News from Dennis
for Dennis' 10/1/07 editorial.
for Dennis' 8/1/07 editorial.
Searching for the Truth
(Always Telling the Truth Means Never Having to Remember Anything)
Aztec, New Mexico Crash and Symposium
(05-01-08) - Much has been written about the
Roswell Incident of July, 1947 over the past 60 years, and while
some researchers have written it off as a crashed balloon with crash
test dummies, some of us continue to look for other explanations of
what really happened, not believing the four excuses given by the
military during those 60 years. New witnesses and information
continues to be found about the Incident and that appears to be
worth investigating, to determine what actually happened.
The Foster Ranch, Corona, New Mexico
The annual celebration of the Roswell Incident
each July since 1995 has attracted many visitors to this southeast
New Mexico town generating revenue for the city of Roswell, and
exposing the incident to the world with the media coverage it has
received. Many however, view the annual Roswell event as a carnival
rather than as a serious study of what happened here 60 years ago,
even though some well known researchers are usually present each
year to share their research. When the city of Roswell took over the
annual event last year, the attendance figures once again increased
compared to the previous few years when the UFO Museum was in charge
of the Festival. It was the city’s desire to make the annual
celebration a family event. The UFO Museum and city were not been
able to work together, thus 2 separate events were held during last
years Festival, and it appears that it will be the same again this
year for the upcoming July 2008 Roswell Festival.
On the opposite end of the state near
Farmington, New Mexico in the four-corners region of the state,
another crash supposedly happened only 10 months after the Roswell
Incident in March 1948, known as the Aztec Crash. The Aztec crash
has also been riddled with skepticism and beliefs of it being a
hoax, however in recent years much more information has come forward
primarily through the research of Scott and Suzanne Ramsey,
requiring a much closer look at that event. Other than the fact that
both crashes occurred in New Mexico within 10 months of each other,
there are many differences in the two events.
Scott and Suzanne Ramsey
The Roswell craft was discovered in many small pieces scattered
over the Foster Ranch, and was estimated to be about 30-40 feet in
diameter, while the Aztec craft appeared to make a forced crash east
of Aztec in Hart Canyon with slight damage, and measured about 99
feet in diameter. Roswell’s craft supposedly had 3-5 bodies, while
Aztec’s had 13. Both crafts are believed to have been recovered by
the military with Roswell using the 509th bomb wing from
the Roswell Army Airfield, and the Aztec crash being recovered by a
military unit from Colorado.
Aztec Crash Site
Columnist Frank Scully wrote about the Aztec
crash in his book “Behind the Flying Saucers” published around 1950.
In 1986 William Steinman and Wendell Stevens published “The UFO
Crash at Aztec”. Similar to the descriptions of the “metal” in the
Roswell craft, the Aztec craft “metal” could also not be burned, cut
or damaged when attempted. Neither craft showed any signs of rivets,
bolts, screws or signs of welding. After 60 years no physical traces
have been discovered at the Roswell crash site yet, while the Aztec
site has a road leading to the site that wasn’t shown on older maps,
and a small concrete slab exists that could have possibly been used
as a support for a crane outrigger. It has been established that the
concrete slab is not a well cap and no other reason for its
existence at the crash site exists.
Although I had read both of the books
mentioned, I too didn’t put much confidence in the account of the
Aztec crash for several years, until the Friends of the Aztec Public
Library decided to conduct an annual symposium starting in 1997 to
celebrate the 1948 crash, and to help generate interest in obtaining
a new library for Aztec. (That goal was accomplished a few years ago
with the dedication of a new state-of-the art library in Aztec.)
There are not enough words to be said about the many volunteers who
have diligently worked at accomplishing this over the years, for the
benefit of the library and the city of Aztec, not to mention the UFO
enthusiasts who attend each year. A few of the volunteers that have
been actively involved all these years include, Scott and Suzanne
Ramsey, Katee McClure, Donna Chadwick, Randy and Suzanne Barnes, to
mention only a few.
Stanton Friedman and Dennis Balthaser
I was involved with the Roswell Festival as a
speaker on several occasions during the past 11 years, but consider
myself extremely fortunate to have been involved with Aztec’s
symposium every year for the past 11 years as a speaker or Master of
Ceremonies. The annual Aztec symposium had a few speakers during the
early years that were less than credible, and they have decided to
be more cautious about who is invited to speak at the annual event,
thus providing a symposium for those interested in serious UFO
research, without any of the carnival or “woo-woo”atmosphere.
Aztec Symposium Audience
The recently held Aztec Symposium in March 2008
was a good example of the type researchers Aztec is attracting, and
the increased crowd attendance verified the importance and interest
of those attending. As emcee this year I had the honor of
introducing; Stanton Friedman, Mike Forston, Duane Tudahl, Ron
Storch, Timothy Good, Ted Phillips, Scott and Suzanne Ramsey, and
Dr. Jesse Marcel, Jr.
One problem that the Aztec symposium is
encountering is the fact that a facility is needed to accommodate
the ever-increasing crowds. The annual symposium has been held in
various locations within the city of Aztec and again this past March
a sold-out crowd was present. Not a bad problem to have.
Be on the lookout for a new book by Scott
Ramsey shortly that will be the most comprehensive account of the
Aztec crash to date. Doing research on the Aztec crash, Scott has
traveled to 31 states, interviewed over 73 first and second-hand
witnesses, and archived over 3476 Atomic Energy Commission, United
States Air Force, F.B.I. and C.I.A. documents. He has also uncovered
three secret radar bases, with possible connections to the Aztec
crash.
The Aztec crash like the Roswell crash back in
the late 1940’s are both cases that will require further research to
finally determine the truth, since we obviously have not been given
that truth for over 60 years.
Dennis G. Balthaser
Website:
www.truthseekeratroswell.com
Email:
truthskr@roswell.net
All photo credits: Dennis Balthaser
William “Billy the Kid” Bonney, Pat
Garrett, Jesse Wayne Brazel, William “Mack” Brazel
Roswell
Witness Related to the Old Wild West
03-01-08
One never knows what information will show
up, or where the information will come from when doing UFO research.
Sometimes it comes from the witnesses themselves, or in some cases a
spouse, a child or other person somehow related or acquainted with
the witness. Finding a “side-story” not related to a UFO case can
also be interesting when it’s found. Over the years I’ve enjoyed
looking into other interests fellow researchers have when not doing
UFO research. The in-depth interview Wendy Connors and I did several
years ago with Walter Haut revealed his childhood in Chicago;
involvement in WWII with the 509th bomb wing and other
non-UFO related accomplishments. Those little tidbits of information
give a better overview of the person in my opinion, sometimes not
otherwise known.
Such is the account I stumbled on recently
while doing a radio interview, when I was asked if I could verify
some information I had never heard of before.
Everyone who is familiar with the 1947
Roswell Incident of course recognizes the name “Mack” Brazel, the
ranch foreman on the Foster ranch near Corona in 1947, who found the
debris scattered across his pasture. By all accounts “Mack” appears
to have been a gentle man, away from his family a lot while in
charge of the ranch, and trying to earn a living in the 1940s. After
the Roswell Incident, his interrogation by the military, and
unwanted notoriety, he apparently tried to remain that gentle
person, still a characteristic of ranchers in the southwest United
States today.
Apparently such was not the case with
“Mack’s” uncle “Wayne” Brazel, back in the late 1800’s and early
1900’s, when the “wild west” was still controlled by the
six-shooter. As with the 1947 Roswell Incident, the story I will
share about Jesse “Wayne” Brazel, “Mack’s” uncle, also contains
controversy, but I can’t pass up sharing it.
During the late 1800’s two names emerged
which are forever remembered in the annuals of the old west---Billy
the Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett.
The legend of William H. Bonney, (better
known as Billy the Kid), became well known over the years as being a
vicious and ruthless killer in the New Mexico Territory during the
1800’s. Many of his escapades have been exaggerated over the years
in books and films, but there is no doubt that he was a wanted man.
After finally being captured, the “kid” shot his way out of the
second floor Lincoln County jail on April 28, 1881, in Lincoln, New
Mexico (about 47 miles west of Roswell), killing Sheriff Pat
Garrett’s deputies Bob Ollinger and James Bell, and successfully
escaped.
Although Pat Garrett is best known for
killing Billy the Kid, many think he was one of the most
contradictory men in the history of the American West. Depending on
what can be researched about Garrett, he is also accused of being a
woman chaser, drinker, gambler and a man slow at paying his debts.
His marriages were also controversial affairs. About the time of the
Lincoln County War, Garrett became Sheriff, with strong support from
cattle baron John Chisum. As Sheriff, his primary responsibility was
to track down Billy the Kid, which he subsequently did, locking him
up in the Lincoln County jail, only to have the Kid shoot two of
Garrett’s deputies while escaping. Garrett tracked down Billy the
Kid again, this time at Fort Sumner, (about 80 miles north of
Roswell). The Kid was hiding at the house of land baron Pete
Maxwell, and around midnight on July 14, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett
was sitting beside a bed talking to Maxwell when the Kid stepped
through the doorway. He saw Garrett sitting there, but didn’t
recognize him in the darkness. Instead, he drew his revolver and
hoarsely whispered, “Quien es?” (Who is it?). Garrett fired and shot
Billy the Kid dead, putting an end to his young outlaw life.
Enter “Wayne” Brazel, the uncle of “Mack”
Brazel….
As the years passed by Garrett’s troubles
increased because of his gambling, drinking, and loss of allies.
James P. Miller, who had a reputation as a murderer was interested
in buying Garrett’s Bear Canyon Ranch in southern New Mexico. During
the negotiations Garrett informed Miller that a “goat man” named
“Wayne” Brazel (right) leased a portion of the ranch and
would have to be evicted. When confronted Brazel refused to leave
unless he was paid $3.50 a head for his 1200 goats. Miller agreed,
and offered Garrett $3000.00 for the ranch. Then Brazel raised the
price and Miller told Garrett the deal was off since he didn’t have
that kind of money.
The next day, February 29, 1908, Garrett and
Carl Anderson, a relative of Miller’s, set out for Las Cruces in a
buggy and caught up with Brazel, who was on horseback. Garrett and
Brazel began arguing about the goats and Garrett said, “it didn’t
make any difference whether Brazel moved off of the property or not,
he (Garrett) would get him off the ranch somehow.”
From here on there are two accounts of what
took place next. One says Garrett climbed out of the buggy and
stepped to the rear of it to relieve himself, carrying his folding
shotgun in his right hand, and turning his back on Brazel ---who
shot him twice in the back of the head. The other account says that
while the two were arguing, Garrett reached under the buggy seat to
retrieve his shotgun and Brazel shot him. So a little over a quarter
century after Pat Garrett shot Billy the Kid, he met his own demise
from a handgun.
Fourteen months later on April 19, 1909,
Brazel’s case went before a twelve-man jury that took 15 minutes to
reach a verdict of “self defense.”
There are other accounts of who shot Pat
Garrett, for other reasons and where, but I couldn’t pass up the
fact that Roswell witness “Mack” Brazel’s uncle “Wayne” is included,
hoping the reader will enjoy this return to the “old wild west” near
Roswell in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, when law and order were
much different than today.
Billy the Kid is buried at Ft Sumner New Mexico
where he met his end, amongst much controversy whether the grave
actually contains the remains of the Kid or not. Pat Garrett
was buried in Las Cruces, at the Odd Fellows cemetery, on March 5,
1908. In the 1950’s due to poor maintenance of the cemetery,
Garrett’s son had his father’s remains reinterred at the Masonic
Cemetery across the street.
As for “Wayne”
Brazel, he married and obtained a small ranch west of Lordsburg, New
Mexico a few years after killing Garrett. When his wife died in
1913, he sold the property and disappeared from public record. It is
unknown where he moved to after selling the property, and his exact
date of death is unknown, but believed to have been around 1915.
Dennis G. Balthaser
Website:
www.truthseekeratroswell.com
Email:
truthskr@roswell.net
Courtesy Frank Warren
O’Hare Airport Sighting, (UFO, Hoax or Security Threat)
2/1/07
I rarely investigate UFO sightings, primarily because I decided years ago to
concentrate my research on other areas of Ufology, rather than sightings,
abductions, etc. I do however maintain an interest in some of the
better-documented sighting cases such as the Phoenix lights several years ago
and the Mexico City mass sightings of the 90’s, and follow reports of sightings,
abductions, crop circles and other Ufological events with interest from a
distance. Occasionally a sighting will attract my attention and I try to keep as
informed as possible, usually until it either “slips through the cracks” and is
forgotten, is proven to be a hoax, or interest diminishes and nothing more is
reported. Many times those in authority with the ability to reveal the factual
information simply write it off as something mundane and explainable. The better
researchers however usually don’t accept those conclusions, keeping pressure on
to determine the truth when possible.
Such is this case with the recent sighting at 4:30pm (Central Time) on
November 7, 2006 over United Airlines Gate C 17 at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, and
it is my hope that pressure will remain on those in authority until the truth of
this event emerges.
On that date, United Airlines and Federal authorities were notified that
approximately a dozen witnesses were observing a small round, metallic
appearing, disc-shaped object, hovering above Gate C 17. The object was first
spotted by an employee on the Gate ramp, pushing back Flight 446, which was
departing Chicago for Charlotte, North Carolina. The employee reported to his
supervisors that the object was almost directly over his location at Gate C 17,
below the cloud cover at about 1,900 feet and appeared to be round and spinning.
Other United Airlines employees, (as well as pilots) witnessed the object, which
was apparently visible for approximately two minutes, before suddenly
accelerating straight up at a very high speed, shooting through the overcast sky
at about 1,900 feet at the time. It appeared to leave a hole in the cloud as it
sped upward.
So what we have in this sighting is what was reported to be a solid object
hovering about 1,900 feet above the second busiest airport in the country,
witnessed by respectable ground crew employees and pilots, and a sudden erratic
movement of the object as it ascended straight up at a high speed leaving a hole
in the cloud and reported to authorities. As I would expect the FAA (Federal
Aviation Administration), said it must have been a weird weather phenomenon. (At
least it wasn’t a weather balloon with crash test dummies this time according to
the FAA). Initially United Airlines denied any knowledge of the event as
reported to them by their own employees, later admitting they had interviewed
the witnesses and requested reports, but had no authority to investigate the
incident themselves.
It’s now been three months since the sighting occurred and was reported, and
we still have not been given an explanation by anyone in our government. That is
not surprising to me, however my concern lies much deeper than the initial
“blow-off remarks” by the FAA that it was a weather phenomenon. The United
States is under a terrorist threat and daily the news media reminds us of the
status of those threats, and we have had a sighting of “something” hovering over
an airline gate at the second busiest airport in the country and no one in
authority in the government is willing to come forward and explain what the
employees of United Airlines actually witnessed. Luckily for us, the incident is
still raising questions as it should, and Peter Davenport of the National UFO
Reporting Center www.nuforc.org has been in the forefront to keep the
investigation open, reporting information as it becomes available, as are
several other Internet websites and discussion groups. I’m not saying that what
was seen was some terrorist plot, but I am saying if in fact we have to live
under that threat as we do daily, someone in the United States government owes
an explanation to the general public as to what it was. It would be ridiculous
to believe that such an event would not show up in the Intelligence Agencies
daily reports, if nothing more than as a concern about National Security.
As to the skeptics or debunkers, I say believe what you want, but as long as
I have to live under a terrorist threat I want to know what it was that sat over
Gate C 17 at Chicago’s O’Hare airport and then made a hole in the cloud when it
sped upward out of sight, with multiple reliable witnesses observing it.
Skeptics always insist that witnesses are not credible or reliable. Such is not
the case with this incident. Some have reported that United Airlines instructed
these witnesses initially to not talk about it, so who is reliable in this case?
Undoubtedly, United Airlines was probably totally unprepared for this incident,
but restricting freedom of speech of their employees is not comforting when
terrorist activities or airport security are in question.
Speaking of the witnesses, these are people that have worked in the aviation
industry for years, and are familiar with aircraft and weather conditions in
most cases. To see a metallic object hover over the gate a mere 1,900 feet above
them, and then disappear through a cloud leaving a hole was not what they would
normally have seen at Gate C 17, while performing their duties.
Another concern I have is why it took so long for any information to surface
about the sighting, when the Chicago Tribune newspaper finally broke the story
in early January 2007, almost 2 months after it had been posted on the National
UFO Reporting Center’s web site? And how did the news media handle the story? As
an example, Anderson Cooper of CNN made light of it as has been done in past
years when a UFO story finally makes it to the mainstream media, and the media’s
agenda is directed to a pre-determined conclusion, as with many TV documentaries
on the subject of Ufology.
There have been several instances where photographs of the alleged craft have
shown up on the internet, all so far having been generally agreed on to have
been hoaxes. This too is a common practice with the computer equipment that is
readily available today to alter photographs. Hopefully of the several witnesses
that saw this incident, one perhaps will come forward with information that can
be verified as being accurate, providing a photo was actually taken.
Another consideration in addition to my thoughts above about terrorists is
safety. Would an unidentified craft (metallic object) hovering at 1,900 feet not
be a safety concern for the hundreds of flights in and out of O’Hare daily?
There are several obvious reasons why someone in authority should be held
accountable for explaining to the public and especially to the witnesses what it
was that they saw on November 7, 2007 at O’Hare airport in Chicago.
I will continue to monitor this incident and hope that enough pressure can be
generated through good research and investigation, or Freedom of Information
requests, so that a factual, truthful explanation will be forthcoming. We should
not let this one fall between the cracks as many have in the past.
Dennis G. Balthaser
Website:
www.truthseekeratroswell.com
Email: truthskr@roswell.net
12-01-06
Verification, Confirmation and Facts
One of the most important factors in doing UFO research to
me is being able to confirm or verify the many accounts given by individuals
supposedly involved in the 1947 Roswell Incident. So-called “first-hand
witnesses” have continually come forward with claims that they were here, or saw
this or that, or were told something, when in fact after carefully scrutinizing
their information, they were not involved as they publicly had stated. Several
examples come to mind. Unfortunately many of them have passed on, and we may
never know the entire truth. It is possible however to check records and
documents in an attempt to verify the information made public. I will herein
give you some examples of a few of those individuals that continue to make this
research difficult.
Jim Ragsdale became popular in the mid 1990’s with the
promotion of a booklet and video of his account of the Roswell Incident promoted
by the International UFO Museum and Research Center and published by Ragsdale
Publications. Ragsdale died on July 1, 1995, and his accounts of what he
witnessed remains clouded by several factors, most importantly being the fact
that within the few years that he was interviewed (1993-1995), he gave two
different accounts on signed affidavits about what he had witnessed. The
location of his experience varied as well as what he saw. Consequently having
two different affidavits created questions about his story, and the validity of
his tale(s) may never be known. As with other so-called witnesses, Ragsdale’s
story for some has become part of the 1947 Roswell Incident, and is another
account that may or may not have been factual, as stated. Unless a substantial
amount of information can be obtained about Ragsdale’s experience, I will leave
it as not being valid in helping to resolve the Roswell Incident.
James Bond Johnson was the photographer for the Fort Worth
Star Telegram newspaper who took the pictures in General Ramey’s office in July
1947 of the General, Col. DuBose and Major Marcel. There is, and has never been
any dispute about the fact that he did take those pictures, which today are
preserved in the University of Texas, Arlington Library. I had the good fortune
of meeting Johnson and did an extensive interview with him about his involvement
in 2001, as David Rudiak and Kevin Randle had previously done with him. Johnson
for some unknown reason decided to elaborate on his involvement indicating he
had given the paper to General Ramey that the General is holding in the
photographs he took. Later Johnson indicated that perhaps he had not given the
General that teletype, stating, “Obviously I was in error in that speculation”.
He also indicated that he rummaged through the General’s office prior to General
Ramey coming in to pose with the “debris”, opening the packages brought in by
Major Marcel and arranging the material for his photo shoot. (As a researcher
and having been in the military, I have a problem with that comment). When I
first talked to Johnson he admitted that he knew very little about the Roswell
Incident, but it appeared that as time went on he believed he was more involved,
later having to backtrack some of his earlier statements. I remain convinced
that James Bond Johnson did take the photographs in General Ramey’s office, but
very little of his other involvement. I was honored when Johnson’s son Jerry
informed me that my interview with his Dad was distributed at Johnson’s funeral
for those attending the Memorial Service in March 2006.
Glenn Dennis, the mortician at Ballard
Funeral home in 1947 has been interviewed hundreds of times and is still alive.
I talked with Glenn daily during my 2-½ years as a volunteer at the UFO Museum
between 1996 and 1998. His account has varied very little over the years, and
Glenn is a witness that I wish would set the record straight while he still can.
He has talked about the nurse at the base hospital that took notes during an
examination of a recovered body and that she was transferred to Europe within
days of the Incident, dieing in a plane crash. No record of that plane crash has
ever been revealed. He gave several researchers a wrong name of the nurse, which
after years of investigation produced no results, and finally admitted that he
had given the researchers the wrong name to protect her. The “red-headed
Captain” that supposedly threatened him while at the base infirmary has never
been located. The drawing of an alien face and hands given to Glenn by the nurse
at the officer’s club has been lost and cannot be found according to Glenn.
These statements are of utmost importance in helping to resolve some of the
mysteries surrounding the Roswell Incident, so I’m hopeful that he will provide
the truth while he still can, or at least leave it for us in the future. I
really want to believe Glenn, but validation is needed and only he can provide
that.
Frank Kaufman died February 24, 2001,
after coming to Roswell in 1942 in the military. Surprisingly, Frank (who was
born in New York City) stayed in Roswell after his military time serving on the
Roswell Chamber of Commerce for 14 years. After the Roswell Incident research
began “heating up”, Frank also started heating up with many tales about his
involvement, practically all which have been discredited since. I had breakfast
with Frank on several occasions and it was his form of entertainment I suppose,
to share one of his experiences with me and then stop when I questioned him,
with a response like, “you’re the researcher---figure it out.” I remember one
occasion when he and I and a few other researchers were filming a documentary at
the Corn ranch site, (which he helped make famous), and I asked him to point to
the exact location of the crash site and he crossed his arms and pointed in both
directions. Frank provided researchers with a lot of documents, but never let us
make copies and as we learned later, most were manipulated by him to make them
appear official. Stanton Friedman was dubious of Frank’s comments for years
before many of us other researchers were. At a meeting in Frank’s home in 1999,
with Linda Moulton Howe, Don Schmitt, Stanton Friedman and myself after
discovering that he had cancer, Frank finally admitted to Stanton that he had
not gone to the crash site with Col. Blanchard or Major Marcel as he had
proclaimed on many occasions in the past. Frank Kaufman was a master at
deceiving some of us researchers and I’m sure enjoyed being such, but for now
Frank is no longer a key figure in determining the truth about Roswell.
Lt. Colonel (not Colonel) Corso, in his
widely read book “The Day After Roswell”, co-authored with Bill Birnes, made
some extreme statements about his involvement in the Roswell Incident, as well
as about his military career. After reading the book my immediate response was,
where are the references in the back of the book to all these claims---there
were none? I met Corso several times before he passed away July 16, 1998 at the
age of 83, and found him interesting and cordial, but not willing to factually
support his many claims. In a sworn statement to lawyer Peter Gersten, Corso
claimed to have been a member of the NSC (National Security Council). There are
no records that he ever belonged to or even attended any of their meetings. When
Gersten asked Corso if he wanted to change that part of his sworn statement, he
said no. As to his claim about helping industry develop the integrated circuit,
it’s well known that Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments developed them in 1958,
receiving the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2000 for that, BEFORE Corso joined
General Trudeau at Army FTD in 1960. Corso claimed to have seen a body at Ft
Riley enroute to Wright field in Dayton Ohio by truck, when all reports I’ve
read over the years indicate the bodies were flown to Wright Field. Corso did
have a distinguished military career and the book was an interesting read, but
lacks any verification or support for the claims Corso made about his
involvement with the Roswell Incident.
Fortunately there have been many and still are a few
extremely respectable witnesses that were involved with the 1947 Roswell
Incident such as Judd Roberts, Walter Haut, Major Jesse Marcel and his son Jesse
Marcel Jr., rancher “Mack” Brazel and his son Bill Brazel, Loretta Proctor,
Sheriff Wilcox and both of his daughters Phyllis and Elizabeth, and others whose
accounts of their involvement can be verified. Time is however not on our side
and the search for the truth continues. Information other than the truth must be
discarded.
Dennis G. Balthaser
Website:
www.truthseekeratroswell.com
Email:
truthskr@roswell.net
09-01-06
Is the Roswell UFO Museum & Annual UFO Festival becoming a thing of the past?
International
UFO Museum and Research Center co-founders
As one who remains dedicated to researching the Roswell
Incident, it concerns me that the International UFO Museum and Research Center
and the annual Roswell UFO Festival seem to have deteriorated to an
embarrassment for the city of Roswell and those of us that remain interested in
obtaining the truth.
In 1996 I moved to Roswell, was actively involved as a
volunteer at the museum (1996-98), and helped promote the museum and the
festival. Several local individuals with the purpose of having the whole
community involved for the benefit of Roswell for tourism and financial benefits
first organized the annual July festival in 1995.
Visitor numbers for the annual event grew each year as more
community involvement was added and “peaked” with the 50th
anniversary in 1997. This past July the number of visitors to Roswell for the
annual event was pathetically low, and no one with the UFO committee involved in
organizing this year’s festival, headed up by Museum Director, Julie Shuster,
has come forward with any numbers of how few attended. The loss of revenue to
the museum and the city of Roswell this year appears to be staggering, and many
believe it can be directly attributed to the UFO committee, and the manner in
which it was presented. If the Museum and the Festival are to prosper and
benefit Roswell, changes are needed. Too much hard work has been devoted over
the years in promoting Roswell, the Museum, and Festival to let it continue on
its present course.
The museum was established by co-founders Glenn Dennis,
Walter Haut, and Max Littell in 1991, and none of them had any idea that it
would grow as it did the first 10 years, drawing some 200,000 visitors to
Roswell each year. The founders were also emphatic that the museum should always
remain free to the public. Under the current Museum Director and Board of
Directors, that is changing. Currently the museum has a “suggested adult
admission donation fee of $2.00”, ($1.00 for 18 and under), and if in the future
the Museum decides to charge an admission fee, it will be a direct violation of
the co-founders desire for the museum to remain free to the public.
The music concerts scheduled for this year’s festival were
moved from a city park to the fairgrounds due to the city not approving a “beer
permit” for Ms Shuster. Greed at the museum has caused the city to loose tens
of thousands of dollars in annual festival revenue by country music star Merle
Haggard withdrawing his annual concert from the festival. A few years ago when
Haggard brought in Willie Nelson, 6000 people attended the concert---this years’
three concerts drew 200, 300 and 1000 each, according to the Roswell Daily
Record even with beer sales. Research, new displays, community involvement and
management seem to be a thing of the past for the Roswell Museum and the
Festival under the current Director and Board of the UFO Museum.
Guy Malone has brought in well-known speakers each July on
the subject of UFOs for his symposium in conjunction with the annual event. This
year Ms Shuster announced on the Roswell 2006 UFO Festival website, “Any
events not included in this schedule are not sanctioned by the Roswell 2006
Festival”. For the Festival to be a community project, her sanctioning
events are not needed or desired. Church on the Move planned an all day event
for people to enjoy, which included honoring our veterans and a fireworks
display in the evening---Ms Shuster tried to stop that, as reported in the
Roswell Daily Record, and again because there was no organization for the
Festival or community involvement that were under her leadership, problems
arose.
Several of the out-of-town visitors attending this year’s
festival in July, planned their vacations around coming to Roswell and many
indicated to me that they were bored and visited the Historical Museum of
Southeast New Mexico because there wasn’t anything to do with the UFO Festival.
I occasionally lecture at other UFO symposiums around the country and those
always have a full slate of speakers, most being all day long for 3 or 4 days.
Aztec, NM and the Rachel, Nevada symposiums, where I spoke this year had a
minimum of nine speakers for their conferences. As they do every year, Roswell
again had Don Schmitt, Tom Carey and Derrell Sims as their headline speakers. In
a comment in the Roswell Daily Record newspaper, Carey stated that, “ he and
Schmitt are the only “active” researchers about the Roswell Incident.” Stanton
Friedman is the original civilian Roswell researcher, (dating back to 1978). He
was invited last year but was not asked to do a lecture. David Rudiak, Don
Burleson, myself and several others are very actively researching the Roswell
Incident, but not according to Tom Carey.
I have received several contentious letters (two by
Certified U.S. mail), from Museum Director Julie Shuster, in the past two years.
The board of directors at the museum, is obviously not aware of such tactics by
their director, and unlike other organizations with a board of directors, the
UFO Museum Director apparently controls the board, rather than the board
controlling the Director. All of my research is copyrighted with the Library of
Congress in Washington, DC, and I have the documentation to support all lectures
I’ve written, videotaped, and presented. The Museum purchased my lecture videos
from me and sold them willingly in their gift shop at a 100 percent markup
from1998 until 2 years ago, and are now telling me I can no longer sell my own
copyrighted lecture tapes anywhere. It is not only unethical but also
unreasonable to try and claim “my copyrighted work” 8 years later.
Ms Shuster and gift shop manager Sandy James showed up at a
local lecture I did in Feb 2006, which I concluded was to try to intimidate me
during my lecture, which failed on their part.
New Mexico MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) is not allowed to
have their meetings at the UFO Museum because Board President, Jack Swickard,
stated that he considers MUFON “competition” for the Museum. Nothing could be
further from the truth and shows the mentality and lack of Ufology knowledge of
the current leadership at the Museum.
The Mission Statement of the UFO Museum, Article 1-Purpose
of Corporation states,
“ The International UFO Museum and Research Center at
Roswell, New Mexico was organized to inform the public about what has come to be
known as “The Roswell Incident.” The final sentence of Article 1, states,
“The International UFO Museum’s constituents are committed to gathering and
disbursing to all interested parties, the most qualified and accurate up-to-date
information available.”
In one of the letters I received from Ms Shuster, I was
told, “ I could not make any statements about any conversations I ever had
with Museum co-founder Walter Haut.”
Censorship and suppression of one’s research as has been my
own experience with the museum director, is not part of their Mission
Statement.
If that Mission Statement is in fact the purpose of the
Museum, perhaps changes are needed not only with the Director and certain board
members but also with the need to work with the community for the benefit of all
of Roswell, and finally to make the “Roswell Incident” a household name again
worldwide as it was in the 90’s. Many of us that live here and have been
involved, or are still involved with the Roswell Incident research are concerned
and desire that changes be made for the benefit of Roswell and the entire UFO
community. This concern is evidenced by several letters to the editor of the
Roswell Daily Record newspaper since the Festival in July from individuals
airing their concerns about the museum and the festivals demise in recent years.
As a serious, respected UFO Investigator, Lecturer and
Journalist, I continue to believe that the UFO Museum in Roswell is a vitally
needed facility for the public, as the original co-founders intended it.
Unfortunately, it no longer has the respect of the serious UFO community, and as
observed by comments of visitors this year, even the general public has seen a
decline in the Museum and the annual Festival.
Revenue generated from the Roswell Incident, for Roswell
and southeast New Mexico is of major importance and must not be allowed to
continue in the downward spiral it’s currently on. Many that come to Roswell are
curious and could care less about UFOs, but in the past they came, and
businesses in Roswell and surrounding areas benefited from that. We should have
learned from those in the past that the annual festival must be a community
effort, not an attempt by individuals with their own agenda, who try to sanction
their own interests and hurt the whole community in doing so.
As for the UFO Museum, it needs to comply with its own
Mission Statement; be a research center as advertised, presenting all sides of
the Roswell Incident; and finally, organize a board of directors that is in
charge and allowed to voice opinions that may not be in agreement with the
Director.
Dennis G. Balthaser
Website:
www.truthseekeratroswell.com
Email:
truthskr@roswell.net
Copyright © 2006, Dennis G. Balthaser
Photo Credits: Photo of Max Littell used by permission; Photos of Glenn Dennis
and Walter Haut by Dennis Balthaser
Security is Alive and Well at Area 51
By Dennis Balthaser
7-1-06
I know for a fact that the security at Area 51 is
alive and well, since I just returned from there,
and experienced it first-hand.
In my many years of doing this research, I have
always tried to present information that was
verifiable and confirmable, when possible. That
hasn’t always been an easy task, considering the
amount of disinformation being spread around,
particularly with a lot of that information being
presented on the Internet.
When doing lectures or writing editorials about a
particular subject, I find it helps one’s
credibility if you have first-hand knowledge of the
subject. It’s kind of like the 2000+ web sites on
the Internet about the Roswell Incident. When you do
some checking, most of those people that have
Roswell Incident web sites have never been to
Roswell or interviewed a witness related to it, but
claim to be authorities on the subject. From now on
when someone asks, “have you ever been to Area
51?”---I can say, “Yes I have---at least to the
entrances to the base”.
I have been researching Area 51 for several years,
working closely with Chuck Clark, who I consider the
predominant person with knowledge about Area 51.
Last year, Ike Bishop, who arranges the annual
Rachel Nevada UFO Conference, (next to Area 51),
contacted me about possibly being a speaker at this
years conference, and knowing it would be a
financial loss, due to the distance, time and
expenses, I gladly agreed to be part of the
conference, for the simple fact that I would have an
opportunity to see first hand what all the “hype”
was about related to the secret base in Nevada. I
was not in the least disappointed. The conference
lasted 3 days in May 2006, and I’ll never regret the
cost due to the first hand knowledge I obtained
about the security, at least at the entrances to the
base.
For years I have read and heard reports about the
intense security involved at Area 51, but to
actually be there and see it working doesn’t compare
with what I’ve read or heard. It’s real and it’s
serious.
Stop and think for a minute that the base has been
in existence since 1955 when the CIA (Central
Intelligence Agency) opened it to test the U-2 spy
plane in secrecy. Many of the aircraft we have in
our military arsenal since then that were developed
in secrecy, have been test flown there (and several
we don’t yet know about). During those 51 years that
the base has been in existence, security to my
knowledge has not been seriously breached, and
remains off limits to anyone not authorized to
enter.
So
why is it that we can prevent anyone from going past
security at Area 51, but cannot control our own
United States borders? Perhaps our borders need a
few signs like are present at Area 51, that state in
no uncertain terms
“The Use of Deadly Force is Authorized” , and
apparently mean it. Signs also list the penalties
for violating the warnings, of either six-months
imprisonment and a $1000.00 fine, or one-year
imprisonment and a $5000.00 fine based on two
separate Federal Internal Security Act Regulations.
The guards (Cammo dudes as their sometimes known)
are also a positive deterrent, and make their
presence obviously known to anyone approaching the
entrances to the base, which to me indicated that
these people are serious about enforcing security.
The main entrance to Area 51 is down a 13 mile well
maintained dirt and gravel road that has no signs
present on Nevada 375 (the Extraterrestrial Highway)
between Ash Springs and Rachel, to indicate anything
is there. Driving down the road toward the base
entrance, I expected to see the guards in a gray
pickup or white Jeep come up over a hill to let me
know we were approaching the entrance.
Much
to my surprise, when I drove around a corner and saw
the warning signs, I also saw a gray pickup truck
with two occupants parked on a hill just up from the
signs, watching me approach with binoculars fixed on
me. They were waiting for me as I assume a sensor
had warned them someone was approaching. The
guardhouse is about a quarter mile beyond the signs
(out of view from the dirt road), so they have time
to get in their vehicle, park on the hill and be
your welcoming committee. The main entrance where
the warning signs are located has no gate of any
kind, so if you go beyond the signs you are on
restricted land, and the consequences are obvious.
On the hills surrounding this entrance solar powered
cameras and listening devices are evident. There is
no fence ---only orange colored plastic boundary
markers located every several yards to indicate
where the boundary is.
Having seen pictures of this scenario many times in
the past, it was quite an experience for me to
actually be standing there by the signs and boundary
markers, and realizing that this is all too real.
You can’t help but wonder what all transpires on or
under the base that we don’t know about, to require
such high security?
After my second lecture on our last day in Rachel,
Chuck Clark asked me if I wanted to drive out to the
back gate entrance to the base. Knowing very little
about the back gate entrance, I jumped at the
opportunity to go. The back gate is a little closer
to Rachel than the main gate and appears to have
higher security visible than the main gate.
Apparently most deliveries to the base enter through
the back gate.
Once again after driving on a well-maintained,
un-marked dirt road, you see the all to familiar
warning signs. At this entrance however you are also
greeted by two swing-down gates with stop signs
attached, a guardhouse that has all the windows
darkened so you can’t see in, and a surveillance
camera and other equipment.
This
entrance has a ranch type barbed wire fence showing
the boundary line in each direction from the gates.
While at this entrance I walked along the fence line
in order to get a better view of the Russian Radar
equipment set up in the distance. The guard(s) in
the guard house were keeping tabs on my activities
along the fence with the camera that is mounted
about 25 feet atop a metal tower, and whenever I
moved along the boundary, the camera followed me.
After being at the entrance for several minutes, we
soon noticed something in the distance on the road
inside the gates, coming towards us, and it turned
out to be another security guard, in a white Jeep.
He stopped about a quarter mile from us and observed
us with binoculars, as had been done at the main
entrance two days ago.
Since
we were apparently not a threat to him, he shortly
thereafter drove up to the guardhouse, getting out
of the vehicle while trying to stay out of view of
our cameras. When he departed he seemed upset that
he had left the passenger door open on the Jeep, and
rather than come around the vehicle to close it
where we would have a good photo opportunity of him,
he backed the Jeep up, hit the brakes and tried to
close the door. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t
work, so he leaned over the seat out of our view and
pulled the door shut before taking off toward the
base.
We departed the back entrance, returning to Rachel,
satisfied that whatever takes place at Area 51 is
well protected by warning signs that are extremely
serious in their warnings, surveillance equipment
that works well, and guards that have what appears
to be a boring job unless someone like us shows up.
I appreciate the hospitality of Chuck Clark, and
know that my lectures and editorials about Area 51
will be different in the future having “been there
---and done that”.
* All photographs
Copyright © Balthaser, 2006
www.truthseekeratroswell.com
truthskr@roswell.net
Searching for the Truth
(Always Telling the Truth Means Never Having to Remember
Anything)
“Is Anyone
Accountable for Records?”
03-01-06
One of the most troublesome things I have encountered
during my many years of doing UFO research, is the lack of accountability by
those supposedly in control of documents and information pertaining to this
subject. Of course it’s by no means limited to just Ufology research, but also
to many other areas, within our military and government establishments. Trying
to obtain documents from those groups for validation of information is
practically impossible, and it appears to me that no one wants to take
responsibility for that. My question has always been---who has given those
individuals the authority to withhold information and not be accountable for it?
Responses like “the records were destroyed”, or “were transferred to another
agency”, are too frequently used when requesting information.
In this editorial I will give some examples of such
instances, where I have personally tried to obtain information, as well as that
of other individuals who have also been denied information through various
attempts.
One of the most common responses to document requests is
“blacking out” certain information on documents. That no longer looks good on
television when researchers like Stanton Friedman hold up the documents, so in
some cases “whiteout” is now used.
Military Records are kept at the National Personnel Records
Center in St Louis, Missouri. Many times when a Freedom of Information Act
Request (FOIA) is submitted (as required), pertaining to an individual assigned
to Roswell Army Airfield in 1947, the response returned has a rubber stamp note
stating, “ No record located. If on file on July 12, 1973, it may have
been destroyed in a fire on that date”. May have been destroyed?
Was it destroyed or not? In my experience, an appeal rarely produces any
additional information. The military personnel I usually request information on
were assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing in Roswell, (the only Atomic
bomb group in the world at the time), and their records may have been destroyed
in a fire. Convenient, unfortunate, or an untruth!!!
One request for information that I worked on, starting in
July 1999, with a FOIA request involved the United States Air Force report, “The
Roswell Report: Fact versus Fiction in the New Mexico Desert”. In that report a
Colonel Richard L. Weaver stated that, “the photographs taken in General Ramey’s
office were sent to a national-level organization for interpretation and
analysis”. That “unnamed organization” reported back that, “the photos were of
insufficient quality to analyze”. My first request was submitted to the
Department of the Air Force at the Pentagon, requesting copies of the
correspondence between the Air Force and the national-level organization that
analyzed the photographs, along with copies of the report returned to the Air
Force. After several delay letters from the Air Force, in November 1999 I was
informed that all records regarding this subject were returned to the Air Force
Historical Research agency at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
When I contacted Maxwell AFB, I was told they have no such
documents within their archives, nor did they have any inter-office documents
regarding the “Roswell Report”, and I was invited to file an appeal. What I did
receive from Maxwell Air Force Base was an 81-page list of information available
on microfilm about Roswell Army Airfield dealing with everything the base was
associated with except information about the Roswell Incident. I didn’t feel
that information about the base “Supply and Food Service, Motor Vehicles, when
aircraft arrived at the base, or maintenance of aircraft” were pertinent to my
FOIA request. Basically this meant there were no documents in the Air Force
archives to substantiate the remarks made by Colonel Weaver in the Air Force
Report about the Roswell Incident.
By March 2000, I had received so many delay responses while
the Air Force searched their records, that I finally told the Lieutenant in
charge of my request that he would probably be promoted to Major or Lt. Colonel
by the time my requests were fulfilled, if ever fulfilled.
Since the Air Force report was an official document, I
asked if Colonel Weaver had ever been contacted to determine where he obtained
the information he was referring to in the report about the photographs being
analyzed by a national-level organization. The response from the Air Force about
that request stated, “we are not obligated to do so under FOIA”, since anything
that is not tangible or a documentary record does not qualify as a “record”.
I did obtain one page of a 4-page “Fax” from the University
of Texas at Arlington, Special Collections, addressed to Captain McAndrew
indicating he was receiving 3 pages of “something”. Since the University of
Texas at Arlington is the repository for those photographs, the date of the fax
was 07-18-96, and it was addressed to Captain McAndrew, I’m assuming the pages
dealt with the next excuse the Air Force presented in 1997 entitled “The Roswell
Incident: Case Closed”. Additionally in this response from Maxwell AFB, I was
advised that “the custody of these records was currently being transferred from
Maxwell AFB to the National Archives either in Maryland or Washington DC.
I indicated my disappointment to the lieutenant in charge
of my FOIA request at Maxwell AFB in October 2000, and had to write again in
February 2001 since I did not receive a response to my October letter. When he
responded I noticed he had been promoted to Captain (on his way to Major as I
mentioned earlier). Again I was advised that I could submit an appeal and my
final correspondence to Maxwell AFB occurred on March 7, 2001.
Researcher David Rudiak has suggested that I resume my
research on this, however since the documents have been transferred to a
National Archive, it would mean starting over.
As a final example, the late New Mexico Congressman Steven
Schiff made a valiant attempt to obtain information about the Roswell Incident
in the 1990’s, when he requested a full investigation of the Incident.
Congressman Schiff released the 20-page, General Accounting Office (GAO) Report
in a press release on July 28, 1995. In the press release Congressman Schiff
indicated that, “important documents which may have shed more light on what
happened at Roswell, are missing.”
The Chief Archivist for the National Personnel Records
Center provided the GAO with documentation indicating that (1) RAAF records such
as finance and accounting, supplies, buildings and grounds, and other general
administrative matters from March 1945 through December 1949 and (2) RAAF
outgoing messages from October 1946 through December 1949 were destroyed. The
document disposition form did not properly indicate the authority under which
the disposal action was taken. Other records including outgoing RAAF messages
for 1950 were also destroyed. Schiff understood that these outgoing messages
were permanent records, which should never have been destroyed. Since the
records had been destroyed over 40 years ago, further inquiry about there
destruction was impractical according to Schiff.
An FBI Teletype document revealed by the report referred to
a “radar-tracking device” – a reference to a weather balloon, which the Air
Force themselves later discredited.
58 years after the Roswell Incident occurred, we continue
to lose first-hand witnesses, and the more research that is done on the
Incident, the more we realize that accountability for records and documentation
has been and continues to be a major problem. When will someone in our
government come forward and take the responsibility we expect from our
representatives and leaders?
Dennis G. Balthaser
Web site:
www.truthseekeratroswell.com
Email:
truthskr@roswell.net
Searching for the Truth
(Always Telling the Truth Means Never Having to Remember
Anything)
“A Tribute to
Walter Haut”
01-02-06
During my affiliation with the International UFO Museum and
Research Center here in Roswell, from 1996 until 1998, as a full time volunteer
and as the UFO Investigator, I had the opportunity to meet many of the
well-known researchers in this field of Ufology. Since then I have developed
close personal relationships with a few of those, and continue to do my research
in conjunction with our desire to find the truth. That of course is not the case
with a larger number of “researchers” I have met.
The same is true for witnesses of the 1947 Roswell Incident
that I have met over the years. Several of the many witnesses I have met and/or
interviewed, have elaborated on their testimonies, while some have presented
hoaxes, and still others have not provided any validation for their claims.
Fortunately for those of us that continue to look for answers to the Roswell
Incident, there are some witnesses that stand out, (at least to me), as being
extremely credible. Walter Haut was one of those individuals that I’ve always
had the utmost respect for, and who I will be miss since he passed away on
December 15, 2005. As one who knew Walter fairly well, and had the opportunity
to visit with daily for two and a half years, I felt a tribute to him was in
order at this time.
In 1947, then Lt. Walter Haut, was a key figure in the
Roswell Incident due to being the person that wrote the now famous newspaper
article of July 8, 1947, “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell
Region”.
It was quite an honor for me to meet Walter in person when
I began my affiliation with the UFO Museum in 1996. After all, nothing can be
written about the Roswell Incident without including Walter in the events that
took place some 58 ½ years ago. It was even more rewarding for me to be able to
visit with him daily during my two and a half years with the museum. During that
time, Walter was at the museum almost every day, and would enjoy meeting the
visitors that came by, always with a smile, a little kidding and explaining his
involvement in the incident, as the public relations officer that wrote the
newspaper article. Walter was always a gentleman, never looking for notoriety,
enjoying life in his retirement years. If he wasn’t occupied with visitors, I
would walk into his office and we’d discuss a variety of topics, which always
amazed me, because he had such an interesting life, and freely talked about it.
Walter was born in Chicago in 1922, and one of my favorite
stories he shared with me several times was that when he was young, he worked
for a drug store in the Chicago area and made deliveries to local customers that
ordered merchandise from the drug store. One of those customers was the “Capone
family”. Walter remembered how most customers he made deliveries to would tip
him 10 or 15 cents, while the Capone’s would tip $1.00, $5.00, even $10.00. He
indicated that the Capone family was very generous, and always smiled when he
shared that story with me.
I’m sure very few researchers, and particularly the general
public knew much about Walter’s military career, other than his involvement with
the Roswell Incident as a young Lieutenant, who was the public relations officer
for the Roswell Army Air Field in 1947.
During
WWII, Walter (above) flew some 35 missions over Japan as a bombardier in
B-29’s. He received numerous medals for his service, but one of the experiences
I enjoyed hearing from him the most, was his description of how those missions
were accomplished. He indicated that being a bombardier was a great job, because
the missions were sometimes 18-20 hours flying time from their home base to the
target, and back home. He said he would sleep on the way to the target and being
located up front in the B-29, the pilot or co-pilot would kick him when they got
close to the target to wake him up. He would then take over flying and when the
target was in his bombsites, he would release the weapons. His job completed he
would sleep again on the ride back to their home base.
Several times we talked about the 509th bomb
wing’s involvement in the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan to end the
Second World War.
Walter also shared his involvement during the testing of an
atomic bomb in the Pacific Ocean, during Operation Crossroads in 1946. Walter
was in an airplane that flew through the mushroom cloud the bomb created when
tested in the ocean and he actually dropped the instruments in it. We would
“kid” each other about him “glowing” afterwards, which he of course didn’t, but
he did say it was a little “bumpy” flying that close to it.
Walter
would often mention Colonel “Butch” Blanchard (above) with much
admiration and respect. Blanchard was in charge of the 509th bomb
wing here in Roswell in 1947, when Walter was the public relations officer for
the base. Blanchard was also the base commander. They had an exceptional
relationship according to Walter, and Walter talked about that relationship many
times. I remember sharing a similar relationship I had with a Warrant Officer
Philpot when I was in the service, so I could relate to his feelings and the
respect he had for Blanchard. They were apparently quite a team, and Walter
would talk about how “the old man” would call him into his office, where
Blanchard (a Colonel), would ask him, (a Lieutenant), for his thoughts about
something that Blanchard was thinking about.
Walter was very active in many civic organizations in
Roswell after he got out of the military and he and his wife decided to stay in
Roswell. He often talked about how they enjoyed living in Roswell, even though
the first time he was assigned here, he wondered where Roswell New Mexico was.
My life as a person and as a researcher of the Roswell
Incident has been extremely enriched because I had the opportunity to meet and
get to know a man named Walter Haut. I will always treasure those times where he
and I sat down and just visited with each other. He had a fascinating life in
his childhood, being involved with WWII, the Roswell Incident, original founder
of the UFO museum and the many civic accomplishments he achieved.
I will miss you Walter.
Dennis G. Balthaser
Web site: www.truthseekeratroswell.com
Email: truthskr@roswell.net
Copyright © 2005, Dennis G.
Balthaser
Searching For the Truth
(Always Telling the Truth, Means Never Having to Remember
Anything)
At What Level
in our Government is the Truth Known?
11-01-05
In previous editorials I have addressed my concern about
whom in our government (and possibly in the military), has the authority to
withhold information about UFOs. Information is being withheld not only from the
public, (who in most cases, pay the salaries of these individuals through
taxes), but also to our leaders, some of which are in the highest positions of
our government. Most presidents since Harry Truman have shown an interest in
getting the information public, only to be stone walled and not given the
information.
I am convinced that the presidents are briefed on the
existence of UFOs but not much more and it’s my conviction that the reason is
simple. The President of the United States cannot be trusted with such
information, primarily because they are temporary employees (elected for 8 years
maximum). If that’s the case, then who in our government has the authority to
withhold that information, and who has given them that authority?
Withholding or denying information to those in high
government positions is not something new either, nor to those private citizens
that are high profile individuals. But for almost 60 years the lid has been kept
on the truth, and apparently only those individuals that “need to know”, know!
One example that has always intrigued me is the Senator
Barry Goldwater incident back in the 1960’s. Goldwater was a United States
Senator representing the state of Arizona, was a member of the Senate
Intelligence Committee, had been a colonel in the United States Air Force,
(eventually achieved the rank of Brigadier General), and was the Republican
candidate for President of the United States, losing to Lyndon Johnson in the
1964 Presidential election. As a young adult in 1964, I always thought that
Barry Goldwater was ahead of his time, in some of his political views and
particularly his interest in the subject of UFOs, but as we quickly found out,
his curiosity with UFOs would not be allowed to be pursued.
Senator Goldwater’s interest in UFOs, prompted him to seek
access to the “blue room” at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, which was
denied, when he made the request to General Curtis LeMay, who was the head of
the Strategic Air Command in the 1960’s. Goldwater thought that was where they
kept the UFO records. General LeMay told Goldwater, “ You can’t go in there and
I can’t go in there”, but the General never informed Goldwater what was in there
or why access was denied, and neither affirmed or denied that UFO records or
materials were in the room. Senator Goldwater apparently had a top-secret
clearance, which obviously wasn’t a high enough clearance to access the room.
Rumors have continued about a blue or green room at Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base ever since, but no one has of yet revealed what if anything the room
contains.
In a 1994 interview on the CNN television show hosted by
Larry King, Goldwater stated, “I think at Wright-Patterson, if you could get
into certain places, you’d find out what the Air Force and the government does
know about UFOs. Reportedly, a spaceship landed. It was all hushed up. I called
Curtis LeMay and I said, ‘General, I know we have a room at Wright-Patterson
where you put all this secret stuff. Could I go in there?’ I’ve never heard
General LeMay get mad, but he got madder than hell at me, cussed me out, and
said, ‘Don’t ever ask me that question again!’”
Senator Goldwater never asked about the room at
Wright-Patterson again, and took his curiosity and discussion with General LeMay
to the grave with him. Goldwater died May 29, 1998. Others high up in the
government have unfortunately gone the same route as Goldwater did many years
ago, being denied information although you would think that they were in a
position to be told. Some of those included, President’s Carter, Ford, Reagan
and most recently Clinton.
In an entry in President Clinton’s diary posted January 6,
2005, he stated, “I was on the inside of the government, so I know there is more
out there than meets the eye”. He also said, “I never did get a clear answer
about Area 51 from the ones with the security clearances”. Clinton had an
interest in the 1947 Roswell Incident, even bought a book on the subject, and
asked Webster Hubbell to investigate the matter, which Hubbell was unable to do.
Later Clinton said, “Sometimes you shouldn’t ask questions why, you just have to
accept reality”. As a researcher and a tax-paying citizen of the United States,
I find that response unacceptable.
Based on these denials for information, I have to wonder
who is in control, who put them in that position, and who, (if anyone) do they
answer to? It confirms my belief that the United States has been operating under
a “cover-up” policy for many years, not only dealing with the subject of UFOs,
but also in many other areas. 58 years after the Roswell Incident, it’s going to
be hard, if not impossible, for anyone in our government to admit that the
American people have been lied to by their government for all these years.
That’s the reason I say, “Young people in our country don’t understand
cover-up---because they’ve grown up with it, and apparently are accepting it”.
Although Senator Goldwater never got access to the room at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base he requested to visit, nor the answer’s he
wanted to the UFO phenomenon, he did communicate with several individuals on
both these topics. Several letters written by Goldwater, in the 1960’s, 70’s and
80’s, in response to inquiries made to him have surfaced. In general his
responses included such statements as, “I have long ago given up acquiring
access to the so-called Blue Room at Wright-Patterson, as I have had one long
string of denials from chief after chief, so I have given up”. He also stated,
“I don’t know of anyone who has access to the “blue Room,” nor am I aware of
it’s contents, and I am not aware of anything having been relocated.”
In another letter response, Goldwater said, “I have no idea
who controls the flow of ‘need-to-know’ because, frankly, I was told in such an
emphatic way that it was none of my business that I’ve never tried to make it my
business.” He also said, “I’m one of those people who believe that with some two
billion planets scattered around our universe, there has to be a couple of more
that can support life on it.”
In a letter to a gentleman in California March 28, 1975,
Goldwater wrote in part, “I have, however heard that there is a plan under way
to release some, if not all, of this material in the near future. I’m just as
anxious to see this material as you are, and I hope we will not have to wait too
much longer.”
Senator Goldwater, 30 years after you wrote that--- we’re
still waiting!!!
Based on other correspondence and comments from Goldwater,
he apparently had a serious interest in the 1947 Roswell Incident, and also
stated that Colonel Butch Blanchard and him were close friends. (Blanchard of
course was the base commander and head
64kb MP3 broadband Version
In
this 3/18/04 interview, Dennis Balthaser tells Jerry about an interesting
patch with an ET Alien on it that has surfaced that belongs to the US Air
Force 507th Bomber Wing, the group stationed at Roswell in 1947, discusses
Area 51, the Pyramid Evidence being uncovered in Egypt and details about the
Aztec UFO Conference in New Mexico.
