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From the High Desert

A Cultural History of Art Bell

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Thumbnail for February 18, 1999: Chemtrails - William Thomas | Miami Circle - Richard C. Hoagland

February 18, 1999: Chemtrails - William Thomas | Miami Circle - Richard C. Hoagland

Feb 18, 1999
2h 17m
William ThomasRichard C. Hoagland
0:00 / 0:00
Art Bell welcomes investigative journalist William Thomas to examine disturbing reports of unusual aerial spraying across the United States. Thomas presents evidence of persistent contrails, which he calls chemtrails, that linger for hours and spread into cloud banks rather than dissipating like normal contrails. He details lab findings of ethylene dibromide, a banned carcinogen, in ground samples and connects widespread respiratory illness to spraying patterns across 41 states.

Thomas traces the precedent for open-air biological testing back to the 1950s, citing Senate testimony confirming that 239 American cities were sprayed with various agents. He identifies pseudomonas and mycoplasm as potential pathogens linked to the mysterious ailments, noting that antibiotics prove ineffective against the illness. Callers from across the country report matching symptoms and sightings of grid-pattern contrails over their communities.

The program opens with breaking news that the Miami-Dade County Commission has voted 10 to 1 to save the Miami Circle through eminent domain, a victory Art credits to listener activism. The show later features Richard C. Hoagland with updates on the legal battles surrounding the archaeological site.

Key Moments

  1. Art photographs strange ring contrail over Pahrump: Art describes seeing jets at altitude cut full 360-degree circles over Pahrump Valley, leaving O-ring-shaped contrails. He photographed one with a 35mm camera and posted it on his website, noting it spread into a cloud bank rather than dissipating like a normal contrail.

  2. Lab analysis: ethylene dibromide in chemtrail samples: William Thomas reveals an Aquatech Environmental lab analysis from samples taken in Maryland and Pennsylvania that identified ethylene dibromide, a banned carcinogenic component of JP-8 jet fuel. He links it to the changeover from JP-4 to JP-8 in 1991 and to a wave of respiratory illness across 41 states.

  3. Senate report: 239 American cities sprayed since the 1950s: Thomas reads from the May 6, 1994 Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs report on open-air biological and chemical warfare testing, citing 239 American cities sprayed with zinc cadmium sulfide and other agents, including a 1953 release over a Minneapolis elementary school with 600 children inside.

  4. Loophole in U.S. Code Title 50 permits civilian spraying: Thomas walks through 50 USC 1520, repealed November 18, 1997, and its replacement language allowing the Secretary of Defense to test chemical or biological agents on civilian populations as long as the experiment is 'related to research activity.' He cites Dugway Germ Warfare Center documents on man-in-simulant testing.