Page 26 - 200908 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - August 2009

26 UFO’s In The News 26 UFO’s In The News UFO sightings were up Former Armed Forces UFO sightings were up Former Armed Forces five-fold in 1996... this head wanted probe into five-fold in 1996... this head wanted probe into could be a case of UFO sighting, newly UFO sighting, newly could be a case of Mulder and Scully released files show released files show Mulder and Scully Daily Mail Reporter - Aug 2009 A former head of the Armed Daily Mail Reporter - Aug 2009 A former head of the Armed Forces wrote to the Defence Forces wrote to the Defence Secretary urging him to Secretary urging him to “demonstrate a more serious “demonstrate a more serious concern” over a now famous concern” over a now famous UFO sighting, files released officials should be ready to demonstrate a more UFO sighting, files released serious concern with its implications than they by the Ministry of Defence have so far manifested. There seems to be a by the Ministry of Defence reveal. head of steam building up on this matter, and I reveal. can see a potential ‘banana-skin’ looming.” An MoD briefing was handed to the By Richard Alleyne, Science Defence Secretary following Lord Hill- Correspondent and Ben Leach Norton’s letter for use in a House of Lords Defence debate. The incident is just one among the The note states the MoD’s final position hundreds of reports of UFO close encounters, on the incident, saying the USAF report was from aliens with lemon-shaped heads to laser “carefully examined” and the conclusion was It was the year in which television's The beams being shot to earth, contained in the files. that there was “no Defence interest” and “no X-Files fuelled conspiracy theories and the film Other episodes include when two evidence of anything having intruded into Independence Day chilled cinema-goers with “sober” Glastonbury festival goers saw a flying British airspace”. visions of an alien invasion. saucer hover overhead and dozens of sightings It noted: “Indeed the high visibility of But in 1996 the little green men and which turned out to be a Virgin Airship and two the phenomenon reported – multicoloured their strange flying craft weren't just seen on boys who claimed an alien told them: "We want bright lights – is totally inconsistent with a screen. you, come with us". covert entry into the UK.” At least, not according to hundreds of Lord Hill-Norton, a former Chief of The briefing note said UFO sightings Britons. Defence Staff, wrote to Michael Heseltine some were “not a matter the MoD take lightly” and Government 'X- files', released today, years after a mysterious incident in which continued: “I can accept that people do from show that in 1996 the number of reported several US Air Force personnel reported seeing time to time see things in the sky which they sightings of unidentified flying objects soared. a strange metallic object hovering in find difficult to explain. As Will Smith heroically defended Earth Rendlesham Forest near RAF Woodbridge in "I am sure your Lordships will agree from an alien attack in Independence Day and Suffolk. that in many cases normal explanations come to Mulder and Scully set out to prove 'the truth is The incident, in the early morning of light, such as falling meteorites or satellite out there' in The X-Files, here in Britain the December 27, 1980, has become known as debris, unusual cloud formations or aircraft number of UFO sightings leapt from 117 to 609. “Britain’s own Roswell”, and has never been lights... What the true explanation is, I do not Last night Dr David Clarke, a UFO expert and fully explained. know.” journalism lecturer at Sheffield Hallam The late Lord Hill-Norton, a member of The incident is just one of countless University who has studied the files, said: 'I what he described as the “rather ineffective” mysterious reports released as part of a three- think there has got to be some kind of House of Lords UFO Group, wrote to Mr year project between the Ministry of Defence connection - it was a year when people were Heseltine in May 1985 to express his concern and The National Archives, aimed at opening up absolutely obsessed with UFOs and aliens. over the “puzzling and disquieting features” of the records to a worldwide audience. Aside from 1996, one of the busiest the case. This fourth instalment consists of 14 years for UFO sightings reported to the MoD He referred to the USAF report files of sightings, letters and Parliamentary over the past half century was 1978 - the year submitted by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt Questions – 4,000 pages in total. [] Close Encounters of the Third Kind was in which the deputy base commander details the released. account of three patrolmen. 'Obviously, films and TV programmes Lt Col Halt wrote: “The individuals raise public awareness of UFOs and it's reported seeing a strange glowing object in the fascinating to see how that appears to lead more forest. The object was described as being people to report what they see to the authorities.' metallic in appearance and triangular in shape, Details of some of the sightings have approximately two to three metres across the been released, as part of a three-year project base and approximately two metres high. It between the Ministry of Defence and The illuminated the entire forest with a white light. National Archives. “The object itself had a pulsing red light In 1996 The X-Files was at the height of on top and a bank of blue lights underneath. The its popularity. Launched in 1993 ratings for the object was hovering or on legs. As the show mushroomed as it swung from cult patrolmen approached the object, it manoeuvred viewing to mainstream hit. through the trees and disappeared.” In 1997 the number of reported sightings The commander himself described dropped slightly, but remained high at 425, but witnessing three depressions in the ground the in 1998 they dropped back to 193. next day where the object had been sighted. The reports from 1996 included a And later that night he was among sighting from a young man who told police he several men who saw a “red sun-like light” had seen a UFO hovering over a cemetery in through the trees which “moved about and Cheshire before it fired burning laser beams into pulsed”. the ground. [] Lord Hill-Norton also wrote: “Your