-
- My name is Sandy Nichols. I am one of the people mentioned
so prominently in the March 2000 issue of the Life Magazine article about
UFOs and related subjects. The purpose of this rebuttal will focus mainly
on the flagrant inaccuracies written about me, the people I associate with,
the article in general, and what I strongly suspect is the true intent
of the writer, Ms Cynthia Fox, and Life Magazine.
-
- How it all began,
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- On January 6, 2000 I received an e-mail from Ms Fox,
stating that she was writing the cover story for the March issue of Life
Magazine, and was interested in attending meetings or events or discussions
occurring in the month of January. I promptly sent back an e-mail reply
to Ms Fox, stating that I might be able to help her out. I explained to
her that some friends and I gather about twice a month, and that we had
a Gathering scheduled for late January. Due to a conflict with when she
had to have the article to the printers, I arranged to have the Gathering
moved forward by a week to January 18th. Over the next few weeks we exchanged
a few more e-mails and talked on the phone several times. During one of
the phone conversations I shared with her some good news. Toward the end
of 1999 I was asked by a gentleman to CO-Host a new talk show called the
"TENN FILES", and it was debuting on January 17th. Ms Fox was
very excited about this and arranged her schedule to fly into Nashville
on the 17th and to be at my house in time for the debut. During another
phone conversation she asked if Nashville had an airport and if there were
any hotels nearby. I informed Ms Fox that Nashville was a nice size city,
and there were plenty of places to stay. I recommended several hotels in
Brentwood, TN, the city where I live, which is about a forty-minute drive
from the Nashville airport. She stayed at the one of the hotels I recommended.
-
- At 8:30pm on January 17th, Ms Fox arrived at my home
one hour late and just thirty minutes before the debut of the radio program.
I walked out the front door, down the sidewalk to the driveway and greeted
Ms Fox. She apologized for being late. I told her that we still had plenty
of time before the program aired. As we neared the front door Ms Fox made
a comment, and then a statement. She said, "You have a nice place,"
and then she stated, "It must be worth well over a million dollars."
I was rather floored that she said this, but came back with a quick reply.
I told her maybe in New York where she lived it might be worth that much,
but outside of Nashville there was no way. I told her it was well under
her stated value and I let that discussion die. I must admit that I was
a little bit more than disturbed by her statement, and I hoped that she
would not ask any more questions about the value of those things I owned.
This was one area of questioning that was going to be totally off limits,
even if it meant stopping all interviews or never starting them to begin
with. Little did I know that Ms Fox was going to draw her own conclusions
with this topic and many others that we did and did not discuss with her.
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- Life Magazine Editor Notes, Page 9, A Contradiction?
-
- "The Air Force now says it was a secret, high-altitude
spy balloon that fell to earth in the New Mexico desert in 1947. But nearly
53 years later, what Roswell spawned is still with us. The town is in the
business of abducting tourists, luring them to its UFO museums, where they
can buy alien boxer shorts, among other merchandise (see Cynthia Fox's
voyage through America's UFO landscape, page 46). Despite the lack of hard
evidence, 43 percent of Americans continue to believe in the existence
of UFOs, according to a LIFE poll (page 56). And a new generation is being
implanted with images of alien invasion",
-
- "It's easy to write off the UFO phenomenon as a
form of mass hysteria, or as a function of a paranoid streak that runs
deep through American life, or as a symptom of mental illness. But it also
represents a belief--no more irrational than a belief in God--that we are
not alone. As long as scientists continue to probe the skies looking for
signs of life, as long as humans can imagine, those beliefs will be with
us. Indeed, 54 percent of Americans say they believe intelligent life exists
elsewhere in the universe. Not all of them are crackpots.", Mr. Friedman
wrote, Robert Friedman, Assistant Managing Editor
-
- Above are the Editor Note's from Mr. Robert Friedman,
Assistant Managing Editor of Life Magazine, page 9. There is confusion
as to the belief in UFO's by Mr. Friedman. In one paragraph he says, referring
to Roswell, NM "the town is in the business of abducting tourists,
luring them to its UFO museum, " In another paragraph he emphatically
states that a belief in UFO's "represents a belief-no more irrational
than a belief in God-that we are not alone." His very last sentence
states, referring to believers in UFO's, that "Not all of them are
crackpots." After reading the editor note's, and then reading the
article by Ms Cynthia Fox, it is not very hard to see a contradiction between
the editor note's and the article itself. Mr. Friedman's notes seem to
give the UFO subject a bit of credibility and imply that Life Magazine
has an open mind, yet an editor at Life Magazine (Mr. Friedman?), had to
give final approval for the story written by Ms Fox. The article basically
attacks the credibility of everyone but Mr. Chris McKay, and for reasons
unknown, Ms Fox's tends to single me out for the most damage. After reading
the article I found it better suited for the weekly tabloid newspaper on
sale at supermarkets.
-
- The total time spent by Ms Fox and myself in private
conversation was a grand total of 5 hours. Three hours and thirty minutes
were spent driving from one destination or another, and one and one half-hour's
at the Opryland Hotel in the course of eating a meal. The rest of the time
spent by Ms Fox in this area was done in the process of interviewing others
that I had introduced to her. I was present at some of these interviews,
but did not contribute personally. Most what Ms Fox wrote about me and
what she reported I said, was either misquoted, misconstrued, taken totally
out of context, or came very close to crossing over that thin line of fabrication.
Most of the things I really said to Ms Fox I have said before during radio
interviews, in my writings, speaking at conferences and to my friends.
All of these talks were done in an open and public forum and are a matter
of record. There is strong suspicion on my part but not provable, that
the sole purpose of Ms Fox and Life Magazine was to focus strictly on main
stream beliefs and thoughts, and to basically debunk all other beliefs
and those that profess those beliefs. The article itself testifies to this
without a doubt as well as the editor note's with key words such as "abducting
tourists," "implanted with images of aliens, " and "fueled
our imaginations with a steady diet of science fiction movies about aliens
invading from other planets." The only person that was not made to
look bad was Chris McKay. Even though I have never met Mr. McKay, I have
heard of his stellar reputation and have the utmost respect for his work.
-
- I knew that when I took the bold step of coming forward
with my abductions and felt called by God to speak out, that there would
be close-minded individuals who would take pot shots at me. I have always
stated that I respect the opinions, ideas and theories of others even though
they may not be mine. I have found though that some people and publications
have no respect for those that go against the status-quo belief system.
I do not mind speaking with those that disagree with me or find it impossible
to believe that UFO's and abductions are real, as long as they don't slam
me and make me to look like a fool with nothing better to do. In my opinion
Ms Fox and Life Magazine did just this. In a very short period of time
she judged me, found me guilty and tried to carry out the death sentence
of character assassination.
-
- Sorry Ms Fox and Life Magazine, the sentence was not
carried out. Your verdict was painful, but I heal quickly. I have many
friends, and I have received literally hundreds of e-mails showing support
for me. I have many resources as well to work with to speak out about this
injustice. The Internet is a marvelous tool to use when one wants to spread
the word. Also don't forget I CO-Host a radio show every week that reaches
many, many people, and all programs are archived. Will I continue to speak
out about this? You bet I will. I just wonder though, this month it was
I. Who will it be next month?
-
- What I really said,
-
- "Sandy Nichols is on the phone, seeking earthlings.
He doesn't need to look for extraterrestrial life. It found him 42 years
ago, he says, when he was kidnapped asleep and deposited in a flying saucer,
as he would be many more times.", Cynthia Fox wrote,
-
- I was doing my CO-Hosting duties, getting ready to debut
the new radio program on KRVL 103.1FM in Tucson, AZ. My first abduction
was at the age of six (now 48), on a sunny day in the backyard of my grandmother's
home in East Nashville.
-
- "His mission is to tell humans what aliens want,
which is to create a new race because they lost their emotions--or whatever
(he hasn't nailed the details).", Cynthia Fox wrote,
-
- I feel called by God, to use the gift of talk that I
seem to have. It is a theory of mine, shared by many others but not written
in stone. I may awaken tomorrow morning with a new theory about the whole
abduction issue.
-
- "So he's planning the debut of a radio show and
a gathering that includes his support group, which helps abductees through
the "UFO divorces" many have after they "come out of the
UFO closet.", Cynthia Fox wrote,
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- It was already planned. I had her four different researchers
in the field that she could listen too and be able to better write her
story because the issue is so complex. I had already worked out the details
of the Gathering, and had arranged for a number of people to meet her.
I would take her there the next day on January 18th. It is not my Group.
It is nobody's group. We are a myriad of individual people with different
ideas, opinions and theories and beliefs who get together about every two
weeks to share. It is not a support group for divorced people. She misquoted
this and turned this around. I told her that I have dealt with many abductee's
that said their spouse's do not understand what has happened to them after
they have shared with them. I said that this sharing has sometimes lead
to divorces.
-
- I have my own group. It is called ARG (Alien Research
Group). I help people find psychologists, psychiatrists and support groups
around the country and the world for those people that believe that they
may have been abducted or have already come to that realization. I am also
associated with the NightSearch Organization , www.NightSearch.net, in
Memphis, TN headed up by Eddie Middleton. I coordinate the "TENN FILES"
section of this group. The radio show I CO-Host is called the "TENN
FILES," broadcasts every Monday night.
-
- "The ex-wife has joint custody of his human kids;
extraterrestrials have full custody of his alien kids; he's afraid to go
to bed. And staring up at the stars, this college-educated husband of a
former Air Force captain--and son of a millionaire--may cry, as he often
does, at the horror, the wonder, the whatever of it all." Cythina
Fox wrote, .
-
- I have three children and I do share custody with my
ex-wife. I have been shown two of my Hybrid children. I do not even know
what an "Alien Kid" looks like. I have never been shown any.
As I stated earlier, I would not and never discussed money issues. I used
to cry at one time out of fear, of questioning my own sanity before I came
to accept that the abductions were real. I still cry on occasions, when
the pressures of what I have experienced weigh heavily upon me. As for
me, Ms Fox, I wear this distinction with honor, knowing that I have been
blessed with emotions, unlike some people I have met.
-
- "But we also want to believe aliens are conspiring
against us, making money off us, abducting us. Why? Are we that bored?
This at first seems true when abductee Sandy Nichols turns out to be a
man who hasn't had to work for years and lives in a lush Nashville suburb.
A friendly sort in a polo shirt, he introduces two college-educated, 40-something
friends. Yes, Tony, a photographer, who says he spied a UFO that filled
a third of the sky, is suing the government with Citizens Against UFO Secrecy.
Yes, Ann begins sentences with, "A voice told me. . ." But when
Tony plays a video of an alleged sighting, and a saucer (or trick of light)
slowly appears, there is a breakout-the-popcorn air. Boo. It's about boredom.",
Cynthia Fox wrote,
-
- I can't figure out the "aliens making money off
of us." Does Ms Fox have an inside source that has told her about
the alien's monetary system? Ms Fox, whether you want to believe it or
not, people are being abducted. I never asked you to believe me. You asked
questions, I answered them, truthfully. If you want to live in your nice,
little, secure comfortable world, be my guest. While you stay at home,
wondering when and where your next writing assignment is coming from, my
friends and I are out searching, going boldly where even angels fear to
tread.
-
- Ms Fox, I clearly told you my past working history. I
worked in the family business for almost twenty years full time until it
was sold in 1989. I learned a strong work ethic, and might I say a more
important moral ethic when it comes to dealing with people. I also told
you I did some writing, and was working with a lady trying to get published
a new children's picture book series. I told you that as late as summer
1998 I was working for a national retail company. I told you that during
this time I was also writing another book series at nights during any free
time I had, and trying to get that published as well. Do you want to see
my W-2 forms for proof? Why did you not tell them about my group ARG, and
how I do not charge a penny for this service? Back in July 1996 when I
could no longer dismiss the abductions to one status-quo explanation after
another, I began a search to see if this stuff was real. I was hurting
and needed someone to share with. It was not an easy process. It was a
long and arduous task to find people, but I did. Then I knew that I was
not alone.
-
- For your information, Ms Fox, I am struggling financially.
All the things that you saw I had before I ever got into this field. I
am proud of what I have accomplished in my life, but I have worked hard,
harder than what you can ever imagine. Since the summer of 1998 I have
devoted my life to finding the answers that I so desperately need. Some
members of my family and some of my closest friends can not understand
my devotion. I have even lost some of these friends. Sometimes I can't
understand it as well. My lovely, dear and supportive wife has had to carry
the burden supporting us for the last year and a half. She doesn't quite
understand what has happened to me, but she believes in what I am doing
and me. Do I like that she has been doing this? "NO!" Since I
am discussing money, why did you not tell your readers that no one from
this area asked for one red cent? Everything we did, we did for free. Never
once did any of my friends or I ask to be reimbursed for the gas I used
in my car to drive you around, the food we offered you and the photographers
at the farm field, or for our valuable time that you wasted after reading
the article..
-
- Ms Fox, Tony is not a photographer. He is a 5th degree
black belt instructor in the martial arts. I heard him distinctly tell
you this. He is in this field just like the majority of us are into it,
to learn; to expand our understanding and knowledge. Maybe the video of
a possible UFO he took is boring to you, but not to us. If you had the
slightest understanding of what this field is about, then maybe, just maybe
it would have not been so boring..
-
- Ann does not begin every sentence with "A voice
told me." If you had read your own notes better you would know this.
I don't understand how you could be with us for that period of time, take
all the notes you did, and get things so screwed up, unless it was intentional.
-
- "Then Nichols goes upstairs to do his radio show
with abductee co-hosts from New York City and San Diego. On air, he and
the New Yorker share thyroid problems that Nichols says were caused by
aliens and the New Yorker says were cured by them. Another quotes a general
whose belief in UFOs was erased from books and says "reptilian"
overlords control the "grays." A third, who has written about
falling in love on spaceships, says abductions run in her family. Boredom
explains some alienophiles. Not these.", Cynthia Fox wrote,
-
- Once again you either did not listen or you wrote your
own sad version of what was actually related to you. Since all the radio
programs are recorded this is easy to prove.
-
- I never stated that the aliens caused my thyroid problem.
What was really discussed by myself and the other researchers that night,
were the medical conditions that a lot of abductees seem to have in common.
We also discussed stomach problems, sinus problems, and things relating
to women and pregnancy. Research gathered so far seems to suggest that
abductions happen to each new generation.
-
- Your story line so far seems to indicate that the UFO
field and the people involved are brought together by boredom, but now
you don't. You can't seem to make up your mind. If this field is so boring,
then why did you take the assignment to begin with?
-
- "The next day, at the Opryland Hotel, Nichols offers
nitty-gritties, which tumble out like the waterfall behind him. He describes
his alien kids, one six months, one 18 years. He cries: The aliens made
him think he hit one of his human kids. With hypnotherapist Pat Kerr, he
cries again and talks of waking with scratches. Kerr says he has post-traumatic
stress. Why, she won't say. Nichols says abductees are "loners,"
distracted by their other lives. But when they "recover their memories"
and find one another, they have "enough friends to fill a ballroom."
Faith has brought him some of its practical gifts. It has relieved him
of responsibility for perceived flaws. It has brought him friends. It may
bring fame.", Cynthia Fox wrote,
-
- You had your tape recorder going during this conversation,
I would have thought that you'd at least get this part right. But apparently
not. You asked the age of my hybrid children. I said that if you had to
guess an age, in human year terms, then they would be about six months
and 18 years, but I also clearly stated that I had no idea of their real
age.
-
- The aliens did make me think I hit one of my children
during an abduction, but I clearly stated that it was what we call a "Screen
Memory."
-
- Pat Kerr is not only a Certified Hynotherapist, but also
a Licensed Psychological Examiner. Pat has diagnosed me with PTSD. Pat
plainly stated though that as long as I am still seeing her on occasions,
she would not explain why she diagnosed me with PTSD. Pat also plainly
and bluntly stated that I did not have a mental disorder and that what
I had experienced was real to me.
-
- Never once did I say that abductees were "Loners."
I said that a lot of abductee's had lonely childhoods. That some abductee's
had very few friends. Our attention seemed to be focused on something more
than just learning the ABC's. This made a lot of us different in the eyes
of our peers at a young age.
-
- We do have a lot of friends because we have found some
striking similarities in our lives. Finding each other is like finding
a lost family member. We are very thankful to be united with these people.
-
- I have been very blessed in my life. I have loving and
caring parents, wonderful brothers, and gracious sister-in-laws, and many
vivacious nieces and nephews. I have three beautiful children who make
excellent grades in school, have never been in trouble with the law, and
who love their father. Yes, God has graced me with many wonderful gifts,
the most precious being His Love, my family and friends.
-
- Somehow, in some mysterious and miraculous way, through
five short hours of private conversation, a few e-mails and a few phone
conversations, you were able to demonstrate a gift that no other human
being has ever possesed. You are able to tell the world in no uncertain
terms who Sandy Nichols really is, what he feels, what he thinks, what
he has experienced, and what he is all about in an article that is best
not suited for publication.
-
- My final summary,
-
- As you can clearly see the article is flooded with inaccuracies.
This surprises me very much. A few weeks ago I got a call from a lady named
Megan. She stated that she worked for Life Magazine as a "Fact"
checker. Many of the misquotes, and other problems that I attribute to
Ms Fox's perceived flaws in her writing, were gone over by Megan and myself.
It makes me wonder once again how Ms Fox could get so many things wrong
unless it was intentional.
-
- I could give a tinker's damn about the belief system
of Ms Fox and the contradiction of open mindedness of Life Magazine. In
March 1997 I came to the realization that what had happened to me and others
was real. I don't ask for anyone to believe me. I have always stated, "Look,
Listen, Learn, but Make Up Your Own Mind." Use the gift of free will
that was bestowed on you at birth. I only ask and wish that I be allowed
to express my belief system without being made to look like a fool. Neither
Ms Fox or Life Magazine allowed this to happen.
-
- When I am attacked, I will respond unerringly with the
resources at my disposal.
-
- A few extra things,
-
- The last paragraph of Ms Fox's article is also filled
with many inaccuracies. The field co-owner does not practice the faith
of the Native Americans that once lived there. The person who handled
UFO reports in Vietnam did not handle UFO reports, except one from the
helicopter crew he commanded. I had him as a guest on the radio program
and he described the event in detail. This person is also a Certified Hynotherapist,
and has a degree in Psychology. I talked to the person she calls "The
Moonshine Man." I asked him point blank if he ever said that he went
out drinking moonshine and skywatching. His answer was a flat out "No!"
I have known this man since 1997, and I consider him a good friend, honest
and very credible. Once again it is not my group.
-
- "The number of Americans who say they have been
abducted is "staggering," says one St. Louis psychiatrist. Harvard
Medical School's John Mack has treated hundreds and has a new book out.",
Cynthia Fox wrote,
-
- Ms Fox conveniently left out that Dr. Mack is a Pulitzer
Prize winner and an ardent strong believer that the abductions are real.
Dr. Mack also formed a group that is highly respected in this field that
does continuing investigations into the abduction phenomenon. Ms Fox's
wording here seems to suggest that abductee's have a mental disorder that
needs to be treated, in what manner and in what way, she does not say.
-
- "Yet the view from above is of such an ancient,
awe-inspiring, genuinely alien nowhere. Why would Roswell bother to tip
a Stetson to UFOs, let alone worship the gaudy, dubious things?"
-
- "Anyone driven around by the town's fast talking
convention center director isn't kept in the dark for long."
-
- "The perfect rows of spindly pecan trees he is passing
are beautiful, but their resemblance to cemetery crosses is apt. The stucco
ranches are low to the ground and camouflaged in the pastels of the New
Mexico sky, as if deferring to the chili and alfalfa fields that once sustained
them. But beautiful nowheres are in jeopardy. Farming is no longer enough,
and Roswell's military base closed in 1967."
-
- "On to the International UFO Museum, which occupies
the smalltown place of honor--an old movie theater. Inside, it resembles
the warehouse headquarters for an FBI sting:"
-
- "The gift shop (alien bottled water, alien underwear,
the book The Aliens and the Scalpel by a podiatrist who surgically removes
alien implants) takes in $1 million a year. Nearby, in Alien Zone (aliens-in-a-jar),
Demi Moore's kids posed for photos with stuffed alienettes. Aliens built
five motels. Roswell cares about aliens because we care about aliens. One
reason we care: They're cute."
-
- MS Fox wrote the above words about the town and people
of Roswell, NM. After reading Mr. Friedman's editor's notes, I have to
wonder if Ms Fox and Mr. Friedman didn't collaborate on Ms Fox's article.
If you remember Mr. Friedman mentioned something about Roswell "abducting
tourists " into its UFO museums, in a way to suggest that there might
be some diabolical trap from which there is no escape. I find it ironic
that all cities pride part of their rich heritage on their museums, but
using the words "abducting tourists," seems to indicate underlying
sinister overtones.
-
- Ms Fox paints a very gloomy portrait of Roswell. She
uses such words as "genuinely alien nowhere" and referring to
the beautiful pecan trees "but their resemblance to cemetery crosses
is apt." Her description of the International UFO Museum that "resembles
the warehouse headquarters for an FBI sting" gives the illusion that
maybe crime is rampant in Roswell. She depicts the museum as selling gaudy
items to the abducted tourist such as, "alien bottled water and alien
underwear" etc. She makes a point to tell how much money the museum
makes in a year from selling such items as if making a living were a crime.
-
- I would highly suggest that Ms Fox visit the Huntsville
Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. This is a NASA facility, and
my daughter just last year bought me an Alien Fountain Pen from their gift
shop on a school field trip. Ms Fox, alien items are a hot seller these
days. Many well known and respected stores are selling Alien and UFO related
items. Look around, and then ask yourself "Why?"
-
- "Many psychiatrists think alien abduction is actually
sleep paralysis--when we wake still paralyzed in a REM stage and feel terror,
convinced of menacing presences.", Cynthia Fox wrote,
-
- I have just one question. I want to ask these esteemed
psychiatrists and Ms Fox. If sleep paralysis is what is really happening
to us abductees, then how in the world, when we can not move, do we get
all the strange marks upon our bodies during this time period, and this
is not including such things as finding ourselves out doors, under the
bed, pajamas placed on backwards, leaves in the bed, dirt on our feet,
etc.? How does sleep paralysis explain the "Missing Time" experiences
when we are in our cars driving?
-
- "Scientists can be like cats who spend hours pushing
at doors merely because they're closed. There is none of that methodical,
inarticulate stubbornness in Chris McKay. He's all emotive, articulate
stubbornness. For that reason he's a rough-hewn jewel in the crown of the
new NASA National Astrobiology Institute.", Cynthia Fox wrote,
-
- As I had written earlier, I have the utmost respect for
Chris McKay and the work he is doing. He is following the mainstream thought
process and not rocking the boat, and Ms Fox showered him with glowing
praise. For the rest of us, well, you read the article. What do you think?
-
- One last thing, Very Important,
-
- The front cover of the March issue should have been a
good hint or dire warning as to the mindset of Life Magazine and the article
by Ms Fox about being open minded. Three young actors are posing for the
cover photo. These actors portray certain characters in the TV series,
Roswell. But the most interesting thing about the front cover is not the
actors themselves, but the photo of UFO's that one is holding directly
facing the camera. I had seen that photo in a book and I went searching
for it. Low and behold but where did I find it? In a 1987 copyright book,
published by none other than Time-Life. The title is called "The UFO
Phenomenon" and was originally published as part of the series, "Mysteries
of the Unknown." On page 96 of this book is the exact photo that
the actor is holding on the front cover, and according to the caption written
in the book, the photo is a fake. The photo first surfaced in 1962 supposedly
taken by three young boys in Sheffield, England. Project Blue Book investigated
the photo and uncovered no evidence that the photo or negative had been
altered. Project Blue Book cited a lack of sufficient information to explain
the objects in the photo. Ten years later, it was revealed that the objects
were actually shapes painted on a windowpane. I have one more, important
question.
-
- Why did Life, knowing the photo was a fake, place it
on the front cover if they were going to write an actual serious and unbiased
story on UFO's?
-
- Sandy Nichols
-
- WSmith51@aol.com
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