Encounters at Indian Head
 Regardless of our own, personal beliefs concerning the so-called alien abduction puzzle (literal ETs, sleep paralysis, hallucination, mass hysteria, inter-dimensional entities, or something else entirely), few can doubt that there have been several defining moments within this particular aspect of Ufology - such as the publication of Budd Hopkins’ Missing Time and Whitley Strieber’s Communion. Like ‘em or not, both books brought the subject to the attention of the public and the media on a scale that had seldom been seen before.
But, in my view, all books on the subject (and, indeed, all cases) pale into insignificance when placed up against the defining alien abduction case: namely, the September 1961 experience of Betty and Barney Hill.
It was late at night while driving near Indian Head, New Hampshire that the Hill’s had an encounter of the distinctly strange kind, which left them confused, stressed, concerned and puzzled - until, later, under hypnosis a shocking tale of alien abduction surfaced, complete with the standard motifs of missing time and a physical examination at the hands of strange creatures purportedly from another world.
The Hill case has been discussed in countless books (most famously in John Fuller’s 1966 title The Interrupted Journey) and magazine articles; it has been the subject of a 1975 TV film; and continues to provoke seemingly endless debate and discussion.
And it is with respect to this specific, latter point that I now turn my attention.
Nearly 40 years after the Hill’s encounter occurred, a symposium of seasoned, independent UFO researchers was held at Indian Head, with the intent of re-evaluating this classic case and discussing what did or did not happen to Betty and Barney on that long-gone, fateful night.
Among the participants were Hilary Evans and Peter Brookesmith from the UK, as well as Thomas “Ed” Bullard, the late Karl Pflock, Dennis Stacy, Robert Scheaffer, and Marcello Truzzi (now deceased).
And now, finally, the thoughts, findings and conclusions of those that took part in the aforementioned symposium are available to one and all via Anomalist Books’ newly published Encounters at Indian Head.
Indian Head is, quite possibly, the most significant published piece of work on the Hill affair to date - and I do not make such statements or assertions lightly. You may ask: why, and on what grounds? Well, that’s what I’m here for: to tell you!
So many UFO books (and, yes, I have been guilty of this too) focus on one particular theory at the exclusion of others that may potentially have a bearing on the issue in question.
However, Indian Head is very different. To the credit of Anomalist Books, they have compiled under one cover, papers from the various symposium participants - and they are papers that vary (sometimes to extreme degrees) with respect to the validity (or not) of the Hill case when it comes to alien abduction accounts.
This is the sort of book that I have wanted to see published for a long time: namely one that sees a group of Ufologists, researchers and writers get together, debate and discuss a controversial case, argue and defend their respective positions, and then try and reach some form of conclusion.
For the pro-alien abduction enthusiast, there are things in here that you are going to find acceptable and things that you will doubtless find yourself disagreeing with. Precisely the same thing can be said for those skeptical of such stories.
But if you are truly open-minded and un-biased, and simply have a yearning desire to understand the complexities of this case (and Indian Head reveals just how complex the story - as well as the lives of the Hill’s - really was) and the bigger alien abduction angle, then this book is one that will inform you, intrigue you, enlighten you, and leave you musing for a long time upon the various theories and ideas presented.
So, what do you get within the book’s 311 packed pages? Well, after a highly entertaining Introduction from Karl Pflock and Peter Brookesmith that reveals the background to the symposium and how it came together, Indian Head kicks off with a chapter (A Night and a Morning to Remember) from Dennis Stacy that provides an excellent, historical overview of the Hill case, the events that led up to the encounter, the conscious (and hypnotically recalled) memories of that night, the aftermath, the John Fuller years, and much more.
In Judging the Hill Case, Marcello Truzzi makes an important point that is as valid with respect to the Hill’s experience as it is to any UFO encounter: “A major problem with reaching a conclusion about the Hill case is lack of agreement as to what burden for proof should be demanded.” Importantly, Truzzi notes that “…Although critics of alien abductions, UFOs, and other reports of anomalies dismissively suggest that many if not most such reports may be due to hallucinations and distorted memories, we must not forget that these ‘explanations’ are themselves invoking largely mysterious areas…Even if the Hill’s were hallucinating and/or producing false memories, we need to know more about such processes.”
And none should disagree with Truzzi’s closing words: “Whether the future confirms or denies the Hill’s claims, research into such cases seems likely to contribute to our overall knowledge. And that alone should make further examination worth our while.”
Thomas Bullard makes significant points in his contribution, such as the fact that - for the most part, at least - ufologists had never before been faced with a case that paralleled that of the Hill’s; and had largely dismissed the fanciful tales of the Contactees and most other claims of alien-human contact. Indeed as he relates: “…ufologists did not know quite what to make of this remarkable case. Left in isolation, its implications largely ignored, the Hill report scarcely figured into ufological thinking for years to come.”
Bullard then goes on to detail how the abduction phenomenon began to develop and change in the wake of the events of September 1961 (”highway hijacks” gaveway to bedroom encounters; single encounters became multiple ones; and the tales of human-alien “hybrids” started to surface).
Bullard also digs deep into the nature of dreams and the bearing that this may have on the whole saga; he notes, however, that: “…the reports best make sense if some consistent experiential phenomenon underpins them, and make far worse sense if the story is only a story.”
Hilary Evans’ Beyond the UFO Horizon is an excellent and cautionary paper that should be read carefully by anyone and everyone who places encounters with purported other-worldly beings in a literal context. He details a number of significant accounts in which members of the public asserted close contact with a plethora of beings, including aliens, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary - but where, in all likelihood, their experiences were purely internal, rather than having originated in any external reality.
While Evans admits he “cannot say for sure” where the truth is to be found, he does state that: “…there exists in every one of us a faculty for mythmaking - that is, combining material derived from the individual’s cultural framework…to create an authorized yet made-to-measure myth” that we accept as being real with “total conviction.”
On this matter, Evans delves into intriguing areas, such as the effects that certain drugs, prolonged fasting and unhealthy eating habits, as well as Vitamin B deficiency, can have on those that have reported altered states of consciousness, as well as encounters with seemingly other-worldy beings. A thought-provoking contribution that leaves much food for thought.
Peter Brookesmith does not embrace the theory that ET kidnapped Betty and Barney Hill all those years ago; yet those that disagree with Brookesmith can still learn much from his chapter contained in Indian Head. While Brookesmith places things squarely into the “myth” category, it is important to stress that he does so in a fashion that defines what a myth really is, and its place in our culture, society and everyday lives. So, if you are outraged by the idea that anyone could dare claim that the Hill’s were not abducted by aliens, do not be put off by such “myth” based assertions. Myths, as Brookesmith shows, deserve far more credit than we give them in our world - as well as in the complex drama that is Ufology.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Robert Sheaffer does not at all accept that the Hill’s came face-to-face with alien beings, and dissects the affair layer by layer as he presents his argument that matters can be explained in psychological terms. The encounter itself; the claims of “missing time;” the controversy surrounding the use of hypnosis in the Hill saga; the questions relative to independent corroboration for Betty and Barney’s story; and the famous “Star Map” controversy are all discussed - and dismissed (in terms of supporting the alien abduction theory) for a variety of reasons.
And then we have Karl Pflock: Karl (who died in 2006) was viewed in some quarters as a UFO skeptic (because he did not believe that aliens had crashed at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947), and as a sinister character (because he had previously worked for the CIA).
Now, I don’t personally doubt for a moment that the full story of the CIA’s role in Ufology has yet to be told. However, I saw Karl as a man who happened to work for the CIA, and who also happened to be interested in UFOs. And that’s all. Working for “the Government” does not mean that a person cannot have an innocent interest in Ufology!
And while it is quite true that Karl had no time for Roswell as an alien event, he was a firm believer that some UFOs were evidence that beings from other worlds were visiting us. Indeed, in his chapter - A Singular Visitation - Karl hammers this point home: “I am subjectively quite certain that the Hill incident happened essentially as Barney and Betty have told us, and that their captors were visitors from an extra-solar planet.” Nevertheless, Karl did condede that certain aspects of the story could be explained in prosaic terms.
Then we have the final chapter, which is truly fascinating to read. Titled Reflections on the Hill Case, its importance - both in terms of the story and from a historical perspective - cannot be denied, since it is written by none other than Walter N. Webb, the original investigator of the Hill case, and who was able to speak with Betty and Barney only a month after their experience occurred. Webb’s contribution is possibly the most important, given his key and integral role in the story; as well as the fact that he was there at the beginning. I would urge one and all to read Webb’s theories and conclusions - some may intrigue you, some may enlighten you, and some will surprise you. But the man was there, and that counts for a lot.
It’s also worth noting that the book contains some illuminating material on the Hill’s themselves, their personal lives, and both their before-and-after UFO years. In some ways, much of this material - and the bearing that it may or may not have had on their encounter - is as fascinating as the reported encounter itself.
And there you have it.
A good, solid, wide-ranging study of one of the most famous, talked-about and important UFO cases of all time. And while the book contains a variety of theories from an equal variety of observers, all seem unanimous in the idea that - whatever the truth of the Hill affair - its effect and influence upon Ufology and alien abduction research and reports has been enormous. But whether the case tells us more about literal aliens in our midst or the inner workings of the human mind, imagination, suggestion, and mythology still remains to be seen - for some, at least.
A final word: all of us in Ufology should be supporting Anomalist Books. The brainchild of Patrick Huyghe and Dennis Stacy, they do not have a big company behind them with millions of dollars, and Dennis and Patrick have worked hard to get their publishing house going. And: they actually put out titles that are worth reading! Whereas certain publishers and authors are content to just recycle the same old things we’ve all heard on countless previous occasions, Anomalist Books provide new, stimulating and thought-provoking titles on all aspects of the paranormal and the mysterious. Check them out.
Encounters at Indian Head: The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Abduction Revisited, edited by Karl Pflock & Peter Brookesmith is published by Anomalist Books and costs $17.95 in the US and 12 Pounds in the UK.
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Jun 01 2007 
June 1st, 2007 at 7:20 pm
A sure-fire purchase for me.
Paul
July 13th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
I am half way through John Fuller’s “Interrupted Journey”…I can’t believe it, I had always thought that case was a complete joke, but I’m actually prepared to believe it is true. I plan to buy “Encounters..”
-Dave