Aminet 3/Aminet 3 - July 1994.iso/Aminet/docs/mags/desert9.lha/desert.rat.9

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THE GROOM LAKE DESERT RAT.   An On-Line Newsletter.
Issue #9.  June 1, 1994.
-----> "The Naked Truth from Open Sources." <-----
AREA 51/NELLIS RANGE/TTR/NTS/S-4?/WEIRD STUFF/DESERT LORE
Written, published, copyrighted and totally disavowed by
[e-mail]. See bottom for subscription/copyright info.

In this issue...
     MEDIA VIOLENCE HINTED IN F.R. INCIDENT
     LAND GRAB UPDATE
     "BOMBING RUNS" ON PUBLIC LAND?
     FLAT TIRE PROBLEMS PERSIST
     LANDSAT IMAGES AVAILABLE
     TRESPASSERS TRIAL DATE JUNE 8
     NEW MAIL ORDER PRODUCTS
     A PENTAGON COUP

[Note: This file ends with "#####".  Check for truncation.]

 ----- MEDIA VIOLENCE HINTED IN F.R. INCIDENT -----

Two reporters from separate television affiliates nearly came to
blows on May 21 over exclusive broadcast rights to a UFO outing.

The incident, witnessed by this reporter, occurred at about 8 pm
on Freedom Ridge, a viewpoint on public land overlooking the
unacknowledged Groom Lake air base.  About half of the
approximately thirty campers were a group of mostly first-time UFO
watchers from Fresno, Calif., accompanied by a reporter and
cameraman from a Fresno TV station.  Most of the others were
refugees from a lackluster UFO conference in Rachel, accompanied
by a reporter and cameraman from Salt Lake City.  To avoid
conflicts with the authorities, the two crews were photographing
the campers on the ridge but not the secret base itself.

The conflict occurred when the crew from Salt Lake attempted to
interview the leader of the Fresno UFO group.  The reporter from
Fresno intervened, saying that his station had been granted
exclusive rights to the story of the Fresno people and that the
Salt Lake City station could not interview any of them.  The Salt
Lake reporter said he didn't see what the problem was, since his
story would air only in Utah.  The Fresno reporter replied that
the Salt Lake crew could interview the Fresno people only if they
guaranteed, in writing, that their report would not go out on the
satellite to any other station.  The Salt Lake City crew said they
could not make that guarantee.

Harsh words were then exchanged, including the word "asshole"
spoken more than once.

No physical blows were struck, however.  The Salt Lake City crew
halted their interview with the Fresno leader, but they later
interviewed a different member of the group without seeking
permission of the Fresno reporter.  In that case, the Fresno crew
did not attempt to intervene.  The tensions ended when the Salt
Lake crew completed their shooting at about 9 pm and left the
area.

The Fresno crew stayed until morning but ruined everyone else's
night vision with their brightly lit interviews of adventurous
Fresnoans hunting for UFOs.  Also spending the night on the ridge
were three employees of a MAJOR CABLE NETWORK on a scouting
mission.  They and this reporter--sophisticated Eastern
intellectuals--sat around the campfire telling Ted Turner jokes
and making clever and uncomplimentary remarks about the Fresno
reporter just out of range of his hearing.

No UFOs were spotted.

ANALYSIS:  Psychospy was greatly amused by the above conflict.
Not only have news outlets discovered Area 51, but enough of them
are now coming here that they are starting to gouge each other's
eyes out to protect their turf.  The "Asshole Incident" must be a
milestone of some kind.  It could signal the beginning of a MEDIA
FEEDING FRENZY (MFF).  This is a rare confluence of public
scandal, tawdry human interest, unresolved legal charges and
sufficient prior publicity that renders a story self-perpetuating
and turns respectable reporters into back-stabbing bastards.  Did
you think the Groom Lake story was overexposed already?  Just
remember Harding-Kerrigan, Fisher-Buttafucco and the amazing
Bobbitts.  Too much is never enough when an MFF has crossed the
threshold.

 ----- LAND GRAB UPDATE -----

The Air Force request to withdraw Freedom Ridge and White Sides
from public use appears to be mired in BLM bureaucracy.  Local BLM
officials tell the Rat that they do not expect the technical
requirements of the application to be fulfilled for at least five
months (late October).  This means that these popular viewpoints
will continue to be accessible through at least the busy summer
tourist season.

The principle task facing the Air Force at present is to modify
the required Environmental Assessment Report (EA) to address many
of the concerns raised during the public comment period.  When
completed, a draft version of the EA will be made available to the
public for a separate 30-day comment period before the final
report is issued.  It is expected that the public will raise
numerous objections to the EA which could further delay the
application.

BLM Area Manager Curtis Tucker and District Supervisor Gary Ryan
say that a meeting took place between BLM and Air Force officials
in late April.  BLM offered three options to the Air Force:  (1)
They could proceed with the current application, based on 43 CFR
Part 2300; (2) they could request an immediate emergency
withdrawal through the Secretary of the Interior, or (3) they
could take the issue to Congress.  The Air Force representatives
indicated that they would proceed with the current application.

ANALYSIS:  Contrary to popular conception, the federal government
can't simply "do whatever it wants."  The government may be big,
but it consists of many agencies pursuing different agendas which
are often in conflict with each other.  Whenever one part of the
government tries to engage in a controversial public action, it
usually has to obey the regulations and procedures of another part
of the government.  The Air Force can't take land without applying
to BLM and completing the appropriate application and assessments,
and this process is probably no less frustrating to the Air Force
than it would be to a private citizen.

In hindsight, the AF application to take the viewpoints was an
extraordinary blunder.  Instead of protecting the secrecy of the
nonexistent base, it launched it into the public eye.  Now mired
in multiple scandals, the options available to the AF are limited.
A direct petition to Congress could trigger an embarrassing public
interrogation and even a flat rejection, while an application for
emergency withdrawal--for reasons of immediate "national
security"--would be seen as an admission of defeat in the
political process.  Either action would further intensify the
publicity and public outcry.

Even with no change of tactic, the pressures on the AF continue to
build.  In the past, the Air Force has taken on Saddam, napalmed
the jungles of 'Nam and stared down the Soviets across the Iron
Curtain.  Now it must tangle with an enemy it is totally
unprepared to face:  American tourists.  The MFF has already hit
millions of households, and Freedom Ridge has earned a reputation
as this year's adventure destination.  Here's an attraction the
whole family can enjoy, where you can see the forbidden and
challenge the authorities while never breaking the law.  Combine
the Area 51 publicity with that generated by a slew of equally
unreal fantasy attractions just opened in Las Vegas, and you have
what could be a KILLER tourist season.  At this moment across
America, thousands of Momma Bears, Poppa Bears and little pimply
Baby Bears are sitting over their porridge deciding what to do
with their summer vacation.  Goldilocks, this is the place!

Tourism has the effect of keeping the nonexistent base in the
public eye, while continued stonewalling by the Air Force attracts
still more attention.  In the absence of reliable facts, the
secret base becomes a tabloid writer's dream.  New scandals emerge
with regularity and are fueled by the official refusal to respond.
Sooner or later, some Congressman who has lost a military base in
his district is bound to jump on the bandwagon:  How can the
military justify closing his base when it is still pouring untold
billions into this nonexistent one?  That's when the Air Force is
really going to bleed.

It's hard to imagine the impasse continuing for long.  Very soon,
we predict, the Air Force will break its silence and reveal that
the Groom Lake base is there.  Until then, the tensions continue.

 ----- "BOMBING RUNS" ON PUBLIC LAND? -----

Unable to control public lands legally, the Air Force may be
tempted to do it by other means.  Many land-use advocates are
upset by the road sensors installed by the Air Force on public
land and by the regular "stalking" of visitors by unidentified
contractors in white Jeep Cherokees.  This presence seems to imply
that the AF, not BLM, is the controlling power on these lands.
More upsetting, though, are persistent reports of the anonymous
security patrols physically interfering with visitors.

On May 19, two tourists from Texas, Richard Bailey and Ray
Addington, reported being stopped on a public road by a white Jeep
Cherokee.  They say they were driving down Groom Lake Road toward
the Freedom Ridge area at about 4:30 pm when they encountered a
patrol blocking the road.  Although they were on public land still
seven miles from the military border, an armed guard in camouflage
fatigues told them they could go no further.   The two witnesses
later filed a formal complaint with the Lincoln County Sheriff in
which they recalled the following exchange.

ARMED GUARD:  "We are not allowing anyone beyond this point."

VISITING DRIVER:  "Why?"

GUARD:  "We have things going on."

DRIVER:  "What kind of things?"

GUARD:  "We are having bombing runs."

We find it highly unlikely that the Air Force was having bombing
runs on public land (except, perhaps, to bomb Freedom Ridge and
White Sides into oblivion).  We think that a more likely (but
still unproven) explanation is that some secret hardware was being
moved around at the base, and the guards were trying to keep
people off the viewpoints so they wouldn't see it.

This incident presents a disturbing echo of the past.  In 1984,
the Air Force, without notice, set up guard posts and took control
of the entire Groom Mountain Range when it did not legally control
the land.  Some irate citizens equated the action to an armed
invasion, and the public outcry resulted in this exchange in a
House of Representatives committee hearing...

CONGRESSMAN SIEBERLING:  "Is it true the Air Force has already
acted to restrict public use of the Groom Range area?"

ASST. SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE RITTENHOUSE:  "...Yes, it is
true.  We have asserted the right to control the surface access
and egress to the extent of requesting people not to go in and
out."

SIEBERLING:  "Under what legal authority was that done?..."

RITTENHOUSE:  "As far as I know, sir, there is none; except the
decisions were made at a much, much higher level than mine..."

SIEBERLING:  "There are no higher levels than the laws of the
United States."

A decade later, the Air Force may up to its old tricks.  If it
cannot control Freedom Ridge all the time, then it can use its
anonymous contract security force to control it by force only when
the need arises.  It is true that no guns were drawn in the May 19
incident, but we know of no guns being used in 1984 either.  The
fact that these guards are carrying weapons, are traveling in a
vehicle with government plates and a light bar and are issuing
commands to civilians, conveys the implied authority of the U.S.
government and a none-too-subtle threat of force.  These guards do
not officially exist, so they cannot easily be prosecuted for
their actions.  At the same time, their contract status provides
the Air Force with a buffer of deniability.  "It wasn't us," the
Air Force can say when such incidents occur.

 ----- FLAT TIRE PROBLEMS PERSIST -----

Mysterious flat tires have long been part of the folklore of the
Groom Lake border.  In a typical story, a first-time tourist
drives by one of the anonymous security patrols, and almost
immediately experiences a blow-out, as though the security guards
had shot out his tire.

We have been skeptical of these stories because there are a lot of
sharp things in the desert that can cause flat tires anyway.
Psychospy knows from experience that cactus needles and hard-as-
nails twigs can do a number on even the best tires.  Shooting out
tires would also seem an extremely hazardous undertaking for the
nonexistent security dudes, since a miss could result in a messy
legal case.  As far as we know, no one has filed a complaint with
the Sheriff for having their tires shot out, and no one has been
able to produce the flat tire as evidence.

Still the flat tire stories persist, and more recent first-person
accounts make us wonder if there might be something to them.
Visitors hiking to Freedom Ridge on two different dates have
reported to us that one of the tires was flat when they returned
to their car.  After changing the tire and returning to
civilization, the flat tire was pumped up and replaced with no
leak found.  In both cases, an anonymous security patrol had been
seen lurking near the vehicles, and guards were heard to make
joking remarks about the flat tire.

The latest incident reported to us occurred on the afternoon of
April 29.  A visitor from Nebraska parked his car at the Freedom
Ridge trailhead and hiked to the Ridge to camp for the night.  As
usual, he was tracked by the Cammo Dudes in the white Jeep
Cherokees.

He reports:  "As the afternoon went on and it became apparent to
the 'Cammo Dudes' that I was staying over, I think they got mad.
While the two [security vehicles] were parked together on the hill
305 degrees from my location [F.R.], one particularly rowdy
individual yelled "Hey dick wad!" at me so I waved back.  The air
was so still I could easily hear them talking but [was] not able
to make out exactly their conversation.  I did hear one say
something about having to change a tire with laughter following."

Sure enough, upon returning to his car the next morning, the
visitor found his left rear tire to be flat.  After being changed
and reinflated later, the tire showed no signs of any leak.

In a previous report several months before, two Las Vegas
residents claim a similar experience.  Upon returning to their car
after a hike to Freedom Ridge, one of the Dudes were good enough
to point it out to them their flat tire--with what they felt was
sarcasm.  The visitors say that after returning to Las Vegas and
reinflating the tire they had no problem with it.

Letting air out of tires is easier to believe than shooting holes
in them.  That sort of minor vandalism seems consistent with the
"Hey dick wad!" personality reported by the Nebraska witness.
That witness says that although the one Dude was laughing at his
own tire remark, the others with him were not.  This suggests that
he could be a rogue, capable of taking matters into his own hands
without the sanction of his colleagues or superiors.  We have seen
numerous acts of minor vandalism on Freedom Ridge, including the
repeated destruction of cairns and trail markers, defacing of the
"guest register" rock at the summit and some "Fuck You Asshole"
graffiti at the breached roadblock.  (The asshole being Psychospy,
we suspect.)  Random acts like this seem more the product of one
or two frustrated individuals than any organizational policy.

Still, the organization is responsible for the conduct of its
employees while on duty.  No complaint has been filed on the
mysterious flat tires, since the evidence remains circumstantial,
but notice is hereby given that Psychospy--irritating asshole that
he is--remains on alert and won't let the next report pass
unnoticed.

 ----- LANDSAT IMAGES AVAILABLE -----

For past few years, U.S. citizens who wanted information on what
their government was up to at Groom Lake have had to go to the
Russians for satellite imagery.  These pictures are expensive,
however, running from $500 to $2000 per frame.  Now, cruder but
far less expensive images of the nonexistent base are available
from the U.S. Government itself.  Landsat images that were blacked
out during the Cold War are once again available for $12-$18 per
frame.  The Landsat pictures are of much lower resolution than the
Russian shots:  Their nominal resolution of 30 meters vs. about
one meter for the Russian satellite makes us wonder why they were
blacked out at all.  However, the Landsat images do show the
runway and the main block of buildings at the base--enough to
prove that the base is there and perhaps violate the government's
own photography restriction.

Ordering Landsat images can be complicated.  The buyer must select
a satellite, path, location, image date and image source color
from a list of those available.  For simplicity, an informed
reader suggests ordering the following item number for a image
covering Groom Lake, Papoose Lake, Rachel and much of the
surrounding area.  Ask for Scene Identification LM85088217433X0,
Product F003.  The price for this negative, including postage, is
$18.  You can order by phone with Visa/MC by calling the USGS EROS
Data Center at 605-594-6151.  You can also ask for further
ordering info for other dates and colors.  The address is: EROS
Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD 57198.  Landsat images are available
from USGS only a positive or negative transparencies.

For those interested in stories of alien craft and secret
installations at Papoose Lake, south of Groom, neither the Landsat
nor Russian images show any obvious ground installations or major
roads near the lake bed.  On one Russian image, used as the
background for a promotional poster by Lazar and associates, a
circular "flying saucer" appears to be hovering in the mountains
northeast of Papoose Lake.  Whether this is an actual object or a
photographic artifact is a matter of debate.

 ----- TRESPASSERS TRIAL DATE JUNE 8 -----

After several delays, yet another trial date has been set for four
of seven accused trespassers who crossed the Restricted Zone
border on Jan. 2.  The new date is Weds., June 8, at 1 pm in Alamo
Justice Court in Alamo, Nevada.  To recap, the seven tourists
accidentally drove past the No Trespassing Signs on Groom Lake
Road to the guard house just beyond, where they were immediately
arrested.  Three of the seven pleaded "no contest" at their
arraignment and paid a $300 fine.  The other four pleaded not
guilty, and their trial has been delayed by scheduling conflicts
and difficulties in obtaining information from the government.

As Psychospy understands the situation, there could be three major
arguments supporting the defense:  (1) The border signs are
located in a blind ravine where there is limited warning time,
with no fence or gate and no place to turn around.  Under these
circumstances, driving ahead to the guard house for further
information seems like a reasonable action.  (2) A security patrol
was parked at the border at the time the visitors crossed.  The
cammo-clad occupants made no attempt to stop the travelers, and
one of them appeared to wave them on.  (3) There are questions
about whether an adequate defense can be raised when the guards
who detained the visitors do not officially exist.  Unidentified
individuals cannot be subpoenaed for the defense, and the Air
Force and D.A. have not been forthcoming in providing the names of
the guards or their employer.

The arrest of these individuals was an exercise in overkill, and
we would like to see them cleared.

 ----- NEW MAIL ORDER PRODUCTS -----

Psychospy's mail order arm, Secrecy Oversight Council, has added
several new products to its mail order catalog.  The Popular
Science back issue for March 1994, featuring a cover story on
Groom Lake, is available for $4.  We also now offer "Economy"
photographic prints of the secret Groom Lake base as seen from
Freedom Ridge:  An 8"x10" print is a available for $5 and a giant
20"x30" photoposter is available for $20.

The original "The Lazar Tape" video, recently reissued by a new
publisher, is available from us for $35 (discounted from $39.95).
Bob Lazar offers a science lesson on flying saucer propulsion
systems, an account of his alleged experiences at "Area S-4" south
of Groom and a review of the briefing papers he says he read
concerning the alien presence.  This tape has been retitled "Bob
Lazar: Excerpts from the Government Bible," but it's the same
produced by Lazar and Gene Huff in 1990.  (A new, professionally
produced Lazar Tape has long been rumored, but there is still no
word on its release.  For that matter, we have also heard nothing
on the status of the Lazar theatrical movie since New Line Cinema
acquired the rights last year.)

"The Comprehensive Guide to Military Monitoring," by Steve
Douglass of Intercepts Newsletter, is available from us for
$19.95.  This 280-page, large format book is packed with
frequencies, code words, technical info and base profiles for both
the novice and advanced radio buff.  It's the best book we've seen
on legal eavesdropping on military communications.

POSTAGE AND HANDLING within the U.S. for the above items is $3.50
total per order for Priority mail, or $2.00 for Fourth Class mail.
Outside the U.S., consult us.  NV residents, add local sales tax.
Make checks to "Secrecy Oversight Council."  Our catalog is
available free by mail or email.

Other products are forthcoming and will be announced in future
Rats.

 ----- A PENTAGON COUP -----

As a courtesy to our military readership, the official unofficial
Groom Dry Lake cloth patch is now offered for sale INSIDE THE
PENTAGON in Washington, D.C.  It should now be available at Fort
America, a military memorabilia shop on the Outer Concourse.  Turn
left at the top of the escalator from the Pentagon Metro station,
outside the security checkpoint.  This is the same Groom Lake
patch AS SEEN ON TELEVISION and in the March 1994 issue of Popular
Science.  Designed by James Goodall and Glenn Campbell with red-
on-black lettering along the border.  In the center, a mystery
aircraft takes off from the world's longest airstrip at sunset.

 ===== SUBSCRIPTION AND COPYRIGHT INFO =====

(c) Glenn Campbell, 1994.  ([e-mail])

This newsletter is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without
permission, EXCEPT FOR THE FOLLOWING:  For six months following
the date of publication, you may photocopy the text or send or
post this document electronically to anyone who you think might be
interested, provided you do it without charge.  You may only copy
or send this document in unaltered form and in its entirety, not
as partial excerpts.  After six months, no further reproduction of
this document is allowed without permission.

This newsletter is published on an irregular basis whenever
conditions warrant.  Email subscriptions are available free of
charge to any internet user.  To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to
current and future editions, send a message to [e-mail]
(not psychospy).  Hard copy subscriptions to this newsletter are
also available for $1.50 per issue, ordered from the address
below.  (e.g. $15 for the next 10 issues, mailed anywhere in the
world.)

BACK ISSUES are available without charge by internet FTP to
ftp.shell.portal.com, directory /pub/trader/secrecy/psychospy.
For subscribers without FTP access, back issues are available from
us by regular mail for $1.50 per issue.

The US mail address for Psychospy, Glenn Campbell, Secrecy
Oversight Council, Area 51 Research Center, Groom Lake Desert Rat
and countless other ephemeral entities is:
     HCR Box 38
     Rachel, NV 89001 USA

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