Betty Hill's Letter

Betty Hill, of the famous alleged Barney & Betty Hill UFO abduction case, replied to a letter I sent her in 1980. A few days before, she and a who's-who of well known UFO researchers participated in a classic solid week of UFO discussions hosted via an evening talk show on Rochester, New York's WHAM Radio. Many of the participants actually appeared personally in the studio. This is the program to which she refers.

Aside from the abduction experience claimed by Betty and her husband (both deceased), updated by her niece in a recent book which I have not seen, there has long been concern by researchers about Betty's belief that she subsequently experienced UFO sightings on a regular basis. I'm thinking back vaguely to instances where people in her presence would try to assure her that some lights in the sky were nothing unusual, but she was insistent that they were spacecraft from elsewhere. She obviously takes a stand on this issue in the letter shown here.

In any case, if you aren't familiar with the original Hill incident, know that the story itself, the couple's later hypnosis sessions with noted psychiatrist Dr. Benjamin Simon, and the eventual "Hill Star Map" constructed by teacher Marjorie Fish, which literally lifted the Barney and Betty Hill incident's credibility through the roof, are the essentials of this enigmatic situation.

As a member of NICAP and APRO when the Hill story first emerged decades ago, I remember my fascination with this incident, for this was the first "abduction" case to impress NICAP, and it certainly raised the stakes for APRO, which had followed similar international reports for years.

If you ever have an opportunity, be sure to see the seventies TV movie, "The UFO Incident," a dramatization of the Hill case based upon author John G. Fuller's book, The Interrupted Journey (which also must be read for an appreciation of the Hill's story). Actors James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons provide superb characterizations in this disturbing motion picture.

Robert, Why Do You Do That Thing You Do?

A question has been raised: Why do I label most scans appearing here with the words, "From the Robert Barrow Collection?"

Well, in basic terms, I do that because I'm arrogant, egotistical, possessive, jealous, self-centered and just crazy about planting my name on everything. It's sort of a male-dominance thing, I suppose. I'm even thinking about putting a tattoo of that little announcement on my forehead, and eventually seeking out all my readers and insisting that you, too, inscribe those words permanently on your faces (yes, they could appear in other areas, but I really want them to be visible at ALL times). I once worked in public relations, and I know all too well the value of publicity and its ability to make the slimiest person on earth look like a god -- um, not that I'm comparing myself to a god (Robert Thor, Robert Zeus, Robert The Goddess Diana. . .yeah, well maybe that wouldn't work so great... ), or necessarily suggesting that I'm out there with the slimiest, of course.

Beyond all of that, I'm simply branding my stock. I have absolutely no problem with anybody showing it off, as long as permission is requested. Some of you have been kind enough to ask, but others -- such as some notable twits in Germany who have seen fit on at least two occasions to reproduce my entire entries on their own blog, translated into German with my name changed to whatever-the-heck-that-means at the top (they will recall that I had "a word" with them twice, leaving the future of their blog in question, depending. . .) -- have not.

But truth be told, I really must thank veteran UFO researcher, historian and author Wendy Connors (see her Faded Discs link), who once sent me some compact discs of material she had converted into digital format from old tape recordings I loaned her. Wendy, whom, incidentally, makes the best-looking CD labels on the planet for the superb historical discs she offers, had labeled them with the phrase, "The Robert Barrow Collection." Thus, I shamelessly admit now that I merely stole the idea from Wendy, offering her no words of gratitude or just compensation at all. Hmm, I guess it's time to say, "Thanks, Wendy!"

So, yes, it's the (okay, make that The) Robert Barrow Collection. Today, it signifies UFO-related documents. Tomorrow -- an entire line of annoying perfumes and after-shave lotions on a skin patch to allow a more direct path to the internal organs, or maybe I'll just put 'em on a stick. Really, the possibilities are endless. First, gotta get that tattoo. . . and thanks for asking the question, I hope this settles the matter :) :) :)

About Hal Starr

Hal Starr, now deceased, was a veteran broadcaster who hosted a syndicated series about UFOs carried by radio stations around the country. I don't recall a great deal about him right now, except he had one of those broadcast voices I would kill for. I always wanted to be a broadcaster and took courses toward that end in college. Alas, the Vietnam Era military and time's wear and tear took their course and the voice isn't up to par, but at least I can write a little (though some may disagree with my self-assessment).

Hal, in charge of public relations for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization for a time in the late seventies and early eighties, even put out a record album (also known as an LP for you folks who were too young to remember them, and still don't know what I'm talking about, nonetheless) featuring a few of his radio spots -- appropriately melodramatic, but certainly attention-getting, I must say.

In 1979 he hosted a well-attended UFO conference called "UFO '79" in California and, because I was at that point doing book and audio reviews for various publications, I decided to inquire about audio cassettes he was selling to the public. These were destined to be very interesting cassettes because Starr had an "all-star cast" of knowledgeable UFO speakers at the event.

Hal sent along a price list, but I really hoped for complimentary copies to review for publication. When I contacted him again, he very kindly sent me a loaner set intended for a paying customer, and per his advice I quickly dubbed the whole set and returned the tapes so he could make the sale to some unsuspecting second-hand buyer, and indeed I did review them for a couple of publications. In recent years I was happy to turn them over to Wendy Connors for conversion into digital format for her immense Faded Discs historical collection before they went the way of most tapes -- to the land of deterioration and extinction. By this time, I doubt that almost anybody would still possess copies of these important historical recordings, and by Hal Starr's own admission, he hadn't had orders for very many sets.

Dear President Reagan. . .

True, very true, the congressional recommendation sent on my behalf to President Carter's people didn't lead to anything, but you can't blame a guy for trying next time a new president came to town. I inquired about a position in case UFOs were on the agenda (Grant Cameron, I believe this is your territory at Presidential UFO. . .by the way, readers, do check out his link) in the Reagan camp. I guess not, or at least they didn't tell me President Reagan was doing a UFO project. They would have told me right away if so, wouldn't they? Wouldn't they? Why wouldn't they? Sure they would . . .wouldn't they?

Coral's Undertow

There exist piles of correspondence inappropriate for this blog, particularly in cases where people are still living, and I do try to be sensitive to the obvious fact that family members of those deceased survive and might be affected by something I write or put out there for display.

Keeping this in mind, I truly have questioned whether I should run the letter from the late Coral Lorenzen shown here. By accident, I discovered that Coral's sister died recently, and I'm all too aware that family members live on as their lives take their own course.

So, what do I do? This letter is now nearly 30 years old, and I'm thinking, well, I've tried to offer something of a tribute to APRO's Coral Lorenzen in this blog. It's never been a secret that Coral disliked various UFO researchers, and some apparently felt the same about her -- though I hasten to admit that detractors' complaints often involved APRO's reluctance to share files and information with them. Actually, in today's letter Coral takes a swipe at both MUFON (her favorite target of all time) and CUFOS, but that was typical Coral, and I must confess that I heard a lot worse in phone conversations with her.

However, getting back to the letter: Say what you will about Coral the UFO researcher, Coral the author of multiple books with her husband Jim and Coral the driving force behind APRO, the earliest U.S. UFO organization (1952) -- she was also a wife and mother. We already touched upon the year when Jim had emergency cardiac surgery and the nightmare surrounding that incident for Coral. Then, in 1979, arrived this letter.

Why show it here, filled as it is with family sadness and tragedy? Because Coral Lorenzen was a public figure, a multi-published book author known the world over. If I don't take this opportunity to reflect her family side for that world to see, who will? When history craves intimate details of APRO's foundations as time goes on, should it have been my role to hide the facts, or to put them out there for all to see? I've chosen the latter course. I think it's my responsibility, and I believe Coral would have understood -- well, maybe after a tirade of sorts.

Jim Lorenzen would pass on a few years after this letter, and as Coral herself lapsed into decline in succeeding years, her daughter suddenly died, probably hastening Coral's demise profoundly.

Some know all too well that behind the UFO story oft lies a human story -- each story special in its own way.