The Human Hypothesis for Some Reports of Alien Abduction: Trauma, Covert Research Projects and Non-Lethal Weapons

The human hypothesis, or HH, is nothing new to ufology, unpopular and disproportionately omitted from discussion as it may be. Sincere and sober researchers have long acknowledged that it only stands to reason that a certain percentage of reports of stunning flying objects and their breath-taking aerial maneuvers would be quite earthly, as opposed to extraterrestrial, advanced aircraft.

The HH and its implications to the abduction phenomenon, however, are more difficult to bring to light. To proceed with relevant considerations, we might first explore emotional trauma.

The Traumatized Abductee

Severe emotional trauma may physiologically alter the brain, the medical industry informs us. The effected part of the brain is directly related to critical thinking and mental abilities such as interpreting time lines and the accurate recollection of events.

It is not only possible, but should be expected, that an extremely traumatized individual cannot accurately recall certain events. Additionally, their inability to construct accurate time lines may result in not only an inability to correctly recall when an event took place, but incorrect perceptions that similar such events are recurring. Specifically, this means it is common to the point of being considered probable that a traumatized and untreated individual can construct an inaccurate perception of an event and incorrectly perceive it is happening again and again.

I am directly suggesting a percentage of self-described abductees are, in fact, terribly traumatized individuals in need of treatment and of which never had anything particularly out of the ordinary happen to them. I am suggesting that, yes, they had horrific events befall them, but, no, not particularly uncommon events or alien abductions. I am directly suggesting some of them have confused their traumatic experiences with alien abductions, and that an overeager UFO community – and often its self-appointed experts - encourage such people to take the alien abduction ball and run with it. This is of course not a unique interpretation on my part, but one currently held by the professional mental health community.

To try to be clear, the rest of this post is not about such people who were traumatized by relatively common, all be them terrible, events, and came to incorrectly think themselves alien abductees. The HH is about individuals who may have truly experienced something unusual, and as a result sustained trauma.

A relevant question becomes what truly caused the trauma. Perhaps in some circumstances aliens or yet to be understood phenomena caused the trauma. I do not know, but the HH is, of course, not about such possibilities. The HH is about the possibility that quite human-instigated occurrences may have taken place in select cases and circumstances.

The traumatized people who are sadly confused must be acknowledged because their claims most certainly account for some reports of abduction. Furthermore, we must acknowledge emotional trauma because it potentially plays as large a role in the lives of those who may have experienced truly peculiar circumstances as it plays in the lives of those who did not. I am directly suggesting that the premise of the HH involves sustained trauma, the peer pressure the UFO community puts upon its members to carry the torch of the extraterrestrial hypothesis, and the subsequent manufacturing of what became known as alien abductees.

In order to more accurately comprehend the HH, we must consider how some people became extremely traumatized under unusual circumstances and at the hands of quite human beings. In order to more thoroughly understand how a person could become severely traumatized by their fellow human beings, and, then, to add painful insult to traumatic injury, waded into a UFO community that slapped them in front of a hypnotist and would only provide emotional support if they proclaimed them self an alien abductee, we must take a look at the past.

Much More Than Just Staring at Goats

During the 1940's in the United States, the intelligence community began what would become a no-holds-barred effort that lasted no less than into the 1970's to master “behavior modification,” or, by any other name, mind control. The use of hypnosis was initially explored. Projects BLUEBIRD, ARTICHOKE and a variety of classified initiatives evolved into Project MKULTRA.

Mind Kontrol Ultra combined the most experienced and educated people that CIA money could buy and coerce into experimenting on involuntary human research subjects. Some 140+ known sub-projects took place at 80+ known venues, including major universities, military bases, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, clinics, drug treatment facilities, correctional institutions and even brothels. The Agency went all in: drugs, hypnosis, implants, sex, electromagnetic frequencies, electricity, audio programming, toxic substances, the uses of syringes and aerosols, conditioned behavior, sensory deprivation, combinations thereof... If there was a possibility it might control thoughts and facilitate predictable responses, there was a sub-project somewhere with someone checking it out and subjecting unwitting individuals to it.

We only found out because they got caught.

CIA employee and MKULTRA project director Dr. Sidney Gottlieb was called out on the Congressional carpet during the 1970's to account for his activities. He and other members of the intelligence community were called to Washington to explain such curiosities, among others, as why spooks had magicians on the CIA payroll (see 1977 Senate Hearing on MKULTRA, CIA Director Stansfield Turner's Testimony, page 42). While Gottlieb and company evaded such questions and played a shell game about what was going on from one project to the next, Gottlieb's instructions were carried out to have all 'ULTRA documents shredded.

Let us consider the memo, subject line, Request for Guidance on Handling Recently Located MKULTRA Material, dated 1977 and viewable beginning on page 106 of the Black Vault file linked here. The memo was composed by the director of the Office of Technical Service, CIA, and designed to inform the CIA deputy director that certain MKULTRA documents had been located. The memo addressed a request from writer/researcher John Marks for copies of any such documents, and advised the deputy director of a recommended course of action.

The memo provides confirmation that, about the time Congress began inquiring what was going on in the CIA, MKULTRA project director “Dr. Gottlieb retrieved and destroyed all documents he was able to locate.” The memo further indicates that the remaining MKULTRA documents were not planned to be released to Marks until after having been subjected to adequate “review and sanitization.”

What the public eventually learned about MKULTRA and similar such CIA ventures into mind control never included what Gottlieb destroyed. We never even got the real scoop. Furthermore, the story presented to the public, disturbing and heinous as it was and that resulted in concession on top of concession that cruel abuses were repeatedly perpetrated upon unsuspecting victims, was the sanitized version.

Meanwhile, John Marks continued his quest for truth. Marks utilized the Freedom of Information Act and employed legal counsel in eventually obtaining the remaining MKULTRA documents apparently missed by Gottlieb. He extensively studied the approximately 20,000 pages of eventually released documents, sanitized as they may have been, and informed us of what he learned in his landmark work, The Search for the Manchurian Candidate.

Marks informed us that the emerging picture included a Central Intelligence Agency that delved extensively and for decades into the use of hypnosis and the intentional induction of trauma in order to create multiple and split personalities. The ultimate reasons included creating methods to solicit specific behavior unknown to the individual being programmed. The general research objectives included, essentially, further quantifying factors by which individuals suffer from the symptoms of trauma. It was generally reasoned that if circumstances befall people that result in extreme trauma and the symptoms thereof, then such circumstances could be intentionally created and administered, enabling intentional manipulation of the resulting symptoms and subsequent behavior.

It was demonstrated by Marks and future works inspired by his efforts, such as Martin Cannon's controversial The Controllers: A New Hypothesis of Alien Abduction, that the CIA extensively experimented with what was viewed as an expendable population at large in the pursuit of perfecting mind control methods. Such researchers suggested that project objectives included the ultimate creation of assassins, human 'carrier pigeons,' Special Forces personnel and the like who literally were unaware of their programming. One of the many potential benefits to the Agency and its associates of such project outcomes was the possible creation of operatives who literally did not know their orders. Such operatives could not reveal secrets of state - even if they wanted to do so – to potential interrogators, seductive spies or wealthy enemies because they were not consciously aware of the secrets. They literally would not know what was going on if programmers could perfect the intentional induction of false memories, creation of screen memories, and administrations and manipulations thereof.

Cannon pointed out the striking similarities between such research subjects and self-described abductees. After all, it was the abductees themselves who frequently described 'missing time' and screen memories, of which they feared were intentionally induced. Abductees also described having their abduction experiences of many years past only occur to them at later points in their lives, going as far as to often directly state they felt as if they had been living double lives of which they had been consciously aware of but one. Furthermore and as pointed out by previous researchers, it was, in fact, abductees themselves who described the presence of apparent military personnel during some of their abductions.

To tie all this together, at least up to the point Cannon arrived on the scene, as well as clarify my implications, I will offer some direct statements. I am suggesting certain victims of projects such as MKULTRA, due to the very nature of the research conducted, suffer from traumatic fragmented memories of their ordeals. I believe it is not only possible, but highly likely, that a certain percentage of such people wandered into the UFO community to seek answers to their questions; questions related to circumstances such as 'lost' periods of time while serving in the military, general episodes of missing time, unexplained body markings, fragmented memories of programming and so on. I am suggesting that such individuals may have been subjected to the creation of screen memories of alien abductions for purposes that served as cover for MKULTRA or similar such projects but, more importantly, served the project methodology and desired outcomes. This may have been the case because the ultimate purposes, as demonstrated by Marks and Cannon, included the ability to create personnel who did not know their orders and could not disclose them even if they wanted. I am further suggesting that upon arriving in the UFO community, such research subjects would sadly and regretfully be quickly met by ill advised yet supposedly helpful people eagerly informing them that experiences as described were indicative of having been abducted by aliens.

When individuals accept the reality of covert research projects such as MKULTRA, its sister projects and predecessors, and accept the nature of the research conducted, it becomes a virtual given that a certain percentage of the victims would wade into UFO Land, its abductee support groups, Internet forums and the like. It just stands to reason. I am convinced that, at the least, further research is justified.

A reasonable line of inquiry might then include wondering what happened to ufology and the abduction phenomenon since the time of MKULTRA. One might wonder if circumstances continued that might result in involuntary research subjects incorrectly concluding they were alien abductees. One might ask if the latter 20^th century included technology and circumstances that could be as easily correlated with the alien abduction narrative as in the case of the horrors of mind control experiments.

The answer is yes. A review of the evolution of non-lethal weapons and their electromagnetic frequency (EMF) technology reveals similarities between reports of alien abduction and overexposure to EMFs that demand serious consideration. As a matter of fact, a great deal of technology often incorrectly assumed to be beyond human capacity and therefore reported as alien may be, in actuality and all reasonable likelihood, quite human.

Non-Lethal Weapons

In his book, The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life, published in 1985, author Dr. Robert Becker offered some explanations about what was known at the time about the development of EMF technology. This included Allan Frey's discovery that pulsed transmissions significantly impacted living tissue, including enhancing the effects of drugs, bacteria and poisons. Frey further demonstrated methods to use EMFs to entrain and alter the heartbeat rates of frogs to the point of stopping the heart altogether.

Becker further presented mind-boggling results achieved by Dr. Jose Delgado, including manipulating the actions of monkeys to extraordinary extents. Delgado wrote in his work that the animals looked like electronic toys. Delgado went on to be infamously known for his controversial remarks to Congress, in which he stated that man does not have the right to develop his own mind, and that one day armies would be controlled by electric stimulation of the brain.

Becker explained how Dr. Joseph Sharp of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research developed an analog pulse that successfully beamed an otherwise unheard word directly into the brain. Sharp had, essentially, created what would become voice to skull technology and, in effect, what could be misinterpreted as telepathic communication.

I find it difficult to accept without question that research involving involuntary human subjects and as took place during MKULTRA would be halted when such extraordinary accomplishments, as in the work of Frey, Delgado and Sharp, were being achieved. The similarities to events commonly reported by self-described alien abductees begins to materialize, and becomes increasingly evident, as we consider the work of investigative journalist Anna Keeler.

In her article, Remote Mind Control Technology, Keeler cited confirmed symptoms of overexposure to EMFs. Such symptoms include burned/reddened skin (even at night), memory loss, fatigue, insomnia, hallucinations and experiencing emotions with no contextual significance. The commonalities between such symptoms and abduction lore should be evident to those familiar with alleged alien abduction. What's more, such symptoms could result from research involving remote applications – no literal abduction required. Keeler's article takes readers through the mind control efforts of Project Pandora, as well as the initial uses of EMF technology by corporate America, and I recommend its reading.

Oxford graduate Dr. Susan Blackmore addressed alien abduction in her 1994 New Scientist article of the same name. Blackmore described first hand how measurable effects of magnets induced abduction-esque perceptions. “Suddenly prospects of magnetic mind control,” she wrote, “seem an awful lot worse than the idea of being abducted by imaginary aliens.”

Researchers at Project Censored, an ongoing investigative effort conducted by Sonoma State University, delved deeply into the likelihood of human rights violations during the evolution of EMF technology and resulting non-lethal weapons. US Electromagnetic Weapons and Human Rights, by Peter Phillips, Lew Brown and Bridget Thornton, was a comprehensive study completed in 2006 of the history of the US intelligence community, human rights violations and ongoing research and development of electromagnetic weapons. The trio cited illegal experimentation, cited weapons development and presented expert interviews while conclusively demonstrating the abilities of what have come to be known as non-lethal weapons.

We are indeed long past a point in which we should accept non-lethals as possible explanations for some circumstances commonly reported in UFO and abduction lore. Non-lethals, for example, offer potential explanations for failed electronic equipment, such as car electrical systems, household appliances and computers. Non-lethals also offer possible explanations for perceptions of unexplained lights, perceptions of non-human beings, losses of consciousness, 'missing time,' fragmented memories, voices in the head and similar such circumstances that seem to consistently be reported by those who consider themselves to be alien abductees.

While the UFO community lectured on alien mind control, hybrid breeding experiments and invasive medical examinations, human technology surpassed that of events being reported. What's more, quite human beings were conclusively demonstrated to have conducted activities of which the alleged aliens keep being accused, yet such circumstances are consistently omitted from discussion within the halls of UFO Land. While overzealous proponents of alleged alien abduction ironically and passionately continued to insist it would be absurd to suspect people would physically abduct other people, a time came and went in which literal physical abductions were even so much as required to complete the feasibility of the human hypothesis.

It is no longer necessary for involuntary human research subjects to so much as leave their homes to experience perceptions of alien abduction. It is neither necessary for them to interact with another human being nor be taken to a remote work station during the possible course of non-lethal weapons development.

The research subjects of yesteryear were indeed extremely traumatized by the intelligence community. I invite consideration this is the same intelligence community involved in such implications as the 'contactee' stories of individuals such as Adamski and Menger, the Maury Island fiasco, the saga of Paul Bennewitz, the circumstances of the Gulf Breeze Six and the mysterious Ron Pandolfi.

Trauma most certainly played a starring role in the evolution of both ufology and military intelligence. I believe it is likely that some research victims of yesteryear, both physically and mentally battered, waded into the UFO community and fit the profile well enough to 'become' alien abductees. While this may be accurate, circumstances have indeed progressed while many are too busy to have noticed due to patting one another on the back and exchanging assurances that their assumptions are correct.

I present for consideration that further research is justified into the likelihood the current reports of experiences of high strangeness and the accompanying symptoms of trauma among the witnesses may in some circumstances be the results of non-lethal weapons research and development. Combined with the ill advised influence of the UFO community, some of our present day abductees and their narrations may therefore be manufactured. This might be the case all while their experiences may, in actuality and as real as such experiences may be in one sense of the definition, largely be taking place on a mental landscape.

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The number of victimized citizens is difficult to estimate. Lawsuits continued well into this century that focused upon notoriously heinous and cruel MKULTRA events carried out at Allan Memorial Institute, now known as McGill University, of Montreal. Hundreds of plaintiffs, former 'psychiatric patients' at McGill, have been named and the US Department of Defense has shelled out millions of dollars in damages. A pending lawsuit in which Vietnam Veterans of America is suing the CIA estimates some 8,000+ military personnel were abused, including the administration of brain implants in some cases, during the MKULTRA reign at just Edgewood Arsenal military facility.

The Clinton administration launched a probe into allegations that members of the 'ULTRA crew, in addition to their delving into mind control, were responsible for widespread radiation experiments perpetrated upon unsuspecting and vulnerable research subjects. The President's Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments subsequently concluded that an estimated 11,000 American citizens were treated negligently by their federal government in the course of such experimentation.

My point being there are a lot of people out there that conclusively got traumatized by Uncle Sam. We largely do not know specifically who these people are or how their emotional scars manifest, but we indeed know they exist.

We know who some of them are because they have been awarded damages. We know, for example, that Martti Koski was among the victims at McGill University in Montreal. We additionally know that Koski claimed his abusers mockingly called him “microwave man” due to the nature of the EMF tests of which he was subjected. He further claimed his abusers told him they were aliens from Sirius. While the significance of such claims can be debated, its potential relevance remains worthy food for thought.

Koski was initially noticed by authorities when he wandered into a police station while suffering from amnesia, having resided for days under a bridge. He was identified after his photo was published in newspapers. While such circumstances may be relevant to the UFO community for any number of reasons, a point comes in which I cannot help but consider that, while the abuse of involuntary human research subjects may well include some unwitting self-described abductees, the overall situation is of such potential magnitude that it arguably dwarfs the floundering field known as ufology.

Paratopia Launches Project Core

Paratopia is ambitiously undertaking Project Core, a broad study into all kinds of reported paranormal phenomena. The initiative includes Dr. Tyler Kokjohn, Dr. Kim Cooper and Paratopia personnel Jeff Ritzmann and Jeremy Vaeni. In Jeff's words:

Project Core has Launched. For the next 10 months we will collect your stories and answers to questions. No, this is not a gathering of accounts for a book, film or anything else – only research into paranormal experiences and those who’ve experienced them. It’s an anonymous submitting process, but one that requires raw truth – no matter how odd or unbelievable. This is not exclusively a UFO/alien data collection process – ghosts, PK, ESP, non-human contacts, etc are all sought and welcome.

This is where we start over – and try to get to the Core.

Access the site through this link: Project Core

Until such time as we get an easier URL for the site, you can spread this link far and wide – it’s greatly appreciated.

http://paratopia.org/core/projectcore.html

Guiley Cancels Second Book with Imbrogno, Cites Fabrications and Plagiarism

Rosemary Ellen Guiley has canceled a book deal with former co-author and fallen ufologist Philip J. Imbrogno, due to what she reportedly termed his outright fabrications and plagiarism on his part of the manuscript. When asked in an email to please confirm this was the case, Ms. Guiley replied, "That is correct, I made that statement," adding that the services of an attorney were enrolled after multiple attempts to address the situation went unanswered.

Guiley and Imbrogno formerly collaborated on The Vengeful Djinn: Unveiling the Hidden Agenda of Genies, but significant credentials of Imbrogno and his credibility were since called into question by Lance Moody on his blog, What the Hell Was That?. The second book to have been jointly penned by Guiley and Imbrogno, Multidimensional Portals, is now axed.

So much for the argument for us to never mind Imbrogno lying about his credentials as long as his work is good. It's not good, according to former co-author Rosemary Ellen Guiley.

Leah Haley on Alien Abduction: “It Doesn't Happen”

Pensacola Beach, Florida, a short distance
from massive Eglin Air Force Base.

Former self-described alien abductee Leah Haley has revised her perspectives about her experiences of high strangeness to conclude that no alien abductions ever took place in her life. She now completely attributes her remarkable perceptions to having been an involuntary research subject. Commenting on literal alien abduction from her home in Pensacola, Florida, Haley stated, “It doesn't happen.”

Haley attracted widespread attention within the UFO community in 1993 with the publication of her book, Lost Was the Key, in which she described her extraordinary experiences consisting of fragmented memories of UFOs and apparent non-human beings. She became a well known speaker and was commonly sought for interviews. Ten years later she published Unlocking Alien Closets: Abductions, Mind Control and Spirituality, further documenting her descent into an increasingly complex web of deceit, disinformation and character assassination within ufology. Sales of her books climbed well into the thousands although word of mouth was virtually the only means of marketing.

Haley initially thought aliens were responsible for her experiences but that changed following years of investigation. She long acknowledged military personnel were involved in her experiences to some extent, but she fully re-evaluated circumstances after viewing select Freedom of Information Act and U.S. Patent Office documents. Haley further based her revised conclusions on hundreds of interactions with abductees and researchers, as well as having mysterious individuals enter and later abruptly vanish from her life. She is now thoroughly convinced mind control experiments are responsible for what became known as the alien abduction phenomenon.

“I really can explain every alien abduction away using human technology,” Haley said.

Commenting on what she termed “legitimate” reports of abduction, she continued, “I don't know for sure, but every case that I know very, very well – every single one of them – if I probe deeply enough, I'm going to find that there were humans here and there too. That tells me that it was a human-instigated situation. I can't think of a single case, not a single one, that I've really delved into that didn't have humans in it too, so I just don't think alien abductions are happening. I don't know, but I just don't think they are.”

Who Is Leah Haley?

The polite yet confidently direct woman who came to be embraced - for better or worse – by the UFO community said she was born in 1951 in Decatur, Alabama. According to her books, Haley earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education from the University of Alabama, a master's degree in education from the University of North Alabama and a master's degree in business administration from Mississippi State University. She told me she is a Certified Public Accountant, currently employed in the field.

I first contacted Haley via email in June of 2009 due to my interest in her reported experiences which involved apparent military personnel. Our interactions led to me interviewing her over the course of a couple days in March, 2011.

As much an artist as she is a business administrator or anything else, Haley loves to write. She enjoys many forms of art and particularly appreciates theater. While the name Leah Ann Haley will be forever joined with the UFO phenomenon, the woman came to prioritize a healthy social life and enjoying herself, as was indicated by the presence in her den of gifts from her birthday celebration. “If I put the gifts away, I'll forget to send thank you notes,” she explained with a laugh.

During a drive through downtown Pensacola, she fondly pointed out locations where bands regularly perform. She enjoys concerts, and told me about attending a Lynyrd Skynyrd gig, remarking that she of course likes the band's music due to her roots in (Sweet Home) Alabama.

Haley developed a strong faith which she attributes in part to her traumatic experiences and the stress of going public with her story. She enjoys attending casual worship services held Sunday mornings at picnic tables on Pensacola Beach. “I think that's so cool,” she said while describing the services.

Her first marriage ended as she became increasingly committed to investigating her experiences and publicly sharing her findings. Was her involvement in ufology responsible for her failed marriage? “Oh, yeah,” she responded decisively, “absolutely.” Her status as a relatively high profile, controversial figure severely strained family relations, but Haley feels she picked up the pieces as well as could be expected.

Take her or leave her, Leah Haley is willing to be scrutinized. Other high profile members of the UFO community often hide from objective evaluation, reciting their largely unchallenged rhetoric with relentless and annoying persistence. Contrastingly, Haley at least seemingly provides us with a refreshingly transparent view of the path of an experiencer of high strangeness who embarked upon a sincere journey of investigation and self-discovery. It is only natural that such a journey included evolving perspectives, changing over time, and it appears Haley happens to be secure enough to tell us when she changes her mind.

“The most important thing about my case,” she said, “is that my memories were of alien abductions, and that after spending thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars and years and years and years of research trying to find evidence that alien abductions occurred, the only evidence I found is of human-instigated mind control.”

Circumstantial Evidence


The UFO House of Pensacola Beach serves as an eerie reminder
of the Gulf Breeze UFO craze that snowballed into a frenzy.

Haley cited circumstances such as confirmed mind control operations and Freedom of Information Act documents, substantiating details of such black budget operations, as supporting evidence for her perspectives. Suggesting the general population lacks adequate understandings of relevant issues, such as conditioned behavior and subliminal programming, Haley stated, “Doing my lectures and radio shows I met people all over the country, and most of the alien abductees just accept what's happened at face value. What they remember - to them - is what happened. Very few of us have ever questioned it to the extent that you and I obviously have.”

Haley cited U.S. Patent Office documents, demonstrating evolution of electronic technology and non-lethal weapons that correlates with the time line of reports of alien abduction. Advances in technology during the 20th century included using electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) to remotely entrain brain waves, induce altered states of consciousness and transfer an otherwise inaudible voice directly into the brain. Overexposure to EMFs was documented to cause hallucinations, nausea, short term amnesia (missing time) and reddened skin, circumstances which became staples of abductee testimonies.

Haley has claimed to have been interrogated and tortured by military personnel, but do not expect her to name alleged perpetrators. Though much speculation has circulated about Haley's alleged abusers, she is well aware she cannot prove accusations and therefore chooses to withhold public comment on identities.

She also claimed to have been approached repeatedly by mysterious people interested in her experiences, and on at least one occasion such a person apparently claimed to be acting on behalf of intelligence officials. Haley believed she confirmed the claim to a reasonable extent.

Marc Davenport

Haley met Marc Davenport at the 1993 Ozark UFO Conference. He attended her lecture and approached her afterword, finding her presentation of interest. Like Haley, Davenport was a researcher, author and speaker.

The two discovered many mutual interests. They eventually married and plunged ever deeper into the world of ufology. The duo spent extended periods of time conducting research and presenting their work through Greenleaf Publications, a corporation founded by Haley in 1992 and subsequently jointly operated by the couple. It was with Davenport's help as a researcher and support as a friend that Haley dissected the world of military intelligence and black budget research projects.

She explained, “It was like a progression with me until I finally came to the conclusion that everything with me was human-instigated. That's where the evidence pointed. I didn't find any concrete evidence - no absolute concrete evidence - of aliens, but plenty of evidence of human intervention.”

Such evidence included two events reportedly occurring the morning of June 16, 2000. Haley experienced abduction-like visions, non-ordinary states of consciousness and the sensation of hearing voices in her head. Haley was home alone during the second episode, which also included paralysis. Davenport returned unexpectedly, observing a helicopter hovering within 100 feet of their house. The helicopter soon departed, leaving Davenport to find Haley ill and disoriented inside the home.

It was therefore not only Davenport's help as a colleague, but also his experience as a direct witness, that assisted Haley in re-evaluating her experiences. Davenport continued to report on mind control and non-lethal weapons.

In 2005 Davenport was diagnosed with what Haley called an unusual form of cancer. He lost his life to what proved to be the painful and disabling illness.

Does Haley think Davenport's cancer was intentionally induced? “I will go to my grave believing so,” she said.

Carpenter Affair

Haley's experiences included missing time, disturbing body markings and a retrieved possible implant, in addition to interactions with mysterious strangers and military personnel. Her search for answers included regressive hypnosis sessions conducted by John Carpenter, a mental health counselor who served as the MUFON director of abduction research during the early 1990's. For what is in all likelihood a variety of reasons, Haley's mental imagery during the sessions included implications of aliens and emotional trauma.

Carpenter conducted some 14 regressive hypnosis sessions with Haley, encouraging her to accept alien abduction, before selling her case file. In what became known as the Carpenter Affair, Carpenter betrayed 140 clients and alleged alien abductees when he accepted $14,000 for their case files. The purchaser was Robert Bigelow, whose activities and associates never stray far from controversy. Non-lethal weapons expert and consultant to the CIA, Colonel John B. Alexander, was termed a science advisor to Bigelow at the time.

When asked how she now feels about Carpenter, Haley took a long breath and exhaled deliberately. She replied that she thinks Carpenter was “manipulated” into his actions, but that does not mean she completely absolves him of all responsibility.

Haley explained it was very distressing when the names of Carpenter's clients were briefly posted on the Internet. Literally over night, anonymity was lost, family members were outed and similar such situations befell those who sought support and were assured confidentiality by Carpenter and MUFON. Haley remains uncertain exactly who was responsible for originally posting the client names on the Internet.

Haley said most of the 140 probably never knew Carpenter sold their files to Bigelow. About a dozen of them were aware of it and convinced Haley “to join them in the lawsuit that turned out to go nowhere,” she explained with frustration.

Would she rather not discuss the Carpenter Affair? “I don't mind talking about it,” she said. “It's just that the statute of limitations expired.”

“We had a clear cut case,” she continued. “The first attorneys said, 'There are no doubts.'”

Haley explained the attorneys initially met with the plaintiffs, assuring them testimony and evidence, which they had, was all they needed. However, the first group of attorneys later turned over the case to a second group, and lines of communication declined to a non-functional mess. Haley felt certain the lawsuit fell through the cracks “because of threats.”

In a bit softer and more despondent voice, Haley concluded, “There's not anything that can be done about it. That whole group just got away with it.”

Matters of Compassion and Responsibility


The sun sets on the waterfront in downtown Pensacola
where crowds of eager skywatchers once gathered regularly.

Haley long since stopped fearing public criticism. Such criticism is inevitable when revising opinions destined to be as unpopular as in the case of suggesting there are no aliens in alien abduction. Rather than buckle to peer pressure, Haley appeared willing to draw on her experience as a relatively public figure - and her resulting thick skin - to set examples of honesty and realism by publicly acknowledging perspectives are simply bound to change as more information becomes available.

Haley considered sharing her story to be matters of compassion and responsibility. “It disturbs me greatly that there are people who are still being victimized by that system,” she commented.

Perhaps it is ultimately Haley's ability to successfully navigate the no-nonsense world of accounting that enabled her to painstakingly re-evaluate everything she thought she knew about alien abduction and her experiences. Maybe it was a genuine desire to seek truth. I really cannot say for sure, but Haley's message is certainly clear enough: A check and balance of facts versus belief systems reveals alien abduction dogma does not properly add up, particularly in her specific case.

Haley said she periodically distanced herself from ufology and her past but kept getting “drawn back in.” She explained she was most recently drawn back in by me and what she found to be my interest in black budget operations and her case. I thanked her for her willingness to interact with me, then asked what was most important to her to ultimately accomplish.

Without hesitation, Leah Haley leaned back in her chair, looked skyward and replied with animated emphasis, "I want mind control and other invasive experiments on unwitting U.S. citizens to be stopped. And I want the mind control perpetrators brought to justice!"

Did Anyone Notice When 1984 Arrived?

In 1948 George Orwell wrote the novel, 1984, now considered a classic work. Orwell offered readers a concerning description of an oppressive futuristic society existing in the year 1984 and in which personal autonomy was all but outlawed and privacy was nonexistent. Orwell's governing body was referred to as Big Brother, a term that eventually became the subject of many metaphors and coined phrases. Big Brother expertly and relentlessly utilized combinations of technology, propaganda, emotional responses to terms such as, well, Big Brother, and even human nature itself to effectively monitor, manipulate and control the population.

Orwell's readers and the general population were concerned about the possibility that supposedly democratic nations could become unreasonably oppressive while denying any such thing had come to pass. The general and apparent consensus, despite Orwell's warnings, seemed to be that everyone would notice if such a thing took place and human rights were being grossly violated. A reasonable argument could be made that, one degree at a time, the lobster has now come to a boil.

Circumstances of Potential Interest

A UFO community gathers at symposiums unforgivably claiming to present results of scientific investigations, yet the hosts continue to largely serve up speakers asserting a variety of absurdities. A number of concerning circumstances largely go unnoticed amidst the smoke and mirrors. While alleged aliens and potentially interesting things in the sky take center stage, a variety of relevant situations fly under the radar of all but a small minority of individuals.

Such situations include, but are by no means limited to:

John Glenn became extremely concerned about the abuse of human research subjects, culminating in his proposed Human Research Subject Protection Act of 1997. The bill was not passed.

Former Missouri Representative Jim Guest became an activist for people suffering from electronic weapons torture and testing. He also spoke out against the testing and use of radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips, due to the related health issues and privacy violations.

Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich attempted to pull in the reigns on space based and aeronautical weapons, including items specifically named as mind control weapons, in his proposed 2001 bill. Kucinich's efforts were met with the same results as experienced by John Glenn, as the bill was not passed.

Additional situations of potential interest to the UFO community include the long time use and testing of quite terrestrial implants, the fascinating saga of the Gulf Breeze Six and the Central Intelligence Agency's decades-long interest in mind control techniques. Such techniques included hypnosis, among many other abusive and invasive procedures. Readers might find considerations of hypnosis and its relativity to the Emma Woods case to be of interest. Also see MKULTRA, BLUEBIRD, ARTICHOKE, or any number of such project titles. Interested parties might additionally choose to read about Vietnam Veterans of America versus CIA, and research conducted by Project Censored.

Reasonable Questions 

I do not claim to conclusively know if any reports of alien abduction are the results of covert research projects. When we consider a list of possible explanations, it is only thorough and competent to include items ranging from emotional trauma to physiological circumstances that result in incorrect perceptions of interactions with non-human beings. Such explanations certainly account for some reports.

But are any reports the results of something else – something taking place in an objective reality, independent of the witness? If so, and a reasonable argument can be made to that effect, covert research projects, in essence, military abductees, deserve reasonable consideration.

Nick Redfern recently posted an article about Alison, a woman who once thought she was an alien abductee, but came to believe she was a victim of covert research. It is reasonable to ask ourselves how much the UFO community may have been duped into such premature and extreme assumptions as held in the abduction lore and as may have been propagated through the ongoing construction of a myth that serves as a cover story.

In 2009 I first contacted Leah Haley, a woman who came to be known as an alien abductee. I was very curious about a number of circumstances surrounding Leah's experiences.

I will soon be posting a summary of what I learned about Leah Haley and what she thinks about the alien abduction phenomenon, including her own case. I sincerely would appreciate readers following along and forwarding Leah's story, as I know it is important to her to have her revised thoughts and feelings known. Suffice it to say this post and Redfern's article about Alison are in context.

Is Big Brother responsible for what became known as alien abduction? I do not know. I cannot say for sure. Perhaps an equally relevant issue, though, is why so few people talk about the possibility.

They read all about aliens... and supposed space ships... and even discuss alien mind control, as if it is common knowledge, no less. But they do not study MKULTRA or non-lethal weapons. Neither do they typically study subliminal programming, the effects of emotional trauma or dynamics of conditioned behavior, relevant as they are to ufology.

Are any reported alien abductions due to Big Brother? That seems like a reasonable question. And why aren't we researching the possibilities in responsible manners and on a larger scale than is currently the case? Maybe that is the current question. 

Sample of Kimbler's Roswell Debris Disappears En Route to ASU

A metal fragment taken from the Roswell debris discovered by Frank Kimbler was lost without explanation. Kimbler shipped the fragment via Fedex for further testing at Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration in Tempe. The package arrived, but Lynda Williams, Ph.D., a research professor, emailed Kimbler that the fragment was not in the package.

“I just found your Fedex in our main office, opened it on the lab bench and found nothing in the plastic holder. Did you forget to put it in?” Dr. Williams wrote. “I'm sorry, but it's just not there!”

Kimbler replied to Dr. Williams the sample of metal was well packaged and he was certain he did not forget to include it in the shipment. “I can assure you it was in the small round box, directly on the top in plain sight in the box,” he wrote.

“This UFO evidence stuff is an interesting game to play. Seems to be a great deal like cat and mouse, cloak and dagger and chess all wrapped in one,” Kimbler added, stating that he will not ship any other samples to anyone. He further stated he or trusted colleagues will personally supervise every step of debris analysis from here forward.

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. 

Lines of communication opened between Frank Kimbler, Frank Purcell and various interested parties following the publication of the related Open Minds article and my posting Purcell's subsequent analysis. I happen to exchange emails with this group of interested parties, resulting in my notification of the lost metal fragment and the information contained in this post.

Kimbler wrote to me on September 3:

"The debunkers will say I never placed it in the box, the conspiracy folks will say the government got it.

"Here is what I would like to see happen. CNN or some other big news agency to follow this analysis. Full public disclosure of the process, good science. It makes no difference to me if the material is a beer can fragment or ET metal, it's all part of the story... to get an answer."

I'm pulling for ya, Frank.

Central Issues of the Emma Woods Case

Many within ufology have become acquainted with the Emma Woods case. If you are not among those familiar with it, here is a crash course:

A woman residing in the Pacific region and now calling herself Emma Woods had some very interesting experiences that some would interpret as related to alleged alien abduction. She eventually came in the acquaintance of self-described researcher David Jacobs, who proceeded to go down the regressive hypnosis path. Things got more and more odd between Woods and Jacobs, culminating in numerous e-hypnosis sessions, Jacobs' claims that alien hybrids were on the verge of throttling him (I hate it when that happens), and a host of additional questionable circumstances increasing in absurdity. For details, see Woods' website, which consists of excellent documentation and verification of the chain of events.

As the reader is surmising, the lure of being an interplanetary liaison involved in alien hybrid death stakes and high cosmic intrigue did not prove enough to keep Woods from thinking critically. Woods eventually called game over, told us all what had been going on – along with presenting thorough verification - and has been getting battered by the True Believers (and those who have interests in keeping the True Believers well stocked in foolishness) ever since.

Fast forward to the present. The latest (and chronic) attack on Woods comes from personnel of Paracast forum. Woods recently made a typically well researched and comprehensive post, documenting relevant circumstances on the matter and responding to the latest series of accusations leveled against her. The accusations include what have become the now usual assortment of allegations of mental disorders and supposed resulting behavior, as well as both suggestions and demands that Woods cease expressing herself.

I should first remind those who wish to censor Woods that we are dealing with a demographic that Jacobs and others are encouraging to talk about everything from underground alien bases to aliens who rape and pillage. If you want to make a case for some woman being too weird, obsessive or most anything else, for that matter, to allow her to participate on a UFO forum, you better come loaded for bear.

As if Woods' thorough documentation of facts and the predominantly tolerant and open-minded nature of the UFO community are not reasons enough to allow Woods to speak her peace, there are three primary points I find wrong with the statements of those seeking to silence Woods:

1) None of those who try to saddle Woods with psychiatric disorders are actually qualified to diagnose or identify such conditions.

2) None of those who accuse Woods of unacceptable behavior provide documentation of specific circumstances.

3) My personal experience interacting with Woods gives me no reason whatsoever to suspect her to be anything other than reasonable.

None of us are above an occasional errant remark that would have been better off not being made, particularly in the often passionate and heated world of ufology. Let's just say there aren't many angels treading around these parts where the rest of us rushed in.

I do not wish to be in anybody's camp. I am not interested in taking sides in any forum wars. I could point out some good points and some not so good points expressed by most all of us, and I am not looking to crucify anyone.

That stated, I want to strongly encourage the UFO community to take a closer look at the real issues in the Woods case. I could list a lot of things the issues are not (that keep getting discussed), but it is more productive to remind you what they are. The central issues of the Woods case are largely being lost in the crossfire, and some of the key points are:

- A real hard look needs to be taken at the protection of human research subjects who work with self-described ufologists, especially as it relates to supposed investigative techniques that throw critical thinking under the bus and ignore American Medical Association policy.

- Outright lies have been told and promoted about Woods' actions and circumstances, tactics comparable to defense attorneys attempting to defame the victim to deflect attention from what their client, the criminal, actually did.

- Woods consistently communicates clearly, expressing herself well and providing specific documentation of her points, while her detractors level unspecific accusations lacking verification and substance.

- Jacobs clearly tries to lead his research subjects to predetermined points. The well is so tainted it should be capped.

- Jacobs, at best, made some extremely poor errors in judgment while interacting with Woods.

- If Jacobs or any of the rest of the witch hunt gang would ever present any actual evidence, as defined by the professional research community, of alien abduction and of which they chronically and falsely claim to possess, they would have no need to conduct such public relations campaigns as have become the norm.

- Woods had some interesting experiences. Anybody remember those: interesting experiences?

- Woods has every right to discuss her case and the related abuse as long as she so chooses.

- By any definitions, it is irrational and unreasonable for others to suggest Woods should silence herself and cease discussing her own case and related abuse while they, no less, continue discussing both her and her case. To suggest such is simply unreasonable.