In special reports, this week’s files cover: Star Wars President Reagan, Stargate or Star Wars? Part 2 Gosport, England Witness, and Ancient Pyramids’

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported California, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia and Washington,.

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over Australia, Canada, Mexico, Poland, Russia, and England in the United Kingdom.

The Filer Research Institute feels the scientific study of UFOs is for the benefit of humankind and is an important endeavor.  The US Air Force investigated UFOs for more than twenty years under Project Blue Book; and I continue this advanced research. I believe the God of the universe has spread life throughout the cosmos and UFO’s are visiting us in ever-increasing numbers.

There is a new world coming

Forward these files to your friends and neighbors.

George A. Filer III

New Jersey State Director

MUFON Eastern Region Director

Www.nationalUFOcenter.com. Now receiving 3 million hits a month

 Special Projects

Star Wars President Reagan

The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) often called Star Wars was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983, to use ground- and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The Strategic Defense Initiative was set up in 1984 and “widely criticized as being unrealistic, as well as for threatening to destabilize MAD and re-ignite “an offensive arms race” between the Soviets and the United States.

It was soon derided and called Star Wars implying there was another reason for building the weapons system particularly when he offered to share it with the Soviets

Many scientists claimed that a global shield such as “Star Wars” was not only impossible with existing technology, but that ten more years of research was needed to learn whether it might ever be feasible. There is good reason to believe that the billions spent to develop an effective system that may now exist.

Lasers and other weapons have come on line and the Soviets became a much smaller threat as the new much smaller country of Russia. The Soviet ICBM fleet had tens of thousands of warheads, but only about 1,400 missiles. If each satellite had two dozen lasers, two dozen satellites on-station would significantly blunt any attack. In Molniya orbits, satellites would spend much of their time over the USSR, and only a few dozen satellites would be needed, in total. An article in Aviation Week and Space Technology described how the devices “… are so small that a single payload bay on the space shuttle could carry to orbit a number sufficient to stop a Soviet nuclear weapons attack”.

In Reagan’s March 23, 1983, “Star Wars” speech, Reagan announced, “I call upon the scientific community who gave us nuclear weapons to turn their great talents to the cause of mankind and world peace: to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete.” In a surprising statement, “He offered to share the technology with the Soviets.”

The program became the largest and most expensive weapons program in the US defense budget costing 8.5 Billion dollars per year. Although, we’re are told it is designed to destroy incoming nuclear missiles it may also be an effective weapons system to protect the United States against limited UFO threats as Reagan inferred on several occasions. In 1984, the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) was established to oversee the program, which was headed by Lt. General James Alan Abrahamson USAF,  Initially, the program focused on large scale systems designed to defeat a Soviet offensive strikes. However, as the threat diminished, the program shifted towards smaller systems designed to defeat limited launches like those of North Korea or Iran.

President Reagan stated in remarks made to the 42nd General Assembly of the United Nations. September 21, 1987, “In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us realize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. And yet, I ask you,

 IS NOT AN ALIEN FORCE ALREADY AMONG US?”

Only a few people knew the answer was yes there is an alien force among us. Reagan received regular intelligence data on UFO activities.

 Stargate or Star Wars?

Darren Perks

Darren Perks a British Ufologist investigates and researches UFOs and related subjects. He has contributed to extensive media work, and has acted as a consultant or contributor on numerous TV and radio shows and many documentaries and films. writes, “Since approximately 1980, a secret space fleet code named ‘Solar Warden’ has been in operation unknown to the public.

These are my own words after conducting research into the secret program. Whilst conducting an FOI (freedom of information) request with the DOD (department of defense) in 2010, I had a much unexpected response by email from them which read:

“About an hour ago I spoke to a NASA rep who confirmed this was their program and that it was terminated by the President. He also informed me that it was not a joint program with the DOD. The NASA rep informed me that you should be directed to the Johnson Space Center FOIA Manager.”

I have run your request through one of our space-related directorates and I’m waiting on one other division with the Command to respond back to me. I will contact you once I have a response from the other division. Did NASA refer you to us?”

The program not only operates classified under the US Government, but also under the United Nations authority. So you might be wondering how do I know this information?

Well there are a few people and many others that have tried hard to find out the truth, and have succeeded by leaked information or simply asking questions and have government departments slip up and give away information freely, just like what happened when Darren Perks asked the DoD.

One notable contributor is Gary Mckinnon. When Gary McKinnon hacked into U.S. Space Command computers several years ago and learned of the existence of “non-terrestrial officers” and “fleet-to-fleet transfers” and a secret program called “Solar Warden“, he was charged by the Bush Justice Department with having committed “the biggest military computer hack of all time“, and stood to face prison time of up to 70 years after extradition from UK.

But trying McKinnon in open court would involve his testifying to the above classified facts, and his attorney would be able to subpoena government officers to testify under oath about the Navy’s Space Fleet. The UK has denied the extradition of McKinnon to the U.S.

Allegedly, McKinnon also found out about the ships or craft within Solar Warden. It is said that there are eight cigar-shaped Motherships (each longer than two football fields end-to-end) and 43 small “scout ships. The Solar Warden Space Fleet operates under the US Naval Network and Space Operations Command (NNSOC) [formerly Naval Space Command]. There are approximately 300 personnel involved at that facility, with the figure rising

Solar Warden is said to be made up from U.S. aerospace Black Projects contractors, but with some contributions of parts and systems by Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Russia, and Australia. It is also said that the program is tested and operated from secret military bases such as Area 51 in Nevada. Thanks to the Huffington Post article quoting Darren Perks.                                                                                                                       

US Naval Network and Space Operations Command image

William Tomkins who worked for several aviation companies including Douglas and Lockheed confirms Solar Warden and the need for more space ships to fight negative aliens usually described as Reptilians. So should we just write this off as utter nonsense? No we shouldn’t and as time goes on the truth will slowly come out. Many people around the world are now witnessing craft moving around in the skies, our atmosphere and underwater that completely defy gravity. Whether they are part of the Solar Warden secret program, military experimental aircraft or not, thousands of people know what they see. MUFON is getting almost a thousand UFO reports a month.

In my view Solar Warden is very real and a very strong possibility. So no, I don’t think we should rule it out as complete nonsense. Yes, it’s a conspiracy because of all the hype and controversy surrounding the facts and information about the program. This program would change the world and our views on space exploration and travel, so no wonder that it would be kept a big ‘secret’. The media is controlled by six companies that choose what is revealed to the public and have a very liberal propaganda mission. We should all keep it in the back of our minds, for now at least! Thanks to Sheryl Dingman.

Editor’s Note: I have heard similar stories that appear to have some validity. Commander Graham Bethune who was the chief pilot for several Admirals told me similar information and that we have bases on the Moon and Mars.

We are getting signals from various government sources to reveal the secrets of UFOs and alien visitations. I get the impression high ranking officers are very concerned at the potential threat.  

His story was similar to some of the Stargate SG-1 television series and its sequels. Several types of starships are introduced in the later seasons with world missions to other planets visited via the Stargate. The Stargate is an alien device discovered on Earth that allows near instantaneous travel to other planets via a controlled wormhole across a network of similar gates. Some of these alien races are hostile to Earth and bent on galaxy-wide domination, so Earth starships are built by the US military through billions of dollars in secret funding to respond to the threat.

 Earth begins constructing its own space-capable fighters and larger, Mothership-style vessels based on alien technology. The plans for these vessels are shared with the Russians.

The first successful ship fielded by Earth is the F-302, a small, two-man craft somewhat similar to a traditional human fighter aircraft. Later on, Earth begins creating interstellar battle cruisers, such as the Daedalus Battle Cruiser. I have talked William Tomkins and others who claim Time Travel is possible and we have space ships.

Caution: Counter intelligence and PSYOP personnel inform me that thousands of government documents were made to fool foreign spies to get them to buy alleged UFO material. In other words, a legitimate government document may not be the truth. For example if you fired from your job and collect unemployment insurance you are counted as unemployed. However, once you stop collecting you are not counted in the unemployment figures. We are told unemployment is 6%, but about 23% of the population is looking for work.

Psychological operations (PSYOP) are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.

The purpose of United States psychological operations is to induce or reinforce behavior favorable to U.S. objectives. They are an important part of the range of diplomatic, informational, military, and economic activities available to the U.S.

Part 2 Gosport, England Witness

By Bob Spearing one of our great investigators and New Jersey MUFON State Section Director tells about case #68712 he investigated.  Stokes Bay, Gosport, U.K. – RESOLVED –Unknown Aerial Vehicle, Possible Abduction

Gosport, England is also home to the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) “just up the road” from Don Martin’s our witness’s house. It is the U.K. equivalent of the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The DSTL’S mission, by its own admission, is “to maximize the impact of science and technology for the defense and security of the U.K.” Its means are the utilization of experiments in chemical, radiological and nerve agents.  One of its specific areas of research is Air and Weapons Systems.

It seems Gosport and its surrounding areas are perhaps the most secretive and sensitive top secret locations in all of Great Britain! And Don our fisherman went fishing there! Don had another episode that predated his July 22^nd affair.  On June 8^th, 2015 at a Gosport’s friend’s house at approximately 10 pm, he states “I was very tired and fell asleep on a settee and feeling a severe burning pain on my left foot I woke up. It stopped. Later, I woke up again with the pain. I looked to my foot and there was a green and yellow glass-like rod one foot long which looked and felt like a welding rod lying on my foot burning my skin. There was no mark. There was no smell of burning flesh but there was a buzzing noise. My socks were also hanging off my toes as if removed. The atmosphere in room was strange, silent. The television was on but had no sound. Three friends were there but they did not move. Then I blacked out. Nothing was said in the morning and I left it at that.”

I decided to investigate Gosport itself to see if he was fishing where he should not have been. I was taken aback by the results. Gosport is a sleepy town with a series of chapels and a nice seaside. But it is also home to the Portsmouth HM Naval Base just a half mile away from Don Martin’s fishing spot. It is the home of two-thirds of the British Navy and soon to be home of Britain’s two new aircraft carriers. It also has a submarine base.

Even closer to Don’s Stokes Bay seawall fishing spot is Fort Moncton. It is a two hundred year old edifice protecting the bay. Its only entrance today is still via its drawbridge and its English Channel facing side has an enormous and unscalable sea wall. I did a search for Fort Moncton on the internet. The reader should do the same. According to Wikipedia, the only legitimate website mentioning Fort Moncton, it seems its only purpose apart from its function as logistical support for the Special Air Service (SAS), the special forces arm of the British Military, is purportedly as the main training facility for MI6 (British Intelligence Service) teaching “field craft.” Additionally, it is the almost universal absence of anything on the internet for this 200 year old fort that is most disconcerting.

From 1972 to 1985 Don was in the military. He spent considerable time in the 47^th Air Dispatch Squadron. He flew on many missions in support of the SAS on C-13O transport planes.  When asked if he ever flew any secret missions, he stated when he was handed a gun and a knapsack on several missions it was inferred something was going on. In August 1982, Don was stationed in Cyprus when he caught the tail end of a UFO sighting over the communications base responsible for intercepting all communications from the Middle East. Don was stationed at Bloodhound Camp on the outskirts of Akrotiri Sovereign Base which housed the Royal Air Force.  It is Britain’s largest overseas base. It was 3:30 am, when Don was roused from sleep by a commotion. He ran outside. Sirens were going off.

Akrotiri Radomes

Akrotiri had three listening stations housed in white golf ball shaped facilities called radomes.  People were taking flash photography of something over the golf balls.  Don saw a silvery blue elongated donut shaped vehicle hovering over the golf balls. It had windows and was engulfed in a sort of misty atmosphere and it glowed.  It was also absolutely silent. Don and several comrades estimated that its size was slightly longer than a 747 Jumbo Jet.

 For many years the Akrotiri base was the site of a powerful shortwave transmitter called the Lincolnshire Poacher, which was used by the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) to transmit instructions to undercover British agents. Additionally, antennas at Akrotiri tracked surveillance satellites as well as U-2s on secret Middle East Intelligence gathering flights. According to Wikipedia” “The Lincolnshire Poacher” was a powerful shortwave numbers station that transmitted from Cyprus from the mid-1970s to June 2008. The station gained its commonly known name as it uses bars from the English folk song “The Lincolnshire Poacher” as an interval signal. The radio station was believed to be operated by the British Secret Intelligence Service and emanated from the island of Cyprus.^[1] Amateur direction finding linked it with the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri, Cyprus, where several curtain antennas had been identified as being its transmitter.^[2] It consisted of an electronically synthesized English-accented female voice reading groups of five numbers: e.g. ‘0-2-5-8-8’. The final number in each group was spoken at a higher pitch. It is likely that the station was used to communicate to undercover agents (spies) operating in other countries, to be decoded using a one-time pad.”

 There is a corroborating story in Richard Dolan’s book entitled “The Cover-Up Exposed 1973-1991.” In this version of the account as forwarded to Mr. Dolan by Nick Redfern, on August 16, 1981 (a thirteen months difference with Don Martin’s estimation) an order was given by the British Ministry of Defense for all aircraft operating out of Akrotiri to stand down. Shortly afterwards a “vast” object was tracked at 30,000 feet traveling at 900 mph. The object came to a halt over the base for 45 minutes.

Witnesses described it as a white triangle over 700 feet long similar to the image show.. As Don Martin recounted, many photos were taken. On the following day a man and a woman arrived at the base and confiscated all photographs. Don’s story seems to hold up well against Richard Dolan’s!

 Therefore a highly classified M-I6 operation was underway in Cyprus where the UFO hovered. Given Don’s role in SAS support operations in his 13 years with the military and his proximity to the SAS support facility Fort Moncton later as well as his living down the road from DSTL Laboratories, one must question if Don was an innocent bystander in a highly complex spy world. Don’s experience in Cyprus may well be of an ultimately important UFO sighting currently under wraps by governments involved in the sighting. The British Government has no equivalent of the American Freedom of Information Act so we may never know what went on at Akrotiri.

 Around the time of the Akrotiri incident, Don was found in a sleepwalking state in his underwear on the base. Several years earlier, back in England again in the employ of the 47^th, Don woke up in a Chippenham military base’s garden without any clothes on. He doesn’t remember how he got there. Was Don simply a victim of somnambulist’s nightmares or was he being returned from abductions?

So we have Don, a witness to a UFO sighting on a British Military base in August 1982, a victim of a July 22^nd, 2015 sighting with physical effects in a highly secretive British town and a victim as well in several ancillary experiences such as Thassos, Greece, reaching out to MUFON for help.  What else could be construed as being irregular in this twisted tale? The sad answer came soon enough! On January 28^th, 2016 (exactly six months and six days after his July 22^nd sighting), I heard from Don for the first time since his Greece vacation. The email went as follows:

“Hi Bob, I`m sorry for the delay in contacting you. Unfortunately it has just been confirmed I have been diagnosed with terminal Esophageal and Liver Cancer. I believe this is a direct effect of the event of 22 July 2015. I am interested to know I if you are still willing to write up this event in the Mufon Journal, using my name. My prognosis is two to three months life span. I will leave it at that for now until I receive your reply. Sincerely Don.”

There had to be more to this story. Only 7 months after being enveloped in a yellow haze of a UFO, Don Martin was dying. Was Don imagining everything or was something happening to him? What could I do as an investigator? I couldn’t walk up to Fort Moncton’s Drawbridge and ring the bell asking if anyone was sending killer drones on unsuspecting British citizens, could I? I could only detail what happened. There was no physical evidence but the circumstantial evidence, the amazing coincidences concerning the SAS and MI6, and the amazing onset of terminal cancer so soon after his horrific July 22^nd 2015 affair suggest a pattern. And so “What if?”

What if his whole story is true or even just part of it?! Then we must confront the legitimate possibility that Don Martin, the Gosport Fisherman, was murdered by someone or something unknown! Don Martin died on March 5, 2016 exactly 7 months and 14 days after his encounter. Thanks to Bob Spearing MUFON Assistant National Director of India, Star Team International Case Assistance Group, Special Assignment Team.

Ancient Pyramids

Graham Hancock suggests — to the everlasting irritation of mainstream archaeologists — that, yes, perhaps the Great Pyramid and other megaliths are thousands of years older than we currently believe and were built by one such advanced, ancient civilization. Whoever the pyramids’ builders were, they had a deep knowledge of astronomy. The perimeter of the base of the Great Pyramid, for instance, multiplied by 43,200, gives you the equatorial circumference of the Earth. And 43,200 isn’t a random number. It is a multiple of 72.

Why does 72 matter? Like a top winding down while it spins, the Earth wobbles on its axis. In astronomy, this motion is called “precession.” It takes 72 years for the Earth to complete one degree of precessional wobble. So it seems the Great Pyramid’s builders knew not only the size of the planet but also some very subtle, sophisticated things about how it moves through space. This at a time before modern man even realized Earth was round. We have the evidence of the Sphinx. Boston University Geology professor Dr. Robert Schoch and Egyptologist John Anthony   West have presented very compelling and unrefuted evidence dating the

Sphinx to as far back as 10,000 to 15,000 plus BC.  Water erosion of the Sphinx is obvious, due to unmistakable ‘precipitation induced weathering’, deep vertical fissures and undulating horizontal coves that could only have been caused by   thousands of years of heavy rain – rain that must have fallen on the  Sphinx after it was carved. The last time it rained like this was 7000 to   5000 BC, and the Sphinx would have already existed. Thanks to Dr. Robert Schoch and Graham Hancock

One of the most mysterious and well-documented UFO landings took place on a farm near Delphos, Kansas on November 2, 1971. Physical evidence was recorded and preserved for analysis by the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO). This case not only left the farm residents scratching their heads, but also left UFO researchers, police, and members of the media dumbfounded by the events.

According to APRO records and several reports written by head UFO physical-trace investigator Ted Phillips, the incident began around 7 p.m., while sixteen-year-old Ronnie Johnson was tending the sheep with his dog. Ronald’s mother remembers calling out to her son to come to dinner, to which Ronnie replied that he would be in soon. At about this time, Ronnie heard a rumbling noise and looked up to see an extremely bright object about seventy-five feet away. The light was so intense that he had trouble making out the texture of the object, but he could make out a short-stemmed mushroom shape. The entire object was illuminated appearing to be a mass of multicolored lights.

1. A drawing of the Delphos object and its trajectory as it flew off. (Credit: MUFON)

Ronnie estimated the object to be nine feet wide and ten feet high. It hovered a couple of feet above the ground, with the bottom of the object appearing to illuminate the brightest. Ronnie described the sound as similar to a washing machine.

Witness Ronnie Johnson with his dog.

(Credit: MUFON)

Ronnie remembers his dog staying perfectly still and not making a sound, while the sheep were disturbed and bellowing. The animals had lasting effects. For weeks after the incident, the sheep would jump out of their pens. Ronnie’s dog was also afraid of being outside at night and would scratch at the door frantically for several days after the incident.

After watching the object for about five minutes, Ronnie says the light below the object intensified, and it began to lift up. The light was so bright that it began to hurt his eyes. Ronnie’s eyes were irritated for some time after the incident.

The object quickly flew over a nearby shed, avoiding a collision by only a few feet. The rumbling sound changed to a high-pitched jet noise as it flew off.

At this point, Ronnie completely lost his vision, but could still hear the object moving into the distance. After a couple minutes, his vision came back and he could see the light now high in the sky. He heard his mother call him again, and he ran into the house to get his parents. At first they did not believe his story, but eventually went out to take a look. Once outside, they saw a bright light in the sky that was about half the size of the moon and continued to get smaller as it moved away out of view.

APRO investigator Clancy Tull, a lawyer from Kansas City, Missouri, questioned the family and found an interesting disparity in time spans noted by the witnesses. Mrs. Johnson said that, after she had called Ronnie to come in for dinner the first time, her and her husband had leisurely finished their meal before calling Ronnie again—some thirty minutes later. Ronnie could not account for these thirty minutes; to him, it seemed to be only about five minutes.

After the object had left, Ronnie and his parents went to examine the area over which the object had been hovering. They found a glowing ring on the ground and glowing areas on the nearby trees. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson touched the glowing ground and felt numbness in their fingers. Mrs. Johnson tried to wipe the dirt off her fingers onto her leg, which then also felt numb. The numbness in her fingers lasted for several days.

A picture of the ring left at the landing site.

(Credit: MUFON)

Mrs. Johnson said that the ground felt cool, even while it glowed. She also described the ground as slick and crusty. After touching the ground, Mrs. Johnson ran inside to get her camera. She took a picture of the glowing ground. Mr. Johnson called the local paper, the Delphos Republican.

The next day, Mr. Johnson and Ronnie went to talk to Delphos Republican reporter Thaddia Smith. They told her their story and showed her the picture. Still skeptical, but with a piqued curiosity, she decided to visit the farm. Her husband and son-in-law were also curious, so they accompanied her.

The ring in the ground impressed Smith. She said, “Upon arriving at the scene, I knew instantly that something had left evidence that it had been there.” There had been recent rains, and she noted that the ring area was dry even though the ground in the middle and outside of the ring was muddy. She also observed branches that appeared to have been broken by the object and a tree that she believed was crushed from the take-off or landing of the object.

Another picture of the ring left at the landing site.

(Credit: MUFON)

Back in the office, she called the local weather radar to find out if they had observed any unknown objects, but unfortunately the weather radar had not been on that night. Smith then called a local radio station to inform them of the incident. Finally, Smith called Ottawa County Sheriff Ralph Enlow, who began an investigation.

Researcher Ted Phillips obtained the Sheriff’s report on the incident along with the report that Smith had provided the Sheriff. The Sheriff’s report stated that officers went to the Johnson farm and took statements from the family. The officers observed the ring and noted the dryness of the ground that made up the ring as compared to the ground in the middle and surrounding the ring. They also noted the broken branches and a discoloration of some of the affected trees.

Representatives of the Sheriff’s office said that they checked radiation levels and determined that the ground was not radioactive. They also took soil samples. The soil was described as “almost white in color and very dry.” The Sheriff’s office’s report ended with a note about another sighting seen in the area at the same time as the sighting on the Johnsons’ farm.

Phillips’ investigation into the Delphos landing and the statements issued from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and Thaddia Smith were printed in the September 1985 journal of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). Phillips reported that, thirty-two days after the event, he went out to conduct his investigation. He called Sheriff Enlow to make him aware of his plans; the Sheriff was waiting for Phillips when he arrived in town. Sheriff Enlow gave Phillips the soil sample and accompanied him out to the Johnsons’ farm.

Upon meeting the Johnsons, Phillips found them to be “very pleasant and calm, not really excited about their unusual experience, but quite curious as what the UFO may have been and what could have produced a ground marking such as the one found at the alleged landing site.” The Johnsons recounted their story and then took Phillips to the landing area.

Illustration of the Delphos object, season and time of day differ from actual sighting.

(Credit: Michael Schratt)

It had recently snowed in Delphos, Kansas, so the ground was wet and muddy, with areas of standing water. Phillips was amazed to see that the ring was still visible. The snow on the ring had not melted, although the ground in the middle of the ring and surrounding it was wet and muddy. When the snow was moved aside, the ground was dry and light brown. Phillips tried pouring water on the ring, but it would not permit the water to pass through the surface.

Phillips then took samples of the soil, finding a large amount of a white substance that was not in the surrounding soil. He also found that the ground in the ring was dry to a depth of about twelve inches.

Phillips then took a look at the trees in the surrounding area. He found the dead tree that had fallen over and observed that it could have been knocked over during the departure or arrival of an object. He discussed with Sheriff Enlow the possibility that the tree could have been pulled over by vandals, but they both agreed that they would have found evidence of this, such as chain marks on the tree. He also noted the broken branches, which were consistent with Ronnie’s report.  If there was an object at the location reported by Ronnie, the object could not have taken-off straight up, because there were branches over the area that were not broken. There were trees to the north and east of the site, which further confirmed that the entrance and departure could only have been the way Ronnie described.

During his second visit to Delphos, Phillips discussed the case further with Sheriff Enlow. The Sheriff said that he didn’t believe the event was a hoax. He went so far as to write Phillips a written statement that in part said, “In reference to the UFO sighting at the Johnson residence near Delphos, Kansas on November 2, 1971. The Johnsons are lifetime residents of Ottawa County and the Delphos community. They are well-known and well-respected by officers from this department. It is the opinion of this Officer that the information given by them would be accurate to the best of their knowledge.”

Sheriff Enlow also commented on the separate sighting report he had received: “In reference to the UFO sighting on November 2, 1971 by Lester Ernsbarger of Minneapolis, Kansas. Mr. Ernsbarger is an employee of the Minneapolis Street Department and a reserve Police Officer with the Minneapolis Police Department. I feel that his information would be accurate to the best of his knowledge.”

Phillips then went to visit Thaddia Smith again. She said that her visit to the Johnsons’ farm took place on the evening of November 3. She said that her and her husband could distinctly see the glowing of the ring. She included in her statement that, “in the area around and inside the circle there was nothing but darkness giving a person an eerie feeling.”  She continued, “The Johnson family, having lived in the Delphos Community their entire life, are respected, truthful, conscientious, trustworthy, and a well-thought-of typical hardworking Kansas farm family.”

While the soil analysis failed to reveal any abnormal findings, the white substance had not been identified. UFO researcher and author Jacques Vallee tackled this issue in his book, Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact. There, he noted that white substances had been found in anomalous rings before. He was able to obtain a sample of the soil from the Delphos ring, which he sent to a biological laboratory in France. The substance was determined to be an organic organism related to Actinomycetales, which Vallee describes as “an intermediate organism between bacteria and fungus.” Actinomycetales is often found with a fungus called Basidiomycetes, which can fluoresce under certain circumstances.

Some speculate that the object that landed in Delphos somehow affected the ground so as to accelerate the growth of the Actinomycetales. Others believe that this is evidence of a much more prosaic answer—a natural phenomenon called a “fairy ring,” in which a grove of mushrooms grow in a ring pattern.  While skeptics believe that the glowing ring seen on the ground at the Johnsons’ farm was a fairy ring that was present before Ronnie’s sighting. The only problem with this theory is that fairy rings are connected to a fungus called Mycelium, not to Actinomycetales, the organism found in the ground at Delphos.

Professional skeptic Phillip Klass suspected that the Delphos case was a hoax. He believed that the ring in the ground was a result of a water trough used by the sheep that was at the location of the circle for many years. He alleged that years of sheep urinating around the trough was the most likely cause of the circle, and that once the trough was moved, the circle remained.

Because of Ted Phillips’ careful preservation of the soil samples from Delphos, another analysis was performed in 1999 by Phyllis Budinger, a chemist and retired research scientist for BP/Amoco. She found an unusually high concentration of Oxalic acid. Budinger’s report included a possible explanation of the existence of Oxalic acid offered by her colleague, Dr. J. Robert Mooney: “Exhaust from a low temperature ionization or combustion engine (whose fuel source was elemental carbon) could leave a high concentration of the acid along with other lower molecular weight acids.”

National Inquirer panel from 1975. From left: Dr. R. Leo Sprinkle, Dr. Frank Salisbury, Dr. James Harder, Dr. Robert Creegan, Dr. J. Allen Hynek and Mr. Jim Lorenzen.

(Credit: APRO)

I attended the 2010 MUFON Symposium in Denver and, while there, caught up with Dr. Frank Salisbury, who holds a Ph.D in both plant physiology and geochemistry. He was part of a board of scientists, made up largely of APRO consultants, put together by the National Inquirer to determine the most believable UFO cases from a scientific perspective. In 1973, as a result of the scientists’ designation of the Delphos incident as the best UFO case, the National Inquirer awarded the Johnsons five-thousand dollars. Nonetheless, Dr. Salisbury told me that he still believes that it is possible that the Delphos story was a hoax perpetrated solely for the purpose of obtaining the National Inquirer award.

Thirty-nine years later, the Delphos landing is still controversial. It says a lot that the local press and police believed that the incident at the Johnsons’ farm was not a hoax.  Delphos remains one of the  most interesting alleged UFO landing cases.

This article first appeared in the 4th issue of Open Minds Magazine (no longer in print).

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