Taken from Newsletter Issue 15 - July 2004
and Issue 18 - October 2004

Following my quest to investigate further into the phenomenon of Unidentified Flying Objects, I planned a visit to the USA, and toured Roswell in New Mexico and Rachel in Nevada. Roswell was my first choice because it’s alleged a flying disc had crashed there in 1947 and was secretively removed by the Military Air Force. A lot of information on events that occurred was withheld from the public. I hoped to speak to the people who had any information of the occurrence, perhaps handed down from parents or friends. Next I planned to visit Rachel in Nevada to meet the UFO enthusiasts. They congregate here because the mysterious Area 51 is only 20 miles away. The Military Air Force uses this unlisted area for their experimental design and development of aircraft. The area is under high security. The public are prohibited from venturing past the warning signs, which are erected all round a wide area. Severe penalties are levied on all intruders. Sound sensors on the road warn guards of approaching people or vehicles. It’s not possible to see anything that is going on from the perimeter. The air space too is reserved for their craft, and any outside planes crossing would be escorted down.

That’s the reason why enthusiasts meet here to discuss their unusual experiences. They believe many UFO’s emanate and visit the area. From stories I hear, there are captured flying saucers and paraphernalia kept in the area and hidden in caves dug deep inside the hill. I understand that when the Area 51 was erected in 1965, the crashed flying disc from Roswell was transferred there. Up till then it was kept secretly at Fort Worth. I visited Roswell and Rachel in May 2002 and made friends with many like-minded people. They gave me so many sincere accounts of their experiences that I decided I would make a return visit. I had accrued so much information but it only assisted in whetting my ambition for more. I had still not witnessed a UFO close up so I returned to Rachel in April 2004. The date set for the trip was carefully selected. It was the 1st April because the weather in those parts is around 90° F. Gradually it rises to over 100°F by the end of May and becomes unbearable. I flew direct from Gatwick to Las Vegas where my daughter Denise and son-in-law Rick met me at the airport. They have lived there for many years and now have two sons, Kiefer and Dylan.

My American friend Keith offered to accompany me on my tour and bring along his Chevrolet four track truck. He knew Nevada well and we did have to travel on some very rough roads. The first week was spent in Vegas visiting nearby interesting sights. I also got to spend quality time with my family. It was the second week that we set off on tour. The plan was flexible as long as we returned by the 30th April. Setting out early on the 7th, we travelled 150 miles to visit Rachel, stopping at Alamo for breakfast. In Rachel I met old friends from my trip two years ago. We had a lot to discuss, and I met more very interesting individuals. One character in particular seemed extremely informed in the UFO scene. His name is Chuck Clark, a lecturer and author. He presented me with his latest handbook, which listed many details and photographs on Area 51. He also told me of many strange phenomena that cannot be printed for security reasons. One in particular of great interest to me was about the Stealth craft being experimented on only a few miles away. Apparently, these craft are invisible to the naked eye and also to radar. They can however be observed through infrared filters.

I stayed in Rachel where I met some old friends who were very glad to see me. We planned to meet at the famous Ale Inn the next day for a collective discussion and a few drinks. I said I wanted to get as near to Area 51 as possible without getting into any trouble. There were dire remarks of, ‘if you step over the boundary line you will be shot’ and ‘do you know that the area is not on any map, so where will you go?’ It was my old friend Chuck Clark who cleared the air and drew me a map. Once we left Highway 375 known as the Extraterrestrial Highway it was a gravel road for 20 miles. He warned me not to take any shortcuts in case we wandered over the boundary. After a while we were confronted with large warning signs prohibiting photography and entry. We parked the truck and searched the area with binoculars. It was a desolate area with a few Joshua trees known as Groom Lake where the Air Force carried out their experiments on aircraft. Looking up at the hill not far away, I clearly saw a military truck and the occupants were viewing us. There was nothing much to see, so after taking photos and a few feet of video, we decided to head back to Rachel. To view anything in this area we would have to spend a few nights viewing the skies in the hope of getting sight of a UFO. They have often been seen in this area. Back at Rachel we met up again with my friends and planned an evening of discussion. Chuck suggested that we visit Caliente, 80 miles to the North East. He gave me a letter of introduction to a Bud Saunders the owner of the Knottypine Casino there, and told me that he had a very interesting tale to tell. He gave us no clues, but he said that we would benefit a lot if we did meet him.

This raised my interest, and now I was very anxious to meet the man. We arrived at 11am the next day and were very pleased to see Bud already waiting for us. He was a very pleasant man in his middle age. He gave us a warm welcome starting with a few beers. Chuck had already phoned him to explain who we were. He started by telling us that he very seldom talks about what he keeps under lock and key, but Chuck had requested him on our behalf so he agreed to discuss his experience and tell us how he came to be in possession of such a rare find. He took us into a back room, brought three glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniels. He told the barmaid that he did not want to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. From a cabinet he took out a red stained wooden box about ten inches square. He unlocked it with a key, which he produced from his waistcoat pocket. Inside was something wrapped in a black cloth. This he placed on the table and uncovered.

At first glance it looked like a piece of coke, a silvery shining black rock which had all the colours of the rainbow that changed on turning the material. He explained that it was only one third of the original size. Passing it to me he said, “Hold it and have a close look, we can take it outside and take some video footage for you to take back”. The material was extremely light, and when Bud heated it with a blow-torch its temperature dropped instead of rising. He also said that the small piece took two days to cut with an electric saw. My next obvious question was, how had he acquired the material? His story was that he was out deer shooting, when he came across a clearing in the forest, there was a deep gouge in the soil. He sat down and noticed a shining object half buried just near him. He dug it out and estimated it was about the size of a heavy duty car battery. He then explained that he wrote to NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and asked them to analyse the material for him. They asked him to forward the material to them. Bud says that he cut off a piece and sent it to the address they supplied. He cut off another piece and took it into the Casino, keeping the main piece in his sitting room. Two days later NASA phoned back and asked him to send all the pieces that he had. Bud said he wanted to keep the rest in case it was worth something. Two nights later, his house was broken into and the piece was taken from his sitting room and nothing else was touched. He has not heard anything from them since, but he keeps the surviving piece locked up. It’s the first time he has showed it for three years. I have some good video of the material, which was a very interesting highlight to my tour. The next day we headed back to Las Vegas and I returned to the UK after a very enjoyable tour.