Cash-Landrum UFO Questions

The Cash-Landrum case of December 29, 1980, has launched as much controversy, rumors, and myths as any other UFO episode in history. The three witnesses: Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, and Colby Landrum, claimed to have encountered a terrifying massive diamond-shaped UFO hovering above a rural highway near Huffman, Texas. They said the object emitted intense heat and light, and when it finally moved away, it was pursued by a fleet of unmarked helicopters. Afterwards, the witnesses came to believe the U.S. government was involved and in a subsequent cover-up of the incident. 

The most compelling element of the case is the reported injuries suffered by the witnesses. Afterwards, Betty Cash had the most severe problems, and she was hospitalized for several weeks with a batch of mysterious symptoms including nausea, headaches, skin lesions, and eventually, hair loss. Doctors ultimately suspected Betty had been exposed to ionizing radiation exposure, but Betty’s blood test results were negative. Nevertheless, there were many stories about people burned by UFOs, and the Cash-Landrum case was promoted by its ufologist investigator as the prime example. The witnesses disagreed with the extraterrestrial explanation; they thought they were the victims of a faulty nuclear-powered US secret aircraft. At the time, there was widespread public distrust of nuclear energy and weapons, so it was easy for many people to believe the story, and that the government would want to conceal it.

The first cover-up was by witnesses themselves. Supposedly, fearing their story wouldn’t be believed, they initially kept it secret. Weeks later, when they let the story out, the investigations of the case failed to provide answers. In time, it became one of ufology’s most popular unsolved mysteries, and certain elements of the story have taken on a mythological life of their own. Questions certainly remain. 

Black Helicopters or Paranormal Visions?

The Cash-Landrum case intersected with stories circulating about sinister and mysterious unmarked black helicopters flown secretly by the U.S. military. Since the 1970s, conspiracy theories had linked helicopters to cattle mutilations and UFO sightings, so ufologists had no trouble accepting them as part of the story. In this case, the presence of the helicopters suggested that they were there attempting to intercept the object, or that the UFO itself was part of a covert military operation. 

Multiple investigations found no evidence of helicopters, military or otherwise, flying in the area on the night of the sighting. Some ufologists clung to the theory of a massive military cover-up, while others theorized that the helicopters the witnesses reported were not physical objects, but rather paranormal or holographic projections created by the UFO itself, as a decoy or defensive measure.

Black Project or Alien Reproduction Vehicle?

One of the earliest and most enduring theories about UFOs is that they are secret experimental military aircraft. Over the years, this interpretation has merged fact and fiction, fueling legends of flying saucers at Area 51. The witnesses themselves believed a version of this; that they were unintentional victims of radiation leaking from test flight of a nuclear-powered aircraft gone wrong. 

Richard Doty in "The Great UFO Conspiracy," 2005.

Another narrative promoted by Richard Doty was that the object was alien or alien-derived but operated by the U.S. military. This idea aligned with the notions of Paul Bennewitz, who believed in covert treaties between the U.S. government and aliens. He said they allowed the aliens to engage in abductions and cattle mutilations in exchange for their advanced technology. The UFO in the Cash-Landrum story was supposed to be a faulty attempt to fly a manmade craft based on the alien’s science.

Mother Hen or Mother Goose?

The MUFON investigator who took the Cash-Landrum case became the de facto press manager for the witnesses and joined them in interviews and television coverage of the story. Throughout the 1980s, the case remained newsworthy due to the lawsuit pursued by the witnesses against the U.S. government. When fellow researchers became interested and requested medical data on the case, they were refused on the basis that it was evidence to be presented in court. Taking protective ownership of the story, the investigator presented it and the witnesses only in the most favorable light. With unsupportive material ignored or suppressed, it became a UFO cover-up of another sort. The Cash-Landrum story began changing into more of a spooky UFO fable - or parable. 

Justice or Cover-up?

The witnesses pursued legal action against the U.S. government, seeking compensation, alleging that the government’s involvement in the incident made it liable for their suffering. Beyond the documentation of Betty’s health problems, the only real evidence their attorney could produce was their testimony. Meanwhile, the defense offered statements made from NASA and military branches denying that they had any aircraft matching the description of the UFO. The judge dismissed the casein 1986, so it never went to trial. The failed legal battle was portrayed by proponents as another stage of the cover-up.

The $20 Million Cash-Landrum UFO Story

The UFO cover-up. That’s the widely held dogmatic belief in a massive government project or policy to conceal evidence of UFOs and aliens. The belief is so widespread that the cover-up angle is often exploited by promoters as a justification for their lack of tangible evidence. Some of their cases simply cannot be true unless the government has somehow made all the proof disappear. The prime example of a case that collapses without a cover-up is the Roswell saucer crash story. Within that scenario, essentially, the absence of evidence is proof, and any government denial equals confirmation.

The Cash-Landrum UFO case does a little better than that. Although the investigation of it was somewhat delayed and imperfect, we’ve got a wealth of documentation of the case from a variety of sources. There are period statements from the witnesses, documents from several investigations, including the U.S. government’s probe into the events. There’s little doubt that due to the involvement of ufologists, that the witnesses’ story was changed. However, even the Army’s investigator found the witnesses to be credible. So, we’re left to wonder… How much of the story was true? Possibly, the story was created around Betty's medical problems, a ploy for financial assistance. If so, it failed when the legal case was dismissed.  If it was false, why did Betty and Vickie fight so hard the rest of their lives for their story to be heard?