The OTHER Chile Video

Video footage has been cited of the much discussed November 5, 2010, air show in Chile in addition to the footage pointed out by Leslie Kean. The recently cited footage demonstrated an abundance of flying objects, in all likelihood natural wildlife and of which there are no reasons to assume to be mysterious aircraft, present during the air show.

Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal

Many followed Leslie Kean's story, UFO Caught on Tape Over Santiago Air Base, with great interest since she blogged about it on March 13, 2012. The case essentially revolved around video footage recorded during a November 5, 2010, air show at El Bosque Air Base located in Santiago, Chile.

Kean and co-author Ralph Blumenthal suggested on her Huffington Post blog the video might represent "the case UFO skeptics have been dreading." The writers went as far as to specifically describe a "stunning conclusion: The Chilean jets were being stalked by a UFO."  

The long and short of the matter is the video did not present ample opportunity to positively identify an object of undetermined distance and size which appeared to briefly take flight during the air show. Spectators in attendance did not report observing any unidentified flying objects.

General Bermudez

Kean and Blumenthal reported a General Ricardo Bermudez was a key figure in the investigation of what evolved to be described and presented to the UFO community as a stunning case. "Gen. Ricardo Bermúdez," they wrote, "formerly chief commander of the air force's 3rd Air Brigade (southern area) and an air attaché in London, was one of CEFAA's founders, and he currently directs the agency with a full-time staff of three." Kean and Blumenthal described the CEFAA as the Chilean equivalent of the American Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA.

According to Kean and Blumenthal, General Bermudez is at the least open to, if not lobbying for, international investigation of the UFO phenomenon. "Since this is a worldwide phenomenon," they quoted the general as saying, "it should be subjected to rigorous scientific analysis so we can come to viable conclusions."

Kean has long suggested and implied international efforts are justified and warrant funding, as described in her 2002 report, Science and the Failure to Investigate Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. The report was commissioned by the Sci Fi Channel.

Internet Buzz

Many blog posts and forum threads contained consideration of the case and the footage cited by Kean. The Above Top Secret forum hosted a thread, "HD video of UFO Stalking Chilean Jets Over Santiago Air Base," containing some 24 pages at the time of this post. Substantial contributions were made by elevenaugust, DrDil and UFOGlobe.

A number of aspects of the case and as asserted by Kean and Blumenthal were competently challenged. Among the most questionable items were the alleged "infrared studies," reportedly showing radiation of heat from the object. In actuality, it was demonstrated that no such professional study could be conducted under the circumstances described. DrDil contacted astronomer Luis Barrera, one of the contributing scientists reportedly involved in the investigation, who then substantially downplayed statements attributed to him and alleged conclusions.

The story took another significant hit due to yet to be substantiated claims more video footage was available. Such footage supposedly corroborated the currently released footage, but no relevant footage has yet been presented. Some noted that is the case after what has now been some 16 months since the air show took place.

Long time participant in the Internet UFO community, stiver, located some footage of the air show in question. This particular footage just does not happen to have been cited by General Bermudez, Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal.

Independent Air Show Footage

Stiver located an article, posted November 5, 2010, on a Chilean website, covering the very El Bosque Air Base show currently receiving all the attention from the UFO community. The article described the air show, not a UFO, and included video footage.

In addition to footage of the participating aircraft, the video contained images of additional small objects, reasonably suspected to be birds or insects, in virtually every scene. Stiver provided the following video post, demonstrating the abundant presence of apparent wildlife during the exact air show in question:

Implications

Some suggest Kean's credibility and motives, or at the least her ability to accurately identify a stunning case, were called into question. Such would not be the first time, as Ryan Dube of Reality Uncovered reported in his April 12, 2011, article, FAA Instructions to Staff on UFO Sightings Debunk Cover-Up Claims. Dube explained how Kean clung to her existing version of an alleged chain of events even after presented direct evidence to the contrary.

Others suggest ufology has evolved to include more international intrigue - and jockeying for difficult to obtain funding - than in years past. I do not know, but I will concede one must demonstrate an existing need for funding in order to propose and obtain it.

I really could not say with any certainty what the Santiago fiasco was all about. I am not qualified to know.

I do know this, though: stiver does not head an agency with three full-time staff members at her disposal, as is the case with General Bermudez, and she managed to locate relevant footage of the event in question. Footage right on the Internet. I therefore empathize with those who might suggest that, after some 16 months, it would seem reasonable to strongly suspect General Bermudez and company would, or at the least should, be aware of such.

Dr. Tyler Kokjohn: Human Alien Hybrids - Do the Math

Dr. Tyler Kokjohn is a professor of microbiology at the Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. His latest video, Human Alien Hybrids - Do the Math, is offered below.

"Although some claim human-alien genetic hybrids are among us now and pose a threat to humankind," Dr. Kokjohn wrote describing the video, "the details of construction of these entities are vague. Examining two simple cases of gene transmission dynamics suggest hybrids face some inherent challenges."

Check out the sidebar located on the right of this blog for more of Dr. Kokjohn's practical videos. Find even more of his work on his YouTube channel. 

Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate your work.

Ufology and Alleged Post-MKULTRA Mind Control

Albert Stubblebine

Major General Albert N. Stubblebine III, US Army, Retired, has an outstanding resume. His distinguished Army career dates back to his graduation from West Point in 1952 and spans to his retirement in 1984 as the Commanding General of the United States Army Intelligence and Service Command, known as INSCOM. He also formerly headed the US Army Electronic Research and Development Command, ERADCOM.

The career intelligence officer led soldiers at every level of duty on his way to serving as Commanding General of the US Army Intelligence School and Center. It was there he secured his spot in the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame when he completely redesigned the intelligence structure of the entire United States Army.

General Stubblebine has been around the block. He has also long been of interest to the paranormal community.

Delving deeply into such topics as psychic phenomena and neuro-linguistic programming, Stubblebine was prominently featured in such works as Jon Ronson's The Men Who Stare at Goats. The general's significant involvement in remote viewing research funded by the Central Intelligence Agency no doubt contributed to his public mystique. It was his involvement in such projects and his interests in ufology that apparently led to his marriage of Dr. Rima Laibow.


Rima Laibow

The resume of Rima E. Laibow, MD, indicates she attended such schools as Temple University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, as well as participated in post graduate training at Columbia University, while earning her impressive education and credentials. In addition to her status as an expert in medicine, Laibow holds a BA in English literature. She has written extensively on neurological topics, including but not limited to child prodigies, brain injuries and trauma. 

Laibow seemed to have shared the general's interest in the UFO community during the late 1980's and into the 1990's. The doctor authored papers on the abduction phenomenon and became significantly involved in related activities at several levels, including interacting with abductees and organizing a now-disbanded group, Treatment and Research of Experienced Anomalous Trauma, or TREAT.    

Given all the circumstances, it was inevitable that Stubblebine and Laibow would become implicated in mind control research. I currently have neither the interest nor desire to disproportionately support or criticize the couple. My aim is not to incite detrimental personal attacks or facilitate arguments which have little chance of resolution, but to simply point out some circumstances worthy of interest.

Natural Solutions Foundation

More recent years have seen Major General Stubblebine and Dr. Laibow operating the Natural Solutions Foundation, a nonprofit organization they co-founded in 2004. The mission of the Foundation is "to discover, develop, document, demonstrate and disseminate natural solutions to the problems facing us and threatening our health and food freedom."

The pair continued to attract suspicion and accusations, founded or otherwise, of conducting covert intelligence operations, and in late 2008 they addressed such controversy on the Natural Solutions Foundation website.

The pair continued to attract suspicion and accusations, founded or otherwise, of conducting covert intelligence operations, and in late 2008 they addressed such controversy on the Natural Solutions Foundation website. In a series of statements attributed to Stubblebine and Laibow, the couple addressed issues ranging from an alleged attempted murder of Laibow to mind control operations. 

"I am not now and have never been associated with the CIA," stated Laibow. 

"Natural Solutions Foundation is so effective in our opposition to the Powers That Be," she claimed, "that a serious attempt was apparently made on my life a year ago."

General Stubblebine commented, "I have never had any connection, part in, knowledge about or dealings with the mind control program," adding that he was never read into any such program. While acknowledging he held extensive security clearances and his operational commander was none other than the Deputy Director of the CIA, the general pointed out access to mind control projects was on a needs to know basis, stated he served in strategic intelligence and claimed he therefore lacked any need to know.

Interestingly, however, Stubblebine additionally stated he thought mind control operations had been stopped following Congressional demands - until he "met Dr. Rima in 1991." Laibow offered further comment on the implications of the statement on the Natural Solutions Foundation website.

"I knew that the mind control programs had continued," Laibow asserted...

"I knew that the mind control programs had continued," Laibow asserted, "because as a psychiatrist and social activist I had been introduced to a number of people who claimed the same events/conditioning/torture had happened to each of them. The similarity attracted my attention and I learned a great deal about the mind control programs. In fact, long before I met General Stubblebine, a Congressional staffer friend brought data and people to me to evaluate whether these people had, in fact, been subjected to mind control techniques and asked me if I thought the subject was worth another round of Congressional hearings. I was able, through this documentation, to convince the highly skeptical General Stubblebine in 1991-2 that this program had continued after Congress ordered it disbanded."

Attempts were made by The UFO Trail to obtain further details and clarification from Dr. Laibow and General Stubblebine about the above statements posted on the Natural Solutions Foundation website. Multiple emails were sent to different email addresses in which permission was requested to inquire further and no replies were received.

More Talk of Ongoing and UFO-Related Mind Control

Whatever we may make of it, career intelligence officer Commander C.B. Scott Jones, US Navy, Retired, recently made similar statements to The UFO Trail. A series of email exchanges occurred in which statements by Jones were discussed concerning allegations the FBI targeted writer/researcher Michael Drosnin with an incapacitating electronic mind control device, and that Jones alerted Dr. John Gibbons, then-science advisor to President Clinton, of the circumstances.

"There are reasons to believe that some government group has interwoven research about this (mind control) technology with alleged UFO phenomena," Jones informed Gibbons.

"If that is correct, you can expect to run into early resistance when inquiring about UFOs, not because of the UFO subject, but because that has been used to cloak research and applications of mind-control activity.”

When asked if he continued to think the UFO subject cloaked mind control research and applications, Commander Jones stated, "I think that the UFO/ET subject has been used to cloak a number of classified U.S. programs that certainly includes mind control."

When asked if he continued to think the UFO subject cloaked mind control research and applications, Commander Jones stated, "I think that the UFO/ET subject has been used to cloak a number of classified U.S. programs that certainly includes mind control."

"It has been particularly effective," Jones added, "when there is a presumed close relationship between what is trying to be protected and assumptions about characteristics associated with UFOs and ETs."

All Along the Watchtower 

For those unaware, please allow me to point out a potentially huge problem with relying on intelligence officers as sources of information: Relying on intelligence officers as sources of information.

With all due respect rightfully offered to those who have not yet abused the offer, and due respect most certainly extended to decorated and esteemed officers of the armed forces, we are always going to come back around to considering we either have an established fact or we do not. Whether we are talking alien abduction, mind control operations, breath-taking craft soaring across the heavens or anything else, assertions are either verified as facts or they are not.

There is nothing whatsoever wrong with speculation and supposition, but the objective researcher and sincere seeker of truth responsibly differentiates between fact and opinion. Sincerity does not court selective citation or selective omission of information, and those who practice sincerity understand we must suspend judgment pending verification of information, no matter how seductive the temptation may be to prematurely draw conclusions.

If we adhere to such principles and methods of establishing accuracy, we need not discriminate in the evaluation of information based upon such factors as whether the information is offered by a military officer, civilian scientist, self-described abductee, self-described involuntary research subject or anyone else. We need not concern ourselves whether the information supports or opposes our preferred points of view. All we must be concerned about is whether or not we can verify the information and, if not, suspend judgment, recognizing such information as a claim or opinion until such time as it may be conclusively either established as fact or discarded as inaccurate. 

Intelligence personnel have a long history of playing a shell game from one project to another. While mind control operations largely escaped public awareness altogether, even less people know that in addition to MKULTRA and its 149 sub-projects, many more similar such projects existed. Other known projects included MKNAOMI, MKACTION, MKSEARCH, ARTICHOKE, BLUEBIRD, QKHILLTOP, DERBY HAT and PANDORA, to name a few, details of which are often incomplete and elusive. So while personnel might accurately state they were not involved in mind control operations, they may very well have been extensively involved in any number of projects of varying titles and falling under such technical classifications as 'behavior modification,' not literally 'mind control.' 

However, some might indeed question on the grounds of basic common sense how it could be that a person conducting a career in Army intelligence, to the point of being credited with completely redesigning the intelligence structure of the entire US Army, could have been oblivious to operations spanning decades and involving thousands of research subjects...

In the specific case of Major General Stubblebine, I have no particular reason to doubt the man when he stated he was never read into a mind control program and knew nothing about it. However, some might indeed question on the grounds of basic common sense how it could be that a person conducting a career in Army intelligence, to the point of being credited with completely redesigning the intelligence structure of the entire US Army, could have been oblivious to operations spanning decades and involving thousands of research subjects - at facilities such as Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland, no less. An estimated 8,000+ enlisted Army personnel were abused at Edgewood alone. While some might suppose his statements may be technically accurate, others might nonetheless feel as if metaphorically the warden told us they have no direct knowledge of any covert activity taking place at the prison.

Somebody designed, directed and staffed all those mind control projects. The decades long existence of such operations is established; no suspension of judgment is required.

While many of the statements provided by intelligence personnel do not allow us to form conclusions, perhaps there is another point equally, if not more, currently relevant than the implications directly contained in their statements: The fact intelligence personnel ever publicly discussed mind control in the context of the UFO phenomenon at all.

The very fact it is on the table, for whatever ultimate combinations of reasons, should thoroughly interest the UFO community, particularly sincere seekers of truth. I would very much appreciate an opportunity to discuss the issues with Major General Stubblebine and/or Dr. Laibow, hopefully clarifying and obtaining details that shed more light on their claims of post-MKULTRA mind control operations.

I would also appreciate discussing such matters with any individuals who feel they have relevant information to share. Privacy and confidentiality are highly respected. My email address may be obtained through my blogger profile. I want to hear from you.

Leah Haley's Research

This is one in a series of posts on the Leah Haley Case.

Leah Haley provided me opportunities to exchange research and compare notes with her during the past three years. She also allowed me to ask her many questions on several occasions. I was and continue to be very grateful for her willingness to dig up bones, rub salt in the wound or any number of additional metaphors that relatively apply - yet nonetheless fail to fully encapsulate - the emotionally charged dynamics of the situation.

Incidents of potential interest in her life continued after those described in her books. Such incidents, Haley explained, included what she came to term "virtual reality experiences" and messages from the "Silent Voice."    

Haley additionally explained a curious discovery. Leah became aware she and Marshall Applewhite, leader of the infamous Heaven's Gate cult, attended the same college a few years apart during the 1960's. While such occurrences might well bring Project MKULTRA to mind, certain circumstances in and of themselves are interesting concerning how Haley became more deeply immersed in researching mind control operations.

In the fall of 2003 Haley received an anonymous note essentially suggesting she review projects MKULTRA, BLUEBIRD and ARTICHOKE. The note included detailed instructions on how to request the related compact disk set available from the Central Intelligence Agency via the Freedom of Information Act. Haley went on to obtain the disks and the some 20,000 pages of documents contained therein, and, due to what she learned from the documents, continues to consider the anonymous note a major breakthrough.

MKULTRA Documents

Page one of a 1954 CIA memo titled,
Hypnotic Experimentation and Research

Among the documents Marc Davenport and Haley found of interest was #190691, Hypnotic Experimentation and Research. Events were documented in February of 1954 in which two women were used as research subjects to establish a person could be manipulated via hypnosis into virtually completely abandoning their normally held principles and ethics, up to and including being willing to kill another human being when instructed to do so. What's more, the researchers claimed the subjects had no recollections of the experiments taking place.

"The importance of this document," Haley stated, "is that it shows that the CIA had pretty much perfected the Manchurian Candidate by 1954."

Document #190527, SI and H Experimentation (25 September 1951) explained, Haley noted, how researchers claimed to have successfully administered post-hypnotic suggestions by telephone via codewords. It was documented that the post-hypnotic directives included executing detailed instructions related to activating bombs and that, of particular potential significance, the subjects could largely not remember their participation in the experiments. It should be noted that "SI and H" stands for sleep induction and hypnosis.

Haley added, "A second experiment the same evening concerned whether or not individuals whose moral values would normally prevent them from stealing a wallet could be influenced to do so while in a hypnotic state. The answer was yes."

Document #149585, Film Sequence of Top Secret Theft, further asserted findings as described above. It suggested post-hypnotic instructions could indeed be activated via telephone.

Document #147025 is a copy of a 1954 memorandum in which mind control applications, particularly concerning the use of hypnosis, were discussed. One such application included the intentional manufacture of split personality induced during hypnosis. Project objectives included manipulating subjects into executing various predetermined actions when prompted later and with no recall.

Hypnosis was further discussed in document #190597, in which an interview with a professional hypnotist was detailed. Consideration was given to such factors as the physical appearance, place of residence and overall community standing of the hypnotist in relation to the feasibility the hypnotist would make a suitable consultant. 

The hypnotist asserted post-hypnotic suggestions could last some 20 years, Haley noted, and such suggestions would be particularly strong if reinforced periodically. The interviewer asked if the hypnotist would be willing to act as a consultant with the Agency and the hypnotist agreed.

For those unaware, Project MKULTRA included some 149 known sub-projects, according to the document, Prepared Statement of Admiral Stansfield Turner, Director of Central Intelligence, which was issued during the 1977 Senate hearings. When project objectives are taken into consideration, it is not difficult to envision the confirmed abuse of involuntary human research subjects may have become entangled with what became reports of supposed high strangeness, such as alleged alien abductions. 

A portion of the Research and Development Program of TSS/Chemical Division (of the CIA) was devoted to the discovery and methods of some 17 different means of mind control/behavior modification. In 1955, project objectives included (see page 125) developing "materials which will render the induction of hypnosis easier or otherwise enhance its usefulness," "materials and physical methods which will produce amnesia for events preceding and during their use" and "substances which will promote illogical thinking and impulsiveness to the point where the recipient would be discredited in public."

There are many such authenticated documents. For further reading I recommend, among other sources, the landmark work of John Marks, The Search for the Manchurian Candidate.

An August, 1977, New York Times article, Private Institutions Used in C.I.A. Effort to Control Behavior, revealed details of the disturbing situation as they continued to emerge. Investigative journalists John M. Crewdson, Nicholas M. Horrock, Boyce Rensberger, Jo Thomas and Joseph B. Treaster collaborated to produce the article. The identities of some of the involved doctors were documented, as well as how the broad scope of such abusive research included and was concealed by personnel at specific nonprofit corporations, major colleges, medical facilities and a vast network of such traditionally trusted institutions while spanning no less than 25 years.

For more information about the specific evolution of the role of hypnosis in nefarious operations and its implications to ufology, I highly recommend the work of Gary Haden. Many of his posts on his former blog, Speculative Realms, are now archived on the website of Emma Woods. I particularly recommend locating and reading Haden's Mass Hypnotic Stupor: The MPD "JOKE" and the Paranormal Cult Stupidification of America. 

US Patents

Davenport and Haley used the US Patent Office as a resource to monitor and track the possible evolution of technology. Among the documents Haley found most interesting, she explained, was Patent #3,951,134, Apparatus and Method for Remotely Monitoring and Altering Brain Waves, in which brain waves were declared to be remotely read, entrained and altered to a "desired change" via electromagnetic frequencies.

"Patent #'s 5,270,800 and 5,159,703," Haley continued, "describe systems to submit subliminal messages."

In addition to the patents referencing subliminal messages cited by Haley, I invite consideration of a 1979 Time Magazine article, Behavior: Secret Voices, which explored dozens of department stores playing subliminal anti-theft messages over music systems. Incredible decreases in theft were reported, including one chain claiming a whopping 37% reduction, translating into increased savings of some $600,000 over a nine month period.

The secret recipe? People in stores were subliminally instructed to believe they were honest.

Patent #'s 4,858,612 and 4,877,027, Haley pointed out, addressed the creation of sound in the human head via microwaves.  

"He (Davenport) also found a number of other patents," Haley stated, "that supported our theory that those voices I heard in my head were not based in the supernatural, and my memories of alien encounters could have been nothing more than human-implanted experiences."

Haley went on to cite additional MKULTRA documents and patents she discovered long after writing about experiences that might reasonably be suspected to correlate with technology described in such documents. One such example was document #173602, Non-Lethal Personnel Behavioral Control, in which high intensity light and electrical current were discussed as methods of behavioral control. Haley detailed such experiences several years prior to learning of the document in both Lost Was the Key and Unlocking Alien Closets.

Another such example Haley suspected might correlate with her experiences was document #190669, SI and H Experimentation, 17 November 1953. An experiment was discussed involving a hypnotized research subject directed to rapidly memorize a long, technical passage and recall it only when prompted later by a codeword. Researchers claimed the experiment was successful, including the subject having no recollection of the activity. Haley noted how reading the document reminded her of an experience she wrote about on page 71 of Unlocking Alien Closets, details of which involved just such reading and memorization of technical material.

Additional reading of interest might include Anna Keeler's Remote Mind Control Technology, a very well constructed piece circa 1980's which offers us somewhat of a 'then and now' perspective. Keeler's work is among that which further established the reality of research and development of mind control devices and methods, as well as symptoms of overexposure to the related electromagnetic frequencies. Such symptoms included, among others, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, memory loss and 'sunburned,' reddened skin (even at night), all of which were very common to witness testimonies of alleged alien abductions.

More recently written material includes US Electromagnetic Weapons and Human Rights, a report completed in December, 2006, in which co-authors Peter Phillips, Lew Brown and Bridget Thornton explored the evolution of the US intelligence community human rights violations and continuing research in electromagnetic weapons. The work was sponsored by Sonoma State University, Project Censored and the Media Freedom Foundation.

UFO Land, Stateside

My interactions with individuals such as Leah who came to believe themselves involuntary research subjects naturally caused me to repeatedly evaluate what I thought took place in their lives. I am empathetic of their perspectives and I ultimately cannot pass judgment one way or the other. It is not difficult for me to suspend judgment on conclusions, particularly as compared to the more out of this world claims, because at least I conclusively know involuntary research subjects and mind control victims exist. Why would I think it impossible - or even particularly unlikely - some of them became involved in ufology, all things considered?

It would seem to me aversions to accepting such likelihoods would be indicative of refusals to accept the US government actually conducted such intrusive operations in the first place. We have to accept the latter to accept the former, and, let's face it, most people just do not want to think about such things (for a variety of personal reasons).

The challenge with averting from serious consideration of the topic is it leaves a vastly incomplete picture of ufology. Alien abduction, if it is nothing, is all about trauma, and the US government has a long and detailed history of administering and studying trauma. If you doubt further research is justified into the likelihood any of that has anything to do with the American UFO community, I invite you to take a much closer look at who, exactly, is present - and specifically what they are doing - in UFO Land, Stateside.  

The Leah Haley Case: John Carpenter

This is one in a series of posts on the Leah Haley Case.

According to LinkedIn dot com, John Carpenter, MSW, LCSW, is a self-employed therapist and lecturer educated at Washington University in St. Louis and DePauw University. The bio also states he was an "abductions research specialist at UFO research."

John Carpenter

Carpenter has a long history with the UFO community and particularly what some call investigation of alien abduction. Serving as the MUFON director of abduction research from approximately 1991 to 2000, Carpenter conducted literally hundreds of regressive hypnosis sessions. He frequently published statements asserting the supposed reality of an alien presence and resulting program of military abductions through speaking engagements, the MUFON Journal and a network of platforms provided by like-minded individuals.

Early on in Leah Haley's quest to learn more about a childhood UFO sighting, Budd Hopkins recommended she contact Carpenter. Haley did so and Carpenter hypnotized her throughout 1991, giving rise to many fantastic and previously unknown alleged experiences of alien abduction and military abduction. More about Haley, her experiences and her current beliefs are contained in previous posts.

Robert Bigelow

Somewhere along his way, John Carpenter was said to have cut a deal with Robert Bigelow involving the release of 140 case files of alleged abductees, including Leah Haley. The files were said to have been sold for $100 apiece, totaling $14,000. The public commonly perceived a single transaction took place.

Certain individuals, including Leah Haley and some of the other 139, were deeply hurt and outraged. They felt betrayed by all parties involved: Carpenter, MUFON, Bigelow and associates.

The event seemed to have taken place sometime during the mid 1990's. It became known as the Carpenter Affair when the public eventually found out around the turn of the century. The circumstances and their ramifications were of interest to some key MUFON personnel, or at least that was the case with the ensuing public relations problems. It was publicly discussed by such personnel, as well as various people of relative interest in ufology, around the Internet.

John Velez and Gary Hart exchanged emails as cited on UFO Updates List, discussing the filing of a formal complaint and reviewing the MUFON code of ethics. Robert Gates also weighed in on the List, sharing his interpretations of some relevant points and questions concerning the Carpenter Affair. Carpenter defended his actions, as did his supportive wife. 

James Mosely of Saucer Smear regularly reported on the situation. The September, 2000, edition quoted the MUFON director of governmental affairs, Larry Bryant, expressing his outrage over the manner he interpreted MUFON mishandled the Carpenter Affair:

"Since a cloud of alleged impropriety now hangs over the Executive Committee (of MUFON) for its having taken so long to act upon its months-long knowledge of the 'Carpenter Affair', I hereby call upon all members of the Executive Committee to resign forthwith from their Committee positions, from their membership on the MUFON Board of Directors, and from their MUFON general membership - all in the interest of helping restore the public's confidence in the purpose, operation, management, and integrity of this organization...

"In addition, you Executive Committee members owe all of us in the entire field of UFO research not only a full, written explanation as to who on the MUFON Board originally knew of the 'Carpenter Affair' (and when they knew it) but also a published apology for their having embargoed or otherwise downplayed that knowledge at the expense of the rest of the Board. If we have a lesson to be learned from this debacle, how about this one: Enforced silence never can be the ally of truth!"

Relevant questions remain. Let's consider a few things.

Concerns have been expressed around ufology that Bigelow and his corporations may sometimes act on behalf of hidden partners and undisclosed agencies. Former MUFON international director James Carrion asserted funds donated to MUFON supposedly by Bigelow were actually provided by “sponsors,” the identities of which Bigelow revealed to MUFON board member and former international director John Schuessler, but did not disclose to the remaining MUFON board members. 

In the particular circumstance of the Carpenter Affair, some feel it may be relevant that during the time in question, non-lethal weapons expert and career intelligence officer Colonel John Alexander was a staff member at the National Institute for Discovery Science, a Bigelow-founded and now dissolved nonprofit corporation. John Velez wrote via UFO Updates List that Colonel Alexander was interestingly among those who provided confirmation the Carpenter Affair took place. Of potential further interest is Christopher "Kit" Green, a long time CIA employee who also worked with NIDS, according to former NIDS personnel member Eric Davis.

John Schuessler was yet another member of NIDS personnel, a situation that further explains the perspective expressed above by Larry Bryant. In the November, 2000, edition of the 'Smear, Mosely reported:

Our readers will recall that in our Sept. 5th issue, we told you of the internal scandal in MUFON regarding the fact that John Carpenter, their Director of Abduction Research, sold one hundred and forty (140) abduction case histories to wealthy John Bigelow of NIDS (National Institute of Discovery Science). John Schuessler, the new czar of MUFON, has promised an investigation by an Ethics Committee consisting of four unnamed members of their Board of Directors, and he has stated that the results of this internal investigation will be published in the MUFON Journal.

However, we have recently received the October issue of the Journal, and there is not a word therein about the John Carpenter affair! On the contrary, the lead article is authored by Carpenter, who uses the letters "MSW" and "LCSW" after his name. We have no idea what these letters mean, but we do know that the article in question is an absurd defense of the ludicrous "abduction video" which was the topic of Carpenter's presentation at this year's MUFON symposium in St. Louis. It thus appears that Mr. Carpenter is still riding high in the MUFON hierarchy!...

Curious circumstances indeed. Reasonable questions about the Carpenter Affair include:

Was the Carpenter Affair an isolated incident and single transaction as commonly supposed, or was Carpenter involved in additional, ongoing transactions and arrangements?

When did Carpenter's dealings with Bigelow begin?

Why did Bigelow want the 140 case files?

Might Carpenter's affiliation with the Bigelow camp have influenced how he conducted his 'investigations' and effected the ways he interacted with self-described experiencers?

Why did Carpenter not simply tell people, such as Haley and fellow MUFON leaders (in addition to Schuessler, who sat on the NIDS scientific advisory board, creating the related questionable circumstances), he intended to share files and/or information with Bigelow?

I emailed John Carpenter to try to learn more. I informed him I was blogging about the Leah Haley Case and asked if I could ask him some questions. After a few attempts at contact, he eventually replied, “Sure.”

I sent him some questions, to which he replied with some questions of his own, including asking, “Where is this information going?”

“How ironic,” I thought... and after exchanging a few more initial remarks, we proceeded.

Below is the vast majority of Carpenter's comments to me. I am providing them in their virtual entirety and exactly as written, less a few remarks contained in a previous post. 

I initially asked Carpenter how his interactions with the Bigelow camp began. I also asked what criteria was used to identify the 140 files as being of interest and if he engaged in any other transactions or projects with Bigelow. I encouraged him to provide commentary as he might be inclined to further clarify the circumstances.

Carpenter replied:

Bob Bigelow is a low key quiet man who has an avid and serious interest in the paranormal for all the right reasons. Because he worked hard for years at real estate and investments, he eventually made enough money to fund projects that would further research, bring answers, and take a much needed, serious, scientific, and psychological look at the UFO field.

All the serious researchers knew him well as he made a point of connecting with the best ones to see what they needed or what projects he could help with. He funded projects for Budd Hopkins, Stanton Friedman, Linda Howe, David Jacobs, myself, Dr. John Mack, George Knapp, MUFON, and more. People need to quit ASSUMING he is some shady figure!!

Carpenter ended the email by indicating he would send more later. I encouraged him to do so and in his next message he wrote:

Bob Bigelow is a kind-hearted, generous individual who avidly sought answers in professional, credible directions. He helped bring researchers together to discuss issues (while staying discreetly in the background). He helped fund the historical M.I.T. Abduction Study Conference in Boston in 1992.

He helped fund the famous Roper poll on how many Americans may have been abducted. This led then to another effort to train mental health professionals in abduction knowledge and therapy skills by way of major professional conferences for mental health personnel ONLY. These were held successfully in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago with John Mack, Budd Hopkins, David Jacobs, and myself as speakers. Bob wanted all the best for quality research and proper treatment for abductees.

I first met Bob when he tagged along with Linda Moulton Howe as she visited Southwest Missouri to work with me on several interesting abduction cases. Her subsequent film production became the pilot special that evolved into the long-running show, Sightings!

Bob said he was impressed with my hypnotherapy skills and professionalism. He, later on, flew me to Las Vegas, Tucson, Vancouver Island, and Nevada to help abduction cases he had become aware of. He also helped fund the investigation in New Mexico of Gerald Anderson's claims with myself and Stanton Friedman.

Carpenter continued in another message:

Eventually Bob created the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) in Las Vegas so that top scientists and other fields of professional expertise could study paranormal events, UFO cases, etc in a serious and quiet manner. He developed a science board of experts that would impress anybody on this planet. It included two Apollo astronauts who had walked on the moon, Jacques Vallee, Ian Stevenson (reincarnation studies), Hal Putoff (astrophysics), Edgar Mitchell, and many others who preferred to remain anonymous. They would secretly convene once a month and study various cases and projects.

I had the wonderful opportunity to give a presentation on abductions to this incredible panel of experts!

Having clarified the good and generous nature of Bob Bigelow and all the wonderful things he helped to make possible for all the right reasons, I want to clarify the last project that I worked on with his organization.

He wanted some of his top professional minds to study abduction data. I agreed to confidentially share data from a number of my cases by blacking out names and identifying data to protect my cases while giving top scientists a taste of what is being reported in abduction research.

Despite rumors on the Internet, I NEVER SOLD my cases!! That rumor supposedly had credibility because it was started by my ex-wife who wanted to stir up controversy and headaches for me! Doesn't anybody understand this dynamic with an ex-wife?

Anyway, for the record, all of my 140 plus cases remain complete, intact, and unchanged -- all in my possession if anybody cares to drop by my house just to be certain! Bob Bigelow only reimbursed me for my time and costs to work on selecting, preparing, and sending data. It was an honor to have great minds study this important information, quietly, discreetly, and respectfully. However, I heard that most of it never got reviewed and probably sits in some closet as priorities and more exciting projects came along. Around that time Bob had bought the famous ranch in Utah known for it's paranormal events, and the science team had a chance to study weirdness on our planet firsthand!! (See the book on these events -- "Hunt for the Skinwalker.")

I was disgusted with the rumors, lack of trust, cruelty, and self-serving comments made by Internet buffs --- most who have not performed one ounce of research. They trashed me, tried a lawsuit, discredited my long hours of serious, careful research, and had no comprehension of how I had tried to help abductees and their cause. I had held a full time job during all those years and did all research in my free time -- usually for free or donations. It made me sick, so I just backed away from it all. A voluntary effort is not worth all those headaches!

But I know so much from my cases and feel I still have much to offer. So it is hard to refuse anyone who still needs my help. I will still give presentations for conferences if asked. I produced 10 research DVDs as well to document my research. With Budd Hopkins and Dr. John Mack gone, my famed abductions colleagues have dwindled.

Any other questions?

I replied:

“Yes, a few. I would particularly appreciate direct answers to the following direct questions:

"I interpret you are communicating to me that you shared information with Robert Bigelow about abductees you worked with on an ongoing basis, not in a single transaction as the public commonly perceives. Is that a correct interpretation on my part?

"What was the date he tagged along with Linda Moulton Howe and you first met him?

"Would you please reasonably clarify the chain of events by providing a general time line of how the transfer of the information specifically related to the 140 cases in question evolved? For example, when you met Bigelow, when you began sharing information about the experiences of the 140, when you received compensation, etc.

"Did you have dealings with any individuals acting on behalf or in conjunction with the Bigelow camp, in addition to Robert Bigelow and concerning the 140 files, and, if so, who?

"Did you receive $14,000 or thereabouts from Robert Bigelow?

"Around the turn of the century, a post on Geocities dot com revealed the names of 139 of the alleged alien abductees in question. What would you say to those who might hold you and your choices responsible, at the least indirectly, for the occurrence?

"What would you say to the experiencers you worked with who may feel violated by your choices and betrayed by your actions, and might suggest you are rationalizing your behavior while minimizing the emotional damage done?”

Carpenter replied:

Yes, my data sharing was spread over 3 years around 1995 and the reimbursements trickled in over that period, so I don't know the actual total. My ex-wife provided a figure, but I'm not sure how she would have totaled it. Other researchers were approached with the same proposal, and some of them may have shared data, too.

I emphasize the confidentiality, care, and protection I gave this data. And I know of nobody that was harmed in any fashion.

I met Bob on Linda's trip in 1990.

I always dealt directly with Bob Bigelow.

I was appalled that a list of names was leaked to the Internet... I had privately developed code numbers for each case to protect the identity of each person. This way I could privately keep track of each case by number NOT by NAMES. I later learned that my ex-wife copied my private list and gave it out, and then some insensitive idiot had the nerve to put this private list on the Internet thus exposing identities that I had worked hard to protect. That person should be held accountable for such an insensitive and hurtful act!

However, since I worked with cases all over the country, the name Bill Johnson could be a lot of people since no locations or addresses were attached. The code numbers were to protect their identity and maintain confidentiality. The Internet and rumor-mongers were the hurtful participants!

Closing Remarks

I leave it up to the reader to determine what may be surmised from the statements of John Carpenter. You can determine for yourself what was learned and what issues remain.

Those who read The UFO Trail and know me are aware of my thoughts and feelings on such issues as regressive hypnosis used as a memory retrieval tool. My views are also reasonably well known on certain circumstances Carpenter chose to cite, as well as the work of some of the people he opted to frame in a positive light. I recognize Carpenter's right to hold and express any opinions he may choose, and I have no inclination to jump on any soap boxes in the immediate wake of those expressions. Suffice it to say there is plenty of competently composed critical review in opposition to circumstances cited by Carpenter, and I will primarily leave it at that.

I sincerely hope John Carpenter finds peace with himself. I also hope the often emotionally troubled people who summon the courage to reach out to such individuals as Carpenter in search of help will find much deserved relief and peace from their suffering. I hope those who were long since hurt by the Carpenter Affair found some comfort somewhere, too.

Decide for yourselves what you think mattered about the Carpenter Affair and Carpenter's recent statements. Decide for yourself what you would think mattered about it all if you were Leah Haley.

I indicated I wanted to discuss one last thing with Carpenter and I thanked him for providing comments.

“If you were so confident your motives and intentions were honorable,” I asked, “why did you not ever just ask Leah if it would be okay to share her file with an interested party? After all, she was obviously an ambitious truth seeker, considering her activities and levels of commitment. Why didn't you just ask her?”

“She was already publicly sharing, speaking, and publishing more details of her case than I ever thought of sharing,” Carpenter replied in an email, “and I wasn't sharing anything publicly --- only discreetly and privately with scientists -- that's what researchers do.”

Three minutes after the previous email, Carpenter sent another, adding, “If every researcher had to stop and call every case for permission before discussing details privately with another researcher, we never could have had confidential discussions and research meetings to advance this field of study.”

All other hurtful remarks and distorted perspectives temporarily aside, I take serious issue with the statement, “advance this field of study.”

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See also:

The Carpenter Affair: For the Record

The Leah Haley Case: Tom Deuley, The Tampa Trib and MUFON Unaccountability

This is one in a series of posts on the Leah Haley Case.

In March, 1995, Leah Haley and Marc Davenport had a speaking engagement at the Tampa Unity Church in Tampa, Florida. The couple regularly shared the controversial views they held at the time on such matters as aliens, multiple dimensions and military abductions.

Kurt Loft of The Tampa Tribune-Times wrote a piece on the scheduled event. Loft's article, UFO Enthusiasts to Describe Out-of-This-World Adventures, was published in the March 5, 1995, edition of the newspaper.

Loft summarized the claims and perspectives of Haley and Davenport and sought statements from other applicable sources. Major David Thurston, identified by Loft as a spokesman for the Air Force in Washington, provided comment. He explained the Pentagon did not take such claims seriously.

Fair enough. I would certainly expect Thurston to have accurately represented the policies and stances of his employer.

Loft also sought comment from Tom Deuley of MUFON. Loft wrote:

The Pentagon scoffs at the accusations, said Maj. David Thurston, a spokesman for the Air Force in Washington.

"I don't want to dignify such charges with a comment," he said.  "I will say the Air Force isn't in the business of kidnapping the citizens of this country."

Nor does the Mutual UFO Network, which publishes the UFO Journal in Seguin, Texas, embrace Haley's abduction stories--either by aliens or the military.

"I would advise people to listen very closely to their lecture and apply some common sense to what they hear," said Tom Deuley of the Network, which has more than 5,200 members.  "We feel very embarrassed that UFOs are the vehicle for people making a living. When people tell such ridiculous stories, it doesn't help the serious scientific work being done."

Trouble was, the article and Deuley's statements were simply misrepresentations of actual MUFON actions and apparent policy.

Tom Deuley

Tom Deuley

Lieutenant Commander Thomas P. Deuley, US Navy, Retired, has an impressive resume and long history in ufology. One of his many bios circulating through the UFO community states he holds an engineering degree from Auburn and a degree in advertising from San Antonio College. He has a diverse background in military affairs including security and intelligence.  A former National Security Agency employee, Deuley has presented information to the UFO community on a variety of topics.

Deuley is a long time member of the MUFON board of directors. He also held key positions within additional UFO organizations and resulting projects, including the Fund for UFO Research, the UFO Research Coalition and the ill fated Ambient Monitoring Project, a program drawing substantial criticism, among other reasons, for its lack of transparency.

At the time, March 5, 1995, Loft suggested in The Tampa Trib, evidently based upon comments provided by Deuley, that neither MUFON nor its Journal embraced such abduction stories, little could have been further from correct. The facts of the matter were if we need any documentation MUFON has a long history of supporting such stories, we need look no farther than the very MUFON Journal suggested to oppose such claims.

In actuality, the 1995 February and April editions of the Journal carried a column written by then-MUFON director of abduction research, John Carpenter. The column, Abduction Notes, was regularly published in the Journal and clearly promoted and endorsed claims of abduction, both alien and military.

As a matter of fact, in February, 1995, Carpenter wrote that John Mack brought attention to the “reality of UFO abductions.” Carpenter went on in the same column to endorse Streiber's Communion and Hopkins' Intruders.

The April, 1995, installment of Abduction Notes published in the MUFON Journal saw Carpenter writing about the importance of providing professional support to alien abductees. Combined with Deuley's virtually simultaneous and particularly critical comments on such matters, the situation could reasonably be interpreted as an outrageously ironic contradiction in MUFON policy. Clearly, the MUFON stance was not entirely and accurately represented in The Trib.

Perhaps most insulting of all to Leah Haley, Deuley apparently failed to inform Loft it was Deuley's fellow MUFON director, John Carpenter, who originally personally assisted and encouraged Haley in forming and cultivating her ideas via hypnosis about aliens and military personnel in the first place. The article also failed to accurately portray the role MUFON director Donald Ware played in the situation. Ware participated in the Eglin expedition, a hike in which a US Air Force base was searched for the site of an allegedly downed alien craft Haley was once supposed to have been aboard. What's more, it was Ware who originally suggested they undertake the remarkable hike and search. The very organization in which Leah sought help, hesitantly yet trustfully following their paradigm-shifting concepts and suggestions that included a year of hypnotic regression sessions, threw her under the bus on the pages of The Tampa Tribune-Times.

More facts of the matter include Haley was not “making a living” at sharing her story as Deuley suggested. Far from it, actually.

In her book, Unlocking Alien Closets, pages 181-182, Haley addressed the Loft article. Among other points presented, she detailed her personal finances which clearly demonstrated her activities in the UFO community were severely detrimental - and by no means beneficial - to money matters. Haley further stated that to the best of her recollection, she never so much as met Tom Deuley.

I emailed Deuley to try to learn more. I informed him I write a UFO-related blog and I provided a link. I stated I am writing about the Leah Haley Case and asked if I may ask him some questions.

Two similar requests were sent to the MUFON email address of Robert Swiatek, another long time MUFON board member who has previously posted comment here at The UFO Trail. The emails to Swiatek were not answered.

Multiple emails were also sent to MUFON board member Marie Malzahn at two different email addresses on file here at The 'Trail. I requested permission to ask her some questions about current MUFON policy and no replies were received.

Deuley replied he would be glad to entertain questions but advised he did not recall much about the Haley case. He added maybe the questions would be reminders.

On January 9, 2012, I emailed Deuley a summary of the Loft article and situation as described above, as well as reference to the Carpenter Affair. I thanked him for his willingness to entertain questions and stated I would appreciate comments at his convenience.

I asked what he would say to people who might question the hypocrisy of him speaking on behalf of MUFON and criticizing Haley, when it was his very MUFON peer, Carpenter, who originally encouraged and promoted her then-beliefs. I asked, most importantly, how might he expect Leah Haley to feel about it.

I also requested Deuley state his stance on MUFON chapters continuing to promote and
conduct regressive hypnosis as a memory retrieval tool.

I requested Deuley explain, as a long time MUFON board member and considering the mission of the organization to conduct scientific research, how he feels about the MUFON tendencies to provide public platforms to such self-described researchers as the late Budd Hopkins and others who use hypnosis as a primary tool of investigation. I asked Deuley to clarify his stance on David Jacobs being recently provided a public platform at MUFON LA. I also requested Deuley state his stance on MUFON chapters continuing to promote and conduct regressive hypnosis as a memory retrieval tool.

I asked if he would please comment on his recollections of how the MUFON board of directors handled the Carpenter Affair. I inquired whether Deuley was pleased or dissatisfied with MUFON actions, and what he thought was most important about the entire series of events.

I referenced how former MUFON international director James Carrion was quite outspoken about his interpretations the intelligence community plays a significant role in ufology, including the manipulation of MUFON. I further referenced how Clifford Clift made comments to a similar effect, even if the two men imply one another were more part of the problem than not. I then asked Deuley if he thinks MUFON was ever, at any time either formerly or currently, covertly infiltrated by the intelligence community.

As of this post, I have received no further emails or responses from Tom Deuley.

Accountability

To clarify, I do not oppose Deuley's implications ufology could use more critical thinking. Of course it could.

I take issue with MUFON board members holding conflicting perspectives while each claiming and/or implying to be acting on behalf of the organization, especially when it results in an individual, Haley, publicly criticized who was assured help and did as she was suggested. I also take issue with said board members being unaccountable for the behavior. I further take issue with members of the MUFON board of directors continuing to refuse to commit to a stance or even so much as address the issues, particularly concerning the use of hypnosis as a memory retrieval tool.

The latest MUFON international director, David "The Captain" MacDonald, cooperatively fielded some questions here at The UFO Trail. While I appreciate his willingness to address issues, I find his comments concerning hypnosis unacceptable and indicative of a poorly informed UFO community.

Concerning MUFON providing platforms to individuals who use hypnosis as a primary investigative tool, Mr. MacDonald stated he has "no problem" with chapters hosting speakers making presentations on any "investigative procedure," including hypnosis. The problem with that, Mr. MacDonald, is the professional research community does not recognize hypnosis as an investigative procedure. This includes the academic/scientific community. The medical industry, which includes mental health professionals, does not recognize hypnosis as an investigative procedure, either. That is because, to overstate what should be the obvious yet remains chronically elusive, it is not an investigative procedure. 

None of that would be particularly significant if it were not for the facts the Mutual UFO Network is a nonprofit public charity and claims to be dedicated to the scientific study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity. It is not a private corporation or a hypnosis society. Neither is it dedicated to promoting inaccurate information subject to the best ticket draw and at the emotional sacrifice of those who approach it for advertised investigative and support services - even though it may appear that way much more often than not.

As we proceed with the exploration of the Leah Haley Case, let us please remember the key issues. Let us not be swayed by those who try to distract our attention from the most significant facts.

Leah Haley was hypnotized repeatedly throughout 1991 by a MUFON director, John Carpenter, inducing emotional upheaval and beliefs she was traumatically abducted again and again by a variety of alien and human perpetrators. She was guided by another MUFON director, Lieutenant Colonel Donald Ware, through an expedition of a US Air Force Base, supposedly searching for a site an alien craft was downed with her aboard and as suggested during one of the many hypnosis sessions. Her case file and the files of 139 other alleged abductees were released by Carpenter to Robert Bigelow and his military intelligence associates, as reportedly confirmed by Colonel John Alexander and cited in the previous post.

Those are facts. What the facts may indicate is open to interpretation and justifies further research. As I have stated all along, I do not claim to have conclusions.

Haley believes she somehow became involved in covert research operations. As I have written, Haley's case may, at worst, be indicative of covert psychological operations in which any number of people were manipulated and deceived. At best, Haley's story is the saga of a woman who sought the services of organizations and individuals claiming to provide quality, scientific investigation and healthy emotional support - and those organizations and individuals simply lied, be it out of ignorance, incompetence, deception or combinations thereof.

I would hope the UFO community would take note of such occurrences and be interested in improving its performance. Unfortunately, I have little reason to currently believe that is the case.

Haley's situation, extraordinary as it may seem, is actually not as unique as it may initially appear. It just happens to be relatively high profile. Think about it. 

There is the Emma Woods situation. There is the Carol Rainey films and information. Let us not forget there are no less than 139 others directly involved in the Carpenter Affair. I am personally and directly aware of individuals who contacted MUFON, a public nonprofit corporation purportedly dedicated to scientific research, for assistance in understanding their strange experiences and were abruptly referred to hypnotists. Some of these individuals have since decided the hypnosis sessions were unhelpful in identifying actuality, traumatic and quite harmful to their emotional well being and mental health.

I invite you to ask yourself if you will support and enable those who rationalize such circumstances, trying to dilute the significance of damage being inflicted. Accountability is in order - not excuses.