John Alexander, Contradictions and Unanswered Questions

The Green Beret war hero has a resume that could in itself be the focus of entire books, much less blog posts. The bio of Colonel John Alexander, as presented during the Ozark UFO Conference, included mention of advanced studies undertaken by the colonel at UCLA, MIT and Harvard, in addition to attending other educational institutions. Alexander has acted as an advisor to the Central Intelligence Agency, US Special Operations Command, National Intelligence Council, Council on Foreign Relations, National Research Council and Army Services Board.    

As others have noted and in spite of his apparent qualifications, Colonel Alexander's presentations are unpopular among UFO enthusiasts. Mid-April in the Ozark Mountains was no different, as grumbles from the audience were prevalent and significant numbers of people periodically rose from their seats and simply left.



John Alexander

I believe it is worth mention, however, that accuracy is not necessarily reflected in popular opinion, if not quite the opposite some of the time. I happen to be among those who found the colonel's presentation quite easy to sit through, all the way up to the finale in which he put on a pair of dark shades to match his black suit, topping off the MIB look when he displayed a device he pulled from his coat pocket which he later said was a gift received directly from the set of Men in Black. Flashes filled the conference room from the cameras of attendees who made it to the end of the presentation.

Granted, I find his work easy to sit through because I happen to be particularly interested. I also think he makes many reasonable points, even if likely to be popularly dismissed out of hand.

Please note I wrote that I think he makes many reasonable points, not that I would take all his claims to the bank. So, first, let's take a look at some things the colonel says that I can reasonably accept. Then we'll consider some points I would appreciate John Alexander giving much more attention and comment than is currently the case and if he may ever be so inclined.

Okay, I Might Could Buy That

Colonel Alexander is of the general stance that there seems to be something unidentified occasionally flying through the skies, but it is of little interest to United States intelligence officials who prioritize other issues. He adamantly suggests he has no knowledge of any well organized cover-up that would rock the Pentagon if it ever hit The 'Post.

I simply do not know if there is a large scale UFO cover-up. I could not conclusively say one way or the other.

Moving along, I was completely on board with the colonel when he explained researching and reporting UFO-related phenomena is not a financially lucrative venture as some people seem to misinterpret, or at least I agree that is the case a great deal of the time. He further stated one must practically be sadomasochistic to so much as even get involved due to the many inherent challenges.

What's more, Alexander described the UFO community as cannibalistic when explaining why the intelligence structure would not spend its resources devaluing the credibility of those with interests in ufology even if it desired to devalue them. He suggested we do an effective enough job of freely and abundantly trashing one another without requiring professional assistance.

While the existence of one described scenario does not necessarily negate the other, the fact remains the man is correct that we do not need too awfully much help firing up the coals and putting one another on the grill. That is indeed getting quite thoroughly accomplished with or without federal funding.

The colonel's suggestions are reasonable perspectives: writing books about UFOs is a poor choice of financial ventures, the UFO community eats its young and if one is going to wade into ufology they might be well served to enjoy the sight of their own blood. Choosing to voice such perspectives begs the question, however, exactly what a retired career intelligence officer is now or was ever doing center stage at the equivalent of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Colonel Alexander went on during his presentation to cite some UFO cases he claimed to suspect represent true mysteries. Among such cases was the well known Tehran, Iran, incident in which an Iranian military jet reportedly experienced interruptions in communications and weapons systems operation while engaged with an apparently unidentified craft. 

Explaining why he found the Iranian case of interest and referencing his expertise in electromagnetic weapons, Alexander noted, "I know how to shut you down, but I don't know how to turn you back on again."

...But What About All This?

Along his way, the man who went on to be known as “Mr. Non-Lethal” became so involved in the UFO community he is now a staple. The UFO Trail found itself frequently crossing the John Alexander trail during the course of research, so I emailed the man prior to the Ozark UFO Conference and asked if he would meet with me for a few minutes during the event to answer some questions for a blog post.

Colonel Alexander initially agreed to my request, but when I approached him at the conference he unfortunately informed me he changed his mind. He indicated he was not going to schedule a time to meet with me due to what he stated was my interest in conspiracies, of which he adamantly denies exist. During the ensuing few minutes, the colonel came to now hold the distinction of being the only member of the UFO community I have ever asked permission to turn on my audio recorder who did not grant it.

Now, before we light the torches, distribute the pitchforks and demand he take his rightful place upon the grill of ufology, let's think this through. After all, the man has indeed had his share of accusations hurled his way over the years. I am willing to consider Alexander might have had his fill of Alex Constantine and similar such writer/researchers before I go taking it all personally that he backed out of an interview.

I can try to empathize. Colonel John Alexander does not necessarily owe me an opportunity to hold him accountable. He might feel the reception he gets from the UFO community is one helluva way to treat a war veteran and decorated career intelligence officer. That might be considered a reasonable choice of perspectives on his part. In addition to empathizing, I might also choose to present issues surrounding what would have been my questions had I been granted the interview, and that would be an equally reasonable choice on my part.

I neither created nor embellished the conspiracies surrounding the career of John Alexander. They were there long before I came along and I simply noticed discrepancies in certain accounts contained within. I would now like to address some circumstances which deserve further consideration, particularly when such circumstances involve people who claim they are trying to shed the light of actuality on the darkness of ufology.

They Said What?!

John Alexander and other alleged military insiders simply contradict one another too frequently to accept some of their statements as anything more than claims requiring further investigation. Sergeant Lyn Buchanan, retired military intelligence and self-described alien abductee (you read that right), entirely contradicts Alexander's descriptions of both a lack of government interest in ufology and a lack of covering it up.



Lyn Buchanan

In a series of emails exchanged with The UFO Trail, Buchanan provided permission to include his statements in a blog post and elaborated on his claimed extraordinary career. Buchanan described involvement in a remote viewing unit and an alien abduction he stated took place many years earlier. He further described alleged incredible statements made by intelligence personnel - amounting to providing evidence of an alien presence - during their investigation of circumstances surrounding his reported abduction.

When asked why he thinks individuals such as Colonel Alexander claim they can find no such evidence, and whether we should doubt Alexander's sincerity, consider him out of the loop or some other possibility, Buchanan replied, “There are two key (terms) in your question, 'claim' and 'some other possibility.'"

Commander C.B. Scott Jones is a retired career intelligence officer. Like Buchanan and for whatever reasons, Jones claimed to have experienced events of high strangeness. Actually, Jones' work makes Buchanan's story of remote viewing, aliens and military interrogation seem relatively mainstream, as Jones subscribed to Sitchin-esque perspectives and lobbied legislators to enact protocol for embracing the supposed visiting extraterrestrials. Jones once asserted his writer/researcher friend was targeted by an electronic mind control device wielded by the FBI, and Jones went on to inform a Presidential science advisor that the UFO subject was apparently being used to cloak mind control operations.



C.B. Scott Jones, Edgar Mitchell
and John Alexander

When asked if he believes the UFO subject continued to cloak mind control operations, Jones informed The UFO Trail in obvious direct contradiction to Alexander's stance, “I think that the UFO/ET subject has been used to cloak a number of classified U.S. programs that certainly includes mind control."

Major General Albert “Bert” Stubblebine III and his psychologist wife, Dr. Rima Laibow, asserted that covert mind control operations continued after Project MKULTRA. Attempts were unsuccessfully made by The UFO Trail to obtain further statements and clarification from the couple, and their comments continue to be most welcomed should they become inclined to provide them.

I did not get the chance during my short time with Colonel Alexander to reference all of the above circumstances and ask how people such as these, that he knew well and in some cases worked with directly, could have such differing accounts than his of what took place. I did, however, have a chance to mention the claims set forth by General Stubblebine and Dr. Laibow during my brief interaction with Alexander. He qualified that Stubblebine was his boss and added that he simply does not know why Stubblebine says the things he says. Well, I don't either, but I'm not the one claiming to be able and willing to explain this Chuck Barris routine to the rest of us while in actuality refusing to go on record to address its contradictions.

Please note it is not my intention to necessarily present any given claim as particularly indicative of the truth. My point is the claims are often mutually exclusive of one another. For instance, if Stubblebine is correct about ongoing mind control programs, then Alexander cannot be correct about the nonexistence of the covert operations, and so on.

If some call that fodder of a conspiracy theorist, so be it. I call it pointing out that people claiming to provide insider information and who worked together in intelligence actually make completely contradictory statements.

That Carpenter Thing

I would have liked to discuss the Carpenter Affair with Colonel Alexander. John Velez explained in a July, 2000, email to UFO UpDates List that Alexander was among those who confirmed John Carpenter sold abductee case files to Robert Bigelow. Velez wrote:

This nasty business has now been confirmed by Bigelow himself, Walt Andrus, Dr. [John] Alexander of NIDS, and about seven of the abductees whose files were sold. This [sic] no Mickey Mouse, "Ok now we all know about it so let's forget it because we're all human" kind of thing... John [Carpenter] has violated the trust, privacy, and right to anonymity of 140 abductees.

Robert Bigelow

Carpenter recently informed The UFO Trail that he provided Bigelow with abductee case file information on an ongoing basis which he stated spanned some three years. I would have liked an opportunity to ask Colonel Alexander about his interest in the files and data. I would also have liked to hear Alexander's perspectives on why Robert Bigelow would have ever invested in Carpenter's recurring documentation of hypnotically induced accounts of both alien and military raping and pillaging. It is reasonable to want to know what the colonel would have to say about Carpenter's work, Bigelow's previously sustained interests in it and what he thinks it was all about.

It also seems reasonable to ask if Alexander ever had any knowledge of Bigelow moving funds around for undisclosed “sponsors,” as asserted by former MUFON international director James Carrion. If so, who were the sponsors and what were the circumstances?

If we consider funds dispersed by Bigelow went to such recipients as Hopkins, Mack, Jacobs, Moulton-Howe, Carpenter, the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR), supposed abduction research projects and many, many more, reportedly even including infamous Bob Lazar, it is not difficult to envision such funds substantially shaped the current public perception of alleged alien abduction. How different and more accurate might we collectively view the situation if it were not for the unsupported claims so-called researchers misled us to prematurely embrace as established truth? How relevant are the specific sources of money that bankrolled the descent into absurdity?

Those questions seem to represent a reasonable line of consideration to me, and one that perhaps would be interesting to hear the colonel address. After all, whether or not it was done intentionally, it is indeed what happened. How and why?

Playin' Those Mind Games

I was disappointed Colonel Alexander did not provide me an opportunity to discuss Martin Cannon with him. I would very much like to hear his current thoughts on Cannon-related events.

The 1999 International Remote Viewing Association included
Hal Puthoff (left), John Alexander (3rd from left) and
Lyn Buchanan (4th from left, standing)

Cannon published The Controllers: A New Hypothesis of Alien Abduction, circa 1990, in which he explored the possibility some reported abductions might actually be the results of Manchurian Candidate type covert research projects such as MKULTRA. While it is readily apparent the colonel would publicly assign no more value to such a publication than to use it as kindling to light the coals of the grill on which to hoist Martin, I am more interested in how Alexander might comment on his relationship with Cannon than what he would obviously say about the man's work.

For example... Alexander's wife, Victoria, reportedly telephoned Cannon in 1993. She allegedly informed Cannon that Alexander and Hal Puthoff were very angry at Cannon, for whatever reasons, and that Gordon Novel had been called on to handle the situation, whatever the situation and details of its handling specifically may have been considered to be.

Writer/researcher George P. Hansen explained he personally heard the recording left by Alexander's wife on Cannon's answering machine. Hansen wrote:

Alexander has spent some time with Novel and has flaunted the affiliation, perhaps in an attempt to intimidate others. Martin Cannon, an investigator who has written on government mind-control projects, received a call from Alexander’s wife on May 30, 1993. She left a message on his answering machine saying: “Martin, as an ex-friend I have to warn you. John and Hal [Puthoff] are really pissed off at you. And they’ve given the matter over to Gordon [Novel] to handle. Watch out.” ...Cannon was well aware of Alexander’s interest in UFO abductions and of Novel’s background. He was quite alarmed, and the day he received the message, he called and played me the tape. I suggested that he alert a number of people in the media, and he also notified the FBI.  

John Alexander, Gordon Novel and Victoria Alexander

I would find it interesting to ask the colonel about the matter. Was he actually pissed? If so, why?

Did he, in fact, give the matter over to Novel? If so, exactly what did that mean and entail?

Another item of interest to me was a 2007 interview of Colonel Alexander conducted by investigative journalist Sharon Weinberger. The interview was published in her Washington Post cover story, Mind Games, which explored accusations of mind control and issues related to non-lethal weapons.

Among other news of note, Weinberger wrote, “But September 11, 2001, changed the mood in Washington, and some in the national security community are again expressing interest in mind control, particularly a younger generation of officials who weren't around for MK-ULTRA. 'It's interesting that it's coming back,' Alexander observed.”

Sharon Weinberger

Wow, it was coming back? Five years ago?

Weinberger went on to explain, "When Alexander encounters a query he doesn't want to answer, such as one about the ethics of mind control, he smiles and raises his hands level to his chest, as if balancing two imaginary weights. In one hand is mind control and the sanctity of free thought -- and in the other hand, a tad higher -- is the war on terrorism."

I would be most interested in discussing details, such as exactly who those younger officials were that were expressing interest in mind control. I would also like to explore the colonel's interpretations of how such interests were specifically demonstrated and how such interests have since evolved.

As I bring this post to a close, I wish to once again express that I empathize with certain perspectives presented by Colonel John Alexander. He makes many reasonable points.

However, there are certain issues in which more clarification might help us further understand exactly what took place in the past and how it shaped the present. I continue to invite such clarification and related statements from Colonel Alexander, General Stubblebine, Dr. Laibow and any individuals who feel they have relevant information to contribute. Confidentiality will be respected and discretion will be exercised as applicable. My email address can be obtained through my profile.



Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince

There are many ways to interpret the complex situation and certain researchers such as James Carrion suggest if there is any state-sponsored conspiracy concerning UFOs, at least some of it involves the perpetuation of an incorrect and widespread belief aliens are on the prowl, not the denial thereof. Writer/researchers Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince relatively agree, recommending consideration be given to the fact some key aspects of modern day UFO dogma can be easily demonstrated to have originated in intelligence circles. What's more, many high profile UFO cases that shaped the current popular public opinion were literally reported from military facilities.



Counterpoints suggest ET might keep a watchful eye on the activities of folks in uniform, thus maintaining a presence at military installations. That supposition, however, does not seem particularly probable in light of alternative, much more down to earth explanations for UFO cases and reports of supposed high strangeness that are clearly produced by Uncle Sam and his intelligence officers. What's more, such pro-alien supposition remains entirely unsubstantiated. 

Some of course disagree with the implications and the research presented by Carrion, Picknett and Prince. Many, I suppose - including John Alexander. But as the colonel says on occasion, that's what makes a horserace.

Buddha's Birthday Celebration

The man recognized as the Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama. It was after Siddhartha undertook a spiritual quest of various extremes that he eventually arrived at a middle way and is believed to have attained enlightenment.

The exact date he was born is somewhat a matter of debate, as one might reasonably understand of a day that dawned some 2,500 years ago. Specifics depend on the particular lineage of Buddhism one consults, but the birthday of the Buddha is generally agreed to fall sometime during the early part of the second quarter of our currently used calendar year. It therefore came to pass that the first weekend of May, 2012, in Orlando, Florida, jointly consisted of a supermoon, Cinco de Mayo and a grand celebration conducted at Guang Ming Temple in which the birth of the Buddha was honored.

Buddhism and the Paranormal

One need not look too awfully far to find circumstances within Buddhist traditions of potential interest to those who follow things that go bump in the night. Certain Buddhist texts, for instance, describe the Buddha and his initial followers to have been visited by devas, or non-human beings considered to be more highly evolved than humans. On one occasion the arrival of the devas was said to "light up the entire Jetta Grove with their effulgence."

A deva was also said to have counseled the Buddha shortly after his enlightenment. While still sitting beneath the now famed bodhi tree, it seems Siddartha experienced feelings of futility when considering explaining his acquired knowledge to others. The deva then arrived, however, and encouraged the Buddha to distribute his insights, explaining that some people had less dust in their eyes than others and would therefore benefit greatly from his wisdom and guidance.

The Buddhist worldview includes room for a wide variety of non-human beings, entities and non-ordinary states of consciousness. To an extent, actually, that practicing Buddhists do not view certain circumstances as particularly unexplained or perplexing that are commonly thought to be so in the traditional Western worldview.

It should be noted, however, that Buddhism is considered a practice of mindfulness and being. The practice is centered around meditation techniques, and monks do not typically encourage disproportionately delving into any particular concept or aspect of study as compared to learning practical application of acquired skills. Doing so might at times be difficult when chewing on such potentially distracting mental puzzles as those contained in The Tibetan Book of the Dead and similar such circumstances. Thus the Buddhist saying, "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water - after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water." 

The Celebration

I was met by the pleasant aroma of burning incense upon entering the Guang Ming Temple of Orlando. The facility well accommodated the hundreds of visitors who attended the Sunday, May 6, celebration.

The schedule for the day included a morning formal ceremony, entertainment activities and guided tours of the temple. Lots of vegetarian dishes were available to enjoy by afternoon, and cultural festivities consisted of an impressive art exhibit and silent auction.

Various statues and figurines were available in the silent auction, including a particularly detailed large wood piece. Calligraphy, framed copies of Buddhist texts and similar such keepsakes were also offered.

Items available in the silent auction included:

Just a few of the many quality entries in the art exhibit:



A striking painting by Xinlin Fan

The sun on a beach horizon painted by Sylvia Wan

Eleven-year-old Jefferson Tao expressed his fondness for foods
from the corners of the globe

Melody Halbert, eleven-years-old, shared her interpretation of people of
diverse ethnic backgrounds jointly supporting space exploration 

Eleven-year-old Jenna Chen showed quite the knack for drawing a tiger

   

All photos in this post were taken on May 6, 2012, at the Buddha's Birthday Celebration conducted at Guang Ming Temple, pictured below.

The Bizarre World of Doctor David Jacobs: An Interview and Review, Part Three of Three

Frank Purcell

Frank Purcell is a career process design engineer and has previously provided comment to The UFO Trail. He holds degrees in Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering Science, Control Systems Engineering and Computer Science.

He recently provided The UFO Trail with the following comments on the work of David Jacobs:

My understanding of Jacobs’ thesis is that alien abductions are real, and moreover that all abductions are centered on an alien agenda of making human/alien hybrids. The aliens are purportedly introducing the hybrids into society with the long term intent of take-over from within. At the same time, the aliens remain dominant with more power than the hybrids they’ve created.

I’m skeptical for these reasons:

1) There is no assurance that hypnosis as administered by Jacobs is professionally done. Jacobs is by training a historian and not a psychologist or scientist. He has done hypnosis on about 150 people that include, what he thinks, are 1100 abduction events. He readily admits that when he began hypnosis of subjects that he didn’t know what he was doing. He has said nothing yet to convince me that he somehow now knows what he is doing.

He admits being selective in deciding what is true and what isn’t from abductee reports. Truth is defined by him as consistency with what he or others (Hopkins) have heard from the abductees. Things reported consistent with other reports are taken as factual; things that are outliers are discarded, or not held to be true until collaboration is established with additional reports. He does allow for progression of things reported, such as the growth of hybrids to maturity, by consistency of the reports.

2) I know little of genealogy and defer to experts in that area. As far as I know it’s impossible to cross breed an elephant with a dog. If this is not an obstacle to the aliens because of their advanced technology, why then do they even bother with human DNA and not just directly engineer the results they want from either their own or from the human species?

3) The abduction count is really unknown. It could be very low to non-existent. Estimated ranges in ‘Alien Discussions’ are between 8/10,000 and 200/10,000. The higher number is based on what most scientists consider to be invalid (and far too high) extrapolations of a Roper poll.

4) The credibility of the aliens themselves (granting that they even exist) is suspect; what is supposedly learned from professed abductees as told to them by the aliens is suspect. We have almost unanimous reports that aliens are deceptive or misleading while the abductee is captured. Comments from supposed abductees indicate misleading or frivolous comments from aliens in response to straightforward questions. The anecdotal data indicates that aliens are at best secretive and at worst, dishonest. Moreover, if aliens have the ability to mentally control subjects they take, as Jacobs asserts, they could be programming into the subjects whatever disinformation they choose. Presumably, the aliens are working together and communicating among themselves. They could, for their own reasons, be inserting consistent and false memories in the abductees. I don’t know of any way to sort this out. We have ample data showing that aliens are furtive when reportedly observed on the ground outside of their saucers. Whatever their true agenda is, granting that they even have one, it seems doubtful that anyone, including Jacobs, has figured it out.

But the fifth reason, below, seems the most compelling for discarding the hypothesis altogether: there is a huge mismatch between the rate of world population growth and the maximum reasonable introduction of hybrids into the general populace.

5) The world population has been increasing by 78 million people per year, linearly, from 1960 through 2005 (R square for the data fit is 0.996).

If we use an abduction rate of 8/10,000 people (Miller, p. 232, Alien Abductions) in the 45 years from 1960 through 2005, there were 5.16 million abductions, or 114,700 abductions per year. Most of these abductions were repeats (by Jacobs own data, 1100 abductions for 150 people). If we arbitrarily assume 100 hybrids produced per person abducted, we get at most 160,000 hybrids introduced into the general populace per year. That is 0.2 % of the overall population growth, and only 0.002% of the total population. While a case might be made that a few of these hybrids are designated for positions of power (political office), that seems to be special pleading and it also does nothing to support the idea of biological takeover from within. The analysis above can be off by 2 orders of magnitude yet still make the case that Jacobs’ hypothesis utterly fails.

I asked Frank about how one might frame the logistics of so many supposed people literally being abducted.

"The high estimate of abduction rate, of 200/10,000 by the Roper poll," he replied, "would put 140 million saucers into the sky over a 45 year span, or around 3 million per year."

Considering said Roper poll only addressed the number of Americans allegedly being abducted, suffice it to say that would be a lot of air traffic over the US.

Dr. Tyler Kokjohn

Dr. Tyler Kokjohn is a Professor of Microbiology at the Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is active in many projects, has previously provided work for The UFO Trail and maintains an informative YouTube channel.

He recently provided The UFO Trail with the following commentary on points concerning the work and statements of Dr. Jacobs:

Genetic technology offers the potential to confirm or refute explanatory hypotheses of the alien abduction mystery

DNA analysis methods have advanced to a point in which it is now feasible to determine the base sequences of complete genomes. The majority of completely sequenced organisms are microbes, but the list is expanding rapidly. The human genome sequence, over 3 billion base pairs, was completed roughly 10 years ago and is publicly accessible on the world wide web. The complete human genomic sequence and several sophisticated computer programs for its analysis are freely available to all. Investigators now have the opportunity to answer conclusively the questions involving genetics that would have been completely impossible to approach even ten years ago. Unfortunately, few abduction investigators have attempted to use these powerful tools.

Would genomic sequencing work require millions of dollars in funding to accomplish?

The original Human Genome Project required 13 years to carry out and required millions of dollars to support the direct sequencing efforts of multiple laboratories. At first glance, Lloyd Pye’s work with the Starchild skull would seem to confirm the idea that conducting genomic sequencing projects demands millions of dollars in funding. Clearly, some projects are expensive. Mr. Pye has undertaken one of the most technically difficult sequencing efforts ever attempted and it does seem likely to be costly. His investigation will require extracting DNA from bone samples estimated to be centuries old that are likely to have been contaminated as a consequence of handling and storage conditions. Any DNA recovered is probably going to be fragmented and harbor high levels of chemically degraded base sequences that may produce erroneous results. Assembling an authentic Starchild genomic sequence while avoiding misleading artifacts due to unavoidable age-related degradation and contamination with human material will be challenging and time-consuming. However, the complexity and unique challenges of the Starchild project makes it an unreliable gauge of the cost requirements for other genomic sequencing analyses using totally different sample sources.

Obtaining complete genomic sequences will not necessarily force investigators to raise millions of dollars. Today the costs estimates for such a project vary from $50,000 [L. Bonetta, Cell 141(6):917-919, 2010] to around $5,000 USD. In fact, it is hard to estimate the lowest price available at this time since companies now tout technologies yielding complete genome sequences in a single day for under $1,000. The thousand-dollar cost level represents a point at which genomic data might begin to be used on a routine basis in medical practice.

Other powerful approaches to acquire genetic evidence exist

Genomic sequence analysis is one approach to the problem, but it is important to bear in mind that far less costly alternative techniques to analyze DNA trace evidence are now available. These methods are used on a routine basis to establish paternity, identify human remains and settle a host of other legal issues. The extraordinary power of the methods is well illustrated by the story of a sailor killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor whose remains were definitively identified sixty-eight years later using a sample of his DNA.

The DNA source? Letters home sent in envelopes he had sealed by licking. 

The development of methods able to reliably attribute the origins of DNA traces present in crime scene samples is now challenging common notions of faith in the justice system. DNA testing of evidence collected for criminal cases instigated through the efforts of The Innocence Project has resulted in the exoneration of 289 imprisoned persons in the U.S., including 17 who were on death row.

This suggests that if someone has been visited by hybrids, important evidence might still be collected even after the fact.

Two critical points are illustrated by these examples. First, the analytic methods are extraordinarily sensitive and even tiny samples may be informative. Second, under some circumstances, DNA evidence may persist for decades. Moreover, it is possible to obtain important genetic data using materials obtained under the complex and challenging physical conditions associated with crime scenes. This suggests that if someone has been visited by hybrids, important evidence might still be collected even after the fact. Proactive preparation and instruction of persons experiencing repeated contacts seems warranted.

The method(s) deployed by a researcher depend on several factors including the precise nature of the sample. For example, fetal DNA is present in the blood of the mother during pregnancy providing a non-invasive means to reveal genetic disorders. Remarkably, cells derived from the developing infant have been discovered to live on in the body of the birth mother for decades after delivery (M. Barinaga, Science 296:2169-2172, 2002). In principle, an investigator aware of subjects harboring an implanted embryo or a history of abduction and consequent pregnancy/termination could now seek the critical corroborating genetic evidence through genomic sequencing or other methods. Although complex and costly, if there is no other means to collect samples, such efforts might be necessary. Dr. Jacobs should be able to review his files to identify terminated pregnancy cases and inquire as to the possibility for additional testing. Alternatively, he could be alert for the emergence of any new instances of implantation and seek to uncover direct evidence of hybrid fetuses through blood testing as opportunities arise.

Is the difficult and challenging forensic approach to evidence collection even necessary?

It now seems there may be another, far easier route to clinching corroborating genetic evidence. A clandestine alien abduction program involving the involuntary participation of humans and callous disregard for their autonomy and dignity as described by Dr. Jacobs seems obviously nefarious. Consequently, abduction researchers would seem to need techniques like those used by criminal investigators to uncover evidence and build a case. But the situation may have changed completely with the recent pronouncement by one abduction researcher that she knows human-alien genetic hybrids personally. Obviously, such individuals represent the ideal subjects to corroborate the hypothesis of alien genetic adulteration of humans. An analysis could be done quite cheaply using the services companies like 23andMe provide for ancestry testing based on patterns of short terminal repeats in DNA. The procedure is simple; order a kit, spit into the tube, seal it and mail to the company. Results will be available within two to three weeks.

Are the differences between ‘human stage’ entities and authentic humans so subtle it will be impossible to distinguish them?

If they are human in every way except for sleep cycle and ability to control others it would seem so. That makes it critical for Dr. Jacobs to search his records for cases in which he has detected extra gestational unit pregnancies to seek any genetic evidence he can find of the putative earlier stage hybrids (with potentially great genetic distance from humans) he described in The Threat.

But there may be other means to recognize even those individuals and confirm their unusual attributes. Psychic (psi) abilities are uncommon or extremely weak in most persons. But these almost-human entities would seem likely to score high in assessments of telepathic ability like the Ganzfeld test. Perhaps they won’t cooperate. In that event, investigators might look at electroencephalogram (EEG) traces or subject them to functional imaging procedures that follow brain blood flow or glucose consumption in response to stimulation. Simply identifying one individual with authentic, high level psi abilities and discovering the brain region(s) enabling such capacities would create a sensation.

Looking at gene sequences is important, but it may not provide the whole story. Humans and chimpanzees are 95% identical (or greater) at the gene level. What is it that makes the two species so different? Part of it lies in variations in precisely how, when and where the genes are expressed. It is now possible to detect and quantify those differences directly. Perhaps such techniques could reveal the alterations in almost-human entities.

What if the aliens don’t even have DNA?

Combined with the assertion that the latest phase of hybrids are human in every way, it would seem to enormously complicate the notion that this is a program of genetic colonization.

“When people say they’ve had sex with aliens, with grey aliens, it can’t be true.”

Given the reported lack of external genitalia, that would seem to be obvious. However, the lack of knowledge here should prompt a degree of caution. So, what have these individuals experienced? The aliens may have no DNA, but if physical encounters have taken place between aliens and/or hybrids with these persons, important evidence might be discoverable. Informational polymers may encompass more than the RNA and DNA familiar to biologists today. Scientists have recently taken the first steps toward creating an alternative means to manage genetic information (G. F. Joyce, Science 336:307-308, 2012). Perhaps the reported sexual encounters will leave behind traces of novel informational polymers. In addition, physical contact, sexual or otherwise, might leave traces of blood, cells and even bacteria or viruses that could (in principle) be revealed by microscopy. It is important to note here that residual bacterial skin communities on touched objects have been matched to the originating individuals using forensic molecular analysis methods (N. Fierer et al. 2010). Perhaps completely unique bacteria and/or viruses could be cultured from suitable samples. It would not take long to confirm whether or not they are unique.

“Why are they doing that?”

The present hypotheses offer little insight into the overarching strategy and purpose behind abductions, harvesting of reproductive cells, fetal implantations/extractions described in The Threat and in other venues by Dr. Jacobs. The new assertion that entities “human in every way” are now emerging is particularly baffling. What were all the other phases about? If the final product was to be human with few genetic modifications, a complete blueprint was right there in the first misappropriated germ cells. Better, and far easier for the aliens, for the past ten years the entire genomic sequence has been available to anyone with a web browser.

Perhaps some introspection and analysis is now in order to assess the level of confidence one can reasonably hold that investigators have uncovered anything resembling reality. Much of the present abduction narrative hinges on the use of hypnotic regression to uncover memories. How reliable are those methods? The experience with The Innocence Project reveals how carefully one must weigh witness testimony and corroborate it with objective evidence whenever possible. Witness accounts and conclusions based solely on them can sometimes be completely and tragically wrong.

Where do we stand?

The math is stark; on our little home planet each organism harbors multiple uninvited invaders. In terms of sheer numbers, parasitism is the dominant life strategy on Earth. Further, examining the genes of ourselves and our kin, we find our genomes are frequently invaded, occupied and modified by viruses. These unauthorized changes are not always to our advantage. The idea of genetic colonization has a clear biological precedent.

Multiple approaches are now available for investigators seeking direct, objective genetic corroboration of the alien abduction accounts recovered primarily through hypnosis. These tools are powerful and precise. Despite the low cost requirements, genetic tools remain underutilized by abduction investigators. Perhaps a new generation of abduction researchers will attempt to challenge an explanatory narrative that has remained weakly scrutinized and little changed for decades. Hypotheses that are not confronted with evidence and evaluated in light of the results for their adequacy are little more than stories. When scientists fail to discover supporting evidence for a hypothesis, it is modified or abandoned outright. Allowing unsubstantiated ideas to persist untested or ignoring their inconsistencies against objective facts will ultimately impede all progress toward greater understanding. Creative destruction is the essential aspect of a healthy scientific process.

Comprehending the alien abduction mystery will demand investigators willing to utilize new tools and judge hypotheses objectively against the resulting data. Such efforts are long overdue.

Additional References:

Dark White. Jim Schnabel (1994), Hamish Hamilton

The Abduction Enigma. Kevin Randle, Russ Estes and William P. Cone (1999), Forge

Disclosure – I declare that I have no competing financial interests or connections with 23andMe

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Final Thoughts

As we have now seen, academia does not turn its back on ufology or even the controversial abduction phenomenon to nearly the extent we are commonly led to believe; ufology simply tends to reject the reviews it receives. As many suggest, a more constructive and productive approach might be to integrate such critical review into shaping the future methodologies and directions of abduction-research, more effectively serving the UFO community, its witnesses and strengthening its commitments to accuracy and accountability.

It is unreasonable to expect academics or even casually interested parties to accept extraordinary claims without direct evidence. It is simply irrational to make a leap, for example, from the fact people report encounters with beings to the suppositions of detailed physiological and neurological make-ups of such beings.

One could reasonably correlate tactics demonstrated by such researchers as Dr. David Jacobs with what is known in the profession of sales as 'negotiating the trade.' A skilled salesperson will employ the technique to lead a sales prospect into negotiating trade-in value, indirectly yet effectively establishing the sale itself is imminent without having ever actually clarified the product will be purchased.

Similarly, when we are drawn into considerations of elaborate and increasingly convoluted tales involving multiple stages of hybrid development, their reproductive procedures, their complexly deceptive intentions and so on, we are vulnerable to overlooking it has never been factually established the hybrids or their alleged alien creators even so much as exist. As negotiating the trade assumes the sale, negotiating supposed conditions of alien behavior assumes the alien.

There may very well be some type of currently unexplained phenomena at the heart of ufology and its accompanying claims of alien abduction. I do not know and I do not claim to be able to conclusively say.

I do feel confidently justified to say, however, an extremely large portion of the claims asserted as factual and the resulting abduction dogma, in reality, cannot be substantiated whatsoever. What this may very well indicate in select instances is that individuals legitimately experiencing paranormal circumstances are being fed inadequate and unreasonable explanations: square peg, round hole.

Perhaps there are indeed events of interest taking place, yet current prevailing explanations are simply incorrect. Such a possibility, if so, would of course go a long way towards accounting for why such current alleged explanations chronically remain outside the scope of verification: they are wrong.

If such perspectives make me a debunker, close-minded, in denial aliens are among us or any of the rest of the criticisms that have become standard fare, so be it. I say it makes me a realist and sincerely interested in and committed to the identification of legitimate, actual explanations.

I choose suspension of judgment pending confirmation of facts. I choose to verify the value of the product prior to negotiating the trade.

In the case of the core concepts set forth and asserted within the research of David Jacobs, I can currently identify no valid reasons to accept his interpretations and resulting claims as accurate. Given the extremely disproportionate amount of supposition to demonstrated fact contained within his work, it is my strong opinion there is no justification for accepting his alien-related information as factual as compared to recognizing it as, at best, speculation requiring much, much more competent investigation.

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The Bizarre World of Doctor David Jacobs: An Interview and Review, Part One of Three

The Bizarre World of Doctor David Jacobs: An Interview and Review, Part Two of Three