Strieber's Memory Conveniently
Fails Him In Hale-Bopp Tale


Text from Whitley Strieber's 'Journal'...an egregious corruption of reality:
"Then the Heaven's Gate tragedy struck. A group of UFO enthusiasts committed suicide in a looney attempt to get to the object as souls. Art was pilloried in the national media and among the UFO community. Lost in the shuffle was the fact that he and I had exposed the apparent hoax. Lost, also, in the shuffle was the fact that the entire astronomical community, worldwide, was lying about the object."
FACT: At the very height of the radio and internet hype and promotion of the Hale-Bopp 'companion' ET spaceship con job, my webmaster, James Neff, had been running the ONLY internet site devoted to a skeptical inquiry of the Hale-Bopp 'companion' story.
FACT: One evening during my live, coast-to-coast program, James was alerted by his astronomer-contact, Oliver Hainaut, at the University of Hawaii, that he had discovered the infamous Hale-Bopp 'companion' photo - featured on Bell's and other sites - was in fact an existing image of the comet which had been reversed...and had then shown up with the 'companion' object appearing in it.
FACT: When James' email to me arrived, I was on the air interviewing Michael Lindemann. I IMMEDIATELY requested of Michael, on the air, to pause our discussion as I had breaking news to read. I then read the information from the University of Hawaii which destroyed the entire Hale-Bopp 'companion' ET spaceship image hoax and began to quiet the worldwide fears - and in some cases deadly panic - it had caused. The hoaxed picture...the 'smoking gun'...was a total fraud. Michael will have no trouble verifying what occurred on the program and how the Hale-Bopp 'companion' story came to its demise.
FACT: The exposing of the Hale-Bopp 'companion' photo hoax on my program and on my website had an immediate worldwide impact.
FACT: Art Bell did not do a live radio show later that night -- a statement was read that he had suddenly taken ill and a taped program would be aired.
"Lost in the shuffle was the fact that he (Bell) and I had exposed the apparent hoax."
James Neff exposed the hoax and I announced it on live, national radio and put the two photos - the original genuine photo and the hoaxed photo - on site as well.
MANY in the 'astronomical community' were stridently dubious of the Hale-Bopp 'companion' photo and story, and gravely-lamented the hype being perpetrated by Courtney Brown and others on national radio and the internet.
Mr. Strieber appears suffering either from conveniently poor memory, had a couple of 'senior moments' or is no longer able to discern the line between fact and fiction. In any case, I have avoided responding to the well-known past public, personal attacks on me, my program and my entire listening audience by this well-known science fiction writer.
However, in this case, his efforts to claim credit for exposing the Hale-Bopp fraud cannot pass without comment.
From James Neff
Another quickly overshadowed element in this debacle is that Streiber, then apparently closely-tied with Brown and Calabrese at the FarSight Institute, stated on the Art Bell show that he had seen the "film" taken by the clandestine "leading university astronomer" and had even taken a print of the Hale-Bopp image to a 'University-level astronomer' friend and asked his opinion.
The astronomer, whom Whitley never named, supposedly signed off on the image as authentic and disturbing...and worthy of further analysis. It was, however, subsequently discovered through a phone call I placed directly to Oliver Hainaut of the University of Hawaii's Astronomy Department, that FILM is rarely ever used -- and further, that the Hale-Bopp 'companion' image in question was his, Hainaut's, digital tiff image (part of a complex 3-plate imaging process) flopped over and reduced to jpeg -- and clearly tampered with to add a 'companion' object.
This was announced by Oliver Hainaut on the Jeff Rense Program more than 48 hours in advance of the Streiber/Bell 'outting' of Courtney Brown. So, the question remains, what, in fact, did Strieber possess and what 'film' did he see?? There was no film. There was no 'print' from film, either. There was only a stolen tiff image, flopped, and reduced to jpeg. And if that is what he took to the 'University level astronomy professor' it seems very peculiar that such an educated man would have had the reaction he allegedly had...when not a single other University level astronomy professor agreed (and I consulted several).
They all said the same things: (1) "I'd have to see the original high resolution image," and (2) the 'companion' image was likely a star 'blooming' on the CCD chip, a common artifact of DIGITAL processing, not film.
How did Strieber gain access to what did not even exist? And does this explain his overt participation in the on-air crucifixion of Courtney Brown? At the time, Prudence Calabrese was Whitley Strieber's departing webmaster and was apparently the go-between from Brown to Strieber on the "film".... which did not exist. Once we revealed the image was a DIGITAL farce, it seemed to many listeners Strieber and others did a lot of excess protesting and padding of the conflict to muddy the issue, and divert attention from their earlier claims and de facto involvement in the hoax.
And let no one forget Whitley's dramatic call for Art's listeners to attempt to communicate telepathically with the inbound Hale-Bopp 'companion' object's alien occupants!
The attempt to withhold credit for the hoax exposure from us and then bringing Oliver Hainaut onto the Bell program as an 'original contact' are matters of record. Strieber's revisionist history doesn't work...many people's memories aren't that short. This is all yet another example of why UFOlogy remains in trouble.
From Lance
Jeff, I just read your article about Streiber's remarks concerning Hale-boop. So, is Strieber someone we can trust? Maybe you should invite him to be on your show? in order to clear up all of the confusion. Would he accept an invitation? As I recall, he was quick enough to appear on your show when he was trying to publicize his God-awful film on UFOs.
I hate to come down on him too hard. I'm trying to believe that his heart is in the right place. But is it? Certainly, a number of my friends are enthusiastic about his radio show, but now I wonder if that's justified.
All of this brings up a lot of disturbing issues. And, of course, all of this comes on the heels of the sorry situation surrounding Richard Hoagland's pictures of Mars. Does anyone in the UFO field have any credibility anymore? One has to wonder.
From Lens
Right on. Strieber presents as a charlatan and is considered a shameless plagiarist by many. Period. People like him are one of the reasons Ufology is in such a sorry state these days. Makes one wonder if he isn't a deliberate intel plant.
FROM Royce J. Myers III
This isn't the first time Strieber has chosen to 'forget' about a UFO case. Let's not also 'forget' Strieber's participation in the Reed UFO Fraud when Art Bell was promoting the case on his show.
After the Reed UFO Fraud was exposed at my website, I sent Strieber an e-mail asking for comment. He stated he would give it to his 'news people' for his website. Conveniently, the story never appeared on his site. Strieber's original message to me can be found below.
-- Original Message --
From Whitley Strieber
To ufowatchdog@earthlink.net THE WATCHDOG
Sent Saturday, May 04, 2002 9:34 PM
Subject: Jonathan Reed UFO Fraud Exposed
When I went on the air with this guy I found his story fascinating but improbable. Also, he never sent me any of the videotape or negs he promised for analysis, so I wrote the story off. Then about a year ago somebody did send me a tape. Supposedly a first generation tape he'd taken of the alien. It looked like a fake made by an eight year old. I did not have any analysis done on it as this is expensive and it wasn't clear that there would be any benefit. I've read your story and I'll make sure it gets to the news people at my site.
- W
From Jeremy Jay Lynes
Hello, I just read your article on the Hale Bopp fiasco.
Having read it, I am prompted to write you and ask a question about Art Bell and Whitley Strieber that has been bothering me for about nine months now.
I have repeatedly asked both of them for an opinion on Mike Ruppert and his video on 911 and why they do not cover this issue. I have received no reply.
I have heard callers to their shows mention Mike Rupert, only to be blown-off with words to the effect that 'our government is incapable of such a duplicitous act.' Of course, I sit there thinking, here is Art Bell, a man above all others who's career is founded on government duplicity, now saying it ain't so.
I have sent numerous email and snail letters, having become more determined with each non-reply, to give them a chance to answer, but I fear I will be forever disappointed. So, I write to you.
Can you clue me in? Do they fear for their lives, are they are part of a plan that provides an seemingly independent outlet and forum for X File type issues, but in reality, also directs where these forums go, and insures they tow the line and not step into too sensitive areas? Are they just to scared to go there for fear of being found slumped over their steering wheel one morning, dead from an apparant heart attack?
I would think that a lot of people are out there, like me, wondering what's up with these two?
You are the largest website I know of that does not skirt Mike Ruppert. Could you let us in on just what is up with Bell and Strieber?
We would appreciate it.
jeremy jay lynes
To: Jeremy Jay Lines
From James Neff
For whom the Bell tolls
I think your question can be answered with one simple word... "money." You're talking about people who are in business; they are not journalists, like Jeff Rense. Though Art Bell is well-seasoned in "fringe" topics, and very entertaining, the bottom line is a network radio financial one, as it is for most radio talk show hosts. Money and ratings.
Anything that skirts too close to the edge of SERIOUS controversy will be ignored or shoved aside or explained away. This is what makes Rense so different. He's not owned by anyone, neither is he in this business AS a business. If there wasn't a dime available, Jeff would find some way of getting on the air and getting the info out there. There is no issue he will not take on. He doesn't worry about advertisers pulling out on him -- if they do..,well, they do. We don't mourn their loss. We go on anyway.
And that makes our advertisers some very unique people too. They understand this and stick with us because they too believe in the truth.
Jeff can't be bought or sold. He owes nothing to anyone, save the public and his own integrity to bring the public the raw facts where THEY can determine reality, no matter how disturbing those facts may be. There's a high price for this, of course. We're on several so-called "hate site" lists. We're perpetually attacked by those who think we are 'enemies' of (fill in the blank). And as you can see, we're not on Art or Whitley's "favorite people" list :)
I doubt they fear for their lives. They fear for their wallets. You might say they fear for their 'lifestyles.' There's certainly nothing wrong with making money in America, and we don't fault them that. But you just have to know the difference between entertainment-based issues oriented radio and websites and REAL independent journalism. Hope this helps.


This Site Served by TheHostPros