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.