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y their moon…walking shoes were identical to the footprints I had seen over and over again in my travels。 Obviously； the Martians and Venusians buy their equipment from the same panies that supply our space program。
VI。
Connie Carpenter's sighting of Mothman in November 1966 triggered off a long series of weird situations。 She heard loud beeping sounds outside her bedroom window on several occasions。 Then； in February 1967； someone tried to abduct her。
Early that month she and Keith Gordon were married and they moved across the river to a house in Middleport； Ohio。 They did not have a phone and their new address was known only to their families and close friends。 Middleport is a town of about three thousand people。 Connie was still attending school。 An excessively slender girl； she would never win a Raquel Welch look…alike contest。
At 8：15 A。M。 on February 22； 1967； she started out for school。 Keith was already at work。 As she began walking down the quiet； tree…lined street a large black car pulled up alongside。 Since all young people are automobile conscious； she said she could positively identify it as a 1949 Buick。 The driver opened his door and called to her； asking for directions； so she walked over to his car。 He was a clean…cut young man of about twenty…five； she said later； and was wearing a colorful mod shirt； no jacket； despite the cold weather。 His thick black hair was neatly bed and he appeared to be very suntanned。 He spoke with no noticeable accent。 The car； though nearly twenty years old； was so well kept it looked like new。 Even the interior had a look of newness about it。
When she reached the vehicle； the young man suddenly lunged； grabbed her arm； and ordered her to get in with him。 After a brief struggle she managed to break away。 She ran back to her house and locked herself in； pletely terrified。 She cowered in the house until her husband came home from work。 And she decided to stay home the next day； too。 At 3 P。M。 she heard someone on the porch and there was a loud knock on the door。 She waited awhile then cautiously went to the door。 There was no one on the porch and no car in sight； but a note had been slipped under the door。 It was written in pencil in block letters on a piece of ordinary notebook paper。
〃Be careful girl；〃 it read； 〃I can get you yet。〃
That night Connie and Keith went to the local police。 The note was turned over to officer Raymond Manly。 In March 1967； I visited the police station； hoping to recover the note so I could pare the handwriting with other notes I had collected。 Manly had lost it somewhere along the way。 When I asked to see their file on the case they produced a printed form containing Connie's name and address and one scribbled line； 〃Dark Buick； young man。〃 The police chief assured me that no such car existed in Middleport and that it was obviously a case of some maniac trying to abduct a young girl。 Officer Manly told me he was keeping the house under constant surveillance。 I had to break the news that the Gordons had moved back to the West Virginia side of the river shortly after the incident。 Despite my sheaf of credentials and press cards； both men were overly suspicious of me and asked me repeatedly if I really wasn't 〃from the government。〃 This fear of government agents was already universal in 1967； long before the general breakdown of faith in the government of the 1970s。 The UFO enthusiasts had done then…job well。 Their twenty…year campaign against the air force had really shut the government off from many UFO reports。
In the mid…1950s I had experienced a variation of this paranoia while traveling through the Orient。 The CIA had already earned an odious reputation abroad； its butter…fingered agents often operating as wandering journalists； particularly in the Himalayas where they were trying to foment revolutionary activity against the Chinese who were then settling down in Tibet。 More than once I was openly accused of being a secret American agent provocateur。 Officials would 〃lose〃 my passport for days at a time while they checked me out forward and backward。 In Baghdad； and again in Singapore； I was actually grilled by the authorities who were apparently convinced I was after state secrets or was planning to overthrow the government。 Since I knew very little about the CIA in those days I was perplexed by all this attention。
Eventually I learned that the CIA had a habit of enlisting very young people between the ages of seventeen and twenty…five； frequently involving them in bizarre scenarios。 Considerable evidence exists indicating that Lee Harvey Oswald was a CIA pawn early on。
Today the CIA has an annual budget in excess of 11 billion； and it doesn't have to account to the president or Congress。 A large part of this budget is probably wasted on bureaucratic nonsense； and another large part is spent on what can only be termed malicious mischief。 Technically； the CIA has no legal authority or responsibilities within the continental United States； but if you open a phone book for any moderate…sized U。S。 city you will find a local CIA office listed。 They also maintain thousands of 〃fronts；〃 offices disguised as legitimate businesses； throughout the country。
During the recent Watergate debacle investigating reporters documented the fact that some of the participants were not only longtime CIA agents； but also that these same men had been involved in the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961； and some had been present in Dealey Plaza in Dallas on the day President Kennedy was assassinated。 It is noteworthy that reporters； editors； and citizens engaged in the investigation of President Kennedy's death suffered harassment and telephone problems identical to those experienced by UFO researchers。 Some of these tactics will be examined in detail further on。
However； I cannot accuse the CIA as being the source of the weird incidents outlined here。 Rather； the phenomenon is imitative。 This paranormal mimicry is difficult for many to understand but I e across constant examples。 Early in January 1973； for instance； a reliable witness in Ohio observed an unusual…looking helicopter which she was able to describe in detail。 When she sketched it for a local UFO enthusiast he was flabbergasted。 He was an aeronautical engineer specializing in helicopters and he knew the thing she drew was a new secret helicopter that was still on the drawing board！
Even Closer to home； a few days after Tad Jones's sighting on Route 64； True magazine hit the stands with an article of mine about flying saucers。 It was illustrated with drawings of all kinds of odd…shaped objects； many of them the pure products of the artist's imagination。 It included an exact replica of Jones's sphere； plete with wheeled legs and propeller。 An object exactly like this had never been described in the UFO literature before 。。。 or since。 The artist had produced his layout many weeks before。 Somehow the phenomenon had mischievously duplicated the artist's conception for Jones's benefit。
9 … 〃Wake Up Down There！〃
I
A young couple； very much in love； sprawled together in the back seat of an old jalopy on a deserted dirt road in the isolated back hills east of Ravenswood； West Virginia。 It was a starlit； moonless night in the spring of 1967； just warm enough so the pair were able to strip to the buff fortably。 Things were rather pleasant on that squeaky back seat until about 10：30 P。M。 when a blinding bluish light poured in through the windows of the parked car。
〃At first； I thought it was the police；〃 the young man told me later。 〃Then we both felt a funny tingling sensation that scared us half out of our wits。 I jumped up and stared into the light。 It wasn't a flashlight or spotlight。 It was more like a big ball of bluish fire hovering a couple of feet off the ground directly alongside the car。 There was a funny sound； too； like a low hum。〃
His girlfriend screamed； he reported； and the light seemed to back away slightly while the humming increased in volume。
〃The next thing we knew；〃 the young man continued； 〃it was gone。 Just like that。 We jumped into our clothes and got the hell out of there。 Another funny thing； when we got into town it was after 12：30。 We couldn't figure it out。 It seemed like we only looked at that light for a couple of seconds。 But somehow it must have taken two hours。〃
Their first inclination was to run to the police but they decided against it； since they weren't supposed to be on that road doing what they were doing in the first place。
（〃Her old man would've killed me！〃） They drove around for several minutes until their hysteria subsided and then he dropped her off at home。
The next morning both the boy and the girl woke up to find themselves heavily 〃sunburned〃 from head to foot。 The boy's eyes were almost swollen shut for two weeks afterward。 It was not an easy matter for them to explain how they managed to get a total； and quite painful； sunburn at night in the early spring。
Shortly afterward he heard that I was in the area and sought me ou