The truth about UFO sightings

• Roswell UFO incident
• Cash-Landrum incident
• Rendlesham Forest Incident
• 1976 Tehran UFO incident

Rendlesham Forest Incident The Rendlesham Forest Incident is the name emitting above the trees. In the center of given to a series of reported sightings of the lighted area directly in the center unexplained lights and objects in the sky, ground level, there was a red light blinking and the alleged landing of an on and off 5 to 10 sec intervals. And a blue extraterrestrial spacecraft, in December light that was being for the most part 1980, in the vicinity of Rendlesham Forest, steady." Suffolk, England. Along with the Berwyn Mountain Incident, it is perhaps the most There were some strange noises, too. famous UFO event to have happened in Britain, Burroughs reported a noise "like a woman was ranking amongst the best-known UFO events screaming" and also that "you could hear the worldwide. It has been compared to the farm animals making a lot of noises". Roswell UFO incident in the United States and However, wildlife experts note that there is, amongst Americans, commonly referred to were no animals on the nearby farm and that as "Britain's Roswell" or the "English the noises were most likely made by wild Roswell". animals such as deer. Burroughs' statement also states that "We could see a beacon going Sceptical  viewpoints around so we went towards it. We followed it for about two miles [3 km] before we could Sceptics dismiss the more extreme claims and [see]  it  was  coming  from  a light house." offer rational explanations of the observed phenomena: for instance they claim that the Penniston's statement is the only one that initial sighting of an object apparently positively identifies a mechanical object as descending into the forest was caused by a the source of the lights. He states that he bright fireball and that the flashing light was within 50 metres of the object and "it subsequently seen from the forest edge was was  defidently mechlanical in nature" [sic]. caused by the beam from a nearby lighthouse; nor, they say, was there anything unusual The witnesses were unnerved by their about the radiation levels. Believers do not experience and believed that they had accept that the sceptics can adequately witnessed something, as Buran expresses it, refute eyewitness, documentary, photographic "out  of  the  realm  of  explanation". and  radiological  evidence. The  Halt  Tape Following the event, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) denied that it posed any threat to Also, in 1984, a copy of what became known as national security and that it was thus never the "Halt Tape" fell into the hands of investigated as a security matter. However, researchers. Unfortunately, because of static later evidence indicated that there was a and the fact that the tape had been dubbed on substantial MoD file on the subject and this an old machine, much of its background has led to claims of a cover-up. Some have conversations could not be discerned. The US interpreted this as part of a larger pattern Sci Fi Channel has now acquired the original of suppression of information in regard to recording, which documents Lt. Colonel Halt UFO/Alien existence/knowledge by both the US (USAF) and his patrol investigating a UFO and  UK  Governments sighting in Rendlesham Forest in December 1980. This tape not only reveals much more of Like the Roswell incident, it occurred in the the background conversations but features proximity of two military bases, RAF names that could not be heard on the Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters (now poor-quality 1984 dub. The tape has also been abandoned), which were being used by the transcribed by researcher Ian Ridpath, who United States Air Force (USAF), eight miles includes  a  link  to  an  audio  download. (13 km) outside Ipswich, Suffolk. At the time these USAF/RAF NATO bases were under the Suffolk  Police  log command of Major General Gordon E. Williams (ret.) and under the Deputy Base Commander Suffolk Constabulary have a record, dated 26 Colonel  Charles  I  Halt. December 1980, of a report from the law Enforcement Desk of RAF Woodbridge, stating Rendlesham Forest is owned by the Forestry that "We have a sighting of some unusual Commission and consists of approximately 15 lights in the sky, we have sent some unarmed square kilometres (3700 acres) of coniferous troops to investigate, we are terming it as a plantations, interspersed with broadleaved U.F.O. at present". The police investigated belts, heathland and wetland areas. It is this report and the result is recorded as located in the county of Suffolk, about eight follows: "Air Traffic Control West Drayton miles (13 km) to the east of the town of checked. No knowledge of aircraft. Reports Ipswich. The two airforce bases in the area received of aerial phenomena over southern (both being used by the USAF, at the time) England during the night. Only lights visible were RAF Bentwaters, which is situated just this area was from Orford light house. Search to the north of the forest, and RAF made of area - negative." A scan of the Woodbridge which extends into the forest from report is available at Suffolk Constabulary's the  west. website. The main events of the incident, including Other  military  installation  involvement the supposed "landing", took place in the forest, almost a mile (1600 m) to the east of Some researchers have claimed that personnel the  main  east  gate  of  RAF  Woodbridge. from Porton Down [4] visited Rendlesham in 1980 after the Rendlesham Forest Incident. Orford Ness lighthouse is about six miles (10 However, no evidence has been presented and km)  almost  due  east  of  this  location. there seems to be confusion with other alleged  UFO  incidents. 26  December Lord Hill-Norton (himself a reviewer of On the evening of 26 December 1980, a Bruni's book on the incident, mentioned resident of Sudbourne, a village below) asked Her Majesty's Government: approximately 6 miles (10 km) to the North "Whether they are aware of any involvement by East of Rendlesham Forest, reported a Special Branch in the investigation of the mysterious shape (like an upturned mushroom) 1980 Rendlesham Forest Incident [HL303]". in the sky above his garden. An Unidentified Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean gave the Flying Object was also reported at the nearby reply that "Special Branch officers may have USAF Woodbridge air base, where servicemen been aware of the incident but would not have initially thought it was a downed aeroplane shown any interest unless there was evidence but, upon entering the forest to investigate, of a potential threat to national security. they saw many strange lights moving through No such interest appears to have been shown." the trees, as well as a blinding light from (Quoted in Georgina Bruni's book You Can't an  unidentified  object. Tell  the  People) Some of the airmen claim to have seen a The British Government has released its files conical metallic object, suspended in a to researchers (with the exception of a small yellow mist, hovering over a clearing in the number of documents) [5], [6], [7], but the trees, with a pulsating blue and red circle United States continues to remain silent of light above. One eyewitness claims to have despite the SciFi Channel-sponsored seen triangular landing gear on the object. investigation entitled "UFO Invasion at The servicemen further claimed that the Rendlesham", the History Channel's "UFO Files object seemed clearly aware of their presence - Britain's Roswell" and Coalition for and moved away from them, forcing them to Freedom  of  Information  inquiries. give chase. Later the servicemen were said to have been found in a dazed state, and some Other  possible  explanations reports claim that local farmyard and domestic animals had been behaving in a state Science writer Ian Ridpath investigated the of  fear  and  panic. incident, initially for BBC TV's Breakfast Time, and on 5 January 1985 wrote an article The airmen were allegedly debriefed, for The Guardian that did much to discredit threatened and ordered to sign documents that the accounts of the UFO sightings at vowed silence; one even claimed to have been Rendlesham. Ridpath asked local residents forced to sign a document claiming the UFO about the lights, and most of them indicated was a lighthouse. Some reports suggest that that the light originated from a nearby they were reportedly ordered to stay quiet, lighthouse, which can create the impression with  the  warning  "bullets  are  cheap". of a light hovering slightly above the ground, especially in weather conditions The next morning, servicemen returned to the where there are patches of freezing mist small clearing where the conical object had amongst the trees. Also, if a UFO was been seen, and found three small impressions present, the airmen should have reported a in a triangular pattern, as well as burn second source of light (the lighthouse). In marks  and  broken  branches on nearby trees. the Halt tape (mentioned above), one can hear an unidentified airman call out "There it is 28  December again...there it is." with the same frequency at which the Orford Ness lighthouse flashes. They returned again on the evening of 28 Further analysis of the case can be found on December with radiation detectors, although Ridpath's  website  [9]. the significance of the readings they obtained is disputed . That night, the lights Locals in the area also believed the alleged returned, and the servicemen witnessed a "landing marks" simply to be "rabbit bright flashing light between the trees. diggings." Moreover, the supposed burn marks There are claims that the incident was in the trees were actually axe cuts that videoed by the USAF; but the resulting tape indicated the trees were ready to be felled. has  not  been  made  public. To give further pause to accepting the alleged UFO sighting, a meteor "almost as It has been rumoured that small beings with bright as the full Moon" was spotted over domed heads left the craft, and that twin southern England at exactly the time of the base commander Gordon Williams claimed to initial reports of a bright object "landing" have made sign language communication with in the forest, according to Dr John Mason, the aliens. These rumours have no evidence to who collects reports of meteor sightings for back them up, and come from unconfirmed the  British  Astronomical  Association. reports. Crucial amongst the evidence is the recording Primary  and  secondary  sources of high levels of radiation in the area (clearly heard on the "Halt tape"). Ridpath The first public report of the incident was points out that the equipment used for this published in the tabloid newspaper News of measurement was not intended to measure the World, on 2 October 1983, beneath the background radiation and therefore the sensational headline UFO lands in Suffolk readings at the low end of the measurement – and that's official. The story was scale  are  meaningless. based on an account by a former US airman, using the pseudonym Art Wallace (supposedly Steuart Campbell proposes an alternative to protect himself against retribution from explanation. He suggests that the incident the USAF), although his real name was Larry began with the sighting of a fireball Warren. (bolide) which was seen to the east and interpreted by guards at the base as an The  Halt  memo aircraft falling in flames in the nearby forest. In fact it would have been hundreds Letter from Lt. Col. Charles HaltThe first of miles away over the North Sea. Campbell piece of primary evidence to be made argues that the object subsequently seen by available to the public was a memorandum Halt and his men on their nocturnal written by the deputy base commander, Lt. expedition was the Shipwash lightship and Col. Charles I. Halt, to the Ministry of that the supposed "spacecraft" were actually Defence (MOD). Known as the "Halt memo", this bright planets. Campbell is critical of the was made available publicly in the United USAF's  abilities  with  their  equipment. States under the US Freedom of Information Act. The memorandum (left), was dated "13 Jan Another theory is that the incident was a 81" and headed "Unexplained Lights". The hoax. The BBC reported that a former US two-week delay between the incident and the security policeman, Kevin Conde, claimed report might account for errors in dates and responsibility for creating strange lights in times  given. the forest by driving around in a police vehicle whose lights he had modified. Statements from the eyewitnesses on 26 However, he is "unsure exactly when the prank December took place, and therefore is not sure if he was inadvertently responsible for the The Scottish reseacher James Easton succeeded so-called UFO incident." Kevin Conde now in obtaining the original witness statements states (2005) that he was not responsible for made for Col. Halt by Fred A. Buran, 81st the incident. He said this long before he was Security Police Squadron, Airman First Class famously interviewed by the BBC 'Inside Out' John Burroughs, 81st Security Police or the Daily Mail Newspaper. "This incident Squadron, Airman Edward N. Cabansag, 81st [hoax] occurred right after Christmas. For Security Police Squadron, Master-Sergeant J. reasons that are hard to explain it is my D. Chandler, 81st Security Police Squadron impression that I pulled my stunt during an and Staff-Sergeant Jim Penniston, 81st exercise. We would not have had an exercise Security Police Squadron. These documents are during the Christmas holiday. That is a now in the public domain and scans of them strong indication that my stunt is not the are  available  on  Ian  Ridpath's  website. source  of  this  specific  incident". These documents describe the sightings of Other explanations for the incident have strange lights. Penniston, for instance, included a downed Soviet spy satellite or a states that a "large yellow glowing light was nuclear incident. 1 A B C D E 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 100 101 102 103 104 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116