September 8, 1997: Roswell - Richard C. Hoagland, Frances Barwood, Stephen Bassett, Linda Moulton Howe
The consultant corroborates retired Army Colonel Philip Corso's account of extraterrestrial technology transfers to American defense contractors. He describes two delta-shaped craft retrieved near Roswell, one damaged and approximately 40 feet across, the other intact at 76 feet. A 1961 eyewitness named Devin Ryan reports seeing a similar wedge-shaped craft and three transparent-skinned beings with six fingers at Area 51.
Phoenix Councilwoman Frances Barwood discusses a photograph published in the Arizona Republic on July 9, 1947, showing a wedge-shaped craft over Phoenix taken by aircraft identifier William Rhodes. She reveals the FBI confiscated his negatives and never returned them. Barwood faces a recall election the next day for asking questions about the 1997 Phoenix Lights. UFO lobbyist Stephen Bassett and Richard C. Hoagland argue that her case represents a political turning point for the disclosure movement.
Key Moments
ACC consultant claims Roswell back-engineering began Sept 1947: Linda Moulton Howe reports a new American Computer Company source - a former Bell Labs engineer - corroborating Colonel Corso: extraterrestrial technology from Roswell was transferred to Bell Labs starting September 1947, just three months after the crash.
Source named - Schulman and the Bell Labs consultant: Howe identifies ACC chairman Jack Schulman, who interned at Bell Labs in the late 1960s, as the conduit for a research scientist and consulting engineer who says he feels guilt that Bell Labs lied about discovering the transistor.
Silicon-arsenic switching device named 'transfer resistor': Howe reads from the ACC web page: an alien switching device of silicon and arsenic, evaluated at Murray Hill Bell Labs in October-November 1947 and dubbed 'transfer resistor' because it could resist or accept current - the etymology Bell Labs publicly gave for 'transistor.'
Shockley, Bardeen, Brattain - and a murdered VP: Howe names the 1956 Nobel laureates - Shockley, Bardeen, Brattain - as the public cover for the back-engineering, working under Bell Labs VP John 'Jack' Morton, who she says was 'mysteriously murdered' in the early 1970s allegedly to keep him quiet.