Keeping Your Mouth Shut Is Not Very Popular -But It Helps!

1970s RAF Manston, Kent.

It is a question of trust.  What am I talking about? Well, at a time that ex-senior police officers breach the professional code of standards they should have and sell stories to the newspapers about politicians and other people -keeping your mouth shut.

Witness confidentiality is the most important thing and it has to be maintained.  The same applies to work carried out and people you meet and work with and the things they tell you. In 1977 I signed the Official Secrets Act -it was standard in many jobs where confidential or other information might be seen.  I signed because of my City of Bristol Police connection.  Later on I had to sign an up-dated version.  Did it affect the way I operated?  No.

You see, there was something even more important than the OSA that affected the way I worked: my word. A piece of paper meant nothing but my word did and I still maintain that stance.  Just before setting up the Anomalous Observational Phenomena Bureau (AOP B) I had to meet up with a number of people at a Belgrave Square, London, address. There were a number of senior Armed Forces officers, a couple of Lords and what-not.  

It was all somewhat informal.  I really did feel like the proverbial fish out of water and when I was asked a couple of specific questions I pointed out that I could not answer them as to do so would mean my having to mention two names and I had given my word not to reveal those names. One gentleman lent forward and asked: "Do you give your word to maintain that position throughout your work?"  I said "yes" little realising that a decision must have been made at some point and I had missed it.

And I stuck by my word.  There were times when I could have benefited financially from selling a few tit-bits to journalists that were not going to cause any individual problems (especially after some of them had died) but it would mean breaking my word.  

The same applies to my work as a UK police forces wildlife advisor.  It was a couple of senior officers at two particular forces who breached confidentiality that led to journalists from both The Sun and the Daily Mirror (as it then was) offering quite large sums in return for what was rather low priority information but also maps showing where specific animals had been sighted in the UK.  I refused despite really needing the money and the fact that the money would solve quite a few problems.  This happened several times over the years but I was bound by my word in this work, too, so I had no choice but to say "no".

1983

With the AOP B work it did lead to some annoyance within the family.  My gran, fed up of the number of people in military uniform, police officers and "other sorts" (!) dropping by as well as the mysterious telegrams and phone calls at all hours once let loose with the words: "It's like the secret service with you -you don't tell us anything!"   And that was true.  Giving my word also meant not blabbing to my family.  To be fair on her it had been a busy week with the Bomb Squad on Monday over a suspicious package, two calls by police officers on the Tuesday -one at 01:00 hrs ("God knows what the neighbours think!"); Wednesday had seen three telegrams and two long phone calls "in private" and Thursday and Friday were not much better -and there were the reporters phoning every few minutes.

Just by mentioning three names and their UFO connection I reckon that I could sell a story for quite a good amount.  However, I never will. I had a discussion yesterday with someone who tried every trick they could including suggesting I was not telling the truth, just to get some names and information. I even offered him this at the bottom of my later response email:

"If it helps -everything I have ever said or claimed about my UFO work is fake. A lie."

He got rather angry at that. I pointed out that I did not care as I was not him and I was never going to break my word.  He then tried the friendly approach again: "I guess we'll have to wait until your archived papers are available then" at which point I told him that the day I die I have arranged for all my papers to be incinerated -no joke: all in archive boxes that fit the burner to the back of the house. Also, I never keep written records of those types of conversations and certainly no "Who's Who" list of persons.

This type of thing does not fit in with the current crop of Ufologists, cryptozoologists or their kith and kin because every line, every name is a potential for making money or getting their names in print or on TV.  Nothing I do not want people to know will be known.

I get asked why I got cooperation from military, the various sections of the Ministry of Defence, police and so on.  Now you know why.  I am reminded of Sir Christopher Lee, known as an actor, he had led a rather "secret" life during World War 2 and would never speak about that work.  In one interview he was asked about this work.  He lent forward and asked the interviewer (who was getting excited, expecting a revelation): "Can you keep a secret?" The excited interviewer responded:"Yes!" Lee sat back in his chair: "Good. So can I".   That's class.

1998

At a UFO convention in Trowbridge in the late 1970s several people watched as a rather stylish black car with CD plates (Corps Diplomatique/Diplomatic Corps) pulled up to where I was standing to rest from all the talking. A short, sharply dressed man approached and addressed me by name. I asked "How can I help?"  He produced an embassy pass and said he had some questions he wondered whether I could answer about UFOs?  He pulled two foolscap sheets with hand-written questions and as I gave an answer he would write my reply down.  After five minutes he thanked me, got back into the car and was driven off.  "Who was that?" I was asked so I explained that he wanted to know something about UFOs and it was pointed out that his car had "CD" plates.  I just shrugged.  Well, he was Russian and that's it. Never asked him "Why?" Left it at that.

I have been asked questions by "Curious Americans" visiting the UK.  Even two from France a few years back -all pre-arranged meetings under various guises.  I found out who they were but that was it.  "We'd like to keep this confidential" meant just that. Zipped lips.

Old fashioned  and ensuring that there will be no gold mine book to sell but I never expected to get rich in the first place.   If there is one thing I do not do it is blab and what Ufologists or others get out of me while I am alive is all they will ever get -a lot of documents have already been burnt so there are fewer to get rid of later.

I am now waffling.  I am either bored or it is getting close to Christmas again....oh.

If I do not post again before then and, unlike me, you DO celebrate Christmas --

Have a Happy Christmas and a Great 2018!

Up-date on the new books and ordering problems

Hi Terry,

I hope you are well today. My name is Lindsay and I'll be happy to assist you.

I am very sorry for the trouble you encountered with your 'Some More Things Strange & Sinister' project. I apologize that you did have to complete another revision and the problem wasn't completely resolved previously, but I see now that it appears to be ready to order. If you are still experiencing any trouble with this project, please let me know.

Regarding your 'Strange & Mysterious Beasts' and 'Mysterious & Strange Beasts' projects, the "Only ships from North America" statement is incorrect.  When a buyer continues to the shipping information, if he/she is in the UK, it will be shipped from the UK and the shipping rates will reflect the lower local rates, not US shipping rates.  

Unfortunately, due to recent changes, the "only ships..." statement is inaccurate, and is a bug in our system that we are currently working to resolve.  I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this causes and understand the frustration caused to you and potential buyers. I don't have an estimate on when the issue will be fixed on our end, but you're welcome to reply to receive an update on the status.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Again, I am sorry the issue cannot be fully resolved at this time, however, if you have the opportunity, you can inform your buyers that the books will be shipped locally and the associated shipping costs will be reflected when placing an order.

If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know and I'll be happy to help.

Kind regards,

Lindsay P.

Mysterious object confirmed to be from another solar system -UFO 'Expert' Says We May Have Woken Aliens!!

Here we have it folks. Straight from the man who ran the Ministry of Defence UFO Investigation unit, the Ministry of Defence "UFO analyst" the now, it seems, top exobiologist.  Or it could all be utter bull-shit to get his name in the news.

You see, Mr. Pope claimed that his 'rank' was the equivalent of a senior Army or RAF officer all those years back when he had very little real knowledge of the UFO phenomenon (I keep all my emails and letters if he ever needs to check with me).  In fact, he was just one of many, many desk clerk civil servants whose job involved taking complaints from the public about many things and UFO reports was in that lump of subjects.  He filled in the form and passed it along.  He did not run an investigation unit nor did he wear down the soles of his polished shoes by going out and investigating. He followed an unofficial policy to downplay UFO reports -he admits this over and over. It was part of his job as a civil servant.

His rank?  He gave it several times and I know two people who were civil servants at the same time and asked about this.  They laughed. "It's not a rank of any kind it's a civil service grade!"  They kept laughing as their grades, they worked out, would make one a Brigadier General and the other a Field Marshal.

Pen pushing civil servant.

But the Americans love the accent and spin and, boy, can Mr. Pope present a good story.  And once you have your foot in the door of US TV you want to keep it wedged there.

Nothing personal against Mr.Pope but making claims that he was the head of some elite unit and that he analysed all UFO reports is pure trash.  When I first contacted him he had never seen any of the reports that I had passed along to those at the MoD involved in UFO investigation.  Hey, he wants to make a living out of trash TV shows dealing with UFOs then good luck to him but he should expect to be called out on claims made.

"Nick Pope, former head of the Ministry of Defence's UFO project" 
That deserves calling out.

Here is the Daily Mail report:

Daily Mail online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5198325/Was-Oumuamua-alien-spacecraft.html

Attempts to scan the mysterious Oumuamua 'comet' that hurtled past Earth may have 'awoken alien intelligence inside', UFO expert warns 

Oumuamua appear in our solar system earlier this month sparking alien claims

• Initial scans suggest that the object is just a rock, and wasn't sent by aliens

• But Nick Pope claims that this scanning may have awoken aliens inside

• He says that aliens may now be watching our every move - and that if they attack, 'humanity probably wouldn't survive' 
• 
  

By Shivali Best For Mailonline

PUBLISHED: 14:39, 20 December 2017

Earlier this month, a skyscraper-sized space rock arrived in our solar system, sparking claims it was a spacecraft sent by extraterrestrials.

And while initial scans suggest it is unlikely to have been sent by aliens, we shouldn't rule this out as an option, according to a leading UFO expert.

Nick Pope, former head of the Ministry of Defence's UFO project, claims that the scans may have 'awoken the intelligence inside,' and aliens may now be watching our every move.

The rock, called 'Oumuamua, soared through our solar system last month.

Scientists led by Professor Stephen Hawking, in a project called Breakthrough Listen, even used high-tech scanners to discover if the object was sent by an alien civilisation - although they also couldn't find any evidence of this.

Speaking to Sun Online, Mr Pope claims that this doesn't rule out the option that Oumuamua was sent by aliens.

He said: 'While nothing has been found yet, there's another intriguing possibility: If this ship is an alien probe, it's possible that our scans will awake the intelligence inside.'

While initial readings taken by Breakthrough Listen indicate that Oumuamua isn't an alien spacecraft, Mr Pope suggests the scientists may have been looking for the wrong thing.

He said: 'Because there's no air in space, an alien spaceship wouldn't need to be designed in the same way that our aircraft have to be.

'Rather than building an interstellar spacecraft from scratch, it makes perfect sense to take an asteroid and then build your ship around it, or hollow it out and build inside it, for the protection you'd derive from being surrounded by so much rock.'

And Mr Pope claims that Oumuamua isn't the only object we should worry about.

He added: 'Simply put, any alien ship searching for life may go into a dormant mode until it gets close to an inhabited planet.

'But what's fascinating about this theory is just how many astronomers and other scientists are taking the idea seriously.

'It's a sign of how accepting we are these days about the likelihood of finding alien life.'

While aliens are often seen as a topic only discussed by conspiracy theorists, governements are starting to take the idea more seriously.

Last week it was even revealed that the Pentagon had been conducting research into UFOs.

Mr Pope said: 'It's an extraordinary revelation, not least because it directly contradicts the many specific denials that the US government has issued previously when asked about this subject and their involvement in it.

'The take-home message here is that there's probably something out there, but we don't know what it is.'

If aliens do find us, it's not good news for civilisation as we know it, according to Mr Pope.

He added: 'Humanity probably wouldn't survive an alien invasion.

'Any aliens that find us (as opposed to us finding them) probably have technology way in advance of anything we have.' 

"It's an extraordinary revelation"  That there was a 'secret' Pentagon UFO investigation since 2007? Just what are these so called Ufologists doing other than getting well groomed for their many TV appearances that this investigation was such a shock to them.  Over the last seven years or so I have mentioned that UFO reports are still checked out by the US military.  I even spoke with a couple of those involved so if I knew and was talking to these people WHY was the UKs top UFO analyst not involved?  I am speechless.

Sadly, everything else Mr. Pope said was a re-hash of old science fiction stories and UFO conspiracy factions as well as things claimed by Prof. Hawking (about a less developed civilisation being discovered by a superior one).  Same old same old.

above: an artist's IMPRESSION of the object

The Guardian space news page offers more sensible information. https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2017/nov/20/interstellar-object-confirmed-to-be-from-another-solar-system

Mysterious object confirmed to be from another solar system

Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of carbon-rich gunk'

The mysterious interstellar object ‘Oumuamua that is shooting through our solar system is wrapped in a thick coating of carbon-rich gunk that built up on its cosmic travels, astronomers have found.

New observations of the cigar-shaped body found evidence for a deep surface layer that formed when organic ices – such as frozen carbon dioxide, methane and methanol – that make up the object were battered by the intense radiation that exists between the stars.

The 400-metre-long object is the first confirmed interstellar body to visit our solar system. It was spotted in October by researchers on the Pan-Starrs telescope in Hawaii after it barrelled past the sun on its way through. The name is taken from the Hawaiian word for “messenger” or “scout”.

The deep outer crust may have formed on the body over millions or even billions of years and gives ‘Oumuamua a dark red colour, according to researchers who investigated the object with the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma in the Canary Islands and the European Southern observatory in Chile’s Atacama desert.

“This is a slowly spinning skyscraper-shaped object with a greyish-red surface crust and potentially ice in its heart,” said Michele Bannister, a planetary astronomer who worked on the observations at Queen’s University in Belfast. When carbon-rich ice is baked in interstellar radiation, it creates a layer of “organic gunk,” she added.

The coating may explain why ‘Oumuamua did not billow clouds of gas and dust when it swept past the sun earlier this year, well inside the orbit of Mercury. Most comets shed vast plumes of gas when they are heated as they swing past the sun, including comet 67P which the European Space Agency’s Rosetta missionchaperoned around the sun in 2015.

“It may well be that this object is icy inside,” said Alan Fitzsimmons, an astronomer on the team at Queen’s University. “If the surface layer is a few tens of centimetres thick, then any ice underneath would not have been heated enough by the sun, because it takes time for the heat pulse to travel through.”

The astronomers began watching ‘Oumuamua days after it was first discovered when it was more than 40 million miles away and travelling at 130,000 miles per hour. The telescopes found no signs of rocky minerals or ice on the surface, but did find evidence for the carbon-rich crust.

“This surface layer is what happens if you take comet ices and comet dust grains and bake them with high energy particles for millions or even billions of years,” said Fitzsimmons.

The researchers went on to compare the measurements of ‘Oumuamua with those taken from asteroids and comets circling in our own solar system. They found that ‘Oumuamua resembles the so-called Trojan asteroids near Jupiter, but also objects in the Kuiper belt beyond Neptune, the most distant planet in the solar system. “Our observations are very consistent with this having started life as an icy body in its own system, similar to those found in the Kuiper belt or around Jupiter,” Fitzsimmons said. Details of the work are published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Last week, astronomers on an alien-hunting project known as Breakthrough Listen used the huge Green Bank telescope in West Virginia to monitor ‘Oumuamua for radio signals in case it happened to be a passing spacecraft, and not an interstellar asteroid after all. To date, no signs of intelligence have been found.

ahem...."Nick Pope has issued a shock warning over Nibiru..."  I write no more.

Next week: "Former UK Government UFO Chief: Caterpillars Are Alien Reconnaissance Force!"

100 new species found

BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42410194

Mekong region: Lizard and turtle among 100 new species found

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More than 100 new species have been discovered in the ecologically diverse region of the Mekong river which stretches from the Tibetan plateau to the South China Sea, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Image copyrightPA

Odorrana Mutschmanni, a coloured frog, was found in a forest in north-eastern Vietnam - among 115 new species discovered by scientists in the Mekong region in 2016.

Image copyrightPA

This mole, called Euroscaptor orlovi, is one of two mole types found in Vietnam. According to researchers their underground dwellings have helped protect them.

Image copyrightPA

A mountain horseshoe-shaped bat called Rhinolophus monticolus was found by a scientist in a local market in north-eastern Thailand. New species discovered in 2016 include 11 amphibians, two fish, 11 reptiles, 88 plants and three mammals.

Image copyrightPA

This snail-eating turtle, called Malayemys isan, was also found in a local market - in north-eastern Thailand. Every year scientists announce dozens of new species discovered in the region surrounding the Mekong, which flows through China, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. WWF says the manmade threat to the animals' habitats remains "massive" but the discovery of new species gives "enormous hope".

Image copyrightPA

The Vietnamese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus vietnamensis), a scaly reptile, hails from northern Vietnam's forests. It has taken years to confirm its status as a separate subspecies of a reptile first found in 2003.

Image copyrightPA

This loach fish (Schistura kampucheensis) was among species discovered in Cambodia. WWF says that over the past 20 years more than 2,500 new species have been discovered in the Mekong region - roughly two discoveries per week.

"Greys Are Johnny Come Latelys"

Yes, I did spell it "Grey" with an "e".  I have noticed a few people who were dedicated followers of Hopkins, Jacobs et al now stating that these Greys are only "recent" arrivals which throws out all of their cherished canon that the Greys have been here for centuries and that any non-Grey encounter was a screen image.

Could it be that the Grey hysteria and the ridiculous claims around it -that I have written about on this blog before and covered in detail in High Strangeness/UFO Contact? is sinking in?

Probably not.

"They may not be what we expect" is usually added and I would hate to think that means these people are preparing to unleash a whole new conspiracy alien upon the world. From the mid-1980s to 2017 has been a good ride for these people.  But how are they going to twist around Grey alien technology being retro engineered, or the Greys working with/controlling the world governments or about 30 other "solid, incontrovertible" exposed 'facts'?

What of the Hybrids? The Hubrids? The bred generation after generation superior but mentally incompetent super race that is going to take over the Earth?

Has anyone broken the news to Dr. Jacobs yet?!

Oh, and just in case no one noticed; "Total UFO Disclosure" has not happened in 2017.

Other years to note that "Total UFO Disclosure" was going to happen but didn't:

1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

Wait...I just saw on You Tube and double checked and it seems sources are stating full UFO Disclosure will take place in 2018...or possibly not.

Still believe in all of this?  It is possible (as I outlined in my book) that while everyone pays attention to this rubbish real, genuine encounters could be missed because there were no "Greys" involved.

Let's concentrate on facts and not bad science fiction.

Monsters Among Us Linda S. Godfrey

• 
  

• Linda S. Godfrey

• Paperback: 368 pages

• Publisher: Perigee (29 Sept. 2016)

• Language: English

• ISBN-10: 0399176241

• ISBN-13: 978-0399176241

• Product Dimensions: 13.9 x 2.4 x 20.9 cm

This meticulously researched and thrilling exploration of the otherworldly will challenge your idea of reality. Mysterious wolf-people, sentient mists, and UFOs…if you've ever heard a curious bump in the night, caught a glimpse of a strange-looking someone (or something) out of the corner of your eye, or seen an unusual craft dart across the sky before it vanishes without a trace, there's only one person to call: Linda S. Godfrey. An expert in strange creatures and lore, she has offered reporting on bigfoots, werewolves, strange energy forms, and other bizarre beings for years. 

Godfrey will enthrall even skeptics as she leads you through the mystical, legendary, and scientific angles of these creatures and the myths that surround them. Within these pages, you will encounter: 

- First-hand testimony of a terrifying transformation from woman to beast (during a church service, no less) 

- The Lost Lizard People of Los Angeles 

- A growling, phantomlike home invader

- Wolfmen who walk on two legs 

- People stalked by invisible predators 

Delivering a broad mix of modern-day and historical sightings, and supported by Godfrey's interviews with eyewitnesses, Monsters Among Us is essential reading for anyone hunting for the real accounts behind their childhood campfire stories.

Now if the book cover and that cover blurb has not given you a clue what this book is all about then I give up.

I received this book on Saturday and started to read it Monday (yesterday) and finished it at 01:00 hrs this morning.

As I have gotten older I have cast aside the books that provide just stories but nothing in the way of solid evidence.  Un-named witness in an un-named town has me flick past those pages quickly. That written I need to point out two things:

(1)  the witness should always have their privacy protected and in...over 45 years (45...years!!) no one has ever had that protection threatened: even those who say they "don't mind" I keep their names private.  Therefore, coming across pseudonyms and so on may get tedious to some but it is essential and there is plenty of that anonymity in this book.  It annoys people but...live with it.

(2)  running all over the place looking into "silly monster" reports or waiting about in the dark for "something to happen".  Been there.  Done that. And as detailed in this book; things rarely turn up. I know people often ask why I refer to the times I have done this and nothing happened.  Well, as in this book, it lets the reader know that it is not all high adrenaline-fulled chasing across fields and falling face first into cow pats.  

It is not a glamorous life. There, kids, that's the truth! Makes for some interesting reading, though.

Now, as far as I am concerned Bigfoot (collective "Bigfoot" or "Sasquatch" -I hate the usage of "Bigfoots") is possibly a large, scientifically unrecognised primate.  I do not think that it can cloak itself, mind-speak or do any of the other things that have been claimed.  But are those people who claim to see and then report this all nuts or liars?

As Godfrey points out, these questions polarise the Bigfoot community and resulted in "The woo-woo" term coming into usage.  

Unless it is a misidentified Bigfoot then I find it hard to accept Dog-man.  And there are certainly some strange reports in this book -The VIP Werewolf of Orange is one that comes to mind and another is Pennsylvania Glow-Stick Dogman.  I think everyone knows by now that I sit up when the word "monster" is uttered!

But there is far, far more in this book.  We hear a little about Skinwalker Ranch, about portals and windows into other dimensions, UFOs, strange coloured mists, cattle mutilations, the man lifted by invisible entities who carried him to a field while discussing what to do to him -it is all here and.  John Turner's 1967 encounter with a stone throwing Bigfoot and sighting of a group of Bigfoot as he was escaping is noteworthy.

Covering every report or series of events in this book is pointless because you need to read it first hand and make up your own mind.

There is a very good reason why I would recommend this book and that is because it pulls together reports that we might not read or hear about otherwise.  Reports the more 'scientific based' Bigfoot investigators would throw out and never mention.  It does not matter one bit what I think or believe. I may be completely off-track and as I keep saying: the more bizarre the claim the more evidence is needed.  That is often something that cannot happen because of time between seeing and reporting or the nature of the phenomenon involved. 

To me this was like discovering those John A. Keel books as a younger man. Strange Creatures From Time And Space is, as folk should know, a book I consider to be a classic of its type.  I believe that Monsters Among Us is a good successor to Keel's work.  It is the first Godfrey book I've read so it will be interesting to see what her others are like.

I'm meandering too much. Buy the book and enjoy a good read -it may prepare you!

Up-Dated Quick up-date and POD Screw Up

I am trying to get the print on demand company to sort things out as the online store is still showing "Ships only from North America" for Strange & Mysterious Beasts/Mysterious & Strange Beasts but I just ordered copies and the postal rates were UK ones.

It seems to be a site bug and I was told it would be sorted last week but the POD is not renowned for being efficient.

If you are in the United States you will see US postal rates.  Europe -your usual postal rates and in the UK there is standard (un-tracked), tracked and fast delivery rates.

Sadly, print on demand means having no control opver the online store or the system being used.

Having made a big publicity show of the new books it seems that I have now lost sales because the POD company, Lulu, has AGAIN fecked everything up.  One potential buyer noted:

"Price of book is given as £25 and total inc p&p and VAT was given as £50. I live in the UK."

Yet I ordered copies at UK postal rate and statistically the people put off buying now will probably not bother after a delay.

That's a hefty financial loss.  AND I had a couple of people report that they could not order Some More Things Strange & Sinister...which was correct BECAUSE Lulu had a site bug that I was promised had been sorted out last month. It had not so I had to do a revision to make it now available for order.

Based on the people who did not/could not order that is a loss of £200 which, truthfully, I cannot afford to lose. Come the new year I need to look for a new Print on Demand company.