Magonia Supplement - No 56 - 2005 05 25

Magazine Overview

This issue of Magonia Supplement, No. 56, dated May 25, 2005, is dedicated to an in-depth examination of the Betty and Barney Hill abduction case, featuring an article by Nigel Watson. The supplement delves into the historical significance of the Hills' encounter, considering their role as pioneers in UFO abduction research.

Betty and Barney Hill - Abduction Pioneers

The article begins by reflecting on Betty Hill's death in October 2004 and her complex relationship with the UFO community and abduction research. While mourned as a pioneer, she reportedly never fully believed in alien abductions and was critical of researchers. Betty was more driven to understand the encounter than Barney, who initially dismissed it as a bad dream.

Their UFO Sighting

Determining the veracity of the Hills' sighting is presented as crucial to validating their abduction story. The only official investigation was conducted by Major Paul W. Henderson shortly after the encounter. Project Blue Book took two years to produce a report in September 1963, concluding insufficient evidence and suggesting natural causes like Jupiter. UFO researcher Robert Sheaffer agreed, noting Betty's inability to provide a reliable chart of the UFO's position relative to stars and planets, calculating that she likely saw Jupiter.

The article also mentions a spate of UFO sightings in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the fall of 1965, including a notable case involving police patrolmen seeing lights manoeuvre over a field. These sightings were sometimes attributed to plasma discharge. Robert Sheaffer suggested many were misidentifications of Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Criticisms are leveled against John Fuller's book 'Incident at Exeter' for focusing on witness reactions rather than detailed analysis.

Radar

Betty Hill claimed that on September 20, 1961, Pease Air Force Base radar detected a UFO, leading to two aircraft being sent to investigate. The pilots' findings remain classified. A local reporter confirmed radar tracking but lost his notes. The Blue Book file No. 100-1-61 contains a brief note about a 'strange incident' at 0214 local on September 20, 1961, involving military personnel at Pease AFB, which was not considered important at the time. The article questions the significance of this 'strange incident' and notes the lack of firm proof that the Hills' UFO was tracked by radar.

Missing Time

Upon returning home, the Hills' watches had stopped, and their kitchen clock showed 5 a.m., indicating 'missing time'. Their watches never worked again. Peter Rogerson suggests that Barney's stopping to observe the UFO and potential detours could account for the lost hours without recourse to an alien abduction scenario. Jenny Randles also found no evidence of witnesses actually missing time. The article notes that Barney estimated they should have arrived home much earlier if they had maintained a consistent speed.

Auto Effects

Following advice, Betty tested her car for radiation with a compass, which moved erratically over six shiny spots on the trunk, while Barney's test showed no such reaction. The article questions whether these spots were radioactive or caused by the UFO, possibly related to strange beeping or buzzing sounds heard by the Hills. It speculates about mind-controlling technology. Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman's book 'The Unidentified' is cited regarding contactees reporting bee-buzzing sounds.

Martin Cannon's research on defence sub-contractor Rex Niles is mentioned, involving psychoelectronic surveillance and a radioactive disk found in his car, speculated to be a cancer-inducing device. Cannon suggests the spots on the Hills' car might indicate a similar device used to disorient them. Karl Pflock offers a mundane explanation: the trunk lid might not have been properly closed, causing strange sounds when the car moved.

Dress Code

Barney found his binoculars strap broken, possibly due to his panicked state. The tops of his shoes were scuffed, substantiating his claim of being dragged by his arms. Betty's dress was found covered in a pink powder, leaving pink stains and showing torn seams. Sections of this dress have been kept for laboratory analysis. A study by Bill Konkolesky in 2002 examined fabric sections, finding that water soaked with the stained fabric promoted better wheat seedling growth, suggesting it could 'alter metabolic activity in a living organism'. The report cautioned that the long-term effects and changes over time were unknown, and no evidence of extraterrestrial origin was found.

Return of the Ear Rings

Six to eight weeks after the encounter, Betty found the blue ear rings she had been wearing on the night of the abduction on their kitchen table. This suggested no break-in, but raised questions about how they were lost and returned. The article notes a discrepancy in the timeline, as the Hills' trips to search for the abduction site occurred later than when the ear rings were supposedly found.

Telepathy

Communication during the abduction is described ambiguously. Barney thought they communicated telepathically, while Betty recalled them speaking in English with a gurgling humming fashion. The article notes that abductees generally hear communication in their heads or receive impressions.

Writing

Budd Hopkins keeps a file of 'notational symbols' remembered by abductees, which he uses to assess the genuineness of reports. Examples include George Adamski and Hélène Smith's elaborate alien languages. Betty Andreasson saw a glowing book, and Betty Hill described an alien book with curved and straight writing. Leonard Keane suggests Betty Andreasson's 'star language' might be Gaelic, warning of future suffering for descendants of Northern peoples.

The Star Map

Amateur astronomer Marjorie Fish spent years building a model of the stars and lines from Betty Hill's 'glowing 3-D Star Map'. She identified a sector with 12 sun-like planets matching Betty's drawing, suggesting the aliens came from Zeta Reticuli 2. Her work, presented in 1973, was considered difficult to hoax as it used data not widely available until the late 1960s. Astrophysicist Jacques Vallée is sceptical, arguing that the map lacks scale and brightness information and is as 'ludicrous as a propeller or a rudder'. He suggests it was intended to impress rather than be functional. A further blow came in 1980 when Zeta Reticuli 2 was discovered to be a double star system, making it less likely to support stable life. Joachim Koch proposed the map represented our own planetary system.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue highlights recurring themes in UFO abduction literature, including the analysis of evidence (or lack thereof), the psychological impact on witnesses, and the challenges of distinguishing between genuine experiences and cultural influences or hoaxes. The magazine adopts a critical yet open-minded stance, presenting various theories and counter-arguments, and encouraging readers to consider multiple perspectives. The editorial section notes the anticipation surrounding the release of Brazilian military UFO files and cautions that they may not be as sensational as expected. The 'Notes for Authors' section outlines submission guidelines for articles, letters, and book reviews, emphasizing clarity and adherence to format. The 'Letters' section features a discussion on the authenticity of the MJ-12 documents, with a contributor suggesting a forger's methods. The 'Literary Criticism' section reviews 'Witching Culture' by Sabina Magliocco, focusing on folklore and neo-paganism, and 'The making of Bigfoot' by Greg Long, which questions the authenticity of the Patterson film. The overall editorial approach appears to be one of rigorous investigation and critical analysis of UFO phenomena and related claims.