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(radio chatter ....tv broadcast sounds)
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..take 3....ready camera 13...full..
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...nuclear explosions are caused by H bombs or atom bombs..
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…soviet tanks and soldiers, moved into the town of Hara 3 days ago…
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…the fortunes of the Iran/Iraq war, if that war drags on…
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…the man accused of murdering John Lennon…
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…we especially like Space Invaders… (bleep, bleep)..
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…my attitude is positive and though I can’t be with you this holiday season..
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…saw Santa Claus zooming about, in his star studded jet plane..
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…it streaked across the sky, brighter than any comet..(screech)
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As the Christmas of 1980 passed many of by
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In one sleepy corner of the British Isles,
a strange series of events had begun to unfold
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Exactly what took place over that holiday period,
has been widely debated and analysed ever since
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Involving 3 nights of encounters in the forests surrounding
the twin bases of RAF Woodbridge and Bentwaters
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The Rendlesham Forest Incident, has grown to become
one of our great modern mysteries
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But what was the genesis of this bizarre story
and is it deserving of it’s legendary status
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In January of 1981, this area of Suffolk, had become
accustomed mysterious goings on
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Gripped by the Cold War, the work at secret research facilities such Orfordness
and Cobra Mist, were often the subject of local gossip
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But amongst a small group of locals,
rumours of a different kind began to surface
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One of these stories ended up in the lap
of local UFO enthusiast, Brenda Butler
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It was at a New Years party, on January the 1st, 1981
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and we had a party at the farm in Aldringham and we several American
friends off the base who we knew
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cause there were several Americans living around here then
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They all came and one of the guys, um Steve Roberts, went up to Chris
who was with me at the time and said
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"I've got something to tell Brenda, do you think I should tell her or not?"
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He told Chris this story about a craft coming down in the forest,
on December the 27th, 1980
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And I go, yeah, yeah! Cause Steve and I had known each other
for quite a while, he knew I was into UFO’s and we were always talking UFO’s
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I thought he was just joking and pulling my leg!
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He phoned me up and said, have you heard any more? And I said yes
He said I don’t mind you talking about it, but don’t give my name out
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Quite a lot of British people, who were coming home between 11 & 1 o’clock
saw this great big huge craft going over
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Brenda began to make local enquiries, which resulted in a number of leads.
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It seems that there were multiple sightings of objects in the sky
over the Christmas period
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From reports of animals disturbed and becoming sick,
to people seeing strange objects flying over the Forest
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With what seemed like a story worth pursuing, Brenda approached friend
and fellow UFO enthusiast, Dot Street
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The duo began to dig further into the story
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We had the NSA or the CIA, or whatever they were. Nobody seemed to know
what they were, except they were government men
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Their early days of investigation, seemed to be plagued by weirdness
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car engines would cut out and mystery men in suits,
seemed to shadow their every move
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Well they didn't really seem to be interviewing these people!
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Everyone that Dot and I had been interviewing,
that was quiet a few, about 30-40 people around the area
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had had visits from these gentlemen
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and they weren’tt really asking them anything. Well, the questions they were
asking were basically
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Did see anything, did you hear anything and if you did…keep quiet!
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With mounting evidence that something had happened and growing list
of confusing paths to pursue
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the girls enlisted the help of writer and UFO researcher
Jenny Randles
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Jenny had also been fed a story about UFOs being tracked
on radar over the Christmas period.
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The stories that the girls had put to her, were too close to be coincidence
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Initially, they were met with stoney silence. But through persistence,
it became clear that both the USAF and the MOD new something
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“Art Wallace” supplied a very similar story to the ones
fed to Brenda and Jenny
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Wallaces real name “Larry Warren”
would later be revealed and his involvement, hotly debated
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Armed with a statement from Warren, the 2 teams worked either side of the Atlantic
applying pressure to the USAF and the MOD
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The 2 teams had hit jackpot. Through persistent FOI requests, the USAF
eventually released the MOD documents they held on the case
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A memo passed to the MOD, by the then deputy base commander,
Charles Halt
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outlined multiple sightings of unexplained lights
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The U.S.A.F passed the buck..and the media had a field day
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Finally the big story many had been waiting for, had literally landed!
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But there were a few doubtful voices..
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I don't recall hearing anything about this story before, until it hit the front page of the
News of the World
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I think UFO specialists had talked about it amongst themselves,
but there wasn’t’t any real evidence
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But what made this story really stand up, from the News of the Worlds point
of view
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was the release under the Freedom of Information Act in America,
of Colonel Halt’s memo, to the British Ministry of Defence
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His 3 paragraph memo, which recounted the events that happened on the 1st night,
when he wasn’t involved
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and a subsequent night, when he was involved
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So this documentary evidence, from a high ranking Air Force officer,
made this seem like a very significant case indeed
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I thought, well I’ve got to look into this one. It seemed to me either, this was going
to be the final proof positive, or aI could never take UFO’s seriously again!
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On the 1st night of a 3 night episode
Airman John Burroughs was the first responder
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We were on patrol, two different units, supervisor asked to meet up with me
parked my vehicle up at the main gate
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went on patrol, driving around talking to each other. We were coming down the
East Gate road by the control tower
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He saw something strange..that immediately said, it didn’t crash..it landed!
Just simply said..did you see that?
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And I was like..no and he said…it’s in the forest!
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The gist of it was.. we down ( there ), I opened up the gate, we took off,
went down the road
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all the way to the end of it, where you can go left or right..
left to Bentwaters, right to this way
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We made a u turn in the car
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I jumped out the vehicle, looked out to see if I could see hear, or see, or figure it out
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I’ve said that, most of the time most people don’t have it, but once in a while,
you get this experience, where just don’t feel comfortable, nervous
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I don’t know if you’re freaked out, you’re just scared!
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I called it in, to let the desk sergeant know, that something strange, you know
was just outside the back gate
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At that point, they dispatched Sgt. Penniston, the security supervisor
for the area down to the site
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He came down, got out the vehicle, looked in the forest and
saw the same strange lights that we were
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He talked to Bud. He told me and he said now, that Bud told him,
it didn’t crash, it landed
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So, it was me, Jim’s first ride, who happened to be ( on ) his first night,
Ed Cabanasaq
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We left our weapons with Steffens and proceeded out into the forest
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to try to figure it out…..( footsteps, breathing sounds )
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We went into the forest, to try to see whatever it was….What I saw, was
what I drew in my statement
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I never saw a craft, I saw like an orangish, oval object, um there was
some white lights, blue lights, even some green lights in it at one point
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All I remember at that point…the lights got bright!
Sgt. Penniston was up in front of me like this
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I was more centre, with Cabanasaq, we were like in a line formation,
spread out a little bit
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so we spread out and we hit the ground
That’s what I remember, hitting the ground, cause it got really bright
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Then eventually it dimmed…shot up through the trees like this,
kind of through the trees, up above us
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then shot out that way……..and everyone know’s Jim’s story?
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Jim Penniston, whose story would prove to be highly controversial in later years
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had accompanied John into the forest that night
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His original account came to light, thanks to UFO researcher James Easton,
who uncovered statements made by the witnesses
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His original account came to light, thanks to UFO researcher James Easton,
who uncovered statements made by the witnesses
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on the morning following the first sighting
These included drawings made by Jim Penniston
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which described a craft seen through the trees
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With this plethora of documentation, Bentwaters case
as it was referred to at the time
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was quickly becoming established as the mother of all UFO cases
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But there was one piece of evidence, which some have taken
to be final proof of visitation
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On a subsequent night, Colonel Halt, the Deputy Base Commander,
was called out by his men
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apparently, they were still very excited by the events of the previous night
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They went out into the forest, they saw the light again
They called him out
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So he took a team of men out there and they began to take, they had a
geiger counter with them and they began to take
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radiation readings on, on the landing site
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( radio clicks and crackle, a low quality recording )
“150 feet or more, from the initial, I should say suspected impact point
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( click ) towards the woods, 7..what? .. it just jumped up 7/10ths there…7/10ths?
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7/10th’s right there in the centre?….uh huh
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we’ve found a small blast..what looks like a blasted or scrubbed up area here
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we’re getting very positive readings
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( click ) we just bumped into the first nightbird we've seen…
we’re about a 150 to 200 yards away from the site
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( click ) everything else is just deathly calm…( click )…there’s no doubt about it
there’s some type of strange flashing red light ahead
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it’s yellow..I saw a yellow tinge in it too…weird!
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(click) it appears to maybe moving a little bit this way?…it’s brighter than it has been
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yellow…it’s coming this way!…it is definitely coming this way!”
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(interference, TV news broadcast voice ) national security implications
of those same airmen, guarding a strategic facility
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where nuclear weapons are reportedly stored. If they weren’t hallucinating,
then what are the implications of what they actually did see?
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DeCaro and his team, carried out one of the most thorough investigations
into the incident
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Managing to trace numerous witnesses to the events for the first time
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But one important piece of the puzzle, still needed to be placed
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I found from the local police, that they had actually been called out
by the airbase, on the night of the first incident
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And it turned out to have been in the early hours of December the 26th
and Colonel Halt’s memo had actually got the date wrong, by a day
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The discovery of the police file would prove to be
a turning point in the case, for many reasons
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The dates recorded in the Halt Memo, have created a huge amount of confusion,
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exacerbating problems researching the case
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and also hindering disclosure attempts for files, believed to be held at the MOD...
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I knew that there was this unit, at the Ministry of Defence that had been
responsible for collecting these stories and investigating them
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because I’d actually written to them, I’d sent some of the stories through
And had a response!
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It was like weird, you know, you get this brown envelope “ on Her Majesty’s Service”
you know, from the UFO unit
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I thought well, there’s all this stuff about Rendlesham Forest
we’d known about it since the News of the World, broke the story in ‘83
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There’d been all this speculation about, what does the government know?
Why are they covering this up?
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And I thought, well why has no one actually tried to make a request,
to see what they’ve got on file?
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So, one of the first times I made a formal request under this pre FOI legislation,
which must have been about 2000, was for the Rendlesham Forest Incident
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And I thought, well I could make a good story out of this
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Many of the attempts made to access the Rendlesham files,
had been largely misplaced
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This led to speculation, that a cover up had to have been in place
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But it was still quite a big breakthrough at the time, I just couldn’t believe my eyes
when this, big thick envelope dropped through my letterbox one day
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and I opened it up and it was…this is the Rendlesham file that people had been
looking for for years!
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( interference, TV news broadcast ) An incident called the
Rendlesham Forest Incident, also known as Britains Roswell, this was in 1980
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( interference ) For almost 60 years the Ministry of Defence logged our fuzzy pictures
and close encounters
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( interference ) More than 4,000 pages of material from the National Archives
have been released, covering much of the 1980’s ( fading away )
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At the time, it was widely assumed that the smoking gun
evidence for Rendlesham would be radar records
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However when Dave Clarke began to prepare the files for release,
he discovered an alternate picture
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A key problem with the radar evidence, is that the actual dates for the event
that are recorded in Colonel Halts Memo…in the famous Memo
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Were wrong! So, because the MOD didn’t take the opportunity to actually
interview Colonel Halt and get him to itemise
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exactly what had happened and when it had happened
they were relying upon what he’d put in the memo
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The 27th of December 1980, is the initial sighting and the 29th of December
as the second sighting, now we now know
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in hindsight, that both of those dates were wrong
So when the Ministry of Sound circulated Col. Halts memo
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to the various air defence stations, whose job it was to check if anything
had been seen on radar
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They were obviously working, to two wrong dates
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Several radar stations had tracked objects across
southern England on Christmas evening
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hours before the first sighting in the memo.
Although these may have been significant, as we’ll learn later
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the remaining evidence was scant at best
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Eastern Radar was the other radar station, RAF Watton, who were involved
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They responded…the Squadron Leader, Derek Coumbe
who was in charge on that particular night
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He does actually say in his response, that on the night of the reported sighting
this was the night that Col. Halt was out in the forest
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and he actually patched through a call to Eastern Radar
via the control tower at Bentwaters
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And he says in this memo and this is a contemporary document
26th of February, 1981
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“On the night of that reported sighting, our controller on duty was requested
to review the radar..nothing was observed..the facts are recorded in our log book”
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So we now know..we can say for certain, that on the night that Col. Halt
was out in the forest in particular
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that the RAF did actually check the radar picture at the time the events
were unfolding and that nothing was seen on radar
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Now, we now know in retrospect, that there was two incidents
so there’s nothing in these papers that actually
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tell us..you know, whether any checks were made on that initial evening
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It does seem that…all down to the fact that they didn’t follow up
Halt’s memo
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If they’d have gone and actually done a proper investigation
they would actually got to the facts in the first place
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and they didn’t even seem to be aware, from this file, that the local police..
the Suffolk police, had gone out there and been called in the early hours of Boxing Day
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The overturning of the MOD files on Rendlesham,
if anything, seemed to highlight the MODs bemusement and confusion
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Their investigation appeared to be a blunder, rather than cover up
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There’s a document that dates from about 1984, a policy document
which they used to brief Lord Hill Norton
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who was a retired Admiral, who was absolutely obsessed by UFO’s in retirement
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and he was constantly asking questions in the House of Lords
about Rendlesham
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and they actually briefed him on the subject, secretly at the MOD, around 1984
and that to me, is the most significant document
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because they effectively say..” The reason we didn’t take it seriously
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is because Col. Halt didn’t take it seriously!”
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The MODs lack of urgency on the subject, seems to have
stemmed from the presentation of the Halt Memo
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Halt wrote the memo to present to Donald Moreland,
RAF liaison officer for the twin bases, in January
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... a full 2 weeks after the incidents occurred!
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If..Col. Halt and his men, when they’d seen these lights in the sky
had taken it seriously, they wouldn’t have just spent all night
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wandering around in the fields and then effectively gone back to bed!
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They would have pressed the panic button
They would have scrambled the RAF…there would have been escalation
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The Ministry of Defence’s attitude that you can piece together from all these
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bits of paper, was that…he didn’t do that..he didn’t escalate
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he kept it really low key, he waited for the British Base Commander
to come back from Christmas holiday, two weeks later
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sort of walked into his office and said “ oh by the way Don, the aliens
landed over Christmas, but I didn’t want to disturb your holiday” you know!
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The lack of urgency is even more surprising given that physical evidence
was being offered by Halt from the alleged landing site
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( click..radio recordings )” each one of these trees that face into the blast
what we assume is a landing site, all have an abrasion..
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00:20:54,520 --> 00:21:01,200
I’ve never seen a tree, a pine tree that’s been damaged, react that fast…( click )
need a bottle to put that in “
187
00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:06,040
The radiation readings, in particular, have become a point of contention
188
00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,920
with the type of meter being used, called into question
189
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:13,720
Now, there's been a lot of controversy about this, but if you listen to the tape
it’s very clear
190
00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:21,920
( click..radio/tape recording ) “ up to seven tenths, or seven ( chatter )..seven units
that’s going on the point 5 scale..
191
00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:31,320
It's at the very lowest level of what that radiation meter, was capable of detecting
It was a meter that was supposed to be detecting major nuclear blasts
192
00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:38,200
radiation spills..for civil defence purposes
not normal everyday levels of radiation
193
00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:41,080
( tape recording )”..this is an awkward thing to use isn’t it? “
194
00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,880
With so many locals seeing lights over Christmas and the dates now known
195
00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:57,520
the sightings increasingly became linked together as one event
196
00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:02,640
I was able to approach Dr John Mason, of the British Astronomical meteor section
197
00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:07,960
and I asked him “ were there any records of any bright fireballs
around that time “
198
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:14,520
and he said " yes, there was one at 3AM on the 26th “
and he read the press reports too
199
00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,320
and I still remember him this to me on the phone…he said
“ I knew they’d got the date wrong! “
200
00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:26,760
John Masons report, consisted of observations by amateur astronomers, who had observed several bright fireballs
201
00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:31,840
The brightest of which, exploded in a shower of light at 02.50 on Boxing Day
202
00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:36,200
The exact time that something was seen to land in the forest
203
00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:54,200
The most significant sighting that night, came at 9.20 on Christmas evening
204
00:22:54,200 --> 00:23:03,160
The booster stage of a Russian satellite ..Kosmos 749
had re-entered the atmosphere and slowly disintegrated over Southern England
205
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:09,120
It’s final remnants were
thought to have landed in the North Sea, within 20 miles of Rendlesham
206
00:23:09,120 --> 00:23:14,120
There was this spectacularreentry of this Russian Cosmos satellite
over southern England
207
00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:19,800
It was seen by hundreds of people and it was like big sort of fireball
moving through the sky
208
00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:29,440
and it was widely reported in the news
It was on TV and all the tabloids and local and regional news covered this
209
00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:34,520
The Cosmos re-entry itself, can’t have been responsible for the
sightings in the Halt memo
210
00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:42,520
But, it is possible, that this spectacular display of Christmas lights
may of had at least.. some influence
211
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:49,000
( trailer narrator voice ) “ The title of the picture Close Encounters of the Third Kind
212
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,680
refers to an intriguing possibility
213
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:55,800
Well a close encounter of the first kind, is close
but nothing really happens
214
00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:59,320
Close encounter of the first kind, is visible contact with UFO
215
00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:02,600
Forget the shape and how fast it’s going, it’s something you just can’t explain
216
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:06,360
Close encounters of the second kind, are those which leave a physical trace
217
00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:07,600
holes in the ground…..
218
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:08,880
burn rings…..
219
00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:09,920
broken tree branches…..
220
00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:10,840
telephone lines down…..
221
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:12,000
animals disturbed…..
222
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:13,880
stopping of car engines…..
223
00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,600
and the close encounters of the third kind
are the most interesting of all
224
00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,440
Close encounters of the third kind…
225
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,600
is really when you meet ‘em
226
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:33,160
On the run up to Christmas Close Encounters special edition
had played in one of the local cinemas
227
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:39,040
It shares so many of the UFO cliches with the
Rendlesham story, that it is hard to ignore
228
00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:43,840
The films impact on popular culture at the time, was far
reaching and along with Star Wars
229
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,120
spawned a new age of sci fi culture
230
00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:50,600
One that even reached into the political realm
231
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:59,440
Our differences worldwide, would vanish, if we were facing an alien threat
from outside this world
232
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:05,200
and yet I ask you, is not an alien force already among us?
233
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:08,080
It was in a school yard with about 20 other men
234
00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:14,400
and we saw a bright light appear in the distant, western skies
235
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:20,320
Along with Saturn 3,The Man Who Fell To Earth
and Return from Witch Mountain
236
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:26,520
playing in local theatres that December, was the cult sci fi film...Hangar 18
237
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:36,520
Significantly, the plot of the film revolved around a
captured alien spacecraft, held at USAF base
238
00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,480
The spacecraft contained hieroglyphic insignia
239
00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:45,760
Not completely dissimilar to Jim Pennistons sketches
that he “claims” to have made during the sighting
240
00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:02,000
While it’s difficult to prove a direct link between pop
culture at the time and the sightings....
241
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,120
it does at least set the stage, for some dramatic theories
242
00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:19,800
The twin bases of RAF Woodbridge and
Bentwaters, were leased to the USAF in the 1950’s
243
00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:26,040
In 1980 they were home to the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing,
operating close air support during the cold war
244
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:33,560
The 81st’s key asset, were their squadron of A10 thunderbolts,
commonly known as the “tank busters”
245
00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:39,320
The principle witnesses were from base security and police,
tasked with guarding the base
246
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:47,080
Close to the East Gate, where the incidents took place
were the 67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery squadron
247
00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:58,480
Many of the 67th, known as the night owls, had returned from Vietnam,
along with their C130 carriers and Jolly Green Giants
248
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:07,000
As well general rescue, they were tasked with
special operations, arial refuelling
249
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,960
and recovery of space missions,
including the Apollo and and Space Shuttle programs
250
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:18,520
It’s possible, they were involved in the capture of film canisters, from the then top
secret satellite program...Hexagon
251
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:25,640
Hexagons design incorporated film pods, which when ejected, re-entered the earths
atmosphere, and were captured mid air.
252
00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:29,360
But, there is no evidence that these missions took place
over the UK
253
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:37,160
A crashed Soviet satellite recovery has also been alluded to
Again involving the 67th
254
00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:44,240
but no records exist to explain this. Even though the remnants of the
Russian booster stage fellinto the sea that night
255
00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:48,040
Was there an incident involving stealth?
256
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:53,520
The early Stealth fighters were being flown at the time
and any recovery would have involved the ARRS
257
00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:56,080
But again, no records
258
00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:01,520
So what about a hoax?
Pranks were certainly a thing at the twin bases?
259
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:07,640
Considering their proximity to the forest...
Why have no members of the 67th come forward and spoken about this event?
260
00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:10,000
Could it be they knew something?
261
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:15,960
As part of their training involved preparation for space rescues
the unit had an apollo capsule at their disposal
262
00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:20,880
These capsules, known as boilerplates
were used for demonstrations and training missions
263
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:23,400
So, here’s the idea...
264
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,560
The boilerplate was hung from one of the
helicopters and flown over the forest ... as an “exercise”
265
00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:31,960
By mistake, it was somehow dropped and a recovery
operation from the forest was required
266
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,400
With base security truly left in the dark
267
00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:39,560
The facts are thin, but if anyone could have created
the hoax, it would have been the 67th ARRS
268
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:50,120
( military film narrator ) " Let's just say I prayed a little... on my own account
and for those guys at search and air rescue “
269
00:28:53,760 --> 00:29:02,080
Along with barn owls and burning manure. One of the more bizarre theories
seems to have come from an attempt to fool researcher Dave Clarke
270
00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:09,800
An anonymous letter..post marked the 30th of March, 2015
which arrived on the 1st of April
271
00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,280
draw your own conclusions, but anyway, quite an elaborate two page letter
272
00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:21,240
The anonymous source, claimed to be a member
Britains notorious special ops unit, The SAS
273
00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:26,600
And on one occasion, this must of been in the summer of 1980
274
00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:31,560
We were airlifted in..middle of the night, dropped on to the perimeter of the base
275
00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:36,680
and our mission was to penetrate the American defences
get into the base without them seeing us
276
00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:44,280
to see how good they were at defending
Unfortunately they were very good at defending the perimeter and we were captured
277
00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:49,720
treated them really off handedly and basically referred to them as
“Enemy Aliens “
278
00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:53,280
and he said that this word “Aliens” stuck in their minds
279
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:59,440
So after this ordeal and they’d got back to their base
they thought right, we’’l show these Americans a thing or two
280
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:01,600
and we’’l show them some real aliens
281
00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:07,640
So, what they decided to do, was go back a few nights later
penetrate their defences again
282
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:13,800
and they took all these sort of flash bangs and pyrotechnics
and they sent up balloons with lights attached
283
00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:16,840
and showed them a real alien invasion
284
00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:21,280
So, this letter was basically saying, this is what caused the UFO incidents
we the SAS
285
00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:25,920
were playing a hoax on the Americans, to get our own back
for what they did to us
286
00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:40,920
I have been able to ascertain, that there was some kind of incident where
the SAS did get into some kind of confrontation from the americans
287
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:46,320
when they were actually testing the defences of the base
I think about August 1980
288
00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:49,040
So that incident did actually happen
289
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:52,520
and Georgina Bruni wrote about it in her book
290
00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:56,880
So I wouldn’t be at all surprised if somebody who’s very familiar with the story
291
00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:59,840
So I wouldn’t be at all surprised if somebody who’s very familiar with the story
had read that in Georgina Bruni’s book
292
00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:04,920
and then concocted this elaborate tale and sent it to me based upon that
293
00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:12,640
thinking that if I checked it out, I’d find the reference in Georgina Bruni’s book
and think..ooh! That corroborates what this guys saying
294
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:16,160
( alien voice ) You are a clever man doctor…perhaps too clever
295
00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:31,960
Despite these and a mountain of alternate theories put forward
to explain the events, there is only one that has really stuck
296
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:36,600
and it could be argued, it has become …Rendlesham’s Nemesis
297
00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:52,000
I spoke to one of the foresters, who was called Vince Thurkettle
who lived within about a mile of the incident
298
00:31:52,000 --> 00:32:01,760
and, er..he said to me..he’d obviously been thinking about it himself and he said
“ do you really want to know the answer or are you a journalist looking fro a story?”
299
00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,480
I said well no, I really would like to know the answer
300
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:08,240
and he said to me “ I think it was the lighthouse “
301
00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:13,920
and I nearly fell of my chair! Because the News of the World
no-one who’d investigated this case before
302
00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,200
had said anything about a lighthouse!
303
00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:25,760
On the face of it, it seems absurd that military personnel,
guarding a strategic facility
304
00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:29,000
could be fooled by the beam of a lighthouse
305
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:35,280
And it turned out as well that the police who’d been called out
on the first night
306
00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:40,640
They came to the site and the only lights they could see
were the lights from the Orfordness lighthouse
307
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:45,840
and the marks in the ground that they were shown
looked to them, like they were made by some kind of an animal
308
00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:54,440
So we had the locals, the local police and the local forester
coming to exactly the same interpretation of what it was the airmen had seen
309
00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:59,000
So really this case was starting to seem not very mysterious after all
310
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,600
Ian Ridpath’s lighthouse explanation, has been ridiculed by many Ufologists,
311
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,840
so why has it stuck so hard to the story?
312
00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:16,520
The light that Col Halt saw flashing, he described as lying across
the adjoining farmers field, almost in line with the farmhouse
313
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:26,280
The light that Col Halt saw flashing, he described as lying across
the adjoining farmers field, almost in line with the farmhouse on the other side of a field
314
00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:31,440
The route taken by the airmen on the 1st night
is well documented in the statements from the time
315
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:38,640
But this is complicated by large parts of the
forest being unrecognisable now, compared with 1980
316
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:47,960
Thanks to planting data from the period, it’s now possible to match their
approximate route out from East Gate, on a more or less easterly course
317
00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:56,600
Upon reaching a clearing, the 3 airmen
saw the object in the trees ahead and then proceeded in
318
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:05,920
It’s in this lower area of the forest,
where we now find the now well known landing site
319
00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:12,280
After this encounter the airmen then moved out to the edge of the forest
and the farmers fields beyond, in pursuit of a light
320
00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:17,600
And, as we find from the eye witness reports, of one of the eyewitnesses
321
00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:22,080
he said “ well we got..we followed it so far and it was coming
from a lighthouse
322
00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:27,800
John Burroughs has always maintained that he viewed something else,
as well as the lighthouse
323
00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:31,760
Jumped over, got down by the farmers house, saw the beacon
324
00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,320
kept going out, cause we were trying to see if we could see it again
325
00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:36,120
cause we wanted to see what we saw again
326
00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:39,920
but we went towards the beacon..and I call it a beacon by the way!
327
00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:44,240
but I clearly have a memory of coming up, chasing it seeing a beacon on and off
328
00:34:44,240 --> 00:34:49,040
you know..flashing..we didn’t loose it a lot, but there were points
when you got a little lower and didn’t see it
329
00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:58,000
but we climbed up to the top of a hill and I remember looking down
into a valley, seeing the lighthouse itself and saying “ that’s the lighthouse “
330
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:04,080
The lighthouses visibility from the forest has been hotly contested,
mainly due to the shielding of the beam
331
00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:08,960
The beam shield was put in place, to protect the
nearby village of Orford from the bright light
332
00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:14,880
But the shield, still allowed the beam to shine
directly to the east, in the direction of Rendlesham forest
333
00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:19,200
This confusion, plus John’s admission, both in his statements and testaments
334
00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:23,640
has made it difficult to match his sightings of the object
with those of the lighthouse
335
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:27,720
However, with Colonel Halts testimony and subsequent claims
from the second night
336
00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:32,600
it’s become clearer to see how he and his men,
could have mistaken the lighthouse
337
00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:38,440
He was standing at pretty much the same place, on the forest edge
He was seeing the same light
338
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:48,560
and from his tape recording, we hear that he..he takes a
a compass bearing on it, of 110 degrees
339
00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:52,280
which is within about 10 degrees of where the lighthouse actually is
340
00:35:52,280 --> 00:36:01,160
and he also sees it flashing like a winking eye, every 5 seconds
and 5 seconds is the flashing rate of the Orfordness lighthouse
341
00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:06,160
( click..radio/tape recording ) You just saw alight?..Where? ..Slow down..where?
342
00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:13,080
right on this position here..straight ahead, in between the tr…there it is again
343
00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:17,480
watch straight ahead off my flash light there..there it is..yeah I see it too
344
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:22,000
The clearing was used as a staging post for investigations by Halt and his team
345
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:24,960
which went on into the early hours of the 28th
346
00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:30,680
( click..radio chatter/tape recording ) East Gate ( click )..you don’t have a lightlall?..(indistinct)
347
00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:34,760
( click )..2 other personal requesting to ride out ( indistinct )..at your location
348
00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:42,320
It’s assumed that there were up 20-30 personal in the forest that night,
with some wanting to join the main investigation
349
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:46,840
( click )..okay well why don’t you take a picture of that and then be writing this down..
it’s gonna be on the tape
350
00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:51,720
Halt’s group eventually move out to the
edge of the forest, into the farmers fields beyond
351
00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:55,600
( click )..let’s move out the edge of the clearing so we can get a better look at it..
352
00:36:55,600 --> 00:37:01,720
..okay we’re looking at the thing, we’re probably about 2-300 yards away
it looks like an eye winking at you..it’s still moving from side to side..
353
00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:10,520
..when you put the starscope on it.. it sort of has a hollow centre
a dark centre..like the pupil of an eye. looking at you winking
354
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:18,400
One point worth making, is that when I did my first investigation
Col Halts tape recording hadn’t been released
355
00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:24,920
and when Col Halts tape recording came out, it could have completely
demolished my explanation, because
356
00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:32,520
they could have said something like “ oh there’s the lighthouse
and the UFO is just 10 degrees off to the right “
357
00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:37,120
But the remarkable thing is, on Col Halt’s tape they never the lighthouse
358
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:46,080
( tape recording )..it is coming this way..it is definitely coming this way…
pieces of it are shooting off..there is no doubt about it..this is weird
359
00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:53,480
And at one stage on his tape, Col Halt, as they go towards it
they loose sight of it
360
00:37:53,480 --> 00:38:00,520
Col Halt says it’s broken up, but it hasn’t broken up
because later on he says we’ve caught sight of it again
361
00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:05,840
( click )..2.44..we’re at the far side of the second farmers field..
362
00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:12,400
made sighting again at about 110 degrees, this looks like it’s
clear off to the coast, it’s right on the horizon
363
00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:18,600
and it looks like it’s clear off to the coast
Now what lays on the coast and flashes?
364
00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:29,320
Following the Halt Tape, the MOD document release,
the patchy radar evidence and theories such as the lighthouse becoming established...
365
00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:35,120
It appeared that the promise of this becoming
the Holy Grail of UFO cases had really come to an end
366
00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:41,880
It’s initial impact in the media, falling flat over the following few years
probably to become a small footnote history..
367
00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:48,040
but some stories are just too good to let the facts get in the way
368
00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:51,360
They are the ones born to become legends..
369
00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:09,680
( Wind blowing in trees..voice echoes )
370
00:39:09,680 --> 00:39:15,040
Well we thought we had it all sewn up, you know..with what had happened
what the British witnesses saw and everything
371
00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:23,120
then as soon as the News of the World came onboard
they started saying things and that and then got in touch with the American witnesses
372
00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:31,040
that’s when it all went sort of like pear shaped, that’s when
one was telling one thing and one was telling the other, you know..their stories didn’t gel
373
00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:35,120
( music/wind sounds...)
374
00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:30,880
( racing car sound approaching )
375
00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:42,920
In 2005, to mark the 25th anniversary of the
incident, The Forestry commission created a UFO trail
376
00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:51,680
The trail passes some of the sighting locations
It includes themed play areas and since 2014, a UFO sculpture
377
00:40:51,680 --> 00:41:00,160
The trail helps to bring thousands visitors to
the forest centre, which become a major tourist attraction
378
00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:07,840
The undeniable beauty of the area, seems at odds
it’s mysterious and strange past
379
00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:14,560
Over the intervening years the forest seems to have evolved,
much like the story itself
380
00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:20,120
a story that has helped
it become a must see in this area of Suffolk
381
00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:24,920
And indeed, the story has evolved
382
00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:32,160
( Wind in the trees..voice echoes.. )
383
00:41:38,240 --> 00:41:44,840
I wasn't happy with the alien part, the way it came out, cause I never felt I saw
aliens or anything like that
384
00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:50,760
and I also wasn’t happy with the debunkers saying we saw the lighthouse
just wasn’t happy with it
385
00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:56,000
So the years went by, I came over here once, did something with Strange But True
386
00:41:56,000 --> 00:42:02,560
you know and at the beginning, people need to understand this too
they say the stories evolved, well it has, because at the beginning
387
00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:05,240
most people are trying to say something happened
388
00:42:05,240 --> 00:42:11,560
But my goal was, about 4 years ago to try and get us all together
there was always something that ate away at me
389
00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:21,200
that there was a lot more to this you know and I wanted to find some proof to it
to help justify it and I thought getting us together would be the first step
390
00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:47,800
How Penniston was able to have this unique experience, when only separated
from the other witnesses by a few yards, has become yet another twist of the story
391
00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:54,160
Penniston also believes they had 45 minutes of missing time
which John Burroughs can’t account for
392
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:57,680
I said I don’t remember him doing it and now sure how it could have happened
393
00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:03,960
Now, over the years you put together…Buran said there was 45 minutes
where they lost us on the radio…didn’t say it was missing time
394
00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:09,200
when we came back, I kew that my watch was 45 minutes slow
395
00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:14,920
The timings are noted in the statement by Fred Buran,
who was monitoring their radio signals from the forest
396
00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:19,480
But his watch was the same way, so we were 45 minutes behind in real time?
397
00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:25,960
But, Pennistons claims seem so at odds and fantastical,
that many followers have begun to have serious doubts
398
00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:31,440
Compounding the fallout from this, a statement
was to emerge from the man in charge of the twin bases
399
00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:35,720
and it would be far from confirmatory
400
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:46,160
The actual Base Commander was a guy called Ted Conrad, who was from Texas
401
00:43:46,160 --> 00:43:53,600
and he was there throughout the incident and he was the person who was actually
in charge during this whole period
402
00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:58,120
and if there was any sort of investigation or inquiry, he would have been the one
who launched it
403
00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:03,760
in fact, he was the one who actually sent Col Halt out into the forest
with the other security police
404
00:44:03,760 --> 00:44:07,840
Following years of radio silence, Conrad eventually responded to Dave Clarke
405
00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:11,520
He made a statement, giving his own account of the events, as he remembered them
406
00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:17,080
Whilst it seemed he roughly backed up Halts timeline
his recollection was at odds with the later accounts
407
00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:20,520
He basically said that while Halt was out in the forest….
408
00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:27,000
Basically there had been an investigation, that he’d ordered it, an informal one
but he’d not escalated it
409
00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:47,480
Penniston had told him that he’d never got close enough to this thing
to see what it was
410
00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:50,800
but that it looked mechanical and it looked like the shape of a jeep
411
00:44:50,800 --> 00:45:00,080
Now..if you read Jim Pennistons story now, he actually went up to it, touched it
he had this download of binary code into his head and all this kind of thing
412
00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:04,560
that’s all come out subsequently, but Conrad was saying
“ This just sounds like science fiction to me “
413
00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:12,080
You know..at the time no-one came out with any of this
we just had this basic thing about lights being seen in the forest
414
00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:19,760
But most damning of all, was the revelation that Conrad and other senior officials
had a very different memory of Halts encounter
415
00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:37,200
Conrad and all these other special constables and what have you, were out
looking in the same direction that Halt was looking, couldn’t see a thing in the sky
416
00:45:37,200 --> 00:45:47,840
They were talking to each other on radio, they were speaking to the control tower
they were asking the radar operator, can you see anything, where Halts looking?
417
00:46:08,520 --> 00:46:13,720
Since Ted Conrads account became public,
Charles Halt has countered some of his claims
418
00:46:13,720 --> 00:46:18,880
in a book titled the Halt Perspective, Halt refutes many of the claims made against him
419
00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:24,320
While Halt would not go on camera for this film, he did express his feelings about
the way others had responded to him
420
00:46:41,080 --> 00:46:48,880
It's a shame, because what they need to do, is all get together, get their stories straight
421
00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:52,200
you know..and so maybe we can get an answer
422
00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:55,680
Jim Penniston has diverged further from the other witness accounts
423
00:46:55,680 --> 00:47:00,440
publishing his own book, attempting to offer further proof of his contact story
424
00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:05,840
Larry Warren, whose book Left at East Gate, gives his own differing account
425
00:47:05,840 --> 00:47:10,640
Warrens involvement, has been widely disputed by fellow witnesses and researchers
426
00:47:10,640 --> 00:47:16,120
It actually floated….to make it more complicated…umm..
427
00:47:16,120 --> 00:47:18,360
Beings?….beings, exactly
428
00:47:18,360 --> 00:47:21,360
He is widely acknowledged as being the whistleblower for the story
429
00:47:21,360 --> 00:47:26,400
but his account of alien beings and his involvement
have increasingly been called into question
430
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:33,400
Larry has given us different directions, different times, different witnesses
nearly every time
431
00:47:33,400 --> 00:47:37,200
We actually got him on tape saying he wasn’t there until the 30th
432
00:47:37,200 --> 00:47:42,000
In an attempt to confirm his story, Larry is currently
involved in the production of a film on the incident
433
00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:51,400
I didn't imagine 30 years ago, that you know 2 people would be interested in this
let alone all you people on a bank holiday weekend
434
00:47:53,560 --> 00:47:57,760
If you’ve come to the conclusion
that this story has grown a lot of branches
435
00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:02,040
well, the Rendlesham Incident is truly, the gift that keeps on giving
436
00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:07,480
In a new twist, it appears that John Burroughs
has made in roads with the US Gov. over health claims
437
00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:10,000
which he says are related to the incident
438
00:48:10,000 --> 00:48:15,440
Immediately after the incident, I didn’t feel good. You know, I kind of felt
tired, dragging, not the greatest
439
00:48:15,440 --> 00:48:21,120
And I started having some throat problems, some vision problems and ..um
440
00:48:21,120 --> 00:48:25,760
At one point my mouth, my whole mouth turned white and
my gums turned white and stuff
441
00:48:25,760 --> 00:48:32,960
John was diagnosed some years later with a heart murmur.During his medical treatment,
multiple other issues became apparent
442
00:48:32,960 --> 00:48:39,400
It was during this period, that he was
to discover that something was amiss with his medical file
443
00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:46,200
The first response back was, your medical records aren’t where they belong
and your personel files, where they should be..you’re retired
444
00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:52,600
But they were able to get me to a doctor, a VA doctor, who got some information
445
00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:57,840
that made em realise, exactly what they were dealing with
446
00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:04,200
In 2018, John received a settlement for his health problems,
from the DOD and VA.....
447
00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:07,680
the search for his medical files is still ongoing
448
00:49:12,760 --> 00:49:19,000
With this ever expanding narrative,
the story has become increasingly difficult to navigate
449
00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:23,480
Becoming a minefield, even for the most devoted students
450
00:49:25,040 --> 00:49:30,960
Some of the witnesses have changed their story, new bits of story have come out
which we hadn’t heard..
451
00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:37,480
and really what we’re seeing, is the creation of a modern myth
and I don’t think it will ever die
452
00:49:37,480 --> 00:49:42,880
Much like the tree roots that run throughout the forest,
the story has grown out in so many directions
453
00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:47,200
that any sense of closure, appears increasingly unlikely
454
00:49:47,200 --> 00:49:52,440
Leaving us to decide for ourselves, which version of the accounts please us the most
455
00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:57,600
Now it may have been a lighthouse, it may have been some other natural phenomena
456
00:49:57,600 --> 00:50:00,360
but that’s beside the point.
457
00:50:06,880 --> 00:50:14,120
There's two things involved..there’s the few certain facts, that you can ascertain,
from the original documents and from their statements
458
00:50:14,120 --> 00:50:17,960
that they made at the time and there’s the legend, which it’s become
459
00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:23,680
because the more they tell it, the more it becomes elaborated
and that creates the legend
460
00:50:33,480 --> 00:50:39,400
Unfortunately, we’ve reached this impasse..there are people who can only
see it in black and white
461
00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:45,440
It’s either..aliens or people from the future came here and landed in
Rendlesham Forest
462
00:50:45,440 --> 00:50:54,080
Or, it’s the sceptical version, which is people were all lying
or they’d been mislead by ordinary things
463
00:50:54,080 --> 00:51:00,640
It’s either one, or the other and I don’t see it like that at all
I see it as the thing is a legend which is..
464
00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:04,400
all they constituent parts of it, play a part in creating the legend
465
00:51:09,720 --> 00:51:15,440
So does the Rendlesham forest Incident,
deserve a place alongside tother great British legends
466
00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:18,480
such as Loch Ness and King Arthur
467
00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:23,000
Dave Clarke and others believe it to be worthy of the title
468
00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:28,280
After all, it has grown legs and run for nearly 40 years
469
00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:30,560
Despite it’s major inconsistencies
470
00:51:34,200 --> 00:51:40,520
Or have the inconsistencies and embellishments
helped to elevate the story
471
00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:44,680
Tapping into the collective consciousness at just the right moment
472
00:51:44,680 --> 00:51:48,080
When we actually look at what's the evidence for King Arthur, there isn't any
473
00:51:48,080 --> 00:51:54,760
There’s a piece of rock with Arthur scratched on it
that somebody found buried in Cornwall
474
00:51:54,760 --> 00:52:02,560
There’s a couple of books, that have survived in the Welsh annals
that mentioned a warrior called Arthur, who fought against the Saxons
475
00:52:02,560 --> 00:52:07,440
Books that were written 200 years after the event
That’s the evidence for King Arthur
476
00:52:07,440 --> 00:52:10,520
The county of Suffolk is no stranger to legends
477
00:52:10,520 --> 00:52:16,600
Black Shuck, the devil dog that roamed the Suffolk countryside
is a tale well told
478
00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:22,920
it’s reign of terror on Blytheburgh church, is even recorded in parish records
479
00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:27,240
Be it the old man of Orford or the
mysterious marsh lights seen throughout the ages
480
00:52:27,240 --> 00:52:31,440
this region has always thrived on it’s strange tales
481
00:52:31,440 --> 00:52:35,480
I absolutely no doubt, that people will be talking about the Rendlesham Forest Incident
in the same way
482
00:52:35,480 --> 00:52:38,840
That there was this mystical happening in the forest
483
00:52:38,840 --> 00:52:43,440
and I don’t think it will ever be resolved
because there is no way to resolve it
484
00:52:43,440 --> 00:52:45,440
and that’s the definition of a legend
485
00:52:57,920 --> 00:53:01,960
From what started as a simple Christmas tale of lights in the east
486
00:53:01,960 --> 00:53:07,720
a legend has unfolded over the past 40 years and shows no sign of stopping
487
00:53:07,720 --> 00:53:14,640
Facebook groups, forums, chatrooms and
countless conferences have grown around Rendlesham
488
00:53:14,640 --> 00:53:21,560
Some may point to Unlimited Financial Opportunity,
exploiting the overwhelming need to believe…
489
00:53:21,560 --> 00:53:23,840
.in something
490
00:53:25,760 --> 00:53:31,880
But, as the factions have become more divided,
so have the chances of ever finding the truth behind it
491
00:53:31,880 --> 00:53:34,120
whatever that may be
492
00:53:34,120 --> 00:53:38,440
I still think we should all get together, at least one time
Agree to disagree on stuff
493
00:53:38,440 --> 00:53:44,280
Not attack each other and get a chronology on everything
and try to figure it out and based on all the evidence available now
494
00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:48,920
Try to put it together as best we can. I think it’s the closest we’ll
ever get to the truth
495
00:53:48,920 --> 00:53:55,280
John Burroughs has continued his quest for answers,
despite other witnesses becoming increasingly hostile
496
00:53:55,280 --> 00:53:59,120
Some researchers have resigned themselves and moved on
497
00:53:59,120 --> 00:54:04,280
But there remains the core storytellers, ever faithful to the Rendlesham cause
498
00:54:04,280 --> 00:54:07,920
I know it’s took over my life, I know it has.
499
00:54:07,920 --> 00:54:14,600
I’ve tried not to go down there and every time not to go down there
somebody phones me asks me to go down there
500
00:54:14,600 --> 00:54:18,400
or the newspaper or the radio ( people ) phones me up
you know
501
00:54:18,400 --> 00:54:24,360
I’m just drawn down there and when I’m down there, it’s like it’s part of me
502
00:54:24,360 --> 00:54:28,600
Brenda remains committed to helping people look for a resolution
503
00:54:28,600 --> 00:54:33,720
Even if that means ultimately means, never finding one
504
00:54:33,720 --> 00:54:40,920
We can't go back..go back in a time machine, I wish we could and reconstruct
what actually happened
505
00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:49,680
People like…they want an explanation for it, but they want it to be a sort of
“ Gee whiz! Is that the real explanation! “ “ How surprising “
506
00:54:49,680 --> 00:54:55,800
and they’re not prepared to accept it’s just ordinary things, that people see
in extraordinary circumstances
507
00:54:57,080 --> 00:55:05,080
I must say that after I published my initial investigation
In a newspaper…early in 1985
508
00:55:05,080 --> 00:55:07,720
I really thought that would be the end of it
509
00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:15,040
Although I shouldn’t be astonished because, you know..
for the UFO believers this is…you know the holy grail
510
00:55:15,040 --> 00:55:20,640
It is regularly voted one of the 10 best cases in the world
511
00:55:20,640 --> 00:55:26,160
I’ve said they call it the British Roswell, but to me
it’s a great deal better than Roswell
512
00:55:26,160 --> 00:55:36,640
because it has…good eye witness testimony, it has documentary evidence
we know that something happened, the only question is what happened
513
00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:41,640
If there is one irony to this tale, it’s that arguably,
the critics and sceptics
514
00:55:41,640 --> 00:55:44,960
have kept the story alive with their counterpoint
515
00:55:44,960 --> 00:55:49,760
And without that, then this story could have been long forgotten
516
00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:56,000
As it stands, this beautiful forest in Suffolk
will continue to be visited by future generations
517
00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:57,880
Looking for answers..
518
00:55:57,880 --> 00:56:00,560
and maybe, posing new questions
66640
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