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From the High Desert

A Cultural History of Art Bell

Thumbnail for February 1, 1998: UFO Reporting - Peter Davenport

February 1, 1998: UFO Reporting - Peter Davenport

Feb 1, 1998
1h 34m
0:00 / 0:00
Art Bell welcomes Peter Davenport of the National UFO Reporting Center for a special Dreamland edition packed with raw audio recordings and startling revelations. Davenport shares never-before-heard details about the massive March 13, 1997 Phoenix sighting, including unconfirmed reports that a U.S. reconnaissance satellite went offline, that military forces jumped from DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 3, and that President Clinton's knee injury that same night may not have been a simple stumble on carpet.

The program features extraordinary raw 911 dispatch audio from a 1994 Michigan incident in which a National Weather Service radar operator tracked multiple large, fast-moving objects over Lake Michigan in real time. Listeners hear his escalating astonishment as returns appear, split apart, and race toward Chicago at altitudes between 6,000 and 12,000 feet. Additional recordings from Edwards Air Force Base confirm military personnel scrambling interceptors after painting unknown objects on radar.

Davenport also presents recent reports from Maine, Florida, and Seattle, noting a troubling increase in close encounters involving vehicle interference and witness paralysis. He appeals to listeners with inside knowledge of military activities on the night of the Phoenix sighting to come forward with any information that might confirm these extraordinary claims.

Key Moments

  1. Reconnaissance satellite went dark during Phoenix sighting: Davenport reveals an unconfirmed report that a major U.S. reconnaissance satellite went offline the night of the March 13, 1997 Phoenix sightings - possibly a KH-10/11/12 series bird - sourced from someone in the satellite business.

  2. DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 3 jump that night: Davenport reports that on the night of March 13, 1997, U.S. military forces allegedly jumped from DEFCON 5 straight past DEFCON 4 to DEFCON 3 - an elevated readiness state coinciding with the Phoenix sightings.

  3. F-15 scramble and Clinton's knee injury theory: Davenport theorizes the Phoenix object was intercepted by two F-15s from a ready-alert unit at Luke AFB and that the same night President Clinton injured his knee at Greg Norman's home - possibly while being rushed to safety, with the carpet-trip story a cover.