Date: Wed, 02 Apr 1997 03:05:11 -0500Return to Watcher's Info and Theories on the New Age UFO cult Incident
From: UFO UpDates - Toronto
Subject: UFO UpDate: Project 1947 - Whitley & Hale BoppDate: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 13:20:45 -0800
From: Greg Long
To: PROJECT-1947@LISTSERV.AOL.COMNot 1947 related, but due to the sad state of affairs we are currently in, the following may be of interest.
Dear Mr. Strieber,
I am writing in regards to the recent mass suicide tragedy in Rancho Santa Fe. I occasionally listen to the Art Bell show, but I am not a regular listener. I have picked up fragmentary conversations you have had with Art Bell on some shows. I have also read most of your UFO books. And I occasionally see you appearing on such shows as Larry King Live.
Could you please tell me your position regarding why you supported the Hale-Bopp story? I remember hearing about Hale-Bopp and the purported UFO trailing it or masked by it on Art Bell and during Web surfing. I naturally immediately decided that it was a hoax. I have studied the UFO subject since 1975. I have a library of 200 books; and I have watched hoaxers come and go over these many years.
It isn't clear to me why someone with your obvious high intellectual caliber, facility with language, and writing abilities would have supported this hoax. I would think that several phone calls to major observatories and astronomers in this country would have quickly cleared up the matter. Yet, apparently this did not happen. Therefore, I am asking if you could explain to me how you became entangled in the Hale-Bopp hoax.
Second, I am asking if you could give me your feelings regarding whether or not you feel that the hoax contributed to an atmosphere that attracted unstable minds to eventually commit suicide. Do you believe that you may have inadvertently or purposely established a mood, conditions, or context for attracting people to consider the actual reality of a UFO following the comet to such an extent--combined with an elaborate belief system--that they would kill themselves? An ancillary question involves your view of whether or not the pepetration of hoaxes such as Hale-Bopp is antithetical to logic, clear reasoning, and science (however limit its reach) in coming to an understanding of the real UFO phenomenon?
I look forward to your reply. I note that your title in the graphics that appear under your picture during TV interviews states "UFO Expert." Therefore, I am eager to hear your responses.
Sincerely,
Greg LongFrom: WStrieber@aol.com
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 15:42:02 -0500 (EST)
To: greglong@proaxis.com
Subject: Re: Position on Hale-BoppI did not support it. I was neutral toward it, but suggested that if the object was there, we all try meditating at the same time because the visitors seem responsive to this. Also, though, I became suspicious when Dr. Brown said that rolls of film were involved. Professional scopes do not shoot 35mm. So I released the picture he had sent me and Art--as did art--and it was soon proved to be a fraud.
I did call telescopes by the way--and was told by Greenwich that they were tracking the object. Later, I discovered that I had talked to a receptionist who was afraid not to claim this lest she lose a discovery for one of their astronomers. She said it without really knowing what was up.
Read the HB material on my website http://www.strieber.com for more details.
From: WStrieber@aol.com
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 15:42:12 -0500 (EST)
To: greglong@proaxis.com
Subject: Re: Position on Hale-BoppI do think that the hoax might have contributed to the deaths, and I am very distressed about it.
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