Neo (00:00)
there is an alien here on earth. name is Erin and she said that this weekend, the motherships are going to come to earth and reveal themselves and they're going to do it in two major cities, but she didn't want to tell us where because she didn't want to cause panic. But I think that means we need to go clean our rooms and pack our bags and get everything ready. Otherwise, you know what? They're not going to take us. All right, so
Let's go do this. I'll start the Welcome to another episode of Mostly True Alien Stories. go, go, go. Go!
Android (00:27)
Okay, goodbye.
Now?
Neo (00:50)
Welcome back to Mostly True Alien Stories, where we're going to dig into history's most famous alien encounters and ask the big question, how much of this is actually true? I'm Neal Girandola and joining me as always right next to me in another state is the lovely Andrew Triana. Hi, Andrew. It's going great. I love your sweatshirt.
Android (01:08)
Hi Neal! How's it going?
Neo (01:13)
feel like you're dressed for this show today because it's it's very We're going to be diving into what is arguably the most famous alien abduction case of all time. It's the Betty and Barney Hill
Android (01:22)
I know.
Neo (01:24)
it's ground zero for what we now think of as the classic alien abduction. It's missing time. We got medical exams, telepathic beings with huge eyes, a star map.
Android (01:34)
Probing.
Neo (01:35)
Yeah, there's a star map. don't think I don't know. Maybe probing. Yeah, the star map. That's
Android (01:35)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, there's some probing. Yeah.
Neo (01:39)
right. It's supposedly the star map pinpoints where the aliens came
if you've heard of people being taken aboard a UFO, this is the case that started it all. And as we do on every episode,
going to lay out the story exactly as it was reported, no embellishments, no exaggerations, then you and I will break it down.
We're going to analyze the details. We're going to decide whether we think this is a mostly true alien story or not. And of course,
we want to hear from our listeners. So drop your verdict into the comments. before we get into the alien road trips and intergalactic pregnancy tests, a little foreshadowing.
Let's check in with Andrew for the latest in alien news and entertainment. Andrew, what's lighting up the skies and the internet this
Android (02:20)
I got to tell you, it's a little history here. You might not know
used to work for Discovery
we actually created a DNA lab where kids could actually extract DNA from peas.
Neo (02:25)
Mm, I didn't.
Android (02:32)
And we won an award for it with Popular
it was called the Popular Mechanics Best in Show Award. Yeah, it was pretty cool.
Neo (02:39)
I love it.
they would get their DNA. Is this the is this the early 33 and me kind of thing or whatever it was called or is yeah so it's so yeah okay so everybody was sending in their DNA from peas and carrots your and they were all related.
Android (02:42)
It had a-
Yeah, but it was with peas and carrots.
Yep, yep, if you bought peas at the,
if you bought peas from the grocery store, you could use those and see how they're related to you and find out that they're actually not related to you at all. But the thing was really cool. It had a working centrifuge. I mean, it was advanced for a kid's toy.
Neo (03:11)
because I had a pee show up to my house about a month ago and said that we were related.
Android (03:16)
What's he like? Daddy, daddy, are you my daddy? I went down to Goodwill and found this DNA lab that was made 20 years ago. Yeah, that's it. That's it still worked. And now you're my dad. But anyway, so Popular Mechanics, you know, that's been around forever.
Neo (03:19)
You
I did a DNA test, it turns out you're my dad!
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Android (03:46)
The
title of this article really caught my eye. says, aliens could be all around us, but we're totally unprepared for first
Neo (03:54)
my God, that's brilliant because I think they're absolutely right. What do they have to say?
Android (03:59)
it says that we're spending more time
these vessels
seeing like where they are and where they go to than actually preparing for what would happen if they actually came here.
Neo (04:11)
Maybe we should form an organization that actually prepares for those scenarios. Let's do it. You and I could board brilliant. We could come up with some preparation scenarios.
Android (04:17)
Yeah. Yeah.
So from a scientist's perspective, this is what it says. The potential detection of extraterrestrial biosignatures comes first.
so all these guys that are researching, the potential detection extraterrestrial biosignatures comes first. And it would follow the same scientific process as any other research. How to respond to such a discovery is an important discussion involving a broad cross-section of the global community, says NASA spokesperson Charles Blue. other words,
Neo (04:30)
Yeah.
Yep.
Android (04:53)
The world at large would need to be involved in the response, not just the scientists. So everybody's got to get it together.
Neo (05:01)
I'm just thinking about the impact of that trying to find something that's relatable. It's like trying to get everybody to use seatbelts when seatbelts were first put, you know, made a law that everybody had to wear them, right? It's it is just one of those things. It would take years for people to be on board with preparing for
Android (05:12)
Right. Right.
Well,
Neo (05:20)
Something like this.
Android (05:20)
I've already thought how we're going to do it. We're going to do it guerrilla marketing style. I've already designed a brochure that we can drop from helicopters across
Neo (05:22)
Alright, well.
Don't
alien prepared.
Android (05:32)
Don't.
Yeah, don't do
So,
existing protocols seem to be entirely within the realms of scientific foundations like SETI.
our listeners that might not know what SETI is, SETI is a nonprofit research
focuses on
alien intelligence.
And so they're saying that, you know,
We need to do some other stuff to figure out what to do if they actually appear.
Neo (05:59)
like what kind of stuff are they giving us any
Android (06:01)
you know, they're just saying that as a globe, as the world together, we need to all talk about, what do do if they actually land? Do we have a greeting process? Do we have a carpet that will roll out for them? You know, it's all these things. Like, what would you do if aliens landed in your backyard? And they were like, hi, Neal, we listen to your show. We think you can help us be our spokesperson.
Neo (06:26)
Yeah, what am I supposed to do?
Android (06:28)
are you supposed to do? You're supposed to be like,
Neo (06:29)
Yeah, but you know, here's,
here's another challenge. It's like we, right now us humans are currently struggling to handle different cultures on
Android (06:30)
I don't know.
Neo (06:39)
How are we going to handle an alien species?
Android (06:39)
Right.
I'm right there with you.
it's a fascinating read. Listeners, check it out. It's on popularmechanics.com.
Okay.
Neo (06:48)
I got one other thought too, cause there's
a million things that we could talk about on
topic. It really could, but like, mean, the government definitely has a scenario group, right? So they're always preparing for all kinds of stuff. I find it hard to believe that they don't have a scenario for this.
Android (06:51)
Yeah, mean, is a deep, we could go deep dive. Are we going deep dive?
Well, actually NASA has worked on its own first contact protocols,
a 2024 workshop event about how best to communicate the discovery of alien
that's still not a welcoming party.
Neo (07:20)
Hmm.
Android (07:21)
just like, what's best? And if they are doing this, then who are they sharing it with? Because they're definitely not sharing it with us because they haven't even admitted that aliens exist or mostly that they don't exist.
Neo (07:21)
Yeah.
Wow, that's a great, I love this. This is really great food for thought. know listeners, if you have an idea of scenarios, how would you handle it? Leave a
Android (07:42)
one more little thing I'm going to give you. So it says right here in the article, it says, if an alien civilization could reach
sheer ability to travel light years would mean the aliens would already be vastly superior to us in technology. These aliens would be so advanced that our missiles and fighter jets would be like nothing to them.
Neo (07:47)
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Yeah, so it's definitely not a war situation. is either a hostile immediate takeover
or it is a it is a relationship building mission.
So it's one or the other.
Android (08:13)
No, right.
Right, and then there's skeptics out there that say, you know, realistically thinking about this, the first extraterrestrial life we discover is probably going to be some microbe that we find on an asteroid.
Neo (08:27)
But you know what who invited that guy to the
Android (08:29)
I come on, man, seriously?
don't know.
know what? He should be taken in a room and beaten with phone books. I mean, seriously.
Neo (08:38)
Yeah,
he's not allowed in our club.
Android (08:41)
What an idiot.
know, we're probably going to find it in an
You're going to send something to the asteroid, right? But meanwhile, there's a
going to fly right by them and be like, we don't need to communicate because there's no life in that spaceship. There's nobody there.
Neo (08:55)
Yeah. It's,
that's a guy you don't want on that committee to decide how we prepare for aliens coming to
We're all fantasizing about these aliens, these four foot tall aliens or the Anunnaki or whoever just coming down and going, Hey
do exist. Here we are.
get together and let's figure this out. How's it gonna happen? Listen, there is no Jesus Christ. We invented you
have no gods. We are your gods.
Deal with it.
Yeah, I'm on that
I'm in the club.
this is a great topic. It really is. think scenario based
on something like this is really easy. Everybody should be talking about it. It should be talking about it. Yeah. Good for popular mechanics. I love
Android (09:36)
No, I agree. I agree.
Neo (09:41)
I love that article.
Android (09:41)
Yeah,
Neo (09:42)
What else you got?
Android (09:43)
I'm so disappointed. The Age of
new documentary about UFOs. This thing, I've been waiting for this thing to come out, right? Everybody's been talking about it. I mean,
Neo (09:46)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Android (09:52)
if you just
Neo (09:53)
it coming
Android (09:54)
It premiered at South by Southwest on Sunday, March 9th.
Neo (09:58)
so millions of people saw it. That's South by Southwest,
Android (10:01)
No,
was a closed, it was a closed room. I don't even know how many people got to watch this movie.
News talked about it, that it premiered and all this stuff. Well, here's something for you, age of disclosure people.
You don't have a studio behind you, so whatevs. You have no distribution. You have no plans for streaming.
Neo (10:15)
You're pissed. You're so pissed.
Yeah.
Android (10:22)
The best thing you have right now is your freaking trailer.
Neo (10:25)
maybe this is part of their promotion. Maybe they're just trying to build up the hype and excitement by saying delaying it, delaying it, delaying only showing it to a closed room of like maybe 200
and then not releasing it when they said what's been two years,
How many years? Yeah, it's been a while.
Android (10:36)
It's been longer than that. It's been like
four years they've been working on this
Neo (10:42)
Yeah.
Android (10:43)
just disappointing. I I thought that after it premiered at South by Southwest, they would be announcing that it's gonna be in movie theaters. It's gonna be streaming on Netflix. It's gonna be streaming somewhere. And it's not streaming anywhere. So I can't see. I ain't go to South by
Neo (10:55)
Well, you know,
their trailers really good and they're making some big claims. So they better. I mean, when they bring it out and they're delaying it like this, it better be
Academy Award winning documentary that people go, what the shit? Where has this been?
Android (11:09)
Can I just mention,
I'm gonna mention one guy's name on this show. You ready? Dr. Stephen Greer. Okay. That guy, that
Neo (11:13)
Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah. I mean, I mean, if he's related to
this... He delays everything.
Android (11:20)
What? guy's been...
Yes! That guy's been saying that UFOs have been landing since January. They haven't landed anywhere. He's supposed to be doing these big reveals and everybody keeps giving him airtime and he keeps saying the same thing. This is the same thing with this movie. I'm not going to believe this movie until I see
I can stream it or go to my local movie theater and watch it. I'm
Neo (11:43)
It's starting to smell like this is more sensationalism than actual legitimate research. Well, yeah, but but rather than legitimate
Android (11:47)
and poo. It smells like poo.
Well, they're claiming they did research. They've got
senior members of the US legislation, military and intelligence committees,
to reveal this 80 year coverup. Well, what's the 80 year
it to everybody. And the people that saw it aren't allowed to talk about what they saw.
So like ABC News had representatives there, but they weren't going to talk about the movie.
Neo (12:12)
Do you really think that an independent
actually reveal something that the government has kept secret from us? You honestly think that they are gonna have this
outlandish information?
Android (12:21)
Well, they sure made it sound that way.
Neo (12:24)
sell tickets, I would do that. That's what I try to do with this podcast. We're talking about shit the government won't let you
Android (12:31)
Yeah, no,
know.
So
Dan Farah, that's what I have to say to you, Dan Farah.
Neo (12:36)
Farah is the
on this right or the he's a documentary. Yeah, he's the documentary and yeah, producer. Yeah.
Android (12:39)
He's the director. He's the director.
Neo (12:44)
Well, what is there any indication of when they're going to come out with it?
Android (12:47)
Nothing.
Neo (12:47)
It is the
15th, listeners, it's March 15th. This was supposed to be
Android (12:50)
It'll be a week
They said that it was premiering. They made it sound like it was premiering worldwide in March. That's what really pisses me off. And it premiered at South by Southwest. Who cares?
Neo (13:01)
Okay, well maybe they're trickling it out. Maybe they're they're doing this for promotion purposes, but I'll tell you what, like I said, it better be fucking unbelievable with the way they're trick, with the way they're teasing this for the past many, how many
Android (13:11)
Yeah.
Neo (13:17)
yeah,
Android (13:15)
three years at least, two years at least.
Neo (13:18)
All right, what else you got?
Android (13:19)
I know that you're a huge football fan.
Neo (13:21)
Yeah, I'm a Jets fan.
Android (13:23)
you're a huge Jets
Neo (13:24)
Unfortunately.
Android (13:25)
there's nothing wrong with that, dude. I've been a Bears fan since I was a
You had Joe Namath.
Neo (13:28)
You had some really good years.
Yeah, but that was before my I didn't get to enjoy that. Like to
Android (13:35)
60 years ago.
Neo (13:38)
I wasn't even born.
Android (13:39)
this is what's cool. This is what's
Rodgers.
Neo (13:42)
Okay. You know what? I love Aaron Rodgers. got him for one, two seasons, one season he got injured, towards Achilles and then the second season he did okay. But he came with a lot of, you know, quirks and things like that. And I love him as a football player. His career has been
Android (13:52)
Yeah, he did fine.
Neo (13:58)
And I love that you're bringing up Aaron Rodgers on our podcast, which can only mean one thing.
It's gotta be some woo woo thing he's connected to in some way, or form about
Android (14:07)
No, I
just said his name because you said you liked the Jets.
Neo (14:12)
you just got me excited for nothing.
Android (14:13)
Yeah, there's absolutely nothing about it.
Sorry.
Neo (14:15)
And
listeners, thank you for joining us
Android (14:18)
No, no, this is cool, man. This happened in
Neo (14:21)
Okay.
Android (14:22)
explained that his friend, Steve Levy,
hosting him at his home in New Jersey,
and they were getting ready for bed.
Neo (14:28)
Wait, they were at Rogers'
Android (14:30)
No, they were at Steve Levy's home. Yeah, Steve Levy's house. They've been good friends for a long time.
Neo (14:31)
Steve Levy's house. Yeah, okay.
Android (14:36)
played at Cal together, I believe. I think that's right.
Neo (14:39)
Yeah, I think
so. Yes. They played together.
Android (14:41)
were all getting ready for bed. guess they were sleeping all in one big bed.
No, they weren't. weren't. was, you know. Yeah, right. They snuggle. That gets them ready for the game for the game next. Yeah, they're like a little pajama party and they're like, do my
Neo (14:46)
Cause that's what football players do. They have sleepovers. This. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Android (14:56)
were three people there. There was actually Steve and his brother
and Aaron Rodgers. He said they they heard an
Neo (14:59)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Android (15:03)
in the distance
so Steve and his brother and I walked outside and up in the clouds,
heard this
we saw this tremendously large object moving through the
Neo (15:13)
Mmm.
Android (15:14)
Rogers explained, it was like a scene out of Independence
the ships are coming into the atmosphere and creating this explosion like fire in the
Neo (15:18)
Okay
Android (15:23)
He said, we just saw this incredibly large object and froze.
Neo (15:23)
Yeah.
Android (15:26)
as anybody probably would do, I would just
he was like.
Neo (15:30)
Yeah, Independence
Day, those ships in Independence Day were the size of a state.
Android (15:34)
Yeah, they were huge.
it went out of sight and nobody said a word. We just stood frozen, the three of us, on the front stoop of Steve's house. And about 30 seconds later,
heard the real recognizable sound of fighter jets.
seemed to be chasing this object. And we just stood there in disbelief for another few minutes.
Neo (15:55)
that's it. That was their experience.
Android (15:56)
Roger, no,
it says, Rogers, who said the experience launched a lifelong interest in UFOs,
the sirens that he heard was from the nuclear power plant about nine miles
said a lot of UFO sightings take place around sources of energy like power plants and volcanoes.
Neo (16:07)
I mean.
Android (16:13)
the hell it was,
Neo (16:12)
that is true.
Android (16:14)
don't know.
it was definitely unidentified, definitely flying, and definitely large.
Neo (16:19)
I love that story. It's a cool
Rogers is a very intelligent guy, but he's also a peace, love and quail kind of guy too. So you know, you never know what that party was.
not insinuating that he does that, but he does talk
He does talk about those things in his life that he uses for healing and mind, you know, refresh.
Android (16:33)
Yeah.
No, I hear you. mean...
Neo (16:41)
do you think? think he saw it? Do think he saw
Android (16:43)
I think he saw something. I think it was a party.
Neo (16:46)
mean I think that the fact that they saw maybe fighter jets maybe legitimizes this a little more we didn't see them. He heard them
Android (16:50)
Yeah, he said he heard, he didn't see the jets. He said he heard what definitely, no,
he didn't see them. He definitely said he heard what sounded like fighter jets. It could have been anything. I mean, he didn't recognize the alarm to be the nuclear power plant down the road until after everything had kind of
then he said, you know, with this explosive fire like in the sky, I wouldn't other people have seen an explosive fire in the sky?
Neo (17:13)
Well, you would think there'd be thousands of witnesses to seeing something like that. Yeah. Right. Yeah.
Android (17:17)
I mean, that's something big. Seeing the ship is one thing, but seeing an explosion in the sky, that's why I think an
explosion of mushrooms and quail eggs and ecstasy and...
Neo (17:25)
Definitely. Well, well,
he's leaving us. He's either going to Pittsburgh or he's going to stay here in New Jersey and play for the Giants. I haven't heard yet, but as of the 15th of March, I have not heard that might have been different.
the time this this episode lands, wait, someone talking in your ear telling you what happened.
Android (17:42)
Let's go in the Pittsburgh.
I've got a 50-50 chance.
Neo (17:44)
All right, what's next?
Android (17:45)
know I always like to give a good movie recommendation,
Neo (17:48)
love your movie recommendations.
Yeah.
Android (17:50)
Right? I mean, I'm
doing well, I think, on my movie recommendations.
Neo (17:54)
Yeah,
and you know what you bring up some good movies You know that are like from the past you bring up some new stuff you bring up some good ones in the past that we've forgotten about So I always love the movie the movie recommendation section. So what do you got?
Android (18:07)
Okay, so I was
when I saw about this movie. It's called UFO.
Neo (18:09)
Okay. All right.
Android (18:12)
if you want to find it, you can watch it on Apple TV.
in UFO 2018, because that's when the movie was released. It's just called UFO, but there are thousands of things called UFO. So put in UFO
Neo (18:19)
Alright, but it's just called UFO. Yeah, yeah, that's a lot.
Android (18:27)
Hello, it.
Neo (18:27)
it written by anybody
specific? Is it, is there, a star
Android (18:30)
It does star some great
Neo (18:33)
Wait, is this a
Android (18:35)
it's a real motion picture. It's like not a documentary. It's just called UFO.
Neo (18:38)
just called UFO. So it's an action
adventure
Android (18:42)
What intrigued me was it had Gillian Anderson in
the X-Files.
Neo (18:45)
Ed
Android (18:46)
And then
Strahm,
Anderson plays a professor by the name of Dr. Hendrix, who's a brilliant math
David Strahm plays a special FBI
with a mystery behind
Neo (18:59)
Okay, I love
that. Love the FBI agents with a mystery behind them.
Android (19:03)
like...
Neo (19:03)
They weren't properly
vetted to join the force, you know, but that's, you know what I mean? They weren't probably, they got in though. They got in. They just weren't properly vetted. there's a mystery behind them.
Android (19:10)
Right.
going to say this movie
flat, like completely fell flat. I was so
Neo (19:16)
Aww.
Android (19:18)
basically.
Neo (19:18)
wait, this is your
first, this is your first downer movie recommendation? Like you want us to watch it so we can feel the pain you went through watching it?
Android (19:22)
Yeah, yeah, downer movie. Well, you know what? There
might be people that actually like the film because it revolves around this kid named Derek, who's a brilliant
mathematician student. Right. But when he was a child, he saw UFOs. Right. So he believes in UFOs. So then this ship appears that the whole thing takes place in Cincinnati at the Cincinnati airport where people witness a
Well,
Neo (19:48)
Okay, sounds
cool.
Android (19:50)
Yeah, right. So he's like listening to all the air traffic controller things and he figures out that they're doing this mathematical code and he has to close the grades, right? So it sounds really exciting,
the way to the end of the movie.
David Strahm's character's like,
Neo (20:03)
wait, you're going to give away the
Android (20:04)
I'm just gonna give away the ending. It's so
Basically, the kid gets a job with
Neo (20:07)
Because you don't give a shit.
Android (20:10)
help figure out where the next sighting is gonna be, because he's good at math.
Neo (20:11)
Cause he's good at math. Cause he's good at math.
this kid figured out that this thing was coming based on math.
Android (20:16)
was coming
and where it was going to land and all this stuff. But we never see anything.
Neo (20:20)
So this is like,
is a math
Android (20:22)
Yeah, it's a movie about math, but it's not even as good as Good Will Haunting.
Neo (20:25)
how do you like them apples, bitch?
Android (20:27)
That's what they should have said.
Somebody should have said that because if I was giving this on the scale from one to 10, I'd give it probably a three.
Neo (20:36)
Oh man, wow.
first
Android (20:37)
We should rewrite this movie.
Neo (20:39)
Do we keep all the elements in with the
How we call it?
Android (20:41)
Yeah, but you make it more
Neo (20:43)
Like, he's a dumbass at math.
Android (20:43)
right?
no, no, he's smart. His professor's a dumbass at math.
Neo (20:49)
Anderson's character.
Android (20:50)
Right, but it's not Julian Anderson.
Neo (20:51)
do we put in?
Android (20:52)
Arnold Schwartz.
Neo (20:53)
my God, that would be
Android (20:55)
play this. You're Derek,
you're the
You're coming to me to tell me
Yeah.
Neo (20:59)
I did
this math equation.
Android (21:01)
Yes.
Neo (21:01)
And I realized that there are aliens coming based on what I just figured
Android (21:06)
my god, these aliens, they are coming here! We have to get ready! We must kill them all!
Neo (21:12)
Why are we gonna kill them? Wait, let me do some more
Android (21:14)
Because they're coming
don't you understand? You don't understand, why?
Neo (21:18)
maybe we don't have to kill them. Let me see if this math equation says not to kill them
Android (21:23)
No, let me look at
No, they're coming to kill us. Don't you see? 4 for paw doesn't equal
go to the chopper. Let's
better.
Neo (21:32)
are we gonna
do to the aliens when they get here, Professor?
Android (21:35)
tell you when I see them I'm gonna take my fist I'm gonna run into their stomach and I'm gonna break their goddamn spine
Neo (21:42)
think our version based
review of that movie, our version, I think is more enjoyable.
Android (21:48)
I'm gonna share you something about Schwarzenegger, okay?
you know that they did a poll,
did a survey in the UK about who would be the best person if there was an alien
would you want leading the invasion? For real, they did this survey, yes. And everyone, well not everyone, but like 70 % said Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Neo (22:02)
for real? Somebody did a poll about that?
Because of all his movies of course I would I I feel good about it, but you know what would really in reality would
the first one. He's gonna die right away. They're gonna blow him away with some plasma Yeah,
Android (22:21)
They're gonna kill him first because he's the only one that knows how to deal with him.
Neo (22:24)
it's Arnold kill him
Android (22:26)
Come on, bring it! Bring it, you alien bitch!
Neo (22:30)
It's like, pfft, Arnold's
Just like
Android (22:32)
He's still
Neo (22:33)
been doing 40 years of these manly movies and one second in front of an alien, he's
Android (22:33)
away.
what would
happen is one second in front of an alien, he would piss
I just pissed all over myself. I'm so scared. Then they would just post it. They would just post it on TikTok.
Neo (22:44)
It wasn't me.
is that all you got?
well that was great man. I loved
Android (22:50)
all I got for you, brother.
Neo (22:53)
covered this week's headlines with
it's time to get into this episode's featured story and just a quick refresher on how this
I tell the full amount of a reported alien phenomenon exactly as it was reported or
that Andrew and I are going to break it down piece by piece and decide if we think this is one is mostly true or if there's just a little too much creative storytelling in mix. And of course we want to hear from our listeners. So drop your verdict in the comments.
And now let's get into
which is the Betty and Barney Hill alien abduction story.
So September 19th, 1961.
the summer had begun to loosen its grip on New
giving away to the crisp early chill of
You have Betty and Barney
They're an interracial couple in the early
They were winding down a much needed vacation. needed to get away. This was the tail end of their journey and they're heading home. So they had spent the past few days. They were exploring Niagara
and Montreal and they were relishing a rare moment of escape from their demanding lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which is where they
who is a U S postal service worker and a former World War II
said that he was an over thinker by nature he's cautious he's very pragmatic and betty who is a social worker his wife had a keen sense of curiosity she was always curious about a lot of
was a woman who viewed the world with a sharp mind and an open heart for the most
Android (24:27)
you think about it, mean, being an interracial couple, they got married in 1960. So, I mean, that's
Neo (24:32)
my
Android (24:32)
were so
advanced,
Neo (24:33)
They were ahead
right. So now they're on the road home. They're heading home from this trip. They took to Niagara falls. Um, they're driving there. They had a nice 1957, uh, Chevy Belair. I love those
they were driving South long route three. If you're familiar with, uh, that, that area.
The road was winding through this dense isolated woods of the White Mountains,
It was late. It was around 10.30 PM. So they've been driving for a while, I guess a long day. But the night was clear. It was a very clear night. The moon was full and bright and the stars scattered across the sky. They said like diamonds.
as they're driving Betty.
sees this strange light in the sky. It's a bright light. It's just over the treetops and it's moving strangely. It's like erratic and impossible. And at first she thought it was a falling star, but it didn't behave like
it zigzagged, stopping suddenly, then moving in a way that no normal aircraft
Now
He's the skeptic, right? He's the ever, ever the skeptic. He dismisses it
It's just a satellite. He said this was in his
and he kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road. He's just driving. But
curiosity taking over, she wasn't convinced that this was just a
the light was getting
It wasn't high in the atmosphere like a star or or planet. It was moving and it was closing in on them as they're
Barney's getting uneasy. Now he's getting uneasy. So he pulls over, he pulls over to the side of the road and Betty grabs they have binoculars because Barney liked to he liked to look at airplanes and stuff like
It was like a hobby.
she has binoculars in the glove compartment and she leans out the window. She's looking and she's peering into the darkness and what she saw made her
in her
wasn't just a
It was clearly an
And now this object she states was watching
as they continue driving through the Franconia notch in that area,
The object starts to descend lower and it's following them now.
And Barney, deeply unsettled, he pulls off the road once more. He steps out of the car for a better
no one around for miles
and they gets out.
and sees this thing sitting
Barney's looking through the binoculars, he sees it clearly. It was a craft. It was huge. It was pancake shaped. was
multicolored lights. They were pulsing along its edges
and it hovered just above the treetops, completely silent. And it moved with this eerie
And then he sees inside the ship
sees through a row of windows several figures stood watching him.
That's creepy, man. That's freaking
So...
There's nothing in the report says they waived.
gonna wave to an alien. You and I will wave to
I would do more like, I'd probably do like the, know, cross the arms down by the crotch and just like, you know, up like this. I think that's probably, they probably appreciate that more. Like I'd be like, mm. Yeah, like alien.
Mm-hmm. Well, like he's friendly. Yeah. All right. So here we are So through the rove windows, there are several full figures according to Barney There's there's Stan. They're standing in the ship hovering watching him now. He's outside the
and Barney estimated there were between eight and eleven humanoid beings Dressed in dark uniforms staring at him with an intensity that made his stomach drop
And then suddenly one of them
And a figure inside the craft, he shifted toward what Barney later described as a control
and almost instantly something changed in the air around them. So he, he, he, sees this as a, whatever that alien did, caused a change in the air around him. All right. That's right. So now a wave of paralyzing terror gripped him. Now he's afraid.
based on what he saw and what he was feeling that he's now, there's this terror gripped him.
poor Betty, she's still in the car. She's probably losing her shit.
so a wave of paralyzing terror grips Barney, and a voice, not his own, fills his mind with a single undeniable command. And it said...
stay where you are,
Barney resisted instead, he ripped the binoculars from his face and he ran like a bat out of hell back to his car and shouted at Betty, his voice shaking. And he says, they're going to capture us.
And he slams his foot on the gas pedal speeding down the
apparently they didn't get very far.
because there's a series of loud rhythmic buzzing noises then fills the car and then everything went black.
I'm assuming based on this report, this is what is going on. Right? So the next thing they knew they're 35 miles down the road. they, you know, this happens. then next thing they know the 35 miles down the road, car was still moving, but neither of them remembered how they got 35 miles down the
disoriented, they were disoriented. They're in shock. They finally arrived home and Portsmouth at dawn.
So this was at 1030 at night this happened. And then by dawn their home at Portsmouth. I don't know the amount, how far that is for them to drive from there, but I
they felt like something was completely wrong. So, you know, from that event. So both of their watches, by the way, had stopped
Neither would ever run again.
dress was torn at the hem and covered in a pinkish powder.
and Barney's shoes were scuffed as if he had been dragged
and a mysterious circular mark was found on the trunk of their car and worst of all they couldn't account for two hours of their
hours, but their memories didn't come back for 35 miles. Yeah.
alien
Alright.
right. In the days following the encounter, Betty began experiencing these vivid recurring nightmares. She dreamed of being led into a strange metallic room by small humanoid figures with gray skin, large heads and enormous black eyes. Sounds
the grays.
In her dreams, they examined
They took samples of her skin and hair and showed her a mysterious star
a series of points connected by lines indicating where they came from. This is what she's dreaming.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So the couple's unease only grew leading them to report the incident to Peace Air Force Base
and their case was noted in Project Blue
the government they just dismissed it as a misidentified celestial
So desperate for answers, the Hills, they sought help from this guy Dr. Benjamin Simon. He's a psychiatrist and neurologist specializing in
Hypnosis
and under.
They didn't really acknowledge
they just
I don't
Dr. Benjamin Simon, they go to see him. He's, as I said, a psychiatrist neurologist, he specializes in this hypnosis
and under this hypnotic
is what
Betty and Barney recalled and it was disturbing details of their
remembered being forced onto an examination
strange instrument was inserted into his genitals.
And the beings spoke to him telepathically analyzing his
mean, I can tell you what his emotions were if you're sticking something in my balls.
let me do it to you alien
you don't have to analyze nothing you're gonna hear
this man is truly
Keep holding on to his balls.
on the other hand, was she was subjected to medical tests including a long needle being inserted into her
Even that's horrible. my god, that's horrible.
but I can take I think I can take the stomach. I don't know. I don't just the thought of something going into my belly button. I don't know why that's weird, but maybe it's the same same feeling but just the thought of it. It's not as bad as getting my nuts injected with something but you know.
my god, they are evil aliens. Those are evil
Okay. So Betty asked one of the beings as she was now so this is so she was subjected to medical deaths. She's including including that needle into her navel. And then she asked one of the beings where they came from. Remember, this is under hypnosis.
So this is as she were there remembering this stuff under hypnosis and she asks one of the beings where they came from and they showed her that's when they showed her this star
years later
astronomer Marjorie fish, she analyzed the map because Betty had drawn it
and claimed it closely resembled.
the Zeta reticulis star system, which is located 39 light years from Earth. And that is not something that you could Google back then. You couldn't find that unless you were really an astronomer who
the galaxy. there's
let's talk about some of the theories behind this.
So the Hills case, they became the first widely publicized alien abduction story in the United
were some books and documentaries and TV specials that followed. Hollywood adapted their story into the 1975 film, the UFO incident and that James Earl Jones in there as Barney. You love him.
some believe the couple did fabricate this abduction after Betty's
and others suggested Barney's stress as a black man in an interracial marriage contributed to hallucinations about this story. not buying that. The U S air force dismissed the case. They claimed the Hills likely saw a bright celestial body like Jupiter. I don't know how you mistake mistaken that. I don't know.
Yeah, it's it's pretty, pretty
Despite all of the scrutiny, though, Betty and Barney never backed down from their story.
Barney died at the age of 46 of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1969. Yeah. And Betty lived till 2004. And she continued to tell her
the day she died.
didn't initially seek any money from this, you know, I like to
to tell that side because that contributes to our decision on this story. didn't initially seek to make money from their alleged abduction, but their story eventually became widely publicized. So it led to some financial gain, but nothing
retire on.
so here's how the report kind of got out to, they weren't really going to tell
was a few days after their encounter and it was on September 21st, 1961, Betty calls peace air force base. Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and to report the strange light they had seen in the sky. And at this point, she didn't mention any abduction. Only that they had seen a large silent craft behaving erratically while driving through the white mountains. And the report was taken by a major Paul Henderson.
He's an officer involved in project blue
is the U S air force official UFO investigation program project blue book. If you're not familiar with that, Henderson's report concluded that the Hills had likely misidentified Jupiter and dismissed the sighting as an astronomical, phenomenon.
despite any claims that they made that the object had moved, descended, and even interacted with
But there was no mention of missing time or alien contact was included in this report either. kind of, that's lame report taking and actually really, you know, taking that in. I wonder, and I hate to bring this into it. I wonder if that was racially motivated, you know?
Yeah, you know, let's just, you know, we'll take your report and get out of here. You know? Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I think I think I think you might be
just hate to bring that into this show. Oh, God, hate
Anyway.
This is how the story got leaked to the press. including this because I think it's important, you know, because I think there's one thing to have a claim that saw UFO, and then it's another to go out and try to make money the Hills
probably would have remained private. if it weren't for this guy by the name of John Luttrell, he was a journalist from the Boston based newspaper.
Boston traveler, is in 1965. somehow obtained a confidential recording of a UFO lecture that was given by captain sweat, who was a former air force intelligence officer. And during this lecture, sweat discussed the Hills experience in detail, though they had never consented to have their story made public. published a five day expose in the Boston traveler.
which broke the story wide open. And then suddenly the Hills were thrust into this spotlight Latrell's articles were published. Now the project blue book took a renewed interest in this case all of a sudden, right?
head of the Project Blue Book, reviewed the
conclusion, based on his re-reviewing this, remained
dismissed the case as a misidentified celestial object.
the whole order of how it all got released, Betty initially reported the UFO sighting at Peace Air Force Base. No mention of the abduction. The Hills privately sought help through Dr. Benjamin Simon's hypnosis sessions in 64. then, yep.
journalist, uh, John Lattrell leaks the story. He made it public without their consent. then project blue book reviewed the case. dismiss it. John G. Fuller writes a book in 1966 and then the 1975, the film is brought to worldwide attention.
well, that's our story,
what I have on the story based on the facts of the report. And now I'm going to hand it off to Andrew. And Andrew, I want you to let me know if this is a mostly true alien story or not. And listeners, I want you to make your comments, whether you think.
It is a true story or not as well.
All prior to this. So, okay, I'll see where you're going with
Or do you know if
you know if they were in an interracial couple in interracial relationships prior to meeting each other?
He lost his shit.
Yeah, let me
one quick quick comment. Let me put it in perspective. He was getting his nuts grabbed and needles stuck in it. Okay, she was just getting her belly button done. All
Just saying, okay, go on.
Hey,
heard the alien nut grabs coming back. It's making a
What is it?
Wait, and you stop? That means stop?
Wait, that safe word's supposed to make you stop.
You're new locks on the door. You're not getting in here
with your alien nut grab. All right, go
Yeah.
Yeah.
not that I'd like to give you more ammo,
He could be very stressed out because he's
he's doing it for her.
So he might have had some horrible stuff happening to him as a child.
you're
years later.
It was gone.
We don't know that. We don't know what the powder
can't just
I see where you're headed. Go ahead. Go ahead. I see where you're heading.
yeah.
She could say whatever she
She could say whatever she wants.
Mm-hmm. Okay.
all of this new information or the stuff that you filled in the gaps
to say mostly true alien story or
Andrew says this is not a mostly true alien story.
listeners, I want you to weigh in, please leave your thoughts in the
it is my turn to weigh in on whether I think the Betty and Barney Hill alien abduction incident is a mostly true alien story or not.
fact that they were interracial couple a lot of bearing on this story, whether it is true or not, it was a very brave of them at the time to be an interracial couple to start with at 1961. good for them for being pioneers and being brave and going through with it.
what that also tells me is that why, when you're in that situation, would you bring up or make up an alien abduction story bring more eyeballs on your situation when it was a very hostile time to be an interracial couple. that for me is one of the grounding forces to make me lean towards whether this is true or not and leaning more towards the truth.
star map, don't know if they're gonna get into the Zeta Reticuli kind of stuff being in a stargazing club. I don't know that that's gonna be a thing. And even if you are, drawing that up is going to be something that I think would be difficult to find at the time and difficult to actually,
come up with. I'm not buying into that. I do believe that Barney was under a lot of stress
didn't want to go out and be in the public, not because he was lying, but because of them being an interracial couple. The fact that they never told anybody that it came out accidentally.
government should not have ignored this story. did they just dismiss it? They also said they were credible and they weren't hoaxers. So
For me, I don't see the purpose of them making the story up based on their situation. And, and I think Barney was suffering silently just wanted to live a quiet life. Betty, yes, maybe she's outgoing. Maybe she's more boisterous. She wanted to be a part of things. don't know that, that, that
enough credibility to making this untrue.
So that's why I feel like this is a mostly true alien
you have it. It's the Betty and Barney Hill abduction. You say it is not mostly true alien story. And I do believe there is truth behind it. It is an iconic story. One of the first alien abduction stories we've ever heard.
It had all the hallmarks of a real alien abduction, it also had some of the biggest red flags for you. So listeners, If you think it's a mostly true alien story or not, we'd like to hear what you guys have to say. And that's it for this episode of Mostly True Alien Stories. Make sure you follow, subscribe, tune in next week And until then...
Keep watching those skies, people, and maybe don't take shortcuts through the White Mountains.