Thursday, May 16, 2013

Exonerating the Helicopter Pilot

Cover-Up or Mix-Up?


You've probably heard this story if you are familiar with the Cash-Landrum case:
April 30, 1981, a CH-47 helicopter landed in Dayton, Texas, as part of The Future Farmers of America livestock show. Vickie Landrum attended, met the pilot and she asked him if they ever encountered UFOs. He told her that he'd been called out by the Montgomery County Sheriff's department to investigate a UFO. when she told him that she was one of the witnesses and was injured in the encounter, he clammed up and tried to rush her out of there.

Colby Landrum and the CH-47 in Dayton, Texas.

Later John Schuessler contacted the pilot by phone. According to reports, the pilot first admitted it, but subsequently denied it.


What Happened Before is Important


Before any of this happened, in April 1981, there was an investigation into the source of the helicopters in the incident. Allan Hendry worked with Professor J. Allen Hynek at the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS). Hendry was contracted by the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR) to investigate the helicopters in the Cash-Landrum encounter, but Hendry's report was far more inclusive (but much more on that later).

John Schuessler received a copy of this report and he either ignored or missed the connection detailed below.


From Hendry's FUFOR report.

Hendry wrote that during in his investigation on April 2 and 3, 1981, he contacted a Mr. Nidever from Ellington Air Force Base and was told that they while they were the only base in the area with matching helicopters, they were not in flight at the time of the incident. He did however, have an interesting story, Nidever said:
"We had a UFO sighting down here earlier about two years ago. We were called out on this by the sheriff's department of Montgomery county. they had spotted one about two or three times. They had a helicopter out there, we were supposed to go out when they saw it and go chase it down because Mr. Culverson (with the Army Guard) was involved in that."

Mr. "Culverson" is one letter away from the name of the accused pilot.

Hendry's report was distributed sometime in the spring of 1981, but Schuessler did not act on the information. Instead of investigating a possible connection between the two sightings, he missed it only to treat the pilot as a hostile witness. He gave his name to the officer during the DAIG investigation and later published the pilot's name in UFO literature, citing him as a participant in a UFO cover-up.

The UFO incident the pilot was connected with seems to match this case:

July 21, 1977; Porter, TX 4:15 AM. Officer John W. Bruner, a deputy sheriff, was on duty and was the first person to observe the phenomenon. Officer Bruner and his partner Officer Coogler were parked west of the object which appeared to be approximately 1/2 to 1 mile away. Bruner and Coogler got out of their vehicle and tried to observe the object better by shinning their light on it. The object moved toward the men and the officers turned off the light because they became nervous at seeing the object's response to their light. The object then moved back to its first location. The two officers concurred that the object appeared to have six portholes surrounding a type of framework. The two officers observed the UFO for approximately 45 minutes. During that time period, the UFO appeared to stand still in mid air, pulsated, traveled at incredible speeds and flew with erratic mobility. The officers described the UFO's apparent size to be about that of a grapefruit. Officer Bruner is convinced That the object he saw was not a balloon or a helicopter.
(from NICAP: The 1977 UFO Chronology
A similar incident on July 29, 1977 is the one where the National Guard was summoned to investigate by helicopter. Full report at: NICAP Investigator October 1977 (see page 4)

Based on the evidence, it seems that the pilot mentioned the UFO case. Vickie, in her excitement, made an overzealous mistaken connection. Emotion and the inattention of the investigator carried the story from there.

The pilot's denial was the foundation of the charges of US government and a cover-up. It was a false accusation. 

Update- further information found:

Billy Cox located the pilot, and interviewed him for an article appearing on the case in the December 5, 1983 Florida Today newspaper:
"(The pilot) conceded he told them he'd flown a UFO mission out of Ellington, and he even repeated the part about being called out by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department. But what he really told them, (the pilot) says, was that he and another chopper investigated a UFO sighting near Sam Houston State Park - in the Dayton vicinity- in 'June or July' of 1977. Not 1980. And they came up empty handed." 
The pilot is quoted, “I guess those ladies just got what I told them mixed up.”


Saturday, December 29, 2012

Dayton Woman Sues Over ‘UFO Injuries’

The Baytown Sun,  Sunday, January 22, 1984, Baytown, TX
Dayton Woman Sues Over ‘UFO Injuries’ 
(NOTE: Gersten misspelled as Gerston throughout article as originally printed.) 
DAYTON- Vicki Landrum, 60, can’t go outside without “breaking out in big blisters.” 

Chronic illnesses have plagued Mrs. Landrum, her 10-year old grandson Colby Landrum and Betty Cash, 54, after their supposed December 1980 encounter with an unidentified flying object.

The women and the boy have sued the US Government seeking $20 million in damages for injuries they claim were caused by radiation emitted from the UFO that hovered above them, outside of New Caney.

They say the federal government is somehow involved and should pay for their medical care. 

“She gets very upset when she has to talk to anyone about this,” a daughter-in-law of Mrs. Landrum said Saturday. “She hasn’t even been able to go outside because she breaks out in big blisters.”

She added that Mrs. Landrum has lost her hair as a result of the encounter. 

The Sun was unable to talk directly with the plaintiffs Saturday.

A New York lawyer representing Mrs. Cash, Mrs. Landrum and Colby Landrum said they suffered severe headaches, nausea, swollen earlobes and eyelids, diarrhea, and facial blisters for a few days after the the incident.

The health of Mrs. Cash, who received the most exposure, deteriorated substantially, attorney Peter Gersten said.

She was admitted to Parkway Hospital for one week and later two weeks. She was in and out of the hospital October through December 1981 with chronic illness.

The attorney said the victims still experience nausea, loss of appetite, skin blotches and blisters.

Gersten has represented several organizations in lawsuits related to UFOs. 

On December 29, 1980, the three were returning home from a bingo game. about seven miles outside of New Caney, when they noticed a bright object glowing in the sky.

“The object hovered above the road and was so bright they couldn’t make out its shape,” Gersten said. 

The object was flaming and gave off so much heat and light that Mrs. Cash and her friends could drive no farther,  Gersten added.

They got out of the car for awhile and Mrs. Cash rested her hand on the vehicle. When she removed her hand, he said, she found it had left a permanent imprint on the car. 

Driving away, they counted 23 helicopters near the object, but  Gersten said they were unable to determine whether the choppers were escorting the object or pursuing it.

The three have twice filed administrative claims for medical treatment with the Air Force, but were refused help each time.  Gersten quoted one Air Force statement as saying “our investigation has revealed no evidence of involvement by any military personnel, equipment or aircraft in this alleged incident.”

 Gersten said finding “no evidence” means Air Force investigators merely did not have access to classified information.

The incident has been independently investigated, said Gersten, by John Schuessler, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration engineer who has specialized in a study of UFOs.

 Gersten said the incident also was witnessed by a deputy sheriff. 

Mrs. Cash, Mrs. Landrum and Colby Landrum asked in their suit for damages totaling $20 million.

 Gersten said his clients want also to determine what type of radiation they had been exposed to so they could seek appropriate medical treatment.

“The government has all along denied any responsibility for the incident,” he said. “They are not willing to come forward and reveal the type of object to help three people.” 

 Gersten said he is optimistic about his clients’ chances of winning the suit. “If we can show the incident happened -- and we can -- then they (the government) have to show they’re not responsible.” 

Friday, November 23, 2012

James W. Moseley - Radio Shows and Podcasts



Jim Moseley Radio shows and Podcasts

(See this page for Jim's many Paracast appearances)





Jim Moseley appeared on about two zillion radio programs in the 50s and 60s, when he was a frequent guest on the Long John Nebel show, and later on James Randi's program. When the UFO flap of 1966 launched Jim into celebrity as a UFO expert lecturer, he toured the country and was once again featured on many radio and television programs, most of which are now lost. Here's a collection of some of the more recent programs that are still available. 
(More will be listed as they are discovered.)




Radio Misterioso May 27, 2012
Greg Bishop and Tim Brigham in conversation with

Jim Moseley: Saucer Smear and Other Foibles


The Stench of Truth April 28, 2012 -  Jim Moseley Interview
Stench of Truth along with special guest-host Andy Colvin, hop on board the acclaimed Saucer Smear co-founder James W. Moseley’s campaign stump to drive away the pesky Martian aliens. 


Open Minds Radio April 2011




PsiOp-Radio May 23, 2010:SMiles Lewis and MackWhite with their special guest James Moseley.
http://psiopradio.com/media/2010/POR100523a.mp3

Unravelling the Secrets  with guest Jim Moseley 2/15/2009 (iTunes link)
Living Legends of UFO Research - Feb 15, 2009


Radio Misterioso September 7th, 2003 
From The Archives: James Moseley – Saucer Smear and Other Controversies
Greg Bishop: "On September 7th, 2003, Jim was in Los Angeles for the National UFO Conference. For some reason, he did not want to make the 5 mile drive to the studio for an interview, so we called him in his hotel room at the Beverly Garland hotel in North Hollywood. Ralph Coon, director/ writer/ producer/ editor of the Gray Barker documentary Whispers From Space was on hand to ask non-sequitur questions."

Long John Nebel Show WOR radio
(Re-presented on Don Ecker's Dark Matters)
There's a fair amount about his travels and excavations at Peru, including some discussion of the Nazca Lines. Also some state of the art assessment of the flying saucer scene and the failings of UFO groups.


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

James W. Moseley 1931-2012

Some images and articles in the memory of 
Saucer Smear's Supreme Commander


Panama City NewsTuesday, May 11, 1954, Panama City, Florida






ProspectorFriday, March 31, 1967, El Paso, Texas



Jim and Gray Barker's "Lost Creek Saucer", 
a film Jim used in his lectures.


Mt Vernon Register NewsTuesday, April 11, 1967, Mt Vernon, Illinois


On the Joe Pyne Show circa 1967
SHOW HT #37 - JAMES MOSELEY is the Editor and Publisher of Saucer News who discuses “The Moth Man,” a strange creature that inhabits the wilds of West Virginia.  He also discusses “the legitimate side of the UFO.”


Review of one of Jim Mosley's college lectures 









2002 NUFOC Conference
Jim begins at 31:40






Monday, November 12, 2012

Cash-Landrum Radio Programs


This is a collection of audio programs relating to the Cash-Landrum case, from 1984 to 2013. These all feature interviews with people with an imitate involvement with the case, not merely talk shows. No doubt, there were many more recorded over the years, and if you can help locate them please let me know.

1984: Bill Moore on The Open Mind
William L. Moore, co-author of The Roswell Incident, appeared on Bill Jenkins' The Open Mind radio program in early 1984 and discussed the Cash-Landrum case. See the link below for a transcript on the C-L discussion and a link to the recording. 

January 16th, 1999: John Schuessler
An interview with John Schuessler, shortly after Betty Cash’s death on the Jeff Rense program. The host asks a few questions that threaten to take Schuessler off his scripted story, chiefly about one of the witnesses seeing military emblems on the helicopters.
“Well, Betty thought she could see some markings, but she couldn’t tell what they were. Uh, My belief is they really didn’t see much markings other than the colors where they have emergency places or markings for emergency doors and that sort of thing.”
Schuessler goes on to imply it doesn't really matter, as only the military were flying that type of helicopter.

Another item is the nearly forgotten matter of the alleged injury beneath Betty Cash's ring:
“In fact where her ring was on her finger it got very hot too, and burned even under the ring.”

Betty Cash Story – Jeff Rense interviews John Schuessler


December 2000: John Schuessler on UFO Update
From 2000, on the 20th anniversary of the event, there's an interview with John Schuessler on UFO Update. This was shortly after the release of his book, and the details should have been fresh in his mind. There were some inaccurate statements, which I'll document at some point. For the most part, the story is the same as in his book, but it is interesting to hear him describe them.

UFO Update was a regular feature on KFAI’s Musical Transportation Spree (1997-2006).

"The Cash-Landrum Incident in 1980 involved huge UFO in Texas and a deadly close encounter. Researcher John Schuessler details the documented witness physical effects and the official cover-up, in an interview with Jerry Modjeski on the year 2000 anniversary."
Best of UFO Update Volume One (Track 1)


2012: John Schuessler and Kevin Barry
Paradigm Unhinged was a UFO radio show cohosted by Ken Storch and Todd Knurr. (Storch was a briefly a later investigator in the Cash-Landrum case.) They have two shows of interest, the first with John Schuessler, and a portion of that program covered the case, almost exactly repeating his comments from the 2000 Rense interview (and strangely not mentioning alleged newer developments mentioned in a 2011 Coast To Coast interview.)  Secondly, Kevin Barry, the director of two Cash-Landrum television episodes, The Unexplained, and years later the UFO Hunters episode "Alien Fallout." 

December 4, 2013: Colby Landrum
Martin Willis of Podcast UFO secured "an extremely rare interview with Cash-Landrum UFO Incident witness Colby Landrum." Joining with questions were researchers Chris Lambright and Curtis Collins. Check the link below for our article and show details.

In the years since, there have been many radio shows or podcasts about the case, but most amount to chatter and do not involve Cash-Landrum witnesses or original investigators, so are not listed.