Search Results

FBI records responsive to the late psychologist, UFO investigator, and advocate for the use of hypnosis as a memory enhancer, Leo Sprinkle, were obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research. The 79 of 91 responsive pages obtained have just one reference to Sprinkle but, instead, serve as further verification of an ongoing and massive mid-20th century surveillance operation conducted on American academics who opposed the Vietnam War. A 1971 Vietnam War protest in Washington, DC The Bureau launched investigations and disseminated results to dozens of its field offices on educators and scholars questioning U.S. policy in Vietnam, as well as organizers of protests and the universities where they worked. Intelligence was collected, including the use of numerous confidential informants, then distributed to a network of participating FBI offices to keep them advised and in the loop. This writer invites consideration of the material in the context of COINTELPRO, a 1956-1971 FBI set of counterintelligence programs conducted with the expressed goal to expose, discredit or otherwise neutralize individuals or groups targeted for their supposed subversive potential. After COINTELPRO itself was exposed, the programs were identified as illegal and in violation of civil rights. The first page of the records obtained , shown below, is the opening of a May 1965 FBI memo concerning an Inter-University Committee for a Public Hearing on Viet Nam. The abbreviation “IS,” following the subject line, likely refers to Internal Security. For those who share this writer's interest in examining specifically what we're looking at here, the memo was sent to Dir. Hoover from a Detroit Special Agent in Charge (SAC). Dissemination to dozens of FBI offices was reported and copies were enclosed for FBI headquarters. The letters and numbers in the right-hand margin were added later by FOIA personnel when processing the document for public release. The markings represent FOIA exemption codes, cited as justification for the corresponding redacted sections of the page. The Hook-up Forthcoming pages of the memo reference a national “hook-up” demonstration, scheduled for May 15, 1965, to be conducted in coordination with a series of “teach-in” events at university campuses. The circumstances arose from what was at first going to be a group telephone call out of Washington, DC, involving participating protesters and interested parties, but turned into a “hook-up” to be listen-only or transmitted by radio. That's because the number of people requesting to participate increased to a point of surpassing available technology and practical costs (Long distance phone calls were expensive in the 1960s). Faculty from colleges all over the country wanted to be part of the activities, which had grown into becoming days of scheduled speakers and awareness-raising events: a national “teach-in.” While many academics and departments expressed interest and committed resources, the University of Michigan was identified as a catalyst by the FBI, thus the Detroit office served as a lead in collecting, organizing and disseminating intelligence. University of Michigan The hundreds of articles archived at Newspapers dot com related to Vietnam War protests and ongoing teach-ins include an Edwin A. Lahey column from the Wednesday, March 16, 1966, edition of the Detroit Free Press, pictured below. Several social dynamics of the era may easily be surmised from the tone. University of Michigan was the home to the Center for Research on Conflict Resolution (CRCR). It operated from 1952-1972, tumultuous times for the nation both foreign and domestic. It is clear from information cited in the 1965 Bureau communications that FBI investigations of the CRCR and associates went back years, long before the May 1965 protests were conceived. The same is the case for several academics subsequently discussed in the material, as investigations from as early as the 1950s were cited in summaries. The material disseminated also included an inventory of confidential informants – heavily redacted when processed for FOIA release, as pictured right – who were cited as sources throughout the material obtained. Multiple references were made to names of protesters obtained from petitions, which obviously served as intelligence sources. Ironically, a primary purpose of select petitions may be to assist intelligence and law enforcement agencies in compiling lists of surveillance targets, based on the apparent sympathies and belief systems of those who sign. The Detroit FBI reported on an informant who advised of an enclosure distributed in the mailings of the Inter-University Committee for a Public Hearing on Viet Nam. The mailer represented a means of building support for the teach-in. The first two paragraphs of the mailer were documented by the Bureau: The informant likewise supplied names of people who responded to the enclosure - some 30 pages of them that were disseminated throughout the FBI. Along with names, the long list included location, university affiliation, and nature of support pledged for the teach-in. The list was categorized alphabetically by city, presumably for the convenience of regional field offices, and consisted of people spread from New York to Los Angeles. FBI Concerns FBI concerns centered on the Communist Party and subversive activities ostensibly conducted under the guise of peace movements and support of freedom of speech. This led to suspicion aimed at groups with such overtly harmless names as the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights. FBI caution was not completely unreasonable, even if its tactics were arguably authoritarian and evolved into overkill. One specific circumstance is cited in the material in which a protest organizer morally supported an individual the Bureau conclusively knew to be traveling on multiple fraudulent passports. Other similar circumstances were cited, some involving raising funds for the legal defense of people engaged in such questionable activities. In one instance, a former faculty member at the University of Michigan was cited who had been held in contempt of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (Those opposing or calling for the Committee to be abolished were automatically suspect, much less if held in contempt). The motives of peace movements and protests that questioned the judgment of the White House were therefore considered potentially deceptive, even if one could surmise a vast majority of protesters were not willfully acting as foreign subversive agents. Many protesters were legitimately interested in expressing objections about American foreign policy, but those people - and, perhaps more aptly stated, their rights - were not subjects of concern for J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Questionable protest agendas or not, the Bureau observably documented a significant amount of speculation about the loyalties of a surveillance target. The FBI solicited subjective opinions from informants and witnesses when developing assessments, then widely distributed those assessments. The article below is from the May 15, 1965, edition of the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal. Like the article offered above, it represents a number of self-evident social dynamics of the era. This article was specifically selected for consideration because the Winston-Salem Journal, along with other media outlets, were owned by Gordon Gray, a well-connected and influential career member of the intelligence community, as previously explored by EFR . Leo Sprinkle So, what about the reference to Leo Sprinkle? Where did the UFO hypnotist who "helped" some 200 reported subjects learn more about their alleged encounters and factored significantly in the Bennewitz Affair fit into all this? It may not surprise you to hear that's not entirely clear. The last page of the final pdf of records obtained has the lone reference to Leo Sprinkle, pictured below. It is an FBI letterhead memo dated May 20, 1965, once again addressing the Inter-University Committee for a Public Hearing on Viet Nam. It documents the Denver office contained no information identifiable with Sprinkle and seemingly other individuals, names of which were redacted, as was the title of a memo or inquiry to which a significantly redacted response was issued. More information and context are not currently known. EFR originally submitted a FOIA request to the FBI for records responsive to the late Leo Sprinkle in July 2022. The Bureau advised in June 2024 of the existence of 91 pages responsive to the request. EFR reduced the request to the first 48 pages in order to position it in a small track and minimize processing time. FBI provided those pages in November with select redactions.   The final 43 pages were then requested. In its final response letter of Dec. 20, 2024, FBI stated 31 of the 43 pages were provided and 12 were withheld in full.  EFR appealed the fully withheld 12 pages. The Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy, which serves as the appeal authority for the FBI, denied the appeal and upheld the initial ruling of the Bureau. The use of FOIA exemptions and foreseeable harm of disclosure, from the appeal response dated May 16, 2025 (60 years and a day since the national "hook-up" protest of May 15, 1965), as explained by the Office of Information Policy in its own words:

Researchers Emily Louise and Tanner F. Boyle recently embarked on a journey across West Virginia, visiting locations known for their famous paranormal lore. Among the numerous stops they made was the Clarksburg Public Library, home to the Gray Barker UFO Collection. Emily kindly passed along some documents she came across, correctly supposing they might be of interest due to this writer's previous work on the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). Emily shared five separate images , comprising four letters written to Gray Barker from Morris K. Jessup, an original NICAP organizer and UFO author. The letters were apparently typed in December 1956 and January 1957, a key time in the NICAP saga. The organization's incorporation was officially approved in October 1956. Its inaugural three months saw three different treasurers and its director, T. Townsend Brown, was sent packing at the January 15, 1957, first annual meeting. Maj. Donald Keyhoe was then issued the hot seat. “I think it's time to publically debunk NICAP,” Jessup wrote Barker on December 18, 1956, “and I am sorry to have been associated with Brown. It is now common knowledge that I have been denied a place in the organization...” Jessup went on to assert the NICAP governors should do a housecleaning or start a new committee. NICAP financial matters were under suspicion. Later years would see issues arise about the presence of the CIA and intelligence personnel. In a letter written to Barker just four days after the first, December 22, 1956, Jessup interestingly stated he did not know for the life of him if he had already replied. He then shared more of his assessments of NICAP. Jessup criticized Brown, took aim at NICAP finances, and shared his low opinion of the organization's personnel. “Brown proudly told me that de Rochefort knows absolutly [ sic ] nothing about UFO or the UFO field,” Jessup wrote . On January 3, 1957, Jessup continued , “NICAP is still a mess. The frenchman [ sic ] has walked out until he can get pay and authority, but his resignation has not yet been accepted. The Baltimore free-loaders [ sic ] seem to have been sidetracked.” Part of a January 3, 1957, letter from Morris K. Jessup to Gray Barker The Baltimore freeloaders was a reference to Counsel Services, a public relations firm conclusively linked by your author to the CIA and State Department personnel. Counsel Services officers assisted T. Townsend Brown in incorporating the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. The Frenchman, Nicholas de Rochefort, was in all reasonable likelihood a CIA asset himself, and probably brought on by Counsel Services. His expertise was psychological warfare and the China lobby, all of which would have a lot to do with why he didn't know anything about UFOs, as Jessup correctly pointed out to Barker. To be clear, it could be considered highly unlikely his presence at NICAP had anything to do with UFO investigation. A contract undertaken between Counsel Services and NICAP stipulated that Counsel Services officers, specifying by name Thomas D. O'Keefe, were empowered to hire consultants to work as NICAP regional managers ( see page 7 ). O'Keefe listed among his previous positions sitting on the Selection Board for Foreign Service Officers with the Department of State ( see page 41 ). That means he helped assign spies to work overseas. O'Keefe was a NICAP incorporator ( see page 3 ). From the NICAP Certificate of Incorporation In 1975, writer and researcher Stanley D. Bachrack sued the CIA. He sought all records on relations between then-deceased Nicholas de Rochefort and the CIA and its predecessor agencies. Notably, Bachrack showed no interest at all in UFOs, but became convinced the Russian-born Frenchman acted on behalf of the CIA during his successful lobbying activities and influence campaigns against Red China. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed when the presiding judge ruled that, while there is a strong public interest in government public disclosure, there is also a strong public interest in effective intelligence services, which could be greatly impaired by irresponsible disclosure ( see page 61 ). While it has not yet been conclusively identified why Nicholas de Rochefort either joined or exited the NICAP office, Jessup's description of de Rochefort's inability to gain authority could be challenged. We cannot know for sure what de Rochefort told people, or what Jessup heard, but records suggest de Rochefort had little desire to be the NICAP frontman, or at the least may have wanted to keep Brown around a bit longer. Specifically, a December 17, 1956, NICAP Progress Report states a special meeting of the Executive Committee took place and appointed de Rochefort to succeed Brown effective December 18 ( see page 89 ). However, a subsequent January 7, 1957, memo indicated the appointment was deferred when none other than Nicholas de Rochefort brought it to the attention of the Committee that, by its own rules and regulations, it lacked the authority to make the change ( see pages 93-94 ). The appointment was therefore deferred until the Board of Governors could duly elect Brown's successor, which, for whatever reasons, became Donald Keyhoe. In contradiction to the news Jessup gave Barker, one could reasonably suspect de Rochefort was not aspiring to achieve NICAP authority, or at least not overtly, given the information contained in the memos. Fascinatingly, records obtained on Nicholas de Rochefort from the FBI indicate he was the subject of Bureau investigations during the very time in question. An extremely interesting and heavily redacted memo, subject Nicholas de Rochefort and dated November 27, 1956, was written from a Special Agent in Charge at the Washington Field Office to Director J. Edgar Hoover. It stated a confidential informant supplied information in strict confidence, not to be disseminated outside of Hoover's office ( see page 20 ): Efforts have thus far been unsuccessful to have the memo further declassified. The FBI did advise, however, of the existence of an approximately 200-page file responsive to Nicholas de Rochefort in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). A 2020 FOIA request subsequently revealed NARA would process and produce the records for a cost of about $160. The estimated time of completion was originally September 2022. That was obviously delayed, and we hope to receive records sooner than later. In the final letter shared by Emily, Jessup wrote Barker again , January 21, 1957, explaining the changing of NICAP personnel. He noted that few remained from the original group. Other points of interest in the Jessup letters to Barker (shared by Emily) include Jessup's extreme doubt about the authenticity of statements from self-described contactees. Jessup expressed his befuddlement when he would find people he otherwise respected, “believing in some of the characters whom I have distrusted completely.” However, Jessup emphasized the importance to Barker of keeping his opinion confidential. “[P]ublically I feel I have to continue walking a tight wire in order to maintain public relations for future books.” Likewise, Jessup explained to Barker that if ufologists are to retain any slight degree of sanity and self-respect, they must deal adequately with hoaxing. Frankly and confidentially, Jessup continued, he did not believe anyone is in communication with spacecraft. “But don't quote me,” Jessup reiterated, “for I still want to sell some books...” That arguably reflects some 75 years of high-profile personalities who go along to get along within the UFO subculture, if not sensationalize issues for self-serving purposes themselves. Jessup seemed to be a restless soul and his saga serves as a cautionary tale in the annals of ufology. He was involved in a number of fascinating chains of events, but he ultimately lacked the fulfillment he so rigorously sought. Morris K. Jessup was found dead in 1959 in a car near Miami. There was a hose running from the exhaust pipe into the vehicle. Authorities ruled the death a suicide. FOIA efforts conducted in 2020 revealed NARA is in possession of an approximately 100-page file, subject Morris Jessup, Dr. Rulen Alred, Alex Joseph, John Ray and Shirley Joseph Baker. It was created between 1973 and 1974. "Dr. Rulen Alred" may be a reference to Rulon Allred, a chiropractor who led a fundamentalist sect and was assassinated in 1977. The file was requested and estimated to be processed for release by December 2023. The above issues of overlap between the intelligence community and NICAP, and much more, are explored in substantially greater depth in Wayward Sons: NICAP and the IC. Edit: While the above-referenced file sought through the FOIA, subject Morris Jessup and others, proved interesting in itself about offshoots of the Church of Latter-day Saints, it was determined to be a different Morris Jessup than corresponded and wrote books about UFOs.

Dozens of records responsive to “Ramtha's School of Enlightenment” were recently obtained from the Thurston County Sheriff's Office by Expanding Frontiers Research. The Yelm, Washington school is under the direction of J.Z. Knight, who claims to channel Ramtha, a purported Lemurian warrior who supposedly battled residents of the mythical Atlantis 35,000 years ago. The records consist of law enforcement reports and their accompanying digital images, video files, and audio files. Police & medical support respond to an intrusion at Ramtha's School of Enlightenment The material was obtained through the Washington Public Records Act, circumstances resulting from a collaboration between this writer and EFR Executive Director Erica Lukes. The records suggest a trend of vandalism and harassment directed at the facility and its staff, with several such incidents reported to the Sheriff's Office by security personnel of the property. The reported perpetrators were often former students or people with some type of apparent prior relationship with the staff and 80-acre compound, referenced in police reports as “JZ Knight's Mansion” or the “Ramtha Mansion.” The accused were at times described as suffering from serious mental health issues. Neither J.Z. Knight nor a spokesperson from the Ramtha School of Enlightenment immediately responded to a request for comment about the law enforcement records and related circumstances. J.Z. Knight Judy Zebra “J.Z.” Knight was born Judith Darlene Hampton in 1946 in Roswell, New Mexico. She would later claim Ramtha first appeared to her in 1977. This resulted in Knight becoming a popular guest on the 1980s television talk show circuit. She published a book, A State of Mind , in 1987; opened the school in 1988; launched JZK, Inc., in 1994; registered several Ramtha trademarks (her claims to exclusivity held up in court); and banked millions of dollars from followers, supporters, and business ventures. Knight lives in a reportedly 12,800-square-foot home on the school grounds, where she purports to disseminate the teachings of Ramtha, but, with all the abundance that befell the Roswell native, her alleged enlightened warrior consultant was apparently unable to guide her around some knee-wobbling missteps. In 2011, several hundred truth seekers attended an event at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, hoping to hear wisdom of the ages. What they got, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported , was drunken ramblings peppered with curse words. “F--- God’s chosen people! I think they have earned enough cash to have paid their way out of the goddamned gas chambers by now,” Knight reportedly let fly, along with bigoted remarks about “poison” Mexicans, homophobic references to gay men, and other statements unbecoming of an omniscient being. The implications were that it was pretty standard J.Z. stuff, and it hadn't previously made its way to watchdogs like the Southern Poverty Law Center because use of cell phones was just then surpassing Camp Ramtha's ability to keep it more under wraps. Allegations periodically surfaced of improprieties and mistreatment of devotees. A local doctor, for instance, was so concerned about what was taking place at the school that in 2014 he wrote the county health department and asked it to look into the health and safety of Knight's followers. Knight's influence on the UFO subculture (she reportedly told her following extraterrestrials first brought grapes to Earth 450,000 years ago) and, in particular, the Mutual UFO Network, got a lot of discussion in private circles and after-hours gatherings at UFO conferences. Newsweek, however, publicly served up the issues in 2018. The magazine cited turmoil within MUFON and reported resignations stemming from the blatantly expressed bigotry of “deep-pocketed donors like J.Z. Knight.” The piece further reported Knight was a member of a “high-tier” group of “Inner Circle” MUFON contributors. The circle included John Ventre, who shared Ramtha's tendency to rationalize talking bigotry trash. In 2020 local news media reported Knight coughed up over $70k in campaign contributions to Republican organizations, making her among President Trump's biggest donors in Thurston County. Interestingly and for whatever reasons, Knight also financially supported Democrats at state and local levels, even after she was ousted from the party in 2012 for her remarks seen on video as described above. Democrats have at times responded to Knight's donations by declining the funds, yet rather than return the money, forwarded it to causes such as the Anti-Defamation League. Law Enforcement Records EFR initially sought records in June through the FOIA from the FBI on the Ramtha School of Enlightenment. The request resulted in receiving FBI documentation , pictured below, that in 1999 it was contacted by an individual expressing concern the Ramtha group might be subversive or otherwise suspect. FBI noted it determined the group had come to the attention of the Thurston County Sheriff's Department, prompting an EFR FOIA request to the Washington law enforcement agency submitted in August. Records subsequently received from Thurston County Sheriff's Office include a 2007 report that Lee Nguyen was attending one of Knight's seminars when he approached another attendee and inquired if they were interested in buying hand grenades, rifles, and other explosives. The incident was quickly reported to a security guard, who confronted Nguyen and banned him from future events at the property. The Sheriff's Office noted in its report that a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms was advised of the situation and subsequently suggested he believed he had received another tip on Nguyen from the Drug Enforcement Agency. Mr. Nguyen was back to the property in July 2013, at which time he was charged with violating a civil anti-harassment order and second degree burglary. Police were summoned when Nguyen scaled a wall at the gate J.Z. Knight was using to get to her home, which was located about 70 yards from the gate. Asked why he did this, Nguyen reportedly replied, “The fathers told me to.” Urged to explain further, he stated the fathers were his spiritual advisors. Problems continued for Lee Nguyen when he once again returned to Ramtha's ranch in November of the same year, 2013, and was charged with criminal trespass. Following a Ramtha event, Nguyen reportedly covertly entered the property as attendees were being escorted off the grounds. The circumstances were apparently by no means out of the ordinary. On October 20, 2010 , 85-year-old Charley Wayne Napper, aka Ala-A-Ram, was charged with malicious mischief after he was interrupted from cutting out a section of fence to gain entry to the compound. Reportedly a former student and an already return trespasser, Mr. Napper was confronted by security and asked what he was doing, to which he replied rescuing J.Z. Knight. He was warned by security that the police would be called, so he left. Law enforcement caught up with him later, at which time he indicated he believed Knight was being held against her will. The man further stated he communicated with Knight telepathically, and that was how he knew to rescue her. He was then advised, the officer noted in his report, charges were being pressed. Later the same afternoon , Mr. Napper returned to ram the main gate. Police reported that, when they arrived, he was found still sitting in the driver's seat of a blue van which was resting against the gate it was used to damage. By 2011, things went from bad to worse when Napper was charged with threatening to kill a staff member. He reportedly left multiple profane messages, guaranteeing an imminent death, on the person's business phone voice mail. A police officer confronted Napper in a Safeway parking lot and subsequently arrested him. Asked if he would prefer to leave his van or have it towed, Napper told police to tow it, requesting they retrieve some gold coins from the vehicle. The Sheriff's Office documented two gold coins were found inside ski gloves in the van and would be placed in Napper's belongings. According to the report, Napper suggested there were more gold coins in the van. On an afternoon in June 2021, Wilburn Hutchinson, reportedly diagnosed with bipolar disorder, went on a reckless spree that resulted in repeatedly ramming his truck into school gates, apparently leaving the scene, then returning to trespass again. The final round involved violently resisting arrest. It took multiple police officers and their various accessories to get Hutchinson into the back of a patrol car, and from the looks of the accompanying photos, he didn't get the worst of the brawl. Video evidence of Mr. Hutchinson returning as a security guard attempts to sort out the situation: Additional footage and angles of Mr. Hutchinson's "gate approaches": Images of the finally detained Wilburn Hutchinson and documentation of an officer involved donnybrook: The strange trend includes Carmen Iones, a former employee of the school who kept returning in 2008, apparently against the wishes of the staff. She would later return on the day of an event in 2010, only to be escorted to the security office and detained until police arrived. And then there's the case of the trio who were chased off the property, only to return three days later and cut their way through the fence, Louisville Slugger in tow. “I find it alarming that we have people on our property with baseball bats,” a security guard said in a statement to the Sheriff's Office. Micah Gehman busted through the gate one night in a truck, causing an estimated $10,000 in damage. After security pulled a gun on him, Gehman declared religious and political asylum. He would later tell the Sheriff's Office he thought the stunt would be a fun way to meet Ramtha and that she would appreciate it. “I must have misread her,” he reportedly added. Evidence of Mr. Gehman's 2018 attempt to gain access to Ramtha There was an individual arrested for repeatedly returning to the property after warnings but persisted because they wanted “to make things right”; a big guy with a bald head who was reportedly released from jail not long before he was walking the perimeter of the property with a machete (neighbors told police he was “usually” out at night screaming and waving the machete); and a man who blocked the main entrance gate two days in a row, complaining of numbness in his body, saying he'd been poisoned, and wanting those in the compound to help him. Police surmised it may have been a diabetic issue. Diabetes was not the cause, however, one night in 2018 when two vehicles collided head on at a location listed as “Ramtha's Mansion.” Two intoxicated drivers, the report documented , two DUIs and two tows needed. Some of the more thought provocative reports involve welfare checks. The morning of March 23, 2020, a call was apparently received by the Thurston County Sheriff's Office from a telephone located in the security office of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment. The caller hung up, and the dispatcher subsequently tried unsuccessfully to call them back, noting it sounded like the line was disconnected. Within a few minutes officers were on the scene and spoke with employees who said they were cleaning the security office, realized they may have accidentally called someone, and unplugged the phone to ensure they didn't do it again. There's that. The afternoon of August 2, 2023, the Sheriff's Office received a similar incoming call from a cell phone yet was apparently unable to communicate with the caller. Subsequent investigation led to a wellness check conducted at Knight's 80 acres, where officers documented they were assured it was simply a mistake and were told, “Phone went wacko.” Was that wacko or Waco? Browse the records obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research, which include many more images, video clips, and documents, as well as audio files of oral statements recorded by police. The Thurston County Sheriff's Office release of records responsive to Ramtha's School of Enlightenment has been added to our FOIA Documents section located in the Expanding Frontiers Archive .

Expanding Frontiers Research recently obtained FBI records indicating a representative from its Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD) collaborated with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention during a 2015 investigation into the mishandling of anthrax at Dugway Proving Ground. An FBI Supervisory Special Agent from the WMDD was assigned to a Pentagon committee tasked with delving into the circumstances and traveled to Utah to interview key personnel from the Critical Reagent Program at Dugway, along with other relative staff. The interviews were conducted with the CDC Division of Select Agents and Toxins after researchers at Dugway reportedly distributed live anthrax by accident, rather than inactivated samples that were intended to be shipped, as documented in FOIA records published in a March blogpost . The most recently obtained records were released to EFR as part of the continuing FOIA case with the FBI. Browse and download the latest FBI release on Google Drive. The master folder of all FBI records received to date may also be viewed. Records previously obtained from the Bureau and published by EFR in March show how officials attempted in 2015 to determine the specific whereabouts and status of the misidentified anthrax shipments. The destinations of the samples included some 195 laboratories in all 50 states and nine countries, according to The Salt Lake Tribune . The FBI role in the interviews of key personnel was to support the CDC and help determine if there was malicious intent or willful negligence during the chain of events. None was found, according to records recently obtained: When FBI released records to EFR in November 2024, the Bureau provided a letter stating 49 responsive pages were reviewed and 11 were released. This took place after FBI advised EFR earlier in 2024 of the existence of 359 potentially responsive pages, and EFR subsequently reduced the scope of the request in order to substantially decrease processing time. EFR appealed the withholding of material and has not received a ruling as of this writing. The November FBI letter further stated documents were identified involving Other Government Agency(ies) and the Bureau was consulting with the OGAs for potential release. The most recently received records subsequently reflect circumstances involving the CDC, which apparently assisted FBI in applying FOIA Exemptions to the heavily redacted documents. In its latest response letter of April 14 , FBI stated 22 pages were reviewed and 14 were released. The Bureau advised that any potential appeals should be directed to the Department of Health and Human Services. EFR will again appeal the withheld material, excluding properly redacted personal identifiable information. The cited exemptions may be appropriately applied in numerous instances, protecting sensitive information surrounding weapons research and development and related details such as facilities and procedures. It is worthy of consideration, however, that agency embarrassment alone does not exempt records from disclosure under the FOIA. Just because no one was charged with criminal activity does not lessen the potential public value of records and arguably increases it in this instance. A competent argument can be made the very fact the events at hand ever happened at all is worthy of increased public attention and justifies scrutiny of research involving national security and bioweapons.

Several dozen pages of records responsive to bird kills at the Great Salt Lake were obtained in March from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). A request was submitted under the Government Records Access and Management Act after Expanding Frontiers Research Executive Director Erica Lukes alerted this writer to news reports indicating some 25,000 birds were killed by avian flu within the lake. The DWR response includes diagnostic reports, press releases and inner-agency emails, as well as email exchanges with media outlets and concerned residents seeking to better understand the circumstances. Material distributed by the Utah DWR and included in a March response to an EFR records request The records indicate an estimated 25,000 mostly eared grebes were killed between November and January. Deaths were attributed to avian flu. The severe avian flu season consisted of highly contagious viruses such as H5N1, particularly deadly to chickens and wild birds. Diagnostic reports and emails obtained also indicate botulism Type C accounted for thousands more bird deaths in recent years past. The affected bird populations include a variety of types of waterfowls. Avian botulism is caused by a toxin extremely potent to birds that is produced by a bacterium (Clostridium botulinum). Though not contagious, it can cause sudden die-offs when conditions are favorable for it to thrive. These conditions may include pervasive drought, impacted water levels and the resulting state of wetlands which attract birds. EFR obtained additional records from DWR in September when Erica Lukes became aware of other wildlife death in Utah. Beavers were found dead in multiple locations. The cause of deaths included Tularemia, a fever resulting from a bacterium (Francisella tularensis). Records obtained include test results and locations of the dead animals, among other information.

Author, researcher and retired psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Kaye joined this writer to discuss his research into covert projects conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency. This specifically includes Dr. Kaye's Jan. 17 article, The Unknown Story of CIA's MK-DECOY & "Subproject 61" , which covers groundbreaking aspects of the Agency's mid-20th century efforts to induce concussions in targeted human beings. Also explored is CIA-Connected Hospital Advised Warren Commission , in which, among other items of interest, Dr. Kaye shares documents that reveal how the CIA could refer people for mental health treatment and have them involuntarily committed for hospitalization if they were deemed national security risks. Dr. Jeffrey Kaye While practicing psychology in San Francisco, Dr. Kaye worked professionally with torture victims and asylum seekers. He protested the actions of psychologists working for the CIA and Department of Defense who helped develop interrogation programs widely exposed as including torture and other forms of cruel treatment of prisoners. He subsequently wrote the nonfiction e-book Cover-up at Guantanamo: The NCIS Investigation into the “Suicides” of Mohammed Al Hanashi and Abdul Rahman Al Amri . In the EFR video posted below, Dr. Kaye shares his insights on what he has learned about CIA covert research from MKULTRA to Guantanamo. He and your author discuss what is known to have taken place and why it matters, not just to involuntary research subjects, but society as a whole. Please consider supporting our work at Patreon . Your contributions help make our work possible.

Expanding Frontiers Research is pleased to announce a new video series, Learning How to Learn. It will be a collection of concise interviews with qualified experts discussing such issues as identifying reliable information and the red flags that should arise from dubious online content. This writer will be exploring how to systematically and effectively learn more about your subjects of interest. The series is set to begin Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2pm EST, with the video premiere of Learning How to Learn, Episode 1 , featuring award-winning science journalist and nonfiction author Sarah Scoles. The 22-minute video explores issues ranging from effectively sorting information to challenges the internet poses during the professional research process. Also considered is narrowing our focus to what is most important to us when we are swamped in seemingly endless stories designed to grab our attention. Considered, as well, are inconsistencies in a reporter or outlet's coverage and how the implications should inform our resulting assessments. This and more are discussed in the inaugural series video, so please visit Learning How to Learn, Episode 1: Sarah Scoles , turn on the notification, and subscribe to the EFR YouTube channel. We look forward to providing this series, as well as continuing our regular longform interviews and public service videos covering a wide variety of people and their areas of expertise.

In the second installment of the new EFR video series Learning How to Learn, Colorado journalist and podcaster Heidi Beedle joins this writer to discuss hurdles that often stand between media consumers and the truth. We also talk about dubious ways unfounded conspiracies gain traction, solutions to the challenges, and lots more. Learning How to Learn, Episode 2: Heidi Beedle launches Tuesday, March 4, at 1pm EST. Heidi Beedle Heidi Beedle's coverage revolves around local government and politics, with a strong emphasis on legal policy regulation, as published at the Colorado Times Recorder and Pikes Peak Bulletin . Heidi focuses on such issues as immigration reform, hate crimes reporting, abortion rights legislation, and LGBTQ+ rights. Heidi earned a Bachelor's in English from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and additionally covers nuclear disasters, cattle mutilations and UFO culture, and a wide variety of social movements. Connect with Heidi on BlueSky . Learning How to Learn is a collection of videos consisting of discussions on sorting fact from fiction and effectively obtaining quality information on the issues that matter to us most. Find the growing collection freely available on YouTube and at Patreon .

In 2016, multiple media outlets reported researchers at Dugway Proving Ground accidentally shipped live anthrax bacteria to 194 labs, including facilities in all 50 U.S. states and nine countries. Among those labs was BioFire Diagnostics, a medical company with a location in Research Park at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. A FOIA request submitted by Expanding Frontiers Research to the FBI on BioFire resulted in obtaining a 2015 three-page memo , indicating inactivated biological material was supposed to have been shipped but was revealed after testing to be virulent Bacillus anthracis, or deadly anthrax. The FBI memo further confirmed an investigation was opened on possible violations of prohibitions on biological weapons. Pages one and two of the memo: Established in 1942, the storied Dugway Proving Ground is a premier science and test facility of the U.S. Army. Situated on nearly 800,000 acres in Northwestern Utah, the facility consistently attracts the attention of peace activists, protesters of weapons research and development, conspiracy theorists, and even UFO buffs. Considered one of the state's most mysterious places , the Dugway paper trail consists of implications of borderline research ethics and questionable weapons projects. Researchers are at times split over the severity of the Dugway threat to public safety but there is universal agreement classified and controversial activities are ongoing. This has included radiation experiments and the hazard to "Downwinders" in addition to chemical, drug and other types of weapons research. Steve Erickson, a longtime activist recently interviewed by EFR's Erica Lukes , successfully lobbied to prevent construction of a biological aerosol testing facility at Dugway intended to experiment with some of the world's most dangerous pathogens for potential germ warfare use. The massive Dugway Proving Ground in the Utah desert After obtaining the above 2015 FBI memo, EFR submitted a follow-up FOIA request to the FBI on its investigation of the Dugway anthrax samples shipped throughout the world and nation. FBI responded in April 2024, advising it identified 359 potentially responsive pages with a projected processing time of 41 months. EFR subsequently reduced the scope of the request to up to no more than the first 50 pages in order to place the compacted request in the most advantageous and simple track. FBI responded in November 2024 that 49 pages were reviewed and 11 were being released. The 11 pages obtained by EFR consist of 2015 FBI memos (View the master folder on Dugway and BioFire). As the fully withheld 38 of 49 pages might be interpreted to suggest, the 11 pages are heavily redacted. It is clear enough, however, the FBI documented that a Pentagon multi-agency delegation was tasked with assessing the situation. That seemed to include identifying the then-whereabouts of at least some of the anthrax cast to the four winds: In its November 2024 FOIA response, FBI stated other material was responsive and involved Other Government Agencies, or what they refer to as OGAs, and that FBI was corresponding with OGAs about its potential release. EFR submitted an appeal, still open as of this writing, in which the records involving OGAs were sought immediately. The appeal also sought the release of the 38 withheld pages and the further release of the 11 heavily redacted pages. EFR challenged the applicability of the FOIA Exemptions cited and argued the public right to know outweighs the spirit of the exemptions even if partially applicable in select instances. That would be because the circumstances involve publicly funded agencies and their activities, EFR contended, potentially reflecting questionable judgment and lack of adherence to applicable laws and safety protocols.

The Central Intelligence Agency provided a list of recipients of its Career Intelligence Medal from 2005-2010 in response to a FOIA request but redacted the name of every individual granted the award. Exemption b3 was cited for the withheld information. The recently received FOIA response may be accessed at Google Drive . One of several similar pages contained in the recent CIA response: James Semivan The request, submitted in 2022, was the result of this writer's interactions with James Semivan. He is reportedly a former CIA officer, spanning from 1982-2007 and culminating in receiving a Career Intelligence Medal, according to Semivan and such sources as To The Stars , where he is also a board member. James Semivan gained popularity in the UFO subculture while using platforms like Coast to Coast AM to promote To The Stars and discuss what he described as his and his wife's encounter with a mysterious entity in their bedroom. It was Semivan's vague descriptions of subsequent interactions with clandestine medical groups seemingly concerned about the incident, however, that attracted this writer's attention and resulted in email exchanges eventually described in the 2022 blogpost, The UFO Injury Study That Wasn't . Semivan claimed knowledge of a secret-ish project in which medical testing was done on self-described UFO experiencers and alien abductees. The testing reportedly included him. Your author had a lot of questions about all that. Suffice it to say the evidence, ethics and methodologies were found to be lacking, but along the way, Semivan pointed in the direction of another reported former CIA officer, this one with professed knowledge of extraterrestrials and hybrid beings, John Ramirez. Mr. Ramirez made the UFO World rounds asserting he was taken and implanted by aliens at an early age, among other instances of showing little to no concern about making extraordinary proclamations lacking conclusive evidence. He also asserts he was awarded a Career Intelligence Medal in 2009, as explored at Mick West's Metabunk forum . A FOIA request was therefore submitted to the CIA for a list of unclassified or declassified recipients of the Career Intelligence Medal with a date range of 2005-2010. The goal was to either substantiate or refute Mr. Semivan and/or Mr. Ramirez's CIA employment. Unfortunately, the CIA response does neither. The Agency supplied a declassified list, it just withheld the names that would populate it. Offered an opportunity to comment on the latest development, James Semivan reiterated in a March 27 email that he knows where he and John Ramirez worked, as do most of his good friends and colleagues. "I could care less if Mick West and others don't believe it," Semivan added. To offer some objectivity about CIA policies and what might seem like smothering bureaucracy, it may often be difficult to verify CIA employment. In addition to the obvious reasons, that's because CIA has a policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of responsive records unless the subject was previously publicly acknowledged by the Agency. It doesn't matter how much a former officer might talk about something, or if the New York Times reported it, or if it's in a book written by a respected academic. The only circumstance in which the CIA provides responsive records is if an official CIA statement was previously published that established, for examples, the existence of a relationship with an individual, the existence of a specific project or, in other words, the responsive material. Courts are often lenient of CIA security methods in FOIA lawsuits, given the secretive nature of intelligence agencies and national security. It might be a bit more difficult to understand, however, how former CIA personnel bring their stories to a genre - the UFO community - with a documented history of hoaxers and manipulation yet come in with guns blazing while completely unprepared to substantiate key aspects of their remarkable claims. Many might consider it questionable for former intelligence personnel to seemingly not respect the value of verifying a claim as compared to simply accepting statements as necessarily true. Arguably, the primary issue here - and the reason for this blogpost - is verification matters. It is a research best practice to seek to either verify or refute. While preparing to write this post and conducting some internet searches, a video arose that even incorrectly referred to James Semivan as a former CIA director. We either get our facts straight or we don't. It can be tiresome and time consuming, but it's essential, or at least that's the case if we actually value facts. It might reasonably be considered perplexing when educated, intelligent individuals purport to fail to understand that position.

Vanessa Walilko Vanessa Walilko is the guest for the third episode of Learning How to Learn , an Expanding Frontiers Research collection of videos that explores identifying accurate information to help you learn more about topics that matter to you most. Learning How to Learn, Episode 3: Vanessa Walilko launches Tuesday, May 11, and you may view a preview clip below. Vanessa earned a Bachelor's Degree in Science in Sociology from DePaul University while contributing to an assessment of the Cook County (Chicago) Domestic Violence Program. Her thesis, “Beyond 'Feminisms': Refocusing the Women's Movement Through the Lens of Liberation,” was published by Emerald Group Publishing. Vanessa's areas of expertise include public relations and implementing ethics policies and procedures. She has previously been interviewed by EFR's Erica Lukes and this writer about domestic violence, online misinformation, and predatorial behavior in research and civic communities, among other topics. Learning How to Learn is a collection of concise interviews with qualified experts on identifying accurate information. An objective is to assist people in effectively weeding out unreliable sources and the material they produce from assessments of topics of interest. A preview of Learning How to Learn, Episode 3: Vanessa Walilko: Expanding Frontiers Research is a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit organization, tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Support our work with a one-time contribution through the secure "donation" button located on our homepage or through monthly support on the EFR Patreon page . Thank you for your consideration and support.

John Bernard Kihm III entered the Naval Submarine service in 1954. He was later transferred to Naval Intelligence where he worked with the Central Intelligence Agency, according to a 2021 obituary . As part of his cover, he started the Prudential Mortgage Company and became a real estate broker in 1958. Kihm was discharged from the Navy in 1962, the obituary continues, and signed a 75-year non-disclosure statement, “agreeing to take what he did for the government to his grave and he has done that.” In his later years, Mr. Kihm was a professional actor. He appeared in a variety of productions under the name Jack Seal . FBI records responsive to John Bernard Kihm III  (1936-2021) were recently obtained by Expanding Frontiers Research. The Bureau stated in a Feb. 13 interim response 76 pages were reviewed and 51 pages were being released. Other Government Agencies, or OGAs, were being consulted about responsive documents, FBI explained, adding that some records may have been destroyed. FBI records from the 1970s reflect Bureau concerns Kihm may have obtained sensitive documents or information as the result of an alleged impersonation. Mr. Kihm is documented as using multiple aliases, including the names Kihn and Kine, reasons for which are not overtly stated in the material released. The suspected impersonations seem to have been at least somewhat related to business ventures launched by Kihm, particularly including the questionably titled “National Security Agency,” later referred to as the National Security and Investigation Agency. The FBI discovered through investigation conducted in 1977 that the California Department of Justice was “very familiar” with Mr. Kihm. The Bureau was further advised the Los Angeles Police Department, Criminal Conspiracy Section, was conducting an investigation into Kihm's possession of “numerous weapons and possibly explosives.” No circumstances were identified at that point of Kihm obtaining anything of value as a result of alleged impersonation: The Bureau learned Kihm had an extensive history of intoxication and violence. Charges included drunk driving, trespassing, burglary, and assault with intent to commit murder, among several more, but, for whatever reasons, offenses were often dropped. The files contain several references to questionable circumstances surrounding weapons and Kihm's seemingly inflated sense of self-importance. A 1977 FBI memo documented Kihm had been described as a “gun nut” and “mentally unbalanced.” The memo clarified he should be considered armed and dangerous when approached: It seems noteworthy the records obtained did not include background checks from the 1950s or 1960s, circumstances we might expect to find in FBI files of a former Cold War intelligence asset. It should be equally considered, however, that Bureau investigation for security clearance might be among the records withheld or destroyed. That is not a typical practice in this writer's experience with such FBI documents, but we simply do not know the entirety of the circumstances and exactly what we are looking at here. FOIA Exemptions cited for the withholding of records, which includes redactions on pages partially released as well as justification for the 25 pages withheld in full, were b3, b6, b7C, b7D, and b7E. An overview of the exemptions ( as provided by the FBI ) shows how those cited are related to privacy issues, including circumstances surrounding confidential sources, law enforcement investigations, and similar matters. EFR promptly appealed the redactions and withholding of records other than direct references to personal identifiable information or, in other words, EFR argued everything should be released except names that are properly exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Bell Mortgage Company Interestingly, in 1975 the CIA was sued by Miami mortgage broker Andres Castro. The lawsuit sought $10 million in damages. Named with the CIA in the suit were Guillermo Iglesias and Antonio Yglesias, described by the San Francisco Examiner as Cuban exiles who participated in the 1961 Bay of Pigs failed invasion and, in the case of Yglesias, trained commandos for the CIA. The two were also reported to have set up offices for a year-and-a-half at Castro's Bell Mortgage Company, though their whereabouts were unknown at the time the 1975 article was published. Andres Castro (no relation to Fidel Castro) claimed he participated in a scam selling counterfeit mortgages with the men because they approached him to do so in 1973 on behalf of the CIA. The alleged purpose was to raise needed funds. Castro claimed his business was ruined while some $3 million was funneled to the CIA. From The (Wilmington, DE) Morning News, Dec. 7, 1975 Knowledge of the scam was denied by the CIA and the case was eventually dismissed. However, and fascinatingly, the Agency reportedly acknowledged Iglesias and Yglesias were indeed assets, it just denied they were acting on its behalf during their interactions with Castro and Bell Mortgage. Andres Castro would later be indicted along with a business partner for his role in the scam, while the two CIA operatives were not named in the proceedings, though they were reported to have been sought - apparently unsuccessfully - in the U.S. and abroad.