Karl Pflock - UFO photos and government interest

My good friend, the late Karl Pflock, who served in a variety of posts in the US government before he entered the private sector (including the CIA and the Department of Defence), is seen here talking about some of the conversations he had with people during his time in government about the UFO phenomenon. This footage was shot at the Meet & Greet session at the 2003 Aztec UFO Conference in Aztec, New Mexico, where I was filming a documentary.

Paul Kimball

Rev. Barry Downing - The Religious Implications of the UFO Phenomenon

In this excerpt from an interview I conducted with him in 2001 in Irvine, California, Rev. Barry Downing (the author of The Bible and Flying Saucers) talks about how various Christian religious traditions view the UFO phenomenon, and how they might react if UFOs were proven to be extraterrestrial.

Paul Kimball

2001 - Breaking Ufology

The 2001 MUFON Symposium press conference was one of the most surreal things I've seen in the 15 years I've been studying the subculture of ufology. Coming just two months after the Disclosure press conference in Washington of Steven Greer, the press conference at the MUFON Symposium (indeed, the entire symposium), revealed the growing fracture within ufology.

On one side, you had the "old guard" - people like Stanton Friedman, Robert Wood, Barry Downing, Ann Druffel, and Budd Hopkins - who had been researching and talking about UFOs for decades. 

On the other side you had the brash new "revolutionaries," epitomized here by Greer and his cohort Daniel Sheehan. Overtly political, they were willing to go far beyond the simple old flying saucer gospel of the Old Guard by tying the belief that the UFO phenomenon represented extraterrestrial visitation (which is what the Old Guard had been pushing for years) to a determined activist agenda that dealt with a wide range of topics that they saw as related to ET visitation. 

Towards the end of the 2001 MUFON press conference, those tensions / fault lines boiled over, as can be seen in this exchange about the Strategic Defence Initiative between Greer and Sheehan on one side, and an ineffective Druffel on the other. At the end, Hopkins stands up and takes a clear shot at Greer and Sheehan and others like them, to the approval at the end of Friedman (whose body language throughout tells you what he was really thinking about Greer and Sheehan). 

What the Old Guard failed to understand, however, was that the political activism and rampant conspiracism that was being put forward by Greer et al was a natural extension of the things the Old Guard had been talking about for years. In that sense, Greer et al were not a radical departure from traditional ufology, as Hopkins implies - rather, they were the logical result of a world-view that believed (a) aliens were visiting Earth and abducting humans, and (b) that the government was covering it all up. It is why I have called Friedman the Godfather of Exopolitics when I wrote:

Friedman is the de facto Godfather of Exopolitics - in large part, he created the "family" that is modern pro-ET, "Cosmic Watergate" ufology, but like Vito Corleone, he is incapable of taking what he has created and moving it into its next logical phase. Indeed, like the Don, it is a phase that he wants nothing to do with, even as others around him, who have been inspired by him, recognize the logical and inevitable implications of what Friedman has been saying all of these years, and are prepared to act on it, no matter how much he protests.

But while I singled out Stan, it implies to the others as well - Hopkins with his abductions, Wood with his MJ-12 documents, and so forth. If Stan was the Godfather, these other figures were his capos.

For anyone interested in the history of Ufology as a social movement of American society, the 20 minutes in this video are a fascinating look at the year where everything really changed (the 9/11 attacks accelerated the move two months later by fostering even more paranoia and conspiracism), and Disclosure and Exopolitics began their move to become the dominant theme within the subculture.

Paul Kimball

Richard Dolan - The Early History of the UFO Phenomenon and the Government Cover-up

UFO researcher Richard Dolan talks about his research into the early years of the UFO phenomenon, from the Second World War until the end of the Truman administration, in this interview I conducted with him in Aztec, New Mexico, in 2003.

Paul Kimball

Karl Pflock - The Cutler-Twining Memo

UFO researcher / author Karl Pflock discusses the infamous Cutler - Twining Memo (part of the bogus MJ-12 documents) in this 2003 interview I conducted with him at his home in Placitas, New Mexico. He puts to rest the notion that there was no way that the memo could have been faked and then planted at the National Archives, as he reveals that he once did exactly that himself as an experiment.

I miss Karl. He was a good friend, and a rare voice of reason and common sense amongst "ufologists."

Paul Kimball

Steven Greer - The Disclosure Project (2001 interview)

My interview of Steven Greer at the 2001 MUFON Symposium in Irvine, California. He discusses the Disclosure Project, government secrecy, abductions, and other topics. I always edit an interview to delete my questions, but I left them in this time because I think watching Greer fidget when someone else is talking is instructive.

On the particular false claim by Greer of his "briefing" of former CIA Director James Woolsey, see Woolsey vs. Greer, which I wrote back in 2005. 

Paul Kimball

Bruce Maccabee: The UFO Cover-up Begins, 1947 - 1952

In this excerpt from an interview I shot in Aztec, New Mexico in 2003, UFO researcher/ author Dr. Bruce Maccabee (author of UFO/FBI Connection: The Secret History of the Government's Cover-Up) discusses the early days of the US government's alleged cover-up of the ET origins of the UFO phenomenon, culminating in the 1952 Washington, D.C. case.

Paul Kimball

John Mack - Hypnosis and "alien abduction" research

In this clip from footage I shot of the press conference at the 2001 MUFON Symposium in Irvine, California, Dr. John Mack answers a question about the efficacy of using hypnosis for "alien abduction" research.

Paul Kimball

Karl Pflock - Witnesses and the Government response to the "Roswell Incident"

In this clip from an interview I conducted with the late Karl Pflock in September, 2001, the author of Roswell: Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe, discusses the dearth of quality witnesses to anything "extraterrestrial" at Roswell in 1947, as well as the nature of the government's response to the incident, and UFOs in general, and how it points not to a cover-up of crashed spaceships but rather the opposite.

Paul Kimball

Kevin Randle - "Why Project Mogul doesn't explain the 1947 Roswell UFO crash"

In this 2001 interview I conducted with UFO researcher Kevin Randle, he outlines why he thinks that the explanation offered by the USAF for the 1947 Roswell Incident - Project Mogul - does not fit the facts. 

Paul Kimball

Nick Redfern - Possible government involvement in the chupacabras mystery

In this clip from a 2005 interview I conducted with my good friend Nick Redfern (author of Three Men Seeking Monsters and Monster Files) whilst we were in Puerto Rico filming for my documentary Fields of Fear, he discusses possible involvement by the government in the creation of the chupacabra phenomenon / myths / legends.

Paul Kimball

Stanton Friedman - Charles Berlitz and "The Roswell Incident"

In this clip from the interview I conducted with Stan Friedman in 2001 for the documentary Stanton T. Friedman is Real, he discusses the writing of the 1980 book The Roswell Incident and his relationship with Charles Berlitz.

Paul Kimball

Chris Rutkowski discusses Canadian UFO Report

Chris Rutkowski interviewed on August 15th about the recent Canadian UFO Survey, which covered the past twenty-five years. The radio station is 680 CJOB radio in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

Chris has a pretty low profile within "ufology," primarily because he is one of the rare UFO enthusiasts / researchers who is sensible, measured, professional and credible, which isn't what plays on UFO blogs looking for click bait and sensationalistic TV "documentaries" looking for aliens at every turn. As a result, he's one of the few people worth listening to within "ufology."

Paul Kimball

Real Research - The Canadian UFO Survey

The Canadian UFO Survey was released today, which covers the past 25 years here in the Great White North. No, it doesn't prove that aliens (or inter-dimensionals or anything else really weird) are coming to Earth. It isn't "sexy" like that, which means that you won't see many UFO blogs and websites posting about it, because it won't increase traffic for them (word to the wise - a blog or website that doesn't reference this study isn't serious about the UFO phenomenon. In that sense, it will serve as a good way for folks to tell whether a site is really worth visiting). And no, it almost certainly won't be the subject of a television documentary (which is a good thing, judging by the quality of UFO-related programming put out these days, like the execrable Hanger 1 and Chasing UFOs). But what it does represent is real research and data collection, which makes it far more worthwhile than any Citizens Hearing on Disclosure or "Roswell slides" or "Dream Team." Kudos to Chris Rutkowski and his colleagues for their hard work.

Paul Kimball

UFOs - Skepticism vs. Belief

In 2001 I interviewed skeptic Vaughn Rees from the Center for Inquiry - West for the documentary Stanton T. Friedman is Real. In this clip that didn't make the film, Rees discusses what differentiates skepticism and skeptics from belief and believers, and why some people believe that UFOs are extraterrestrial visitors.

Paul Kimball

Stanton Friedman discusses Karl Pflock's "Roswell" book

In this clip from my 2001 interview for the documentary Stanton T. Friedman is Real, Friedman discusses Roswell: Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe, Karl Pflock's skeptical book about the 1947 Roswell incident.

Paul Kimball

Stanton Friedman on his interactions with the media

In this never-before-seen outtake from a 2001 interview with Stan Friedman (for my 2002 film Stanton T. Friedman is Real), he discusses his interaction with the media over the course of his career, and why it's had both its positive aspects and its negative aspects.

Paul Kimball

Greg Bishop - Cattle Mutilation investigations

In this clip from an interview I conducted with Greg Bishop in 2005, he discusses the investigation of alleged cattle mutilations, and how many "researchers" ignore the possibility of human involvement because they are wedded to an extraterrestrial / UFO explanation.

Paul Kimball

Stanton Friedman - UFOs and New Mexico in 1947

In this excerpt from an interview I did with Stan Friedman in 2003, he discusses why extraterrestrials would have been interested in New Mexico in 1947.

Paul Kimball

Cuckoo in the Clock and Roundabout to premiere at 2014 Atlantic Film Festival

Tangentially related to the world of the paranormal, I have two feature films premiering at the 2014 Atlantic Film Festival here in Halifax in September - the Cuckoo in the Clock, and Roundabout. If you're in town, come on down to Cineplex Park Lane on Thursday, September 18th, and check them out (and say hello)... or keep an eye out for them at a festival near you over the next few months.

Here are the festival write-ups for the films:

The Cuckoo in the Clock:

"Two desparate lovers, Eve and Lara, are on the run from the Mob and flee the city. They eventually take refuge in what appears to be an abandoned rural home. They soon discover that they’re not alone when they encounter Nick, the handsome and charming caretaker who offers them sanctuary. The situation quickly descends into a dangerous three-way dance of temptation and jealousy, until a terrifying secret is revealed that threatens to destroy Eve and Lara unless they can find a way to escape the hell that they have created for themselves."

Roundabout

"When Leda, a radio talk show host whose specialty is the para-normal, is haunted by the memory of her best friend’s death, a series of events begin to unfold that tears at the fragile nature of everyday reality. Starring Annie Briggs in a bracing performance as Leda, Roundabout is a feature film that blends science fiction, romance and politics and pits it all against a winterized East Coast land, sea and cityscape resulting in an intensely dramatic and richly visual experience."

Paul Kimball

2001 MUFON Symposium Press Conference - Excerpt

An excerpt from the press conference for the 2001 MUFON Symposium in Irvine, California that I shot while filming the documentary Stanton T. Friedman is Real. Appearing in the clip are John Schuessler, Rev. Barry Downing, Dr. Robert Wood, Daniel Sheehan, Stan Friedman, the late Budd Hopkins, the late Bob Pratt, Ann Druffel, and the late Dr. Roger Leir. Unfortunately, our camera was not able to pick up the three other people on the panel - Ryan Wood, Joe McMoneagle, and the late Dr. John Mack.

Paul Kimball

Dr. Benson Saler on Stanton Friedman and the Roswell Myth

In this excerpt from an interview I conducted in 2001 with Dr. Benson Saler of Brandeis University (co-author of "UFO Crash at Roswell: The Genesis of a Modern Myth"), he discusses the role of Stanton Friedman in the creation of the Roswell myth, and contrasts Friedman's work with that of other Roswell researchers Kevin Randle and the late Karl Pflock. 

Paul Kimball

Steven Greer on the origins of the Disclosure Movement (2001)

Here is an excerpt from Steven Greer's lecture at the 2001 MUFON Symposium, wherein he talks about how the "Disclosure movement" got started. Recorded while filming my documentary Stanton T. Friedman is Real.

Paul Kimball

Rev. Barry Downing - Religion, Science and UFOs

Rev. Barry Downing, author of The Bible and Flying Saucers, discusses the difference between scientific and religious perspectives towards the UFO phenomenon in this excerpt from his lecture at the 2001 MUFON Symposium in Irvine, California, that I filmed while shooting the documentary Stanton T. Friedman is Real. 

 Paul Kimball

Stanton T. Friedman - Canadian Government and UFOs

 

In this never-before-seen outtake from an interview with Stan Friedman for my 2004 film Do You Believe in Majic, he discusses Wilbert Smith and the Canadian government's policy over the years towards UFOs, including its relationship with the US on the issue. 

Paul Kimball

Rev. Barry Downing - UFOs: Angelic or Demonic?

A brief excerpt from the Q & A session of Rev. Barry Downing's 2001 lecture at the MUFON Symposium in Irvine, California (I was there shooting Stanton T. Friedman is Real), wherein he talks about the nature of the UFO phenomenon, and whether it is good or evil... angelic or demonic... or something else entirely.

Paul Kimball

Kevin Randle on the UFO Cover-up

As part of a more comprehensive film project, I'll be spending the next couple of weeks going through all the tapes of UFO-related interviews I've shot over the years (well over 50 hours worth). The end result will be a series of more complete releases elsewhere, but I'll post a few clips here along the way. Here's one from 2001, featuring Kevin Randle talking about the UFO Cover-up.

Paul Kimball

Somebody really is watching you... but it's not the Government!

Question du jour: How would you feel if you found out that a UFO "researcher" was conducting background checks, including criminal checks, on people who were just commenting on a UFO blog?

Maybe I'm out of touch, or just too old school, but I know how I view it: unethical and antithetical to a free and open debate in the new media era.

Paul Kimball