I repeated that I never heard about an incident at November or Oscar flight and have no knowledge that they ever happened and that I doubted they did.
That is obviously a personal opinion as I can not prove the negative.

I repeated that Colonel Dick Evans was at the alternate command post at Kilo which is in the same squadron as November and Oscar and he never mentioned anything about a shutdown at either of these two flights.

If it did happen, I personally don’t know anything about it.

One of their books said I had a personal log – I did not.

The only log I ever filled out was the official log that all flights kept and that I do not and never did have a copy of that log. Obviously I can not remember what I wrote that morning.

One of the books says that the flight shut down in “seconds” – that is not an exactly accurate statement.

It obviously took some time for your dad and I to run the appropriate checklists and make all the calls that we had to make to the command post and maintenance. We were near the end of the checklist when the second missile shut down and shortly threafter the rest of them followed suit.

That sequence of events took several minutes not seconds, but that is all a very minor point in fact and doesn’t change the facts of the overall sequence of events that morning.

I told him that when someone mentioned UFOs, I just laughed it off as a joke and assumed someone was just kidding around. I never took it seriously.

I also told them that no one from any UFO office in the Air Force ever interviewed/deriefed your dad and/or me and that I do not remember ever signing any papers about anything.

In fact, I told them that until he mentioned it, I did not even know there was an office that monitored sightings of “UFOs” in the Air Force.

When your dad and I came topside the next day – no one ever said anything about UFOs and there was no “large gathering” of people on site that morning.

There may have been later that afternoon, but I would have no knowledge of that as we were long gone back to the base as usual.

I did not know the targeting office’s name or even know that he was there.

I did say there was a VRSA recording reporting a “Channel 9 – NO GO” reported.
They said that the maintenance crews had no such report at the LF.
I told him that I did not know how the system worked at the missile site so that I do not know if that is possible or not.

I have always maintained that I do not personally believe in UFOs.

I am not convinced that November or Oscar ever happened.

But these are obviously personal opinions and I can not state them as facts or prove them – they are my personal beliefs.

I also believe these statements are accurate.

I also believe that is what I said 2 years ago, but I don’t have recordings.
So my knowledge is very slim and I have no records about anything at all.
In addition, that was 43 years ago and memories fail – especially about things that were not especially important to me at the time.
Today, I can’t remember what time my wedding was and that I assure you is more important to me then and now. And that was in 1971.

So if this is a help, so be it.
But I would rather stay out of any long standing debate about UFOs and leave that to the experts and researchers and those who know or at least truely believe that they know. After all they may be right and proven so some day.

As for me, I’ll just go my way as a skeptic until proven wrong.

As you can see, I cc’d Hastings so that you both have the same piece of paper. I don’t think that there are any inconsistencies in what I said to either of you. If there are, I’m sorry, that is not my intention at all.

Good luck in your pursuits. Stay professional and all will benefit.
Regards to your dad, I wish him well. It’s been many years.

With that said, I hope that this tug of war is over and the three of you can resolve your differences about the whole affair.

Walt

With Walt’s final, well-written words, I close this post.

In the next update, you will have an opportunity to read, for the first time anywhere online (other than our forums), James’ exchange with LTCOL.(Ret.) Frederick Meiwald, the commander of Oscar Flight, regarding Hastings’ and Salas’ claims about the event.

Stay tuned. There’s more to come.



Filed under: UFOlogy,UFOs — Tags: , , , — RyanDube @ 3:18 pm



August 14, 2010

The Malmstrom AFB Missile/UFO Incident, March 1967


According to Ufology researcher/writer Robert Hastings, on March 16, 1967, the appearance of UFOs at Echo-Flight nuclear missile facility allegedly shut down the missile silo. Robert Hasting’s information comes from a man named Robert Salas who claimed he witnessed the event.

Background of the Malmstrom AFB Missile/UFO Case

The son of one of the officers who was involved in the Echo flight incident, named James Carlson, took Hastings and Salas to task for those claims. Carlson contends that both his father and retired Col. Walt Figel, the other officer involved in the incident, both reported that there were no UFOs.

See Tim Printy’s March-April 2010 edition of SUNlite for more background.

Hastings has denied that James was ever in touch with the second witness, Col. Walt Figel. James Carlson provided RU investigators with records of his correspondence with Figel, which revealed that Figel confirmed James Carlson’s interpretation of how the event actually occurred.

In March of 2010, James writes:

Robert Hastings has made much of the fact that I have refused to interview his witness, Col. (Ret.) Walter Figel, Jr., regarding his recollections of the Echo Flight Incident on March 16, 1967. To be precise, he has written “I note first that James Carlson still refuses to call retired Col. Walt Figel, to hear from his own lips, as I did in October 2008, that while on alert as the DMCCC at Malmstrom’s Echo Flight, in March 1967, he spoke with two individuals via the phone in the capsule–a missile maintenance team member and an arriving SAT team member–about a “large round object” that was hovering over one of the flight’s LFs. James’ father, Eric Carlson, lied to him some time ago–telling him that no UFOs were present when all 10 missiles dropped-off alert status–and so James has been slandering and libeling everyone who disputes that version of events ever since, Including one former MIMS tech whom I interviewed a few years ago.” He stated as well: “So, James Carlson, rant on. If you ever find the courage to call Col. Figel please let me know. I will provide his phone number, as I first offered to do a year-and-a-half ago.”

Frankly, I’ve never needed his assistance to contact Col. Figel — I’ve managed to do so quite easily on my own. The fact that I have been reticent to discuss the matter in more detail has very little to do with cowardice. I have, in fact, contacted Col. Figel, but didn’t feel that it would be very ethical to discuss in detail the event he recalls without securing first his complete cooperation, authority, and permission to do so. Having secured that this very evening, I am now prepared to discuss the matter in full. I can also add, very strongly, that my father never lied to me about anything, as Hastings claims, and that his recollections match exactly those of Col. Figel’s. I’ve “slandered and libeled” nobody, and I can say with complete confidence today that both Robert Hastings and Robert Salas have knowingly mislead their entire audience into believing a lie they were well aware of in order to sell their books.

James reported that Col Figel confirmed that:

1. Col. Figel does not believe UFOs were “even remotely associated with the Echo Flight Incident, or any other equipment failures at Malmstrom.”
2. Col. Figel confirmed that he has no interest in Ufology and is not a fan of the UFO crowd.
3. Figel stated, “I have read both of their books. There are many inaccurate statements and events in the books. I have told them both that.”
4. He also stated that Salas was “never involved in any of them (the flights) at all.”

August 2010 – James Carlson Reveals more of the Figel Communications

In August of 2010, James learned that more rumors had spread regarding his communications with Figel. Specifically, there were rumors floating about that the communications had never taken place. Once again, James entered the RU forums to set the record straight, and wrote the following commentary in a post on RealityUncovered forums:

“Gentlemen, and Ladies, In some discussions I’ve had with people in other forums, I’ve discovered that there a lot of people out in the world who are convinced that I have not had any discussions with COL.(Ret.) Walter Figel, Jr., and that my declarations to the contrary are lies. Robert Hastings has apparently decided that this is going to be stand he takes. In a recent commentary, he has stated – as he has for months – that I have never spoken with Walt Figel, who has confirmed everything that Robert Hastings has asserted regarding the Echo Flight Incident on March 16, 1967.

This is patently untrue and can be easily shown as such. Robert Hastings has knowingly published versions of this event that he has been told are false by both my father and Walt Figel, and his claims to the contrary are little more than silly attacks that are intended to delay the ruination of his and Robert Salas’ Echo Flight claims until after his pathetic little dog and pony show at the National Press Club in Washington, DC next month. The fact that he would do so at the expense of another man’s reputation doesn’t surprise me. He and Robert Salas have done this before.

The fact that he would do such a thing that is so easily countered also doesn’t surprise me, for reasons I won’t go into. I think everybody knows my opinion of him. It would very, very easy for Hastings and Salas to prove that I am lying by simply contacting Walt Figel, and getting a statement from him that I have been lying about his assertions for the past four-and-a-half months, but neither man has done this. In fact, some months ago Robert Hastings insisted that he would – within a matter of days – release statements and transcripts of his discussions with Walt Figel that would prove his case. He has failed to do so, not because he’s too busy (frankly, it wouldn’t take that long), but because he can’t.

He knows exactly what Walt Figel told me, because he and Robert Salas called him the very next day. It was my certainty that these two have made claims that not only could not be supported, but were transparently contrary to the witness statements that they have published in support of their claims, that originally motivated me to call Walt Figel in the first place – that and Hastings’ insistence that I was afraid to all Figel, because Figel would tell me that my Dad had lied to me. I wanted to confirm my conviction that he had never made the claims regarding UFO interference that Hastings and Salas have consciously and knowingly misrepresented in order to make their claims seem more likely.

This is deceptive – a judgment I reached immediately upon discussing the matter with Walt Figel, who insisted that not only were UFOs not involved at Echo Flight in March 1967, but that he has discussed this with both Hastings and Salas, and was ignored. That escalates the entire incident beyond simple deceit to one of conscious and knowing invention, an invention that has lent their claims greater support among those factions demanding public disclosure of classified documents.

Using a blatant “lie” to give support to such factions is, in my opinion, nearly to the point of a treasonable offense. For these reasons, I have decided to publish the totality of my communications with both Walt Figel, the deputy commander of Echo Flight on March 16, 1967, and Frederick Meiwald, who, according to Robert Salas, was the commander of Oscar Flight on March 24-25, 1967, which is when Salas asserts a UFO took 8-10 missiles offline, an event that emptied the command post of all armed security personnel, and ultimately resulted in the injury of one security policeman to such an extent that he had to be evacuated from the site by helicopter.

You would think that if a man was injured by a UFO during his watch after that same UFO had emptied the command post of personnel, so they could confront the UFO, fully armed, that he would probably believe that the UFO was not a figment of the entire command post’s group imagination. That’s not the case, though.

Meiwald isn’t exactly the brilliant confirmation of these events that Salas has made him out to be. Robert Hastings has recently claimed – again – that my interview with Walt Figel did not occur. He claims that Walt Figel has confirmed his entire UFO story regarding Echo Flight, and that my father has been lying about this incident for forty years. If this is true, it should be extremely easy to prove by simply calling Walt Figel, and asking him.

In fact, when I first gave details of my interview with Figel last March, Hastings stated that he could easily prove that he was correct and I was either lying or being deceptive, and that he could, and would, prove this within a matter of days. He said this in an email to the gentlemen who operate this website, Reality Uncovered, stating specifically “I will post a comprehensive rebuttal to James’ flawed claims in the next few days, providing verbatim excerpts from the conversations. I may even make key portions of the original audio tape available online.“  That was four-and-a-half months ago, and he hasn’t even provided a muted summary. Since then he has continued to insist that he would prove the errors in my assertions, saying, at one time or another that I was lying, was being deceptive, misunderstood what Figel was saying, etc., etc.

So prove it, Robert. Or are you just a lot of talk, without any evidence at all? Four-and-a-half months, Robert, and you’ve done nothing except call me names and insist that I’m a liar. If you are indeed a paragon of virtue, then prove it – if I’m lying, then certainly Walt Figel would agree with you, yes? How much time would it take to simply confirm that one part of your slanders? A couple of minutes? One telephone call? Do what you claimed you could easily do months ago – or are you just making noise and killing time so that those people who donated money for the fraudulent dog and pony show that you and Salas are organizing for the National Press Club in Washington, DC next month won’t have grounds to sue you? After all, if someone could show that you solicited donations based on assertions that you knew were false, which is pretty much what Walt Figel’s statements to me assert, then you’ve been soliciting funds on false pretenses, haven’t you? And not just you – Robert Salas, too.“

To be continued…



Filed under: UFOlogy,UFOs — Tags: , , , , — RyanDube @ 2:01 pm



July 22, 2010

Hynek, J. Allen – UFOs Merit Scientific Study


Hynek, J. Allen, in “UFOs Merit Scientific Study” – a letter submitted to Science Magazine in 1966 – wrote the following passage.

“It is unequivocally false to say that UFOs are never reported by scientifically trained people. Some of the best, most coherent reports come from such witnesses,” Citing examples he said “Four of the sightings were made by professional astronomers while on duty at their observatories, five more by technical specialists, including one reported by the associate director of one of the nation’s ranking technical laboratories. . . All but three involved brilliantly illuminated craft maneuvering in the air.”

This letter, and Hynek’s subsequent change of heart on the matter of UFOs, is as relevant today as it was in 1966.

Many people reading this, faced with the ridiculous nature and the overwhelmingly insane claims by so many people online and offline, usually choose to live their lives in relative isolation from the UFO community. Many people who have sightings or experiences report that those experiences had a significant impact on their lives and their sense of reality. In fact, Dr. Hynek himself started out as a skeptic when he was first asked by the Air Force to take part in Blue Book. It was his careful, scientific analysis of the Blue Book cases that led him to believe that within the noise, there was in fact a signal.

In the Forward that he wrote for Jacques Vallee’s book, “Challenge to Science – UFO Enigma” Dr. Hynek described the field back in 1966. Surprisingly, many readers today, over three decades later, will recognize what Hynek describes.

“As an astronomer, I probably would never have approached the subject had I not been officially asked to do so. Over the past eighteen years I have acted as a scientific consultant to the U.S. Air Force on the subject of unidentified flying objects-UFO’s. As a consequence of my work on the voluminous air force files and, to a greater extent, of personal investigation of many puzzling cases and interviews with witnesses of good repute, I have long been aware that the subject of UFO’s could not be dismissed as mere nonsense. Nonsense is present, to be sure, and misidentification of otherwise familiar objects that many sincere people report as UFO’s. But is there not a “signal” in the “noise,” a needle in the haystack? Is it not precisely our role to try to isolate the valid from the nonsensical? By carefully working through tons of pitchblende, Madame Curie isolated a tiny amount of radium-but the significance of that minute quantity was world–shaking.”

Dr. Hynek was primarily a professor and astronomer, but it was his work as a scientific advisor to the U.S. Air Force for which is he most remembered and famous. Under Project Sign, Project Grudge and Project Blue Book, Hynek analyzed case after case – probably witnessing a volume of accounts and learning of events most of us would never have the time to review. Even after the Air Force dropped Blue Book, Hynek continued on in his pursuit of the truth behind the UFO enigma by analyzing trace evidence left by UFOs.

Hynek was an intelligent guy. With a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Yerkes Observatory, he understood more than most the significance of UFO events and the many physical and natural events and phenomenon that could easily explain most UFO events. In his work with the Air Force, he would do his best to explain a sighting based on known astronomical objects. When he started this work – Hynek was very much a skeptic and worked hard at debunking the many UFO reports sent his way.

However, over time and faced with occasional reports that he couldn’t legitimately convince himself were bogus, the scientist in Dr. Hynek came out. He recognized a true scientific mystery buried within the hundreds and thousands of erroneous reports. He saw reports by very credible and professional witnesses, and couldn’t explain them away. He polled 44 astronomer colleagues and 11 percent came back saying that they’d certainly witnessed objects in the night sky that they couldn’t explain with science, yet were afraid of being ridiculed for reporting them.

In an article Hynek published in the 1953 edition of the Journal of the Optical Society of America, he wrote:

“Ridicule is not part of the scientific method, and people should not be taught that it is. The steady flow of reports, often made in concert by reliable observers, raises questions of scientific obligation and responsibility. Is there … any residue that is worthy of scientific attention? Or, if there isn’t, does not an obligation exist to say so to the public—not in words of open ridicule but seriously, to keep faith with the trust the public places in science and scientists?”

By the 1970s, Hynek and Dr. Jacques Vallee were lockstep in their belief that the UFO phenomenon was not an extraterrestrial “nuts and bolts” phenomenon, but instead was a phenomenon created “closer to home.”

“There are just too many things going against this theory. To me, it seems ridiculous that super intelligences would travel great distances to do relatively stupid things like stop cars, collect soil samples, and frighten people. I think we must begin to re-examine the evidence. We must begin to look closer to home.”


The UN Meeting about UFOs


For those of you who followed our recent expose of Richard Theilmann and his tales of attending a UN conference on UFOs, you may be interested to know (if you didn’t know already), that there was, in fact, a very real meeting at the United Nations in 1978 when Dr. Allen Hynek, Dr. Jacques Vallee, and Dr. Claude Poher presented a speech to the UN General Assembly on the subject of UFOs in an effort to use the UN as an authority, since the United States Air Force had shunned any further review of the phenomenon.

What were some of the events that Dr. Hynek believed actually took place, and could not be explained – as reported by credible witnesses? He reported these to the Joint Symposium of the American Institute of Aeronautics in 1975.

–> materialization and dematerialization
–> shape changes
–> noiseless hovering in the Earth’s gravitational field
–> accelerations that – for an appreciable mass – require energy sources far beyond present capabilities
–> the psychic effects on percipients
–> purported telepathic communications

One thing that is certain is that after the Air Force killed the official study into the phenomenon, as of the mid 1970′s, both Hynek and Vallee ramped their own research into high gear. I’m not convinced that the true details of their work have ever been made public, although the odds are very good that Vallee carried the torch well into the 80s and 90s. Despite his claims to no longer be involved in Ufology, you will find a statement here and there to the media, and a hint that he is actively testing and researching a phenomenon that he and Hynek both viewed as a sort of “control system.”

It seems fitting to close with the words from Hynek himself.

“Certainly no progress can be made without scientific study. Unfortunately, as the authors point out, scientists, “draped with dignity,” have often refused to study the reports. The fact of the matter is that many of my colleagues who have undraped their dignity long enough to take a hard look at the reports have joined the growing ranks of the puzzled scientists: they privately indicate serious interest in the phenomenon but publicly they choose, like the subject itself, to remain unidentified; they are unwilling to expose themselves to the raillery and banter that go with it.

It is to them in particular, and to all who foster the true Galilean spirit, that this book will be of greatest value. They grope and seek, examining even those ideas that seem fanciful and strange, for they know how strange and fanciful the term “nuclear energy” would have been to a physicist one hundred years ago. They are ready to accept a new challenge to science.”

While Hynek’s words and intentions were valiant in 1966, I ask you this – are the intentions and activities of those scientists still as honorable and filled with good intentions as they were so many decades ago?

—

References:

http://www.cohenufo.org/Hynek/hynk_mole2_cohn.htm

http://www.nicap.org/whatresp.htm



Filed under: Ufology History,UFOs — Tags: , — RyanDube @ 4:54 am



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