This week the United Kingdom, and then the rest of the world, was shaken by
a surprise revelation from former U.S. Astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell. On the
Kerrang Radio Talk Show with host Nick Margerisson, on July 22nd, Mitchell made
the startling, but not totally unsuspected, claim that the U.S., U.K., and other
global governments have been involved in a vast cover-up conspiracy about UFOs.
But he went even further, going into details about the intentions of the "aliens"
that he claims are from other planets in the galaxy, as if perhaps he'd sat
down to tea and crumpets with them himself, notwithstanding the fact that his
assessment absolutely contradicts the vast body of witness interpretations and
sightings.
Synchronistically or coincidentally (or was it?), the X-Files movie
is opening today on July 25th. This set my wheels to turning--this all sounded
so familiar, somehow! So I did a little digging around on the internet.
It's rare when an old news story lasts for an entire decade on the internet,
and usually it's because someone has archived it out of fondness, fascination,
or need. And such was the case with the bona fide news piece that I found at
the Richard Boylan web site at http://www.drboylan.com/emtchl2.html .
Much to my surprise, this site contains an entire and intact news story from
The People newspaper of London, dated October 25th, 1998, entitled
"Yes, Aliens Really Are Out There, Says the Man on the Moon." In an
"exclusive interview from his Florida Home," Dr. Mitchell at that
time told reporter John Earls an almost identical story to the one he told Margerrison
this week.
Needless to say, every person seeking some discernment into this matter should
examine this web page in detail, and should capture the article text if they
need it. Here are a few pertinent quotes:
"In 1971, Edgar became the sixth person to walk on the moon. Now
68, he works as a consultant on the hugely popular science-fiction TV series
The X Files."
Also:
"Thankfully, things are changing for the better. It's a snowball effect
- the more scientists admit that ETs are a viable prospect, the more they are
investigated in a scientific manner. And the more that happens, the more chance
there is of us discovering inarguable proof of extra-terrestrials. It helps
too that those in possession of documentation of alien visits to Earth are starting
to come forward. The military people I spoke to are tired of the secrecy surrounding
Roswell and similar cases, particularly as the information is being leaked.
I firmly believe that this documentation will have to be made public within
the next three or four years. And if proof of ETs is finally made public, nobody
will be happier than me. What I don't think will happen is that I will ever
see an extra-terrestrial. I'd love to see one, though it's not the biggest priority
in my life.
But, as they say on a TV show I'm associated with, the truth is out there."
Well, this "disclosure" did not happen in "three or four years,"
and it still hasn't happened--unless one counts Mitchell's rehash and regurgitation
of his previous story, yet again to the British Media. Those of us who investigate
topics such as this absolutely have to look more closely and more critically
at what Mitchell has to say, and we have to ascertain his genuine, definite
motivations for saying it.
Does Edgar Mitchell still have any connection to the X-Files creative property,
production, or Chris Carter? Why did he wait until the week of the movie release
(a movie which had been all but lost in the herd of more-exciting summertime
blockbusters and was almost obscure before it opened), to drop his "bombshell?"
Why did he not make this statement (repetitious as it apparently is) to the
media much earlier and more often?
Perhaps "the truth is out there," but perhaps the truth has something
to do with advertising, viral marketing, movie hype, and at the very least,
favors for old friends.
Perhaps Edgar Mitchell is totally sincere, but his timing is strangely coincidental
(and of course, sincerity in no way indicates that he himself is not being manipulated
to spread disinformation--or to market a rehash of an old film/tv franchise).
Below is the complete text of the article from 1998. If there's any doubt about
the dubious nature of Mr. Mitchell's claims, it's only in the minds of the credulous.
When it comes to the extraterrestrial hypothesis, Mitchell, really, really wants
to believe.
-Wm. Michael Mott
--------------------------
Source: The People [London Newspaper]
Date: Oct 25 1998
Header: Yes, Aliens Really Are Out There, Says the Man on the Moon
FORMER astronaut Edgar Mitchell is one of only 12 people to have walked on the
moon. A highly-intelligent scientist, Edgar caused a sensation at a UFO conference
in America this month when he claimed he has seen proof that aliens exist.
In 1971, Edgar became the sixth person to walk on the moon. Now 68, he works
as a consultant on the hugely popular science-fiction TV series The X Files.
In an exclusive interview from his Florida home, Edgar told JOHN EARLS why he
is convinced here is life on other planets and that aliens have, in fact, landed
on Earth. I AM an American astronaut and a trained scientist. Because of my
position people in high places confide in me. And, as a result, I have no doubt
that aliens HAVE visited this planet. The American government and governments
throughout the world have thousands of files of UFO sightings which cannot be
explained. As a scientist, it is logical to me that at least some of these will
have been witness of alien craft. As a former astronaut, the military people
who have access to these files are more willing to talk to me than to people
they regard as mere cranks. The stories I have heard from these people, who
are more highly qualified than me to talk about UFOs, leave me in no doubt that
aliens have already visited Earth.
I've been interested in the subject since I joined NASA 40 years ago. Probably
my most visionary moment was when I actually landed on the moon with Apollo
14. I felt an overwhelming sense that the universe itself is in some way whether
on Earth or elsewhere, are all part of one giant consciousness.
So when I learned that aliens really do exist, I wasn't too surprised. But what
did shock me when I started investigating extra-terrestrial reports a decade
ago is the extent to which the proof has been hushed up. It isn't just the US
government which has kept quiet about alien visits. It would be arrogant of
an American like myself to assume that ETs would only choose to visit my country.
Indeed, I've heard convincing stories about governments all over the world that
know of alien visits - including the British government.
Not all governments are anxious to keep their findings quiet. The Belgians have
admitted that aliens may be out there and have released information about sightings
that cannot be explained away as military planes, weather phenomena and so on.
There is a very simple reason why governments have been so secretive: fear.
Modern UFO sightings really began with the Roswell incident in 1947, when a
crashed craft containing the corpses of several aliens was found in Roswell,
New Mexico. Make no mistake, Roswell happened. I've seen secret files which
show the government knew about it - but decided not to tell the public. There
were very good security reasons for not informing the public about Roswell.
Quite simply, we wouldn't have known how to deal with the technology of intelligent
beings advanced enough to send a craft to Earth. The world would have panicked
if we'd known aliens were visiting us.
The question of whether or not aliens are still visiting us is more complex.
Such is our existing secret technology that what might look like an alien craft
may well turn out to be a top-secret military plane. On the other hand, the
craft may be an alien spaceship.
Personally however, I'd say, "Yes, it's quite possible we are currently
being visited". The whole question of extra-terrestrials should be looked
at in an historical context. Five hundred years ago, the astronomer Copernicus
was condemned as a heretic for saying that planet Earth wasn't the centre of
the universe but merely a small part of it. Now we laugh at those long-dead
fools for not listening to the truth. People who believe in aliens aren't all
cranks and some may be looked upon in the future as visionaries similar to Copernicus.
Meanwhile, the majority of us still believe mankind is the biological centre
of the universe. We will refuse to accept that intelligent life exists outside
Earth unless we personally bump into an alien while we're doing the shopping.
Is this attitude really any different from those "simpletons" of 500
years ago?
My training at NASA only allows me to look at things scientifically. Even if
I hadn't been shown evidence of alien landings on Earth, the assumption must
be that somewhere in the universe another planet is capable of supporting alien
life. Those life-forms need not be "little green men". The scientists'
definition of intelligent life is whether or not it can use and manage information.
Even the most primitive microbes on Earth qualify by that definition, and surely
there are at the very least similar microbes thriving on planets throughout
the universe.
If you are starting to think walking on the moon addled my brain and that I'll
believe any old crank theory about ETs, think again. I would describe myself
as a cynic. I wasn't convinced about the existence of aliens until I started
talking to the military old-timers who were there at the time of Roswell. The
more government documentation on aliens I was told about, the more convinced
I became. It must be stressed that the wackier people on the fringe of alien
matters do the subject no end of damage.
Contrary to rumour, there are no alien buildings and structures on the moon.
I should know, I was there! I even became caught up in these rumours when a
theory started that a moon structure was reflected on my helmet during TV transmissions
of my landing. That just isn't true. It's that kind of disinformation which
stops credible people admitting that they too believe in aliens.
Thankfully, things are changing for the better. It's a snowball effect - the
more scientists admit that ETs are a viable prospect, the more they are investigated
in a scientific manner. And the more that happens, the more chance there is
of us discovering inarguable proof of extra-terrestrials. It helps too that
those in possession of documentation of alien visits to Earth are starting to
come forward. The military people I spoke to are tired of the secrecy surrounding
Roswell and similar cases, particularly as the information is being leaked.
I firmly believe that this documentation will have to be made public within
the next three or four years. And if proof of ETs is finally made public, nobody
will be happier than me. What I don't think will happen is that I will ever
see an extra-terrestrial. I'd love to see one, though it's not the biggest priority
in my life.
But, as they say on a TV show I'm associated with, the truth is out there.
[End of Interview from The People]
---------------------
UPDATE: 7-25-08 7:15 CST
Mitchell just appeared on Fox & Friends.
During this interview, he directly contradicted several of the things he said on Kerrang Radio. His sources changed from "government officials" to "local ranchers" in the Roswell area; he stated that he did not know that the aliens were "small and friendly" as he had emphatically stated, but that "that's what the lore says."
Lastly he disavowed any connection of this story to NASA, possibly due to a
reprimand of some kind.
Half of his "points" have already changed in his statement on this
matter.
----------------------
A great deal of furor and false outrage has resulted from my original post on
this matter--so much, in fact, that I have to believe that when it comes to
Mitchell's defenders in the UFO community, "they doth protest too much."
Dr. Mitchell is an American hero. He is a historic personage, within his own lifetime, which is quite an achievement. He is the founder of the Noetic Institute. But this all has NOTHING to do with his statements about extraterrestrial life.
The bulk of his statements have ended up being based, not on facts or evidence, but "on the lore," as he has now said in many places and interviews. Yet what lore is this? The vast majority of circumstantial evidence in "the lore," the research involving witness interviews, first-hand accounts, and so on, doesn't just point to one type of diminutive being; the accounts point at a phenomenon that has been, until very recently, as variegated as the bestiaries of yore. Additionally, the vast preponderance of "the lore" does not speak of friendly intention on the part of nonhuman "others;" to the contrary, it is fraught with intentional deception, and a hostility toward mankind which, if not overt, is in fact covert, unprincipled, and delving into rape, torture, mutilation, and murder.
Dr. Mitchell's logic about "their" intentions is either naive or overly-optimistic, at best. At worst, it is deceptive--but to what end? Hostility does not necessarily mean annihilation, extermination, or defeat; it might simply equate to a "status quo" arrangement in which "they" continue to do what they want, take what they want, and reap the genetic bounty of humanity and the Earth--not as a recent phenomenon, but as "they" have demonstrably done, for thousands of years--and why should they not, since "they" are in all likelihood an ancient and advanced terrestrial species or specie who long ago flung themselves throughout the solar system--but still prefer to hang around the genetically/food-rich "home world," the same one which is home to you and I?
Above all, the "wishful thinking" and pseudo-religion that is known as the "extraterrestrial hypothesis," smacks of a prolonged and dedicated disinformation campaign. Don't pay any attention to the history of the phenomenon; ignore the comings and goings from oceans, lakes, rivers, and volcanoes; "We come from Zeta Reticuli, yeah, that's the ticket! Look up there, see that star? I've got a bridge on Barsoom to sell ya, buddy. Make sure she gets a glimpse of the star-map while she's suggestible, Zorac."
"Advanced" beings interested in harmonious co-existence, if "telepathic," would surely not instill pain, panic, and terror in victims that they in fact kidnap, mutilate, and allegedly rape (stealing genetic material, particularly by physical intrusion or insertion, is still a form of rape). Why not just take what they need while human beings are sleeping, perhaps utilizing a bit of chloroform (or something more advanced) in order to make sure that the "donor" human being doesn't wake? And yet these "intelligent" beings, according to nearly all reports, ranging from the Villas-Boas case to the most recent reported abductions, desire an alert and terrified interaction, a bit of sadistic pain or discomfort, and seem "oblivious" to the terrified state of their victims.
Dr. Mitchell's statements seem to either smack of disinformation (in the service or whom, or what, one must ask?), or sheer wishful thinking on his own part, in which all of the universe is part of one big harmonious kumbaya of oscillating star-stuff and human--no, all--individuality is an illusion.
This is the kind of idea which leads to apathetic or worshipful slavery, of course, in which human beings are just assumed to be lower on the intellectual and spiritual foodchain, in this case by a generally esteemed gentleman who subscribes to a particularly self-generated form of spirituality which seems more pop-culture than epiphany.
In the meantime, humanity should look a bit closer to home for the answer to most of these questions--because none of them are really anything really recent, or new.
Dr. Mitchell deserves credit for bringing fresh media and government attention to the UFO phenomenon--but old paradigms, assumptions, and above all, WISHFUL THINKING, have got to be replaced with a broader, more inclusive, more logical methodology for addressing the problem. "They are friendly because I hope they are" just doesn't cut it, and "they are from somewhere far away because they are more advanced than we are" is, ultimately, dangerously naive and just a bit based in wishful thinking born of fear and insecurity. When dealing with a species or specie which are obviously predatory in their habits and attitudes, this could in fact be a fatal error in judgment.
--Wm. Michael Mott, August 4, 2008