UFOs and PSYOPS

Often, a UFO case can be explained as being a hoax or a misidentification of natural phenomena or a human-made object. During the early history of American UFO research, these were foremost among the possible prosaic explanations that investigators explored. Then, as the Cold War developed and the American public’s trust in in its governing bodies began to erode in the wake of the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, and the revelation of a secret CIA experimental mind-control program known as MKULTRA, some researchers began to explore another idea. Researchers such as Jacques Vallée and Nick Redfern have offered the suggestion that some UFO reports could be due to a military or intelligence agency conducting psychological warfare experiments, sometimes on it own citizens.

The idea that UFOs could be used for the purpose of psychological warfare or “PSYOPs” goes all the way back to the days of flying saucers. After the December 27, 1949 announcement that Project Grudge, the second incarnation of the Air Force’s UFO investigation after Project Sign, would be ended (the investigation continued in a limited capacity until its revival and eventual renaming as Project Blue Book in 1952) a “final” report was released. Among the conclusions (pages vi and vii) is this: “Planned release of aerial objects coupled with the release of psychological propaganda could case mass hysteria.” There is the recommendation that “the agencies interested in psychological warfare be informed of the results of this study.” Read more

R.I.P. Mr. UFO

By Charles Lear

This past Memorial Day, May 31, 2021, UFO and paranormal researcher Timothy Green Beckley passed on. He was a colorful character who stood out in a field full of colorful characters, and while he might not have been the most serious of researchers, he was part of a circle of legendary characters from the days of flying saucers that included James Moseley, Gray Barker, and John Keel.

Records of Beckley’s age at the time of his passing range from 65 to 69. According to the IMDb, he was born on March 4, 1952 as Jeremy Stone. In addition to his interest in the paranormal, he was an actor in and producer of soft-core porn/horror movies and was known to fans as “Mr. Creepo.” He wrote and published many books on the paranormal with a definite sensationalized bent and was active in the community up until his death. According to what is believed to be his self-authored bio, “Tim Beckley had so many careers that even his own girlfriend didn’t know what he did for a living… Timothy Green Beckley has been described as the Hunter Thompson of UFOlogy by the editor of UFO magazine Nancy Birnes.” His bio contains the claims that his life was saved by an invisible force at the age of three, he started having out of body experiences at the age of six, he had his first UFO sighting at age ten, and had two more after that in the course of his life.

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A UFO, Humanoids and Robots Near Cisco Grove, California

by Charles Lear

In our last blog we looked at reports of 21st century UFO occupants. UFO researchers and investigators have given those that have a roughly human appearance the appropriate name “humanoid.” These creatures seem to be biological, but there have been occasional reports of robots accompanying UFO occupants. A dramatic 1989 report comes from the city of Voronezh in Russia. This involved a 9-12 foot tall humanoid with three eyes, and a small box-shaped robot. They both exited a banana-shaped craft and took a walk in a park in front of terrified onlookers. The incident was reported by the official Tass news agency, picked up by the American Press, and featured in the Oct. 11, 1989 New York Times. An incident that didn’t get much attention from the press, but did get a lot of attention from UFO investigators, was reported in 1964. It involved humanoids and robots in Cisco Grove, California, that displayed actions far more hostile than a stroll in the park.

According to the report, Donald Shrum, 28, was bow hunting with two friends in the Loch Leven Lakes region, southeast of Cisco Grove, on Friday night, Sept. 4, 1964. He became separated from his friends, and as it became dark, he decided it would be safer to remain where he was than to risk making his way back to camp in the darkness over rough terrain.

Shrum found a tree in a protected location, stood on a rock next to it and was just able to reach the lowest branch, 12 feet above the ground. He climbed up and fastened himself to a branch with his belt. As he settled in, he noticed a light moving below a nearby ridge to the north. It was white and reminded Shrum of a flashlight or lantern. It moved westerly and bobbed up and down. He then thought it might be a helicopter from the ranger station.

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‘Apol’ and Princess Moon Owl of the UFO

by Charles Lear

The 1975 book by John Keel, “The Mothman Prophecies,” is a complex book. The book’s through line centers on events in Point Pleasant, West Virginia from Nov. 15, 1966 to Dec. 15, 1967.  These involved UFOs, sightings of a winged humanoid with glowing red eyes dubbed “The Mothman” and the collapse of the Silver Bridge, which spanned the Ohio River. But, the book is about so much more than that. It can be read several times and, depending on the reader’s perspective, be a completely different experience each time. It contains contactee stories, abductee stories, MiB encounters, Grinning Man encounters, a nighttime bedroom invader in a checkered jacket, strange metallic voices on the telephone, paranoia, poltergeists and prophecies. The reader can dive in repeatedly and come up with a tale that is interesting enough on its own to warrant further research. The tale involving Jaye P. Paro, Apol and Princess Moon Owl is one of those.

John Keel was a New York City resident and freelance writer who traveled the world looking for stories. During the period covered in “The Mothman Prophecies,” he was dividing his time, investigating strange events in both Point Pleasant and Long Island. The Long Island tale begins in the book with Keel’s investigation of reports of strange visitors by residents living on Mount Misery. Mount Misery is the highest point on Long Island at 400 ft and, put simply, is a big pile of gravel left behind by the last glacier that stopped by around 20,000 years ago. One resident there told of being visited by four men, three of whom looked “like Indians.” They politely told her that her land belonged to their tribe and they meant to reclaim it. She was “frightened” by their feet.  They had no car and would have had to walk through mud to get to her house and yet they had none on their shoes. Keel was running into many similar stories of people who didn’t seem to quite fit in. He was becoming convinced that the people being described were extraterrestrials from another planet, or ultraterrestrials from another dimension.
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