251 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
251 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
SUBJECT: A CRITIQUE OF BUDD HOPKINS - RE: FILE: UFO3343
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From: The MUFON UFO Journal, Number 300, April, 1993
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(c)1993 Mutual UFO Network
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Reproduced for distribution via the MUFONet BBS Network Only
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with the permission of Walter H. Andrus Jr.
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REJOINDER TO THE CRITIQUE OF BUDD HOPKINS
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Until a certain dignitary steps forth, the "Linda
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Cortile" case continues to generate controversy.
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By Walter H. Andrus, Jr.
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Beginning in January of this year, authors Joseph
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Stefula, Richard Butler and George Hansen began cir-
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culating a 25-page document titled "A Critique of
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Budd Hopkins' Case of the UFO Abduction of Linda
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Napolitano." Stefula is a former Special Agent for the
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U. S. Army Criminal Investigations Command and a
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former MUFON State Director for New Jersey.
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Richard Butler is a former law enforcement and secu-
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rity police specialist for the U. S. Air Force, now
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researching abductions and government cover-up.
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George Hansen is an author and parapsychologist liv-
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ing in New Jersey. The document has been published
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whole or in part in several UFO newsletters, including
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the HUFON Report, and on various electronic bulletin
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boards. As we go to press, we understand that it is
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also scheduled to be printed, in whole or in part, in the
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March/April issue of the International UFO Reporter,
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edited by Jerry Clark and published by the J. Allen
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Hynek Center for UFO Studies.
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Clark invited several of the people denigrated in
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the "critique" by Stefula, Butler and Hansen to
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write a rejoinder to be published concurrently
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with their rambling article in IUR. After heading up
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the Mutual UFO Network for 22 years, I have firmly es-
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tablished my personal integrity and credibility in the
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field of Ufology, therefore feel it is unnecessary to re-
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spond to implied character assassination or to defend the
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stature of MUFON to three publicity-seeking agitators.
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The following narrative, then, is basically an update
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to the two articles published in the MUFON UFO
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Journal by Budd Hopkins about the "Linda Cortile"
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case for the benefit of UFO researchers. As a participant
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in the October 3, 1992 meeting at Budd Hopkins' apart-
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ment in New York City, I welcome the opportunity to
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share with readers what actually occurred at the called
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meeting. In previous correspondence with Budd
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Hopkins, Stefula, Butler and Hansen asked for a hearing
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of their charges that the case was a hoax perpetrated by
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Linda. Mr. Hopkins made a wise decision by giving
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them a tribunal to present their evidence to a panel of
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qualified and vitally interested researchers, including
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those of us who are now responding to their accusations.
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LINDA ON TRIAL
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Linda, her husband and two sons related their indi-
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vidual experiences in an environment reminiscent of a
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courtroom trial. Rich Butler, acting on behalf of the
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claimants, represented them as a proverbial antagonis-
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tic prosecuting attorney, working from a prepared list
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of charges. Linda was literally on trial. After several
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hours of cross-examining Linda and presenting their
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own testimony, Butler and Stefula reluctantly admitted
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that there was insufficient evidence to support their
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hoax theory. They conceded that there were a few
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inconsistencies in the statements made to them by
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Linda, in a private interview, versus what she had told
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Budd Hopkins. Even though Butler and Stefula were
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embarrassed by their lack of evidence to prove their
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hoax claim, they have continued to write articles for
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potential publication, probably encouraged by George
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Hansen.
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However, based upon their knowledge of the case,
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they felt that Linda should file charges to prosecute the
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two security men, identified previously as "Rich" and
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"Dan," for kidnapping and physical assault. Since we
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have been unable to positively identify the security
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agency employing Rich and Dan, going to the New
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York City Police Department and filing charges for
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such an unusual event might have made Linda's pre-
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posterous story look like a joke in the eyes of police of-
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ficials. Linda was also reluctant to file charges because
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she felt that if Rich and Dan were government agents,
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they were only acting in behalf of national security. It
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was the considered opinion of several of us present that
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under the circumstances this would have been a futile
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and non-productive method to secure restitution from
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Rich and Dan. It would have meant attempting to sue an
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unknown security agency through a mailing of letters to
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all possible such organizations within the U.S.
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Government. This case has ramifications far more im-
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portant than suing Rich and Dan.
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MORE WITNESSES
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Since there were many more witnesses to the event on
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the Brooklyn Bridge, and an unknown number of po-
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tential witnesses in automobiles also stalled near the
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security vehicle manned by Richard and Dan, it was
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considered prudent to refrain from filing any court suits
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that might squelch potential volunteer witnesses from
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coming forward to testify. It is still imperative that Rich
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and Dan reveal their last names and agree to testify
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publicly or in confidence as witnesses. If the identity of
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the "third man" could definitely be confirmed and if he
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would agree to share his experiences, this would literally
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"blow the lid" off the reality of the UFO abduction sce-
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nario. Strong speculation exists that the visual abduction
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of Linda was staged for the dignitary's benefit, because
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he experienced the "full treatment," so to speak.
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Based upon the significant importance of such dis-
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closures by the dignitary and additional witnesses, Jerry
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Clark and I made an appeal to the team of Stefula,
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Butler and Hansen to refrain from making a formal re-
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quest for a federal investigation of the government
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agents responsible for the alleged felonies for at least six
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months. This would allow time for other witnesses to
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come forward and permit present witnesses to testify pub-
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licly. On October 3, 1992, Joe Stefula was MUFON's
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New Jersey State Director, whereas Rich Butler and
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George Hansen had no MUFON affiliation. After mak-
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ing a sincere appeal to these three men, both Joe Stefula
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and Richard Butler consented to the proposal to "buy
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valuable time." Hansen, on the other hand, became very
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belligerent, refusing to concede to the six-month de-
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lay, and flatly stated that he was personally going to file
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charges as a citizen of the U.S.A. The meeting effectively
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adjourned, since it was apparent that as an outsider,
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Hansen had decided to disregard any recommendations
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and to take things into his own hands, irrespective of how
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it might hurt Linda and her immediate family.
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Mr. Hansen has no connections whatsoever with the
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UFO community and apparently feels that by denigrat-
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ing the major personalities in UFO and abduction re-
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search, he could thus elevate his own questionable
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stature. After two somewhat threatening calls to Walt
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Andrus, George proceeded to forge ahead on his own.
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The January 8, 1993 article, "A Critique of Budd
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Hopkins' Case of the UFO Abduction of Linda
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Napolitano," was spitefully written, apparently in hopes
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that someone would publish it.
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While I have no intention of responding to the
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claims, falsehoods and implied innuendos that
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are so prevalent in the article, obviously written by
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George Hansen, but also signed and supported by Joe
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Stefula and Richard Butler, I do feel that it is imperative
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to mention one item which the trio has proposed to ex-
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plain their suspicions that Linda orchestrated the story.
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They selected passages, names of characters and events
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from the science fiction novel Night Eyes by Garfield
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Reeves-Stevens, published in Canada in April 1989, a
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few months before Linda revealed her abduction expe-
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rience to Budd Hopkins. In order to make these claims
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sound legitimate, it was necessary to change names and
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events throughout the book to find similarities between
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Night Eyes and the Linda case. They imply that Linda
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read the science fiction book and then proceeded to or-
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chestrate the entire event, witnesses and all. Is this sci-
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entific research or simply a "shot in the dark" by three
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disgruntled individuals?
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Again, I have no intention of debating or refuting
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point by point 25 pages of typed single-spaced accusa-
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tions, references to diverse publications, a science fiction
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book and even fantasy role-playing in the game
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"Dungeons and Dragons." What does the latter game
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have to do with scientific UFO research?
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George A. Filer, III, who replaced Joe Stefula as
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New Jersey State Director, was also present and lis-
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tened attentively at the October 3rd meeting. Mr. Filer
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offered me an insight into what may have prompted
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Mr. Stefula to become a party to this debunking exercise.
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Having been trained in police investigative techniques,
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Joe has difficulty accepting evidence in his own mind
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that is not purely black or white. He has also admitted to
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Mr. Filer that he really does not believe in the reality of
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UFOs, therefore, like Philip Klass, he may have been
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searching for an alternative explanation to the abduction
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scenario. Richard Butler professes to be an abductee
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and was attending Budd Hopkins' abduction support
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group sessions where he met Linda. Butler brought Joe
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Stefula as a guest to two sessions, where he interro-
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gated two females present until they were in tears. As a
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distinct outsider, George Hansen injected himself into
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the Linda case by volunteering his writing ability, ap-
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parently hoping to gain some degree of recognition in
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the UFO field, regardless of whether it was positive or
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negative.
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CASE OF THE CENTURY?
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Both Stefula and Butler totally disregard the eyewit-
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ness testimony of Rich, Dan, the dignitary and the lady
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on the bridge, and then deny that such people really
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exist. If they are actually trained in police investigative
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techniques, as they profess, they must be cognizant that
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eyewitness testimony is acceptable in a court of law. It is
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difficult for me to understand that on one hand, the wit-
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nesses do not exist, and in the next breath they want to
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sue them for alleged felonies.
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George Hansen has written to several government
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departments demanding that they conduct an investiga-
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tion into their agents' atrocities. The U.S. Secret Service
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contacted Linda and scheduled an interview with her
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which was also attended by Budd Hopkins. After hear-
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ing their testimony, the two special agents made an of-
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ficial report for their records and thanked Linda and
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Budd for their cooperation. They advised Linda that if
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any other agency should contact her, she should simply
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refer them to the Secret Service special agents who
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conducted the interview for further information.
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Apparently, they did not take Hansen's claims seriously,
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treating him as another eccentric or "crank writer."
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In conclusion, after nearly 30 years in the UFO field,
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I have developed a sensitivity to recognizing witnesses
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who are prevaricating or fabricating a story. I am con-
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vinced that Linda is telling the truth as she knows it. She
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is mentally and physically incapable of planning and im-
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plementing a hoax scenario of this magnitude. I predict
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that continued investigation of reports from additional
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witnesses and public disclosures by the known wit-
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nesses will confirm that the Linda case is indeed "The
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Case of the Century."
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*********************************************************************
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