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Law enforcement records of arrests conducted at the 2023 and 2024 annual Burning Man events have been obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research. Material received thus far includes case reports, witness statements and digital images released by the Pershing County (NV) Sheriff's Office as part of a still-open records request. The material has been organized and posted in the EFR Online Archive in a Burning Man collection , which includes a slideshow of several images from the records received. Aerial view of 2010 Burning Man that included a reported 51,525 participants, credit: Kyle Harmon The arrest reports reflect violence and drug use. Domestic violence and battery charges are prevalent, while e cstasy, ketamine, psilocybin, methamphetamine, cocaine and other drugs often found their ways into the custody of law enforcement. In addition to circumstances inherent to rampant use of mind-altering drugs, challenges for law enforcement also include answering the related calls of assault and battery in extreme weather conditions. In 2023, a shelter in place notice was issued when flooding from rain was so heavy that vehicles could not navigate the area. An officer assigned to the event used an all-terrain vehicle to respond to a call for help when a man repeatedly entered a private camp and physically assaulted its members. The officer documented measures taken to detain the suspect and deescalate the situation after having been informed agencies were unable to assist and remove the individual due to the flooding. Both 2024 and 2023 included someone charged with assault with a deadly weapon, and in each case, it was a motor vehicle. A green Chevy van, pictured below, was the carelessly operated weapon of choice in 2024, and in 2023 a Uhaul truck was reportedly used in an attempt to run people down. A similar FOIA request was submitted to the FBI, and a final response has not yet been received. FBI records, if obtained, will be posted in the Burning Man section of the EFR Online Archive. More records are also expected from Pershing County and will be added when obtained. View the growing Burning Man collection of law enforcement records and accompanying images.

A permit to construct oil wells on a property adjacent to Skinwalker Ranch was approved, according to a permit resolution document provided to Expanding Frontiers Research by the Uintah County Community Development Office. The Jan. 22 resolution states a Conditional Use Permit was approved for Uinta Wax Operating, LLC, on property owned by Don Hicken Farms. The document further states: "There were many comments received from the public opposing the installation of these wells, most of which were from outside of Uintah County. Of the comments received, just under half specifically mentioned concerns about light, noise and vibration and the rest expressed a general concern for how the well might affect the Skinwalker Ranch, located on a neighboring property owned by Adamantium Real Estate LLC. Uintah County did not receive any evidence supporting the claims that an oil or gas well would disrupt any existing land use on neighboring properties." Over 200 pages of written comments were submitted to Uintah County and posted by Expanding Frontiers Research in November after cast member of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, Thomas Winterton, appealed to Facebook followers to voice opposition to the permit. Winterton asserted the proposed well would introduce noise, vibrations, and artificial light to the surrounding area, which would “seriously jeopardize our ability to study many of the anomalies on the ENTIRE ranch.” A letter expressing similar concerns was submitted to the county by reported Skinwalker Ranch owner Brandon Fugal, adamantly opposing the proposed land use. The envisioned oil well constituted an egregious, irreparable threat to the irreplaceable scientific and cultural value of the property, Fugal argued. The talking points were echoed by fans of the show through emails sent to the Community Development Office. Local resident Ray Willis took an alternative view. He wrote that he finds it concerning when individuals such as Skinwalker Ranch owners feel entitled to dictate what is done on private land. Willis explained how the Skinwalker camp's approach was “an interesting way to phrase the filming of their lucrative largely fictional television show that has, to date, resulted in no disclosures to the community regarding the nature of their spurious and exaggerated claims.” It would seem county zoning agreed, at least for now. Its observation that it "did not receive any evidence supporting the claims that an oil or gas well would disrupt any existing land use on neighboring properties" indeed goes to the heart of the Skinwalker matter. There is a demographic eagerly willing to credulously accept pretty much anything said by those who promote paranormal pie in the sky, but when it comes to creating economic consequences in the real world, more evidence of an 'irreparable threat to irreplaceable scientific value' is apparently required than Fugal and Winterton simply said so. Another point worthy of consideration is the comments submitted to the county largely consisted of concerns about whether the television show would continue to film. Letters directly addressing arguably valid environmental concerns were slim to nonexistent. They generally didn't mind oil wells; they were opposed to oil wells near Skinwalker Ranch . In what should be an obvious drawback to loading that basket full of eggs, it put the county in the position of potentially ruling that activities entirely permissible and even encouraged on other parcels are banned near Skinwalker Ranch. Because they're filming a television show. About a spaceship buried in a mesa. The idea that all types of activity on surrounding properties should be tightly restricted, above and beyond normal zoning codes, on the grounds some of it may or may not one day impede the production of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, is a tough argument to cast upon rational-thinking people. Oil wells and their detrimental environmental impact are a different argument altogether and one that the Skinwalker faithful largely failed to make.

FBI records were obtained from the National Archives on the International Astronomical Union, a nongovernmental organization founded in Belgium that went on to periodically assemble worldwide leaders in astronomy. The 162 pages of records were compiled by the FBI from 1951-1970 and show the complexity of the intersection between academia and the intelligence community. FBI memos included in the records obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research document how international conferences and collaborations serve as opportunities to establish relationships with assets, gather intelligence, and monitor adversaries. Dr. Frank D. Drake was known to the scientific community for the Drake Equation, a formula that estimated the number of active extraterrestrial civilizations in the galaxy. He was known to the FBI as a confidential informant, numbering among scientists tapped due to their involvement with the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The IAU assembled expert attendees from around the globe to meet in nations including Italy, Ireland and Russia. FBI investigated the likelihood American academics were targeted by foreign adversaries for extraction of classified and sensitive information. Drake indicated “he would be happy to be of service to the U.S. Government or to the FBI,” and provided the Bureau a directory of the 1958 IAU assembly in Moscow, according to a 1959 FBI memo. He advised FBI how the chairman of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory was in a position to obtain voluminous information from various electronic firms, which represented a potential security risk of classified material. Several pages of the records received pertain to FBI interviews conducted with Drake. From the 1959 memo: The FBI records were obtained as the result of a FOIA request for material responsive to Peter A. Sturrock, initially submitted to the FBI in June 2025. Sturrock was a British-born Stanford physicist, known for his open-minded approach to unconventional scientific topics. He founded the Society for Scientific Exploration in 1982. FBI subsequently informed EFR of a file number of potentially responsive records in the custody of the National Archives. EFR then submitted a request to NARA for what turned out to be the file at hand, the subject of which proved to be the International Astronomical Union and containing reference to Sturrock. Additional names of note referenced in the file due to their affiliation with IAU include Harlow Shapley and J. Allen Hynek. A 1967 memo, subject IAU and depicted below, concerns a then-forthcoming IAU assembly in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Dir. Hoover advised the Washington Field Office to use its sources to develop information about IAU and the scheduled event. The stated objective was to determine whether IAU conferences were being used as recruiting grounds and if U.S. residents were targets. It was noted that FBI interest included exploiting the attendance of U.S. residents for intelligence purposes. Page one of the memo above is followed by six fully withheld pages. A list then begins on page 93 of the pdf of dozens of what are termed U.S. candidates recommended for admission to the 1967 IAU conference. The list of recommended candidates includes Peter Sturrock. It is not immediately clear why the first name of Sturrock and some of the candidates are penciled in while others are not: Following the list of recommendations is a list of assembly invitees and a travel flight list, neither of which reference Sturrock. He is then named on a list of awardees of travel grants to the “XIIIth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1967.” Over 100 academic travel grant awardees from American institutions are detailed, beginning on page 117 of the 162-page pdf. The two previously described lists were alphabetized, while the list of travel grant awardees was not; each awardee was numbered, with Sturrock being number 88. The names of IAU attendees from foreign universities and facilities were also monitored on different lists contained in the pdf. From a September 1967 FBI memo: Investigations conducted by FBI in 1955 document events surrounding an IAU assembly in Dublin, Ireland. Informants advised the Bureau they previously attended an IAU event in Rome, at which time they met attendees representing the Soviet Union. The informants anticipated seeing some of the same Russians again in Ireland. The FBI sources further explained their plans to go to Iceland following the completion of the IAU meeting in Ireland. A 1955 Bureau memo documented their plans to speak with the U.S. Air Force about a business venture involving what was termed a “position finder”: Attendees from the U.S.S.R. were photographed disembarking from their flight to the 1952 assembly of the International Astronomical Union held in Rome, Italy. A redacted FBI informant penciled in the corresponding names. The records are reminiscent of events described in FBI memos previously obtained on the late astronomer Dr. Donald Menzel, employed at Harvard and the subject of hundreds of pages of FBI records . He was documented by the FBI in 1946 as having conducted research for the Navy during World War II. This included experiments that had to do with the ionization of the stratosphere which reportedly helped operators of communications equipment and radar forecast the best hours of each day for use of the equipment. His long academic career was characterized by such classified research, frequent attendance at international conferences, and strong skepticism of unsubstantiated UFO stories, about which he corresponded with Adm. Roscoe Hillenkoetter . FBI memos composed on Menzel in 1974-75 document his activities, including a 1954 invitation he was extended along with colleagues to observe an eclipse of the sun in the Soviet Union, of which he expressed a lack of interest. FBI noted he was a visitor in 1958 to the 10 th  General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union conducted in Moscow. Memos from the 1970s document how consideration was given to contacting Menzel as a “potential security informant or double agent,” as pictured below: FBI indicated its interest was due in part to Menzel's plans to accept the first personal invitation ever extended from the People's Republic of China to an astronomer. He and his wife subsequently traveled to Peking, where he lectured on astronomy at the Academy of Sciences. During the visit, political complications arose due to his affiliation with none other than the International Astronomical Union because Taiwan was a member and China was thereby reluctant to cooperate. FBI seemingly viewed Menzel as a potentially valuable asset due to his connections and frequent travel. During FBI considerations to formally recruit Menzel, the astronomer apparently communicated he was “more than willing” to discuss Bureau internal security responsibilities but, by the way, he was already talking to the CIA: EFR contends that obtaining and reviewing such records not only helps in filling in historical context often absent from unsubstantiated speculation but also provides insight into more recent events. The overlap of academia, politics, and the intelligence community has a lot of moving parts that should be carefully considered with nuance and objectivity when forming assessments.

Expanding Frontiers Research received a final response Friday from the FBI, stating it was unable to identify records subject to the FOIA on Alexander "Lex" Mebane. This blogpost explores reasons an FBI search for records might sometimes overlook material that can be reasonably surmised to exist and is, in fact, responsive to a request. The late Lex Mebane was well-known in the mid-20 th century UFO community, acting in leadership roles and editing publications for civilian groups that included the New York Saucer Information Bureau. The request submitted by EFR stemmed from a 1963 FBI memo obtained through a previous FOIA request which indicated the FBI interviewed a popular UFO personality, Ivan Sanderson, who identified Mebane as someone who could potentially assist the Bureau in an espionage investigation. Clearly, results of an FBI search for records responsive to Mebane should at least include the 1963 memo already in hand. “Partially this is limitations of how the FBI's filing processes work, but partially they default to what is easier for them, which is a much less comprehensive search,” wrote Michael Morisy , co-founder of transparency advocate MuckRock, in a Saturday email when asked to comment on the Bureau search process. His understanding is that a more thorough search would require significantly more resources, as the FBI does not have everything fully indexed in a way we might expect by this point in time. The result is a lot of "no responsive documents" responses where common sense, documentation and public knowledge would suggest otherwise, Morisy explained. The same 1963 FBI memo referenced above also includes mention of Isabel Davis, a UFO investigator and staple of the genre during her era. As was the case with Mebane, FBI documented Sanderson referenced her by name as someone who might help it locate a person of interest. Two FOIA requests submitted to FBI on the late Davis, most recently in 2025, resulted in no records. This would obviously be another circumstance in which FBI search procedures overlook responsive documents. From the 1963 FBI memo obtained via the Freedom of Information Act: 'No records' responses received from FBI on individuals named in the above memo: Although the response to the Davis request acknowledged potentially responsive records were destroyed, it nonetheless seems reasonably apparent FBI search functions rely on some type of index rather than the text of documents themselves. The index may not always contain all the names and other proper nouns that might be referenced in Bureau memos and documents, so sometimes existing responsive records are overlooked. Morisy generally agreed, suggesting a broad, underlying problem for some time now has been that personnel only perform some specific search methods that generally look for indexed terms. The situation was discussed in a 2014 MuckRock interview with Ryan Shapiro. A public records expert who had over 600 FOIA requests on file with FBI at the time of the interview, Shapiro described to MuckRock how FBI responds to basic FOIA requests with a search restricted solely to its Central Records System. That's a limited database that may not include all records of interest. Moreover, Shapiro asserted, the primary means by which FBI searches for records is deliberately designed in a way to routinely fail. “I've often found they do a more comprehensive search on appeal,” Morisy advised EFR, “but haven't found a way to get the more comprehensive search on the first pass.” Researchers may find more success if they request files on a group that the individual was in, he added, or a specific event or investigation the individual got caught up in, concluding, “but it's all more of a black box than it should be.” The FBI material referenced above is part of an ongoing EFR investigation into the intersection of the mid-20th century FBI, informants and subjects of interest in the murky UFO subculture. See the recommended blogposts below for more information and records received thus far as results of multiple lines of ongoing FOIA requests. ------------------------------------ EFR extends a sincere 'thank you' to supporters for making the holiday GoFundMe campaign a success! Valuable funds were raised to help with reproduction fees required by the National Archives for FBI records already identified through our FOIA requests. If you haven't already done so, please consider joining our supporters at the EFR Patreon or with a donation at our GoFundMe nonprofit page . Lots more in store for 2026!

FBI records responsive to Robert T. Stark were recently obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by Expanding Frontiers Research. The FOIA request was part of an ongoing research collaboration between Erica Lukes and this writer into FBI espionage investigations and informants within the Cold War era UFO community. "Subject's activities and unverifiable legend suggest he may be an illegal agent," a 1962 FBI memo states, a summary of intelligence collected on Robert Stark by the New York Field Office. A 1963 FBI memo included in the recent release contains information concerning Cristell Vorwitt, a German-born immigrant and close Stark contact. She and Stark resided "as husband and wife" in Brooklyn from 1960-62, the memo indicates, at which time he left and went to Los Angeles. FBI expended significant resources to track and surveil Stark, including documenting his use of Vorwitt's last name and immediately contacting her upon his return to New York City in 1962. FBI could establish no history of Stark prior to 1956, documenting thereafter he used multiple aliases, false social security numbers, and birth data not supported by records. He was confirmed by FBI to have been employed in 1957 by the Bogen-Presto Division of the Siegler Corporation in Paramus, NJ. Further research indicates Russian immigrant David Bogen (of Bogen-Presto) ran successful electronics and audio companies in New York before selling them in the 1950s. Siegler was among the purchasers in 1957. Stark was experienced in electronics, as described in FBI records, and was periodically employed in the field. The newly obtained records provide more pieces to a puzzle that emerged from a previously obtained 1958 FBI memo referencing Ivan Sanderson and several mid-20 th century UFO personalities. The memo documented Sanderson initiating contact with the FBI, leading to an interview in which he and associate Hans Santesson advised agents of potentially subversive activity taking place at meetings of the New York Saucer Information Bureau (NYSIB). Sanderson and Santesson directly identified purported UFO contactees Daniel Fry and Truman Bethurum as regular attendees before offering to assist the Bureau further if needed. The memo led to a series of FOIA requests submitted by EFR, including following up to learn if FBI documented more interactions with Sanderson, which it did. In 1963, FBI re-interviewed him about the possibility Stark was involved with the New York Saucer Information Bureau. FOIA requests submitted to FBI on individuals named in records obtained to that point, which include requests on NYSIB key personnel, as well as purported UFO contactees Daniel Fry and Truman Bethurum , reveal they were all referenced in records compiled during investigation of Robert Stark. EFR continues to systematically request records from the FBI as well as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which is the custodian of an FBI file compiled on Stark estimated to consist of over 400 pages. Related correspondence with NARA includes a Sep. 5 email in which NARA described the file and confirmed its subject to be Robert T. Stark, aka Robert Starkowski, aka Thadeus Stanislaw Gzula, compiled as part of an espionage investigation from 1954 to 1964. FBI records responsive to self-described UFO contactee Daniel Fry number among those compiled under the Stark espionage investigation umbrella. Though much of the material is heavily redacted, there are direct references to Stark and strong inferences to potential adversaries, with surveillance of their actions thoroughly documented throughout the pdf. A profile of New York Saucer Information Bureau is also contained in the Fry records, including suggestion mail was exchanged within the circles of Stark and the NYSIB. It can also be surmised that someone of interest to FBI, possibly Stark and his associates, tried to persuade Fry to publish certain material in his newsletter. The most recently obtained records further document FBI concern and surveillance of Stark and his contacts. Several dates are referenced which solidify a timeline of his movements between New York and Los Angeles, continuing to clarify the extent the Cold War era U.S. saucer genre was involved with the global intelligence community, unwittingly or otherwise. This is part of a continuing research project and series of FOIA requests. View the EFR GoFundMe - set up to raise funds for FOIA fees to the National Archives – and please consider making a donation to support our research.

FBI records responsive to self-described UFO contactee Daniel Fry ( 1908-1992 ) were recently obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research. The records, which allude to wider investigations of which Fry was but a single aspect, consist of memos with redacted titles and numerous heavily redacted pages. FBI stated 40 of 41 pages were released and cited several FOIA exemptions for withheld material in its Nov. 26 final response . Daniel Fry, 1967 A collaboration between Erica Lukes and this writer came to include Daniel Fry as a subject in a series of numerous FOIA requests. The requests grew out of a 1958 FBI memo obtained by EFR earlier this year that showed how Ivan Sanderson initiated contact with the FBI, alerting it that the New York Saucer Information Bureau (NYSIB) was conducting meetings ostensibly about UFOs. In reality, Sanderson asserted, the meetings were designed to convince attendees the U.S. government was no good. The memo documented that Sanderson and associate Hans Santesson specifically named contactees Daniel Fry and Truman Bethurum as staples of NYSIB meetings, and that both Sanderson and Santesson offered to assist the Bureau further if needed. The previously obtained 1958 FBI memo contained several points of reference for follow-up FOIA requests that continue to be processed and lead to more requests. EFR subsequently obtained a 1963 FBI memo indicating the Bureau did indeed circle back to Sanderson, at which time an agent showed him a photo of a man and asked if the man was attending NYSIB meetings. That circumstance – the re-interview of Sanderson – is referenced in the records responsive to Daniel Fry and moves our research even further in the direction of Robert Stark, a man continuing to emerge as a central figure of these FBI files. From the 1963 FBI memo , subject Robert Theodore Stark: Hundreds of pages of FBI records responsive to Stark have been identified through recent FOIA requests. Those pages contain many references to UFO personalities of the mid-20th century. EFR is in the process of incrementally obtaining the material. Daniel Fry As documented by researchers Adam Gorightly and Greg Bishop in their book “A” Is for Adamski: The Golden Age of UFO Contactees , Fry worked as an explosives technician at White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico during 1950. It was there that he constructed a story about his interactions with A-lan, pronounced “a-lawn,” an extraterrestrial. In 1955 Fry founded Understanding Inc., which published a monthly newsletter, Understanding , and in the coming years expanded into a nationwide network of 43 “study groups.” It was such factors, along with the efforts of Fry and other contactees to ostensibly build utopian communes, that would have concerned the FBI. Fry's employment at White Sands, combined with his controversial social circles, would have raised red flags, but he landed in an investigation of Robert Stark for reasons that seem to include mutual contacts and associates. Suffice it to say it was not Fry's stories of aliens that made him a person of FBI interest, even if such stories often served as tools of assessments of reliability and character for investigating agents. In other words, if there are already concerns about questionable activity, then a subject's use of purported interactions with aliens as a means to build a following only tends to serve as evidence those concerns are justified. Daniel Fry's reliability received plenty of doubt without the need for FBI investigation. As researcher Lance Moody documented , Fry struggled to field questions about his purported "doctor" credentials during a 1966 radio appearance on The Betty Grobley Show. When asked to discuss his BA, he seemed unaware he would have obtained such a degree prior to earning a PhD. FBI Records FBI records responsive to Daniel Fry reference a lot of stereotypical FBI 20th century jargon and procedures. We find references to mail “cover,” or surveillance; following the money through detailed attention to financial transactions (it's always about the money because it leads to key people, both sending and receiving); covertly collecting and subsequently examining a subject's garbage; interviewing a person “under a suitable criminal pretext” as to not reveal the actual purposes of an investigation, and similar circumstances. The records document keeping a subject under surveillance through a cab ride and eavesdropping on a subject's call at a payphone – by pretending to make a call from a neighboring phone. One might get the impression the agents seemed to think their surveillance was to be prioritized, and at least some of it involved Robert Stark's cross-country travels and activities. Investigation of a redacted subject – surmised to be Stark in several instances - takes the reader through interviews and surveillance of people of interest, ranging from landlords and neighbors to former employers and co-workers. One of several references to Ivan Sanderson and the New York Saucer Information Bureau: The lone fully withheld page of the 41 responsive pages, page number 13, is surrounded by: a 1963 FBI memo and further reference to the 1958 Sanderson interview; a mail cover that established the NYSIB was in contact with a subject whose name is redacted; and reference to correspondence sent from a redacted individual to Daniel Fry about material to potentially be published in his Understanding newsletter. Page 35 of the pdf is the third page of another 1963 FBI memo. Combined with the circumstances in the above paragraph, it might be interpreted to suggest some of the FBI concern may have been about Fry's network and newsletter being used to disseminate subversive and/or classified material. From the memo: Further indication FBI may have been at least partially concerned about the compromise of classified documents and material: The records also reference a woman named Gunny Larrson and her associates. She made contacts in New York, obtained a grant to come from Iceland to work in horticultural research, and attended international conferences. FBI interest in her activities is not entirely clear, aside from her association with other subjects of interest, however implied Bureau concern may arguably be. It is clear, however, that FBI was trying to establish potential connections between persons of interest, with the New York Saucer Information Bureau and Daniel Fry's newsletter serving as suspected commonalities among the cast of characters. Records also include reference to open associations with Russian United Nations personnel. A New York woman whose name is redacted, an interviewing agent documented, said that some "would find it exciting to associate with this element." Research is ongoing, including numerous FOIA requests.

Wayne Sulo Aho (1916-2006) was born in Washington State, the son of Finnish homesteaders. He spent most of his life as a logger before hitting the UFO contactee circuit with stories of Space Brothers in 1957. Wayne S. Aho, 1970 It was not Aho's tales of lifelong ET visitation or his association with common criminals or even his role in a saucer stock scam that made him of interest to EFR, but it was his reference in FBI records of involvement with UFO groups and people accused of subversive activity that put him on our radar. Specifically, a 1958 FBI memo obtained by EFR documented how Ivan Sanderson and Hans Santesson advised FBI of their concerns about the New York Saucer Information Bureau (NYSIB). Major Aho, as he liked to be known, was identified as a staple of the group, along with fellow alleged contactees Daniel Fry  and Truman Bethurum , among others. When they first started, meetings held by the NYSIB around New York City dealt primarily with UFO matters, Sanderson and Santesson informed the FBI, but that changed around February of 1958. All meetings after that had no connections to scientific or factual information about UFOs and became filled with calls to complain to Congress about the U.S. government. In their book “A” Is for Adamski: The Golden Age of the UFO Contactees , authors Adam Gorightly and Greg Bishop explain how Aho claimed to receive telepathic communications and frequently observe craft while attending events held by fellow contactees. He also took up with Otis T. Carr, a conman who once tried to sell the FBI – of all agencies – a bogus fingerprinting invention and doubled down by pitching the Army a $20 million scheme for a flying saucer that could go to the moon and back. Carr and Aho embarked on a nationwide tour, collecting donations to help them build the spacecraft that never came to fruition (no, they didn't front a famous rock band). FBI records collected by EFR include material obtained from the National Archives as well as files previously released to The Black Vault through the Freedom of Information Act. As reported by Gorightly and Bishop, Aho was not charged in the saucer stock scheme, but Carr went to prison after an SEC investigation was conducted. Mail fraud was also at issue, as solicitations were sent far and wide. FBI records show that following Carr's presentation to the Army, at least one source indicated Uncle Sam would further entertain a proposal if Carr and company could produce blueprints, plans and other specifications. They could not produce such details but that did not stop them from setting a date in 1959 to launch Aho to the moon from Frontier City, Oklahoma. Suffice it to say Aho remained earthbound. From a 1959 FBI memo: More than one fan of Carr and Aho was enthusiastic enough to write Dir. Hoover himself, alerting him to the circumstances, in the event he was not yet aware, and encouraging J Edgar to... promote Carr's groundbreaking discoveries that included free energy: Evidence of Carr's downfall, per the FBI, which noted the courts "finally stepped in to protect gullible New Yorkers" from a flying saucer firm: Interesting and darkly entertaining as some of this may very well be, these are probably not the reasons that individuals ranging from Ivan Sanderson to Leon Davidson were concerned about subversion in the UFO genre. Our ongoing investigation here at EFR would suggest that, while confidence men and their targeted audiences certainly play starring roles in the history of UFOs, it was likely those with designs on influencing political loyalties that most concerned select UFO investigators and FBI agents. As suggested by Ivan Sanderson and Hans Santesson when taking it upon themselves to initiate contact with the FBI, Aho's involvement as a key individual with the New York Saucer Information Bureau, a group called Washington Saucer Intelligence, and the social circles of those in their orbits lead to areas of concern. From a 1960 FBI memo from the Salt Lake City Field Office to Dir. Hoover, featuring the now-common theme of luring people in with promises of scientific information about UFOs while flopping to a full complement of unrelated and often anti-social agendas: The meeting attendee interviewed above added that the topics were unusual for inclusion in a purported discussion of technical matters. In another memo from the Salt Lake City FBI office, this one dated 1964, documentation is made of an attendee at a meeting of the New Age Foundation who became concerned enough about the proceedings to reach out to the Bureau. Aho was a speaker who left the attendee confused, alternating between promoting peace and opposition to the U.S. government. After the regular meeting, the source continued, there was a second gathering at the home of one of the women in attendance. At this second gathering, a man known as “Pierce” asserted that a civil revolution was forthcoming and that citizens should collect arms for protection. According to the informant, Pierce “proposed doing away with all Negroes”: As we continue to work through the saucer-related FOIA records of the era, as motivated by Sanderson and Santesson, it should become increasingly apparent why leaders of UFO groups and public meetings were typically assumed by the IC to be subversive, oblivious, and/or manipulating credulous followers for reasons that included financial gain or political agendas. The NYSIB, Washington Saucer Intelligence, NICAP, and eventually CUFOS, MUFON and others, were often associating with the same pool of unsavory characters and enabling their access to the public. That access was provided through publishing their articles, inviting them as speakers, and acting with general complicity to their extremist rhetoric while giving them platforms to disseminate their ideologies. We might further consider how much, if any, the circumstances ever changed. ------------------------------------------ If you have not already done so, please consider joining our Patreon as a free or paid subscriber. We are currently raising funds for FOIA fees for records at the National Archives, and the best ways to help are with either a paid Patreon subscription or a contribution via the secure "Donate" button located on our website homepage . Thank you for your consideration.

Over 200 pages of written comments recently submitted to the Uintah County Community Development Office concerning a property adjacent to Skinwalker Ranch were obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research. The comments – consisting mostly of email messages - were sent after Thomas Winterton, a cast member of the cable television show The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, made a Facebook post urging followers to voice opposition to a Conditional Use Permit requested by Uinta Wax for property owned by Don Hicken Farms LLC. The request seeks authorization to construct an oil and gas location, widely expected to be an oil well. Winterton's Oct. 24 Facebook post included an Oct. 14 letter received by Adamantium Real Estate LLC, an entity incorporated in Delaware that owns the Utah property commonly known as Skinwalker Ranch. The letter was sent from the Community Development Office, notifying potentially interested parties of the permit requested for Don Hicken Farms and inviting written comments. Limited liability and other types of corporations are commonly incorporated in Delaware when founders and primary parties wish to conceal their identities from public disclosure. The Oct. 14 letter sent to Adamantium Real Estate: Thomas Winterton asserted in his Facebook post, “[T]he exact location of this well will be less than 150' from the anomaly in the mesa.” He went on to state it would forever destroy the opportunity to study unique and unexplainable phenomena. The proposed well would introduce noise, vibrations, and artificial light to the surrounding area, which would “seriously jeopardize our ability to study many of the anomalies on the ENTIRE ranch,” Winterton wrote, then urgently pleaded with those who follow their investigation to contact Uintah County and respectfully demand the permit be denied. Records obtained include Adamantium's response to Community Development as written by Brandon Fugal (see page 4 ). While demanding the permit be denied, Fugal asserted the proposed oil well constitutes an egregious, irreparable threat to the irreplaceable scientific and cultural value of the property. Fugal further described Skinwalker Ranch as “the preeminent global epicenter of documented paranormal and anomalous phenomena,” yet, as demonstrated by investigative reporter Steven Greenstreet , Fugal's claims perpetually fail to rise to the level of scientific standards practiced outside the realm of television entertainment. Several email messages submitted to the Community Development Office reference "Skinwalker Insiders," which are people who subscribe to a Secret of Skinwalker Ranch-themed website. A quick search and a few clicks revealed a membership currently runs $12 per month, or $96 annually, entitling subscribers to “inside” information, a tee shirt, and discounts on merchandise. The basic argument opposing the Uinta Wax permit for Don Hicken Farms as expressed by Skinwalker supporters is that construction on the adjacent property will hinder or cease what is often described as scientific study of deeply significant anomalies. A lot of the comments submitted are repetitious, as they reflect templates and talking points distributed on social media, and several submissions show the authors to simply be uninformed. For instance, many seemed to think some government body such as "the state" wishes to drill for oil. However, the Community Development Office letter posted by Winterton clearly established the parties to be private for-profit entities that include the owner of the land, Don Hicken Farms. Also, and as might be expected, many of the comments contain the dubious suggestion that paradigm-shifting scientific discoveries of existential significance are occurring on a regular basis - but not all of the comments. Ray Willis describes himself as a neighbor with a view of the mesa that's so good Skinwalker Ranch parks its tour bus outside of his gate. The tour bus is quite possibly a reference to “add-on” activities marketed at PhenomeCon , an annual event sponsored by Uintah County which blurs science and entertainment while relying heavily upon Skinwalker cast members for activities and content. Willis says Skinwalker Ranch and its interests “are not to the betterment of our community” (see page 112 ). He finds it concerning when individuals such as Skinwalker Ranch owners feel entitled to dictate what is done on private land. “[M]y social media feeds were flooded today,” Willis wrote Community Development, “with calls to action by the personnel of Skinwalker Ranch for their wide fanbase to inundate your office with the opinions of people nowhere near here about how this drilling should be stopped because it will negatively impact the 'investigation' at SWR...” Willis added how that's “an interesting way to phrase the filming of their lucrative largely fictional television show that has, to date, resulted in no disclosures to the community regarding the nature of their spurious and exaggerated claims.” “As a former civil servant,” he continued, “I am appalled that SWR is calling upon their cult of TV nerds to influence development in my neighborhood.” Other comments include an email submitted by Nancy J. Stratton, “Retired U.S. Department of Energy Counterintelligence Cyber Analyst.” She asked that the permit be denied due to its potential impact on groundbreaking research being conducted at the Fugal ranch “as documented by the Federal Government, Fugal, and others.” Stratton asserted, “Mankind deserves this chance at transparency.” ( p1 ) Chris Roberts, “Skinwalker Ranch Archaeologist,” argued the location of the potential oil well appears to be an attack on the cast and its work. “The proximity of the well pad to the mesa where interesting artifacts have been discovered within the mesa actually appears as an attack on Skinwalker Ranch and particularly the mesa where I study,” he wrote. Roberts added that he'd be happy to meet with Community Development and the Skinwalker Ranch team for a review and redesign – of plans composed by and belonging to Uinta Wax and Don Hicken Farms, we reasonably surmise. ( p94 ) Norman Joseph Jester III of Like Whoa Inc. in California wrote to Uintah County on a letterhead, pictured above. He explained he holds a technical and scientific background and, while he respects the economic opportunity the proposed permit may hold for proponents, he urges its denial due to its proximity to scientific investigation of significant importance. He enclosed an image, pictured below, of his 2011 Certificate of Lifetime Patron Membership to the Center for Ancient Astronaut Research and the Archaeology, Astronautics and SETI Research Association, signed by Giorgio Tsoukalos and Erich von Daniken. ( pp1-3 ) Paige Sechi explained they were raised in the Uintah Basin and encouraged the county to prioritize the long-term well-being of the community. “I'm not writing you because of the media depictions of the ranch, but in the environmental, geological, and cultural significance of the area where the drilling is proposed,” Sechi wrote. Their perspective, arguably among the more measured and pointed, was noticeably absent from other emails as compared to concerns about the future of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. ( p137 ) Paul Wilson, P.E., opposed approval of the permit because it would significantly affect ongoing scientific investigation that could benefit Utah as well as the entire country. The oil or gas will always be there, he argued, while the loss of the present investigation will do permanent damage to a major scientific breakthrough. “As a staunch Trump supporter,” Wilson concluded, “I believe he would not want this to affect the American people.” ( p147 ) Dr. Carry Duckworth, “Scientist and PI in the UK,” opposed the permit because Skinwalker Ranch conducts a high-tech venture undertaking world-renowned scientific research going back at least 20 years. But it's not just about the scientific community and those who understand and follow the high-quality research like Duckworth does, they emphasized. It's also about the large community that follows and contributes to the research online. ( p88 ) “There will be huge negative societal impact if this does not continue,” Duckworth warned. “This community activity is excellent for both research on the ranch and the mental health of many of these individuals through developing friendships and the sense of purpose by contributing to groundbreaking research activity.” This writer confidently suspects law enforcement officers, personnel at the county medical examiner's office, and members of the search party who retrieved the deceased body of Andrew Barton Crowe might disagree with the doctor's assessment of Skinwalker Ranch societal impact. Noteworthy in the discussion of Uintah Basin properties is Utah 2023 S.B. 219 , Criminal Privacy Violation Amendments. Introduced by State Sen. Ronald Winterton, the bill expanded on existing legislation by increasing penalties for the use of equipment such as drones and ground-penetrating radar to survey land where there is an expected right of privacy. The Senator's son, Thomas Winterton, assisted in presenting discussion on the bill that restricts unauthorized use of technology to detect, observe, or measure property characteristics. It is not entirely clear what the consequences were perceived to be if a literal act of Congress was not undertaken to discourage the public from trying to glean details about the 500-acre Adamantium Real Estate property and its subterranean features. One might suppose it didn't have a lot to do with werewolves. The permit debate provides an analogy of UFO culture. A majority of emails fail to express basic understandings of such central issues as energy consumption, oil drilling and, importantly, goose-and-gander values that typically characterize a healthily functioning community. The vast majority of emails fail to consider what is most valued by the public, while simultaneously arguing paranormal entertainment special interest is not just of vast significance, but highest importance. If no competent argument is made to explain why proposed land use is bad for the region, in and of itself and independently of activities on adjacent properties, then the issue is framed, in effect, as 'Landowner A should not be permitted to do as he desires on his property because Landowner B should be permitted to do as he desires on his property'. If the argument is subsequently reduced to 'oil wells are fine, just not in the vicinity of a mesa I believe has a giant alien spaceship buried beneath it', then it's failing to make a legitimate point for why Don Hicken Farms should be denied the right to use its land as it sees fit within legal guidelines. And from this writer's desk, that self-centered irrationality is pretty much UFO World in a nutshell. In a follow-up email exchange, Uintah County Community Development clarified the permit for Don Hicken Farms is in the review stage and "is currently waiting on additional information from the applicant." It was further explained that when a decision is reached, an applicant is typically notified by mail or email, so there is not a designated way to track the status of a permit request. EFR therefore envisions monitoring the situation through standard channels and possibly checking back in the future for further information from Uintah County.

Expanding Frontiers Research continues to investigate concerns expressed by mid-20 th century UFO investigators to the FBI about activity taking place within the flying saucer genre. Previous FOIA requests revealed Dr. Leon Davidson wrote FBI Dir. J. Edgar Hoover in 1960 about the UFO topic used as a disguise for conducting subversive activity. Prior to that, in 1958, UFO writer Ivan Sanderson contacted the Newark Field Office with similar concerns. He and writer and editor Hans Santesson subsequently spoke with agents about the New York Saucer Information Bureau, a group they identified as promoting Communist ideology. The two volunteered to assist and inform FBI as it deemed advantageous. Since obtaining the above material, EFR has been reviewing information from a variety of sources, as well as submitting additional FOIA requests on names dropped to the FBI by Davidson and Sanderson. Current and past research of the overlap between the intelligence and UFO communities indicates the agencies documented much more about subversive activities surrounding UFO personalities than they collected relevant material about the flying saucers the demographic claimed to study. Truman Bethurum, 1954 The latest records obtained and reviewed include an FBI file on Truman Bethurum , a self-described UFO contactee. Bethurum was documented in a 1958 FBI memo to have been named by Sanderson as a regular attendee at New York Saucer Information Bureau meetings while also touring the country to discuss UFOs with no visible means of support. Sanderson and Santesson advised the FBI, the memo stated, that “the New York Saucer Information Bureau was a possible Communist Front organization inasmuch as recent material published by this bureau and special guests at this bureau's meetings, have indicated to them that the meetings are just being held under the guise of information concerning unidentified flying objects but in reality are meetings being used to expand the Communist Party line.” Truman Bethurum (1898-1969) was a blue-collar worker from California. He claimed his first contact with alien visitors was in 1952 and included the beautiful Aura Rhanes, the alleged captain of an often-returning spacecraft. He wrote books about his extraordinary adventures and pushed an agenda - supposedly at the instruction of Aura Rhanes - to raise money for the Sanctuary of Thought, an Arizona commune. If Bethurum's bit was the idea of an attractive alien, it eluded the FBI. Its records indicate Valor, a magazine operated by William Dudley Pelley, had an apparent financial stake and interest in organizing and promoting Bethurum speaking engagements in 1954. That was surmised from information provided to the Bureau by Thomas Eickhoff, an Ohio man informing the Cincinnati Field Office of activities surrounding Bethurum. Eickhoff indicated George Hunt Williamson, who also described himself as a contactee, and another man known as Mr. Manspeaker, were handling details of organizing and advertising a Bethurum event in Cincinnati. Both men were described as being involved with Valor. The event stood to potentially raise thousands of dollars in ticket sales. Eickhoff told FBI he did not know why Valor was interested in Bethurum or what the plans were for the money that might be raised. FBI noted Valor was published by William Dudley Pelley and that it was described as a journal of applied spirituality, dealing with mysticism and flying saucers. The 1954 FBI memo documented Pelley was "said to claim that these individuals arriving in flying saucers are of greater intelligence and learning than the earth people and are here to give the earth people intellectual guidance and spiritual endowment." Aug. 12, 1942, St. Louis Post-Dispatch William Dudley Pelley (1890-1965) was an American fascist activist and supporter of Nazi Germany. His antisemitism led to founding the Silver Legion of America, commonly known as the Silver Shirts, in 1933. The Silver Shirts were characterized by their paramilitary uniform and fascist ideology. Pelley unsuccessfully ran for president of the United States in 1936 as the candidate for the Christian Party. He was convicted in 1942 of sedition and seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was paroled in 1950. William Pelley FBI records are posted on the Bureau website. Other issues that arise in FBI records responsive to Bethurum include the activity of UFO researcher Leonard Stringfield of Civilian Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects, known as CRIFO. He attended a meeting with Thomas Eickhoff, Williamson, Manspeaker and Bethurum to discuss organizing a Bethurum appearance in Cincinnati, according to Eickhoff. A 1954 interview is referenced by FBI that was conducted by Stringfield with Col. John O'Mara of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The interview was presented early on in this writer's book, Wayward Sons: NICAP and the IC , as it provides documentation that intelligence officers have been telling UFO writers for some 70 years that UFO Disclosure is imminent. In the FBI records at hand, Stringfield's agenda is called into question, including documentation of a statement attributed to him that the Air Force couldn't do anything about his activities because, “I'm claiming saucers are interplanetary.” Yet another FBI informant – redacted and remaining unnamed in this instance - “advised that he was furnishing the foregoing information because he thought that possibly the real purpose of the Civilian Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects organization might be to gather bits of information about a very secret U.S. Air Force Development Project.” A 1977 Stringfield book with a forward by Keyhoe Maj. Donald Keyhoe, soon to become the frontman of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena at the time the FBI memos were authored, is also referenced. Col. O'Mara, while providing Stringfield with statements supportive of a flying saucer mystery, nonetheless told Thomas Eickhoff, the Ohio FBI informant, that Keyhoe “is a fraud.” The colonel alluded to the existence of information in Washington to that effect, which may be a reference to circumstances described in now-declassified FBI records responsive to Keyhoe. The Bureau identified Keyhoe's writing as irresponsible and cited a specific example of an entirely untrue story published by the saucer enthusiast and conspiracy monger. Stringfield previously came to this writer's attention after declassification of a 1978 NSA memo was requested and successfully obtained in 2017. The memo fascinatingly reflects how a longtime staple of the Mutual UFO Network and an NSA assignee, Thomas Deuley, informed his supervisors about his attendance and activities at an annual UFO symposium in Ohio. As Deuley explained, presentations included Stringfield, Todd Zechel and others discussing documents purportedly created by the CIA. Deuley described in the memo how he relied on CIA to determine the documents were not authentic. He also explained how Zechel, who was reported by the Washington Post in 1979 to be an NSA man himself, solicited information on UFOs from Deuley. The memo further documented how Zechel made the claim publicly a number of times to have worked for the NSA, yet NSA records did not indicate that to be the case. Zechel addressed the situation with Deuley, explaining he wanted to clear it up, and subsequently claimed to Deuley that confusion arose because he worked as a shift supervisor at an ASA (Army Security Agency) facility in Korea from 1963-1966. Deuley's memo described Zechel urging him to find out about UFOs and share information he learned. Deuley wrote further, "There is some thought that [Zechel] would be capable of being behind the CIA letter fraud and that he is apt to go to most any length to collect information or to bend facts to fit his needs."  Deuley wrote his NSA supervisors about Zechel, “I have talked with him in a frank, clear manner that should have portrayed to him my position and I feel, without specific examples of him being dishonest, I should give him a chance of building a productive working relationship.” It is not clear exactly what kind of relationship would have been considered productive. “Any further contact or requests for information will be reported,” Deuley concluded. A number of interesting points arise in the 1978 NSA memo and its reading is recommended. The identity of the memo author – Thomas Deuley - is confidently established through the work of Philip Klass . In 2018, this writer submitted a follow-up FOIA request to NSA, seeking additional memos and reports written by the analyst who authored the 1978 MUFON conference memo on Zechel's solicitation of information. NSA advised this week by email, as fate would have it, that the request was too broad. EFR is in correspondence with the Agency, working on narrowing the scope of the request in an effort to reach a resolution that provides more material for review and consideration.

Law enforcement was dispatched to a report in May 2022 of a film crew with a drone at the gate of the Nevada Test and Training Range, popularly known as Area 51. The responding deputy encountered Joerg Arnu, operator of the Dreamland Resort website, along with three men with German passports, according to records recently obtained from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. The incident took place less than six months before the widely reported raids of two properties owned by Arnu. Area 51 gate. Photo credit: David James Henry “They did have a drone and admitted to filming in the area,” the deputy documented in the incident report, “but denied flying the drone.” The four men eventually left the area without incident after base personnel declined to provide a written statement or surveillance footage that might suggest the drone illegally crossed a boundary. The Dreamland Resort website states it is operated from a property bordering Area 51, a secure U.S. Air Force facility with a rich history in UFO and alien lore. Arnu is described as a 25-year Area 51 research veteran. The website boasts it is the number one source for information on Area 51, black projects and the Nellis Air Force Base ranges. In November 2022, two properties owned by Arnu were served search warrants, apparently jointly carried out between the FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Expensive electronic equipment was taken into evidence during the raids, according to news reports quoting Arnu. He was reportedly told the search was related to images posted on his Area 51 website. Arnu claims the law enforcement actions violated his rights. He further framed the circumstances as “a message to silence the Area 51 research community.” He does not, however, include the story of the interaction with the sheriff's office, involving foreign nationals carrying a drone around the border of Area 51, among the items posted at Dreamland Resort. A Go Fund Me page was set up to raise money to replace confiscated equipment, repair damages to his homes and cover legal expenses. To date, the page has received pledges totaling almost $20,000. EFR sent messages to Joerg Arnu through Dreamland Resort website and the Go Fund Me page, offering him opportunities to comment for potential inclusion in this blogpost, particularly about the records obtained from the sheriff's office. No responses were received. Depictions of the search warrants dated Nov. 2, 2022, and linked through Dreamland Resort indicate FBI and AFOSI were involved in executing the warrants and conducting property searches (see the screenshots below). All of the circumstances surrounding how the depicted warrants were prepared for posting are not clear, however, as they contain redactions of select passages and sections, including material seized into evidence. From the search warrants: Further example of redactions in depictions of the search warrants shared but not fully explained by Dreamland Resort: FBI responded to FOIA requests submitted by EFR on Dreamland Resort that it was unable to identify records subject to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts that are responsive to the requests. It should be noted that does not necessarily indicate FBI records do not exist pertaining to searches of properties owned by Arnu and related investigations. A digital image linked through Dreamland Resort of a December 2022 FBI response to a request submitted on Joerg Arnu states responsive material is not subject to release per FOIA Exemption (b)(7)(A), records compiled for law enforcement purposes, disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to interfere with proceedings. Update Sep. 26, 2025: After providing FBI documentation as cited in this article of its apparent involvement in the execution of search warrants in November 2022, the Bureau again issued a response indicating it was unable to identify records responsive to "Dreamland Resort" that are subject to the FOIPA. Expanding Frontiers Research subsequently appealed the action. The Department of Justice Office of Information Policy, the appeal authority for the FBI, recently responded it affirmed FBI action . As suggested above, that does not necessarily mean such records do not exist or that records responsive to investigations of Joerg Arnu necessarily contain the term "Dreamland Resort." A second incident report responsive to Dreamland Resort was obtained from Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, dated January 2023, a couple months after the search warrants were served. The report documented how a series of apparent misunderstandings experienced by Arnu included him calling the sheriff's office to register a complaint about people he perceived were circling his property in a truck and filming. He reported he was in fear for his safety. Arnu placed a second call after following and confronting the perceived perpetrators. A responding deputy determined the people, which included a man and his daughters the officer recognized, had likely been on Arnu's street for reasons other than his property. They did seem prone to recording on their phone cameras, which the officer pointed out to Arnu was not against the law. Arnu reportedly told the deputy he thought somebody from the Little A'Le'Inn bar had been sent to harass and film him. “Arnu did not like the idea of people driving by his home and filming his property,” the officer noted. Protesters gather outside an Area 51 gate during "Storm Area 51." Photo credit: David James Henry In related news, an incident report was obtained from Lincoln County Sheriff's Office pertaining to the 2019 event, Storm Area 51 – They Can't Stop All of Us. As widely reported in the media, the event began as a Facebook post by Matty Roberts, encouraging a mob-like incursion of the Air Force base. As the post gained attention and momentum, it was promoted by dubious UAP influencer Jeremy Corbell. On Sep. 20, 2019, the day of the event, the sheriff's office responded to a trespassing call from Nevada Test and Training Range. The responding deputy found two young men detained by base security, their Jeep with Utah plates parked just inside a “No Trespassing” sign. The two were charged with trespassing and transferred to a mobile detention center set up at the nearby Hiko Fire Station as a result of the scheduled Storm Area 51 event. According to the incident report, both men acknowledged they knew they were trespassing and apologized. They gave law enforcement permission to examine their cell phones, one of which contained a photo of a “No Trespassing” sign and a video reportedly recorded inside the base boundary. The video was deleted. The two posted bail, were released, and were provided a ride to the location to which their Jeep was towed.

In 2019 this writer sought FBI records on UFO author and speaker Stanton Friedman (1934-2019) through the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act. The FBI soon provided about 57 pages of apparently previously released documents. The records consisted primarily of 1985 FBI memos reflecting investigations stemming from Friedman's interest in classified material. In this post, we will explore some interesting aspects of the records as well as a recently received response to a request for a Mandatory Declassification Review. Though no new information was obtained, the circumstances may provide some food for thought. Image of Stanton Friedman contained in FBI file You may access a master folder, "Friedman, Stanton," holding two additional folders. One of the folders, titled "Friedman FBI," contains FBI records previously obtained. The second folder, "Friedman FBI MDR 12-24," contains an FBI final response received last week for the Mandatory Declassification Review, along with the records on Friedman, even though they were revised very little, if at all. The late Stanton Friedman was born in New Jersey and attended Rutgers University before earning physics degrees at the University of Chicago during the 1950s. He worked in the defense industry and was granted DOD secret clearance as well as Q clearance by the Department of Energy, according to FBI records ( see p3 ). Friedman turned his attention to UFOs and became widely known for promoting unverified conspiracies of crashed flying saucers and the alleged alien abduction of Betty and Barney Hill. He was a primary promoter of the dubious and almost certainly forged MJ-12 documents along with controversial writer William “Bill” Moore. Friedman adamantly claimed to believe the government was conducting a cover-up of UFOs and aliens. Soon after receiving FBI records in 2019, this writer submitted a request for a Mandatory Declassification Review, or MDR, in the hopes some of the withheld material would be further released. The Bureau issued a final response last week to the MDR, pictured below. While an initial page-by-page comparison revealed no newly released information (not so much as one single less redaction), some potentially interesting circumstances may nonetheless be discerned. As highlighted, the Bureau acknowledged, “99 pages were reviewed and 57 pages are being released.” That means, even after a declassification review, some 42 pages of records responsive to Stanton T. Friedman in the custody of the FBI were deemed fully exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act. Also of note and as highlighted on the second page of the FBI response letter, documents were originally referred to Other Government Agency(ies) for review for release. It would appear this includes the State Department. The circumstances offer opportunities for continued research. The FBI withholding of records may be appealed and a request may be sent to the State Department, as well, citing the FBI response letter and records but, for now, let's take a look at the records released to date. Working systematically from the beginning of the pdf titled "Friedman FBI 1 MDR...," we quickly find what might well be identified as the heart of Bureau interest in Stanton Friedman. An April 1985 memo from an agent at the Boston Field Office advises Dir. Hoover it was not known how Friedman knew specific FBI file numbers he listed in a FOIA request. The request pertained to intelligence conferences with the Air Force, related items, and a proposed study of flying saucers. From page 4 of the above linked file: The social dynamics reflected in this one page are vast. They are difficult to overemphasize. In this single memo, we see implications of UFO researchers encouraging intelligence officers to leak classified information. Friedman quite possibly learned the file numbers when they were shared improperly, possibly among numerous people. The mid 1980s UFO scene, speeding out of control on greased rails, was the time of Richard Doty, Bill Moore, Linda Moulton Howe, and anybody else who would embrace and promote ill-advised revelations of the Majestic 12, cattle mutilations and underground alien bases. This memo speaks to it. In the above page, we can surmise UFO writers rattling swords with intelligence agencies, practically challenging them. If a request was denied, or they were questioned about circumstances surrounding classified material, the writer could proclaim they were on the right track, getting too close to the truth. They rarely so much as ever even acknowledged information may have been classified for reasons having nothing to do with alien spaceships. Doing so would have simply not supported their agenda. It could be argued, in this context, it was the job of the Boston FBI to determine the extent of the agenda of Stanton T. Friedman. It should also be considered that investigation of UFO figures is often a lose-lose proposition for intelligence agencies. The subject of investigation may prove to be either irrational or willfully ignorant, pursuing stories of aliens and government cover-ups for a variety of common and self-serving reasons, but resulting in no implications of espionage or damage to national security. A best case scenario may often be that investigation proves to be a waste of time and resources. Continuing through the first of the two pdfs, a rather heavily redacted May 1985 FBI memo located on page 7 mentions a highly sensitive source, presumably a confidential informant, further referenced repeatedly as we progress through the records. The memo on page 7, pictured below, also contains a reference to how the source must be protected if information is disseminated outside the Bureau, another point that recurs throughout the material. We might also note part of the subject is redacted. Again, a recurring feature as we proceed through reading the files. Many memos have subject lines of Friedman and something redacted. By July 1985, Boston FBI determined information requested by Friedman in 1984 and subsequently released to him no longer had a confidential nature. The records Friedman requested had a somewhat expected date range of 1946-1960:  FOIA exemptions applied for redactions are highlighted on the above memo. As cited throughout the material and described in the FBI MDR final response, which also cited Exemption b7D for select withholding of records, the specified exemptions pertain to unwarranted invasions of privacy, disclosure of identity of confidential sources, and disclosure of techniques of law enforcement investigations. Another 1985 FBI memo located on page 12 of the pdf references an LHM, or Letterhead Memo. This is likely a reference to a summary of derogatory information compiled during the course of a counterintelligence investigation. The memo suggests the LHM should be forwarded to Legat, Ottawa, which would be the FBI Legal Attaché. It might be a good guess that this LHM represents some of the fully withheld material, even after the Mandatory Declassification Review. That, and State Department records. From page 14: Nearing the end of the first pdf, page 18 contains a memo again clarifying, “Information furnished by [redacted] may not be reclassified or further disseminated outside the FBI without prior [redacted] authority.” Cited exemptions include circumstances of confidential sources and law enforcement investigations: The second pdf, titled "Friedman FBI 2 MDR 12-24," contains a March 1985 FBI memo, predating the above correspondence (see p16). It indeed further establishes the Bureau had a source telling it about Stan Friedman. The exemptions cited pertain to confidential sources and investigations: Page 24 of the pdf is part of a May 1985 memo. It coordinates the dissemination of the Letterhead Memo to relevant offices and directs the FBI Alexandria Division to “initiate traces re Friedman” with the Washington Field Office (The Alexandria Division typically worked on compromising human sources and open legal cases): By December 1985, Boston FBI apparently became satisfied other offices and collaborating agencies in the U.S. and Canada had no information justifying further investigation of Friedman, at least not for any of the reasons it was initially directed in this instance. It noted permission might be sought in the future for careful dissemination of investigation findings and information obtained from protected sources ( see p38 ). It seems apparent the discussion of Friedman's activities, however, included a substantial amount of classified material, and it continues to be redacted. That's the case whether or not Friedman was aware or cared. Note the almost fully redacted page 7 of the second pdf, even after MDR: Also, an inventory of deleted responsive pages provided by the Bureau shows the several records not produced that pertain to the State Department, as well as three pages (79, 84, 85) withheld in full under exemptions cited: The FBI records on Stanton Friedman reveal a number of social circumstances. They establish surveillance of UFO investigators, but they also indicate the investigator put himself in the line of sight by interjecting himself into classified matters. Moreover, these are dynamics that continue today between the UFO subculture and the intelligence community. Intelligence agencies are by no means necessarily without blame in select convoluted matters that fuel irrational speculation of the fantastic, but neither does that justify taking leave of our critical thinking faculties. Expanding Frontiers Research encourages you to keep unpacking the past to accurately learn how we got here and competently assess where we're going. Update: On Sep. 24, 2025, the Department of Justice Office of Information Policy affirmed FBI action on Appeal No. A-2025-00610, submitted by this writer and concerning records withheld on Stanton Friedman during a Mandatory Declassification Review. Dozens of pages continue to be withheld in full along with redacted sections of pages released in part as shown above.

A 1963 FBI memo recently obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration indicates UFO writer Ivan Sanderson was tapped by the Bureau during its investigation of Robert Theodore Stark. Sanderson, a former British intelligence officer and high-profile UFO researcher of his era, was documented in a 1958 FBI memo as having initiated contact with the Bureau about what were described as subversive activities at meetings of the New York Saucer Information Bureau (NYSIB), as previously reported by EFR . Sanderson and Swedish-born New York writer and editor Hans Santesson were subsequently interviewed by FBI, informing it the meetings were held under the guise of information concerning UFOs but were in reality being used to promote the Communist Party. Sanderson and Santesson expressed willingness to cooperate with the FBI in furnishing information in the future, according to the 1958 memo. The Bureau apparently took Sanderson up on the offer. A series of follow-up FOIA requests submitted by Expanding Frontiers Research resulted in obtaining the 1963 memo, Subject: Robert Theodore Stark. A clipping on Santesson's work that is archived by FBI was also obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. More material is expected to be received and posted as this ongoing FOIA investigation continues. Ivan Sanderson and Hans Santesson The 1963 FBI memo documents Robert Theodore Stark was employed in 1957 by the Bogen-Presto Division of the Siegler Corporation at a location in Paramus, NJ. Further research indicates Russian immigrant David Bogen ran successful electronics and audio companies in New York before selling them in the 1950s. Siegler was among the purchasers in 1957. FBI interest in Stark is not clarified in the memo. For reasons that are not yet entirely clear, the memo contains implications to the NYSIB, seemingly leading to Sanderson, who is apparently shown a photo of Stark. The man looked familiar, Sanderson apparently indicated, but he could not place him. Suggesting the NYSIB was indeed a topic at hand, FBI documented Sanderson then advised FBI of names of people who may have been more currently active with the NYSIB than he, as shown in the image below, and therefore may have been more helpful in recognizing the man in the photo and furnishing related information: From a 1963 FBI memo, Subject: John Theodore Stark Some readers will recognize the reference to longtime NICAP staple and UFO community member Isabel (spelled Isabelle by FBI) Davis. This could be considered interesting for reasons including previous FOIA requests submitted to the Bureau on Ms. Davis did not produce responsive records. A reason for the oversight may be due to the subject of the memo and/or file is Mr. Stark, combined with the fact the memo contains numerous references to various people and organizations. All of the referenced entities are probably not entered in the file subject and metadata, which could result in unsuccessful searches conducted by FBI FOIA personnel. A standard search may simply not be able to determine the references are in the text. Further research suggests Isabel Davis formed a group called Civilian Saucer Intelligence of New York, or CSINY, in 1954 with Ted Bloecher and the also-referenced Lex Mebane. The group reportedly published a CSI newsletter from 1956-1959 under Mebane's editorial direction. Another FOIA request stemming from the 1958 FBI memo resulted in obtaining part of a clipping archived by FBI . As pictured right, the Bureau came into possession of part of an article describing Hans Santesson's work as a science fiction editor while also delving into Muslim ideologies and his interpretations of what the movement meant for the United States. Santesson's work also included composing a review of John McCoy's “They Shall Be Gathered Together,” a 1957 dive into UFOs, extraterrestrial contact and the coming of a “New Age.” Interestingly, the pamphlet was directly referenced by Dr. Leon Davidson in his 1960 letter to FBI Dir. J. Edgar Hoover as an example of hidden agendas masquerading as New Age movements and UFO interest, as recently covered by EFR . -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Expanding Frontiers Research thanks Kim Møller Hansen for their continuing coverage of the Ivan Sanderson-FBI line of research and our ongoing work at Skandinavisk UFO Information . -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Expanding Frontiers Research is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, dedicated to conducting and posting reliable research through proven methods. We facilitate the use of public records requests by assisting researchers with submitting requests, as well as educating the public on the process, effectively advocating responsible government transparency through action and example. Please consider joining our valued financial supporters at the EFR Patreon or by making a donation through the secure “Donate” link located on our website homepage . Your financial support assists with FOIA fees, website maintenance, organization operating expenses and makes our work possible.