Poltergeists and Politics
The murky world of black projects and those who work on them
© Brian Allan 2005
Word Count: 3,467
Introduction
Many varieties of technology have been introduced in the name of defence and national security both in the UK and particularly in the USA. Some of them have been positive but, however, some were very, very, negative. Many have been relatively straightforward and obvious taking the form of military hardware of various kinds; encompassing everything from stealth aircraft to battle tanks, night vision viewers to instant meals for frontline soldiers. Others have employed revolutionary communications and global positioning techniques, while yet others have used dubious and insidious techniques to infiltrate the very recesses of the human brain.
There is however one other tool in the military arsenal and that is the use of techniques and devices that are primarily designed, not to kill, but to discourage, dishearten and disorientate, they are called non-lethal weapons. One of the men integral to promoting and developing this technology is the enigmatic Col John Alexander, the champion of non-lethal technology and other bizarre methods of warfare. Some of the possibilities and options examined by Col. Alexander and his colleagues like Ed Mitchell, Bruce Maccabee and Hal Putoff (seen above on the left beside John Alexander), have pushed at the very limits of credibility and in this article we shall examine how and why. It is interesting to note that Hal Putoff, along with another occasional member of the Alexander inner circle, Russell Targ, has been heavily involved in a series of experiments in remote viewing as part of the CIA sponsored Stargate Project, initially at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and finally at Ft George G. Meade in Maryland USA.
Poltergeists and Politics
In certain circumstances it can be highly desirable to develop devices and methods of both offence and defence that do not kill ones enemy, but instead either immobilise them or convince them that to offer continued resistance is not an option. There are many ways of doing this that cover a range of possibilities and one of the main proponents is Col. John B. Alexander (US Army retired). Alexander joined the US army in 1956 as a private soldier, but through a mixture of natural ability and aptitude he eventually achieved the rank of Colonel, retiring from active service in 1988.
Born in New York in 1937, Alexander obtained a string of qualifications during his army career including an honours degree in sociology from the University of Nebraska, an MA in education at Pepperdine University, a PhD in education at Walden University, his PhD was awarded for a thesis entitled, 'To determine whether or not significant changes in spirituality occur in persons who attended a life/death transition workshop during the period June through February 1979'. He continued in postgraduate work at UCLA, MIT, and Harvard during his highly successful army service. While in the US Army, Alexander served as Commander, Special Forces Teams, US Army Thailand and Vietnam, (1966-69), Chief of human technology Army Intelligence Command, US Army (1983-85) Director, advanced concepts US Army lab (1985-88), Manger, non-lethal weapons defence technology, and after retiring, at Los Alamos National Labs (LNAL) 1988-91 (Ret).
These then are some of the academic qualifications achieved by Col Alexander, however, it requires rather more than scholastic ability to achieve the level of interest in the type of subjects that came to fascinate him. From the available information it appears as if Alexander's obvious fascination with the esoteric nature of the human condition existed before his military service.
However, during his time as a Special Forces commander during the Vietnam War, he developed an interest in the meditation and altered awareness techniques practiced by Buddhist monks, and based on what he observed he later became deeply involved in the technical exploration and exploitation of 'advanced human performance'. While it is not particularly clear just what the description actually means, it is probable that it does not refer solely to physical prowess. It is likely that assuming he did actually witness some of the feats supposedly achieved using mediation; he saw their possible military application, particularly in security and intelligence. There is another less obvious advantage in this line of research and it is entirely political since fewer combat deaths are much less damaging to the image of a victorious army when fighting for the heart and minds of the defeated. Alexander's original interest has progressed into a wide range of unconventional warfare technologies, most under the ambiguous heading of 'non-lethal', including the following;
Chemical substances: These range from CS and tear gas to narcotic and hallucinogenic substances readily absorbed through the skin.
Sticky Foam: Quick setting compounds that serve to entangle and immobilize a target
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Weapons: These are specifically designed to exploit the inherent vulnerability of unshielded electronic circuits to eternal electromagnetic radiation. In effect they 'fry' the non-shielded components. This is particularly effective in disrupting vehicle engines and computers etc. This phenomenon first caused concern when it was realised shortly after the detonation of early nuclear devices that each detonation released a massive EMP capable of destroying a range of electrical battlefield hardware. It today's modern theatres of war this would prove disastrous to unshielded, computer controlled and guided devices and particularly to vital communications systems.
Lasers: Used to temporarily disorientate a crowd by effectively blinding them, or using the coherence of laser light to visually incapacitate individuals.
Microwave and Electromagnetic Weapons: Designed to disrupt the functions of both electronic and biological devices, in this case the human brain. However in some stances variant on this technology are also begin designed to enhance human brain function.
Infrasound: Generating low-frequency sound waves causing feelings of nausea, disorientation and dizziness etc (including internal organ damage at high amplitudes) in selected targets
Typical of other phenomena evaluated by John Alexander is the so-called 'Hutchison Effect' discovered by the eccentric, Vancouver based Canadian electromagnetics researcher, John Hutchison (pictured left). It is arguable that this is an adjunct to either the work carried out by Alexander on advancing human potential, or, another part of the research into the use of electromagnetic weapons. In a recent, (Nov 2004), email correspondence between this author and Col. Alexander, he called Hutchison's discoveries a 'macro-PK' (psycho-kinesis) effect. This curious effect, whether caused by macro-kinesis or not, is alleged to produce the spontaneous levitation of objects, ferrous, non-ferrous and indeed entirely non-metallic.
It has also caused dissimilar material to fuse seamlessly into one another, like a blade or straw and a metal bar. It has also caused heavy cylindrical and square section bars of metal to flake and eventually fracture in a twisting motion with no visible or obvious means of torque applied. In addition, it has created spontaneous fires to occur some distance from the equipment creating the effect, in some cases in other apartments located in Hutchison's block of flats. The gravity defying Hutchison Effect itself is apparently caused by inter-modulated, electromagnetic (EM) fields created by a variety of electrical equipment in Hutchison's laboratory. It is notable that none of this equipment is run at high voltage or currents, and is supplied through standard household power supplies, (110V a/c @ 60Hz North American standard).
The items of apparatus in his lab, which incidentally is also his apartment home, consist of a wide range of odds and ends, much of which appears to consist of second hand, ex-military hardware, comprising radar antennae, microwave masts, Tesla coils and electrical transformers etc, etc. On their own these items should not be capable of creating an EM field of sufficient strength to lift objects of any kind, but when Hutchison is present this is just what happens. This is apparently because Hutchison suffers from a recognised condition called electrical hypersensitivity, which causes his body to retransmit the electrical fields in a coherent manner, and it is this odd effect that creates the bizarre effects in his lab. During the early nineteen seventies, when the Hutchison Effect was being evaluated by the US Army and the Canadian Government, it was John Alexander who 'helped' Hutchison through the jungle of red tape. At this time Hutchison was also assisted in his experiments by electrical specialist George Hathaway, who as it later materialised was being paid by the US Intelligence dept; at that time Hutchison had no idea this was the case. It was only when I began investigating some of Hutchison's claims that this became apparent following a series of letters to both the US Army Intelligence dept at Ft Meade in Maryland and the LANL in Albuquerque m, New Mexico.
Testing the Water
Although what Hutchison claims to have discovered may be of use militarily somewhere in the future, some of the current technology evaluated by John Alexander and his colleagues utilises ongoing research into the use of electromagnetic fields, an area of study that is far from new. It is well known that the effects of certain electromagnetic frequencies can and do affect human physiology and psychology in both the long and short term. In the past 60 years it has been proven that electromagnetic radiation; (EMR) has been deliberately and covertly used in an aggressive form during long-term covert experiments using unsuspecting human beings. This first came to light during the 1950's when the US embassy in Moscow was subjected to sustained microwave (mW) bombardment.
Although the US government was aware of the situation, they chose not to inform the occupants until the embassy received a security upgrade during the 1970's. This appalling abuse of trust was justified by the US authorities on the basis that it was an exercise designed to ascertain the effects of long-term exposure to microwave radiation. It is worrying that Col. Alexander is by association part of this cynical attitude, though it has to be said that anyone involved in covert intelligence and defence projects regularly faces this moral dilemma. During the upgrade, the interior of the building was literally stripped back to the shell, and after the 'bugs' had been disposed of, special shielding was installed to protect the occupants from the still ongoing microwave assault. So far, the shielding has been a partial success and has considerably reduced the levels of EM radiation to 2mW/cm2, within the building. The irradiation has continued on and off ever since, and in March 1998 a fresh mW beam appeared, this time in the 9-11GHz range. It has been acknowledged by the US authorities that this signal appears for two or three hours per day, they do not however speculate on the reasons for it, neither is it clear whether this situation is still extant. Like all countries, either aspirant or present world powers, the United States has carried out covert research on the use of non-ionising EM battlefield weapons. While both ionising and non-ionising radiation are both facets of the electromagnetic spectrum, their effects are quite different, rather like visible light which is regarded as 'safe', and invisible light (infra red and ultra violet) which is potentially damaging. So it is with ionising (or nuclear) radiation, the effects of nuclear radiation, which are already well documented, are known to be indiscriminate and highly toxic, it is important to make this distinction.
The use of non-ionising weapons gives the best of both worlds, the enemy is, (depending on the circumstances), at best immobilised, or at worst destroyed and there is no contamination, no long-term quarantine and no danger to the invading forces. The US government under the auspices of 'Project Pandora' researched one of the possible effects of EM radiation. With a remarkable talent for euphemism, this classified project was described as 'a study to determine the behavioural effects of MW signals on 'primates'. In this instance the use of the term 'primates' could be safely construed as meaning human beings. The results of this study were inconclusive and no final complete report was prepared although part of the accumulated information was destroyed in 1973 around two years after the project was officially abandoned. The destroyed sections were presumably the information that was not inconclusive and showed just how potentially damaging prolonged exposure to MW radiation really is, especially to the physiological and psychological well-being of human beings.
Nothing demonstrates this cavalier disregard for human life and well being better than a scheme devised by the former Soviet Union during the death throes of the cold war in the mid 1970's. There was a sneaking suspicion within the Pentagon that the Russians were well ahead of the US in the aggressive use of non-ionising weapons technology. This suspicion appeared to be well founded when, in 1976, an unusual signal was detected, emanating from the USSR, somewhere near Kiev in the Ukraine, only 20 miles from Chernobyl. The signal was in the form of immensely powerful microwave transmissions, (estimated at 14 megawatts), pulsed at 10 Hz. per second, which led to its nickname of 'Woodpecker'.
The signals were directed at the UK, North America, Northern Europe and the Middle East, significantly there was no leakage into the Russia, which, given the present condition of the Chernobyl reactor, still has enough radiation problems of its own. In more recent times it is now virtually certain that the peace protestors at Greenham Common American Air Force Base objecting to the storage of cruise missiles were bombarded on a regular and systematic manner with high-powered microwave beams. The use of this technology caused a range of symptoms in the women protestors ranging from burns, temporary paralysis and very severe headaches to drowsiness and menstrual problems. What is even more sinister are the claims that some of the women regularly heard voices right inside their heads, and it is this aspect that we shall look at next. Bear in mind that Col Alexander sees nothing wrong with the use of this technology.
The Outer Limits
There is however one area encompassed by the euphemism 'non-lethal technology' that has continually bedevilled serious research in to the dark recesses of the vast military arsenal. It is also an area that raises the same raised-eyebrow response encountered by UFO researchers; it is the feasibility of mind control. This is a subject that has been seized upon by conspiracy theorists the world over and as with UFO research it has been the treated by the general public in much the same sceptical manner. The subject seems at first glance to be so preposterous that no sane person could possibly believe that such technology is possible let alone in existence, and because of this it becomes easy for the well-oiled disinformation machine deployed by both government and the military to discredit. However, there are actually good reasons why mind reading by sophisticated electronic equipment might work. If one considers that the human brain is an electrochemical device and generates its own, admittedly weak, electrical field, then it seems logical that a remote device can receive this transmission. The technology is known as 'Remote EEG capture technology'. It is the fact that the electrical field exists that permits the use of EEG's (electro-encephalographs) to diagnose defects in brain function. This of course is not the same quite the same thing as a remote receiver since the EEG gets its signals from electrodes located directly on the skull of the patient, but it illustrates the concept.
There are a variety of technologies under development including a device defined as an 'Acoustic heterodyne device and method' (see sources). This technology produces sounds literally out of thin air by projecting two ultrasonic beams that generate audible signals only where the two beams intersect. The next stage from this is the use of separate microwave signals directed directly into the cranium of the intended target (or operative) to communicate with them with no one else being aware of what is being said. It has been suggested that a variant of this device was used during the Balkan conflict to induce panic in front line troops by transmitting voices directly into their brains; the results of this are unknown. Extrapolating from this it is reasonable to suggest that every action a person takes, irrespective of what it is, exists as a distinct and unique set of electrical currents as various parts of the brain play their part in the process of thinking and it is possible that these can be read and interpreted remotely. It may even be possible that individuals generate their own unique brainwaves that can be read like fingerprints and allow an individual to be tracked by security forces.
What is potentially worrying is the logical assumption that if the frequencies can be read as they are generated, then perhaps they can also be retransmitted to the brain, effectively overriding its own signals and producing involuntary actions by the person receiving the external input. The technology is allegedly so discriminating that words can be differentiated in length and visual nouns separated from action verbs. Brain wave patterns can distinguish proper names from common nouns and animal names from numerals, (see sources). In fact every nuance of human thought and reasoning can be distinguished by it's individual set of neural impulses, and because of this research continues to find better ways of imitating these signals and frequencies in order to superimpose them on the brain of human targets. At least one variant on this technology is available commercially for the domestic market from the Monroe Institute under the name of 'Binaural Beats'. This system has a slight resonance with the twin beam ultrasound in that it also uses two separate frequencies, one channelled to each ear via headphones. The brain then detects the slight difference in frequency and depending on the specific frequency, can alter is state of awareness. There is a selection of specific brain wave frequencies available; each designed to induce particular altered states of consciousness in the listener.
The Flock
As one might expect, former intelligence agents like John Alexander never really retire from their former positions, as their employers are well aware. It is alleged that Alexander and several of his associated are part of a US Government inspired organisation called 'The Aviary' that exists to spread disinformation and confusion on a range of subjects, UFO's and mind control in particular. In the case of The Aviary, all its members have been given the names of birds, in Alexander's case it is 'Penguin'. Other members of this organisation include, among others, Ron Pandolphi, a physics PhD attached to the science and technology section of the CIA, the Department of Defence's Dr. Jack Verona, SRI's Hal Puthoff, ex CIA operative Dr. Christopher Green, and of course Alexander himself. The Aviary has been instrumental in systematically undermining information unearthed in the ongoing quest to discover the reality or otherwise behind the UFO phenomenon. This policy of disinformation and harassment directly lead to the mental breakdown and subsequent hospitalisation of UFO researcher Paul Bennewitz. Bennewitz had accumulated some excellent film footage of activity in the skies above the weapons storage facility of Kirkland Air Base which, for obvious reasons was deemed inappropriate. Whether or not the films taken actually showed UFO's is of course another matter entirely, but even if they did not, they may well have captured images of black project aircraft, which is effectively the same thing.
The fields of defence and intelligence are continually seeking new and effective weapons to ensure the well being and security of the home country and will, quite rightly, use anything and everything in their efforts to do so. Where this becomes a highly contentious issue is whether the deliberate use of civilians as part of the development process is ever justifiable. It is also entirely likely that eventually, even the most delicate consciences will become either brutalised or rationalised into submission…it goes with the territory.
NOTE: In December 1980, Alexander published an article in Military Review entitled 'The New Mental Battlefield', in the article he alleged that telepathy and other techniques could be used to interfere with the brain patterns and thoughts of an enemy. In 1990 John Alexander co-authored a book with Major Richard Groller and Janet Morris, entitled 'The Warriors Edge', which dealt with the use of unconventional methods to allow human beings to attain 'human excellence and optimum performance', there by creating in effect a 'super soldier'. This includes the stated aim of 'the power to manipulate reality'. Whether these stated aims can actually be achieved is anyone's guess, but if they can be, it is a certainty that they will.
Sources:
 | 'Electromagnetic Man': by Cyril Smith and Simon Best, pub. St Martins Press 1989 |
| 'Remote Behavioural Influence Technology Evidence': by John J. McMurtey, (MS) |
| 'The Men who Stare at Goats': by Jon Ronson pub 2004, |
| 'Psychic Warrior': by David Morehouse, pub 2000, Clairview, London |