Faded Giant

156 Pages·2005·56.33 MB·English

by  Robert Salas

G I A NT
Copyright © 2005 Robert Salas and James Klotz
All rights reserved.
ISBN 1-4196-0341-8
To order additional copies, please contact us.
BookSurge, LLC
www.booksurge.com
1-866-308-6235
[email protected]
FADED GIANT
Robert Salas and James Klotz
Cover design Christian P. Lambright

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Since the onset of the modern UFO phenomenon, there has been some perceived and
realized stigma to individuals associated with public disclosure of their information.
Anyone who presented themselves, publicly as a witness to some incident associated with
this phenomenon has opened themselves up to being labeled in derogatory ways or, worse,
as untruthful. It seems evident to us that in fact those who are trying to suppress the truth of
this phenomenon encourage such disparagement by simply remaining mute about it, thus
implying that there is no truth to it and validating the nay-sayers. Because of this, the reader
should understand that it takes courage of conviction to come forward with their truth of this
phenomenon. We are honored to be associated with such men and women in the pursuit of
the truth of the events described in this book.
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of: ex-Air Force personnel Dwynne
Ameson, Gary Banzhoff, Eric Carlson, Donald Crawford, Walter Figel, David Gamble,
Kelly Hansel, Bob Jamison, Louis Kenneweg, Frederick Miewald, Robert Mull, Roberto
Morales, James Ortyl, Cy Stanton and citizens William Dutton, Ray Fowler, Robert Gates,
Dale Goudie, Robert Hastings, Glen Hutchins, Robert Kaminski, Pamela R. Kembel, Donna
Lundquist, Candace Mulligan, George Richards, Robert Rigert, Marilyn Salas, John
Stratton, and Judy Tuberg. In addition, we would like to thank the men and women still in
the service of our country who responded to our Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests
for information in a professional manner. Without the open and candid input of all these
individuals and others, there would be no truth to tell of these events.
Thanks go to Dr. Mark Rodeghier, Scientific Director of the J. Allen Hynek Center For
UFO Studies (CUFOS), Chicago, IL and staff and volunteers, for providing files of several
UFO cases from the extensive CUFOS collection. This material was essential to the
author's research.
The authors wish to acknowledge and offer heartfelt thanks to Rosemary Golden for her
indispensable assistance in preparing the manuscript, and to Christian P. Lambright for his
outstanding work designing and producing the book cover.
Undoubtedly there are those who have made contributions to this work and whose names
do not appear in these acknowledgements. The authors intend no slight to these persons and
extend our thanks.
This story could not have been written without the dedication of James Klotz. From the
beginning of our collaboration to the present, Jim has been tireless in his efforts to bring this
story to its current state of completion. Jim did the bulk of the research, worked diligently to
uncover new witnesses and new facts. It was only through his efforts that the documents
were retrieved. His extensive knowledge of all facets of this phenomenon and the people
involved was invaluable to me and in putting this book together. I am in awe of his skill as
an investigator and honored to have collaborated with him.
- Robert Salas
I wish to thank Robert Salas for the opportunity to work on documenting the 1967
Malmstrom AFB missile shutdown incident Robert, like other ex-military UFO witnesses
with whom I have become acquainted, is a serious-minded advocate for openness on this
subject We have become friends over the time we've been acquainted, a decade now. And
he put up with my foibles all that time too! Robert shows the courage of his convictions and
leads an active life - now on his third career. Bob, you have my heartfelt admiration.
- James Klotz
1 The J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS),
2457 W. Peterson, Chicago, IL 60659
http://www.cufos.org/
FOREWORD
RAYMOND E. FOWLER
The authors are to be commended for their courage and persistence in documenting and
publishing highly significant data relating to the effects that Unidentified Flying Objects
have had upon one of this nation's major weapon systems. When asked to write the
foreword to Faded Giant. I immediately accepted. At the time of the events recorded in this
book I was in a unique position that now enables me to verify and complement both the
events and the secrecy surrounding them recorded by the authors. In this foreword I will
provide a view of some of the same events from a different perspective. At the time I was
employed by Sylvania in the Minuteman Program Office. Sylvania was on contract to
develop and build the Ground Electrical System for Command and Control of the
Minuteman II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. Among other equipment, Sylvania was
responsible designing and building the very consoles that would monitor and control the
status of Minuteman II.
My duties during the time frame of the events recorded in Faded Giant were directly
connected to the Strategic Air Command Bases (SAC) where Minuteman II was deployed. I
was the Sylvania in-house member of the Minuteman Production Board and was in daily
contact with the contractors and subcontractors responsible for installation and testing of the
upgraded missile components. During my course of work, I talked with civilian and military
personnel located on these SAC bases who informed me of the UFO sightings described in
this book. What disturbed me were the reported electromagnetic effects from the UFOs that
were affecting strategic electrical equipment essential to the operation of Minuteman
missiles that our country counted upon for defense. Attempted intercepts by Air Force
fighter aircraft had proved futile.
Concurrent to my position at Sylvania, I was also a UFO investigator for the
Washington, DC based National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP).
I was in a fortuitous position to interview and record information about the UFO sightings
on these SAC bases as well as many others during a worldwide wave of sightings in 1966
and 1967.
When the events recorded in this book occurred, it caused a flurry of excitement among
a small group of people employed by Sylvania assigned to investigate what were dubbed
"events" at the Minuteman sites. In addition to conversations with in-house and on-sifc
personnel about the sightings, I was able to interview two former Launch Control Office^
who became involved with Sylvania. One, as mentioned in the book, told me that a UFQ
hovering at 100,000 feet had disrupted the communications system in his Launch Control
Facility. The other told me that when UFOs hovered over the base that his (Echo) Flight o|
ten missiles went to a No-Go status. I tried to check further on one of these incidents with a
highly placed person employed by Boeing who was a friend of the assistant site managei
where the incident had taken place. I was told that the assistant base manager had informed
him that the incident was "a hot potato and highly classified" and not to ask furthet
questions about it. When I approached the Sylvania person responsible for monitoring the
so-called "events," I was told that I should not be looking into classified matters.
Like the authors, I felt that the government was concealing information about UFOs and,
later in 1973, decided to bring these UFO events affecting Minuteman to the attention of the
public. I found an opportunity to go public internationally when I was interviewed by the
Christian Science Monitor about UFOs. The article was published in the December 5,1973
issue.
On Wednesday morning, December 5, 1973, shortly before 11:00 a.m., one puzzled
Minuteman Program Manager burst into my office. He told me that a Captain Rick Fullei
had just phoned the Program Office from the Strategic Air Command headquarters at Offtitt
Air Force Base, Nebraska, inquiring about me and some newspaper article. He warned me
that both my boss and my boss's boss had just been notified. I guessed that it was the
Christian Science Monitor article and wondered what the reporter had written. I became
very concerned. The rest of the day passed quietly so I assumed that all was well. After
work I obtained a copy of the December 5, 1973 issue of the Christian Science Monitor. 1
was shocked to see my interview on the front page captioned by a huge headline! It read:
"UFOs disrupt Minuteman Missiles!"
On Thursday, the following day, I arrived at work with some fear and trepidation
wondering what kind of company action would be leveled against me. I had already been
told not to place anything about UFOs on the bulletin boards as the subject was sensitive to
our Air Force customer. But, as the day wore on, my boss said nothing to me about it and 1
began to breathe a bit easier, that is until a co-worker entered my office. He told me that
while he was in the Industrial Relations office on business he had overheard a conversation
between a colonel and the industrial relations manager. It was about "the Strategic Air
Command, Ray Fowler and a newspaper article!" This was intriguing to say the least as still
no one in authority had contacted me personally. When no one contacted me on Friday and
Monday I again thought that the coast was clear.
The matter all came to a head Tuesday morning. I was called into the department
manager's office. He told me that we both had an appointment with the branch manager.
He told me that the Pentagon was threatening to send an official letter of complaint to
Sylvania because of the article that I had instigated. He demanded an explanation for my
actions. He warned me that any information obtained through contacts relating to my job at
Sylvania would not be tolerated. To make a long story short, I was asked to produce
evidence that such data had already been published before, in some public form.
I refused to admit that I had used my job to obtain the data relating to Minuteman and
UFOs. Instead I contacted astronomer Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who was chief scientific
consultant to the USAF UFO Project Bluebook. I had become friends with him and had
supplied copies of my investigation reports. He had published similar information based
upon an unclassified document he had obtained during his investigation of the UFO events
at Minuteman sites. Dr. Hynek sent me copies of his published material and called the Air
Force's action "deplorable". The newspaper's reporter felt that the Air Force threat was
"preposterous" and asked to be kept informed. In any event, I presented photocopies of the
appropriate material to my boss, who passed them on up the chain of command and nothing
more was said. I sent my company a letter of apology for any inconvenience or
embarrassment that the article caused. In it, I expressed my displeasure at the Air Force for
threatening me through my employer, which act could very well have affected my reputation
and livelihood not to mention my Top Secret security clearance that was required by my
type of work. I pointed out that nowhere in the article did I mention Sylvania or Sylvanians.
Prior to the publication of the article, The Air Force's UFO Public Information Officer at
the Pentagon told the Christian Science Monitor reporter that the Strategic Air Command
which operates the site: "could find nothing in its unit histories to confirm the presence of
unidentified flying objects over it or indeed malfunctions in its equipment on the date
mentioned." The reporter, in turn, challenged their denial and reminded them that Dr.
Hynek, their own scientific consultant, had investigated it personally. Again, he was told
that someone would look into it again and get back to him.
Surprisingly enough, the reporter was contacted and was then told that the incident had
occurred, but that the disruption at the missile site had been caused by a local power failure.
I laughed with disbelief when he told me this. First, the article had not mentioned the power
r
failures that had occurred during UFO flyovers. It had only mentioned radio interference
with the missile's communication system. Secondly, all major weapons systems have
electrical power back-ups in case of power failures just as do hospitals and other important
installations. In the case of Minuteman, an external power cut would immediately have
been picked up by special sensors immediately. These sensors would start electrical
generators at once. In the event of generator failure, special long-life back-up batteries
would still keep Minuteman under power.
Colonel Coleman's face must have turned red when the reporter got back to him with
this information. This time he did not wait for the good Colonel to "get back to him" about
this. He went ahead and published the article which appeared on the headlines of the
Christian Science Monitor in this country and around the world. This whole episode gives
some insight into how the Pentagon deals with sensitive UFO data.
As you read Faded Giant you will see that there are consistent parallels between the
events recorded and my experiences with Minuteman, UFOs and the U.S. government. On
one end of the spectrum you have highly-trained reliable Launch Control Officers and
Security guards reporting the UFO events recorded in this book. On the other end of the
spectrum you have their superiors reporting that UFO reports do not represent a threat to
national security and that the incidents described in this book never happened.
Why does the government cover up sightings of UFOs at Minuteman sites and
elsewhere? Should the public be told the truth about the reality of UFOs? What effect would
such a revelation have upon society? In Faded Giant, the authors examine these questions
head on. They propose answers to them based upon their personal involvement and
background. Examine what they say and ask yourselves how such a revelation from our
government would affect you. Should such information be kept secret? These are just
several questions raised in Faded Giant. The implications posed by unknown objects
intruding our airspace without authorization and affecting our weapon systems are many.
We feel compelled to ask: What are UFOs? Where do they come from? What is their
purpose? What, if anything can our government do to protect us if they prove hostile? I wish
the authors well in their effort to bring documented facts about the reality of UFOs to the
public at large for their interest and perhaps actions to end government secrecy about these
mysterious craft.