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From: Tim Matthews <matthews@zetnet.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 11:10:55 +0100
Fwd Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 09:54:02 -0400
Subject: NASA Footage At Leeds Conference - Not What It


Dear All,

At Day 1 of yesterday's UFO Magazine (UK) Conference Graham
Birdsall showed some NASA TV footage that he'd obtained after
sending his colleague Russ Callaghan on a mission to meet 'a
source' in Canada.

Later, Birdsall claimed that he had 'smoking gun' evidence that
would embarrass NASA and prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that
we are not alone and that 'craft' are regularly captured on
Shuttle cameras.

Perhaps one of the reasons Graham and co. needed to look to
Canada is that Britain's #1 researcher of NASA footage, and
satellite communications expert, has been working with me for
over two years in our own investigation into claims surrounding
NASA footage and the supposed 'cover-up' it's involved in.

 From the 10-15 minute sample of footage shown yesterday several
things are clear;

1 - The objects seen by the cameras are a variety of space
debris and dust particles. (We're not convinced that they are
ice crystals.)

2 - When the booster rockets on the Shuttle fire, particles
around it are obviously dislodged. This fact has not, to my
knowledge, been mentioned by the supporters of the NASA
conspiracy theory...

3 - The proponents of the conspiracy theory appear to be unaware
that the Shuttle cameras are often out of focus, that objects
much nearer to the cameras can seem further away _and_ that
because low-light filters are sometimes used debris and dust
passing by looks brighter than it usually would. Not to metion
the sunlight that glints and reflects off the debris.....

4 - Graham Birdsall claims that his 'Canadian' source has
'hundreds of hours' of footage. This is not particularly
unusual; John Locker, a top UK Satellite Communications Expert -
has similar hours of material including all the relevant STS-82
footage.

5 - In fact, John was contacted some months ago by a man called
Don who we suspect might be Graham Birdsall's 'secret' source of
information - or associated with him in some way. We have in our
possession a message from Don in which he requests a deal
whereby John would give him the STS-82 footage with audio (that
he presented at my 1997 Conference - months before anyone else!)
and would get "UFOs, The Best Evidence Ever on Tape"...in
return. Some swap!

6 - Graham Birdsall reportedly claimed on Friday night that NASA
TV was 'off-line'. Yesterday he tried to bolster this claim and,
in front of the 500 attenders to his 18th International UFO
Conference, made a variety of similarly misleading claims about
the footage. For a start NASA TV has not been 'taken off-line'.
John gets the feed, as do others. This is covered in detail by
John in issue 1 of our magazine, 'BEYOND', in an article on NASA
TV where we challenge the claims of the NASA conspiracy
theorists and especially Dr. Jack Kasher, who, by virtue of his
position within MUFON, can hardly be seen as an independent
source in terms of STS footage research.

7 - Graham Birdsall is going, apparently, to go to the world's
press with this 'smoking gun' footage. He's going to hold a
major press conference!

I suggest that he thinks again in light of these conclusions and
the underwhelming nature of the footage available. I also
suggest that Ufologists find out more about the cameras used on
the missions...

I noted with great interest yesterday that Tim Good also found
the footage to be unimpressive... Those who believe that this
footage is 'evidence that we are not alone' can only do so on
the basis that they believe what they are told and do not have
the information to come to a sensible conclusion about it

8 - Don, the North American contact, wrote thus (with
grammatical and spelling errors included):


  "John, I put in an order for a one hour worth of NASA video
  tape concerning the STS-82 event. I ordered it from Gale Frehre
  of NASA's video department. The time and date that I asked for
  was February 18, 1997, 0615 GMT to 0715 GMT. When I received
  the tape in the mail I noticed that they only sent me 20
  minutes of footage and it was labeled as orbit 104. When I
  viewed it on my VCR they were indeed doing a EVA and then
  returned to the airlock but I did not hear any conversation out
  of the ordinary. I don't believe they included enough footage
  or the EVA I was watching was not the one we are all interested
  in. I am sure they engaged in more than one EVA. They may have
  purposely sent me the wrong EVA?

  Gale Frehre told me that NASA did not downlink that part I am
  looking for. But I know that is a lie because you have seen and
  heard it and so have others. Also she says that what everybody
  is all excited about is a few buttons on the wall (she had a
  defiant attitude).

  THERE IS A MAN OVER HERE LIVING IN NEBRASKA WHO RECORDED IT.
  HIS SON WHO IS IN COLLEGE TOOK THE TAPE TO COLLEGE TO LET THE
  PROFESSOR VIEW IT. THE PROFESSOR, HARRY JORDAN, WHO IS A FRIEND
  OF DR. JACK KASHER WHO ANALYZED THE STS-48 [?] FOOTAGE FOR ME.
  JORDAN VIEWED IT WITH MUCH INTEREST AND THEN RETURNED IT TO THE
  STUDENT, WHEN HARRY LATER DOWN THE ROAD TRIED TO RE-BORROW IT
  IN ORDER TO MAKE A TAPE, THE FATHER BALKED BECAUSE HE WAS
  GETTING SPOOKED ON HOW SERIOUS IT ALL WAS GETTING AND REFUSED
  TO LET HARRY JORDAN REBORROW IT.

  I would be more than happy and willing to be that person to
  handle and receive that tape from you to get the word out over
  here. I would make sure that you would get full credit of being
  the source of the tape. I could check the prices for
  transatlantic shipment and pay for the cost of the copy and
  perhaps a copy of that enhancement if you wish to include that.
  On 28th July 1907 on National Fox TV there was a special UFO
  program called "UFOs, the best evendience Ever on Tape."

  80% OF THE NASA FOOTAGE SHOWN WAS MINE AND I SENT THAT TO THE
  PRODUCERS KIVIAT PRODUCTIONS WITH ONE STIPULATION AND THAT WAS
  THAT I WOULD GET SCROLL-UP CREDIT AT THE END OF THE SHOW FOR
  THE FOOTAGE THAT I SENT THEM. THEY AGREED. BUT VIEWING THE
  CREDIT SHOWED THEY LIED AND DID NOT GIVE ME CREDIT.

  Oh well. But anyway if you want this footage to be seen in the
  US I can di it. My NASA UFO FOOTAGES have been seen on many
  National UFO shows in the US. Also when I send you a money
  order for the cost of the STS-82 tape I can include for you a
  copy of the recent program "UFOs, The Best Ever Evidence On
  Tape" and will include at the beginning THE NEVER BEFORE SEEN
  APOLLO 16 SAUCER 16MM FOOTAGE FROM NEAR THE MOON.

  The Best,

  Don."

If this is the same man, and he seems to have the right
connections, then why all the cloak and dagger nonsense that
Birdsall was putting out yesterday? None of the footage warrants
the "Canadian source" having his face obscured in the UFO
Magazine (UK) presentation and being given the code-name
'LILLE'.

This is all quite ridiculous and my only conclusion is that
Graham suspects that this kind of drama will help sell his
message to the gullible. After all, the Cracoe Fell UFO was
'undeniable evidence' that we were not alone - before Andy
Roberts proved this it was a reflection off some rocks. This was
Quest International's first big case, and one that they hammed
up to both press and public....

If Graham holds a Press Conference using the material shown
yesterday I will ensure that every press agency, newspaper and
outlet is presented with the actual facts of the case.

This kind of stunt, where the UFO community is bombarded with
claims of 'smoking guns' and 'incredible proof' have been part
and parcel of 90's Ufology. It has done Ufology irreparable
damage and encouraged people to believe in a variety of myths -
including "alien space wars" captured on NASA Shuttle cameras!

_Unless_ the footage is presented in _context_ the public will
be mislead.

Tim Matthews, Editor, BEYOND magazine.