PART FIVE:
A Discussion With Nick Pope
contd......
HORN: Your investigations ultimately led to other unexplained phenomena. What do you make of so-called alien abductions?
POPE: While none of these other subjects were in the UFO project's terms of reference, they inevitably ended up on my desk, because there was nowhere else to send them. I've probably looked into around 100 cases of alien abduction. Some of these cases were reported to me at the MoD, but most people contacted me after I'd written a book on the subject, called The Uninvited. Some sceptics say these people are attention seekers after their 15 minutes of fame, but this clearly isn't true. Out of the hundred or so abductees I've been involved with, maybe half a dozen are interested in engaging with the media or the UFO community. Most aren't interested. Other people suggest these people are delusional, but again, this theory doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The few scientists who have looked at this phenomenon have found no signs of psychopathology in the abductees, and evidence (in terms of increased heartrate and perspiration) that they genuinely believe they've had these experiences. The use of regression hypnosis in some of these cases clouds the issue. The scientific community generally doesn't accept the validity of the technique in recovering suppressed memories, and indeed many believe it can distort memories or even create false ones. But regression hypnosis isn't used in all abduction cases, so we can't say False Memory Syndrome is the answer. Something's going on with these people, but the truthful answer is that we don't know what's happening.
HORN: Crop circles?
POPE: Some of the small, single circles (and that's where the phenomenon started) may be attributable to some form of meteorological phenomenon such as a whirlwind or wind vortex. As for the more complex ones - the so-called pictograms - there's no doubt in my mind that most of them are made by people. I've seen it done. Some of the people involved in this are highly skilled and motivated, plan the formations meticulously, well in advance, and split the work between several people. Some people call them hoaxers but many of the people involved see themselves as conceptual artists. Do I completely rule out a more exotic explanation? No. In my line of work, I tried never to rule anything out altogether, and always tried to keep an open mind.
HORN: Ghosts?
POPE: People associate ghosts with old houses, churches or pubs, but in my experience there are just as many reports of ghosts on military bases as anywhere else. I've received numerous such reports, often from the MoD Police officers or guards who have to patrol these areas at night. Now, these are pretty tough guys, as you can imagine, but some of them have been really spooked by what they've seen. All the classic signs are present in many of these cases: unexplained cold spots, guard dogs growling, with their hackles rising, at certain locations. And actual ghosts seen at sights where people have been killed. Ghosts have even been seen in MoD Main Building itself, where the modern headquarters is built on the site of the much older Whitehall Palace. The remains of Henry VIII's wine cellar are perfectly preserved in the basement, and there are some areas of the building where guards don't like to patrol alone at night. Perhaps the oddest report I received was an animal ghost story. During the Second World War, Wing Commander Guy Gibson (who led the famous Damn Busters raid) had a dog that was knocked down by a car and killed, shortly before the raid. The ghost of this dog has been seen several times at RAF Scampton.
HORN: You've written extensively about your work with MoD. Is this not a problem since you signed the Official Secrets Act?
POPE: I signed the Official Secrets Act on my first day in the MoD and even though I've left, it binds me for life. But it doesn't preclude writing or speaking about my work. Politicians invariably keep diaries and write memoirs, and military officers often write accounts of their careers. There's no bar on this sort of activity, provided you follow various rules and procedures, the most obvious one being the absolute prohibition on revealing any classified information.
HORN: Your books include "Open Skies, Closed Minds", "The Uninvited", "Operation Thunder Child", and "Operation Lightning Strike". Anything else you are working on?
POPE: Researching and writing a book typically takes me between 6 months and a year. While I intend to write further books (both non-fiction and fiction) at some stage, the pressure of other commitments means that I simply don't have time for this at the moment. I have numerous media commitments (mainly television work) and various private business interests to look after. These are my priorities at present.
HORN: This is the 60th anniversary of the Roswell UFO incident. What is your opinion about what happened there in 1947?
POPE: Clearly something crashed. But in my experience, if UFO sightings aren't solved quickly, they're unlikely to be solved at all. With that in mind, 60 years on, with most of the direct participants dead, the chances are we'll never be certain what happened at Roswell. Unless some 'smoking gun' emerges that's beyond dispute, I suspect the events will remain a mystery.
HORN: How do you think ufology can best use the 60th anniversary of Roswell to promote the subject?
POPE: To keep the subject in the public eye and generate as much serious, mainstream media coverage as possible. Spin-off benefits from this should include encouraging more people to report their UFO sightings, and bringing new people to the subject. But, fascinating though Roswell is, ufology should look forward as well as back. Promoting ufology should involve not just the old cases, but recent ones such as the sighting of a UFO over O'Hare airport or the sighting by the pilot who saw a UFO in the vicinity of the Channel Islands. It should also focus on the release of UFO files by the British and French governments. Finally, ufology might also consider how it could best engage with the scientific community, and in particular engage in constructive dialogue with those involved in SETI research.
HORN: Will you be in Roswell this July?
POPE: I have no current plans to come to Roswell this July, but I'll probably be doing some media interviews here in the UK, to tie in with the anniversary.
HORN: Thank you for taking time to do this interview.
Authors, Researchers & Lecturers at this year's 60th Roswell festival include Dennis Balthaser, Greg Bishop, Donald Burleson, PhD, Stephen Bassett, Richard Dolan, Adam GoRightly, John Greenewald, Paola Harris, Michael S. Heiser PhD, Tom Horn, Dr. Roger Leir, Guy Malone, Nicholas Redfern, John Rhodes, Peter Robbins, Rob Simone and MANY MORE TBA!
Learn more about the 60th Anniversary Roswell Festivals see both websites: http://www.roswellufofestival.com
http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/festival.htm
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Copyright © 2007 - A FarShores thanks to author Tom Horn
of Raiders News Network for forwarding this article.
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