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From: Bluehare Dark Peak <bluehare24@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Jun 1999 17:29:45 GMT
Fwd Date: Sun, 20 Jun 1999 15:06:50 -0400
Subject: Re: Max Burns Hoax Exposed

[Non-Subscriber? Post and 'as is' --ebk]

ATTENTION UFOLOGISTS
A MESSAGE FROM GENIUS LOKI FOLLOWS

We are a group of people, active in UFO hoaxing since
the mid 80s, and going under the collective name of Genius Loki.
Some reading this document may think hoaxing is unnacceptible
a waste of time which could be put to better use
investigating “UFOs.” Show us a UFO and we will happily
investigate it!

We believe that if ufologists are unable to
determine that a case is hoaxed or not then they should stick
to watching sci-fi.. Stupidity within the subject of UFOlogy
has reached new peaks of intensity during the last two years.
The latest example is how the so-called Sheffield Incident/Howden
Moors UFO Crash has been promoted by certain
individuals.

This is not the place to go into the specifics of the case.
Many will be familiar with it already and  it has
been widely featured on UFO Updates and UFO
Magazine. Several websites have also featured the case
in depth. From our point of view it had been
satisfactorily solved.

But there are those who will not see reason
and instead see saucers and conspiracy everywhere. A
ufologist, Max Burns, had become
unhealthily obsessed with the Sheffield Incident. He
theorised that a UFO had been present that night and was
responsible for shooting down a Tornado jet, flown by
an Italian NATO crew from RAF Coningsby. Despite
having no evidence for these allegations Burns further
theorised that the crash had been covered up by the
Government who had also initiated a "dirty tricks
campaign" against Burns and others. To add idiocy to
stupidity Burns also alleged that some British UFOlogists
were undercover secret agents, acting as part of the cover-up.

As time went on it became clear that Burns was prepared to
manipulate facts to promote his fanciful version of
the Sheffield Incident. Evidence of this is
abundant and can be found most recently on UFOUpdates
where Dr Clark analysed Burns' recent BUFORA lecture.

According to Dr David Clark's investigation of the
Howden Moors/Sheffield Incident there was no evidence
to indicate either a Tornado had crashed or
that a UFO had been involved. Nor did Dr Clark
find evidence of a cover-up. As far as we could see,
Clark's investigation was comprehensive and
exhaustive. The case was closed - but NOT apparently
for Max Burns.

Since the case became public in 1997 we have been
watching developments with interest and disbelief. As
part of our hoaxing experiments we decided to see
just how good a researcher Burns and his supporters were
and devised a scenario which would test their  investigative
powers. It will be necessary to use
Burns' emails more or less in full to demonstrate the
depths of his credulity. Emails sent by Genius Loki personnel,
besides the initial lure, have been paraphrased for
brevity.

Initially we made ourselves thoroughly aware of the case
by studying material originated by Burns and Clark and
their supporters, and by observing email debate on a
number of Internet sites. Burns was emailed from an
anonymous source on 20 March 1999. The source claimed
to be a member of a crack military/SAS team
involved in part of the Howden Moors event. The email
sent to Burns read:

"Dear Max Burns

My daughter, who has a keen interest in the matter of
UFOs, has recently shown me several articles from UFO
Magazine relating to the "Sheffield Incident."
As a result of reading the varying accounts of what
happened I have tracked you down via the Internet and
the material you have published there. Max, I must
congratulate you on the thorough research you have
done. But I think I may be able to add to it.
In March 1997 I was a member of, for want of a better
phrase, a "special forces" unit. This unit was a regional
based squad with close links to all the emergency
services. At 2200 hours GMT we were called to a shout
on the moors to the west of Sheffield. Our briefing, given
en route in the chopper, was to secure and guard a crash
site until a larger unit arrived from Hereford. My six
man team landed at a location on a remote part of the
moors where we were met by a senior police officer and
a mountain rescue official. What had taken place was
obvious - a military jet had crashed. There were pieces
scattered around and a large piece of fuselage was lying
part submerged in the peat bog. Several armed
policemen were guarding the area and others were
bringing in pieces of the plane from the surrounding
moorland.
The pilot was still strapped into the cockpit but was
clearly dead. Of the co-pilot there was no sign;
presumably he had ejected. The police were picked up
by a force chopper shortly after we arrived but the
mountain rescue guy stayed with us. We secured the site
and waited. It was clear something unusual had taken
place that night because the moors to the E, SE and S of
us were criss-crossed by people and vehicles until well
past 0300 hours.
You must understand that at that time we had no idea of
the cause of this event. We were just there to do a job of
work and we idly speculated about the stupidity of RAF
pilots. At approx. 0330 hours two Chinook helicopters
arrived from the Southwest, and several special forces
troops disembarked, together with a drop of a small
bulldozer. We exchanged information - i.e. that no one
had been to the site to the site since we arrived, and we
were taken out shortly afterwards. Our unit went to the
Gulf area until July '97 and I heard no more about the
matter. Indeed, I wouldn't have given this incident a
second thought had it not been for my daughter's
magazines. We were routinely sent out at all hours of the
day and the night to perform the oddest tasks so this one
was certainly not out of the ordinary. But my interest
was stimulated and I began to realise that this was no
ordinary plane crash. So I made inquiries with some of
my contacts still in the service (I left in mid'97 following
an 'accident' on the live ranges at Otterburn) and it
seems that you are on the right lines.
What I have gleaned may only be a rumour but I was
told that a Tornado did crash on the moors west of
Sheffield but that its crash had an unusual cause.
Several Tornadoes had been scrambled that same night
to intercept two "unknowns". One was followed out over
the North Sea before giving its pursuers the slip. The
second was chased over the Peak District. Orders were
apparently given to open fire on the craft as it hovered
but before the Tornadoes could engage a blue beam shot
from the object (said to be "a small, black
diamond-shaped unknown") and one of the planes just
exploded in the sky and broke apart. The other was
vectored to a safe distance but when it returned the
"unknown" had gone.
As a result of this information I decided to satisfy my
curiosity and took a trip out to the Peak District moors
to see what remained. I reasoned that if it had been an
"ordinary" crash there should still be evidence left
around, just as there are with the many other aircraft
wrecks in that area. The site is far more remote than I
had thought and it took quite a while to reach it on foot.
When I got there I was surprised to find there was no
immediately visible trace of the crash, but after scouting
around the outlying area I found several marks where
parts of the aircraft had impacted and more significantly
several split and scorched gritstone boulders. Although I
could find not one piece of aircraft I suspect a few hours
with a metal detector would come up with the goods.
How much of this will be of use to you I don't know Max,
you seem to be making a pretty good stab of getting to
the truth of the matter, despite the actions of various
undercover operatives who are in the pay of the
Intelligence Services. If there is any way I can be of
assistance please let me know but remember that I am
still bound by the Official Secrets Act and cannot
divulge anything which could reveal my true identity to
you. There is an incredible amount of secrecy
surrounding this incident and you should be very, very
careful with your inquiries.
If you are interested enough I would be pleased to meet
you somewhere and take you up to the crash site (on
certain conditions), but I have to be very careful."

This email took approximately fifteen minutes to create,
with little or no forethought. The intention was to set the
scene, cast the ground bait and see what happened.
Within two days Burns replied:

"This email comes to you via my ghost email address, and
if we are to have any more communication regarding
this matter it would be best if  you used this address for
security reasons.
I thank you for coming forward with some of the finer
details regarding the night of  the 24th March 1997, As
you are aware as I am, that there is an apparent extreme
amount of secrecy involved in protecting the true facts
about what had occurred
between the time frame of 21.45 & 22.06 that night.
It is obvious from your style of writing that you are from
a military  background.
As am I with members of my family serving in the Air
Force and Army through three generations.
I have come under attack as you are more than likely
aware from under cover operatives regarding this case,
and they have become quite hostile in there attempts to
discredit my self. (Standard intelligence move) also my
research into the incident with dirty tricks campaigns
and muck raking all standard stuff.
Obviously I wish to visit ground zero as soon as possible
in the hope of obtaining
1.Wreckage for metallurgic testing to confirm that the
wreckage if any recovered is of the same type of
materials, as used in the Tornado F3 interceptor.
Preferably with some paint on fragments to confirm
paint colour and type as used in the above.
2.Scorched stones for a carbon date testing to confirm
the approx. date of the scorching.
3.Soil samples for obvious reasons, as well as
photographic evidence of
the scene.
You have not given me any reason to doubt your
sincerity in this matter, in-deed the detail's you supplied
to myself in the initial correspondence. What I
personally consider from a very meticulous man and a
keen observer with an eye to details.
Call it caution, call it paranoia as a possible scenario,
as I do not know you. This could be a ploy by
intelligence to take me out to an old, World War two
crash site.
So that I may be discredited further down the line.
However I usually go on my gut instincts I would be
lying to you if I said that I did not have some
reservations
about your reasons and motivation for the offer of help
in this matter. I do feel that you are on the level. I hope
you are not offended, but I feel that you would more than
likely have been offended if I had not asked you this
question.
Why are you helping me?
I do know that the co-pilot was recovered,  by the police
just after 23.00 on or around the viaduct at Ladybower
reservoir. So I presume that the walk to ground zero is
within a seventy five minutes walk from the viaduct's at
Ladybower reservoir. Depending on the direction of
flight of the tornado and how many seconds before the
explosion which I presume is the first alleged by the
authority's sonic boom at 21.52, as I have not been able
at present to obtain the seismograph from that time
frame.
Obviously because the readings on that particular
seismograph would show a pattern that is not a
compression wave caused by a true sonic boom.
I also know that the co-pilot only just escaped with his
life due to the fact that he was soaking and stinking of
aviation fuel, as reported by a member of the air force
who works on jet engines.
Who was flagged down by the co-pilot while he was
travelling back from walking in the Welsh hills While
travelling in a mini towards Sheffield that night.
Some other questions that I would be interested in
obtaining answers to are
1.The name of the senior police officer?
2.The name of the mountain rescue attendee? (probably
Ted Burton)
3.Which unit of the armed police response team were
present and where
they are based?
4.The name of the deceased  Pilot?
5.The name of the co-pilot?
I believe I am correct in my assertion that this was a
N.A.T.O tornado jet?
Which was launched from RAF Conningsby. (Italian air
crew)?
7. The registration number of the Tornado?
8.To what location the wreckage was transported for the
obvious thorough post crash examination?
9. Was any part of the top soil removed or replaced?
I presume that as the Chinooks came from Hereford that
they were loaded with S.A.S.
I know that you more than likely do not have all the
answers that I require, but at least I have apprised you
Of where I am coming from regarding this matter.
I can only assure you of my agreement to meet certain
conditions regarding the protection of your true
identity.As is the case of the radar operator from Linton
on Ouse who tracked the unknown outside the city of
Sheffield between the time frame of 21.55 to 22.05 the
second sonic event occurred at 22.06 I presume that this
was the unknown leaving the area. Due to the fact that
the radar track of the object was lost at 22.05.
At the risk of being discredited by the supposed
ufologists who are masquerading as researchers. The
agenda of the above mentioned people to spread
dis-information to confuse the issue, and to keep other
Researcher's at each other's throats. (The usual tactics deployed)
I even know who some of these people are as it has become
apparent what there agenda is and why due to the way that they
have had to behave.
In there joint efforts to discredit myself, almost exposing
themselves. Due to the fact that I am so close on this. It
does amuse myself that it must have been discussed at
some level regarding my claims and allegations
regarding this matter and they must be scratching heads
as to how I managed to piece it all together?
Part of it was the way it all turned nasty when I started
to claim that a tornado jet had crashed culminating in
the death of a pilot during the interception of an
unknown. I mulled it over and decided that this was
basically correct especially after the behaviour of so
called sceptics. When I made these claims. I have
refused to supply the name of the radar operator at risk
of being accused of being a liar etc. etc. etc..
I am available next weekend or at any date which is
suitable to yourself  please advise of what you need me
to comply with I do have a secure line and can supply
this number if you wish it?
What ever, your decision I thank you for contacting me I
know the great  personal risk you are taking. My word is
my bond, confidentiality assured.
Respectfully, Max Burns."

Readers should observe that Burns clearly believes
that the letter was sent by a military man -
'It is obvious from your style of writing that you are
from a military  background' -
purely on the strength of a few oblique Andy McNab-
style cliches, conjured up whilst the email was being put
together.
Although he has vague doubts as to the
veracity of the author he makes no real attempt to ask
meaningful questions which may have revealed or even
hinted at a hoax. Many of the questions Burns was
asking were ones to which he had already
claimed to have answers to! We chose not to reply
immediately, giving Burns time to do any checking of
the story. His next post was somewhat surprising:

"Hi,
I wondered if you still wish to proceed as discussed in
you previous post? Or perhaps you could supply me with
the grid references and I could make my own way up
there?
Or I could meet you in the LadyBower Inn on the Snake
Pass at a time and date
suitable to your self....? Please advice....if you do not
wish to have any more correspondence? I will
understand if that is the case...Max hanging on a
string..."

Hanging on a string........! We could virtually smell his
eagerness. There was no more doubt, Burns was clearly
hooked. We sent Burns another email message on 27 April
1999:

"Dear Max Burns,
“Contact as promised. I will have some available time
shortly and I am prepared to take you to the Tornado
crash site. I will meet you on 16 May 1999. I will be out
camping in the area for a few days preceding our
meeting, to check things out.
I will meet you at the Kings Tree car park (GR167939). I
will be there at exactly 13.00 hours, whatever the
weather. I will need to identify you. I suggest that you
carry a copy of that days London Times newspaper. For
certainty of identification you should stand facing the
reservoir, reading the paper. I will approach you and
make first contact with the phrase “Lovely day for a hike,
isnt it?” If I am not there at 13.00hrs this will indicate
that my security has been compromised in some way or
that I am in some other way uncertain about that site as
a meeting point. Wait until 13.15hrs to be sure. If I have
not arrived by that time I will meet you at: GR133969.
This location is within two miles of the Tornado crash
site. If this becomes necessary I will be there until
16.15hrs. Again for identification I suggest that when
you arrive at the rocks you sit and look back down the
valley, reading the London Times. I will then make
contact as before. Once I have met you I will take you to
the Tornado crash site. It may be useful for you to bring
the following items:
Spade/s/Metal detector/Geiger counter/Camera/s/Video
recorder/s/Voice recorder/s
and anything else you may need./I can show you the site
and traces of impact
known to me. These areas are remote and dangerous.
Even at this time of year. I suggest you dress
accordingly, bring waterproofs, plenty food and liquids
etc.
If you wish you may bring one or two other people with
you to validate your meeting and possibly to help in
locating the crash site at other times. This will be my
only contact.
Bluehare."

Max replied with a simple: "Thanks, I will be there."

Note again that there was no challenge, no attempt to
verify, just a simple acceptance. In the weeks between
this message and 16 May, Burns began to tell other
ufologists he had new information which he would
reveal soon. Clearly he was jumping the gun. Matthew
Williams, admitted crop circle hoaxer, joined
forces with Burns and began defending his position, also
claiming new information about the case. None
was forthcoming.
May 16th dawned bright and clear. A car containing
Burns and two other ‘truthseekers’  sped towards
the meeting place. They were ten minutes late in arriving
at the Kings Tree car park (having failed to even do
enough research even to realise it is closed to cars in the
summer months, but eventually driving there anyway!).
In true James Bond fashion Max stood overlooking the dam, reading
a copy of that days London Times. Just picture it!
Their car was plastered with alien and
UFO stickers - hardly the best way for anyone to about
meeting someone who could help them crack the
greatest secret in the universe! Needless to say their
contact failed to turn up at the resevoir. Burns and co. had clearly
expected him though as they had not come prepared for a
lengthy trek out to the moors in search of him at the
default meeting location. We decided to give Burns and
co. another try.
Another email was sent to Burns within hours of his return
from the Peak District on the night of May 16.  The email
queried what had happened to him, pointing out he had been
under constant observation and chiding
him for arriving in a car decked out with UFO stickers.
Burns replied:

"We were late arriving at the Kings Tree because the
police landrover stopped us and held us there for nearly
15 minutes while the woman cop decided if she was
going to let us past. Yes, I did not even consider the
stickers on my friends car, sorry......due to an ankle
injury incurred by one of my group, who was not dressed
correctly we had to abort and help him back to the
vehicle. much to my disappointment. I do appreciate the
risks you are taking, and urge you to consider another
meet even if I have to come alone...or meet you
somewhere else. Please reconsider, I can come alone,
you are right the stickers on the car was careless
considering what happened. I am committed to this
investigation and the truth of the matter, I have put
twenty seven months into this, at great expense to my
reputation.
Max Burns."

The words 'amateur' and 'rank' spring to mind here.

Burns - obviously keen to curry favour- replied again on
20 May.

"Dear BH..
I have some suggestions which I would like to make,
may I make them in a future post shortly? And If you
wish I can show you some of the progress that I have
made with regard to the situation.. e.g., flaws in the
cover story that can be proved.
Please advice
MB.."

We had now learned that Burns was due to speak at a
British UFO Research Association (BUFORA) meeting
shortly and decided to see what happened following that.
He was sent a short message telling him we would be
pleased to meet him again on the moors. We also upped
the stakes a little by suggesting that we had now
retrieved several pieces of metal from the alleged crash
and would still be pleased to take him to the site. He was
told he would be contacted again on June 19th with
directions for a June 20th meet.

Burn's BUFORA lecture came and went. Apparently
feeling was so strong within BUFORA about Burns that
several key members had resigned when he was given a
platform to speak. This did not deter the die-hard
extraterrestrial believers who run BUFORA. We sat
through his lecture but no new information was brought
forward. Burns did mention at the end of his lecture that
he had some new material which he hoped he could verify
soon, and it was clear it was his military contact he
was referring to. Not once did he hint that he was
suspicious about the source of this information, or
suggest that he suspected a hoax. The BUFORA lecture
was poorly attended and the audience gave him a hard
time, unable to accept his unsubstantiated claims.

Subsequently, Burns was emailed and told we would contact
him again on June 19. The final phase of the hoax had been
initiated. Burns had bit. And on 19th June he was sent these
instructions:

"Max Burns
Contact as promised. We can finish this tomorrow.
After the problems last time we must get it right.
This is what will happen if you wish to proceed.
Sunday June 20th
11.am Be at the public telephone box in the layby beside
the Ladybower reservoir (before the viaduct) grid ref
196864.
The 'phone will ring. Answer it. Do not speak other
than to acknowledge your presence or to answer any
questions I ask. Have a pen and paper to write down
instructions.
If, for some reason, the 'phone box is not working,
someone is using it or I am unable to call at that time:
11.30am Be at the public telephone box on Ashopton
Road, Bamford (opposite the signpost marked 'Bamford
Moor') grid ref 202849.
Follow instructions as for above.
Act on instructions given and we should have met
by mid-afternoon. Bring all you need. As I said before
I do not mind one other person being with you. But please
be careful with the car - it gives you away and with any luck
you will be travelling back with some interesting materials.
Please confirm receipt of, and intention to act on, this message,
immediately.
Bluehare.”

A return receipt arrived on the evening of June 19 via Derby
UFOlogist Omar Fowler, who clearly shares Max’s strange belief
system, and wanted to be in on the action.
On June 20th (curiously near the summer solstice, which requires a
sacrificial victim!) Burns was telephoned at the default phone box.
He answered and wrote down instructions based on the following
script read to him by an actor:

“Is that Max Burns?
Ok, hi, nice to speak to you at last.
Right, listen very carefully, I want to be on the
phone as briefly as possible, for obvious reasons.
The sack is buried. But not in the ground. It's in a stream. I don't
want to be at the location when you pull it out, for obvious
reasons. You must pull the sack out of the water and raise it above
your head. I'll have you under observation from the Grinah Stones.
As soon as I see you've got the sack ok I will come down to meet
you, then take you back up to the site and we can discuss
all this and what to do about it in detail. I have some ideas.
It's in a stream at the head of the Derwent Valley.
Listen carefully and follow these instructions. Are you ready?
Go to the Kings Tree car park where you were before and follow
the path up the valley bottom for about three and a half miles.
When you get to a point below the Shepherd's Meeting Stones
and the Grinah Stones, the path becomes indistinct. Make sure
you are following the stream at this point. On the left bank there
is a clear and obvious land slip where the rocks and
earth are exposed. This is approximately Grid Ref:143976.
The sack is in the stream at this point. It's a blue, plastic,
farmer's sack - pretty obvious when you are in the right place.
Do you understand?
Ok. I'll see you later.”

Two hours later Burns appeared in the Upper Derwent Valley,
wearing a luminous yellow top, and accompanied by an unknown man.
Burns had taken the message seriously and come fully equipped with -
unbelievably -  a metal detector! Burns studied the landscape carefully,
checking for the correct location.
The sack - there was a sack - was bright, almost luminous blue
was in about two feet of water and contained 20 kilos of scrap metal.
Despite frequent recourse to his notes and maps Burns and his friend
failed to locate the sack which could have contained the Ultimate Secret.
During his search Burns failed to make even rudimentary attempts to check if
if he was being watched. After a while the sight of two sad believers
floundering in rain and mud grew boring and so we withdrew.

The hoax was complete.

Please remember this hoax was not perpetrated by the 'Intelligence
Services', it was not perpetrated by the Freemasons, or indeed
any of the other bogeymen which Burns and his ilk believe
are involved in misleading British ufologists. It was done by ufologists,
for ufologists to demonstrate the ease with which it can be done.
At no time did Burns or any of his friends make any concerted attempt
to check out this improbable story.
What this hoax has demonstrated is the embarrassing ineptitude of UFO
believers and in particular the credulity of some extremists who are driven
purely by the will to believe - no matter how ludicrous the subject matter
or scenario they fed.

Caveat Lector!