Investigation of Skinwalker Claims Leads to Uintah County Offices

    The beginning of the latest article at Expanding Frontiers Research, titled 'Uintah County Paid Tens of Thousands to PhenomeCon Speakers':

    Financial records obtained from Uintah County indicate it spent over $133,000 on the 2022 PhenomeCon while raising about $124,000 in revenue, compiling a reported debt of some $9,000 for sponsoring the paranormal-themed conference. The inaugural 2021 PhenomeCon likewise tallied over $74,000 in payouts while collecting about $59,000 in revenue, finishing some $15,000 in the hole. Expenses for the two conferences, confirmed to be sponsored by Uintah County, include tens of thousands of dollars in payments to dubious speakers and catered “VIP” meals in which unsupported rumors were spread of dangerous paranormal phenomena. Payouts also include workshops promoting such topics as Remote Viewing and payments for rental car reimbursements. During the 2022 PhenomeCon, payments issued for speaking engagements, consultation services, and appearances at events totaled over $60,000, while hotel chains were paid in excess of $10,000, according to the financial reports.

Expanding Frontiers Research (EFR) obtained the information through public records requests submitted to the Uintah County offices of the Clerk-Auditor and Travel and Tourism. The requests were submitted as part of a joint effort between this writer and EFR Director Erica Lukes, who contributed substantial research to this article.

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CIA Responds to FOIA Request on Jack Acuff

John "Jack" Acuff

     A Freedom of Information Act request submitted to the CIA on John L. "Jack" Acuff, Jr., the man instated as president of NICAP in 1970, received a September 9 response in which the spy network would neither confirm nor deny the existence of records that would reveal an unacknowledged or classified association with Acuff. Known as a "Glomar response," the Agency explained that the admission of the existence or nonexistence of such records is a fact that is exempt under the FOIA.

The Agency did, however, provide copies of two previously released documents that reference Acuff. The first is an intriguing, two-page, unattributed profile of NICAP as cited and explored in Wayward Sons. The second is a 24-page Robert J. Durant essay, Will the Real Scott Jones Please Stand Up?. The 1990s Durant work, widely known among researchers familiar with the latter 20th century saucers and spooks scene, apparently found its way into possession of the CIA for what may be a variety of possible reasons and came to be archived on its website.

Jack Acuff took charge of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena in the wake of the removal of Donald Keyhoe as director. Staffer Stuart Nixon was given Keyhoe's former position in what became known as the Acuff-Nixon era of the UFO organization. Speculation and accusations of hidden intelligence community agendas involving NICAP echoed throughout the UFO subculture and continue to be popularly accepted today among those familiar with the circumstances.

The two-page document carries the heading, "National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP)," and appears to possibly be a draft of a memo or report. The name of an author is not included and the specific purpose of the document is not clear, although it is apparent that NICAP structure and operating methods were the focus of the work. It places Nixon as director and Acuff on the Editorial Review Board, suggesting the date of the piece was the early 1970s. The two pages were apparently originally approved for release by the CIA in 2010.

The document goes on to break down the education and scientific backgrounds of select NICAP volunteers. "All investigators carry credentials identifying them as investigators for NICAP," the author informs the unknown intended audience.

From the document:

Will the Real Scott Jones Please Stand Up? takes readers through the shenanigans and misadventures of intelligence professional Cecil B. "Scott" Jones and a surrounding cast of dubious characters. Many of them have been explored on this blog, including Jones himself, who I interviewed by email in 2012.  

Acuff makes an appearance in the essay when author Durant quotes the work of Fawcett and Greenwood (Clear Intent). They explained how prior to serving as president of NICAP, Acuff "was the head of the Society of Photographic Scientists and Engineers (SPSE), a frequent target of Russian spying attempts and a group that had many members involved in Defense Department intelligence units, including the CIA."

Acuff was indeed but one NICAP officer of many with significant and direct ties to intelligence agencies. Stuart Nixon left NICAP in 1974, which was the same year Sen. Barry Goldwater joined the Board of Directors. Goldwater went on to chair both the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee.

In 1978, Acuff now-infamously sold the NICAP mailing list to a Toronto-based Nazi group. Twice. The purchaser, Ernst Zundel, aka Christoff Freidrich, was reportedly none too pleased because the list included 8,000 names of people who were physically dead (see pp1-3).  

The office of Goldwater was likewise not thrilled with the turn of events, at least due to the potential publicity problems, but relations between Acuff and the Senator apparently did not entirely go south. Although Acuff was replaced at president by Harry Cooper in 1978, he did not depart NICAP for good until 1982. This happened after he secured a four-digit cash settlement from the org for what at least one member reportedly described as holding its files ransom (see p14).

In a letter dated January 29, 1982 and shown below, Acuff notified Goldwater he was leaving the Board (see p21). Acuff thanked the Senator for the help he and his staff gave him. 

     

Responsive Records on 'Coast to Coast' Relevant to Pending Law Enforcement Proceedings: FBI

     Material responsive to a FOIA request on Coast to Coast AM is located in an investigative file, an August 2 FBI response to the request stated. The Bureau added the responsive records are law enforcement records. 

"[T]here is a pending or prospective law enforcement proceeding relevant to these responsive records," the Bureau continued in the response, "and release of the information could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings. Therefore, your request is being administratively closed."

The FOIA request sought records cross-referencing or pertaining to Coast to Coast AM, a late-night fringe talk show that typically explores paranormal topics and conspiracy theories. The request was submitted at the suggestion of researcher, archivist, and host of UFO Classified, Erica Lukes.

From the FBI response:

Coast to Coast is no stranger to controversy, hosted from 1988-2000 by the late Art Bell. It was during Bell's time at the mic that such sagas as Heaven's Gate, Art's Parts, and the Area 51 Caller were broadcast to millions of listeners. 

C2C's George Noory

In more recent years, Coast to Coast host George Noory increasingly provided a platform to controversial rightwing figures and their talking points. His counterpart George Knapp uncritically promoted Skinwalker Ranch lore and defended sensational tales told by defense officials claiming knowledge of paranormal activity and nonhuman intelligences.

It should be noted the responsive records may be nothing more than mentions of Coast to Coast, such as references to guests appearing on the show, or similar asides. The significance of the records, acknowledged by the FBI to exist, cannot be established without examining the material.

In its August 2 FOIA response, the FBI cited Exemption (b)(7)(a) for withholding the responsive records. The exemption states records compiled for law enforcement purposes are exempt from disclosure under the FOIA, but only to the extent producing the records could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings. 

An appeal was therefore submitted, requesting further review of the responsive records to ensure they are not part of a former investigation, or a once prospective investigation that is at this point not reasonably expected to proceed. Under such circumstances, as compared to an active investigation, the records may be subject to release. 

The appeal additionally presented for consideration that Coast to Coast AM attracts 2.75 million listeners per week across some 600 American radio stations plus international affiliates. The records therefore represent a potentially significant public interest. The appeal is in process as of this writing.

In other developments, the FBI executed a search warrant Monday at the Mar-A-Lago home of former President Donald Trump. The FBI reportedly spent the majority of the day at the location conducting a search related to the National Archives. National security analysts suspect the raid to be related to classified records Trump took with him from Washington to Florida after losing his 2020 re-election bid. More specifically, what he was doing with the information contained in those classified records may be more at issue than their unlawful removal. 

Working the FOIA

    Earlier this year I submitted a FOIA request to the FBI for all records cross-referencing or pertaining to Ira Samuel Einhorn. The late Einhorn, dubbed the "Unicorn Killer," was convicted of the murder of his former girlfriend Holly Maddux. It is a tragic and somewhat complex saga that winds through the environmental activist community and an international trail of evading authorities.

The infamous Einhorn

Maddux disappeared in 1977 during a trip to gather her belongings from an apartment she and Einhorn previously shared in Philadelphia. A year and a half later her remains were found in a trunk in his closet. Einhorn fled to Europe and was assisted by supporters who he convinced of his innocence. He was not arrested until 1997 in France, and even then the extradition process proved complicated. 

Einhorn was eventually convicted in 2002, but not before taking the witness stand in his own defense and claiming the CIA killed Maddux. He asserted he was set up because he knew too much about the Agency's military paranormal research. The case resulted in researchers such as Mark Pilkington and Greg Bishop showing interest over the years. 

Einhorn died of reportedly natural causes in a Pennsylvania prison in 2020. For those wondering, he was called the Unicorn Killer because "Einhorn" apparently translates to "unicorn" in German.

So a few months ago some friends were discussing the case and I offered to submit a FOIA request to the FBI. The Bureau responded in May with 356 pages of records. 

However, the response indicated the Bureau was simply providing records which were previously offered in response to other requesters:

This means a thorough search was not actually conducted, but the request was filled by providing the material already offered in response to the same or similar requests. As once pointed out by John Greenewald, an effective means of having an additional search conducted is to promptly respond with a request for all records not included in the release.

I realize this sounds crazy. A FOIA request gets submitted for all records on XYZ, the agency responds, then the requester asks for all the records not included in all the XYZ records. Like, no, really, all the records. But this technique results in additional documents a rather surprising amount of the time. While it is indeed a little crazy, it makes a bit more sense when understood from the perspective the initial response was pretty much nothing more than giving the requester what was already provided to previous requesters.

In this specific instance, FBI notified me July 19 of an additional 4,473 pages of potentially responsive records not included in the initial response to my request:

A large number of additional documents does not always prove to be as interesting as it initially seems. For instance, sometimes 356 pages of XYZ may be stored in a much larger folder containing thousands of pages pertaining to similar cases as XYZ, perhaps from the same era or general topic. Nonetheless, one might indeed prefer to be made aware of such records and browse the material for them self. 

The quoted cost of a reproduction of the roughly 4,500 pages is $130 which may be delivered in pdf in nine monthly increments of about 500 pages each. I will probably order the material and post it as I periodically receive it.

In related FOIA news, I received 47 pages of previously released FBI records on George Hunter White in April. White was a Federal Bureau of Narcotics agent who parlayed his career underperformance into becoming a member of the MKULTRA crew. He ran houses of ill repute for the CIA where hookers dosed unsuspecting Johns in the name of national security and science. 

According to John Marks, the overindulging White once had a fender bender in the neighborhood of a CIA-sponsored brothel, resulting in the Agency paying cash for damages to the other driver in an effort to protect the cover of Operation Climax. He reportedly once used a gun to shoot his initials in the ceiling of a New Orleans hotel room. He's also the guy that released hallucinogenic chemicals on a New York subway for the Agency you may have heard about. Real charmer, this guy. 

In response to my request for all records not included in the initial response, FBI replied July 20 that additional responsive records were transferred to the National Archives:

I will post from my Twitter account as I learn more about the number of pages involved and as I obtain the files. NARA will advise of the circumstances in response to a request for the material.

As I discussed in WAYWARD SONS: NICAP and the IC, the FBI may offer insights into CIA personnel and activities that are not always accessible through the Agency. Director Hoover had his nose in virtually everything, and FBI files may reflect espionage investigations, background checks for security clearance, and any number of circumstances which provide more material than released by CIA.

Along those lines, readers of WAYWARD SONS will recall the significance of the Office of Policy Coordination, a 1948-1952 front for the CIA and State Department. From the book:

    

    In 1949 the OPC had a total of 302 personnel. By 1952 it had 2,812 with an additional 3,142 overseas contract personnel. The 1949 OPC budget was $4.7 million. Just three years later, in 1952, it was $82 million. By the time of its merge with the Office of Special Operations, OPC activities included worldwide covert missions conducted out of some 47 overseas stations. 

The previously cited 1973 CIA intelligence study and its assertion the Clandestine Services stepped up the pace thereafter could certainly be interpreted as significant, if not outright mind boggling. The study references a CIA-composed history of the OPC made up of five volumes, consisting of 722 pages plus three appendices and eleven attachments (To the best of my knowledge, the five-volume OPC history has not yet been released, although a partially redacted version of its introduction is contained in the referenced 1973 CIA Studies in Intelligence).

The OPC originally operated on the watch of Director of Central Intelligence Roscoe Hillenkoetter. Col. Joseph Bryan III was recruited and ran a psy warfare subdivision consisting of such notable characters as E. Howard Hunt. Both Hillenkoetter and Bryan were destined to play influential roles on the board of directors of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena.

Curiously, Hillenkoetter's CIA successor, DCI Walter Bedell Smith, expressed interest in the use of the UFO topic as a psy warfare tool. He wanted to know "what use could be made of the UFO phenomenon in connection with US psychological warfare efforts," according to the CIA itself. In 1950, DCI Smith took complete control of the Office of Policy Coordination from the State Department. Surrounding circumstances and the cast of characters are explored at length in WAYWARD SONS.

On July 21 the FBI responded to a 2021 FOIA request on the Office of Policy Coordination. All responsive material was withheld in full:

The cited exemptions involve privacy and security issues. I am in the process of appealing the FBI determination to withhold the material, most, if not all, of which is now over 70 years old.

I recommend those interested in studying the FOIA process (and particularly obtaining related resources) follow Beth Bourdon, a fulltime attorney and parttime FOIA activist. She maintains a Patreon which has proven valuable in furthering my understandings of FOIA appeals as well as related steps of effectively navigating the entire process.

Skinwalker Transparency and Burden of Proof

    The Uintah County Sheriff's Office (UCSO) issued a response to a records request that it shows no record or contact at the property popularly known as Skinwalker Ranch. Records are no longer kept on file that date earlier than 2007, the UCSO added in its response dated July 7. The request specifically sought all records cross-referencing or pertaining to Skinwalker Ranch, Sherman Ranch, Myers Ranch and/or the physical address of the property, which was provided in the request, with a date range of 1983 to present.

The inquiry resulted from a June Twitter exchange with Brandon Fugal, in which the current ranch owner and television personality alluded to law enforcement responses to the property reportedly taking place during the 1980s. Following requests for citations, Fugal provided a link to an interview of an apparent former Uintah County Deputy Sheriff, Kris Porritt. I indicated I was interested in original law enforcement reports resulting from any such police responses, as compared to witness testimony. Fugal then provided me with the contact info of an associate he suggested I contact for further inquiry. 

I subsequently had a series of email exchanges with the individual, who initially offered to speak by phone. I advised that I may not require that much of their time and attention, further explaining I was seeking either law enforcement records or information to assist me in submitting a request for such records. They clarified they do not have any police reports. 

At my request, Fugal's associate helpfully provided additional information that would potentially support an effective records inquiry. It was after my email exchange with them that the request was submitted to the Uintah County Sheriff's Office. The person asked me to inform them of results, to which I agreed.

Saturday I emailed the individual a copy of the response from the UCSO and offered them an opportunity to comment for this blogpost. They responded that they respectfully do not wish to comment, nor do they give consent to use their name or any information they shared regarding the ranch. I opt to honor their request, curious as the circumstances may be. 

The irony of the turn of events is rather striking, given Fugal's consistent claims of transparency, combined with the fact it was he who recommended in the first place I consult his associate concerning my search for law enforcement records. In the event you're wondering, the information shared with me was not shockingly damning by any means, but suffice it to say neither did it strongly support urban legends associated with police calls to Skinwalker Ranch. 

It was after I provided both Fugal and his associate the UCSO response, and after I informed Fugal of aspects of the email exchange with his associate (in order to offer Fugal an opportunity to comment on the specific circumstances), that the individual - who initially offered to speak by phone - advised me of their request to neither be named nor quoted. We can only speculate exactly how that evolved.

Offered an opportunity to address the circumstances, Fugal responded in a long message that he spoke to his associate and indicated they are concerned I have a "clear negative bias." According to Fugal, they therefore do not want their name associated with an attempt to disparage witnesses. Fugal suggested he applauds what I do "relative to calling out people who are exploiting the phenomenon or spreading disinformation and lies," yet alternatively went on to state I give voice to people who hide behind a cloak of hypocritical skepticism or self-righteous critical thinking. Some, he stated, are clearly dishonest. He also stated he hopes I am honest and not a disinformation agent.

Fugal was obviously much less inhibited about commenting than the person who will remain nameless who he initially recommended I hit up for info. Directing our attention back to his original statements about law enforcement records, Fugal stated the lack of corroborating records "doesn't make the fact that [Porritt] went on record regarding the multiple events that occurred and his relationship with Ken Myers any less real or true. For instance, I have closed billions of dollars of transactions going back to 1991, but in countless cases couldn't give you the exact dates of groundbreaking events, transactions closing or key meetings with leaders structuring some of the most important business deals in the Intermountain West. My testimony and track record stands."

I'll let the reader decide the tenability of the argument. Fugal further asserted they have interviewed other law enforcement professionals who "recall responding to incidents in the area" that predate the Sherman and Bigelow era.

"Furthermore," Fugal continued, "we have an interview with a respected professional who had a firsthand experience coming on to the ranch in 1984, who did provide exact dates, who happened upon a freshly surgically dissected cow in the same area on the property that other strange incidents have occurred in the field just south of Homestead 1." 

The apparent respected professional and an accompanying friend were so disturbed, Fugal continued, they promptly reported the circumstances to law enforcement. Fugal hopes to obtain permission to release the account to the public, along with what he described as additional witness testimony, seemingly either ignoring or oblivious to the relative lack of value such material has to a more discerning research community not under the ether of Skinwalker lore. 

Similarly, Fugal explained how a member of his security detail interviewed many retired officers who attest to strange and disturbing activity. Their accounts go back many decades, he contends.

"Since I know you have a tendency to give weight and voice to the criticism of people with no credibility or credentials, I encourage you to continue to interact with people who actually know what they are talking about. My professional track record and history is unimpeachable, as is the case with my principal investigator/physicist, ranch manager, law enforcement & superintendent."

Fugal's remark about me giving a voice to criticism may be related to my willingness to explore the arguments of those which include James Carrion. Fugal has previously expressed disappointment to me specifically about my interest in Carrion's perspectives. I identify Carrion's criticism of the Skinwalker saga and television series as worthy of consideration, particularly in the context of Fugal's persistent suggestions the show portrays legitimate scientific study. Related posts may be found at Carrion's blog in addition to the example linked above.  

What would Fugal say to people who might feel he is attempting to stack the deck by suggesting he has documentation of law enforcement responses while no actual records of such responses, or what was originally recorded in them, is available?

"Transcribed interviews & testimony from former law enforcement stating they responded to incidents on the ranch in the mid-1980s constitutes documentation. We have verified that the people involved and cited were indeed acting in that capacity during that timeframe and have no reason to doubt their testimony or credibility. Although you were unable to obtain the actual records from the Sheriff’s office from that time period, you cannot say that the events did not occur."

Fugal directly denied he is trying to stack the deck, continuing, "My own firsthand experience (with multiple witnesses) coupled with countless events with data involving 3rd party experts has proven (so far) there is no conventional, prosaic explanation for past & present extraordinary events at Skinwalker Ranch. I respectfully request that you take a balanced view and appreciate you giving me the opportunity to respond & address your questions."

    There are a number of people in addition to James Carrion who challenge several aspects of Brandon Fugal's stated positions, and one of those people is Erica Lukes. The outspoken host of UFO Classified understands the winding Skinwalker saga and personally knows the players about as well as anybody who rolls the UFO dice.  

"When bold claims are made about a particular location having an excessive number of paranormal phenomena, the expectation for me is that they are not just narrative tall tales but are well-documented, testable events," Lukes responded. "Can the anomalous nature of these events be demonstrated beyond 'they came without warning and left without warning' that we always seem to get in such reporting? 

"If they can’t rise above the usual level of narrative story-telling, there is a presumption that errors can be introduced into the events. After all, the usual method of relating the details is done verbally from the mouths of human beings, a notoriously flawed means of recording transient events. It’s a mistake to accept verbal testimony at face value without extensive testing of that information by means of questions designed to assess the accuracy and consistency of the related information."

Some people don't see the issue as a matter of verifying claims, but suggest those who do not unquestioningly embrace the stories must be calling the supporters of those stories frauds. What would she say to them?

"No, not frauds, at least initially," Lukes explained. "Fraud comes from deliberate intent to deceive. Supporters of the claims can simply be accepting bad information by not exercising due diligence at considering all the more possible mundane explanations before opting towards the unusual, sensational ones."

What does Lukes think is most important for people to keep in mind when considering claims associated with the ranch?

"It's critical to understand that as with any extraordinary assertions, the burden of proof is on those making the assertions and not on those raising questions about them. That is real science."

Conclusions

    The lack of significant documentation of sensational Skinwalker claims continues to haunt the saga worse than a hitchhiking bipedal wolf. While a valid argument can be made that a lack of UCSO records does not completely negate the testimony of Porritt, the fact remains law enforcement visits to the ranch cannot be verified. More importantly, the extent anyone may have originally perceived the events as extraordinary cannot be verified. We are unable to examine descriptions of events and the interpretations of those involved as may have been entered into original police reports. This does not allow us to compare those reports to the possibly dramatic narrations recorded decades later for an entertainment-based television show. It seems the UFO subculture indeed often needs to be reminded the burden of proof is on the claimant.

As observable in various internet spaces, a concerning aspect of the online Skinwalker fan base and cast is their tendency to sensationalize until checked. They then encourage more patience for ongoing investigations, as if they have not been suggesting all along a supernatural presence is a foregone conclusion. They are promoting conclusions; many of them only deny it and urge suspension of judgment when called on it. 

Investigations, by definition, must include systematic examination. That is particularly the case if framed as scientific activity. 

One might get the idea the faithful would never tap the brakes if their claims went entirely unchallenged. When challenged, a typical response is to act as if a request for proportionate evidence is unreasonable, as if anything less than extending limitless patience and unquestioning belief is a disrespectful personal attack. All of this without so much as forming a hypothesis, identifying a sustained research objective, or proposing how progress will be measured. We're in for a long wait under such conditions. 

Hall, Keyhoe and the FBI

    Richard Hall served as Donald Keyhoe's assistant in the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. He is credited as the driving force behind The UFO Evidence, a 1964 report embodying some 750 of what NICAP deemed its most compelling cases. The organization compiled over 5,000 UFO reports by that point in time. 

Hall largely ran day-to-day NICAP operations with a typically understaffed office. Keyhoe is remembered as an off-site manager, perhaps most effective at pursuing public relations and appearances. This provided Hall opportunities to organize projects, conduct research, and coordinate the growing number of NICAP subcommittees, the structure of which he is credited with designing. 

It was Hall holding down the fort at NICAP headquarters on Connecticut Avenue in Washington when the CIA came calling in 1965, as explored in a recent blogpost and WAYWARD SONS: NICAP and the IC. He loaned materials to officers dispatched from the CIA Contact Division for what a now-declassified Agency document indicates was delivery to its Office of Scientific Intelligence. The OSI was composing an evaluation of UFOs at the request of DCI John McCone. The declassified documents do not support the NICAP narrative of an orchestrated CIA and Air Force cover-up.

FBI files on Richard Hall show he was a quick study of Maj. Keyhoe. Hall quickly picked up the technique of requesting Director Hoover clarify FBI official policy on investigating UFOs, circumstances Hoover repeatedly addressed and minimized. The official FBI position probably reflected that Hoover sincerely had no interests in UFOs, at least not until the topic would bleed into areas for which the Bureau considered itself responsible.

Hall got wind of FBI agents reportedly taking an interest in a photo from a case in Flint, MI. Part of his resulting and inquisitive 1960 letter to Hoover:  

The above linked records obtained from the FBI pertaining to Hall do not include a response from Hoover to the above inquiry. I speculate that may be because Hoover did not respond and ignored the query, other than having the letter from Hall placed in his file of correspondence.

This is a throwback to previous exchanges between Keyhoe and Hoover. A 1958 letter written by the major to the FBI chief included the following questions (see page 5):

Keyhoe further requested "an interview with an FBI official acquainted with the facts, and with the FBI policy which may be involved." I guess one could admire his determination if nothing else.

In Hoover's 1958 response (see pages 2-3), he explained to Keyhoe the FBI did not investigate UFO sightings and did not issue instructions not to talk about them to those who report sightings. It was not a function of the Bureau, Hoover continued, to make character investigations of UFO witnesses. The FBI had no information concerning UFOs which could be released, which did not imply it had information which could not be released. 

In closing, Hoover acknowledged Keyhoe's request to interview an FBI official. "Since this Bureau's policy in connection with unidentified flying objects has been fully set forth above," the FBI director concluded, "you may feel that the requested interview is not now necessary.": 

Hall's correspondence with the FBI included apparent efforts to offer assistance to the Bureau. In one instance in 1962, Hall supplied Hoover with a NICAP report compiled on Frank Stranges (view FBI files compiled on the good doctor of divinity). It had come to NICAP's attention, Hall explained to Hoover, the Bureau had investigated Stranges, so NICAP wished to provide the FBI an overview of its experience with Stranges and offer further information as requested. 

Pamphlet by "Former Special
Investigator" Stranges 

Hall and Keyhoe often seemed to take exception to individuals exploiting the UFO topic such as Stranges, who launched the story of Venusian Valiant Thor. Hoover did not seem to share such concern. I don't think Hoover cared in the least about honesty and integrity in the UFO subculture. The FBI director took interest if and when such behavior became criminal or, in the case of Stranges, came to stretching the truth about relationships with the FBI. 

Hoover discovered that those attending the lectures of Stranges and reading his literature were often left with the incorrect impression he was a former FBI agent. This seemed to be what Hoover was concerned about, and instructed agents in 1962 that Stranges "should be admonished" to cease implying an affiliation in any way.

As explored in a recent blogpost, FBI agents were similarly dispatched in 1954 to pay pulp writer and editor Ray Palmer a visit to clarify the Bureau's displeasure with being granted a starring role in his sensational saucer stories. The misrepresentation and exploitation of the FBI was Hoover's concern, as compared to the ethical shortcomings of writers and UFO investigators as NICAP seemed to have tried to urge the director to monitor and patrol. 

J Edgar Hoover

It could also be interpreted Keyhoe and Hall tried less successfully than they hoped to build bridges with the FBI by framing themselves as honest saucer brokers. Hoover was diplomatic but wasn't biting and, frankly, NICAP probably greatly overestimated Hoover's commitments to honesty and integrity.

Further example of NICAP efforts to build bridges with the Bureau may be observed in a 1957 letter of congratulations Keyhoe wrote to Hoover about the FBI work on the "Trip to Venus" swindle. Career conman Harold J. Berney was arrested after using a UFO-inspired story about his travels to Venus to separate a woman from $38,000. Factoring inflation, that's approaching 400 grand. 

A resulting article stated Keyhoe congratulated Hoover for exposing the fraud and offered full NICAP cooperation in securing evidence of other false UFO claims (see pages 184-185). It's a bit difficult for me to envision Keyhoe was not being obtuse when he emphasized potential FBI interest in the false UFO claims of the Berney case as compared to financial extortion perpetrated by a career criminal. I suspect Keyhoe was attempting to capitalize on potential advantageous public relations while simultaneously encouraging Hoover to get in the business of UFO fact-checking, or at least Keyhoe's version of it. The article went on to explain Hoover diplomatically yet carefully responded to Keyhoe, "I have received your letter of May 29, 1957, concerning our activities in the 'Trip to Venus' case and I want to thank you for your thoughtful congratulations."    

The above linked FBI records were obtained over the course of writing and conducting research for WAYWARD SONS. In January 2021 the FBI advised a document yet to be processed for the FOIA and potentially responsive to my request on Richard Hall was in the possession of the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA. FBI identified the document as 100-HQ-359927 Serial 41. I subsequently filed a FOIA request to NARA.

In recent months NARA provided what proved to be the 3-page document, which contains two pages of a 1961 FBI memo from the Washington Field Office to Director Hoover on a William Francis Johnston. It appears the FBI was trying to determine the activities and interests of Johnston, particularly including his interaction with NICAP:

Hall was apparently interviewed by Special Agent Fisher, who determined Johnston, of Long Island, submitted a NICAP "Membership Subscription Application" in 1959:

SA Fisher further discovered Johnston sought assistance from Keyhoe and NICAP to secure a speaker for a civic group. Keyhoe and Hall each indicated they were unable to specifically recall Johnston or if they supplied a speaker, while office notes provided by Hall to FBI suggested they offered to help, which was essentially part of the NICAP mission.

Curious to see what else the file contained, earlier this year I requested NARA provide FBI file 100-HQ-359927 in its entirety. NARA advised in an April 13 email that William Francis Johnston was the subject of the requested records, compiled as part of a domestic security investigation created between March 1942 and January 1972, consisting of about 400 pages.  

The estimated time to process the file under the FOIA is 39 months. Current cost for a reproduction, or pdf in my specific circumstance, is 80 cents per page, or about $320. It should be noted it is not necessary to pay to have files processed and, once processed, they may be viewed for free at the NARA facility in College Park, MD. I am therefore of the opinion the first step is to have the material made available for release, then worry about how to obtain and view it, thus I proceeded with the request.

Perhaps Mr. Johnston was involved in some type of employment requiring security clearance. Perhaps he was an asset of the FBI, or maybe he was of interest for any number of other reasons, or all of the above. It could nonetheless be considered interesting his path intersected with 1959 NICAP. I look forward to eventually reading more about William Francis Johnston and the FBI.  

-----------------------------

Recommended further reading:

Cold War Cash, Politics and Saucer Stories

Ongoing NICAP Research: FOIA Request Lands FBI File on Counsel Services Co-Founder

Pulp UFO Writers and the FBI

     Ray Palmer was an editor and distributor of pulp magazines during the mid 20th century. He got in my sights while I was researching and writing WAYWARD SONS: NICAP and the IC. Palmer distributed pulp fantasy and sci-fi on a wide scale and is considered to have significantly contributed to the public perception of flying saucers and conspiracies during his era. Suffice it to say Palmer was not overly concerned with accuracy in his magazines as compared to getting eyes on the pages.

Maj. Donald Keyhoe, who became the face of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, was a widely published author before his run as the most high profile UFO activist of his time. His writing included contributions to the fantasy genre, as Palmer was popularizing. Keyhoe's work once made the cover of Weird Tales, pictured right. 

FBI records on Keyhoe indicate the Bureau was not a fan of his articles. A 1958 FBI memo on Keyhoe quotes Bureau Assistant Director Nichols as describing Keyhoe's writing as flamboyant and irresponsible. 

An example is cited of a 1941 piece co-authored by Keyhoe and published in Cosmopolitan. It apparently reported Adolph Hitler had a plan to seize the Merchant Marines and went on to assert the FBI possessed documents to that effect. The memo stated the assertion "was completely false." From the 1958 FBI memo:

 

There was no doubt media was a valuable tool in shaping public sentiment, and the FBI had keen interests in all phases of the process. That included Palmer and his distribution of pulp magazines, in addition to keeping an eye on what was coming out of the typewriter of Donald Keyhoe.

A 1953 report contained in an FBI file obtained on Ray Palmer lists five publications he operated at that point in time. Among them was Fate, with a reported circulation of 65,000. Several former publications were mentioned in the report as well, such as Amazing Stories, which gave rise to some of Palmer's most widely known sensations. 

The FBI file indicates an investigation was launched on Palmer in 1953 after the Bureau received a tip he was publishing Communist propaganda. Palmer would have seemingly been in a minority if he wasn't accused of Communist sympathizing, and the investigation found nothing of concern, at least not about Russians. There were other aspects of the resulting reports authored by Special Agents that caught my attention, however.

Not unlike the actions of Keyhoe, writers and opportunists numbered among those who worked the FBI into their narratives. One was a Paul Vest, published in Palmer's Mystic Magazine. This was the kind of thing that tended to get Director Hoover's attention, and in 1954 agents were dispatched to Palmer's location in Evanston, Illinois. They were equipped with instructions from Hoover to make it clear the FBI did "not appreciate having the name of the Bureau used in fantastic stories appearing in his publication to add credence to his stories and articles." 

The Vest piece was titled, catchily enough, "Venusians Walk Our Streets!". The author claimed in the story that FBI labs were in possession of a steel plate that just such a Venusian had marked with a half inch deep streak with no more effort than passing his fingernail over it. This also obviously suggested the Bureau was aware of said Venusians walking among the population. Hoover subsequently investigated to his satisfaction there were no FBI personnel at any such labs spreading stories as published and subsequently sent agents to make Palmer well aware of the fact. 

The creatively resourceful
Ray Palmer

In a memo dated July 22, 1954, a Special Agent in Charge at the Milwaukee Field Office advised Hoover contact was made with Ray Palmer. Palmer reportedly apologized for the misrepresentation of the Bureau and described it as an oversight on his part. This is where it gets a bit more interesting.

Palmer offered to publish a retraction, according to the FBI report, refuting Vest's claim about the FBI. Palmer further informed the agent he regularly supplied the CIA in Chicago with saucer reports mailed to him that he thought were most feasible, adding he was advised the Agency was interested in flying saucer reports. 

The FBI agent wrote Palmer explained, that in the next issue of Mystic Magazine, "he would be glad to insert an article agreeable to the Bureau." From the 1954 memo:

 

Was this Ray Palmer attempting to secure an advantageous relationship with the FBI? It could also be interpreted he was suggesting he already had such an arrangement with the CIA, and that perhaps the Bureau would find it mutually beneficial to be in the loop.

Whatever might be read between the lines, it was indicative of the niche Palmer carved out for himself, and a certain amount of power it wielded. It also signaled the beginnings of a tumultuous and unsteady alliance between certain writers and their intelligence agency contacts on the topic of UFOs. Those precarious relationships would persist to this very day.

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See also:

UFO Activism and Congressional Hearings, 1960s Style

DIA Releases More AAWSAP Files

     The Defense Intelligence Agency filled three more FOIA requests Friday, bringing to five the number of final responses issued this week on requests pertaining to AAWSAP-related material. The Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Application Program has been confused with a variety of project names, and even the purpose and scope of the program are matters of debate. Ongoing FOIA requests have been used to clarify matters, and among the items emerging as most significant may be the absence of select records and terms. 

The latest three FOIA releases include a response consisting of eight files containing 52 pages, along with the DIA letter of response. The material is uploaded to a folder for viewing.

It was issued in response to a May 2018 request for documents pertaining to the AAWSAP Solicitation HHM402-08-R-0211, including proposals funded, project updates, reports submitted, contractual records, a list of funding recipients, amounts of funds awarded, budgets, and related documents. The majority of requested records are absent, in spite of references to detailed reports in "briefing" documents, the purposes of which might be interpreted more as sales pitches than objective assessments. 

Perhaps most noteworthy are memos referencing Sen. Harry Reid, in which a lack of shared vision is expressed. In one particular November 2009 memo it is entirely unclear if the DIA understands what AAWSAP personnel are doing or why the Senator might request Special Access Program status, which was not granted:

DIA likewise issued a response on Friday of several files to an April 2018 request for similar AAWSAP material, as well as some files in response to a December 2017 request for AATIP records. Some of the material is repetitive, while a lack of budgets, project reports, expenses, and similar principal records, although specifically requested, is a recurring theme. Various types of project reports are mentioned in the material provided, but no such specific reports are included in the documents, perhaps raising questions about their whereabouts and value. 

It should be noted the DIA continues to advise that it is reviewing all of its AATIP holdings. The material is estimated to be released in approximately December 2022, but it is not clear how that might differ from what has been requested and provided. 

The two DIA responses as described in a blogpost earlier this week are uploaded to a folder, containing two response letters and five files. All contracts undertaken with and funding provided to Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies were requested, resulting in one of the final responses and the five files. 

The other was in regards to an October 2021 request for a 360-page report, "Utah Ranch Investigation: August 2009-February 2010". The document was referenced by former DIA man James Lacatski and co-authors in the purportedly nonfiction book Skinwalkers at the Pentagon, and said to have been delivered to DIA in 2010.

"Based on the information contained in your request, DIA searched its systems of records for responsive documents," the DIA explained. "Despite a thorough search, no documents responsive to your request were found."    

The AAWSAP Trail

    Below are previous blogposts depicting additional FOIA responses and items of note obtained in recent years and related to circumstances surrounding the AAWSAP. As information continues to become available, perhaps the overall picture comes more into focus.

DIA: No Docs on NIDS was a 2018 post explaining the Defense Intelligence Agency reported no documents responsive to contracts undertaken with and funding provided to Robert Bigelow's National Institute for Discovery Science. The nonprofit organization was known for controversial UFO investigations, including purported research conducted at what became known as the Skinwalker Ranch. NIDS operated from approximately 1995 to 2004, at which time it was dissolved.

In a 2019 post we explored a 2011 FOIA response provided to an independent researcher and pertaining to the AAWSAP. A subsequent DIA response to a FOIA request for the records released in 2011 resulted in confirmation that Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies was awarded an AAWSAP contract. 

In June of 2021 the DIA responded it found no correspondence, such as emails or memos, exchanged between Luis Elizondo and the DIA pertaining to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough emphasized the DIA managed the AATIP and that Luis Elizondo was not assigned to the DIA. Elizondo did not respond to an opportunity to provide comment for potential inclusion in the blogpost. 

Soon afterward, in July 2021, Government Information Specialist Raymond Hartwick indicated the Office of the Secretary of Defense had no records pertaining to the AATIP in response to a request for same. He recommended records be sought from DIA. When advised Elizondo and his associates asserted Elizondo ran the AATIP after it was transferred from DIA to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Hartwick checked with his "components" before reiterating requests should be directed to DIA. "The AATIP was managed by DIA from 2008 until it ended in 2012," he wrote.     

DIA Further Verifies AAWSAP Award to BAASS, Fails to Locate Skinwalker Report

     The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) issued final responses to a pair of FOIA requests by email today, one of which further substantiates Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies was awarded a contract in the Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Application Program (view the documents). The contract award was previously established in 2019 at The UFO Trail through the FOIA after acting on a lead uncovered by researcher Keith Basterfield.

The most recent documents provided by the DIA consist of five files totaling 36 pages, issued in response to a 2018 request for all contracts undertaken with and funding provided to BAASS. The documents include a file containing a 2008 contract and a 2009 amended contract. The contract number is HHM402-06-C-0072, issued in response to AAWSAP Solicitation Number: HHM40208R0211, numbers of potential significance to select researchers who have closely followed the winding saga. 

The 2008 contract indicates some 10 million dollars was allocated to be paid to BAASS from the National Security Agency:

Also included in the most recent FOIA response is a 2009 apparent DIA memo, "SUBJECT: (U) Review of Advanced Aerospace Contract Deliverables".  The memo states, "The goal of the contract is to identify key technologies and physics concepts that would support revolutionary aerospace vehicle research and development. Contracted studies were designed to provide a prioritized list of technologies/concepts that then would drive detailed, focused searches into foreign aerospace research and development.":

The 2009 "Info Memo" goes on to state reviews of technical reports were performed by three research staff members at Sandia National Laboratories. It is suggested reviews were favorable and the evolving work might be useful to Defense Department agencies, circumstances we might question given the apparent discontinuation of the project and shuttering of BAASS.

In a second final response received today, the DIA stated no report was located as described by James T. Lacatski and co-authors. The report, referenced in Skinwalkers at the Pentagon and said to be titled "Utah Ranch Investigation: August 2009-February 2010", was unable to be found after a search was conducted: 

Several FOIA requests remain open for records pertaining to AAWSAP and AATIP. The DIA continues to advise that it is conducting a review of all its AATIP holdings and preparing those documents for release. Upon release, the DIA explained, the documents will be available for viewing in its online FOIA Reading Room. The release is estimated to occur no sooner than December 2022.

FOIA Process: Not All Good or Bad

    The Freedom of Information Act is a valuable resource. It can be employed for a wide variety of useful purposes. 

Readers of my offerings have become acquainted with ways I rely on the FOIA to shed light on circumstances of interest. I have a great deal of appreciation for FOIA personnel employed at government agencies, the online reading rooms maintained by those agencies, and the painstaking aspects of the entire process. The work is important, and I respect the stamina it takes. 

That stated, anyone remotely familiar with the FOIA process has heard it referred to as "broken." Practicality can be called into question, with requests infamously taking years to get final responses, which by no means ensures material will be forthcoming. Below are some adventures I've had with the FOIA process.

Doc's in the Mail

   

Gen. Walter Bedell Smith,
Director of CIA 1950-1953

    On Nov. 28 I requested records on the late lawyer and government official Gordon Gray from what I've come to feel is the typically FOIA-reliable FBI. Mr. Gray directed the Psychological Strategy Board under DCI Smith's Central Intelligence Agency in 1951 and 1952.

The Bureau promptly responded by email Dec. 3, providing several links to material responsive to my request. Per standard protocol, the material had been posted for me to download in pdf in the FBI FOIA portal. 

Unfortunately, one of the links was dead because the corresponding file had not been posted. Compounding the complications was the fact the number of pages specified to be contained in the filled request indicated the missing pdf was the most substantial part of the haul, easily a three-digit number of pages.

This began a series of email correspondence with the FBI. I was initially informed the links would be reposted. They weren't. 

I was later informed the material had been emailed to me. It wasn't.

After continuing to stay on it and submit inquiries, I was then advised Jan. 6 (by then a full month into the saga) there were complications with sending the material electronically, so it would be delivered through standard mail. I informed the Bureau today, Jan. 21, I had still received no package. In their defense, I was promptly emailed an apology for the delay, and informed it was mailed yesterday.

Also in their defense, during the course of my attempts to get the full amount of material responsive to the request, FBI made me aware of a potentially responsive file at the National Archives. A request was subsequently submitted to NARA, which, like the Bureau, I have a lot more good things to say about its handling of FOIA requests than bad.    

NARA responded Dec. 15 it initially assessed Gordon Gray to indeed be the subject of the file sought, compiled by the FBI during investigation conducted between May 1961 and November 1975. The file consists of about 250 pages. It must be processed for release, which is projected to take until March 2025, a timeframe which is standard in my experience.  

Say Again

    On July 20, 2020, I submitted a request to the CIA for a Mandatory Declassification Review, or MDR. My hope was that a document I came across in a CIA archive would be reviewed for further release. In practical terms, I was requesting they'd remove redactions from the document, which consisted of correspondence from 1959 and appeared to have been last reviewed in 2003. 

Jan. 14, 2022, I received an emailed final response from the CIA. The body of the response stated, “We completed a thorough search for records responsive to your request and located the enclosed document, which we can release in segregable form, with deletions as marked...”

However, there was no enclosed document as described. I immediately advised CIA by telephone.

William J. Burns,
Director of CIA since March 2021

I soon received a second Jan. 14 email from CIA, carrying a second final response. Perhaps you can imagine my disappointment and confusion when I read, “Please note that the document you requested is unclassified, and as such, is not subject to review under the [MDR] Order. Therefore, we must decline your request.”

They're not getting rid of me that easy!

On Jan. 18 I submitted a request to CIA for an Administrative Appeal. I requested the circumstances be further considered, explaining I was hoping redacted sections on the document in question could be reviewed and released.

Jan. 19 I received a response (that was quick!) from CIA to my request for Administrative Appeal. The response reiterated the document is unclassified and therefore not subject to review, adding that the Agency must decline to process the appeal. It was further stated I could find more about CIA regulations and appeal rights under subparts 1900.42(a) of title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (For those of you not as familiar as I with intricacies of big important intelligence agency speak, that means they promptly told me GTFO.)

I was a bit curious what the cited subpart actually says. I soon discovered it states, “A right of administrative appeal exists whenever access to any requested record or any portion thereof is denied,” the very such circumstances I was seeking to pursue.

Okay, now, in all seriousness, I could be way off with this. It's not like I really know what I'm doing. There could easily be circumstances I don't properly understand about the MDR process as it relates to CIA and the specific records in question. I got my degree at Google and all that, but there are a pretty limited number of ways to skate around the initial two email responses, which stated a document was enclosed, which was not actually enclosed, followed by informing me the request was denied. 

As of this writing, I continue to seek clarification and resolution, so Wednesday night I submitted a request for review of the circumstances to the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel. I'll let y'all know when nothing comes of it!  

Use Your FOIA    

    I sincerely strongly encourage researchers and interested parties to utilize the FOIA. The above examples are by far exceptions to the rule.

A major reason I have come to particularly depend on the FBI is I have now filed dozens of requests to the Bureau on NICAP-related figures alone. I find the procedures to be reasonable on requesting records pertaining to deceased individuals, and the guidelines are not difficult to follow. The FBI might prove to be a productive resource on any number of historic topics; if the topic mattered, it is entirely likely Director Hoover had an agent on it, if not an entire series of field offices. 

The FOIA takes time. It takes patience. It has some bumps and sometimes it's just plain impractical, but a lot of things are that are worth doing. Hang in there, or just get started. In the meantime, I gotta go check my mail!