UFO Misinformation: Relevant as It Ever Was

The late Paul Bennewitz

Paul Bennewitz lived just outside Kirtland Air Force Base, where he became convinced aliens were executing a plan to take over the planet. Air Force personnel contributed to reinforcing and shaping the man's beliefs, according to Greg Bishop's 2005 nonfiction book, Project Beta: The Story of Paul Bennewitz, National Security, and the Creation of a Modern UFO Myth. 

Bishop was prominently featured in Mirage Men, a 2013 documentary written by Mark Pilkington and directed by John Lundberg and others. The film explores at length the circumstances of Bennewitz's ill fated association with Richard Doty, who, during the time in question, was an Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agent. Bennewitz also became acquainted with UFO researcher William Moore, further sealing the confused Bennewitz's unfortunate fate. 

The work of Bishop and Pilkington is essential material in gaining understandings of what's known and speculated about the Bennewitz chain of events, as well as the general intelligence community propagation of UFO-related stories. An abundance of unsubstantiated assumptions about UFOs and their extraterrestrial, underground dwelling, cattle mutilating pilots - which are now commonly yet mistakenly taken for granted as accurate - can be directly traced to events and the cast of characters surrounding Paul Bennewitz. And none of it was true. 

Also deserving mention is an article by Alejandro Rojas titled, Open letter to the U.S. Air Force regarding allegations of UFO disinformation. The 2014 piece takes readers through the FOIA efforts of Rojas surrounding the Bennewitz case. The citations contain a wealth of material for potential further FOIA requests. FOIA subject material may also be mined from Project Beta and Mirage Men.

Submitted today to AFOSI, FBI, CIA, & NSA. Keep plugging away, y'all, keep plugging away. #FOIA pic.twitter.com/iTs4ku2Bnr

— Jack Brewer (@TheUFOTrail) June 30, 2018

My FOIA efforts include submitting the above material quoted from Project Beta to multiple agencies. Former Special Agent Doty apparently told Bishop about investigations surrounding Bennewitz. I have yet to receive any positive responses but, as often seems to be the case with such matters, my preparation to appeal the unfilled requests presents more circumstances worthy of FOIA submissions.

Take, for example, statements below contained in a letter written by Doty and sent to Jim Moseley, published in Moseley's July 15, 2000 edition of Saucer Smear:

I encourage interested parties to cite specific published statements as quoted above and submit FOIA requests for files which may have resulted from the alleged circumstances. In the above example, requests might be sent to AFOSI and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

While I find such circumstances intriguing, their relevance arguably goes much further than how interested we may be. There is actually a very important reason to better inform ourselves of past events: It teaches us better understandings of current events.

Richard Doty

Adam Gorightly has a forthcoming book exploring the cultivation of a great deal of questionable UFO stories. He takes a close look at tales surrounding Dulce, the big reveal that never happened at Holloman AFB, the birth of the infamous Serpo fiasco, and much more. I look forward to the release of the book and resulting discussions.

I contend it is important to be aware of these stories because doing so demonstrates the critical significance of prioritizing established facts over suppositions. It should be understood that statements need not be immediately discounted, nor should we necessarily distrust people with ties to the intelligence community. An important point is that there are extremely well documented instances of individuals going to great lengths to control the UFO narrative for a variety of reasons. That being the conclusively demonstrated case, we should proceed with caution - whether someone with a story worked on the federal payroll or not. 

There is no substitute for transparent research practices and making evidence available for public review. We should expect those making claims to understand this as well. As history teaches, beware those who minimize transparency and talk in circles. It doesn't mean every story is not true, but it's not like we don't have valid reasons to suspend judgment until verification comes along. To criticize those who do so is unreasonable.

Gimbal Video and the Misinterpreted 'Fleet' of UFOs

The Gimbal video, which was the first recording presented by To The Stars Academy (TTSA), contains a statement which continues to often be interpreted, likely incorrectly, as suggesting a "fleet" of unidentified aircraft was seen and/or detected by the flight crew. The statement is almost certainly being misunderstood. In all likelihood the individual who made the remark was referring to the common presence of drones, not a high number of UFOs in the vicinity yet not filmed in the video. Let's explore why.

The confusion initially arose due to a statement which can be heard shortly past the 1:10 mark in the video posted by TTSA. "There's a whole fleet of them," an apparent crew member stated in the clip below.





A closer review, however, reveals further context which likely clarifies the remark. As the lone craft in question is apparently discussed by the crew, the statement immediately preceding the more widely known fleet-remark was, "It's a [expletive] drone, bro." 

Then the next statements declare, "There's a whole fleet of them. Look on the ASA."

The man was virtually certainly referencing the just mentioned drone. He was in all reasonable likelihood suggesting there are large numbers, or a fleet, of drones in the sky at any given time, not a fleet of UFOs in the vicinity and off camera. He seemed to be figuratively using the term "fleet" to suggest the general commonality of airborne drones. 

To further clarify the point, an ASA is a flight log. If the TTSA transcription of the statements was correct, and he in fact suggested to look on the ASA, it is extremely unlikely the man would suggest to do that to find a fleet of UFOs in current view. That might particularly be considered unlikely as compared to consulting the ASA for evidence of flights of the immediately just mentioned drones. 

Apparent AATIP director and TTSA man Luis Elizondo fielded a question Friday, as seen below, about the alleged "fleet" of unidentified aircraft. The issue obviously continues to arise.

BREAKING! Luis Elizondo spoke specifically to my question about the ‘fleet’ of tic tacs one of the pilots mentioned in one of the TTSA videos! pic.twitter.com/6MIE29SVuS

— The UFO Show 👽 (@UFOShowLive) July 27, 2018

Elizondo diplomatically declined comment on a "fleet" of UFOs. "There's a difference between putting out information right, and putting out information right now," he said.

There are many posts around the 'net about the Gimbal video and other TTSA material. Readers may find some of the analysis of interest. It is not my intention to attempt to definitively identify the craft in the video (I'm not necessarily suggesting it was a drone). Much more information would seem to be required. My aim in this blog post is to help clarify what many have already discussed, yet keeps seeming to get left out of the narrative, about a likely explanation for the often misinterpreted context of the "fleet" statement. 

It is completely understandable that those intrigued by the UFO topic find the AATIP of deep interest. However, it is important that we weigh the value of information carefully. We should differentiate between authenticated project documents and those (at best) loosely related to the program, as well as apply healthy skepticism to claims lacking sources. Much caution should be taken when we are urged to hold trust in higher priority than a methodical, transparent, and systematic research process. 

Form your beliefs wisely. The UFO genre has a documented history of careless and questionable individuals who try to form your beliefs for you. It is not unreasonable debunking to expect verification of claims and clarification of discrepancies. Such fact-checking should be considered essential to forming better understandings and developing adequately informed opinions, be it in the UFO community or anywhere else. 

Steinberg Bankruptcy Failed to Slow Claims of Cash Crisis

Gene Steinberg reported a monthly income of $2,790.76 on a 2016 bankruptcy petition. The Paracast and Tech Night Owl host spent now well documented years seeking cash gifts via email and other media, while consistently framing common living expenses as emergencies and claiming himself virtually destitute. The bankruptcy file is public record and arose through an ongoing open source investigation of Steinberg's financial claims conducted by a growing number of interested parties. 

Offered an opportunity to comment for this blog post, Steinberg replied in a July 18 email that he resents the probe into public records about him and other family members. "I demand that it stop," he added. Steinberg suggested he might ask for a full financial disclosure from me, seemingly oblivious to the difference in the circumstances - sincerely or otherwise.

Reported liabilities, income, and expenses

Blog commenters and social media participants who reviewed the file took issue with such circumstances as a nearly $700 per month car payment. Also questioned was what seemed to be Steinberg's practice of moving into costlier residences following evictions, as pieced together through various email solicitations and public records. More issues also arose, such as whether he reports income from his constant solicitations.

My email to Steinberg particularly sought comment on how one's judgment might reasonably be called into question if they have some $2800 per month income yet are consistently unable to take care of them self. This would be the case regardless of reported expenses, as it would seem they would reconsider choices of expenses, particularly when asking others to financially compensate for those choices.

"My financial struggles are none of your business," Steinberg wrote, adding that he demands others and I cease trolling him and posting what he termed false information. 

In addition to questioning Steinberg's financial choices, it should also be considered that bankruptcy dissolves debt. That is largely the point in filing. One who files bankruptcy typically ceases paying creditors immediately. In spite of this being the case, a review of Steinberg's cash soliciting history shows he continued calls for financial gifts prior to, during, and after the filing.

Steinberg monthly expenses per 2016 bankruptcy

The bankruptcy petition was filed on or about May 9, 2016. It appears during this point in time, mid 2016, Steinberg launched a gofundme page. 

More can be observed from an April 7, 2016, message to his e-list titled, "A Warning from the Power Company." Steinberg tells readers of pending utility and rent payments, requesting their financial help.

July 2, 2016, Steinberg told email recipients "the landlord is torturing us" in a message titled, "Time is Short!". He wrote of eviction and an inability to pay expected deposits required for a new residence he was apparently seeking. He also claimed he was doing everything he could to cut expenses. Such emails were typical and ongoing.

It is difficult to understand how the statements from 2016 emails could be accurate when considered in the context of bankruptcy, in which one often stops paying loans and all unnecessary debt. That is particularly the case when considering the debt relief was combined with some $2800 per month in income. It is unfortunate that reaching out to Gene Steinberg for comment only resulted in rhetoric about trolls.

Readers may choose to ask themselves if Paracast and its associated platforms are reliable sources of information. They may also decide, when supplied with adequate knowledge of the history of the host's actions, if such activities align with those they desire to fund.

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Related:

Gene Steinberg Personal 'Emergency' Cash Solicitations Span Years, Hundreds of Emails

Updates on Paracast Host Gene Steinberg 'Emergency' Cash Solicitations

There's Something in the Woods: Hope and Faith

If you take I-4 to Hwy. 27 and follow it south a couple dozen miles or so, you'll come to an “Old Florida” small town by the name of Lake Wales. If you're with someone who knows where they're going, you might then head east on 60 through orange groves and cattle country until you take a right onto a two-lane road. That road runs south through more orange groves into another road that circles a lake. Heading around the lake you'll find a dirt road that winds into some woods. As you make your way into the woods you'll round a corner and encounter an unexpected, seemingly anomalous sight. Rising out of the forest floor in defiance of time and elements is St. Anne's Shrine.

“Wow,” I mumbled as I tossed open the car door to climb out and take a closer look.

A bridge leads to St. Anne's Shrine, where statues depict a kneeling St. Anne to the left
as Mother Mary watches from above 

This seeming monument to humankind's hope and faith stands some twenty or more feet high. An altar is flanked by arched doorways while the top extends and bows forward, sheltering what was no doubt considered the sacred heart of the structure. Personal effects left by visitors have been carefully placed about. Candles and artificial flowers are plentiful, as are ferns growing wild.

Sunlight shimmers through an oak and palm tree canopy upon a stone bridge leading to the shrine. It both literally and metaphorically bridges the world to the statues of St. Anne and Maria on the other side. The bridge crosses a relatively large ditch which appears to have been intentionally dug in a manner to arc around the front of the structure, the remains of a church built some 98 years ago.

A devout Canadian Catholic by the name of Napoleon Pelletier is credited with single-handedly building and maintaining the church while he was visiting the still sparsely populated area. As the story goes, he built the structure about 1920 in gratitude for his ill son's revived health. Read more about the story on Wikipedia. 

Concrete slabs containing many symbolic decorations lie across the front of the shrine. One quickly assesses this was no small act of devotion manifested as a construction product, much less if undertaken a century ago. Initials carved in a tree trunk, it's not. 

Pelletier's handiwork apparently even included another statue of St. Anne erected upon stone in the nearby lake, though that particular figure is no longer standing. Many people, reportedly numbering into the thousands, made pilgrimages to the church in years long past. The still small road to the structure was crowded with visitors during select holidays.

A smaller stone monument remains to the left of the back of the shrine, where St. Anne stands in front of eleven stone columns. To the rear right is a relatively small stone formation, possibly once used as a christening pool. According to a memorial marker appropriately placed towards the front of the site, Napoleon Pelletier passed away in 1942 and is buried on the site.

AATIP Crew Handled Kimbler Roswell Debris

Samples of debris reportedly recovered by Frank Kimbler at what he believed to be the vicinity of the storied Roswell crash site were provided to Hal Puthoff's Earth Tech and Robert Bigelow's BAASS, each later named as key figures in a Pentagon-funded UFO investigation project in a much discussed Dec. 16, 2017, NYT article. As many are aware, the Times piece described what came to be known as the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program, among other titles, which reportedly operated from at least 2007 through 2011. A 2011 blog post at The UFO Trail suggested Kimbler provided samples for testing to Puthoff and Bigelow, the latter of which the Times described as directing the modification of buildings in Las Vegas for storing materials recovered from unidentified aerial phenomena. Puthoff informed Kimbler of the availability of funding assistance for possible further testing, according to a 2011 email from Kimbler.

Hal Puthoff, PhD

Several websites are effectively pursuing likely sources of claims of stored materials, including blogs written by Keith Basterfield, Jason Colavito, and Robert Sheaffer. Worthy analysis of the "alloys" aspect of the evolving AATIP story was also published at Daily Grail. The Kimbler saga might add yet another piece to the puzzle. Researchers are largely forced to untangle the web on their own, as those claiming to be in the know are selectively releasing incomplete statements, often struggling with reasonable follow up questions if not altogether ignoring them.

As Colavito wrote, writer Leslie Kean, a co-author of the original Times article, had trouble trying to explain what was not classified about the alleged alloys and other aspects of the program. Similarly, the exact origins of the materials in question are unclear, as are their ownership. 

The UFO Trail blog post from Sep. 3, 2011, explored some of Kimbler's samples reportedly going missing under unusual circumstances. The post further stated:

Kimbler has previous dealings with Hal Puthoff of Earth Tech and Robert Bigelow's BAASS while attempting to obtain quality analysis of the material he located. Many suspect the debris may be linked to the now famous Roswell crash. Kimbler indicated the analysis has been slow and tedious, and his dealing with both Earth Tech and BAASS raised concerns.

Email exchanges with Kimbler leading up to the blog post include an Aug. 22, 2011, message in which he explained he provided Earth Tech and BAASS with samples. He described both outfits as not forthcoming with information, sometimes requiring months of repeatedly asking the status of tests. He never received any data at all on one particular sample sent to BAASS, Kimbler wrote. 

Kimbler added in the 2011 email that an interesting side note occurred when Puthoff of Earth Tech, in spite of being relatively unhelpful with the tests, later wrote Kimbler. According to Kimbler's email, Puthoff suggested financial assistance was available for more analysis if desired. This seemed to leave Kimbler somewhat perplexed as to why adequate testing was not simply conducted on the samples and satisfactorily reported to him in the first place.

Offered an opportunity to comment for this post, Kimbler replied in a June 28, 2018, email, "Everything I said in 2011 is true."

Earth Tech did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

July 8, 1947, edition of Roswell Daily Record

The significance of debris found by Kimbler in the New Mexico desert sparked debate within the UFO community. Some believe it to be remnants of a crashed alien spacecraft, while others suspect it may provide clues to what human-manufactured vehicle actually went down that fateful summer of 1947. Others point out the material has not yet been established as necessarily having anything at all to do with the famous Roswell story. 

DIA: No Docs on NIDS

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reported no documents responsive to an FOIA request for contracts undertaken with and funding provided to the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS). "Despite a thorough search, no documents responsive to your request were found," wrote Alesia Y. Williams, Chief, FOIA and Declassification Services Office, in a May 17 letter from the DIA.

The initial Dec. 23, 2017 request sought records including a likely date range of 1995 to 2004, the years NIDS was an active nonprofit corporation. The now dissolved entity was founded by controversial philanthropist Robert Bigelow and is known for such ventures as research reportedly conducted on the now fabled Skinwalker Ranch. 

The latest FOIA swing and miss further questions the context of a public statement credited to Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) published in conjunction with an update from reporter George Knapp's team. Such references in the statement to viewing "the human body as a readout system for UFO effects by utilizing forensic technology, the tools of immunology, cell biology, genomics and neuroanatomy" led some researchers to suspect inferences to the Skinwalker project, as was directly claimed related to DIA-funded research by select members and associates of To The Stars Academy. It is unclear exactly how the Skinwalker Ranch may be involved with the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP), seemingly derived from the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP), and funded by the DIA as reported in a high profile NY Times article and by a Pentagon spokesperson. 

Researcher Keith Basterfield identified longtime Bigelow associate Dr. Colm Kelleher as a likely author of the published BAASS statement. Kelleher and Knapp co-authored Hunt for the Skinwalker, a 2005 book about reportedly fantastic occurrences at the ranch.

George Knapp

Knapp's more recent work includes the publication of what he referred to as "an in-depth report prepared by and for the military" on what became known as the Tic Tac UFO incident. The source of the document was not revealed and it remains unauthenticated as of this writing, causing researchers such as John Greenewald to point out issues looming over the circumstances.

Greenewald previously questioned the scope and depth of the Pentagon-UFO project as framed by the NY Times due to reasons including the continuing lack of FOIA responses and the relatively small amount of funding allocated, about $22 million. Moreover, the Times credited Pentagon spokesman Thomas Crossman with the statement, "It was determined that there were other, higher priority issues that merited funding, and it was in the best interest of the DoD to make a change."

That same Times article stated, "Researchers also studied people who said they had experienced physical effects from encounters with the objects and examined them for any physiological changes." Combined with BAASS statements about studying "the human body as a readout system for UFO effects," researchers might reasonably continue to seek accountability for details of exactly how such projects were initially designed, approved, and overseen. Were research subjects adequately informed of the circumstances? Who were the project personnel? What boards were used to evaluate and approve the work?

Perhaps we will eventually obtain verified answers to such questions. It appears we must rely on the FOIA process, as individuals claiming involvement are proving poor sources of information. FOIA submissions to the DIA remain pending for contractual records, lists of funding recipients, resulting reports, and similar documents pertaining to the AATIP and AAWSAP.

1996 Associated Press article stating Col. John Alexander would not provide details
of how or why research was being conducted at Skinwalker Ranch 

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Related recommended reading:

UFO Info Wars

FOIA the AAWSAP Call for Proposals

Who's Been Running MUFON?

UFO-Pentagon Story Reflects Fundamental Problems

Fusion Centers Were Emailed Mind Control Claims

The Washington State Fusion Center (WSFC) provided files pertaining to alleged electronic harassment perpetrated by the intelligence community in response to an April 19 public records request. The request sought records indicating where images originated and how they were obtained published in an April 18 MuckRock article on remote mind control files previously released by the Center. 

The additional records, provided in a May 16 message from a Washington State Patrol Public Records Officer, include a copy of a 2017 email apparently composed by an activist for a demographic known as Targeted Individuals and sent to multiple fusion centers, among numerous other recipients. The material contained in the email and additional files portrays a variety of unsubstantiated claims, often presented as if factual statements. Also reflected are verified instances of IC nefarious activities, surveillance, and research and development of electronic weaponry. 

Apparent sender & recipients, including several fusion centers,
 of 2017 email, "CIA NSA Surveillance"

The files, seemingly provided to the WSFC from outside sources, tend to blur the lines between speculative accusations and verified historical circumstances, such as Project MKULTRA. Such inexact connections and speculation often occur in the Targeted Individual and UFO communities, which each consist of researchers who explore such material, although typically from differing perspectives.

It was unclear if all of the files provided May 16 were sent to the WSFC in the 2017 email composed by the activist, or received in some other manner. A telephone call to the Public Records Officer was not immediately returned which sought clarification of context of the copy of the 2017 email and accompanying files. It is not entirely apparent how it all pertained to the request submitted, seeking info about the origins of records released to MuckRock. 

The mind control-related material unexpectedly provided to MuckRock, as researcher Curtis Waltman wrote, was included in response to his request for files pertaining to Antifa and white supremacists. The credibility of claims of electronic harassment contained in files subsequently provided by the WSFC is therefore arguably not at issue as compared to the possible significance of the relationship of the material and its authors to the topic of Waltman's request. 

The files contained in the May 16 response are the 2017 email titled, "CIA NSA Surveillance," as well as files titled "Electronic Harassment," "John St. Claire Akwei vs. NSA Ft. Meade MD USA," "Julianne McKinney report," and "projectMKULTRA." The files may be viewed and downloaded at keepandshare.

Repetitive content and email code were removed from "CIA NSA Surveillance" for brevity and uploading before transferring it to pdf. Interested parties may obtain the original file in its entirety from WSFC or contact me. 

The files include content reflecting various degrees of reliability. The MKULTRA file, for instance, appears to be a long available rendering of a Congressional hearing, while other files contain some quite questionable interpretations, and all points in between. The "Juliette McKinney report" contains a 23-page publicly available paper composed in 1992 by McKinney, reportedly a former intelligence officer, and titled, "Microwave Harassment and Mind-Control Experimentation". 

The Targeted Individual and UFO communities somewhat interestingly consist of similar kinds of inner fighting. Accusations are hurled of disinformation agents causing dissent and spreading confusion under the guise of conducting activism and research. 

The collective material provided by WSFC may very well offer no surprises to those familiar with the TI and UFO communities. However, its possible context to the records requests might intrigue researchers.

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Related:

Mind Control Files Included in FOIA Response