Robert Salas stumbled upon four Malmstrom witnesses?

Thanks to James Carlson giving me a heads up on this topic.  Apparently in October, Robert Salas started a GoFundMe effort to raise $15K for the purpose of introducing four new witnesses to the soon to be 50 year anniversary of the Malmstrom 1967 UFO "incidents."

https://www.gofundme.com/malmstrom67-ufo-press-conference-2v7jxdca

Per Salas:

"I am asking for your donations to help fund a press conference of four important witnesses to the 1967 Malmstrom AFB, Montana UFO/Missile shutdown incidents.  The press conference will be held at the National Press Club, Washington DC, and is scheduled for Thursday, March 16, 2017. 

 I am only doing this because I think it would make a difference in our quest for public disclosure of the UFO phenomenon. I think it is an opportune time to again present the Malmstrom UFO incidents to the public. I and other witnesses have briefly spoken of these incidents at prior press conferences. However, this one will focus only on the 1967 Malmstrom incidents. March 16, 2017 will be the 50th anniversary of the Echo Flight UFO incident, which preceded my UFO missile shut-down incident at Oscar Flight about 7 days later on March 24th. Importantly, Hillary Clinton, should she be elected President, has publicly committed to initiating an investigation of government records on the UFO phenomenon. Our presentation will press her to follow-through with that investigation. 

The Malmstrom UFO incidents are the most significant and verifiable incidents related to the nuclear weapons connection with UFOs. These highly credible witnesses who are scheduled to present were directly involved, and their testimonies will be supported by documentation. In addition, the intent and methods used to cover-up these incidents by government agencies will be presented in detail. 

Although press conferences such as this have been held in the past, it is important to emphasize that at this point in time that we have a potential President of the United States who has stated a willingness to validate this highly consequential phenomenon. 

If you contribute, I assure you your contribution will be important toward the cause of disclosure of this phenomenon and will be solely and effectively used to provide travel accommodations and expenses for the speakers. Having presented in many similar press conferences of this kind and co-organized one in 2010, I am experienced in organizing successful press conferences of this kind. You can be assured that any amount in excess of what is needed for the expense of this project, will be donated to a worthy non-profit organization engaged in disclosure projects. 

We would be very grateful for any and all contributions to support this timely campaign."

Sounds great!  Why trot out these four new witnesses in a circus-like atmosphere when a reasonable approach would be to post their names and statements/experience on a respectable internet site? 

I'm assuming that Salas will have them sign an affidavit which is par for the course so that the narrative is in line with the pro-UFO zeitgeist.

Problem with Salas' frame of thought is that Clinton lost the election and I see no Trump agenda for blowing the lid off for UFO disclosure as 60 million voters tend to be more worried about jobs.  We've effectively been probed for the last 8 years, but not by ET.  Disclosure tends to be a fantasy/luxury that gains delusional confabulations that's proportionate to the increase of one's discretionary income.

Salas has yet to come clean in any public forum about how the Oscar Flight story may have more of a sounder foundation based upon his undergoing hypnosis some decades back that revealed the "traumatic" events during the night in question. 

I had posted an article regarding the hypnosis angle:

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2013/08/was-malmstroms-oscar-flight-results-of.html

That certainly puts a dent in one's credibility.  So I'll await the results and compelling stories that will be put forth coming this March of 2017.


Note to reader:  Sorry for the type font and size.  I've tried to correct things but am unable to be successful at this time...Tim Hebert

Hastings' Critique of the Critique: Convenient Omissions

Robert Hastings has responded to my review of "UFOs and Nukes" and not surprisingly he takes exceptions to my commentary.  I had praised Robert for the efforts that he and his production crew had put into the project, yet this aspect of my review either went unnoticed or ignored.  Overall, Hastings' reply was a delightful read.

Rather than comment on all of the elements of Hastings' response, I wanted to focus on two individuals that appear to be the major thrust of his reply:  Walter Figel and Henry Barlow.

Both Figel and Barlow play a pivotal role in Hastings' Echo Flight story.  Walter Figel, the Echo Flight Deputy Crew Commander, made statements to Hastings that he received a UFO sighting report via SIN line from a maintenance team member while Echo's launch facilities were dropping into No-Go status.  He would further claim that one of his security response teams would later report a UFO hovering near or over one of the launch facilities. Which LF in particular is never made known.

Robert Hastings brings up the numerous statements of Walter Figel that he had taped and presented on his own site UFOs and Nukes and that on theufochronicles.com.  What Hastings failed to note was that Walter Figel would later change his story.  I've provided a few blog articles that revealed this inconvenient fact.  There apparently was a riff between Hastings and Figel as shown below, more than likely due to the conflicting accounts given to Robert Salas and Robert Hastings.  Below is from a series of questions that I had posed to Hastings some while back on an article posted on the UFO Chronicles.

 Robert Hastings:  "Figel, after accusing Salas of making up the UFO-related events at Oscar, as you mention above, never acknowledged that he had been wrong when he said that Salas’ statements were fiction, never called Col. Meiwald (whose number I provided to him) to verify the authenticity of Meiwald’s tape recorded comments in support of Salas—which contradicted his own uninformed opinions entirely—and frankly, never had the decency to apologize to Salas, even after Col. Meiwald supported Salas without reservation.
Figel’s tendency to talk out of both sides of his mouth is one of the reasons he was not initially invited to participate in my press conference—where seven USAF veterans *with backbone* stuck to their stories and talked in detail about multiple UFO encounters at ICBM sites, including the Echo and Oscar shutdowns.
With this caliber of witness (seven of them, actually) at the press conference, why would I include Figel, who told me on tape that he didn’t want to get caught up in the debate between you and me and fan the controversy further? That kind of wishy-washy attitude didn’t make the cut. (all bold typed by TH)

TH:  Why was Walter Figel missing at the press conference, since he is Robert's star witness? Perhaps Robert would be willing to explain this oddity as this has been a mystery to me and others.

RH:  Figel chose not to attend the event, despite a written invitation from me to do so. (TH's emphasis) Following his detailed, tape-recorded admissions to me--in 2008, 2009, and 2010--about a UFO presence during the Echo Flight shutdown incident, he explicitly told me, after the last conversation, that he didn't want to get further involved in my disclosure efforts, which is his prerogative. Hence no affidavit from him and no participation in the press conference.

Nevertheless, every time I posted our taped conversations online, Figel was immediately provided with the link to them. He never objected to my doing so or disputed anything I posted, written or taped, relating to his remarks to me. His silence these days--toward me and James Carlson--is indicative of his desire to say no more.

Jesus, like he needs to! Listen to the tapes, Tim. He has already provided the facts and stands by what he says.

BTW, only you and James Carlson call Figel my "star witness". Actually, most of the other individuals who participated in the press conference had more important things to say than Figel. The same goes for dozens of other veterans--among the nearly 130 I have interviewed since 1973--who have gone on-the-record about the UFO-Nukes Connection.

That said, Figel is indeed the most important source relating to the Echo Flight shutdown, given that he was there, and took the call, when the guard reported the UFO hovering over one of the missiles, just as he was there during the debriefing when he and Eric Carlson were told by their squadron commander not to discuss the incident. Which, by the way, is the reason debunkers like you and James Carlson are desperately attempting to discredit Figel's candid statements to me.

So this from our "film maker" who stands solidly behind by one of his solid witnesses.  I'm wondering how this treatment would be viewed by Hastings' other witlessness, or... are we dealing with Ufology's version of Stockholm Syndrome...one can go figure.

I've always contended that Walter Figel's absence at the 2010 press conference was suspect and possibly due to a riff with Hastings.  His story was only that he had heard of a UFO sighting by a maintenance team on one of Echo's Launch Facilities (LF).  Walter Figel saw nothing himself.

Robert Hastings has "pasted" together a UFO story based solely on Figel's receipt of a phone call (SIN line).   Who and when was the phone call issued is still a mystery.  The 341st Strategic Missile Wing's Unit History makes no mentioning of any maintenance teams in the flight area during the shutdown.  The Unit History goes into depth concerning the the launch crew (Carlson and Figel) as far as debriefings by wing evaluation personnel, yet nothing is mentioned about the debriefing of any missile maintenance teams or site security teams.  Were there any teams actually on site?  Or, perhaps Figel received the call from one of the responding maintenance teams, such as H. Barlow's, thus setting off a possible prank morphing Echo into missile folklore?

This brings up the statements made by Hank Barlow who was an EMT team member responding to the Echo Flight shutdown.  One must understand that my opinion has somewhat changed over the past few years based on an in-depth reading of the 341st SMW Unit History.  Nowhere in the Unit History is there ever a mentioning of maintenance and/or security teams out in the flight area during the shutdowns.

Hank Barlow's statements now need to be re-evaluated in lieu of the lack of no maintenance teams in the Echo flight area.  By being at Mike-01, his team was only approximately an hour away from Echo and may indeed have been one of the first EMT teams to arrive in the flight area.  Barlow's team could have easily left Mike around 0900 and arrived at the first Echo launch facility between 1000 and 1030.  Carlson and Figel would have still been on duty.  If Barlow's team was being processed onto one of Echo's launch facilities, then Eric Carlson would have been involved and heard the radio/SIN line conversations.  This would explain why Carlson never heard of any UFO reports.  Per Barlow, his team never saw anything unusual and went about their task unhindered though dead tired at the end of the day.  In a strange twist of irony, Hastings may well be right (for the wrong reason) that Hank Barlow's team was the first to arrive in the Echo flight area.  Barlow still remains one of many who heard of rumors of UFOs from a long forgotten source, yet he admitted that he saw nothing.  During the 27 September 2010 press conference held in D.C., Barlow was absent and it now appears that he never signed an affidavit affirming his story.  Was he asked by Robert Hastings?  If so, did he refuse?  It is highly possible that Barlow knew that his team was initially the only maintenance team on any of Echo's LFs which further calls into questions Figel's interview statements recalling maintenance teams on his sites prior to and during the shutdowns.

Robert Hastings conveniently hides another series of facts from his readers and documentary viewers regarding the Echo Flight crew commander, Eric Carlson.  Hastings and Salas paint this picture of a lone Walter Figel battling UFO reports striking down 10 nuclear tipped ICBMs forgetting that there was someone who was in command of the situation.  Hint:  it was not Walter Figel.

For years Eric Carlson has been silent on the issue of UFO activity.  He has consistently denied any UFO reports or involvement in the shut down of the ten ICBMs.  In the 2008 Hastings interview, Figel is notably interested in the contents of a phone conversation which Hastings had with Carlson.  Per Hastings, Carlson said little other than to state that UFOs were not the cause of the shutdowns, but Figel's noticeably interest in the phone conversation as to what Eric Carlson specifically said is interesting.  The response from Figel gives the appearance that he was uncomfortable about Eric Carlson's reaction.  Was Figel concerned that Carlson would contradict his version of events?  It would appear so.

Carlson did provide an interview with Ryan Dube of Realityuncovered. Carlson stated that no reports were called in.  He did not receive any calls radio/SIN related to the sighting of a UFO over any of his launch facilities, this also includes any conversations with security personnel.  For all of the focus on Figel's activities on 16 March 1967, per the Unit History (pg. 36) Carlson was the first to see the faults and subsequent No-Go indications.  He told Dube that he was actively running his checklist and making the applicable reports.  One interesting bit of information is Carlson's relating to a call from SAC HQ querying the launch status of the ten ICBMs.  Contrast this to Figel's interview with Salas where he states that he (Figel) was sent to Offutt AFB to brief SAC officials on the shutdowns.  Carlson never makes that claim.  Carlson goes on to state that by the end of the day everyone (Malmstrom and Great Falls) was aware of the shutdowns, "talk of the town" and he was playfully subjected to innocent teasing from his peers.  Could this squadron camaraderie have been the initial source of playful UFO "rumors" that eventually filtrated back to maintenance teams, contractors and security personnel out in the field, or those soon to have dispatch to the flight area?

Robert Hastings states in his reply to my review:  "...Tim Hebert, wrote a critique which, not surprisingly, contains a number of factual errors, convenient omissions and other misrepresentations."  I've provided a few tid bits of facts for people to look at for their consideration.  Facts that Hastings has kept hidden.  His "convenient" omissions.


Note to reader:  re-established Hank (Henry) Barlow link, or:

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2011/02/robert-hastings-swiss-cheese.html

The Malmstrom Trinity

As the title states, three Malmstrom cases make up what I call the Malmstrom Trinity revolving around two well known UFO stories and one lesser known sighting that occurred within one week of each other in March of 1967.

We all know, or should by now, about the Echo Flight incident that occurred on the morning of March 16, 1967.  Yes, and I'll keep trumpeting this until I'm hoarse...all ten missiles dropped off of alert status due to an anomaly that occurred at the Launch Control Center not because a UFO was screwing around the flight area...but I digress.

Oscar Flight, if...if...it did happen, then this would have occurred in the time frame of the early morning hours of March 24/25, 1967.  Please review my last post and the post previous to that one.  I stand steadfast with my opinion on this one.  No UFO....

Now for the third member of the trinity...the Belt, Mt, UFO sighting that occurred on 24 March 1967.  Basically a truck driver, Kenneth Williams, was travelling from Laurel, Mt to Great Falls, Mt and saw bright light/object in the sky to the west of his location outside of Belt, Mt.  This was also a Blue Book investigation.

I say above that the Belt sighting is lesser known only in the context of the other two which overshadowed it.  Yet, well known and covered by the local media.  

So PBB would investigate a mundane sighting from a truck driver and highway patrolman, but didn't find the time or make the effort for Echo and Oscar...this should tell you something.

I've been meaning for the past few years to provide a write up on this case.  I plan to rectify this within the next few weeks...

Robert Salas Takes Exception To My "UFO/Nukes" Review

I apparently ruffled Robert Salas with my review of Hastings' documentary/film.  Frank Warren was kind to post my blog post on his site:  The UFO Chronicles and Robert Salas posted a comment:


"In this article, Tim Hebert claims there is no evidence that the Oscar flight shutdowns during my UFO event in 1967 ever occurred. He is simply wrong in that assertion. I have testified in an affidavit, written two books that cover the incident in detail, and have spoken about it openly and answered any and all questions honestly and to the best of my ability for over twenty years. I am a graduate of the USAF Academy and served honorably for seven years. My testimony is evidence. My commander in the capsule, Col. Fred Meiwald, has validated the incident in oral and written testimony. The testimony of this highly respected career officer is evidence. The affidavit of Robert Jamison, another USAF officer who was in charge of the targeting team who confirmed all ten missiles of Oscar flight were disabled on March 24, 1967 is also evidence. This may not be enough evidence for some, like Herbert, but it is there. My motivation for presenting my story is not to convince everyone, it is simply to inform the public that I, and others were witness to this incident that is evidence of the UFO phenomenon.

Robert Hastings has produced an accurate depiction of my incident and that of many others in his recent video. I have known him for over twenty years. His work in interviewing witnesses, verifying their accounts, researching details has been exceptional and deserves the gratitude of anyone interested in uncovering the truth about this phenomenon. He has established himself as one of the most respected researchers in this field. Whatever the motives of a debunker like Herbert, he has no standing to discredit the honor of any of us witnesses or that of Robert Hastings."

Robert L. Salas 


And my reply:


Mr. Salas,

Interesting that you say that, "...a debunker like Herbert [Hebert], he has no standing to discredit the honor of any of us witnesses or that of Robert Hastings."

Nowhere have I questioned the honor of you or any of the witnesses that Hastings has brought forth either in the written word or on video. As compared to others, I've treated everyone with respect. You'll find that throughout my blog articles no one is branded as "liars."

What I've done is highlighted the numerous disconnects and confusion that have circulated for years regarding the UFO cases brought forth, by you and Robert Hastings. To be frank, there are many of these disconnects that you and Mr. Hastings have written as factual evidence which I disagree. I've highlighted these with links to my blog posts at the end of my review.

Let me be clear on this matter. I've intentionally avoided branding you and the other former officers as "liars" and "opportunist" in deference to your/their service. I served in the very squadron that you were assigned to...the 490th Strategic Missile Squadron.

Per Mr. Salas: "... Tim Hebert claims there is no evidence that the Oscar flight shutdowns during my UFO event in 1967 ever occurred. He is simply wrong in that assertion. I have testified in an affidavit, written two books that cover the incident in detail..."

Yes, I'm well aware that you have done so, but you misunderstand my point being that there is no official AF/SAC/FTD documentation that shows that an incident occurred at Oscar Flight. There is a Blue Book case on the Belt UFO sighting, roughly the same day as your allegation, but no investigation for Oscar Flight? This is odd, would you not agree? There is a full fledged engineering investigation for Echo Flight which happened a week prior, but nothing for Oscar. Again, this is odd, would you not agree? Now, combine your claim with the total absence of eye witnesses to come forward and corroborate your claim (FSC, site security teams, Facility Manager, etc). This is odd, would you not agree? Where are the AF-117s, the affidavits, the phone interviews, the on-camera segments for Hastings documentary? There are none. This is bizarre, would you not agree?

Approximately one year later there is a UFO incident at Minot AFB involving missile security, maintenance, and a B-52 overflying the flight area. Well over 100 plus pages of documentation is accumulated with written statements (AF-117), MFRs, SAC/FTD message traffic, etc. And...there is no documentation for Oscar. Do you now understand my skepticism?

I've corresponded with Frank Warren last week and gave my assurance that I would view Robert Hastings' documentary. I have done so and written a review. Keep in mind, I'm not an expert in film production, but viewed it as a casual individual. It was a quality production when it is compared to past UFO offerings...BTW, I enjoyed it. But the content broke no new ground to change my opinion. 

And it is my sole opinion. You and others may accept it or not just as you and Hastings ask me and others to accept your premise. 

All I am is a former Minuteman II launch officer/staff officer/Systems Command program manager that is offering an opinion based on reading and analyzing the claims made by you and others.

Kind regards,
Tim Hebert 


As of yet Mr. Salas has not responded to my comment, or the questions put forth by this writer.  But this begs the question:  "If I raise questions concerning the comments made by Hastings' select former military officers and enlisted personnel, is that to be construed that I am branding them as liars?"

I'm given the impression that I am to accept unconditionally what Hastings, Salas, and others state to be the truth.

A Review of UFOs and Nukes: The Secret Link Revealed

Introduction

I recently bought and down loaded Robert Hastings' UFO documentary film "UFOs and Nukes: The Secret Link Revealed."  This is supposedly Hastings' milestone achievement in conjunction with his book UFO and Nukes which was published some years back.

The major theme of the documentary appears to be that UFOs and its occupants have been observing the US and the former USSR during the Cold War.  These alleged observations center around both nations' nuclear weapons sites.  Basically extraterrestrials have been attempting to send both nations a message or warning concerning the use of nuclear weapons.

The documentary makes an attempt to establish the notion that UFOs have not only overflown our nuclear weapons sites, but have made numerous attempts to disrupt the operational status of our nation's ICBM forces.  On some occasions, UFOs are allegedly to have actually caused Minuteman ICBM missiles to drop off strategic alert.  Hastings offers the viewers what he believes to be compelling evidence that supports his premise.

Production Presentation

The film is 48 minutes long.  The overall quality of the production is good when it is compared to past attempts at depicting the UFO subject in documentary form.  I use the following as an example of very poor quality:  http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2014/01/new-discovery-channel-ufo-programs.html. I believe that Hastings' production crew out performed Discovery Channel on this one.

The quality of the film's sound is good.  The narration is clear and understandable.  The same can be said of the witness presentations for clarity of content.  The sound from the archival footage is also easy to hear and comprehend with no noise distortion noted.

The graphics are clear and easy to read.  I had issue with the use of supporting documents fading in and out with a change in background color.  This is a personal opinion as others who view the film may not see this as a distraction.

Hastings is to be commended for his selection and use of archive photos/film depicting Strategic Air Command (SAC) missile operations and it's missile crews as well as that of the bomber force.  I like the visual of the old crew whites with the squadron patches on the right side of the uniform shirt above the pocket.  The use of the Launch Control Facility and Launch Facility at the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Historical Site was a great idea. This provides a realistic setting for Hastings theme and puts everything in proper context related to the weapon system.

I personally did not care for the use of actors to re-create scenes for the advancement of the story line. This has been one of my pet peeves when viewing past efforts, but my past professional sensibilities were soothed with the concurrent use of supporting archival photos/film.  Again, this is a personal point with me, but for the casual viewer this should not be an issue.

The use of UFOs photo-shopped hovering over a Minuteman launch facilities and launch control centers provides dramatic touches, but it would have been appropriate if a disclaimer were attached listing the hovering UFO as purely for illustrative purposes.  There was only one segment that was annotated as a "re-creation."  There are no known photos/film that captures a UFO hovering over any ICBM complex and the viewer should be aware of this fact.

Documentary Content

It's my understanding that Hastings' goal was to produce a film with the intent to educate the public on the reality of UFOs and their relationships with nuclear weapon sites. I viewed the entire film four times and came to the conclusion that the documentary was designed for the new comer to the UFO subject.   If you are a fan of Hastings' works then the content of the film will be somewhat disappointing as nothing new is offered in the documentary.   The depiction of UFOs harassing US ICBMs with the obligatory political and military cover-ups has been standard fare for Hastings.  

I'm assuming that due to the time constraints and the need to shoehorn the numerous Minuteman ICBM incidents, the witness statements are short...abbreviated from what was provided in past articles by Hastings. Unfortunately the viewer loses the full context and he/she is only left with short sound bites....selected sound bites that only Hastings wants the viewer to hear/see. 

The same strategy of abbreviation is used with the "supporting" documents.  As mentioned above, these documents come into view then morph into "pertinent" highlighted one liners for the sole purpose of psychologically convincing the viewer that UFOs were affecting the operations of the nation's ICBM forces and that a military cover-up was on-going. There is little to no information offered to the viewer that numerous pages of documents are available that tell an entire different story, or when the highlighted document segments are shown in context to the full document itself, a different interpretation takes shape that has nothing to do with UFOs.

Again, the all too well known theme is played out with Hastings' witnesses:  ICBM launch officers are contacted by above ground security personnel and told of UFO sightings.  The officers themselves see nothing (they're 60 to 100 feet underground), but the the security personnel are treated to bizarre aerial performances that are not of this world. Where are the on camera testimonies from those security personnel?  What were their names?  The only exception is that of Hank Barlow, a former EMTer, who hears of UFOs but sees nothing while out in the field.

Hastings depicts the 1967 Malmstrom AFB  Echo and Oscar flight incidents as proof positive of UFOs dropping Minuteman missiles off alert.  The only problem is that one incident is true and the other has no evidence of ever happening.  

Echo flight was a real event with credible evidence that a problem developed withing the command and control system at the Launch Control Center affecting it's 10 ICBM with no evidence of UFOs causing the problem.  Salas' tired Oscar Flight story has nothing factual to support anything from happening.  Did the film flash on screen any documents showing Oscar Flight dropping off alert and security personnel giving on camera testimony?  The answer is NO, because such documents and eye witness testimony is nonexistent.

Hasting uses a very short audio segment where Walter Figel states that he hears of UFO activity over Echo flight, yet missing is the statements from the crew commander Eric Carlson who denied any of the above.  Plus my own research has shown that no maintenance or security team was identified as being on any of the flight's launch facilities. 

When looking at all of the Minuteman stories emanating from all six Minuteman ICBM wings, the launch officers hear of UFOs, but the one's who supposedly see the objects tend to be mere background noise.  Yes, Hastings former ICBM officers provide interesting accounts of what they heard, but they cannot provide anything tangible of what was seen... which was nothing.

Rather than rebutting all of Hastings' claims shown in the documentary, I'll provide links to blog articles that I've authored that addresses those very claims.

Conclusion

Robert Hastings is to be commended for the effort that he and his production crew put into this project.  I was impressed with the overall quality of the presentation's components, sound, graphics and archive photos/films.  The content of the documentary was less impressive as Hastings provided nothing new.  The documentary appears to be a 48 minute abridged version of his book, but it should be acknowledged that Hastings would have had a difficult task fitting everything into those 48 minutes.

Per a comment provided to me by Frank Warren attributed to Robert Hastings:  "This crowd will never admit—even to themselves—that their misguided, weak arguments are now untenable. Maybe they are just lying low, realizing that they have nothing to gain by critiquing the film, in light of the overwhelming evidence it presents. (Now that I have written this article, look for some of them to claim that they didn’t want to pay five bucks to support my “nonsense”, which gives them a convenient excuse not to comment.)"

Despite the above, it is all too evident that "UFOs and Nukes" was never meant for the skeptics viewership nor was it meant to shatter our "misguided weak and untenable arguments."  The simplified regurgitation of Hastings' past views support my interpretation. This film's purpose is solely to initiate a new generation of UFO/ET believers into Hastings' world of reality...nothing more, nothing less. 

The price of $5.00 to rent or $10.00 to buy the film is reasonable in my opinion.  If you are a skeptic, the film is a good quick resource highlighting Hastings' works. If you are a fan of Hastings or believe that UFOs and ETs are a reality then this is a must see documentary. My suggestion is that you view the documentary a few times then come back over to my blog and look at the different alternative points of view that I provide.  I'll list the links below.

Then ask yourself:  Did it really happen?


http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2010/11/did-ufos-disable-minuteman-missiles-at.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2010/12/did-ufo-attempt-to-launch-minot-afb.html


http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2011/07/case-closed-re-evaluation-of-echo.html

http://timhebert3.blogspot.com/  Oscar Flight:  A Mysterious UFO Tale That Never Was

http://timhebert2.blogspot.com/  Echo Flight:  The Makings of a UFO Myth

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2012/10/engineering-change-proposal-1221-air.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2015/10/yes-my-assessment-of-echo-flight-sinks.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2014/12/ufo-attempts-to-launch-malmstrom.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-re-look-at-malmstromecho-flight-case.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-repeat-performance-of-big-sur-20.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-tale-of-ssgt-louis-d-kenneweg.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2013/08/was-malmstroms-oscar-flight-results-of.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2013/05/wheres-titan-ii-ufo-stories.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2012/09/ufo-icbmnuke-connections-does-it-really.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2012/01/anatomy-of-ufo-story-fe-warren-afb-2010.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2012/02/fe-warrens-invasion-of-blimps.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2012/01/fe-warren-new-echo-flightnot-hardly.html

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2011/01/walter-figel-no-ufos-at-echo-and.html

http://www.astronomyufo.com/UFO/SUNlite6_4.pdf  Tim Printy's Evaluation of the 1964 Big Sur UFO

I Bought a Copy of UFOs and Nukes: The Secret Link Revealed

I purchased and viewed Robert Hastings' documentary "UFOs and Nukes:  The Secret Link Revealed."  Notice that I "purchased" a copy, not rented for $4.99, but bought my own personal copy for $9.99.  I've been working long hours and can afford it.  

So we can dispense with this pouting nonsense that skeptics are so financially tight or fearful of our "weak and untenable arguments" that we would refuse to look at Hastings' film using the excuse of having to cough up a five spot.  I went the extra mile and shelled out ten bucks.

Why buy vs. rent?  Simply that I wanted to have a copy of my own so that I could take a reasonable amount of time reviewing it, plus having the luxury to use it as potential reference material at later dates.

As of this current time, I've viewed the film once and plan on viewing the film numerous times going over each segment in detail.

Content is one thing.  I'm also interested in presentation.  Does Hastings' film exceeds others from a production standpoint.  Of course based on the past UFO garbage offered on the numerous cable channels, the hurdle is very low.

I hope to have a critical review up within the next few days.  I need to view the film a few times to give it's proper due.  I've devised a list of criteria for grading the presentation and content of the film. 

Missing The Point: Trading Silence with Silence?

Frank Warren, who I highly respect, seems to be missing the point.  Yes, I have not seen Robert Hastings' documentary, but I did see one of his trailers some time back.  I even wrote a short blog piece regarding the trailer...it was positive based on what I saw.

Frank seems to think that I'm disturbed that Hastings is charging $4.99 to view the documentary.  This is simply not the case as I commented that Robert has every right to recoup his expenses to cover whatever costs that he incurred to produce the documentary. I'm well aware that he had been working very hard to bring his project to fruition.  It would appear that he has been successful.  Good for him.

BTW, just this last week I spent $2.99 to rent and watch "Platoon" which I've already seen numerous times over the past decade or two.  So, I'm not averse towards spending a small amount of cash for my viewing pleasure.

But, am I obligated to look at Robert's documentary?

Hastings had asked the question, "Where are the comments from the debunkers and skeptics?"  I provided my personal reply which apparently did not sit well with Frank.  I have no idea of Hastings' thoughts since he provided no reply as was to be expected.



Frank, you wrote: "The arguments that both you and Tim are making is akin to anyone condemning your latest book (thanks again for my copy), without reading it–assuming they know what's in it. 

Either example is simply nonsensical."

What is really nonsensical is that prior to Robert Hastings' article being post on your site, he and is documentary was not on anyone's radar from a skeptic's take. I personally had lost any interest. Look at my blog, I've not posted anything Hastings-wise for well over a year, if not longer.

The truth for most of us is that his Nukes and UFO meme grew tiresome. And my own rebuttals grew equally tiresome as I was engaging in a circular argument with myself. Robert rarely engages in anything that is polar opposite of his viewpoints.

Case in point, this dialog on your site is between me, Robert Scheaffer and you. Where is the actual author of the article to answer the comments? 

It's the same old pattern. You answer Hastings mail and he might come down from the Mount to answer, but usually you are the Oracle.

Simply, as I originally told Robert Scheaffer in his email...who really cares. Most of us are, are have, moving on to other things. Hastings has his audience and his documentary should satisfy the bulk of them.

And unfortunately I'm helping to promote his film just by engaging in these comments.

Kind regards,

Tim Hebert


The truth of the matter is that I personally lost track of Robert's documentary.  I've other obligations that demand my attention such as my current professional career.  This also includes obligations towards my family.  I've other hobbies and interest that I engage in. The subject of UFOs is NOT a central item of interest, nor does the subject matter dictates how I run my life.  Again, my blog shows this as there are periodic gaps between postings.  Some of these gaps stretch out over a few months.

Despite the above, my main premise remains that the silence from skeptics and debunkers regarding Robert's documentary may be akin to throwing back the very silence that he provided towards us.  You can call it poetic justice.

Frank, when I say "I don't care,"  Perhaps it should be looked at from this point:  Does Robert truly care if I watch his flick?  Does he really value my opinion one way or another? 

Does Robert Hastings care?

Robert Hastings questions the silence from the "debunkers/skeptics"

Robert Scheaffer sent me and others an email regarding Robert Hastings' boasting that his documentary has garnered high praise from the general public, but total silence from the debunkers and skeptics.

Robert Hastings' article hosted on the ufochronicles.com.  "My UFOs and Nukes Documentary:  The Debunkers Remain Oddly Silent."

Excerpts:

Several of the U.S. veterans say that UFOs have repeatedly hovered over American ICBMs, resulting in the missiles malfunctioning. Furthermore, Soviet UFO documents, secured by Western journalists in the 1990s, confirm that the Russians’ nuclear missiles were also monitored and even tampered with during the Cold War era. However, due to ongoing secrecy by both governments, the vast majority of people worldwide are completely unaware of these amazing, historic developments.

The film has been available online since April 12, 2016, and yet—as of this date—not one of the high-profile UFO debunkers has publicly commented on it. Oh, they all were vocal enough over the past two years, after I announced that my four-decade quest to interview U.S. military veterans about UFO activity at nuclear weapons sites would soon culminate in a documentary. Predictably, their comments ranged from dubious-to-scathing—about a film they hadn’t even seen. Now that it is finally available to view, there has not been even one peep from any of those guys. Why?


Why the silence?  I can't talk for others but for me it's rather simple.  Look at the entirety of this blog.  This blog was originally designed and built for the strict purpose to rebut Hastings, Salas and others who claimed that UFOs seriously affected the operations of our nation's ICBM forces.

 I believe that I've made a concise and coherent alternative theory(s) for others to consider.  I have this and two other blogs that go into painstaking detail providing a logical construct of what happened, or what did not happen, regarding Echo Flight and the alleged Oscar Flight story as proffered by Hastings and Salas.  The same can be said of other ICBM stories that Robert has pushed over the past 6 to 7 years.

There has been nothing new that has surfaced that would change my mind.   I've asked Robert Hastings to look at my analysis and findings.  What did I get?  Silence...ironically the very silence that now seems to perplex him regarding his documentary.

Hastings' 150 former military members?  What of the silence of the tens of thousands of us who pulled nuclear alerts over the span of 5 decades?  The silence of that multitude is deafening.

Question to Robert Hastings:  Who was your targeted audience?  The general public or the skeptics.

Strong signal' stirs interest in hunt for alien life

I thought this to be an interesting article from Yahoo.  Basically this is "old" news being just now released.  Russian radio telescope captures an 11 GHz signal. The signal is from the direction of a HD164595, a star about 95 light-years from Earth.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/strong-signal-stirs-interest-hunt-alien-life-171536443.html

UFO excursions and ICBMs: Artificial Intelligent Probes?

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) probes may best describe the UFO encounters over our nuclear facilities which is to include our underground silo based ICBMs.  That's the basic premise of Rich Reynolds thoughts.  This stemming from a Destination America recap that aired 6/16/16 of the 1968 Minot AFB UFO incident.

http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-1968-minot-ufo-incident.html

Rich was kind enough to link my original Minot blog post:

http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2010/12/did-ufo-attempt-to-launch-minot-afb.html

My original Minot posting dealt with an incident involving the late David Schuur which could only have occurred between 1964-1967 and had nothing to do with the 1968 incident.  Rich thinks that this may be a good case for AIs probing the on-board computer systems of the affected ICBMs.  BTW, Rich would contribute this to A.I.s of the ET variety.

Such probes would have been sent from an advanced civilization located in our galaxy or even from the far reaches of the universe.  This assumes that such a civilization would have reached technological maturity, but due to the shear distance needed to travel, this civilization would be extinct once its probe(s) arrived at our planet.  This is not so far fetched if we take into account the numerous deep space probes of our own with some having left the solar system, ie Pioneer and Voyager.

I find the concept of AI probes of interest and such theories should be given due consideration, however, this theory does not fit David Schuur's story, nor does it adequately fit the 1968 incident.

There is no documentation that supported Schuur other than an interview that he gave to Robert Hastings.  Over the past few years and based on an extensive review of the Malmstrom Echo Flight shutdown (1967) engineering analysis, I've  come to believe that problems surrounding the Sensitive Command Network (SCN) was a plausible cause of the spurious lighted commands on the Commander's Console experienced by Schuur.

As I explained to Rich, the 1968 Minot incident was a different "animal."  This case, as all who have followed here, involved numerous ground observers plus a B-52 that over flew the flight area(s).  Added to this is the extensive investigation carried out by the Air Force and Project Blue Book.  One can find fault in numerous Blue Book investigations, but this one appeared to be one of the better ones.

Rich Reynolds states that he understands Robert Hastings' concerns that UFOs may be attempting to disable our nuclear weapons.  To show the absurdity of this theory, I offer the following blog post:


http://timhebert.blogspot.com/2010/12/did-ufo-attempt-to-launch-minot-afb.html

"Is there credible evidence that UFO's disrupted the operations of US ICBMs?  The facts appear not to support this hypothesis.   All documented mishaps and problems have been attributed mostly to human error in dealing with complex systems.  The major ICBM weapon systems have evolved solely based on the concepts of system reliability and economic cost factors.  Missiles/rockets that relied on liquid propellants and oxidizers gave way to safer solid propellants thus reducing mishaps.  Individuals such as Robert Hastings have presented anecdotal evidence that "strange" lights of an undetermined nature have been sighted over and near US ICBM sites, but he has failed to demonstrate that this phenomena resulted in the operational disruption of our nuclear missile forces.  We, as humans, have been quite adapt at disrupting our ICBMs with out needing help from ET."  Tim Hebert

Complicated systems interfacing with UFO-like A.I. probes?  There is no credible information that supports such notions.

Minot 1968: The Oscar 07 Intrusion

This is a continuation of the Minot UFO incident on 24 October 1968.  For me, this is probably the most bizarre portion of the saga only for the follow on psychological aspects of the story.

Per the initial up channeled report from Minot to Wright-Patterson AFB (FTD) and subsequently to PBB:

"At 0949 Z (0449 CDT), Oscar 7 site's inner and outer alarms sounded at Wing Security Control.  Oscar 7 is 10 miles north and eleven and one half miles east of November 7.  A security alert team was dispatched and found the padlock to the chain link fence open and the fence gate standing open.  This set off the outer alarm.  Inside the complex, a horizontal door had been unsecured and left open and the combination lock dial had been turned off it's setting thus triggering the inner alarm.  No tracks, prints or impressions were found."

And further into the message:

"The Oscar 7 alarms could be attributed to a circumstantial effort of pranksters, however no evidence of trespassers was found."

The only critique that I have is that the outer and inner zone alarms would have sounded initially in the LCC.  Based on the indications of a security situations, the launch crew would have notified the FSC declaring a "security situation" for O-07. [in the 1970s-1990s, OZ/IZ alarms would have been a Situation 4].  The FSC would have dispatched the SAT based on the launch crew's security declaration then he would have logged and made a call to Wing Security Control.

Per PBB MFR, Lt Marano attempted to call Minot Base Operations querying if missile sites had been broken into before and what were the results.  Subsequent reports had confirmed that 0-7 was not an isolated incident as this type of security breach had occurred on at least three other occasions.  Werlich would eventually state, "...This is a sensitive subject. Anybody that could unlock the padlock wouldn't be a prankster from the farm areas.  There are keys for these padlocks and its hard to judge how many keys have been made."

I would have to agree with the above.  Encroachment was always seen as a security risk, hence the adaptation of an Outer Zone microwave perimeter and a corresponding Inner Zone detection setup for breaches into the launch facility itself.  Throughout the history of the Minuteman system, there have been unauthorized intrusions onto the sites.

Based upon the above and the timing of the OZ/IZ alarms going off, I can not find any evidence that this played any part of the UFO story other than that of a coincidence.  If the padlock to the site entry gate was intact [not cut] then this would indicate that someone affiliated with the missile security group, who would have had access to the keys, entered the site without authorization.

Whoever did enter the site had knowledge of the workings of the site's security system.  He knew that the OZ alarm activated, not by merely opening the gate, but by walking some distance breaking the microwave beam.  He also knew that opening the personnel access hatch [requiring a separate key] and spinning the combination dial would set off the IZ alarm.  Then he left the site knowing that it took the SAT 15 to 20 minutes to be dispatched and arrive at the site.  By then, the intruder would have disappeared into the still darkness of the morning.

There is one type of individual who could have done this and had full authorization to do so in a clandestine way.  A Flight Security Officer (FSO) could have been roving around the flight area for the purpose of conducting a security exercise.  This was common for all SAC missile wings.  The FSO could have entered the site setting off both security zones and backed off the site for the purpose of evaluating the FSC and SAT.  The SAT had certain protocols and procedures on how to "strike" the site depending on the type of security situation.  The FSO also observe if the launch crew actually declared the security situation to the FSC.

This certainly would describe what happened on O-07, but there is no indication that there was an FSO in the area.  William Smith, the Oscar FSC, never made mentioned of such an exercise occurring.  The Wing Security Control logs do not mention a security exercise.  So I can only assume that this was not the case. 

I had provided a brief comment to Gilles Fernandez over at the Sceptic Ovni forum a while back, 2012:

What has been discussed so far in this thread is reports from Minot 1968. Supposedly a UFO attempted to lift the launcher closure door covering a missile silo. Sensationalism propagated by Raymond Fowler and others via an old CUFOS article.

Reading the Blue Book report, it appeared that some one had accessed the A-pit security system. Basically this was a top layered covering over the actually personnel access hatch known as the B-pit. The A pit weighed in at precisely 167 pounds requiring at least two people to lift exposing the B-pit circuit allowing access into the interior of the missile silo.

Back in the early 1980s the A pit circuit had a combination dial which only security personnel had access to to open the A-pit and then lifting out the 167 pound plug. Once the B pit was exposed then maintenance personnel would then activate the B pit cover causing it to be lowered down far enough for entrance into the silo. This took approximately 20 minutes if not longer (due to security protocols)

In 1968, the A pit circuit was only secured with a standard lock merely requiring a key to unlock rather than the use of an elaborate combination system. It would have been feasible, if not probable, that someone had left the A pit unlocked after maintenance had been performed. Numerous wing agencies had copies of keys and would have had access.

There was no evidence that the B plug had been tampered with nor had anything affected that particular missile. The launcher closure door was never tampered with. Purely sensationalism overriding reality.

The reason for all of the initial confusion was who had up channeled the report. I believe that since Minot was a dual wing, having both a bomb and missile wing, a Wing Command Post controller affiliated with the bomb wing (B-52s) had up channeled the report. This individual would have had little knowledge concerning the operational status and terminologies used in the Minuteman system. The actual report and how it was written appears to support my hypothesis.   Tim Hebert

The above was written based on a CUFOs write up of the case.  One would ask where did all of this sensationalism originate?  This is where the story takes a bizarre turn and is a great lesson in the psycho-social aspects of any UFO story.

The Psycho/Social Aspects of O-07.

Tom Tulien and Jim klotz interviewed Col Werlich's daughters, Kim Flippo and Melody Gibson in Feb 2001.  Both Ms. Flippo and Gibson indicated that their father had gone out to O-07 with a Geiger counter.  Ms. Flippo giving the indication that the "readings were way off the chart."  Per the PBB MFRs, Col Werlich was planning to go out to the site with a Geiger counter, but there was never a follow up to see if this did occur...at least based on the PBB case write up.  So based on Flippo's and Gibson's recall, this did occur.

Klotz tells both daughters that the B-52 co-pilot was debriefed by the Air Division and told that the blast doors on top of the silo had been tampered with.  Ms Gibson indicates that she had heard that the "lid to the missile was open...it had moved the slab."

Klotz had relayed another story that "...two men sent to check out the site security were found unconscious with the top of the truck blistered...LF fence smashed down and the blast door was moved.

Klotz did tell the daughters that documents did not support the above.  I can assume that the O-07 story was embellished from a simple intrusion to that of the above.  Like the Malmstrom Echo shutdown, it was the talk of the base...rumors absent of facts.

Back at the base proper, Richard Clark told Tom Tulien in 2003 that he had heard that a crew [SAT?] was sent out to one of the missile sites after alarms went off and 3 silos were affected with alarms being set off.

In Feb 2005, Ralph Holland, Major General (Ret) recalled the O-07 intrusion and the rumors that had circulated.  Per General Holland, no lid was found off of the site [launcher closure door].  Holland further denied telling anyone that a UFO was seen hovering over one of the LFs.

How much radiation was detected at O-07, if any?

Its clear that Col Werlich had the intention to visit the site and use a Geiger counter and based on the recollections of Werlich's daughters this did occur.  But were the readings "off the charts" as Ms Flippo claimed?

William Smith stated to Tulien in 2001 that he recalled that an officer investigated the LF and found  trace evidence radiation inside the LF, but near the parking area in a circular pattern.

This actually makes sense as the parking area would have been used by the tractor trailer van containing the RV used in the site's last RV swap.  The van had a circular opening corresponding to the launch tube diameter when pulled directly over the site with the launcher closure door pulled open.  The van would have been parked in the parking area awaiting the need to pull over the site opening and eventually mating the RV to the missile's guidance system and third stage booster.  So it is possible that trace radiation could have been read in a circular pattern in the parking area. 

Conclusions

Oscar 07 appears to have no connection to the UFO story.  What is known is that someone familiar with the site security set up and having access to the site's locks entered the site and deliberately set off both the OZ and IZ alarms.  Who that was remains a mystery.  I believe that it is still an outside possibility that a FSO set off the alarms as part of a site security exercise.  But, there is no tangible evidence to back up this assertion on my part.

Oscar 07 did provide grist for the rumor mill.  But obviously there was nothing to these rumors.  FSC William Smith would later tell Tulien and Klotz that he had jogged past the site during daylight and noticed nothing amiss. 

There is no credible evidence that abnormally high readings of radiation where detected on the site.  The trace amount found could have been residual readings from the last RV swap.