December 30, 1998: Death Threats, EQ Pegasi Hoax, Weather Control - Richard C. Hoagland vs. Robert A.M. Stephens
Dec 30, 1998
2h 42m
0:00 / 0:00
Art Bell hosts a heated three-way confrontation between Richard C. Hoagland and Paul Dore of Great Britain over the EQ Pegasi signal hoax that shook the astronomy and UFO communities in late 1998. The controversy began when a BBC report announced that a part-time astronomer had detected signals from the EQ Pegasi star system 22 light years away. Both men had publicly accused each other of perpetrating the hoax, but during the broadcast they each concede the other may not be responsible.
Paul Dore admits to forging one email header in an attempt to flush out the real hoaxer, while Hoagland maintains the incident was an elaborate wake-up call orchestrated by intelligence agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. Art brokers a fragile truce, persuading both men to exchange information through intermediaries to identify the true perpetrator. The discussion reveals that Dore's online gaming handle was appropriated by the hoaxer, and Hoagland's initials were planted on the original website.
The program shifts to a chilling letter from a heavily credentialed intelligence insider who warns that pursuing weather control research could be fatal. Art reads portions of the letter describing rogue government groups and a countdown already underway. The broadcast also addresses the exposure of Robert A.M. Stephens, a self-described NASA contractor whose claims about his credentials and military background were debunked by listeners and researchers following his previous appearance.
Paul Dore admits to forging one email header in an attempt to flush out the real hoaxer, while Hoagland maintains the incident was an elaborate wake-up call orchestrated by intelligence agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. Art brokers a fragile truce, persuading both men to exchange information through intermediaries to identify the true perpetrator. The discussion reveals that Dore's online gaming handle was appropriated by the hoaxer, and Hoagland's initials were planted on the original website.
The program shifts to a chilling letter from a heavily credentialed intelligence insider who warns that pursuing weather control research could be fatal. Art reads portions of the letter describing rogue government groups and a countdown already underway. The broadcast also addresses the exposure of Robert A.M. Stephens, a self-described NASA contractor whose claims about his credentials and military background were debunked by listeners and researchers following his previous appearance.
Key Moments
Doré admits forging a return address to bait the EQ Pegasi hoaxer: Paul Doré tells Bell he still believes Richard Hoagland is 'up to his eyeballs' in the EQ Pegasi hoax and admits he himself made a posting with a forged return address - using the actual hoaxer's email - to try to flush the perpetrator out.
Bell discloses he was the target of a racist forgery campaign: Bell reveals that someone forged messages under his name posting vitriolic content about Filipino, Black, gay, and Mexican communities to cultural newsgroups - material he says he has turned over to the FBI - and uses it to validate that Doré could plausibly also be a hoax victim.