The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters

by Story, Ronald

  For the information of NICAP members, these points are discussed in detail. They give even stronger indication that NICAP’s original conclusion is the correct one, i.e., the case is a hoax.

  WALTON’S POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION

  Mr. Philip Klass revealed to NICAP that a lie detector test had been administered to Travis Walton THREE MONTHS EARLIER, ON NOVEMBER 15, 1975. WALTON FAILED THE POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION AT THAT TIME.

  This first test was given in the Sheraton Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona, on the afternoon of November 15. The arrangements for the examination were made by Mr. James Lorenzen, APRO’s director, and the test was paid for by the National Enquirer. The examination was administered by Mr. John J. McCarthy, director of the Arizona Polygraph Laboratory in Phoenix. Mr. McCarthy’s credentials are excellent. He was trained at the Army’s polygraph school at Fort Gordon. Mr. McCarthy is a member of the American Polygraph Association and has been licensed by the State of Illinois since 1964. At present, Arizona does not require that polygraph examiners be licensed to practice in the state.

  The examiner reported his findings as instructed to the National Enquirer and Dr. James Harder, APRO’s director of research, immediately upon the completion of the test taken by Walton. Dr. Harder reported that information to APRO’s James Lorenzen.

  McCarthy was further instructed to send a written report to the National Enquirer. The Enquirer instructed McCarthy not to reveal that he had tested Walton. An excerpt from the report which was sent is, “Attempting to perpetrate a UfO hoax, and that he has not been on any spacecraft.” The report further stated that Travis Walton had tried unsuccessfully to distort his respiration pattern in an attempt to deceive the examiner. However, he was unsuccessful.

  APRO published a full account of the Travis Walton case in their November 1975 newsletter which included the events that had transpired during week following Travis’ return through November 16. No mention of the November 15 lie detector test was included.

  Mr. Klass has hard physical evidence in his possession, which has been checked by NICAP, that Mr. McCarthy did test Travis Walton on November 15, 1975, and that Walton failed test. The evidence includes such documents as:

  1. The polygraph examination statement of consent dated Nov. 15, 1975, and signed by Travis Walton.

  2. McCarthy’s written report to the National Enquirer dated Nov. 16, 1975, which includes his conclusion that the UFO account was a hoax.

  3. The voucher receipt from the National Enquirer payable to McCarthy’s Arizona Polygraph Laboratory dated Jan. 14, 1976, for “Travis Walton UFO Incident.”

  4. Agreement to conduct test and supply report to National Enquirer. This statement is dated Feb. 1, 1976, rather than Nov. 15, 1975. This is clearly a typographical error.

  Three months after Travis Walton failed the first polygraph exam, he took another one administered by George J. Pfeifer, an examiner with only two years’ experience, who was employed by Tom Ezell Associates of Phoenix. The results of this test were wide publicized because he seemingly passed the test with flying colors. Mr. Klass discovered that Travis Walton dictated the questions that he wanted to be asked. Mr. Pfeifer complied with Walton’s request. To check the validity of the method of testing, the president of Tom Ezell Associates, Mr. Tom Ezell, was contacted. He stated that it is perfectly proper for the sponsor of a test {APRO) to indicate the area: which should be explored. However Mr. Ezell in later correspondence with Mr. Klass stated, “Because of the dictation of questions to be asked, this test should be invalidated.” He further stated that after examining the Travis Walton charts, “The reactions on the charts, to my way of interpretation, would not be readable. You would not be able to say if he [Travis Walton] is telling the truth or if he’s lying.”

  CORROBORATING WITNESSES’

  POLYGRAPH EXAMINATIONS

  As reported in the January 1976 issue of the UFO Investigator, the polygraph exam given to the other alleged witnesses was designed to determine whether or not Walton might be the victim of foul play insti gated by his associates. Three of the four relevant questions asked during the test dealt entirely with this issue. The test was given by C.E. Gilson, an examiner with five years’ experience. His statement to Mr. Klass was, “That was our sole purpose…to determine whether or not there had been a crime committed.” The single question about the UFO was added at the request of Sheriff Gillespie. Gilson stressed. “That one question does not make it a valid test as far as verifying the UFO incident.”

  WALTON’S CHARACTER

  In the evaluation of witness testimony, the credibility of the witness must also be evaluated.

  On May 5, 1971, Travis Walton and Charles Rogers pleaded guilty to first degree burglary and forgery charges. (Charles Rogers is a younger brother of Michael Rogers, who was also involved in the UFO incident.) This information was revealed by Travis Walton himself during a preliminary discussion with the polygraph examiner, Mr. McCarthy, and confirmed by state authorities.

  The young men agreed to make restitution of the funds and were placed on a two-year probation. Arizona law provides that if probation is fulfilled satisfactorily the party may later return and ask the Court to expunge the record. Both of the boys retracted their original pleas after the completion of the probation period.

  At the time of the report there is no indication that Walton was continuing his youthful misbehavior.

  PRIOR INTEREST IN UFOS

  Interest in UFOs does not prohibit the interested party from having a valid sighting. However, in a large majority of hoax reports, prior interest is usually present. It has been reported elsewhere that Walton had little or no prior interest in the field. Dr. Howard Kandell, one of the two physicians who examined Walton at APRO’s request was asked if the Waltons had indicated any prior interest in UFOs. Kandell replied: “They admitted to that freely, that he (Travis) was a ‘UFO Freak’ so to speak….” He had made remarks that if he ever saw one, he’d like to go aboard.

  Dr. Jean Rosenbaum, a psychiatrist who examined Walton was asked whether he had mentioned any prior interest in UFOs. He replied, “Everybody in the family claimed that they had seen them (UFOs) …Travis has been preoccupied with this almost all of his life…then he made the comment to his mother just prior to this incident that if he was ever abducted by a UFO, she was not to worry because he’d be all right.” Duane Walton has stated that he and Travis had often discussed the possibility of getting a ride on a UFO.

  MOTIVATION OF THE SIX WITNESSES

  It has been stated that there was no motivation, other than possible friendship for the other six witnesses to corroborate Walton’s story if it were not true. Investigation has revealed a strong financial possible motive for Mike Rogers and the other five crew members to perpetrate a hoax.

  Mike Rogers had submitted a bid in the spring of 1974 to the U.S. Forest Service for a timber thinning operation of 1,277 acres of land in a National Forest, located in the Apache-Sitgreaves area. His bid was accepted and was 27 percent under the mid-figure submitted by the other companies. By the following summer (1975) it clear to Rogers that he had grossly underestimated the magnitude of the job and could not complete it on time. He applied for an extension which was granted but he was penalized $1.00 per acre for all work performed after expiration of the original contract date. The new work completion date was November 10, 1975. As the new deadline approached, it became clear that once again, they could not possibly complete the work by that time and he would have to ask for another extension that would result in another pay cut. More serious, the Forest Service was withholding 10 percent of the payments until the job was done. With winter at hand, Rogers could not finish until the next spring to collect these funds. The alleged UFO incident gave Rogers a legal basis terminating his money-losing contract on the ground that his crew would not return to the work site out of fear, allowing Rogers to collect the withheld funds and pay his crew.

  SUMMARY

  The reaction of the Travis Walt family when
informed that he had be “zapped” away on a UFO provides valuable measure of whether they hi prior knowledge of a planned hoax. they believed that the incident actually took place, they would realize that they might never see Travis again. Troopers from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Department assembled late on the night of November 5th, and returned the alleged site to search for Travis. It was not until several hours after midnight on Nov. 6th that the group proceeded to inform Travis’ mother that her son could not be found.

  One member of the troopers informed Mr. Klass that when he explained the horrible fate of her son, she simply replied, “I’m not surprised.”

  Mrs. Kellet suggested to the law enforcement officials that the search be abandoned, saying, “I just don’t think there’s any use of looking any further…I don’t think he’s on this earth.” Travis’ brother, Duane, stated that he would stay on the site and wait because they always return their victims to the same spot.

  At no time during the entire episode did the family or crew members show or express any concern for his well being. Mr. Klass stated that, “One possible explanation for the reaction of Rogers and the members of his family is that they knew the incident was a hoax and that Travis was safe in a terrestrial hideout, rather than aboard an extraterrestrial spacecraft that might be taking him to a distant world from which he might never return.”

  On November 8, while Travis was ““still missing,” Duane said he was not at all concerned for his brother’s safety. Duane said he regretted that “I haven’t been able to experience the same thing.”

  In any scientific investigation, all data must be considered. Any organization or corporation reporting on investigations has the responsibility to disclose all facts to its readers…not just the information which supports a preconceived position.

  When the strengths and weaknesses of the Walton Case are evaluated, the indications are that a hoax has been perpetrated.

  —NICAP

  References

  The APRO Bulletin (November 1975).

  The APRO Bulletin (December 1975).

  The APRO Bulletin (February 1976).

  The APRO Bulletin (March 1976).

  The APRO Bulletin (July 1976).

  The APRO Bulletin (August 1976).

  Barry, Bill. Ultimate Encounter (Pocket Books, 1978). Klass, Philip J. UFOs: The Public Deceived (Prometheus Books, 1983).

  _____. UFO Abductions: A Dangerous Game (Prometheus Books, 1988).

  UFO Investigator (June 1976).

  Walton, Travis. The Walton Experience (Berkley, 1978).

  _____. Fire in the Sky (Marlowe & Co., 1996).

  wanderer This poetic term, used by George Hunt Williamson and other UFO contactees in the 1950s, describes a process of interdimensional, interplanetary soul transfer. In this process, a higher-dimensional ET soul incarnates in the normal way (e.g., as a baby), and agrees to forget their own memory of ET identity and purpose, to aid the evolution of humanity and the planet. This process of cosmic soul-wandering has occurred since the beginning of human experience on Earth and is common throughout the Universe, and expresses of the basic Law of Service in which elder souls freely go to serve worlds in need. The Law of Service is said to be the primary motivation for the majority of UFO visitation occurring on Earth today.

  —SCOTT MANDELKER

  War of the Worlds A classic science fiction novel, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, is about an invasion from Mars. It first appeared in serial form in Cosmopolitan magazine during the summer of 1897. The first edition of the book was published by William Heinemann of London in 1898, and of course has been reprinted many times.

  Alvin Correa’s classic illustration of a Martian emerging from its spacecraft-cylinder in H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.

  The concept of an invasion from space as a purgative horror owes much to this early literary effort, which has had considerable impact on later fictional writing, to say nothing of its obvious influence on speculations about the possible motives behind UFO activity.

  The talented Orson Welles produced a realistic radio dramatization of the story in October 1938, causing a panic in the Eastern United States. The stampede triggered by the broadcast is often referred to by students of the UFO problem as an example of potential havoc that could be generated by the sudden release of startling UFO information, or by a mass landing of alien craft.

  The novel inspired an American movie in 1953 which won an Academy Award for special effects. The UFO flap in France in 1954, which was notable for many “little men” reports, may have been encouraged by the George Pal production, which at that time was enjoying a successful run in French theaters.

  The Wellsian “UFOs are hostile” theory has been best developed by UFO authors Brad Steiger, Harold T. Wilkins, Coral E. Lorenzen, and Donald E. Keyhoe. The problem of an unprepared public is a theme that pervades many UFO books and articles, especially by Keyhoe, who served for many years as director of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), thus providing a stimulus to the policy of that organization.

  —LOREN E. GROSS

  POSTSCRIPT: The original magazine serialization and resulting novel by H.G. Wells introduced the idea of aliens having big heads and degenerated bodies due to the future evolution of a body shaped by civilization. It was taken up with enthusiasm by science fiction (SF) writers in the pulp era and came forward into our time via comics and SF film culture.

  Wells mentions the influence of the astronomer Schiaparelli explicitly in his 1898 novel and no doubt was influenced by Percival Lowell as well. Lowell had introduced the idea of Mars as a dying planet inhabited by technologically advanced beings.

  Wells also described the Martian space vehicles as “huge cylinders,” a description suggestive of later flying saucers and cigar-shaped UFOs. How he visualized the beings is captured in the words of the protagonist of Wells’s novel: “A big grayish rounded bulk, the size perhaps of a bear, was rising slowly and painfully out of the cylinder. As it bulged up and caught the light, it glistened like wet leather. Two large dark-colored eyes were regarding me steadfastly.” A few pages later, Wells again emphasizes the eyes: “Those who have never seen a living Martian can scarcely imagine the strange horror of its appearance…above all, the extraordinary intensity of the immense eyes….” One could forget for a moment he is reading Wells and could easily imagine hearing the voice of Barney Hill.

  Here we have the gray color, large dark-colored eyes, and leathery skin as described in later years by many people who claimed to be abducted by UFO-aliens. By the time the George Pal movie was released in 1954, we have a modified version of spindly bodies with large heads, large eyes, and even hands with sucker-tipped fingers, as described in later abduction accounts.

  —MARTIN S. KOTTMEYER & RONALD D. STORY

  Ware, Donald M. (b. 1935). Donald Ware has studied UFOs since he saw seven UFOs (which he believes were alien vehicles) over Washington, DC on July 26, 1952.

  He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University in 1957 and an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1970. After serving his country as a fighter pilot, staff scientist, test manager, and teacher, he retired from the Air Force in 1983.

  Ware has studied birds around the world, and had three articles published in scientific journals. He served as State Director and Eastern Regional Director for MUFON, and he is a Director of the International UFO Congress. Ware says that his search for truth has led to physical, mental, and spiritual interactions with the larger reality represented by the alien presence.

  Address:

  662 Fairway Ave.

  Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32547

  U.S.A.

  POSITION STATEMENT: Some UFOs are vehicles controlled by a more advanced intelligence. They originally came from Zeta Reticuli, the Pleiades, Tau Ceti, Sirius, Arcturus, Andromeda, and perhaps other places. Some UFOs are vehicles made in secret facilities on this planet by humans, with assistance from
one or more alien species. I suspect that some of the vehicles made here have the capability of reaching the Moon or Mars, using advanced propulsion systems that are restricted from use by the general society until all national leaders choose peace. At least one system reduces the effect of gravity.

  We are joining the Galactic Society, one person at a time, as our consciousness evolves toward service-to-others through free-will choices. Then our souls enter our bodies for a new purpose: to develop unconditional love of others. We are getting new genetically-engineered bodies: Homo sapiens alterios that may be among us and Homo alterios spacialis that must be separated from the general society until the lesser evolved souls are ready to accept them.

  Donald Ware

  Perhaps a billion people are ready for open contact, many of whom are now contacted in their secret night life. Others who have not yet accepted humans of different races or religions would have serious ego problems. The main criteria for determining rules of engagement seems to involve our state of spiritual evolution, and only God knows when we are all ready for open contact.

  Don Ware’s position statement is continued below in an essay (published here for the fist time in book form) that captures the essence of a viewpoint that is widely held in UFOlogy today.

  IS MY WORLD DIFFERENT

  THAN YOURS?

  Each of us lives in a world defined by our experiences; by our actions and reactions; by who we meet, what we read, and what we watch on TV, film, and the stage. We each have the ability to change our world by our thoughts and our actions. Many people apparently do not realize this is true. Their reactions to the world are based on fear, and they don’t experience the love they deserve.

  My world is a world in the midst of a transformation. My world is a world full of beauty that can be seen, heard, touched, smelled, tasted, and felt emotionally. I have not felt the emotions of fear or anger since I learned to perceive the universe from the perspective of my soul, rather than as Donald Ware. My physical body only has five senses, so where did that sixth sense of emotion come from? I think it came from my emotional body, an energy body that occupies the same general space as my physical body. I also think I have a mental body and a spiritual body. All three of my energy bodies are part of the soul that will continue to exist after my physical body ceases to function.