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- Note: The following story was submitted
by an Air Force veteran with an above-Top-Secret security clearance. Although
we cannot vouch for the ultimate veracity of this story, and the author
is writing under a pseudonym because of his national security oath, we
feel the individual presents a strong degree of credibility. He states
that he has not revealed this event to anyone before.
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- "Nearly thirty years ago, my Supervising
Sergeant called me aside and informed me that there was a technical problem
in a highly-classified area elsewhere on the Air Base. At that time, all
systems were expanding to support increased military efforts for the Viet
Nam War. As a part of that, it was my job to support and maintain highly-classified
Intelligence and Reconnaissance-related Electronic Photographic Systems,
recently installed in a new Top Secret facility on the Base. Our unit
was under the command of the Director of Intelligence at Headquarters SAC,
Tactical Air Command, Langley Field, Virginia.
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- My Supervisor stated that the Lunar Orbiter
program had encountered a problem with an Electronic Photographic Contact
Printer, identical to equipment that was utilized in the darkrooms of our
own Unit. This was the first Lunar Orbiter program, the purpose of which
was to bring back the first close-up pictures of the surface of the Moon.
These photos would later be utilized to select an appropriate landing site
for the first manned landing on the Moon, in 1969. As the only Electronics
Repairman on the Base with a Cryptologic Security Clearance, a step above
Top Secret, I was being loaned to the project to see if I could resolve
the system problem. More than excited at the prospect of helping out and
possibly having a chance to view the first close up photos of the surface
of the Moon, I was briefed on security, and gathered the appropriate equipment
and tools for the task.
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- Driving across the Base on the perimeter
access road that skirted the flat dusty fields and long runways in the
distance, I noticed an experimental Helicopter hovering fly-like in the
air just above and to the south of the massive arching metal-grey hanger,
one of the largest on the base that housed the Lunar Orbiter project.
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- Upon entering the hanger, I was asked
to present my Top Secret Identity Badge, in exchange for their internal
higher-level Identity Badge*; t*his was to be worn around the neck on a
chain. Another guard escorted me through a series of security doors to
an expansive open area within the hanger. Large black fabric curtains
hung from a metal grid suspended from the ceiling. These, in effect, cordoned
off various working areas within the larger space. Passing through one
of the draped areas, I entered a large open space where people in small
groups stood talking quietly, with a sense of seriousness and concern.
I was immediately struck by the number of people who were present, who
appeared to be civilians, and also some scientists from other countries.
With a bit of instant shock and judgement, I thought to my self, why are
they here? I had a very strange feeling - a feeling that something is
off here, something is not quite right.
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- I was introduced to a man dressed in
civilian clothes and a lab coat, the head of the project, a Dr. Collie,
I believe. In a very gracious and reserved manner, bringing to mind an
image of Sherlock Holmes, he softly conveyed to me that the equipment in
question was holding up the processing of the first close-up photographs
of the surface of the Moon and also delaying the release of photos to be
provided for study and release to the world, and how grateful the program
staff would be if there was anything that I could do.
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- An Airman escorted me into a darkroom.
Inside, another young Airman assembled strips of high resolution 35mm
film into what is called a mosaic. He was placing side-by-side successively
numbered photographic scans of the lunar surface, which had been transmitted
back to earth from the Lunar Orbiter. Each surface scan covered a narrow
band of terrain, and successive orbits around the Moon were required to
assemble a complete photographic image of the Lunar terrain.
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- The mosaic negative created by that process
was then placed into a Resolution Enhancing Contact Printer. Photographic
paper was placed on top of the negative, and an exposure begun. The negative
was scanned by an electron light beam generated by a large Cathode Ray
Tube, similar to the tube in a black and white Televison set. The light
beam was picked up by a photo-multiplier tube and, through a feedback loop,
modulated by the various changes in density of the photographic negative,
enhancing the contrast, brightness and resolution of the image in the process.
The resulting 9.5 inch by 18 inch high resolution contact print was then
examined by a photographic interpreter or scientist, who viewed the images
under a microscopic type viewer, analyzing the features and terrain of
the Lunar landscape.
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- Left alone in the faint red light of
the darkroom with the Airman and equipment, much of which I had never seen
before, I began to question the technician, attempting to discern what
the problem might be with the ailing contact printer. After a few minutes
of investigation, it was clear that there was a problem with the electronic
control circuitry, which was comprised of several small plug-in circuit
modules. Having no spare parts on hand, it was clear that I would have
to trouble-shoot each module on a component-by-component basis, a very
tedious and time consuming process at best. This was something that could
not be done in the faint red light of a darkroom. The unit would have
to be removed from the darkroom and taken into a more appropriate space
to allow for the accomplishment of the task.
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- Talking with the Airman on the other
side of the room, questions floated into my head. I was curious and fascinated
with the whole process. How were the signals from the Lunar Orbiter transmitted
to the lab? How where they converted into images on photographic film?
How were the images correlated and aligned into the final mosaic negative.
I knew these were all questions that I should not ask, and yet, at the
same time, I was alone with an Airman who was as obviously as enthusiastic
as I was about his job.
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- Under normal operating conditions, many
other people would have been in the lab, part of the assembly line of production.
But, here we were all alone, so I began to ask all those questions. After
about thirty minutes of technical discussion and a complete rundown on
all the steps in the process, the Airman turned to me and said candidly,
"You know they've discovered a base on the back side of the Moon!".
I said, "What do you mean?", and again he said, "They have
discovered a base on the Moon!" and, surrepticiously, at the same
time dropped a photograph in front of me. There it was, a mosaic print
of the surface of the Moon, with some sort of geometric structures clearly
visible. Scrutinizing the image, I could see spheres and towers. My first
thought was, "Whose base is it?" Then I realized the full implication:
it was not anyone of this earth.
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- I did not dwell on the photograph - I
quickly took it in visually and moved away in case someone else should
enter the lab. I knew that I had been given a gift, information that I
should not have seen. With my *position* being that of a dutiful Airman,
I asked no further questions and went about my business, quietly thinking
to myself that I couldn't wait to hear about this on the News in the next
few days! I told myself, do whatever you can to get this thing fixed...so
the world can see this and hear about it!
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- Two days of labors paid off - a tiny
diode on one of the circuit cards had shorted. Replacing the defective
component, I was as surprised as anyone that I had found the problem.
Dr. Collie was more than pleased and offered several of the first photographs
of the Lunar surface to me in appreciation of my efforts. As he autographed
some of the prints for me, I longed to ask more questions about the Moon
Base, but knew that that was forbidden, and that I would have to wait for
the evening News for the answers, along with the rest of the world.
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- Now, here it is more than thirty years
later, and I am still waiting to hear the report on the Evening News of
what was found on the back side of the Moon.
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- I feel that it is my moral obligation
to take the risk *of coming* forward with this information at this time,
especially after a recent request by Astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell, who
has asked that those who have information which could help shed light on
the ongoing cover-up of an Extraterrestrial Presence by the Military and
Government come forward with that information. "
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- If you have information and want to help,
please contact CSETI, The Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence,
the only worldwide organization dedicated to establishing peaceful and
sustainable relations with extraterrestrial life forms. CSETI was founded
in 1991 by Dr. Steven M. Greer, who is the International Director. Please
contact Dr. Greer on the Web at http://www.cseti.com/, or by phone at 704-274-5671.
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