TABLE OF CONTENTS 
FOR THE TRANSCRIPTS OF [encounters:]


SHOW NUMBER:            105
AIR DATE:                       JULY 22, 1994


SEGMENTS:                               UFO HOAX
                                        EYEWITNESS SIGHTINGS
                                        IMPLANTS
                                        FREEDOM RIDGE

BRIEF STORY SYNOPSIS:

UFO Hoax

At a UFO conference late last year, a home video was presented that 
many experts believed was, at last, definitive proof of an alien 
abduction.  An Air Force lieutenant with military intelligence felt 
that not only was it authentic, but it was possibly altered by the 
government and leaked to the public on purpose.  The video 
depicts a little girl's birthday party that is suddenly interrupted 
by aliens from a saucer that crashed nearby.  It is completely 
fictional.  The filmmaker, Dean Alioto, shot the very low-budget 
movie directly on video and was astounded that someone would try 
to use a portion of the film, "Alien Abduction," as actual evidence.  
In another case, a flight enthusiast built a "flying saucer" in his 
garage that he flew across state lines.  The incident was reported 
by many who believed they were seeing a true alien craft.  Are 
UFO researchers too eager to believe any evidence thrown their 
way, perpetuating their own theories?  How do we work through 
this intricate maze and know what to believe and what to discount?  
In this piece, [encounters:] will examine the processes of 
analyzing extraterrestrial evidence and the repercussions hoaxes 
have on legitimate study.

Eyewitness Sightings

Anyone, anywhere can have a UFO sighting.  In addition to 
researchers who stake out notorious "hot spots," ordinary citizens 
around the world are seeing - and sometimes videotaping - strange 
objects in the sky.  Sometimes it happens at a school football game 
or at a picnic or a day at the beach.  And sometimes an 
unsuspecting family just happens to be recording the event on 
video, when suddenly into the frame appears what can only be 
described as an unidentified flying object.  How many people are 
holding in their video tape libraries home-shot footage that they 
cannot explain nor know what to do with?  [encounters:] went in 
search of the wide scope of UFO evidence that many experts are 
convinced is sitting untapped in the living rooms of America.  
Experts analyzed where the latest sightings are taking place and 
informed people what to do if they have an encounter of their 
own.

Implants

The strange phenomenon of unidentifiable foreign object 
implants in humans has been gaining credence throughout the 
world.  Could these implants be some type of sub-dermal alien 
monitors used to track and study humans?  [encounters:] sent a 
special investigative team to meet with Richard Price, a man with 
one of the most intensively-studied and best-documented cases of 
these implants.  Doctors and researchers have been unable to 
identify the object which some have surmised may actually be 
shaped to perfectly imitate human nerve cells.  Price's case is 
such an extraordinary sample of an actual implant that he is 
currently being studied by one of MIT's top research teams.  
[encounters:] presented, for the first time, a serious study of this 
phenomenon and its implications.

Freedom Ridge

Deep in the Nevada desert is an area so well-guarded that signs tell 
trespassers they can be shot on sight.  High resolution cameras 
can clearly identify intruders' license plates from a distance of 
two miles.  Camouflage-wearing patrols drive the perimeter in 
4X4's, and special attack helicopters sweep civilians who venture 
too close.  Despite the overwhelming dangers, people continue to 
be drawn here every day trying desperately to learn the secrets 
kept within its secure borders.  These sites, Papoose Lake and Area 
51, are well-known throughout the UFO community, although 
speculations differ regarding their primary function.  Some say 
top secret aircraft are being tested, others are convinced they are 
storage centers for captured alien crafts and life forms.  Besides 
the continuing stream of curious UFO spotters, there is a group of 
people known as "The Interceptors" who frequent the area.  
Consisting largely of scientists and professionals, these 
individuals find themselves inexplicably drawn here, almost 
unconsciously accepting a mission to study and defend the site.  
Many have left behind families and good jobs to pursue their 
obsession.  Despite the incredible security and physical obstacles, 
every once in a while the faithful are treated to bizarre flying 
objects or impressive light shows.  What is going on out there, and 
why is someone trying so very hard to keep it secret?  
[encounters:] joined one of "The Interceptors", who used high-
tech equipment and his honed reconnaissance skills on an 
exclusive expedition to capture the first and only footage of 
Papoose Lake.  We met with the determined few who some think 
may be on the brink of blowing apart the entire government 
cover-up.

List of Interviews

UFO Hoax:                               Dean Alioto
                                        Robert Short

Eyewitness Sightings:                   Bruce Morrison
                                        Art Hufford

Implants:                               Alice Haggerty
                                        Dr. David Rubenstein

Freedom Ridge:                          Agent X
                                        Congressman James H. Bilbray
                                        Glenn Campbell