The Groom Lake Desert Rat: Issue 15

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The Groom Lake Desert Rat

 · 10 months ago

Issue #15. September 2, 1994

In this issue...

• Subtleties of The Television Talk Show
• New Air Force Statement on Groom
• EG&G to Abandon Test Site
• Janet "N" Numbers
• Janet Handoff Frequencies
• Groomstock '94
• Sound Familiar?
• Campbell Arraigned
• Larry King Not Cloned?
• Mysterious Sign Disappearance
• Intel Bitties

Media Communications 103A: Subtleties of the Television Talk Show, Part I

In DR #10, we reviewed the major news media--print, radio and television--and showed how each could twist reality in their own special way. Strictly for the sake of science, Psychospy allowed himself to be turned into a minor media celebrity so we could report to our readers the sometimes dubious processes behind the scenes. There was a limit, however, to how low we would sink in the pursuit of knowledge. We would not take off our clothes for the camera, and we would not place ourselves in any situation where our credibility, reputation or dignity could be seriously trashed.

Now we can report that this barrier has been broken. In the next two issues of the Rat we will recount our first-hand experiences with the lowest form of mass media, the television talk show.

The Medium of Talk

Talk shows come in three basic formats. The rarest but most respectable is the SERIOUS ISSUES talk show exemplified by "Meet the Press," "Nightline" and the roundtable discussions on PBS-- maybe even "Larry King Live." They are dignified and serious, explore meaningful political and societal issues, and hardly anyone watches them.

The next rung down the ladder--vapid but benign--is the CELEBRITY CHAT talk show, like the "The Tonight Show," "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Arsenio Hall." Movie stars and Big Money authors pump their latest work in a non-confrontational environment designed only to promote laughs.

The last and lowest form of the genre is the HUMAN CONFLICT talk show. These syndicated programs always bear the name of the host, like "Oprah," "Geraldo," "Vicky" or "Leeza." He or she is a charismatic and camera-loving character, no doubt ruthless in real life, but blessed with the ability to convey warmth and sincerity on TV. The fodder for these shows is a steady diet of human suffering, crises, angst and tragedy. Former spouses and estranged friends face off against each other; grown men and women reveal to the parents their until-now-hidden perversities, and human oddities of all shapes and sizes present themselves for humiliation before a nationwide audience. The ultimate goal of these shows is the public expression of private feelings. They seek tears, anger, jealousy and graphic self-immolation recorded by the camera on a tight close-up. With a dozen such shows now in syndication, the competition is intense to seek out new forms of conflict and expose the latest narcissistic trends.

Talk shows are produced "live on tape" with minimal editing, and this presents special problems for a guest. In other forms of television, sound bites rule the show. It may seem artificial, but tight editing at least assures that each party has their say and only their finest bon mot will be used. The courteous speaker with a few good ideas can confidently compete with any extravagant, microphone-hogging blowhard, because most of what the blowhard says will be cut. In the almost-live talk show, the more reasonable speaker has to compete with the blowhard head on. There is no time for an orderly presentation of evidence; he who makes the most outrageous, confident and colorful claims, groundless or not, gains the camera's eye and controls the game.

If you have any shred of personal dignity and are asked to be a guest on a Human Conflict show, the best response is obvious: "Just Say No." Unless you are a masochist or a natural born actor, there is no way you can win in this format. We know it now; we knew it then, but sometimes, like Oedipus, you just can't stop the inevitable march of Fate....

Onward To Humiliation

The path to our own downfall was indirect. For several months, a number of journalists have been making the pilgrimage to Freedom Ridge, and we generally escort them as a sort of local public relations representative. We do not charge for this service, and we do not discriminate between journalists. If TASS or Penthouse or the Podunk Review came to call, we would treat them no differently than the New York Times.

In May, we got a call from a producer from the Montel Williams Show, one of the Human Conflict shows that we had never seen. It seems that "Montel," as he is known to the world, had promised on an earlier talk show that he would visit the border of Area 51. We told the producer that we would be willing to escort Montel and his crew to Freedom Ridge to tape a segment, but we declined an offer to come to New York to appear on the studio show. Montel's visit was originally scheduled for May 5 but was canceled at the last minute, and we breathed a sign of relief.

In August, the project was reactivated, we suspect as the result of the June 22 article in the New York Times. Montel's visit was scheduled for Aug. 16, and we were again asked if we would go to New York to appear on the later show. Again, we declined.

When Montel came to Rachel, he brought a Humvee, his producers and a film crew. We went through the usual script for the camera: Montel drives up to our Research Center, and we meet him in the driveway. Inside, we show him where we are going on the map, then we get in the car and drive the rugged road to Freedom Ridge. We had done it before with countless crews, but never so quickly and in so few "takes." When Montel arrived, there was no question that he was in charge. He asked no significant questions, and showed no particular interest in the secret base itself. We sensed that he came only because he said he would and that his primary aim was to film a sound bite on the ridge that said, "You see, I did what I promised."

As we rode down from Freedom Ridge in the Humvee with Montel and the producer, we were again asked if we would come to New York to appear on the talk show the following week, Aug. 23. We hesitated and were about to turn down the offer cold, when the producer uttered the only horrible words that could force us to comply.

Sean David Morton.

The Embodiment Of Evil

We first learned of Sean Morton over two years ago, before we came to Rachel. We had heard his enthusiastic endorsement of the Black Mailbox on a UFO video:

"Probably the most amazing thing about Area 51 is the fact that this is literally the only place in the world where you can go out and actually see flying saucers on a timetable basis. You can literally go out there on a Wednesday night between about seven and one a.m. and you'll see these things flying up and down the valley. It's absolutely amazing. On even a bad night you'll have ten, eleven, twelve sightings. On a good night--and I've been out there with friends of mine camping--on a good night the sky will just rip open with these things. You'll see anywhere between twenty to forty objects in a night testing over the base for anywhere from fifteen and forty minutes at a time."

We've lived near the border for over a year and a half now, are genuinely interested in UFOs and have spent countless days and nights in the desert; yet we haven't seen even ONE flying saucer, let alone scores. The logical explanation is that we arrived too late, after the saucers had been packed up and moved elsewhere. The trouble with this theory is that during the early part of our tenure, Sean Morton continued to bring tours to the area--at $99 a head--and reported UFOs everywhere.

In one celebrated incident in March 1993, Psychospy spent the night on White Sides, overlooking Groom Lake, with some aviation watchers and a writer from Popular Science. We were looking for the alleged Aurora spyplane--almost as ephemeral as flying saucers--but we saw nothing more than a few satellites, some distant aircraft strobes and an occasional meteor. The following was reported in the March 1994 Popular Science....

"Last March, three chilly airplane watchers with binoculars atop White Sides Mountain at this magic hour [4:45am] were tracking a 737 airliner approaching Groom Lake, as a fourth member of their group thawed out in his truck below. Parked on a knoll, he was next to a vanload of UFO seekers. They were lead by tour operator Sean Morton, whose leaflet described him as 'the world's foremost UFO researcher.'

"Morton donned a horned Viking helmet and from time to time pointed to the sky, exclaiming: 'Look at that one!' The airplane watcher trained his binoculars in the same direction but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Later, Morton's group became excited by what they perceived as an entire formation of UFOs; the airplane watcher's lenses revealed only stars. Finally, as the morning's first 737 made its gentle approach toward Groom Lake at 4:45, the UFO enthusiasts rejoiced at Old Faithful's appearance. Everyone had seen exactly what they hoped for."

In the beginning, when we were new to the area, we were generous to Sean and called him "fantasy prone." As we got to know him better and gained confidence in our own knowledge base, we came to mince no words. Sean is a deliberate con man. He recognizes as well as us the landing lights of a 737, but he knows that others can be fooled and taken for a $99 ride to see them. If anyone is spreading disinformation about Area 51, filling the air with noise to make the truth harder to grasp, it isn't sinister government agents; it's Sean David Morton pursuing only his own greed and self-aggrandizement.

We have worked hard over the past 18 months to undo the damage Sean has done and displace him from the Area 51 scene. Discrediting Sean isn't complicated: We simply quote his own words whenever we can. Sean is a broadly diversified charlatan, a self- proclaimed expert in faith healing, earthquake prediction, psychic prophesy and virtually every other New Age fad. We have no problem at all with him plying his trade within the confines of the state of California where he justly belongs, but when he proclaims himself the foremost authority on Area 51, we get territorial. We hope that our "Area 51 Viewers Guide" has reduced the gullibility of newcomers and made the environment less attractive for leeches like him. In fact, we haven't had a confirmed Morton sighting near the border in over a year. We heard from sources in California that he no longer gave tours to Area 51 because the saucers had been moved elsewhere--which was fine by us.

The saucers must have returned, however. As the recent Groom Lake publicity reached its peak, "The World's Foremost UFO Researcher" could not help but resurface to suck energy from it. In recent months, reports began to reach us that he had appeared as an Area 51 expert at UFO conferences, on radio talk shows and on the Montel Williams Show.

In the latter appearance, which was first broadcast in December 1993, Sean showed video footage of nighttime "UFOs" that he said he photographed "at great risk to my own life." As we viewed them later, one clip showed an isolated circle of light jumping around within the frame. It could have been any stationary out-of-focus light shot through a hand-held video camera. Notches seen on the top and bottom of the "disk" correspond to protrusions inside the lens assembly. In the other clip, only slightly out of focus, we saw the lights of a 737 landing on the Groom Lake airstrip. To Sean, it was "an object actually coming in from space." The time stamp in the corner said "4:49 am."

It was on this show that Montel promised to visit Area 51 escorted by Sean; yet when Montel finally made the trip eight months later, Sean was not invited. The producer told us that word had reached him from many sources that Sean was considered a fraud, that in addition to UFOs he also did psychic prophesies and that his claimed credentials were highly dubious. He and Montel felt that Sean had taken advantage of them and that by having him on the show they had inadvertently legitimized him.

But none of that prevented them from inviting him back as a guest the second studio show.

As we rode down in the Humvee from Freedom Ridge with Montel and the producer, the reality to us became crystal clear: If we did not appear on the Montel Williams Show, then Sean would have the stage all to himself and could continue to spread any sort of nonsense about Area 51. We felt that we had no choice. Either we did battle with this guy now, before he grew bigger, or we would be cleaning up his mess for many months to come.

Our Rapid Education

We had less than a week to prepare for the big show--nowhere near enough time to do all the research we needed. The first item of business was to actually watch the Montel Williams Show and familiarize ourselves with the format. We cranked up our satellite dish and surfed through the channels. On "Donahue": "Six Year Olds Who Sexually Harass Other Six Year Olds." On "Rolanda, a related topic: "Will Your Child Grow Up To Be A Serial Killer?" On "The Vicky Show," we heard that Sean Morton had just appeared as an expert on the prophesies of Nostradamus, but we were unable to catch that one.

The first Montel Williams Show we saw was, "Mistresses Who Want To End The Affair." On the stage, three women disguised by dark sunglasses explained why they had been attracted to married men. We could only tolerate about ten seconds at a time of this show, but when we tuned back, we found that the women had shed their sunglasses and revealed their true identities. Presumably, they had also revealed, or at least seriously compromised, the identities of the men they had been having the affairs with. When we tuned in again later, one of the three was having an angry argument with a fourth female guest. We guessed that this was the wife of one of the married men.

A friend sent us a tape of Montel's original UFO show in which Sean appeared as a "UFO Investigator" and Montel promised to visit. The show included an abductee, a witness to the "Kecksburg Incident," a former actress, WFUFOR Sean David Morton, a requisite skeptic, a pro-UFO filmmaker and--as if you hadn't guessed--that talk show regular Travis Walton. The show was conducted in the "expanding chairs" format. It started out with two guests alone on the stage, then more guests and chairs were added during each commercial break until there were seven chairs and seven squabbling speakers vying for attention on the platform. In this format, attention is diluted with each new chair, so the people who appear last, typically the skeptics, usually get only a few seconds of airtime. During the free-for-all of a seven-person debate, the camera always focuses on the most aggressive and charismatic guest--i.e. Sean David Morton.

The last chair to be filled was occupied by filmmaker Russ Estes, who the on-screen caption said, "Does Not Believe In UFOs." This is false. He is a disciplined UFO investigator who has devoted his career to making films on the subject, as well as exposing obvious frauds. What is true is that he "Does Not Believe In Sean Morton." In his few seconds of air time, he raised doubts about one of Morton's many fake credentials, his claimed "Doctor of Divinity" degree.

RUSS ESTES: "Montel, my biggest problem, and this is what I've run into over and over again, is the quality of the individual who is bringing me the message. You know, the-boy-that-cried-wolf syndrome is phenomenal in this field. You get people out there who are saying, I'm this, I'm that, and I hate to do this to you, Sean, but here's a guy right here who claims to be the Doctor, Reverend Sean David Morton. In his own biography, he claims to have gotten his Doctor of Divinity at--excuse me, it will take me one second...."

SEAN MORTON: "Berachah University."

RUSS ESTES: "Berachah University, Houston, Texas--the Berachah Church. I called them. They don't have any type of degrees that they give. They have Bible study at the best. He claims to have attended University of Southern California...."

MONTEL WILLIAMS: "So the point that you are making, Russ, is that there's a problem with the messenger, so therefore the message is not real."

RUSS ESTES: "How can you believe the message if the people lie to you from the start."

SEAN MORTON: "The thing I'd like to point out about Mr. Estes here is that if you don't like the message, you can shoot the messenger, and it's obvious to me that in the UFO field, we do this for free, we do this because we want to know the truth, because we have seen something...."

RUSS ESTES: "But does that mean you bogey up your credentials?"

SEAN MORTON (angry): "That is not true. You are flat-out lying to these people. I went to USC for four years."

Just then, the debate was cut off by a sloppy edit, and Sean's USC diploma appeared on the screen.

After watching the tape, we contacted Russ Estes. He said that the debate between he and Sean went on much longer than was shown on the screen. "Live on tape" does not mean totally unedited. This show went on for over two hours to obtain a one hour's worth of material. Sometimes, whole shows are thrown out when they don't work. Unfortunately, Estes made a misstep on the USC degree. As it turns out, this is just about the only authentic credential he has: a B.A. in Drama and Political Science. We certainly believe the Drama part: It's the last degree he ever needed.

The Doctor of Divinity degree is still phony, but in the talk show world, evidence counts for nothing; only emotions and presentation matter. Sean walked away from the show as a brave and knowledgeable crusader, legitimized by a promise from Montel to take his tour, and with the implied invitation to reappear on the show. Estes walked away alone, wasn't invited to return, and has since had to live down the "Does Not Believe in UFOs" moniker. Sean even had the delightful gall to send Estes a letter, through the producers...

Mr. Russ Estes
c/o Alex Williams [sic]
The Montel Williams Show
1500 Broadway Suite 700
New York, New York, 10036

Dear Russ:

I am going to assume that you are not a bold faced liar who is out for some kind of warped revenge, or a person who is just trying to make a buck off baseless slander.

Let's try to solve this like gentlemen - enclosed is a copy of my U.S.C. diploma. I have also called the school and my records are intact. The rest of your "research" on me is equally faulty.

I hope this solves out problem. If not, I have consulted my attorney and any further slander directed toward me through your video series or elsewhere, will result in action taken against you.

Yours Truly,
[BIG signature]
Sean Morton

Things were beginning to look grim for Psychospy. With the time of the taping drawing near, we hadn't even begun to scratch the surface of Sean David Morton and his path of destruction. Talking to our contacts, we saw that Sean had accumulated a vast audience of intimate enemies, more than we could possibly contact. If Sean sounds knowledgeable and occasionally has some meaningful information, it is because he has ripped it off from others. We were amused to find that there was even an reputable astrologer who hated Sean, who felt that Sean had stolen his predictions and passed them off as his own.

It seemed a futile exercise anyway. We knew all the evidence in the world wasn't going to matter when we actually faced off against Sean on camera. We were leaving behind our own comfortable medium of logic and data and stepping into his home turf--the talk show--where presentation counts more than content. We were obligated by our own ethics to speak only the simplest truths and the cautious assertions supported by data. Sean David Morton, bold faced liar that he is, faced no such constraints. He could spout any lie he wanted to sound important and get himself off the hook, and the only thing that mattered here was that he said it with apparent sincerity and that it held up for television's thirty second attention span. We knew that if we started to make an accusation about him, he would instantly sense the winds and make the same one against us with greater force. The ensuing argument would make he and us appear to be equals.

Sean knew all the buzzwords and cliches of the UFO movement and could spout the conventional wisdom much faster than we could. He knew how to sound sincere and reasonable and adapt instantly to the sentiments of any social circumstance. He was well-practiced at responding to inquisitions and had emerged from many without a scratch. Opposing him, all we had was a body of mundane knowledge about a very limited area of the desert. Sean was smooth and well- honed in his talk show delivery, and we were stumbling in for the first time to a medium where we really didn't want to be.

It was with these reservations and a sense of dark foreboding that we packed our bags and headed for New York City. There, in Times Square, we expected a titanic battle between Good and Evil, and things didn't look good for Good.

[To be continued in Desert Rat #16....]

New Air Force Statement on Groom

The following statement was recently released to inquiring journalists by the Nellis AFB public affairs office. (We requested our own copy from Major George Sillia on Aug. 26.) It represents a significant shift from the previous "We know nothing about Groom Lake" response.

"There are a variety of facilities throughout the Nellis Range Complex. We do have facilities within the complex near the dry lake bed of Groom Lake. The facilities of the Nellis Range Complex are used for testing and training technologies, operations, and systems critical to the effectiveness of U.S. military forces. Specific activities conducted at Nellis cannot be discussed any further than that."

That's a step in the right direction. What the base needs now is a name and a history. For example, tell us about the U-2 and A-12 programs at Groom in the 1950s and 1960s. That's not very secret or critical to our current defense, so what's the point in pretending it is? Will the Air Force take control of the situation and provide this information itself, or will the void be filled by a dozen aggressive entrepreneurs? We'd bet our money on the entrepreneurs.

EG&G to Abandon Test Site

According to an 8/26 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, EG&G; and its REECo subsidiary will not seek renewal of their Nevada Test Site contract when it expires in 1995. These are two of the three companies that have managed the nuclear testing ground since its inception. It is unclear whether this action will have any affect on operations at the adjoining Groom Lake base, where EG&G; and REECo are also assumed to be major contractors.

Recent rumors say that EG&G no longer operates the "Janet" 737 jets that shuttle workers to Groom and Tonopah. That operation has supposedly been taken over by the Air Force, using the same aircraft and possibly the same staff.

Janet "N" Numbers

For aircraft watchers, here are the registration and serial numbers of Janet 737s and Gulfstream commuter planes spotted at the Janet terminal at McCarran airport. Based on observations in 5/94 and the 4/30/94 FAA registry. One or more of the Janet aircraft are probably missing from this list. (We ask our readers to find them.)

Boeing 737...

Reg. #/Serial #/Owner N4508W 19605 Great Western Capital Corp, Beverly Hills N4510W 19607 Great Western Capital Corp, Beverly Hills N4515W 19612 Great Western Capital Corp, Beverly Hills N4529W 20785 First Security Bank of Utah, Salt Lake City N5175U 20689 Dept. of the Air Force, Clearfield UT N5176Y 20692 Dept. of the Air Force, Clearfield UT N5177C 20693 Dept. of the Air Force, Clearfield UT Gulfstream C-12... N20RA UB-42 Dept. of the Air Force, Clearfield UT N654BA BL-54 Dept. of the Air Force, Clearfield UT N661BA BL-61 Dept. of the Air Force, Clearfield UT N662BA BL-62 Dept. of the Air Force, Clearfield UT

Janet Handoff Frequencies

A DESERT RAT EXCLUSIVE! Published here for the first time are the air traffic control frequencies for the "Janet" 737 crew flights from Las Vegas McCarran Airport to Groom. The McCarran freqs are public, but the Groom ones have not been revealed until now. Air traffic control broadcasts are "in the clear" and any scanner radio should be able to pick them up. Each of these freqs has been personally confirmed by Psychospy or a close associate.

121.9 McCarran Ground Control 119.9 McCarran Tower 133.95 Departure Control 119.35 Nellis Control 120.35 Groom Approach 127.65 Groom Tower 118.45 Groom Ground

[The Groom tower frequencies were later changed. See DR#23.] Here are some other Groom freqs (some of which were previously reported in DR #8). The security frequencies are usually scrambled, but not always.

418.05 Cammo Dudes (primary) 408.4 Cammo Dudes (repeat of 418.05) 142.2 Cammo Dudes 170.5 Cammo Dudes (Channel 3) 138.3 "Adjustment Net" (seems related to security) 261.1 Dreamland Control (published) 255.5 Groom Tower (repeat of 127.65) 154.86 Lincoln County Sheriff 496.25 Road sensors on public land 410.8 Pager (apparently from Groom but unconfirmed)

The most accurate way to detect a road sensor (AFTER you have tripped it), is to program 496.25 into several channels of your scanner, then scan those channels exclusively as you are driving. When the scanner stops on one channel, you have just passed a sensor.

Groomstock '94

The "Freedom Ridge Free Speech Encampment" went pretty much as planned, with at least sixty people in attendance but not all of them staying for the night. There were no surprises and, sadly, no confrontations with the authorities when we whipped out our cameras and pseudo-cameras to point at the secret base. The Cammo Dudes were visible but kept their distance, and the only authority figure to show up on the ridge was a BLM Ranger in a Smoky-the- Bear hat. He was concerned only that we clean up our trash, and he warned us, by his very presence, that "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires."

The event was recorded in an 8/29 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which dubbed it "Groomstock." We were disturbed to read in the paper that the attendees included some "marijuana-smoking slackers." We called around and found out it was true and that it happened after Psychospy went to bed. Had we known, we would have quashed it immediately. This sort of thing discredits our ability to police ourselves and hurts the reputation of the land grab opponents.

The hot gossip around the campfire was about the Review- Journal reporter and the loony in the tie-died shirt. The loony had spent about an hour moving rocks and dirt around to make himself a comfortable bed, then he blew a conk-shell horn and banged cymbals together to bless it. When the reporter arrived, he volunteered to make a bed for her, too, not far from his own, and he proceeded with the project without any encouragement. It is unknown why he singled her out for this special honor, but evidently she was "chosen." It should be noted, however, that while blessing the reporter's bed, the loony accidentally dropped one of the cymbals. We forget to check with the reporter in the morning to see if that omen affected the quality of her nighttime experience.

Sound Familiar?

From an AP news story printed in the 8/5 Review- Journal...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Authorities deported an American TV crew Thursday, putting the three journalists in an open pickup truck, parading them through the capital and then dumping them at the Dominican border....

Soldiers detained the freelance journalists for PBS's "The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour" on Sunday while they were filming at Port-au-Prince's airport. Three of their videotapes were seized....

The military-backed government has urged journalists not to report 'alarmist' news and has attempted to restrict news coverage....

"I think it's deplorable, and it's obviously an attempt to embarrass them," [U.S.] Embassy spokesman Stanley Schrager told The Associated Press. "This treatment was not necessary; neither was the deportation.... It's a transparent attempt by this illegal regime to interfere with the free flow of information."

In related news, the four of the five video tapes seized on July 19 from KNBC-TV have still not been returned. The tapes were taken without a warrant after the crew filmed an interview on Freedom Ridge but not the Groom base itself. Activist Glenn Campbell, who accompanied the crew, was arrested when he attempted to interfere with this seizure.

Campbell Arraigned

Activist Glenn Campbell reports that his Aug. 24 arraignment on obstruction charges was "amicable." Charges were presented, but the District Attorney did not appear. The complete text of the charges, stemming from the NRS 197.190 and LCC 1.12.010, a MISDEMEANOR, in the following manner:

The Defendant did, then and there, after due notice, willfully, hinder, delay or obstruct a public officer in the discharge of his officer powers or duties. Specifically, the Defendant did, then and there, after due notice, willfully hinder Sergeant Doug Lamoreaux in the discharge of his official duties by locking the doors of the vehicle which Sergeant Lamoreaux was retrieving certain items from and further refused to unlock the doors after being requested to do so by Sergeant Lamoreaux.

All of which is contrary to the form of Statute in such cases made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the State of Nevada. The complainant, therefore, prays that a Warrant be issued for the arrest of the Defendant, if not already arrested, so that he may be dealt with according to law.

[Signed]
DOUG LAMOREAUX
Sergeant
Lincoln County Sheriff's Department

SUBSCRIBED and SWORN to before me
this 24th day of August, 1994
[Signed] NOLA HOLTON
NOTARY PUBLIC/JUSTICE OF THE PEACE

The only surprise in these charges is the line "and further refused to unlock the doors after being requested to do so by Sergeant Lamoreaux." That is not how Campbell recalls the incident. DR#12 , published less than 12 hours after the incident, reported it as follows...

At this point Campbell, who had been standing on the opposite side of the vehicle, reached in and pushed down the door locks on the side that Lamoreaux was approaching.

Lamoreaux said, 'You're under arrest.' Campbell was immediately handcuffed and placed in Deputy Bryant's vehicle.

Campbell claims that Lamoreaux said, "You're under arrest," IMMEDIATELY after he pushed down the door locks, with no request being made to unlock them. Campbell says he has two other witnesses, the KNBC crew, who can verify his story. In this case, where the basic recollection of facts is in conflict, it will be interesting to see what the second officer, Deputy Kelly Bryant, will say under oath.

However, the core of Campbell's defense rests on Constitutional issues. He is guilty of obstruction only if the officer was indeed engaged in the "lawful" execution of his duties. Lamoreaux justified his warrantless search by citing, in vague terms, a certain Supreme Court ruling, the name of which he could not recall at the time. That ruling is apparently in the case "Ross vs. U.S." which allows the warrantless seizure of "contraband" from a vehicle when there is a danger of flight. It is unclear at this point whether the video tapes of a news crew constitute contraband in the same manner as a shipment of marijuana or stolen merchandise. Complex First Amendment issues may be invoked. The case may be further complicated by the repeated offer by the TV reporter to allow Lamoreaux to view the video tapes himself.

Campbell has requested, and has been granted, a jury trial. According to the Justice, this will be the first jury trial held in this court since about 1987. Campbell announced his intention to represent himself at the trial, with possible legal co-council. A tentative trial date of Oct. 25 has been set, but it is likely to be postponed. Campbell indicated that he will waive his right to a trial within 60 days to allow more time to conduct legal research.

Larry King Not Cloned?

Our report in DR#13 about the diversion of Larry King's plane to Nellis AFB continues to disturb many of our readers. It raises the specter of secret contacts between King and the military or even a surreptitious replacement of the talk show host by a look- alike clone. Now, we wonder if our panic was only a false alarm.

A producer from a Las Vegas TV station tells us: "I checked into it and think it is legit. According to the FAA, McCarran Airport was never really closed, but they did have pilots choose not to land on that Saturday afternoon because of inclement weather. They also confirm that there is an agreement with Nellis to allow planes in trouble to land there. I spoke to the control tower at McCarran. They checked their records, and they indicate that on that Saturday a nasty thunderstorm was noted by the tower at 1:45- 2:05. In fact, four takeoffs were delayed during that time due to weather. Planes in the air just flew holding patterns until the weather cleared."

Presumably, King's plane didn't have enough fuel to maintain the holding pattern. Thunderstorms can be very localized, and perhaps Nellis was clear. A producer at Larry King Live says that, in her opinion, he is definitely the same Larry King. She says he got the military escort because he was late for a speaking engagement and made his wants known on the plane.

So what can we say? Obviously, the FAA, the TV station and the King producer ARE PARTIES TO THE CONSPIRACY. This story is deeper than it seems, and the Rat will pursue the investigation for as long as it takes. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.

Mysterious Sign Disappearance

The big "No Photography" signs on the Groom Lake Road have disappeared. For over a year, they were installed on public land about two miles from the military border, but sometime in the first week of August they were cleanly removed, posts and all, apparently by the Air Force. (A civilian thief--like SDM, who has a number of these signs in his possession--would have simply unscrewed the signs, not uprooted the heavy posts and carefully filled up the holes.) The two signs on either side of the road were each about 3 feet by 4 feet and bore the following text:

WARNING: THERE IS A RESTRICTED MILITARY INSTALLATION TO THE WEST. IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MAKE ANY PHOTOGRAPH, FILM, MAP, SKETCH, PICTURE, DRAWING, GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF THIS AREA, OR EQUIPMENT AT OR FLYING OVER THIS INSTALLATION. IT IS UNLAWFUL TO REPRODUCE, PUBLISH, SELL, OR GIVE AWAY ANY PHOTOGRAPH, FILM, MAP, SKETCH, PICTURE, DRAWING, GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF THIS AREA, OR EQUIPMENT AT OR FLYING OVER THIS INSTALLATION. VIOLATION OF EITHER OFFENSE IS PUNISHABLE WITH UP TO A $1000 FINE AND/OR IMPRISONMENT FOR UP TO ONE YEAR. 18 U.S. CODE SEC. 795/797 AND EXECUTIVE ORDER 10104. FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

USAF/DOE LIAISON OFFICE
PO BOX 98518
LAS VEGAS, NV 89193-8518

The signs first appeared in May 1993 shortly after WFAA-TV from Dallas took video of the base from White Sides. (When challenged by the Sheriff, they admitted photographing the base but managed to retain their tape.) The signs were removed in Aug. 1994 shortly after KNBC-TV from Los Angeles lost their video tape after NOT photographing the base. It is unclear why the AF removed the signs. Perhaps they have become a little smarter and are adopting a "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward photography (but we wouldn't want to be the ones to test that theory). The signs themselves had become a tourist attraction, and no visitor could resist having their picture taken beside them. At the same time the "No Photography" signs vanished, the misplaced "Restricted Area" sign also went away. This is the crossed out sign seen in the NYT article, where the "stupid faggot" comment had later been written and then erased (DR#11, DR#13). God, we'll miss that sign! It was as illegal as hell--being on public land--but an old friend to us nonetheless.

At least now we can assure the public: If you see a Restricted Area sign, it's real and they mean it.

Intel Bitties

ENCOUNTERS TRANSCRIPT. Complete, unedited transcripts (not just the sound bites) of the interviews in the 7/22 Encounters show (DR#10) are available to Compuserve users. Type GO ENCOUNTERS, and look under "Browse Libraries" and "Interview Transcripts." Interviews include Rep. James Bilbray (file FREED2.105), Agent X (FREED1.105) and Glenn Campbell (FREED3A.105, FREED3B.105). This is a transcript for video editing, so every "Um" and "Ah" is recorded.

NEW GUARD FACILITY. We send our congrats to the Dudes on their newly constructed prefab building next to the guard house on Groom Lake Road (about a half mile inside the border). Apparently, they are expecting more business along this part of the border and need a new substation. Interested taxpayers can view the new building from the first hill on the hiking trail to F.R. ("Hawkeye Hill"), a location that will continue to be public even if F.R. is taken.

UPCOMING TV SEGMENTS.Unsolved Mysteries will broadcast a show on UFOs with a segment on Area 51 on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 8pm. The broadcast will include a new interview with Bob Lazar. The Crusaders will broadcast a segment on UFOs, including a visit to F.R., on Sept. 10 or 11 (date and time vary by city). Air date for The Montel Williams Show taped on Aug. 23 has not been confirmed, but it could be the week of Sept. 12.