My name's Nick Pope and I used to run the British Government's UFO project, Ask Me Anything

Hey Nick old bean hows it hanging. Long time no see.

Whats the funniest sighting or experience you came across in the mod files.

reply to post by NickPope



Nick - Any comments or opinions about the former Project Twinkle...about whether a certain percentage of fireball sightings were alien star craft under intelligent control, or just natural phenomena?

Thanks,

Erno

Hi Nick,

Here's another case from our own MoD Files It is officially documented at filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk.

File no : DEFE 24/1976. It's fairly recent and it appears there was trace evidence confirmed by the police.

According to this the report.

The man - 'a sensible sort of lad and genuine', according to police - was making his way home after a night out in Widnes, Cheshire, at 2.30am on July 15, 1996. A bright yellow light followed the witness, who was crossing a footbridge from Avondale Drive into Upton. He reported the light as 'two houses high', and it followed him as he tried to walk away.

He also informed the police that as it followed him he could hear a high-pitched noise 'like cats wailing', and then the craft appeared to blast laser beams down to the ground. When he returned home, he told his father what happened and he returned to the spot with him. They found four railway sleepers smouldering and one with a 4in hole burnt through it.

The official file records that a police officer was sent to the scene and he reported there was no sign of an accelerant being used. The officers report states:

'One of the sleepers is still smouldering. It does look rather odd.'

The chief inspector of Cheshire Police was informed and the Aeronautical Information Service - (an authority whose job is to maintain the safety and security of the skies for civilian and military aircraft in UK airspace).

The rest of the investigation was not revealed in the document.

Any comment on why?

reply to post by RobertDeniro


The people in this field who I most closely identify with are those who have looked at the issue from inside government, e.g. Ruppelt and Hynek. Of those still with us, I guess it would be John Alexander. He, like me, has an insider's perspective on this and, like me, is criticized by debunkers and true believers alike. The former, because we know there's more to the phenomenon than the narrow-minded "it couldn't be, so it isn't" mindset; the latter, because we critically filter out 99% of the wild claims and conspiracy theories, slaughtering herds of ufological sacred cows along the way.

reply to post by alldaylong


I seem to recall that Timothy Good had a sighting of a craft that he believes might have been the same one seen in Rendlesham Forest. His sighting was in Orpington, Kent, earlier in December 1980.

Originally posted by AnonLover
reply to post by AfterInfinity

 

And notice... no stars for pointing that out... ATS is becoming a real joke. I suggest all truth seekers to abandon ship!

Just because he is not giving answers that support your preconceived notions of what constitutes "The Truth" does not mean he isn't providing answers that he feels are truthful (or for that matter, providing answers that really ARE the truth, but still go against your preconceived notions).

Why bother with questions if you already know what answers you want to hear or what answers you will accept?

reply to post by mekhanics


Arizona is fine, thanks. I haven't heard from Robbie Williams for a while!

reply to post by NickPope


It's interesting that you say that, because one of the biggest concerns in my mind, regarding ufology, is the emotional strain. There's opportunities galore to believe what you want to believe, but comparatively rare occasions to say, "This is definitely what happened, this is what we have identified," and have that chase pay off. You spend the whole time believing in something only for it to fall through every time, and you begin to wonder whether it's worthwhile. You get close enough to taste it, but never close enough to take away anything more than questions and wonder.

I can imagine that being emotionally exhausting for any serious ufologist. Furthermore, I could imagine the desire to escape that endless rut giving rise to temptations where a little more speculation than is warranted might pepper a report in order to make it seem more promising. All the more reason to respect the successful ufologists who have graced us with their experiences. It's no easy task getting to where you are.

reply to post by NickPope
Nick, one more question, in your opinion, are the Varginha and Colarescases truly astonishing?

reply to post by NickPope


Thank you for you reply Nick.
What myself and 3 others witnessed the night of 24th December 1980 makes us certain it was the same craft that appeared the following 2 nights at Rendlesham. It's good to here that others could have sighted it also.
I know the Cosford incident is your most convincing case, but how does Rendlesham compare?

reply to post by TheCrimsonGhost


My current projects include putting the finishing touches to "Encounter in Rendlesham Forest", the book that John Burroughs, Jim Penniston and I have written; helping with the launch of the video game "The Bureau: XCOM Declassified"; and numerous TV projects on a wide range of subjects, including UFOs, but also some shows about existential threats such as global pandemics.

reply to post by Joneselius


Thank you for sharing your account of the 1993 sighting. Some aspects (the beam of light, the sudden acceleration) are familiar from the MoD case file on the Cosford incident, while others (the change of colour and the 'spinning on its own axis' movement) are not. A wide range of things were reported that night, over a period of about 6 hours, and while perceptions vary, it's clear that several different things were going on.

reply to post by betadaze


These animal mutilations in 2010 took place 4 years after I'd left MoD and 16 years after my time on the UFO project, so I don't have any particular insights. I did look into the animal mutilation issue while on the UFO project, but it was difficult, because insurance companies tended only to pay out in the event of dog attacks. So farmers and local vets got together and ensured that pretty much any animal death - however bizarre - was attributed to an attack by a dog! An interesting example of the sort of practical, unanticipated factor that can even thwart the MoD.

reply to post by NickPope


Thanks Nick! Level headed approach to the unidentified and mystery. If you happen to catch this question; since you worked for the government, what's the governments position regarding crop circles? Without a doubt this had to of raised some eyebrows, especially when farmers are losing out on crops...

Hello Nick Pope,was there ever any South African connection,or do you have any knowledge of ufo activity in SA relating in any way to British/UK involvement,that you were aware of?
Thank you
Raxoxane

reply to post by NickPope


Hi, Mr Pope.

Nice to see you here at ATS.
You are one of the few who actually knows anything about the UFO subject.

So.. what's your take on The Rendlesham Forest Incident?
And Die Glocke / The Bell ?

Hello again:

I realize you are very busy, but I was hoping if you could take the time to please answer these questions. Here and here.

Thank you very much.

reply to post by NickPope


Thank you so much for your answer! Much appreciated to hear the insight of the casual conversations and musing between the pros. That made me think of ten more questions but my turn has passed. Thanks again for your time.

reply to post by Mclaneinc


I think my role at the MoD has been over-inflated by some and downplayed by others, to suit their own respective worldviews about UFOs. Some true believers have described me as a former "Minister of Defense", as if having a 'big gun' on their side (as they see it) will bolster their case. Some debunkers have dishonestly sought to portray my MoD work on this subject as clerical/administrative, when it was policy-making and investigative.

Finally, anyone who thinks that I (or anyone else) "make a nice living out of the UFO circuit" doesn't know the UFO circuit.

You say had a stash of pics/vids etc.
Why aren't any real pictures/video/gun camera footage included in the declassified files from the MOD?