Some UFOlogy Recordings

Fifty tracks of interview and lecture recordings of 'contactees' from the Wendy Connors Audio History of UFOlogy Series may now be heard online without charge.

The archive.org "Faded Disc Archive — The Contactees" page presents the audio tracks from the two volumes of the Wendy Connors Faded Discs Audio Archive of UFO History series focusing on "The Contactees": "Flying Saucers & Four Guys Named George: Adamski, Van Tassel, Hunt Williamson & King" (Volume 1) and "Saucerology: Tales of Giant Rock" (Volume 2).  Two additional tracks are also provided that present a 1957 Long John Nebel broadcast and a 1959 lecture by Orfeo Angelucci.

Fourteen of the 25 recordings on the Volume 1 disc feature George Adamski and in the first file recorded by A.G. Dittmarr in 1953, Adamski recounts his first asserted encounter with the Venusian 'Orthon.'  I found this track to provide an example of a contrived and incongruous contactee account, including Adamski's description of being injured after moving under the spaceship with his right shoulder: "And as it got there, this power was on — sort of a jet-type power.  It wasn't a jet exactly.  It was a magnetic force, I realized it but it was pounding towards the earth back and forth.  You couldn't hear it but as my arm got caught and that's the only analysis I can make, that it first pulled by arm up against the flange of the ship and then suddenly reversed that polarity and shot it downward . . ."  He eventually declared, "This arm was sort of paralyzed after that for a while and sort of numb.  And even now and then today it happens — just suddenly without a warning it flops like a rag.  And I have no feeling in it and suddenly it comes back again.  It has not been completely cured as it should've been by now.  And maybe never will — I don’t know.  I’m not worried about it at all."

Some of Adamski's concluding remarks of this recording include: "So far it’s only my word and the other fellows' words and so forth.  But I'm not the only one that made personal contacts.  I have records on file here of something like several such contacts have been made since I made mine and a number of them before I made mine . . . the only difference is that I happened to publish my experience while so many of them have not . . . I’m just one among a — millions in this world.  That — you say, 'Why did it happen to you?'  But I say it happened to others too so it didn't all happen to me . . ." 

Notes about the tracks on the Georges CD mention the association of Adamski and Williamson: "George Hunt Williamson accompanied George Adamski in November, 1952, when Adamski claims he met Orthon."  Williamson mentioned his knowledge of the contactee cases of Angelucci, Truman Bethurum and Daniel Fry in Other Tongues — Other Flesh (circa 1953).  Biographical information provided on the back cover jacket of the book includes the following:

George Hunt Williamson served with the Army Air Corps during World War II as Radio Director for the Army Air Forces Technical Training Command.  He was a member of the AAFTTC Headquarters Staff.  He received the Army Commendation Award from Brig. Gen. C. W. Lawrence for his outstanding record of service to the Air Force in Public Relations.  He served as an instructor in Anthropology for the United States Armed Forces Institute, and was later appointed Lieutenant in the U. S. Infantry.

When I first listened to these audio recordings in 2005 and 2006, I did not have a favorable response to tracks featuring any of the four Georges: Adamski nor ‘channelers’ King, Van Tassel and Williamson.  I was surprised upon hearing at the beginning of MP3 file 20 the England-born founder of the Aetherius Society, George King, commenting at a private home in London in August, 1960 prior to beginning his lecture, “Thank you very much.  I will not say anything about myself because it’s a pretty nasty topic anyway . . .” 

I found some interesting tracks on the "Saucerology" CD, beginning with the first track presenting an interview of Truman Bethurum when he was a guest on Nancy Allen's book review program.  A previous blog article provided some excerpts from the interview.  As two of three Daniel Fry tracks are barely audible and the third is a confrontational debunking attempt, Fry's books chronicling his contact experiences (reviewed in previous blog articles) provide a better introduction to his case.

When I was listening to track 19 (track 44 on the archive.org MP3 collection webpage)—a thirty minute television interview of Woodrow Derenberger from November 3, 1966—I noticed that there were prominent examples of electronic voice phenomena audible.  The EVP on this track included the word "NO" being heard after the interviewer introduced Derenberger as "the man that allegedly did make contact with such an object within the Parkersburg area last evening" ("NO" at 1:49).  During this interview, producer Glen Wilson mentioned, "I know personally that Mr. Derenberger was scared because I talked to him a short time after this happened by telephone last night."  The account described a highway encounter with a telepathic UFO occupant named 'Cold.' 

This case is reminiscent of another dubious contactee case – as with Reinhold Schmidt (whose interviews are also included on "Saucerology"), Derenberger received national media coverage supposedly after only making a police report, as chronicled in his book.  Reading Visitors From Lanulos (1971) "As Related By Woodrow W. Derenberger To The Author Harold W. Hubbard," the reader learns about a series of alleged encounters.  After the first encounter stated to have occurred on November 2, 1966 at approximately 7 p.m., Derenberger recounted that he had told his wife about his experience and telephoned the police.  He related that he began to feel calmer and went to sleep at 3:00 a.m.  The following day: "At 8:00 a.m., November 3, 1966, I left home for work as usual . . ."  Then:

Shortly after 10:00 a.m., Glen Wilson, the producer from WTAP-TV in Parkersburg, W. Va., came to the store where I was working and asked me if I would be willing to tell my story to the public.  Without giving much thought to the publicity that would follow my interview on TV, I agreed to go on the air that same afternoon.

Derenberger stated, "After my television interview, my story was picked up by the local news media as well as by UPI and API which spread the story all over the world."  His published account includes his claim of seeing firsthand while aboard a “mother ship” a “huge bridge” on the surface of the moon and the rings of Saturn, which he described as being “simply rainbows that are caused by the sun shining on the ice.”

Having heard numerous instances of broadcasters belittling contactees, it was unusual to hear Alan Douglas enthusiastically greet Derenberger (track 45 on the "Faded Disc Archive — The Contactees" MP3 collection webpage) and his wife for a 1967 interview.  Derenberger answered questions from the audience that allowed him to share his perspective of Betty and Barney Hill's case, telepathy and other topics that resulted with problematic responses.  Early in the interview, Derenberger mentioned "several fake books" about contactees as a reason for "what makes it so hard to actually believe the true stories when they do come along."

I discovered upon listening to "Saucerology" track 10 (track 35 on the archive.org MP3 collection webpage) that there are intriguing details to the case reported by Lee Childers.  Although a case study—Prince Neosom, Planet: Tyton (sic) by D.O. Mapes—is reported to have been self-published in 1959, I've found no record of any copy of the book having been preserved.  On this track an instance of EVP can be heard at 7:03 after Childers commented, "And he spoke also in a melodious tone ("YES") . . ."

Speaking at the Michigan Flying Saucer Federation convention on June 19, 1957 in a fifteen minute interview, Childers stated that twenty contacts and seven flights into space had transpired for him.  When Childers was asked when he first established contact with these beings, he answered, "Well the first contact that I made was on August 14th,1954 in the state hospital, Caro, Michigan."  Childers may have been referring to a prominent mental health facility without explaining further.  Childers said that the beings claimed to be from the Tythanian system with 22 planets and their planet was "a seat of deity for that particular system as Saturn is for ours."

After listening to this track and one other lecture by Childers, it is difficult to reach any quick conclusions about this case.  There are some parallels with other contactee cases, recalling statements in the cases of Truman Bethurum and Arthur Shuttlewood.  Childers described meeting a group of beings ranging in size from four feet to eight feet and three inches — all with shoulder-length hair.  Their names included the titles commander, sergeant, captain and lieutenant.  According to Childers, each spoke in a melodious tone that was "music-like, flowing from harps to a certain degree — I can’t explain it very good."

According to statements about Childers found with an Internet search, he later began calling himself 'Prince Neosom' and he would introduce his wife as 'Princess Negonna' of the planet Tythan.  There are parallels between these circumstances and Orfeo Angelucci's account of finding himself on another planet where he was called 'Neptune,' as recounted in the blog article "Orfeo Angelucci's Strange Predicament".  Angelucci recalled the space people informed him, "We are, you might say in terms of Earth, staging a dress-show reception for you, our lost brother.  Before the destruction our existence was much as you see it now; that is why you seem to remember all of this.  In that phase of the time dimension you were known as Neptune."  Angelucci described having found himself on "a strange and wonderful world" where he wore "a fine white garment" with a "finely wrought gold belt."  He explained: "Although the belt appeared to be made of heavy links of embossed gold, it was without weight.  My new body felt amazingly light and ethereal and vibrant with life."

The first trip mentioned by Childers was said to have occurred on April 9, 1955.  He was coming home from work at two a.m. in the morning when his Dodge stopped completely under the viaduct.  He recognized Commander Markosan — "This time he was in full-scale uniform, which was maroon in color — also the same as his hair."  He said that they wore uniforms with belts that protected them from ship rays.  Childers described the first ship that he entered was approximately 35-40 feet in diameter, circular in shape, had no landing gear, and had a round ball-type cabin that he was told could be raised and lowered while in flight.

"And at the time I was sitting there I didn’t know at the time that we were airborne.  Momentarily.  Just like that.  No feeling of movement whatsoever.  And I wasn’t told until some minutes later that we were moving at the speed of 250,000 miles per hour, 40,000-foot altitude . . . I found out that these ships can travel from 250,000 to 500,000 miles per hour outside the atmosphere of the Earth.  And the latest ship that I come in contact with — which had four rings — it created its own power where these other smaller ones they do not create their own power.  This ship traveled at seven times the speed of light.  Now that’s an enormous speed.  I understand, so they tell me, that they transmit themselves through space — not a power as we know it and understand it upon this Earth.  They can move without sound because sound is taken up into power — transmission."

Childers commented about the purpose for communicating with him: "Now the reason why they're coming here so I've been able to understand is simply because they were worried at the possibility that we were on the verge of an atomic all-out war, which would be a very disastrous thing if it ever occurred.  Now that is not the only reason why they're coming.  Because the people of this Earth have faltered in their faith—the majority of the people—in the almighty God."  Childers mentioned that the space people had been called such names as “visitors” and “brothers” yet he preferred to think of them as “angels.”

At the end of his speech, Childers said that he wasn’t used to being a public speaker and was very grateful for the opportunity to reveal what he had.  I have heard a second lecture by Lee Childers that is included on the commercial CD "The Lost UFO Lectures" from a July 1960 convention in California.  His beginning remarks showed an evangelical Christian emphasis as he shared his perspectives of the biblical Jesus Christ.  Childers evidently at times could be prone to pontificating.  The lecture included a mention of the destruction of 'Maldek' and a statement about the Earth being hollow with a "baby sun," indicating his beliefs may have been influenced by UFOlogy books that he had read.  He said, "There are those of you right now within this auditorium who are not of this Earth.  There are those of you who are.  Instinctively you know this.  You know not the answer why . . . I am a representative of a Tythanian system.  Negonna is a representative right alongside of me."

In relation to my recent reviews of the books of Major Donald E. Keyhoe (USMC Ret.), the UFOlogy author's research and experiences are chronicled in 20 audio recordings presented on the Faded Discs CD "Profiles in UFOlogy" along with audio recordings of Dr. James E. McDonald (7 tracks), Frank Edwards (11 tracks) and additional tracks featuring such authors as John G. Fuller, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Otto K. Binder, and Brinsley Le Poer Trench.  The tracks of this CD from the now-defunct archive are not yet available online.

The "Profiles in UFOlogy" audio recordings are dated between 1952 and 1974.  Some of the tracks leave little doubt about there having been an orchestrated UFO debunking campaign for television and radio audiences.  The notes about the CD that I printed from a Web page about the tracks included the following commentary.

11. Major Donald E. Keyhoe and Col James Bryant are interviewed regarding NICAP and UFOs  on the Les Crane Show, January 27, 1965.  Keyhoe is severely ridiculed by Crane, causing an uproar by listeners and Les Crane losing his show. 19:30

A 2008 obituary for Les Crane suggests a spiritual evolution through the course of his own career and lifetime.  In 1971 Crane recorded the poem "The Desiderata" (also included in my case study book Testament) that became a Billboard chart hit and "a late-night FM radio staple."  Crane's rendition may be heard on You Tube.

Another Wendy Connors CD not yet available online is "CE IV: Alien Abduction & Animal Mutilation 1957 — 1976" MP3 CD.  After listening to tracks of Barney and Betty Hill's hypnosis sessions on this CD, I decided against listening to all 21 of the audio tracks concerning the Hills' ambiguous case.  Despite what was depicted in the television movie inspired by their case, Betty Hill's hypnosis session made it clear that under hypnosis she described interacting with mysterious beings who were very human in their demeanor.  She mentioned that the leader even said to her, “Come on, we’ll walk back to the car with you."

These volumes of the Wendy Connors Faded Discs Audio History of UFOlogy Series are not yet available online.