Jan 28 2008
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Alien Photos
How many of you remember the weird picture of the secret agent-types in trench coats leading the little alien dude around?
I’ve seen this in books and old magazines for years. It’s been proven as a hoax, since the original photo (without the small figure) was located and exposed. It never looked authentic anyway, and the only people who believed it were those who wanted to. It constituted a meme that spread for years, until it was replaced by new ones like the alien in the foil suit
who appeared to Falkville, Alabama police chief Jeff Greenhaw on the night of October 17, 1973. Greenhaw snapped a few pictures of the figure before it took off across a plowed field with Greenhaw in pursuit. It outran his pickup truck and the chase was abandoned. “He was running faster than any human I ever saw,” he said. This photo has a better provenance than the secret agent alien, but we are still left with only the witness’ account of what he saw. Unfortunately, the figure looks like a man in a fire-retardant suit. Perhaps this contradiction is evidence for its authenticity, but that sort of logic will not get one very far in the straight world.
Of course, now anyone can produce a photo or video of an alien or UFO. Older pictures may be the only objective evidence we have of the phenomenon. It’s too bad that we don’t have many pictures of occupants. In 1996, Whitley Strieber touted a picture of a supposed “grey” that he said might be authentic becuase of “anatomical structures around the black eye covers that I have observed but intentionally never reported anywhere.” Strieber stated that the photo was most likely a hoax, but was convinced that the originator had experienced actual contact with alien beings, or had to talked to someone who did.
What are we to do with these pictures? Are they actual “alien” beings, hoaxes, or more like cultural signposts? Are we affecting the phenomenon by our imaginings, or is it subtly steering us to an appearance that it wants us to believe? Perhaps these images represent a subconscious marriage between our expecations and a mindless force that doesn’t care what we think about it.
Another source of some of these images may be from the fertile minds of disinfo artists who produce them for reasons unknown, but having to do with inscrutable intelligence operations, like this one that appeared on the cover of former intel agent Robert Collins’ book Exempt From Disclosure. The original was apprently handed to UFO researcher Robert Dean many years ago by a man representing himself as a Mexican policeman.
Perhaps the safest assumption is that “alien” photos represent what we want to believe, created by humans for many reasons, including profit, fame, noteriety, or even inspiration, like religious icons of historical figures that the artist will never meet. The least likely scenario to me is that some of these images are of actual “aliens.”
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January 28th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I’ve seen that second photo for years and this is actually the first I’ve heard of the origin of the photo. This stuff seeps onto the net without any clear attributions, dates, or background info. Some of these photos were from people’s books before the net was what it is now. They get uploaded and the majority of people seeing it on the net have no idea about the provenance. I would be interested in knowing the date that photo first made it’s way into the ufo community. When did Dean put this out there and when did he receive it?
There really should be some framework for posting anomalous data like this if researchers want it entered into the ufological public record so to speak…some sort of metatag you have to attach to your photo, video, story that is dated and tells how you came by this piece of data. When you re-post, re-tell, re-reference something you should have to keep the original metatag attached to the data. I hate it when people post technical articles to the net with no date anywhere. I read the stuff and have no idea how old it is.
January 28th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Just wondering if Strieber ever actually stated exactly what the anatomical features were? If not, I’d assume it was the huge eyeball and visible lidage, as that is apparent in the photo, whereas most renderings treat the eye as rather flat and devoid of structure. Interestingly, that alien-of-the-twisted-neck (would be a great pub name) in the 4th photo does seem to sport the same feature.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Tsk Tsk… Greg! You write an article about alien photos, and omit the famous Billy Meier’s “space girl” photo? Unforgivable
I agree with you not_anonymous; that’s why I’m advocating for UFO-pedia of some sort where data can be correlated by a social network of serious UFO enthusiasts, and there’s some sort of peer-review.
PS: The only thing about the third photo I find intriguing, is that it still makes me uneasy, just like the first time I saw it on a magazine!
January 29th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Don’t forget this one Greg!
http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/2007/11/weird-creature-no-genial-prank.html
January 29th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I’ve never seen the first photo but I have seen the others.
I think I would have to agree with what you said Greg: “Perhaps the safest assumption is that “alien” photos represent what we want to believe, created by humans for many reasons…”
January 29th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Always wondered about this one…nice large 2.3MB .bmp Poloroid image to ponder. In my mind, if an alien entity ever did allow itself to be photographed, this is what it would look like.
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/planetarycom/Mantis.html
January 30th, 2008 at 12:47 am
not anon,
As RPJ wrote, and I agree, there should be better documentation of these things. I just googled “tin foil alien” for the image and some links.
January 30th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Richelle,
I don’t think Strieber actually ever publicly described the eye details. Maybe the second photo (Dean picture) was referenced to the first (Strieber.)
January 30th, 2008 at 12:52 am
RPJ,
I’ve always had a soft spot for Meier. That spot is mainly reserved for laughs. The alien woman was “Semjase,” right?
I always wondered why his films of those “beamships” floating over Swiss highways didn’t cause traffic accidents.
January 30th, 2008 at 12:53 am
Nick,
That one’s hilarious! It reminds me of the pictures Erik Beckjord used to show me.
January 30th, 2008 at 12:58 am
Rob and Jonah,
I remember seeing foggy, out of focus pictures of something that appeared during a supposed abduction that Ann Druffel had obtained. Somehow, those seem more authentic to me than the examples above. I also thought that those images were what the phenomenon looked like when it wasn’t going through our brains, which are furiously trying to make sense of what our eyes may be seeing.
January 30th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Of the various images of grey aliens that are available, the one that has always remained relevant is the one that was supposedly taken in 1941 at Cape Girardeau, Mo.
There are several images that have surfaced of a purported crash and retrieval. The story and the pics appear to come from a surviving family member of a key eyewitness to the event; a preacher. (link below)
Of the two night shots that show a small alien type being held up like a trophy deer, one is back-lit so the image of the subject is darkened but a second is properly lighted and the subject matter pretty clear.
Using the two pictures applied with various means of enlargement, discerning filters and overlays, I am mostly satisfied that the pair were not altered after the fact. Moreover, what small detail there is available is concurrent with the 1941 timeline.
The downside is that the images are really quite small and all attempts to find larger ones have been met with complete silence. This has been a real disappointment after so much work.
It’s just one person’s opinion but, for what it’s worth, these are the benchmark for believable when it comes to photos of the grey EBEs.
Cape Girardeau event webpage w/photos –
http://www.ufocasebook.com/missouricrash.html
…
January 30th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I think, according to the story, sometimes the beamships were not actually visible at the time of shooting. Meier would get a ‘call’ to go film, and the ships would be visible on the film on playback.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Greg, I think the girl was not Semjase herself, but another one of her companions, showing the very intergalactic go-go girl hairdo.
I also remember one photo of one of his friends holding this über-cool kitschy modernistic ray gun, like something come out of a B-Movie warehouse (the arm in the photo is also covered is some sort of tinfoil too)
The traffic stopped by the beamships is sure a valid point. Although I sometimes think most people don’t really bother with looking up to the sky nowadays (specially if you’re paying attention to the road). Many people are sometimes oblivious to events that unfold right before our noses.
Does that mean I believe Meier? No; but maybe, MAYBE, Meier suffered something simmilar to George Adamsky. Maybe both of these men had true encounters with the unknown, and when struggling to make sense of their experiences while at the same time trying to convince people they were telling the truth, they ended up forgering their famous photographic evidence.
Although I still like to think some (maybe a 2 or 3) of those Meier photos are real. If nothing else, the man has to be given credit for giving us some of the most aestetically pleasing UFO pics of all time (hoax or not).
January 30th, 2008 at 11:58 am
According to this site: http://www.ufobc.ca/yukon/alienphoto.htm
Dean says he received the photo in 1994 and it was first published in Stargate Newsletter, Number 9 February-March 1997 Published by Stargate International (no longer in existence).
Another photo that I’ve seen off and on is this one:
http://www.stopabductions.com/Captured%20Alien%20on%20table.jpg
What is the provenance of this one? Who first published it?
January 30th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
What is the provenance of this photo? Who first published it?
http://www.stopabductions.com/Captured%20Alien%20on%20table.jpg
January 30th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Sorry to do this in a comment but I don’t see an email link here for anyone…
I got a direct contact via my website today, apparently concerning this website. Would prefer to convey contents privately.
Please email me at redoubt@sincityq.com
Thanks.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
My condolences, Greg,Nick, Coast to Coast AM has now linked this entry to their Hot Stories link. Next thing you know you’ll be debating Shermer on Larry King Live.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:31 am
What’s wrong with that crgintx? I would bet money in Vegas that Nick & Greg would easily kick Shermer’s backside with one arm tied!
January 31st, 2008 at 6:37 pm
RPJ, if they are off debating Shermer they can’t be debating us here on UFOmystic! >:)
January 31st, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Debating two places at once? Easy!
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
“What is the provenance of this photo? Who first published it?
http://www.stopabductions.com/Captured%20Alien%20on%20table.jpg”
More info on that photo can be found here: http://www.stopabductions.com/gblHelp.htm
This is one of the few alien photos that I find really intriguing. Note the corrugated steel walls in the back seem to be covered in frost indicating cold storage.
February 3rd, 2008 at 2:49 am
Redoubt,
I don’t know about that Cape G. picture. I assume that anything that got through an official photo and press blackout was either very lucky, or was meant to be released. The picture on the site you referenced is almost too good to be true. One witness describes the beings clothed in something that looked like aluminum foil, but the picture does not bear this out. Also, the two men holding the creature have no protective clothing on, not even gloves, it seems, although the picture does not have enough detail to show this clearly.
Then again, this could be a real picture from the event, which has not garnered enough publicity to justify a denial. Frustrating, isn’t it?
February 3rd, 2008 at 2:54 am
Richelle,
Re: Meier - The stuff only appeared on film later. Hmm. Seems pretty convenient to me.
February 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 am
RPJ,
Your comment about Meier is basically what I think of many contactees. THey may have had some sort of experience that scrambled their awareness and made them make up things later, thinking it was OK, since they were still transmitting the “message.”
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 am
not_A,
The site you link to for the “head and shoulders” portrait is much clearer. It does look creepy, and the “twisted neck” aspect is much more visible. If it’s a fake, it’s pretty decent.
The other looks like one of the dummies from Paul Davids’ Roswell movie. It’s too far away to make any determination for me.
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:02 am
North,
I don’t know the provenance of that one, but My first impression is in the comment above. That could be frost, or it might be corrosion. Hard to tell.
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Here is a slightly better copy that isn’t cropped:
http://www.ufocasebook.com/show/alienarea51.jpg
According to Ryan Wood in MAJIC Eyes Only, “This image was reported emailed to radio host Art Bell by someone named Albert Lewis who said it was found with his father’s effects after his death. There is a badge shown at the right front of the cart that reportedly showing the word ‘Majestic’.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly stopabductions.com relates the origin of the photo differently as, “The photo was found by the wife of a special operations officer in the Air Force after he died. She did not know he had it until she had permission to review his papers. The photo was obtained from another investigator.”
“There is an area 51 tag on the alien which may be hardly visible on the screen but can be seen better in the original photo.”
Interesting how the details of the two stories have already started to diverge and that nobody seems to actually have the original file. I can’t even find a copy of it on coasttocoastam.com
There are a lot of amateur collections of supposed alien photos on the net with commentary but I’ve never seen this one discussed at any length. As I’ve never seen a live alien I have nothing to compare it with but it just looks like a prop. The glass case is a nice, elaborate touch so I’m surprised that this hasn’t been clearly identified as coming from some movie.
It’s difficult to neatly summarize why but Dean’s photo is the only closeup image of a purported alien that I have ever seen that gives me the impression that I might be looking at something real and organic. If it is fake it is the work of a master artist and craftsman imo.
Redoubt,
Are you saying the photos on the Cape Girardeau page you linked are supposed to be the original photos? The text seems to indicate the photos were lost in 1984 and to my eye those photos look like they are video screen captures of a television reenactment. Are there actually good copies of the photos available elsewhere?
These days there really is no excuse for not having high quality scans of these things on the net. Any researcher that wants to float photos into the ufo community today needs to be releasing high resolution scans of the prints, negatives or the unaltered copies of the original digital files with something like a MD5 checksum. There are dozens of places that will host them for free.
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Not to spam your blog by answering my own questions but the Cape Girardeau photos linked above are screencaps from a reenactment done for the documentary The Secret. You can view the clip here:
http://www.theufosecret.com/video/huffman-mann_hi.rm
To my knowledge there are no actual copies of the original photo in circulation.
February 29th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Although self policing of Ufology through exposing hoaxes is a laudable and necessary undertaking, it should never be forgotten how much harm serious research has suffered at the hands of those who would attempt to deceive.
Time, resources, and credibility are 3 valuable commodities stripped from Ufology each time a hoax is exposed.
While some may advance the opinion that exposing hoaxes serves to bolster UFO research and the UFO community at large, it can also be said that everytime a hoax is exposed it only serves to diminish the opinions of those who might otherwise hold the UFO enigma in higher regard.
We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.