Nota: A seguinte história foi submetida por um veterano da Força Aérea
norte americana. Apesar de não se poder provar a veracidade desta história
e o facto do autor ter exigido ficar anónimo por recear pela sua segurança,
penso que este indivíduo merece um forte grau de credibilidade. Ele afirma
que nunca revelou este acontecimento a ninguém antes.
"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.
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.
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.
Upon entering the hanger, I was asked to present my Top Secret
Identity Badge, in exchange for their internal higher-level Identity
*Badge*; this 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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. "
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.
