>> GOVERNMENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD OFFICIALLY DENY THE EXISTENCE OF UFOs. >> I WAS CALLED UPON TO INVESTIGATE A VERY STRANGE EVENT. >> A THICK CLOAK OF SECRECY HAS BEEN DRAWN OVER MOST ENCOUNTERS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT APPEARS THAT AN UNIDENTIFIED CRAFT HAS APPARENTLY COMPROMISED NATIONAL SECURITY. >> NOTHING IN MY TRAINING PREPARED ME FOR WHAT I WAS WITNESSING. >> BUT SOME CASES HAVE PROVED TOO BIG AND TOO WELL-DOCUMENTED TO COVER UP, AS IN THE CASE THAT'S BECOME KNOWN AS BRITAIN'S ROSWELL. >> THERE WAS A BRIGHT LIGHT EMANATING FROM AN OBJECT ON THE FOREST FLOOR. >> TWO STRANGE ENCOUNTERS OF THE SAME MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS ON TWO CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS IN 1980... >> [RECORDING] THERE'S SOMETHING VERY, VERY STRANGE. >> SEND AMERICAN AIR FORCE TROOPS IN BRITAIN SCRAMBLING TO FIND OUT IF THEY'RE UNDER ATTACK. [SIREN] >> WE'VE TAKEN A WHOLE NEW LOOK. WITH NEW WITNESSES, WE'VE REOPENED THIS ENTIRE CASE. >> WHAT MADE HIGHLY-TRAINED, NO-NONSENSE MILITARY MEN... >> IT WAS MY INTENTION TO GO OUT THERE AND JUST PUT IT ALL TO REST. >> BELIEVE THEY MAY HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH A UFO? >> [RECORDING] THIS IS UNREAL. >> THE TEAM FROM<i> UFO</i> MAGAZINE ANALYZE NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE USING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY. >> TAKE A WAY POINT! >> AND REACH SOME CONTROVERSIAL NEW CONCLUSIONS. >> I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY... YEAH. >> FOR THE FIRST TIME ON TELEVISION, DEFINITIVE ANSWERS ABOUT WHETHER U.S. FORCES ACTUALLY WITNESSED UFO LANDINGS AT BENTWATERS AIR FORCE BASE IN DECEMBER OF 1980. THIS IS CASE NUMBER 80101, "MILITARY VS. UFOs." [CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS] >> ♪ I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THE ONLY ONE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THE ONLY ONE ♪ >> THERE WERE MULTIPLE WITNESSES WHEN AN OBJECT WAS SEEN TO LAND IN A PLACE CALLED RENDLESHAM FOREST. >> IS THAT AWESOME OR WHAT? >> BILL AND PAT HAVE RECENTLY RETURNED FROM THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB CONFERENCE ON DISCLOSURE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WHERE ONE ALLEGED UFO SIGHTING STOOD OUT BECAUSE IT WAS WITNESSED BY NUMEROUS MILITARY OFFICIALS. >> I THINK THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THING ABOUT THIS NATIONAL PRESS CLUB CONFERENCE ON DISCLOSURE WAS ALL OF THE EVIDENCE AROUND THE RENDLESHAM LANDING. >> BRITAIN'S BEST KNOWN UFO SIGHTING OCCURRED IN 1980 AND INVOLVED UNITED STATES AIR FORCE PERSONNEL FROM TWO MILITARY BASES IN THE U.K. >> THIS UFO WAS SEEN ON TWO SEPARATE, CONSECUTIVE EVENINGS, AND THAT JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN IN UFO CASES. >> AND THIS IS IN 1980. REMEMBER WHAT WAS GOING ON IN 1980. THE SOVIETS HAD INVADED AFGHANISTAN, WE WERE NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON OVER IN EASTERN EUROPE, SO THE WORLD WAS ON A KNIFE EDGE WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS. AND SO, AT THAT POINT, THAT'S WHEN THIS OBJECT APPEARS OVER RAF BENTWATERS,<i> THE</i> MOST SECURE U.S. MILITARY BASE. >> THEY MUST HAVE SOME SORT OF OFFICIAL EXPLANATION FOR THAT. >> WHAT THE SKEPTICS BELIEVE IS THAT THERE WAS A LIGHTHOUSE IN THE DISTANCE, THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS MAYBE FLASHING IN THE DISTANCE AND THESE SOLDIERS WERE SOMEHOW CONFUSED BY THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A UFO. >> I DON'T BELIEVE IT, PAT. THAT'S NOT RIGHT. THESE ARE HARD-TRAINED INDIVIDUALS. HOW WOULD THEY THINK IT'S A LIGHTHOUSE? I MEAN, IT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE. >> WELL, I HEAR YOU, JEFF, BUT THAT'S WHAT THE EXPERTS HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR THE PAST 27 YEARS. >> SOUNDS LIKE AN INTERESTING THEORY. YOU KNOW, GUYS, WE CAN MODEL THAT OUT. WE CAN DO OUR EXPERIMENTS. WE CAN TAKE GPS COORDINATES OF THE VARIOUS SIGHTING POSITIONS AND THIS LIGHTHOUSE. WE CAN GET THE TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS. WE COULD BUILD A MODEL AND SEE IF THAT HYPOTHESIS HOLDS WATER. >> THIS IS GONNA BE FANTASTIC, 'CAUSE WE WILL EITHER PROVE IT WAS A LIGHTHOUSE--THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LIGHTHOUSE-- OR NOT. EITHER WAY, THIS WILL BE A PHENOMENAL PIECE OF PROOF AS TO WHETHER THAT THEORY HOLDS UP. LET'S SEE IF IT DOES. >> SO WE'RE GOING TO RENDLESHAM? >> GET YOUR PASSPORTS. >> NICE. >> THE TEAM TRAVELS TO RAF BENTWATERS, A U.S. AIR FORCE BASE IN ENGLAND, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 85 MILES NORTHEAST OF LONDON AND ADJACENT TO RENDLESHAM FOREST. >> NICK, TELL US ABOUT THE FAMOUS RENDLESHAM INCIDENT. >> NICK POPE JOINED THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE IN 1985. >> BETWEEN 1991 AND 1994, MY JOB WAS TO INVESTIGATE UFO SIGHTINGS FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO SEE WHETHER THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF ANYTHING OF ANY DEFENSE SIGNIFICANCE. >> THE U.K.'s MINISTRY OF DEFENCE HAS INVESTIGATED UFO CASES DATING BACK TO 1967. BUT UFO MILITARY ENCOUNTERS ACROSS THE WORLD DATE BACK EVEN FURTHER. 1948. UNITED STATES. CAPTAIN MANTELL OF THE KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD CHASES A REPORTED UFO. MINUTES LATER, HE IS KILLED WHEN HIS JET CRASHES. 1956. ENGLAND. RADAR OPERATORS AT RAF LAKENHEATH TRACK MULTIPLE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF UP TO 12,000 MILES PER HOUR. >> NOW, PROJECT BLUE BOOK, THE UNITED STATES' RESEARCH EFFORT, DESCRIBED THIS AS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE BEST RADAR VISUAL CASES IN THE FILES. >> ACCORDING TO PROJECT BLUE BOOK, THE OBJECT OUTMANEUVERS A VENOM NF-3 JET INTERCEPTOR. PILOTS REPORT SEEING GLOWING LIGHTS, SEEMINGLY UNDER INTELLIGENT CONTROL. >> THE INCIDENT WAS INVESTIGATED AT THE TIME, BUT ONCE THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS HAD BEEN INTERVIEWED, THE PILOTS HAD BEEN INTERVIEWED, THE STATEMENTS TAKEN, REALLY, THEY SEND IT UP JUST AS "UNKNOWN." >> 1989. BELGIUM. BIERSET AIR FORCE BASE DETECTS SOMETHING ON RADAR. 19 POLICE OFFICERS SPOT THE CRAFT. ONE OF THE WITNESSES RECORDS IT ON VIDEO. THE TRIANGULAR OBJECT REPORTEDLY PULSES WITH 3 POWERFUL SEARCHLIGHTS. WITNESSES REPORT THE OBJECT SEEMS TO BE NOISELESS EXCEPT FOR A SOFT HUM. 2 1/2 HOURS LATER, IT DISAPPEARS. 4 MONTHS LATER, IT RETURNS. COLONEL WILFRIED BROUWER OF THE BELGIAN AIR FORCE SCRAMBLES 2 F-16 INTERCEPTORS. >> [SPEAKING FRENCH] >> WHEN THE F-16s LOCK ON TO THE CRAFT, IT MOVES ERRATICALLY, WITH AN ACCELERATION OF 46 Gs, FAR MORE THAN THE HUMAN BODY CAN WITHSTAND. THE OBJECT DISAPPEARS. >> IF ALL THESE CASES INVOLVING PILOTS SEEING UFOs, TRACKING THEM ON RADAR COULD BE VIEWED FROM END TO END, I THINK IT WOULD MAKE A COMPELLING CASE FOR THE REALITY OF THE UFO PHENOMENON, BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE THAT COMBINATION OF THE PROFESSIONAL, THE RELIABLE OBSERVER, AND THE EVIDENCE FROM RADAR BACKING UP THAT TESTIMONY, YOU ARE MAKING A VERY, VERY COMPELLING CASE. >> IT'S EASY TO ASSOCIATE UFOs WITH THE FRINGE ELEMENT, BUT ONCE YOU GET UP TO THIS WHOLE MILITARY CHAPTER OF UFOs, IT'S A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME. >> DURING HIS SERVICE WITH ENGLAND'S MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, NICK POPE INVESTIGATED BETWEEN 200 AND 300 NEW REPORTS OF UFOs EACH YEAR, MAKING HIM ONE OF THE MOST EXPERIENCED UFO INVESTIGATORS IN THE COUNTRY. >> I THINK THAT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT UFO SIGHTINGS OF ALL TIME IS THE RENDLESHAM FOREST INCIDENT, WHICH OCCURRED RIGHT HERE. ON THE SCALE OF UFO CASES, THIS IS RIGHT UP THERE IN TERMS OF ITS SIGNIFICANCE AND IN TERMS OF THE EVIDENCE. I MEAN, THIS HAS SOMETIMES BEEN CALLED BRITAIN'S ROSWELL. >> DECEMBER 26, 1980. MIDNIGHT. SECURITY POLICE AT RAF WOODBRIDGE, A BRITISH AIR FORCE BASE LOCATED NEXT TO RAF BENTWATERS, REPORTS SEEING AN UNKNOWN LIGHT IN RENDLESHAM FOREST. AT FIRST, THEY BELIEVE IT'S A DOWNED AIRCRAFT. LATER, THEY REALIZE IT MIGHT POSSIBLY BE SOMETHING ELSE. SERGEANT JIM PENNISTON AND TWO OTHER OFFICERS INVESTIGATE THE SITE. >> [RECORDING] WHEN WE ARRIVED TO INSPECT THE CRASH SITE, IT QUICKLY BECAME APPARENT THAT WE WERE NOT DEALING WITH A PLANE CRASH OR ANYTHING ELSE WE'VE EVER RESPONDED TO. THERE WAS A BRIGHT LIGHT EMANATING FROM AN OBJECT ON THE FOREST FLOOR. >> PENNISTON AND HIS TEAM APPROACH THE OBJECT ON FOOT, TAKING NOTES ALONG THE WAY. >> A SILVER, TRIANGULAR CRAFT ABOUT 9 FEET LONG, 6 1/2 FEET HIGH CAME INTO VIEW. >> PENNISTON ALLEGES THAT THE CRAFT HAD BLUE AND YELLOW LIGHTS SWIRLING AROUND ITS SURFACE. >> THE AIR AROUND US WAS ELECTRICALLY CHARGED, AND WE COULD FEEL IT ON OUR CLOTHES, OUR SKIN, AND OUR HAIR. >> PENNISTON CLAIMS THE SURFACE OF THE CRAFT HAD INSCRIBED SYMBOLS 3 INCHES HIGH AND 2 1/2 FEET LONG. >> THE LARGEST SYMBOL WAS A TRIANGLE CENTERED IN THE MIDDLE. >> AS PENNISTON GETS CLOSER TO THE OBJECT, HE SAYS THAT HE TOUCHED IT. >> EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKED LIKE BLACK ONYX, IT FELT LIKE METAL. >> 45 MINUTES LATER, THE OBJECT MANEUVERS THROUGH THE FOREST AND TAKES OFF. >> IT LIFTED UP OFF THE GROUND AND SHOT AWAY AT AN INCREDIBLE SPEED. >> IT WAS GONE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. OVER 80 AIR FORCE PERSONNEL WITNESSED THE TAKEOFF. >> IT WASN'T A HELICOPTER? >> THERE IS NO WAY THAT YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN ANY CONVENTIONAL AIRCRAFT IN THERE. THERE'S NO WAY YOU WOULD HAVE GOT A HELICOPTER IN THERE. AND THE OTHER POINT, OF COURSE, IS THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO WORKED AT AN AIR FORCE BASE, AND THEY SAID THIS WAS LIKE NOTHING WE'D EVER SEEN BEFORE. >> I FEEL LIKE I'VE STEPPED INTO THE EYE OF THE UFO HURRICANE. HERE WAS AN EXPERIENCED AIR FORCE OFFICER THAT EXPERIENCED SOMETHING OUT OF THIS WORLD. >> NOW, THIS UFO WAS TRIANGULAR IN SHAPE. IT WAS ABOUT 9 FEET WIDE AND 6 FEET HIGH. JIM PENNISTON GOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH THE SIDE OF THIS THING, AND HE SAW STRANGE SYMBOLS ON THE HULL. >> PENNISTON TRANSCRIBED 6 SYMBOLS ETCHED IN THE CRAFT'S SURFACE. MOST OF THE SYMBOLS ARE COMPOSED OF STRAIGHT LINES... AND SYMMETRICAL. >> PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DECIPHER THAT WRITING FOR YEARS, THINKING MAYBE IT'S EGYPTIAN, MAYBE IT'S HIEROGLYPHIC, MAYBE IT'S PICTOGRAPHS. CLEARLY, THERE IS A MESSAGE THERE THAT WE STILL HAVEN'T DECIPHERED TO THIS VERY DAY. >> SOME WITNESSES CLAIM THAT THE UFO LEFT PHYSICAL EVIDENCE BEHIND. >> THERE WERE INDENTATIONS IN THE GROUND WHERE THIS THING HAD LANDED. >> HAVE IN MIND, OF COURSE, THIS IS THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. THE GROUND WAS VERY HARD. THOSE INDENTATIONS HAD TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY SOMETHING THAT WEIGHED SEVERAL TONS, AND THERE WERE 3 OF THESE INDENTATIONS. >> PLASTER CASTS WERE MADE OF THE INDENTATIONS. WHEN PLOTTED, THEY ALLEGEDLY FORMED AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE. >> IT WAS ALMOST AS IF THIS CRAFT HAD COME DOWN ON A LANDING STRUT, SOME SORT OF TRIPOD-LIKE DEVICE. >> THERE WAS NO CONVENTIONAL AIRCRAFT IN 1980 KNOWN TO HAVE A TRIANGULAR-SHAPED LANDING PAD THAT WAS EQUILATERAL. ON THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, 5 SOLDIERS LED BY COLONEL CHARLES HALT INVESTIGATE THE SITE. THEY DISCOVER WHAT THEY FEEL TO BE INDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE OF ANOMALOUS ACTIVITY... >> IT HAD LEFT PHYSICAL TRACE EVIDENCE. >> AND WITNESS AN ALARMING EVENT. >> IT WAS BACK. >> DECEMBER 26, 1980. MIDNIGHT. 80 U.S. AIR FORCE PERSONNEL ALLEGEDLY WITNESS AN UNKNOWN BRIGHT OBJECT LAND IN RENDLESHAM FOREST, ENGLAND. >> NOT JUST HAD THIS UFO BEEN SEEN BY THESE TRAINED, RELIABLE MILITARY WITNESSES, BUT IT HAD LEFT PHYSICAL TRACE EVIDENCE. IT HAD LEFT INDENTATIONS IN THE GROUND WHERE IT HAD COME DOWN. >> ON THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, A SQUAD OF SOLDIERS SURVEYS THE AREA WITH A GEIGER COUNTER AND DETECT ABNORMALLY HIGH TRACES OF RADIATION. >> THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF THE EVIDENCE WAS THAT THEY RECORDED LEVELS WHICH PEAKED CRITICALLY. THEY PEAKED IN THOSE 3 HOLES WHERE THE THING HAD COME TO REST. >> THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE RELEASED 38 PAGES OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE RENDLESHAM SIGHTING. MOST OF THE FILE IS CORRESPONDENCE TO AND FROM RESIDENTS CURIOUS ABOUT THE REPORTED EVENT. BUT ONE INTERDEPARTMENTAL MEMO CONTAINS A CHILLING SENTENCE. >> OUR DEFENCE INTELLIGENCE STAFF SUBSEQUENTLY ASSESSED THE LEVELS OF RADIATION AS, QUOTE, "SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN BACKGROUND," UNQUOTE. IT IS ABSOLUTELY OFFICIAL. IT'S THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE IN A MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DOCUMENT, WRITTEN BY THEIR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE SPECIALISTS, YES. UNLIKE MANY UFO STORIES, THIS CAN BE BACKED UP. THERE'S AN AUDIO TRAIL, A VERIFIABLE DOCUMENT BEARING OUT THE VERY THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT. >> RICK POPE GAVE US INFORMATION ABOUT DOCUMENTATION THAT WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED, AND THAT MAKES IT ALL THE MORE VALID TO ME. IT'S REALLY TAKEN THIS INVESTIGATION TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL FOR ME. >> EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT SOME MILITARY BASES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE LONG SECRET HISTORIES OF UFO ENCOUNTERS. >> THERE ARE MANY HUNDREDS OF CASES OF ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN MILITARY AIRCRAFT AND UFOs. >> THE TEAM TRIES TO FIND AN EXPLANATION FOR THESE DISTURBING SIGHTINGS. >> I'VE GONE OVER SOME OF THESE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS HERE AND I'M FINDING OUT THAT THERE'S A PRETTY STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN MILITARY AND UFO SIGHTINGS. IN JULY 1945, WE ACTUALLY DETONATED OUR FIRST ATOMIC BOMB TEST. AND 2 YEARS LATER, ALSO IN JULY, WE HAVE THE ROSWELL CRASH. >> AND THE ROSWELL CRASH IS WHAT, 100 MILES AWAY FROM ALAMOGORDO? >> EVER SINCE 1947, THERE HAS BEEN A CORRELATION BETWEEN POSSIBLE UFO SIGHTINGS AND THE TESTING, MANUFACTURING, AND STORAGE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS. IS IT ONLY A COINCIDENCE THAT ROSWELL IS BARELY 100 MILES FROM TRINITY, NEW MEXICO, THE SITE OF THE WORLD'S FIRST NUCLEAR EXPLOSION? NOW, HERE'S THIS CASE IN PASCO, WASHINGTON, 1945. A UFO WAS CAUGHT ON RADAR AT A NAVAL AIR STATION. IT WAS FLYING OVER HANFORD ENGINEERING WORKS, WHICH WAS A MAJOR MANUFACTURER OF PLUTONIUM. >> THAT'S RIGHT. AND HANFORD LATER BECAME A MAJOR NUCLEAR POWER FACILITY, SO THE NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY HAS STAYED THERE REALLY FOR OVER 60 YEARS. >> IN 1945, OAKRIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY IN TENNESSEE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS UFO SIGHTINGS. WE NOW KNOW THE LAB WAS A TOP-SECRET ATOMIC BOMB PLANT. IN 1965, EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE IN CALIFORNIA SPOTTED 12 LUMINOUS UFOs ON RADAR. >> THIS IS THE TOWER AT EDWARDS. WE HAVE AN OBJECT NOW. >> WE HAVE SOME CONFIRMED REPORTS OF UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS IN YOUR AREA. >> UNIDENTIFIED FLYING SAUCERS? >> F-106 INTERCEPTORS MADE VISUAL CONTACT. >> I HAVE ANOTHER RED LIGHT MOVING VERY RAPIDLY. IT'S FLASHING WHITE AND GREEN. >> IT DEFINITELY ISN'T AN AIRCRAFT. >> THE F-106 JETS CARRY GENIE NUCLEAR-TIPPED ROCKETS WITH ITS WEAPONRY. DID THIS NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY TRIGGER A UFO VISIT? >> IF THERE'S A LINK BETWEEN UFOs AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING ON? ARE THEY SPYING ON THE TECHNOLOGY? ARE THEY INTERESTED IN NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY? OR MAYBE THEY'RE TRYING TO, UH, PREVENT NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. >> I THINK THEY ARE MONITORING US. I THINK THEY ARE SPYING ON US. BUT THE BIG POINT IS THIS-- THAT EVERY TIME YOU SEE UFOs THAT ARE INVADING THE AIRSPACE OVER NUCLEAR WEAPONS FACILITIES THAT ARE HIGHLY SENSITIVE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, THEY DON'T EVEN BOTHER TO BE STEALTHY, BECAUSE THEY ARE ENTERING OUR AIRSPACES WITH SUCH IMPUNITY, OVER THESE NUCLEAR WEAPONS SITES, THEY DON'T EVEN CARE IF THEY'RE BEING SEEN OR NOT. >> STRANGELY, BACK HERE, THIS WAS THE HOT ROW HERE, WHERE WEAPONS WERE STORED IN THE ATF, THE RT FACILITY DOWN THERE. >> COLONEL HALT SERVED AS DEPUTY BASE COMMANDER AT BENTWATERS DURING THE UFO SIGHTING AT RENDLESHAM FOREST. HE WILL NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY THE PRESENCE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON THE BASE. >> YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE--HE'S THE GUY WHO WAS SITTING WITH HIS FINGER ON A NUCLEAR BUTTON, EVEN THOUGH HE CAN'T SAY IT, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT AMERICAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON U.K. SOIL. >> A KEY SECURITY COMPONENT OF THE BASE IS THE WATCHTOWER, LOCATED JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE HOT ROW. IT PROVIDES A VIEW OF THE ENTIRE AREA AND THE RENDLESHAM FOREST SITE. THE TEAM MEETS GARY HAZELTINE, A FORMER AIR FORCE POLICEMAN WITH EXPERIENCE IN SECURING NUCLEAR SITES. >> I'VE LONG BEEN FASCINATED BY THE RENDLESHAM FOREST CASE BECAUSE BETWEEN 1983 AND 1989 I SERVED IN THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AS A POLICE OFFICER AND ON TWO NUCLEAR FACILITIES. YOU ALWAYS HAD A HIGH TOWER. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TOWER WAS THAT IT WAS ABOVE THE TREELINE AND IT HAD A 360 VIEW. >> THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE. WHAT A VIEW. YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING FROM UP HERE. >> AND ONE THING YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND--THE TREES ARE MUCH HIGHER NOW. WE HAD A 360 PANORAMA FROM UP HERE BEFORE. WE WOULD NEVER LET THE TREES GROW THIS HIGH FOR SECURITY REASONS. AND FROM HERE, THE TOWER OPERATOR HAD A FANTASTIC VIEW OF EVERYTHING FOR MILES AROUND. >> SO IF SOMEBODY WERE UP HERE, HE COULD SEE EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON OVER IN THAT AREA THAT NIGHT. ON BOTH NIGHTS. >> THERE WAS SOMEBODY UP HERE? >> THIS TYPE OF TOWER WOULD HAVE TO BE MANNED 24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR. SO, COLONEL, I'M TELLING--I SUSPECT THAT THERE WAS SOMEBODY UP HERE. DO YOU HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ANYBODY UP HERE ON THAT NIGHT? >> OH, YES. IN FACT, I KNOW WHO WAS UP HERE, VERY WELL. >> IN NOVEMBER 2007, COLONEL HALT RECEIVED AN E-MAIL FROM ONE OF THE GUARDS WHO WAS POSTED IN THE OBSERVATION TOWER THAT NIGHT IN 1980. >> HE HAS GIVEN ME QUITE A BIT OF CORRESPONDENCE, AND HE VERIFIES THE FACT THAT THAT NIGHT WHEN HE WAS IN THE TOWER, HE ACTUALLY SAW BEAMS COMING DOWN INTO THE WEAPONS STORAGE AREA SIMULTANEOUS TO THE ONE WE SAW OVER OUR FEET IN THE FIELD. >> YOU SAY THERE WAS A MAN UP HERE WHO ALSO SAW THE INCIDENT FROM HERE AND HE SAW BEAMS COMING DOWN? >> SO THIS IS A WHOLE NEW WITNESS TO THIS ENTIRE CASE. >> WELL, HE DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO COME FORWARD. >> IF A PERSON WERE UP HERE, AS YOU'VE SAID, AND COULD SEE THE WHOLE THING, INCLUDING THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THE EVENTS ON THE GROUND AND THE FOREST-- >> TALKING ABOUT THE GENUINE OBJECT FIRING BEAMS DOWN INTO A SPECIAL FACILITY, A HIGHLY SECRET, SECURE AREA. >> SO WE HAVE A WHOLE NEW WITNESS. THIS BREAKS THIS CASE WIDE OPEN AGAIN. >> ANOTHER PIECE OF EVIDENCE ALSO CORROBORATES THE ALLEGED UFO INCIDENT. ON THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, DECEMBER 26, 1980, COLONEL HALT DOCUMENTED HIS ENCOUNTER ON A CASSETTE RECORDER. IT RE-CREATES HIS EXPERIENCE MOMENT BY MOMENT AND HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST COMPELLING DOCUMENTS IN UFO HISTORY. THE TEAM RETRACES THE STEPS OF COLONEL HALT'S UFO ENCOUNTER THAT NIGHT. >> THIS IS THE INFAMOUS EAST GATE AT WOODBRIDGE. THIS IS WHERE THE EVENT ACTUALLY STARTED. >> COLONEL HALT ARRIVED AT THE SITE WITH 5 SERVICEMEN, AFTER BEING TOLD BY THE OTHER POLICE OFFICERS THAT THE MYSTERIOUS LIGHT HAD BEEN SPOTTED A SECOND TIME. >> THE POLICE CLAIMED THAT IT WAS BACK. THEY KEPT TELLING ME IT WAS BACK. >> WHEN YOU HEARD THIS REPORT FROM THESE MEN, WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF IT? WHAT WAS YOUR FRAME OF MIND? >> I THOUGHT THERE WAS A RATIONAL EXPLANATION FOR THIS. I GUESS I WAS A NONBELIEVER IS THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT. >> WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CAME OUT TO INVESTIGATE? >> SOMEBODY HAD TO GO OUT AND RESPOND AND PUT THIS TO REST. AND IT WAS MY INTENTION TO GO OUT THERE AND JUST PUT IT ALL TO REST AND PUT IT ALL BEHIND US AND GET IT OVER WITH. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT I INTENDED TO DO AND WHAT I EXPECTED TO DO. IN FACT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I GOT OUT THERE, I THOUGHT, "WHY DID I EVER GET INVOLVED IN THIS? I WISH I HADN'T DONE THIS. I WISH I'D LET SOMEBODY ELSE DO THIS, 'CAUSE NOBODY WILL BELIEVE THIS." SO I GATHERED UP A SMALL TEAM, 5 PEOPLE, AND WENT OUT INTO THE FOREST. >> WE JUST SAW A LIGHT. >> WHERE? >> THERE IT IS AGAIN. IT'S A STRANGE RED LIGHT. >> HERE HE COMES FROM THE SIDE. HE'S COMING TOWARD US NOW. >> COLONEL CHARLES HALT, AN AMERICAN SERVICEMAN STATIONED IN BRITAIN IN 1980, RECOUNTS THE NIGHT HE CHASED DOWN WHAT HE BELIEVES WAS A UFO. >> DID YOU DO ANYTHING TO DOCUMENT THE SIGHTING ON THE NIGHT? >> YES. I ACTUALLY HAD MY LITTLE LANIER PORTABLE TAPE RECORDER WITH ME, SO I TURNED IT OFF AND ON AS SOMETHING WAS OCCURRING. I DOCUMENTED EVERYTHING ON THE TAPE. [RECORDING] A STRANGE RED LIGHT. THERE'S SOMETHING VERY, VERY STRANGE. >> AND IT JUST MOVED TO THE RIGHT. >> YEAH. >> OFF TO THE RIGHT. >> STRANGE. >> HALT CLAIMS THAT HE LED A TEAM OF SOLDIERS FROM THE EAST GATE OF RAF BENTWATERS. THEY THEN SPOTTED THE BRIGHT OBJECT IN RENDLESHAM FOREST AND REPORTEDLY CHASED AFTER IT, HEADING EAST. WHEN THEY REACHED A FARMHOUSE IN A CLEARING, THE OBJECT LAUNCHED INTO THE SKIES. >> WE WERE MOVING IN THIS DIRECTION, AS WAS THE OBJECT I SAW MOVING THROUGH THE TREES. [RECORDING] WE'RE LOOKING AT THE THING. IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT 200-300 YARDS AWAY. IT LOOKS LIKE AN EYE WINKING AT YOU. IT'S STILL MOVING FROM SIDE TO SIDE. IT'S LIKE--SORT OF HAS A HOLLOW CENTER, YOU KNOW, LIKE A PUPIL OF AN EYE LOOKING AT YOU, WINKING. AND IT FLASHES SO BRIGHT, IT ALMOST BURNS YOUR EYES. >> HALT REPORTS THAT THE LIGHT MOVED PAST A CREEK INTO A NEARBY FIELD. >> [RECORDING] WE JUST CROSSED THE CREEK. WE SEE STRANGE, STROBE-LIKE FLASHES TO THE--UH, WELL, THEY'RE SPORADIC, BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THERE, SOME KIND OF PHENOMENA. WE COME OUT OF THE FOREST UP HERE ABOUT ANOTHER 100 YARDS, CHASING THE OBJECT. THE OBJECT CAME OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS FIELD. >> THE FIELD CONTAINED A FARMHOUSE, CATTLE, AND AT THAT TIME, A BRIGHT MOVING OBJECT. >> [RECORDING] WE'RE HEARING VERY STRANGE SOUNDS OUT OF THE FARMER'S BARNYARD ANIMALS. THEY'RE VERY, VERY ACTIVE AND MAKING AN AWFUL LOT OF NOISE. OH, HERE HE COMES FROM THE SIDE! HE'S COMING TOWARD US NOW. AND WE'RE LOOKING OUT THIS WAY, OBVIOUSLY. >> OK. >> THERE'S THE FARMER'S HOUSE. >> YEAH. >> THE OBJECT WAS OUT HERE IN THE FIELD, OVER HERE. >> MM-HMM, RIGHT. >> THE LIGHTHOUSE IS OVER THERE, ABOUT 30 DEGREES. [RECORDING] WELL, WE'RE OBSERVING WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BEAM COMING DOWN TO THE GROUND. THIS IS UNREAL. >> SO ONCE YOU GOT OUT HERE TO THE FIELD, THE OBJECT WAS GONE? >> THE OBJECT SILENTLY EXPLODED INTO 5 WHITE OBJECTS AND THEY JUST DISAPPEAR. >> IS THERE ANY WAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SOME SORT OF FLARE? >> A FLARE DOESN'T MOVE THROUGH THE FOREST AVOIDING TREES AND BOB UP AND DOWN A LITTLE BIT. IT CAME TOWARD US AT SOME POINT AND IT WENT AWAY FROM US AT SOME POINT, AND WHEN WE APPROACHED IT, IT MOVED OUT HERE INTO THE FIELD. >> NOW, WHAT EXACTLY WERE YOU SEEING? >> AN OBJECT THAT WAS OVAL-SHAPED, BRIGHT REDDISH-ORANGE, ALMOST LIKE THE SUN AT MIDDAY. IT HAD A BLACK OVAL CENTER. IT WOULD, LIKE, WINK A LITTLE BIT, AND IT WAS DRIPPING SOMETHING LIKE MOLTEN METAL. >> THERE WAS MOLTEN METAL-- >> WELL, I SAY THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN EQUATE IT. IT WAS-- SOMETHING WAS DRIPPING, IT APPEARED, OFF IT. >> SO A HELICOPTER EXPLANATION IS OUT. >> NO, IT WASN'T A HELICOPTER. >> COLONEL HALT IS ONE OF THE MOST CREDIBLE EYEWITNESSES THAT I'VE EVER HAD THE CHANCE TO TALK TO. THIS MAN RAN AN ENTIRE MILITARY BASE, WITH A LOT OF TOP-SECRET WEAPONS THAT HE COULDN'T TELL ME ABOUT. AND I DON'T THINK HE MADE A MISTAKE THAT NIGHT. I THINK SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT PEOPLE WEREN'T MEANT TO KNOW ABOUT. >> THESE TWO BASES, ADJACENT TO THE FOREST, WERE AMONG THE MOST SECURE IN THE WORLD. IMPENETRABLE FENCES ENCIRCLED THE BASES. RAZOR WIRE, MOTION DETECTORS, EMBEDDED SENSORS, AND MORE THAN 25 HEAVILY ARMED PATROLMEN GUARD THE FACILITIES. >> THIS WAS A FACILITY WITH SOME OF THE TIGHTEST SECURITY IN THE WORLD, AND THIS THING COMES OUT OF THE SKY, IT LANDS THERE--NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD--WITHOUT TRIGGERING ANY SORT OF ALARM. THE ONLY WAY THAT THIS THING WAS SEEN WAS BY THE HUMAN EYE, WHEN THESE GUARDS CAME OUT TO SEE IT. AND WHAT'S ODD IS THAT THIS THING WAS BRILLIANTLY LIT. IT SHONE BEAMS DOWN TO THE GROUND. IT'S ALMOST AS IF IT DIDN'T EVEN CARE IF IT WAS SEEN OR NOT. IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH IT COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT HOW WE WOULD DEFEND OURSELVES AGAINST IT. THERE'S NOTHING WE HAD THAT THIS THING WAS SCARED OF. AND FOR ME, THAT'S THE SCARIEST THING OF ALL. >> RAF BENTWATERS MOST LIKELY HOUSED NUCLEAR WEAPONS, AS TENSIONS GREW IN THE 1980s. >> YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT THE WORLD WAS LIKE IN 1980. SOME HISTORIANS CALL IT THE START OF THE SECOND COLD WAR, A COLD WAR THREATENING TO BECOME A HOT WAR. YOU HAVE TWO SIDES STARING AT EACH OTHER ACROSS THE IRON CURTAIN. AND RONALD REAGAN HAD JUST BEEN ELECTED PRESIDENT AND WAS MAKING ALL KINDS OF THREATS AGAINST THE EVIL EMPIRE OF THE SOVIET UNION. IT WAS A VERY SCARY TIME, WITH BOTH SIDES MAKING ALL KINDS OF MILITARY THREATS. I'M NOT SAYING THE ALIENS WERE ACTUALLY LISTENING TO US, BUT IF THEY WERE, THEY MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT WE WERE JUST DAYS AWAY FROM PUSHING THE BUTTON. AND HERE A UFO CAME OVER A NUCLEAR WEAPONS BASE, IS BEAMING SHOTS OF LIGHT DOWN ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS, I GUESS MAYBE SCANNING THE WEAPONS. IT INTERFERED WITH THE BASE OPERATIONS, INTERFERED WITH THE RADIOS, THEY SCRAMBLED A SECURITY TEAM. THE UFO ACTUALLY LURED THE SECURITY TEAM OFF THE BASE. SO THE AMERICANS FREAK OUT. THEY SHUT IT DOWN, THEY DO NOTHING, THEY DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. >> THE UNITED STATES HASN'T INVESTIGATED UFOs SINCE PROJECT BLUE BOOK ENDED IN JANUARY 1970. BUT TO THIS DAY, BRITAIN'S MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DOES, AS UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS MIGHT POSE A THREAT TO BRITISH SECURITY. STRANGELY, COLONEL HALT, AN AMERICAN, WAS NOT INTERVIEWED OR DEBRIEFED BY BRITISH AUTHORITIES. >> THERE WAS NOTHING LIKE THIS HAD EVER HAPPENED BEFORE. ALL PREVIOUS UFO SIGHTINGS WERE JUST LIGHTS IN THE SKY, REALLY. THE AMERICANS KIND OF HOPE THAT THE BRITISH WILL DEAL WITH IT, AND THE BRITISH HOPE THAT IT'S AN AMERICAN PROBLEM AND THAT IF ANYONE SAYS NOTHING, HOPEFULLY THE WHOLE SITUATION WILL GO AWAY. >> BRITISH AND AMERICAN AUTHORITIES SIMPLY ADVISE HALT TO SEND A MEMO TO THE U.K.'s MINISTRY OF DEFENCE ABOUT THE EVENTS IN THE FOREST. BUT 2 DAYS PRIOR TO COLONEL HALT'S SUBMISSION OF HIS MEMO, ANOTHER INEXPLICABLE EVENT OCCURRED, AN EVENT THAT LEFT LOCAL RESIDENT AND FORESTER VINCENT THURKETTLE PUZZLED AND DISTURBED. >> I LIVED IN A COTTAGE JUST OVER THERE. I WAS OUT CHOPPING WOOD. >> THURKETTLE LIVED AND WORKED IN RENDLESHAM FOREST AT THE TIME OF THE SIGHTING. >> BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR, A CAR PULLED UP, TWO YOUNG ENGLISHMEN GOT OUT-- SAY, 25 YEARS OLD, IN SUITS-- CAME AND TALKED TO ME, AND WHAT THEY WERE ASKING WAS, THEY SAID, "WE'VE HEARD OF RED LIGHTS BEING SEEN IN THE FOREST." >> WHO WERE THESE MYSTERIOUS MEN, AND HOW DID THEY KNOW OF THE UFO EVENT BEFORE COLONEL HALT RELEASED THE INFORMATION? >> IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE VINCENT WAS ACTUALLY VISITED. >> THE TEAM UNCOVERS SOME ALARMING ANSWERS. >> A FEW DAYS AFTER THE UFO INCIDENT, TWO STRANGE MEN INTERROGATED THE RESIDENTS OF RENDLESHAM FOREST IN BRITAIN. NO ONE KNOWS WHO THEY WERE OR WHAT THEY WANTED. >> A CAR PULLED UP, TWO YOUNG ENGLISHMEN GOT OUT-- SAY, 25 YEARS OLD, IN SUITS-- CAME AND TALKED TO ME, AND WHAT THEY WERE ASKING WAS, THEY SAID, "WE'VE HEARD OF RED LIGHTS BEING SEEN IN THE FOREST, AND WERE YOU OUT LAST NIGHT?" I SAID NO. THEY SAID, "DID YOU SEE ANYTHING? DO YOU KNOW ANYONE?" AND I SAID NO. AND THEN THEY JUST CLOSED THE CONVERSATION DOWN AND WENT. >> WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING IS THIS NEW INFORMATION ABOUT VINCENT THURKETTLE BEING VISITED BY SOME KIND OF MEN IN BLACK. HE DID MENTION THAT TWO ENGLISHMEN IN BLACK SUITS AND A BLACK CAR VISITED HIM. IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE A CLICHE, BUT IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE VINCENT WAS ACTUALLY VISITED BY THE MEN IN BLACK. >> UFO RESEARCHERS RECOGNIZE THURKETTLE'S ENCOUNTER AS A CLASSIC MEN IN BLACK SCENARIO. FREQUENTLY, AFTER A UFO SIGHTING, WITNESSES ARE REPORTEDLY VISITED BY TWO MEN WHO QUESTION THEM ABOUT WHAT THEY SAW. >> TWO YOUNG BRITISH GUYS INTERVIEWED ME, AND I LATER FOUND OUT THEY INTERVIEWED EVERYONE IN THE AREA TO CHECK IF WE WERE OUT THAT NIGHT AND IF WE'D SEEN ANYTHING. >> WHO DO YOU THINK THEY WERE? WERE THEY JOURNALISTS? WERE-- >> NO. IF THEY WERE JOURNALISTS, THEY NEVER PUBLISHED. AND WHAT'S FASCINATING ABOUT THAT IS COLONEL HALT HADN'T EVEN WRITTEN HIS LETTER. THE LETTER THAT BLEW EVERYTHING UP AND SUPPOSEDLY INFORMED THE BRITISH ABOUT IT, HE HADN'T WRITTEN THAT LETTER. >> THIS CASE HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED FOR DECADES, RIGHT? AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THOSE MEN IN BLACK. THIS IS A HUGE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, SO I NEED TO GO TALK TO COLONEL HALT ABOUT THIS. I HAVE A FEELING HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT. VINCENT TOLD ME THAT HE WAS VISITED BY TWO YOUNG MEN IN BLACK SUITS WHO QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT THE INCIDENT. BUT THE THING IS, HOW WOULD THEY KNOW ABOUT IT, AS YOUR MEMO HADN'T BEEN RELEASED YET? >> I DON'T KNOW WHO THEY WERE. IT WAS DONE DISCREETLY, I KNOW THAT. I DO KNOW THAT THE AIRMEN INVOLVED WERE QUESTIONED UNDER VERY MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, BY PEOPLE THAT THEY DIDN'T RECOGNIZE, AND SOME OF THEM WERE BRITISH. >> IT WAS A REALLY BIG DEAL... >> AS A DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY EMPLOYEE, VINCENT THURKETTLE IS AN EXPERT ON THE RENDLESHAM FOREST AREA AND FEELS THAT HALT'S SIGHTING OF A UFO WAS NO SIGHTING AT ALL. >> THIS GUY KNOWS THAT FOREST, AND HE'S TRYING TO TELL ME THAT HE REALLY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING UNUSUAL IN THE AREA WHERE THE UFO SUPPOSEDLY LANDED. HIS ARGUMENT IS CONVINCING THAT MAYBE IT WAS THE LIGHTHOUSE. >> 6 MILES AWAY FROM THE REPORTED UFO LANDING SITE SITS ORFORD NESS LIGHTHOUSE. SKEPTICS CLAIM THAT ITS 3,000-WATT BEAM OF LIGHT IS WHAT THE SERVICEMEN MISTOOK FOR THE UFO. >> [RECORDING] IT LOOKS LIKE THE PUPIL OF AN EYE LOOKING AT YOU, WINKING. AND IT FLASHES SO BRIGHT IT ALMOST BURNS YOUR EYE. >> IF WE DON'T BELIEVE THEY WERE LOOKING AT THE LIGHTHOUSE, THEN WE HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE WATCHING A UFO WHICH WAS PULSING AT THE SAME INTERVAL AS THE LIGHTHOUSE AND WAS, YOU KNOW, LESS BRIGHT THAN THE LIGHTHOUSE, AND YET ON COLONEL HALT'S TAPE, HE MAKES NO MENTION OF IT. >> NOW, VINCENT ALSO SAID THAT THE DURATION OF THE STROBE ON THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS EVERY 5 SECONDS, AND IT SEEMED TO COINCIDE WITH YOU MAKING ENTRIES ON YOUR TAPE RECORDER EVERY 5 SECONDS. IS THAT A COINCIDENCE? >> LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING. I HAVE THE TAPE RECORDER HERE WITH ME. IT'S A SMALL LANIER. THE TAPES ARE 20 MINUTES IN DURATION. SO THERE'S NO WAY I COULD HAVE KEPT THE TAPE RUNNING THE WHOLE TIME. I MUST HAVE STOPPED THAT TAPE 100 TIMES. IT'S VERY SIMPLE TO DO. IF YOU LOOK, THERE'S JUST A SIMPLE SLIDE SWITCH. I WAS GOING CLICK, CLICK, CLICK THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE OUT THERE, BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO RUN OUT OF TAPE. >> [RECORDING] LOOKS TO BE OUT MAYBE A QUARTER TO A HALF MILE, MAYBE FURTHER OUT. >> 6 WEEKS LATER, THURKETTLE INSPECTED THE 3 INDENTATIONS THE UFO SUPPOSEDLY MADE IN THE FIELD. >> SO I'M GOING THROUGH THE WOODS NOW, HEART'S GOING, REALLY EXCITED, AND THEN WE GOT TO AN AREA WHERE THERE WAS A RING OF STICKS OVER A GLADE IN THIS SORT OF BRACKEN, THIS BROWN DEAD STUFF AROUND US, AND, UM, HE SAID, "THIS IS IT." AND AS I LOOKED AT IT, I SAID, "BUT THESE ARE RABBIT SCRAPES." >> NOW, VINCENT ALSO HAD SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THE INDENTATIONS IN THE GROUND. HE'S OF THE OPINION THAT THEY WERE RABBIT SCRAPINGS. >> KEEP IN MIND, A DAY OR TWO AFTER THE INCIDENT, SOMEONE IN THE SECURITY POLICE SQUAD, AND I'M SURE, WENT OUT THERE AND CREATED AT LEAST ONE, IF NOT TWO FALSE SITES AND THEY PUT A LOT OF STICKS IN THE GROUND AROUND IT. >> WHY WOULD SOMEONE DO THAT? >> UH, TO MISLEAD PEOPLE, PERHAPS. I DON'T KNOW. >> SO MAYBE VINCENT WAS LOOKING AT THE WRONG SITE. >> I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE LOOKED AT. BUT HE SAID IT WAS 6 WEEKS LATER WHEN HE WENT OUT. >> WHY WOULD SOMEONE LIKE VINCENT, BASICALLY SOMEONE WHO WASN'T THERE, GET SO MUCH CREDENCE FOR HIS THEORIES? >> YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR BLACK PROGRAMS, AS I LIKE TO CALL THEM, TO USE DISINFORMATION AS A VERY EFFICIENT TOOL AND A VERY GOOD WAY TO DISCREDIT A STORY. >> JUST DAYS BEFORE ANY REPORTS WENT TO THE U.S. AIR FORCE ABOUT THE EVENT AT BENTWATERS, BRITISH INTELLIGENCE AGENTS SHOW UP AND START INTERVIEWING PEOPLE. WHAT WERE THEY DOING? THE BRITISH MUST HAVE KNOWN AT SOME LEVEL OF THE GOVERNMENT WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WHAT THEY HAD TO DO TO COVER THIS UP. >> AT FIRST I THOUGHT, "OK, MAYBE IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LIGHTHOUSE," BUT I'M REALLY STARTING TO BELIEVE THAT COLONEL HALT DID HAVE A HUGE EXPERIENCE. >> CONFLICTING TESTIMONY FROM HIGHLY CREDIBLE WITNESSES HAVE KEPT THE DEBATE ABOUT THE LIGHTHOUSE THEORY ALIVE FOR MORE THAN 27 YEARS. BUT CAN THE TESTIMONY STAND UP TO THE SCRUTINY OF SCIENTIFIC PROOF? >> I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING MORE DETAIL OF WHERE HIS POSITION WAS, THE POSITION OF THIS UFO WHERE IT LANDED, AND THE POSITION AND ORIENTATION OF THE FARMHOUSE. >> THE MOST WIDELY ACCEPTED EXPLANATION IS THAT THE LIGHTHOUSE EMITTED A BEAM OF LIGHT THAT REFLECTED OFF THE FARMHOUSE AND CREATED THE MYSTERIOUS LIGHT THE SOLDIERS SAW. THE TEAM DECIDES TO TEST THIS THEORY. >> I THOUGHT WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS GET THE BEST COORDINATES WE CAN. I KNOW IT'S BEEN 27 YEARS, BUT WE'LL JUST DO THE BEST WE CAN. SO JEFF AND I WILL STAY OUT HERE WITH THE GPS, AND IF YOU TWO CAN GO BACK TO THE SITE WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE THAT NIGHT, AND THEN ADJUST OUR POSITIONS BASED ON YOUR SIGHT LINES FROM THAT LOCATION. >> USING THE GPS COORDINATES OF THE MAIN LANDMARKS, THE TEAM WILL CONSTRUCT A 3-D MODEL OF THE EVENT. >> NOW, IS THIS KIND OF WHERE THEY WERE? >> ACTUALLY, THEY WERE A LITTLE MORE TO THE RIGHT. >> TED! A LITTLE BIT THIS WAY. >> FURTHER FORWARD! OK! >> THAT'S GOOD? >> AS BEST I CAN DETERMINE. >> MAKE A WAY POINT! >> TED MARKS THE GPS COORDINATES OF WHERE COLONEL HALT SAID THE UFO LANDED. >> THAT'S GOOD! >> COLONEL HALT POINTS OUT THE LOCATION OF THE LIGHTHOUSE. >> RIGHT--THERE'S A NOTCH IN THE FAR TREELINE OVER THERE. IT WAS ABOUT 30 DEGREES FROM WHERE I SAW THE OBJECT TO WHERE THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS. THAT WAS MY RECOLLECTION. >> OK, SO, JEFF IS THE LIGHT SOURCE. THAT GOOD? >> YEAH. >> TAKE A WAY POINT! OK, TED, COME ON BACK HERE. WE'LL PLUG THE GPS INTO THE CAMERA AND WE'LL SHOOT FROM THIS WAY POINT! >> WAS THE OBJECT WITNESSED BY MORE THAN 80 AIR FORCE SERVICEMEN AND THE DEPUTY BASE COMMANDER MERELY A BEAM OF LIGHT, A UFO, OR SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY? >> IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE BEAM FROM THAT LIGHT WAS WHAT THE TROOPS IN THE FOREST SAW? >> SCIENCE MAY HOLD THE ANSWER. AND A NEW EXPERT WITNESS, NEVER BEFORE INTERVIEWED, SPEAKS OUT. >> EXPERIMENTS PRODUCER JOHN TINDALL HAS CREATED A MODEL OF RENDLESHAM FOREST TO DETERMINE WHAT THE MILITARY OFFICERS WITNESSED. WAS IT A BEAM OF LIGHT... OR A UFO? WELL, REMEMBER WE WERE IN RENDLESHAM FOREST IN ENGLAND, WE TOOK GPS COORDINATES AND PHOTOGRAPHS AS WELL. THIS WAS THE VIEW FROM WHERE COLONEL HALT WAS STANDING THAT NIGHT. AND WITH THAT AND THE PHOTOGRAPHS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RE-CREATE TO SCALE EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING THERE. >> AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS PROVE AND/OR DISPROVE TWO DIFFERENT POINTS. THE FIRST POINT IS, CAN A LIGHTHOUSE 6 MILES IN THE DISTANCE HAVE ANY SORT OF EFFECT ON THE FACE OF THAT FARMHOUSE? SECOND, CAN THE UFO HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE FACE OF THAT BUILDING? WHAT THE COLONEL WAS SAYING WAS HE WAS ACTUALLY SEEING REFLECTIONS COMING BACK FROM THE WINDOWS. SO, IN THAT MINIATURE, WE PUT SOME, UH, LITTLE DENTAL MIRRORS IN THERE, ACTUALLY, TO AID US IN DOING THE REFLECTION. >> NEVER BEFORE HAS SOMEBODY ACTUALLY GEOMETRICALLY SET UP THE ANGLES OF SIGHT BETWEEN THE LIGHTHOUSE, THE FARMHOUSE, THE CLEARING, AND THE FOREST. SO WHERE WAS COLONEL HALT'S LINE OF SIGHT NOW? >> RIGHT OVER HERE. >> SO THIS IS THE POSITION WHERE HE WAS STANDING, AND WE'VE SET THIS UP AS A LINE OF SIGHT SO WE CAN GET THE EXACT ANGLE TO THE LIGHTHOUSE OR THE WINDOWS IN THE HOUSE. >> I SEE IT. >> NOW, JEFF, WHY DON'T YOU BRING THE THE MAGIC UFO WAND IN? AND WE'RE GONNA APPROXIMATE IT IN THAT AREA. >> THAT POSITION WHERE JEFF HAS THAT LIGHT IS WHERE COLONEL HALT SAID THIS UFO HAD LANDED. >> I CAN SEE THE REFLECTION OF THE WINDOW FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW. WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THAT THE LIGHTHOUSE IS A SEPARATE LIGHT ENTIRELY, NOT REFLECTING IN THE WINDOW. BECAUSE THERE IS NO REFLECTION FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE TO THIS-- INTO THIS LINE OF SIGHT. YOU SEE THE LIGHT DIRECTLY, BUT YOU DON'T SEE ANY REFLECTION. >> BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE LIGHTHOUSE EVEN PLAYS INTO THIS. >> THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. >> THE LIGHTHOUSE IS ALMOST OVER THE HORIZON, AND IT'S JUST-- IT'S JUST A VERY STRANGE IDEA THAT EXPERIENCED SERVICEMEN WOULD GET EXCITED ABOUT A LIGHTHOUSE IN THE DISTANCE. >> [RECORDING] THERE IT IS AGAIN. YEAH, IT'S A STRANGE RED LIGHT. THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THERE, SOME KIND OF PHENOMENA. >> THE SECOND EXPERIMENT WAS, WHERE MUST THERE HAVE BEEN A LIGHT SOURCE IN ORDER TO CREATE A REFLECTION OFF THE WINDOWS OF THE HOUSE AND INTO COLONEL HALT'S EYES? >> I'M SEEING YOUR REFLECTION ON A WINDOW FROM, UH, THE OBJECT THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE UFO. >> SO A BRIGHT LIGHT REFLECTING OFF THE UFO FROM THAT POSITION WOULD DEFINITELY MAKE THE HOUSE LOOK THAT IT WAS ON FIRE, AS IF IT WERE ON FIRE BEHIND THE WINDOW. >> [RECORDING] IT'S LIKE THE PUPIL OF AN EYE LOOKING AT YOU, WINKING. AND THE FLASH IS SO BRIGHT IT ALMOST BURNS YOUR EYE. >> I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT IF THERE WAS A VERY BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE POSITION THAT COLONEL HALT OBSERVED THERE WOULD BE, THE ANGLE OF REFLECTION OFF OF THE HOUSE IS JUST ABOUT OPTIMAL OFF THOSE WINDOWS TO GET THE BRIGHTEST REFLECTION BACK TO THE OBSERVATION. >> I THINK BASICALLY WE'VE JUST CLOSED THE DOOR ABOUT ORFORD NESS BEING THE SOURCE OF THE LIGHT THAT CHARLES HALT SAW THAT NIGHT. WHETHER IT'S A UFO, WHETHER IT'S NOT A UFO, WHO KNOWS WHAT IT IS? >> ONE PERSON MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO THIS UFO DEBATE. KEITH SEAMAN IS THE KEEPER OF THE ORFORD NESS LIGHTHOUSE. >> IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE BEAM FROM THAT LIGHT WAS WHAT THE TROOPS IN THE FOREST SAW THAT NIGHT ON DECEMBER 26, 1980? >> IF WE LOOK AT THE LIGHTHOUSE BEHIND US, WE CAN SEE THAT IT'S GOT A BIG PIECE OF METAL BEHIND IT POINTING IN THE DIRECTION OF RENDLESHAM, WHICH IS OVER THERE. NOW, ALBEIT THAT THE INTENSITY OF THE LIGHT WAS GREATER THEN IN 1980 THAN IT IS NOW, THE LIGHT STILL WOULDN'T HAVE SHONE ACTUALLY DIRECTLY THROUGH THE TREES. ALL YOU WOULD SEE ON A CLEAR NIGHT IS THE FLASH OF THE LIGHTHOUSE EVERY 5 SECONDS GOING ACROSS THE SKY. >> SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THAT COVER, THAT PIECE OF METAL THAT IS BLOCKING THE LIGHT WAS THERE IN 1980? >> IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE. >> SO THERE'S NEVER BEEN A TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THIS LIGHTHOUSE THAT THE LIGHT WAS ACTUALLY SHINING TOWARDS RENDLESHAM FOREST? >> NO. >> I THINK WE'VE FINALLY GOT A WHOLE NEW PIECE TO THE PUZZLE. ACCORDING TO KEITH SEAMAN, THE LIGHTHOUSE ATTENDANT, THERE'S A BIG PIECE OF METAL ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE LIGHTHOUSE THAT DOESN'T SHINE TOWARDS LAND, IT SHINES OUT TO SEA. SO THIS IS LIKE A HUGE, EXCITING, NEW PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT NO ONE'S REALLY EVER LOOKED INTO, AND THANKFULLY WE ACTUALLY CAME HERE TO GET THE INFORMATION TO FIND OUT FOR OURSELVES. >> WE INTERVIEWED CHARLES HALT AND CONFIRMED THE ENTIRE STORY THAT COLONEL HALT SAID. WE ACTUALLY WENT TO THE TOWER, BRAND-NEW SPOT, WHERE A WITNESS WHOM WE DISCOVERED SAW THE ENTIRE EVENT PLAY OUT FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF THE TOWER. HE COULD SEE EVERYTHING. WE'VE INTERVIEWED OTHER WITNESSES, AND EVERY SINGLE STORY WAS CREDIBLE. >> ALL THESE EYEWITNESSES HAVE STOOD BY THEIR TESTIMONY FOR OVER 30 YEARS NOW. >> AND WE'VE COMPLETELY DISPROVEN THIS WHOLE LIGHTHOUSE THEORY. >> YEAH, BUT, GUYS, IT'S NOT LIKE JUST BY DISPROVING THE LIGHTHOUSE THEORY, WE'VE PROVEN THE EXISTENCE OF UFOs. I MEAN, THERE STILL COULD BE OTHER EXPLANATIONS. YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THERE ARE TWO TOP-SECRET AIR FORCE BASES IN THE AREA. IT COULD HAVE BEEN SOME SORT OF NEW, TOP-SECRET MILITARY AIRCRAFT OR A DRONE OR SOMETHING. I JUST DON'T WANT TO JUMP TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IT HAS TO HAVE BEEN EXTRATERRESTRIAL UFO VEHICLES. >> TRUE. I MEAN, WHAT IF IT WERE SOME KIND OF DRONE? BUT MAYBE IT WASN'T OURS. YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD EXPLAIN ALL THE DISINFORMATION AROUND THE TOPIC, RIGHT? THE GOVERNMENT'S DENIAL THAT ANYTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE HAPPENED THERE. >> AND I WOULD GIVE YOU THAT WITHOUT HESITATION, EXCEPT FOR ONE THING IN MY MIND THAT STILL STICKS: DRONES, AT LEAST THE ONES THAT I KNOW, DON'T FLOAT OUT INTO A FIELD AND THEN SPLIT INTO 5 SEPARATE LIGHTS AND GO IN 5 SEPARATE DIRECTIONS. THAT BOTHERS ME. >> WELL, IT COULD STILL BE SOME KIND OF TOP-SECRET DRONE, RIGHT? >> LOOK, WE'VE REALLY DONE A GREAT JOB ON THIS CASE. I THINK WE'VE REALLY CLOSED IT UP, WE'VE SENT THE SKEPTICS RUNNING. AS YOU SAY, WE'VE SHOWN IT COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN THEIR FAVORITE THEORIES. SO YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'VE DEBUNKED THE DEBUNKERS. >> THE RENDLESHAM FOREST CASE DIFFERS FROM OTHER REPORTED SIGHTINGS BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF WITNESSES... >> OVER 80 WITNESSED THE TAKEOFF. >> THE LEVEL OF THEIR EXPERTISE... >> THE DEPUTY BASE COMMANDER IS TELLING ME THAT HE HAD A UFO EVENT. >> AND THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE LEFT BEHIND. >> WE DISCOVERED RADIATION. >> BUT LIKE MOST UFO CASES, THERE MAY BE AN EARTHLY EXPLANATION FOR THE EVENTS OF THOSE TWO NIGHTS IN 1980. DID THE TROOPS REALLY ENCOUNTER A UFO? IS IT POSSIBLE THAT NUCLEAR BASES ARE BEING MONITORED BY SOMETHING NOT OF THIS WORLD? >> I'M FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT WHAT WE SAW WAS SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. >> THE ANSWER TO WHY A UFO PRESENCE MIGHT PERSIST HERE AND ELSEWHERE IS AS MYSTERIOUS AS THE UFOs THEMSELVES. >> [RECORDING] THERE'S SOMETHING VERY, VERY STRANGE. [CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS] [CAPTIONED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE --www.ncicap.org--]
