Nick Redfern

Jun 08 2007-Earlier this week I received in the mail a DVD copy of Paul Kimball’s latest UFO documentary, Best Evidence: Top 10 UFO Sightings, which was made for Canada’s Space Channel.

This is a film that I have been looking forward to seeing for a long time: last summer, while we were both in the UK, Paul was telling me about some of the cases he would be using, and the commentators, researchers, authors and investigators who had agreed to come on board and be interviewed. And, as a result, it became pretty clear to me that this was going to be a good one. And indeed it is.

Thankfully, this is not some half-hearted effort, put together on a shoestring budget, with bad visuals, muddled voice-overs, and cheap special-effects. Rather, it is an excellent, thought- provoking and illuminating study of some of the most profound UFO cases on record.

The premise behind the production of Best Evidence is intriguing: Paul arranged for a multitude of leading lights in ufology to submit their "best" cases, and was finally able to whittle that huge array of reports down to those ten that appeared to offer the best evidence in support of a genuine UFO presence in our midst.

So, which incidents made it?

Well, coming in at number 10 (Yes, I know I sound like a DJ counting down the pop charts!) is the strange series of encounters that occurred at Nuremberg in 1561, in which countless UFOs were seen by awe-struck townsfolk - a story that continues to both intrigue and mystify people to this day. And both Stan Friedman and Don Ledger stress the important point that, as the Nuremberg case demonstrates, UFOs are nothing new, and stretch back centuries - if not even longer. At number 9 is the startling story of the Skylab encounter of 1973 - an encounter that involved three trained astronauts who were witness to a huge UFO, possibly 800 to 1,000 feet in diameter. As Brad Sparks notes, it is the credibility of the witnesses that really makes this event a strong one.

Then comes a notable encounter in Canada’s Yukon in December 1996, which - importantly - was supported by the independent testimony of various individuals, all of who were certain that some sort of huge object of unknown origin was operating in the Yukon skies on that winter’s night more than a decade ago. Stan Friedman discusses the Mother-ship scenario, and we are left with the question: was the giant Yukon UFO the cosmic equivalent of a Navy aircraft-carrier?

Case number 7 is both a profound and unsettling one, since it involves the apparent disabling by a UFO of the nuclear warheads (or at least the disabling of the ability to launch the nukes) at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967. Captain Robert Salas, USAF (Ret.) provides excellent, credible commentary on his own personal recollections of the affair and, today, is of the opinion that the intelligences behind the UFOs were trying to get a dramatic message across: get rid of your nuclear weapons.

Canada’s Shag Harbor encounter of October 1967 follows next. Although a UFO incident, it could quite easily be argued that in this case, the 'U' in UFO stood for 'underwater' just as much as it stood for 'unidentified'. With accounts of UFOs zipping in and out of the waters of Shag Harbor, of a concerned Canadian and US military, and seemingly highly advanced unidentified technology skulking around both in our skies and beneath the waves, this is a case that is truly eye-opening. Don Ledger, who is one of the leading investigators of the case, provides much food for thought.

Case number 5 is that of Kelly Johnson - of U2 spyplane fame - whose sighting in 1953 of a 200-foot long UFO is surely one of the most important on record; given the man’s background and integral role in aviation history. And Stan Friedman makes the important and highly valid point that if anyone was in a prime position to know what we, the human race, were flying in our skies back then, it surely would have been Johnson. Yet, the fact that Johnson concluded that he had seen something truly extraordinary only amplifies the nature of the case, and hits home the fact that a small number of UFOs do appear to be true unknowns.

While there are certainly countless examples of alleged UFO caught on film or camera, perhaps none provokes such debate as do the famous McMinville photos taken by farmer Paul Trent in 1950. And, it is this encounter in UFO history that makes number 4 in Best Evidence - with commentary and endorsements provided by Bruce Maccabee.

At number 3 is the controversial Rendlesham Forest, England UFO landing of December 1980 that can arguably be classed as the British Roswell - at least, in terms of commentary, numbers of people involved, and books written on the subject. Colonel Charles Halt, USAF (Ret.), and former Ministry of Defense man Nick Pope talk about the case - lights in the sky, object moving in the woods, elevated radiation readings found at the scene, the list goes on. And Halt surely makes the understatement of the whole show when he notes that the aftermath of the affair - that, he says, included USAF people being drugged and hypnotized, and the confiscation of radar-tapes showing the movements of the UFOs - was "quite interesting." I’ll say!

Coming in at a close second: the Iranian Air Force’s "UFO dogfight" of 1976, that saw two Phantom F-4’s implicated in a striking UFO encounter over the nation’s skies, and that also saw the Phantom’s utterly out-performed, and - more disturbingly - profoundly affected in terms of weapons and electrical systems being temporarily shut down by the unknown visitor. And as Stan Friedman notes with respect to the fact that the Iranian’s launched two of their state-of-the-art aircraft in hot pursuit of the UFO: "You don’t scramble if you’re not worried." Indeed.

So which case makes number one? The 1957 encounter of the USAF crew of an RB-47 aircraft, who were shadowed for more than two hours and across more than a few US states by a distinct unknown. With aerial observations, airborne tracking, ground radar-based confirmation, and a plethora of trained, high- quality observers, the RB-47 event is one that makes Stan Friedman pose the question: "What more can you ask for?" And there you have it.

Of course, there will be those who will inevitably ask: "Hey, why wasn’t the [insert name here] incident discussed?" Well, the answer to that question is that this Top 10 list was one based solely upon the responses provided to Paul by those researchers that he polled.

There will always be those who will disagree with the cases presented, and I can personally think of one or two others that I would have included had it been my Top 10. But, regardless of that, Best Evidence is a first-class production, with strong cases, good production and special-effects, a fine narration from Kris Lee McBride, and solid commentary from a host of researchers and investigators.

And Best Evidence is refreshing for two other reasons, too: number one, it doesn’t try and force-feed a particular theory for the UFO presence down our collective throats. It merely hammers home the fact that some presence, some unknown, is most assuredly among us.

And, second, you will find no debunkers in this production. Now, I’m not against having the views of those of a skeptical nature presented in a show such as this - it can, sometimes, provide a welcome balance to get both sides across.

But what I am against is this mentality of so many shows (and channels) that interview UFO researchers with the sole intention of having them knocked them down by some debunking type with a few letters after their name.

In the case of Best Evidence, however, it is those who were personally there and those that have dug deep into the cases in question that are given air-time; rather than the myriad debunkers who prefer to pontificate from the comfort of their armchairs; and who, in many cases, have done zero personal research into the things they are babbling on about.

The final word I will leave to researcher and author Mac Tonnies, who is quoted in the closing moments of Best Evidence as noting that, if real, the UFO presence on our world appears to be influencing both the way we think and our own mythologies, and that "this is a sacred thing to be messing with."

Paul tells me that the show has been getting rave reviews and plans are already moving to have Best Evidence broadcast outside of Canada. So, keep watching the TV listings: you definitely don’t want to miss this one.

Monday, June 11, 2007-Sometime close to 5 on the evening of Dec. 9, 1965, a bluish object was spotted over several American states and parts of Canada. The unidentified flying object was reported to seemingly change course until it finally plummeted to Earth, resting in a densely wooded area in Kecksburg, Mt. Pleasant Township.

What was the object and why was the military called out?

Was there a government cover up?

What was the acorn-shaped object that was reported to have been removed from the area, under a taut tarp on the back of a flat bed truck?

What fell from the sky that winter night?

Greensburg native Stan Gordon has been studying these very questions since the incident occurred and has become a devoted researcher and popular lecturer on the subject that has come to be known as "The Kecksburg Incident."

In keeping with the Mt. Pleasant library's program "Get a Clue @ Your Library," Gordon was asked to be a guest lecturer.

"We thought he would be a good choice and people are interested in his talks," librarian Jamie Falo said. "We hoped for a good crowd."

And Gordon did draw a good crowd, showing his video presentation, and fielding a question and answer period for a crowd of about 40.

Gordon, who has been fascinated by the occurrence for more than 40 years, has spoken across the country on the subject, and is continually compiling facts as new people come forward with information.

"There is a huge amount of interest in the Kecksburg incident," Gordon said, "but so many people didn't come forward at the time."

Television programs about the Kecksburg incident have been shown on the History Channel and on the series "Unsolved Mysteries."

"After the shows air, we'll have people from all over the country contact us," Gordon said. "Many of them heard things from family or from friends and many of them moved right after the incident."

The crowd enjoyed the video presentation that included a mixture of photographs from the scene and of eyewitnesses to the UFO and the aftermath.

"He's always so interesting," said Sue Wallace, of Indiana County. "I grew up in the area and now my grandchildren are fascinated by the whole thing."

Wallace herself did not see anything that December night, but that's not unusual for people intrigued with the subject.

"I've spent many years gathering information on a number of things," Gordon said. "I've researched Bigfoot and many UFO sightings, especially in Pennsylvania, but I've never seen anything myself."

See the UFO Casebook case file The Kecksburg Crash

Pittsburg Live.com

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/news/mtpleasant/s_512044.html

By Rick Murray

Journal Register News Service

A Fort Dix Military Policeman supposedly pumped five bullets into what looked like a gray-type space alien and one more bullet into an apparent flying saucer hovering above his patrol car.

The gray then somehow cleared a high chain-link fence before collapsing dead on a runway in a remote area of McGuire Air Force Base. The creature stank of ammonia and had the skin of a reptile, or so the story goes.

Prominent Ufologists have argued they possess solid evidence that such a case did indeed transpire nearly thirty years ago on Jan. 18, 1978.

Officials of the U.S. Air Force have repeatedly denied the claim, saying again this week that the so-called evidence in the case was discredited as a hoax years ago.

Still, the old story offers a bizarre prologue to the recent saga of base incursion involving the now notorious Fort Dix Six, who await court action as alleged Islamic terrorists.

McGuire's civilian base historian, Gary Boyd, acknowledges the UFO story has over the years taken on a life of it's own. The Internet to this day, he says, offers detailed reports of UFOlogists' investigations into the case.

True or not, the story packs a dramatic wallop, with UFO investigators quoting what they claim is an eyewitness.

The so-called eyewitness notes: "...A Fort Dix MP was pursuing a low flying object which then hovered over his car. He described it as oval shaped, with no details, and glowing with a bluish green color."

He goes on to say: "...At that time, in front of his police car, appeared a thing, about four-feet tall, grayish brown, fat head, long arms, and slender body," the eyewitness noted. "The MP panicked and fired five rounds from his .45 cal into the thing, and one round into the object above."

As late as two years ago, Boyd says, amateur UFO researchers sought to gain access to base records about the alleged incident, while pretending to seek information about their military backgrounds. Boyd says he's fielded a total of ten inquiries about what in UFO circles is called, "the night the alien died."

"It's a complete fiction," Boyd said, laughing, in an interview this week. "It's humorous fiction because it wasn't even well hoaxed.

The chief piece of physical evidence supporting the UFO incident's reality is a military incident/complaint report, which purportedly details the alleged events of the night in question. Boyd, however, laughingly dismisses the document, noting it reflects numerous and blatant inaccuracies.

"The chain of command is totally screwed up and they even have the wrong zip code for the base," says Boyd.

A similar conclusion about the report was reached by the National Institute of Discovery Science, a Las Vegas, Nev. based collection of scientists and investigators, whose probes into a variety of paranormal phenomenon are financed by aerospace/real estate tycoon, Robert T. Bigelow.

NIDS gained fame in recent years for a book called "Hunt for the Skinwalker", based on the organization's investigation into a bizarre range of paranormal episodes ­ ranging from Bigfoot and UFO sightings to shapeshifter and poltergeist activity ­ at a ranch in a remote corner of Utah.

After conducting a preliminary investigation of the McGuire case, NIDS investigators determined that neither the base commander at McGuire in 1978, nor four other key Air Force officials, "admitted any memory of the incident."

Although they could not locate the principal eyewitness, NIDS investigators decided the case smelled enough like a hoax that no further investigation was necessary. However, NIDS through its website "encourages" anyone with information about the alleged McGuire encounter to contact them, noting, "the case is still pending."

The case's biggest continuing supporter is Richard H. Hunt, a Brentwood, Md.-based author specializing in the Civil War and UFOs, who has formerly been associated with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon, an organization that has enjoyed a good reputation for at least its sincerity.

NICAP was founded during the UFO flaps of the '50s, by retired Marine Corps Major Donald Edward Keyhoe, who became world famous for his articles in True Magazine maintaining that "Flying Saucers are Real."

Hunt picked up on the McGuire investigation upon the death of another NICAP stalwart, Leonard H. Stringfield, who also served for such other respected UFology organizations as the Mutual UFO Network.

Stringfield, or so the story goes, heard from the principal eyewitness after giving an interview broadcast over Armed Services Radio. That interview had inspired the witness, a man Stringfield and Hunt identify as Jeff Morse, to write the letter containing the graphic account of the MP shooting the strange creature.

Before his death in 1992, Stringfield had interviewed Morse numerous times, although there were apparently big time gaps between conversations. Morse reported, and Stringfield believed, that the interruptions owed to federal agents intercepting mail and phone calls.

Finally, Morse mailed Stringfield a copy of the report, written on what military officials agree is a standard DD 1569 form. The report seemed authentic to Stingfield, who acknowledged at the time having no way of being sure. What impressed him most, though, was Morses' demeanor.

"I got to know Morse as amiable, bright and alert and inclined toward reticence," wrote Stringfield, who said he was encouraged that Morse at no time claimed that what he saw was an extraterrestrial.

Morse, a rookie Air Force security officer at the time of the alleged incident, reported actually seeing the creature sprawled on the runway as he and other security officers worked to secure the area.

He later said the creature was whisked away on a C-141 to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, where, according to UFO lore, several of the dead aliens from the famous Roswell incident are said to be stored.

Morse has said he and other low level security officers were also taken to Wright Patterson for a tough debriefing session, but a Morristown, N.J. attorney he identified as one of his interrogators has denied ever taking part in, or knowing anything about, any debriefing related to UFOs.

Morse went on to earn a bachelors degree in business management and a masters in human relations, according to Hunt who is equally impressed with Morse the man.

"I have a full picture of his family background and professional career," Hunt writes. "At this point there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the report is authentic, and since it literally represents a case of corpus deliciti, it is of the first order of importance.

"The fact that several of the officers involved have denied to other investigators having any knowledge of the incident is not surprising," Hunt continues. "I have long since come to the conclusion that this case is so important and held in such complete secrecy that it will take a thorough Congressional investigation to pry loose the full story."

Also See the UFO Casebook case file- Alien Shot Dead at Ft. Dix.