Carp Case - MUFON Ontario

THE CARP CASE

The MUFON Ontario Version

Tom Theofanous & Errol Bruce-Knapp

[Written August 1995 & published in the MUFON Ontario Newsletter]

Tom Theofanous was an investigator with CUFORN, in Toronto, from 1987 to 1992. He and his wife, Lise, have been with MUFON Ontario since then. Tom is now Director of MUFON Ontario, in Toronto.

This case had much coverage in the media. Tabloid television shows like 'Unsolved Mysteries', Sightings' and 'Encounters' have given it much air-time, as have cable-tv stations all over North America.

Internationally, magazines newspapers and news-letters have devoted hundreds of pages to it and UFO conferences around the planet have intrigued many thousands of attendees with it's seemingly startling details.

'Carp' achieved 'One Of The Most Significant Cases In UFO History' status. You've probably heard, seen and read about it yourself.

We'll deal with the FACTS of the case here, describe the events as told by the media and as we've experienced them.

Tom Theofanous, working with The Canadian UFO Research Network (CUFORN), received a package from someone calling themselves 'Guardian'. It had no return address.

"The package contained a story about a UFO crash that supposedly happened close to Carlton Place, which is about a half-hour drive from Ottawa", Tom said. "There was also a photo-copied picture of an Alien."

"For the most part, we thought it was a joke. But, CUFORN Director Harry Tokarz decided to call Arthur Bray, a well-respected UFO author and researcher in Ottawa, and ask him if he had someone in the Carlton area who could check out the story. As luck would have it, Arthur knew a fellow who was fascinated by the field of ufology, Graham Lightfoot."

Graham, with what was to become typical thoroughness, used the somewhat sketchy co-ordinates he got from Arthur Bray to not only pinpoint the 'UFO crash-site' near Manion Corners, but also locate a number of witnesses.

One of those witnesses, Diane Labanek, claimed that on the night of November 4, 1989 she saw an intense, bright light pass overhead, heading toward a swamp at the far end of the field behind, and south, of her home. She claimed she'd also seen several helicopters earlier that evening using bright lights to scan the area.

Another West Carlton resident recalled that that was the weekend when some cattle escaped from a nearby pasture and that it took till late Sunday to round them up.

A couple told Graham that the wife had been scared by a very bright light shone through their south-facing bathroom window. "It reached right down our hallway!". The wife also mentioned that she vaguely remembered hearing the sound of helicopters at the time.

Many people could think of absolutely nothing unusual happening during the course of the weekend, including a couple who had a telescope set-up.

Graham reported his findings to CUFORN, along with results of his examination of the field and swamp behind Labanek's home - there were no signs on the ground, anywhere, of the heavy equipment that would be needed to recover a 'crashed craft'.

His report closed with, "although I could find nothing conclusive to support or disprove any of the witnesses claims. I shall check back around the area later this summer."

The same Guardian material had been sent to several other investigators, researchers and UFO groups and, as the story spread, both the former Provincial Director of MUFON Ontario, Clive Nadin, and then Quebec Director, Christian Page, visited the area on separate occasions and spoke to the 'witnesses'. They confirmed Graham Lightfoot's initial findings and agreed with Tom & Harry at CUFORN that someone was "trying to put us on - a hoax!"

In the middle of October 1991 CUFORN began receiving more Guardian 'information' via the mail and all postmarked 'Ottawa'.

An envelope with some documents that described a 'conspiracy' between the Chinese and "Grey Aliens that are planning to take over the world", arrived first. Then came a Polaroid photograph of a 'UFO' flying across an unidentified road. A while later came a black & white picture of a grey-type 'Alien'.

The fourth delivery in the series was a package - containg a VHS video tape with a green label on its cassette with a thumb-print and the word 'GUARDIAN' printed on the label.

There were also three playing cards in the package - an Ace, King and Joker - all with hand written notes on them.

A photo-copied map showed the 'Grey's landing area', along with notes explaining that the flares in the video were used to help the UFO, which can out maneuver anything on the planet, fly under the radar and know where to land!

There were also 'Canadian Department of National Defense documents' enclosed - which, upon later investigation, proved to be forgeries.

These 'documents', it is thought, were designed to look like the official documents on UFOs that Canadian UFO author/researcher Stanton Friedman acquired, via 'The Freedom of Information Act', from the United States Government.

The video - a few minutes long - showed two different angles of what Guardian alleged was an 'alien craft', on the ground.

First, a long shot of bright lights, clumped together to the right of the scene, and what looked like four red emergency road flares or fires in barrels on the left side of the screen.

The second scene showed the same clump of bright lights from approximately the same distance but more to the centre, without any flares, with the sound of a single dog barking in the distance.

The third scene was only three frames long and was a close-up of a a pair of wipers half-way across a very Earth-bound vehicle's windshield!

CUFORN pondered what to do with all the Guardian information that arrived in October of '91 and decided, that in view of the season - winter, that they would hold off visiting Carlton until after the spring run-off.

At the beginning of March '92, Bob Oechsler (pronounced Bob Ex-ler) an American MUFON investigator - who has described himself a 'former NASA mission specialist' - called CUFORN, from his home in Maryland.

Apparently, he too had received a video and documents from Guardian, although when comparisons of the two videos were discussed, his had an additional scene - a somewhat closer one minute shot of the 'alien craft'.

His version also had a couple of minutes worth of the windshield, plus several still-shots of the 'Grey Aliens'.

The most important difference, however, was that his version of the tape had no audio-track at all - "it seems it was intentionally removed", said Tom Theofanous.

Oechsler had shown the tape to Bruce Maccabee and they agreed that what they saw was a UFO and should be investigated further - and that's why Oechsler called Tom at CUFORN. They arranged to meet in Carlton, Ontario on May 10th 1992.

Tom then called and spoke with Graham Lightfoot, for the first time, and Graham agreed to act as guide for the May meeting.

It transpired that Graham worked for The O.F.A - The Ontario Federation of Agriculture - and knew the Carlton area and its farmers, well.

On May 10th, Mother's Day, 1991, Torontonians, Tom & Lise Theofanous, Victor Lourenco, Vaughn Killin, Drew Williamson, Harry Tokarz and Wayne St. John met with Oechsler, his son and Graham Lightfoot at the motel the Oechslers were staying at in West Carlton, near Ottawa, Ontario.

They all had breakfast together and Oechsler told many, many fascinating stories. Eventually they ended up in Oechsler's motel room to compare their copies of the Guardian video.

"Oechsler, despite being an 'expert' in video-analysis, had a great deal of difficulty connecting my video camera to the tv set in his room. In retrospect, his combination of technical ineptitude and more story-telling seemed to be a stalling tactic.", said Tom.

Eventually, the group set off in a convoy of vehicles to examine the area depicted on Guardian's map.

They stopped at a spot off Highway 7 near Manion Corners and Graham pointed out the direction from which the 1989 'UFO' had come when it 'crashed', and where the Labanek's house was, in relation to where the group was standing.

"This time Oechsler took the lead, with me following him and Graham, who's supposed to be our guide, following me!" Tom said. "I thought at the time that this was pretty odd. How did Oechsler, who supposedly had never been to Canada, let alone the area, know his way, using side-roads and making the correct turns towards our destination?"

Earlier, Oechsler had asked the Toronto group to check for anomalies on their compasses while they were driving, because the Guardian papers described magnetic changes in certain parts of the area the group was travelling in.

"So, we're driving down a small hill when Oechsler braked suddenly up ahead of us, stopped and came back to our car to tell me that he had found an anomaly on his two compasses which were both laying in the back of his pick-up on the metal floor, where they were bouncing around. His son was keeping an eye on them from the cab. I told him that the three compasses, we were holding in the palms of our hands, in our car didn't waver at all. But, he insisted that he'd go back up the hill, by himself, and check again."

While the rest of the group stood around waiting for Oechsler, Drew Williamson noticed a Stop-sign at the end of a long driveway leading to an abandoned farmhouse with a For-Sale sign on it.

Tom continues - "I looked through my binoculars at the Stop-sign and saw that it was propped up by rocks. There were other signs around it that read 'Do Not Enter' and 'DND Killing Fields'. The last one had pictographs of tanks, helicopters and weapons on it and appeared to be riddled with bullet-holes."

"We found tracks left by cars and what might have been four-wheeled vehicles, leading into the property. We felt that perhaps the field around the old farm house was being used for 'War Games' - or maybe even was the location used for the Guardian video."

"Why? Because the terrain was perfect - lots (200 acres) of open field. I also noticed a dog barking up at the house at the top of the hill." said Tom.

This would become significant later in identifying the possible location of the Guardian video shoot.

"Eventually, we continued along Corkery Road. But, when I mentioned to Oechsler that we should be interviewing the people in the neighbourhood we were passing, who were out sitting in their front gardens or working on their lawns, he insisted that we look for the 'crash' or 'landing' sites."

Guardian's map described an area about one and a quarter miles square, which consisted of dense, knee-high scrub, and wet, swampland.

The group headed toward it, using a path beneath high-tension power transmission lines that cut across below the southern end of the Labanek's property.

Most of them had great difficulty with the rough conditions and became very tired, annoyed by biting mosquitoes and soaked by the swampy ground. They gave-up about a half way into the swamp and headed back to the parking lot.

Tom picks up the story again: "Bob and his son continued to look for the landing site as the rest of us left the swamp in two groups. Lise, Drew, Wayne and I left first and drove off looking for a drink of cold pop."

"When we got back to the parking, lot twenty minutes later, the second group out had left a note on our windshield saying they'd meet us at a restaurant twenty minutes away in Carp. We left a note on the Oechsler's truck windshield telling them where we'd be.

"The first group arrived at the restaurant and ordered their food - twenty minutes later the rest of us arrived and placed our orders."

"Thirty minutes later, as Oechsler and his son were walking through the door, I jokingly said: 'I bet he'll say he found the spot.'"

"As he sat down, I asked him what had happened. He smiled and said he'd found the spot!"

"I asked how he'd managed to do that when we'd left him a about a mile from his car in a dense swamp, halfway to the alleged site and it was getting dark. There simply hadn't been enough time to get there examine the 'site' and get back out to his truck and drive to the restaurant. He just smiled, but didn't answer."

After they finished their dinner, Drew, Victor and Vaughn decided to leave for Toronto.

Graham suggested that the remainder should go talk to the Labaneks, so he and Harry left ahead of Tom & Lise and the Oechslers, since Oechsler senior was still eating. The seven of them would meet at the corner by the Labaneks.

"Lise, Wayne and I went out to the parking lot to discuss the days events, privately and when Oeschler joined us we confronted him."

"I asked him what he was trying to pull here. He responded by asking 'What's wrong with trying to make a buck?' I answered that there was nothing wrong with making money as long as we didn't compromise our ethics."

"Oechsler came back with: 'No matter what or how good the story is, 50% of the people will believe you, 50% won't. All you have to care about is the 50% that will.'

"It was at that point", recalls Tom, "that I decided to back away from the investigation for a while to see what Oechsler would do."

They joined the others at Manion Corner, by the Labanek's house. Graham had knocked on their door but no one was home. So, they waited, enjoying a pleasant early summer evening, talking.

The Labaneks didn't get home till after 10 p.m, which the group felt was late to do an interview. Graham and Oechsler would come back the next morning and talk to them.

Tom finishes up this part of the story: "I told Graham about the conversation that I had in the parking lot of the restaurant with Oechsler, after he left the restaurant. Then Lise, Harry, Wayne and I left for Toronto, shaking our heads."

The following morning, Graham Lightfoot, Oechsler and his son met and drove to the Labanek's home. Graham reintroduced himself and asked Diane Labanek if she remembered him. "Vaguely." she said, and then remembered their conversation about a bright light that had headed towards the swamp at the bottom of her field back in 1990.

When asked if she'd seen anything strange since then, she described an event that in their field. It seems she was putting her children to bed one night, in August 1991, and something caught her eye from a bedroom window on the second floor.

Labanek described seeing what she thought was a fire, or perhaps flares burning at the far end of the field behind the house and as she looked, a 'craft' landed next to the fire/flares.

"After a few minutes, maybe five or eight, the very bright lights on the craft went out - just like you turn off a light-bulb. And soon after, the flares went out. Then some minutes later, a helicopter came and hovered over the area - like they were looking for something" she said.

When asked later why she hadn't called the fire department about a 'fire' burning in her field, which was tinder-dry in the August heat, she replied "I didn't think that anyone would believe me and I thought I'd get into trouble!"

On Oechsler's next visit to the Labaneks, she was asked to draw what she had seen. She drew a craft that she described as being silver/grey, with a zig-zag design around it, sitting on three blocks which, coincidently, matched a drawing that was in one of the Guardian packages (see MUFON Ontario Newsletter, Volume 1.1, page 14) - a drawing that she maintained she'd never seen.

Labanek was able to see an object and details that were over 2,200 feet away, in the dark and brightly lit from the bottom up. Guardian's video camera, which was closer, couldn't see the 'thunderbolt insignia' around the 'craft' or the three 'blocks' beneath it. The video clearly shows the 'craft' to be red and not silver/grey.

In the version of Guardians video sent to the Canadian UFO Research Network, the last three frames show a windshield with the wiper blades in an upright position. Why would Guardian put those frames, that appear to have been shot at night with artificial light, on the tape? Were those frames designed to give a clue as to what the craft really was?

In the course of one of many discussions between them, Tom Theofanous asked Bob Oechsler what he thought about the windshield footage on Guardian's video. Oechsler replied that it wasn't a windshield but rather the design on the side of the 'craft'. Tom asked how he'd come to that conclusion? Oechsler replied "Well there's Diane's evidence together with my expertise in analysis - that's how."

Oechsler had once again brought up his 'qualifications and expertise', which he seemingly did at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, Oechsler's 'qualifications' on the subject of windshields were definitely non-existent compared to Tom's - who ran a windshield repair company for seven years!

Oechsler and Graham went out to the field after their first talk with Diane Labanek. The previous night, at a restaurant, Oechsler had claimed that he had found the 'landing site' and now insisted that they look for 'evidence'. He spotted an area of grass that had been "dug up during the landing". Graham, who works for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, patiently explained that skunks caused that kind of damage while looking for grubs.

Oechsler's biography touts his experience in dealing with the UFO phenomenon and his 'expertise' in field work - an 'expertise' not on display that day. "He seemed not to know what he was looking for or much about the country and nature.", Graham later observed.

Oechsler's inexperience continued to show as he pointed to vegetation that had "been treated with microwave radiation"! How did he come to that conclusion without using any instruments? "It's very dry and brittle, so it's obviously been irradiated" Oechsler said.

The "irradiated"' plants were Juniper bushes which always look dry and brittle after a Canadian winter - and also bleached, dried and flattened by heavy snow - probably in much the same way as in Maryland, Oechsler's home-state.

Graham and Oechsler continued to examine what Oechsler was convinced was the 'landing site'. He then asked Graham if he had anything to put samples in. Graham thought that it was extremely odd that an investigator of Oechsler's 'calibre' would show up with no sample containers and handed him some empty film canisters.

On returning to Labanek's house later that day, Labanek told them that her husband Bill had "gone for milk" at around 10:00pm on the evening of the 'landing' and had missed it. Bill Labanek had also been doing a milk-run on the night in 1989 when there had been a 'crash' in their swamp.

He didn't appear to be at all concerned about what had transpired on his property on either occasion. He didn't take the time to go look at the spot which his wife said had been a 'UFO landing site'.

Diane Labanek claimed to have gone only part way into the field the day after the 'landing', looked briefly in the direction of the 'landing site', didn't see anything, and walked back to the house.

She had told no one about what she saw that night until Graham and Oechsler asked her about it.

Why didn't she walk the remaining couple of hundred yards to where an 'amazing event' took place? She said that it was a beautiful summer evening, too.

Later, Graham called Tom in Toronto and recounted the day's events. They discussed Oechsler and his amateurish approach to the investigation and observed that a pattern seemed to be emerging. It seemed that Oechsler was incompetent, egocentric and attempting to steer the case and its 'facts' to fit his own agenda.

As a follow-up to Diane Labanek's assertions about helicopter activity following the 'landing', Investigator Drew Williamson called the Department of National Defence (DND) on May 12, 1992. He was told that the military held exercises every August, using helicopters. They had to get permission from landowners for the choppers to land in their fields. If an emergency were to arise and a helicopter had to land, DND would pay compensation for any damage caused.

On July 12, 1992, Graham made a number of calls to various military establishments to get information on helicopter activity. He was told that they don't use flares during landings at night, but do use Chem-Sticks that glow in the dark. Captain Mark Bigoutte said that although choppers were on exercise on August 19, 1991, they were many miles to the west of Manion Corners.

On July 14, 1992 Oechsler arrived back at Graham's place and the next day they went to Uplands Royal Canadian Airforce base and showed Colonel Cajo Brando and Major Norm Patterson the Guardian video - over and over.

Colonel Brando didn't think it was a helicopter and when shown a photograph taken by one of the Labanek children of a Huey Helicopter that Diane Labanek maintained had 'buzzed' their home after the 'landing', he said, "It's not one ours, they were decommissioned [taken out of active-service] two years ago."

Brando suggested that it may have been an American chopper that had come across the border without notifying Canadian authorities - something which, apparently, happens often.

Later that day, Graham and Oechsler returned to the Labanek's and collected some fifteen soil and plant samples from the 'landing' site.

On a radio call-in show, March 30th '93, Oechsler claimed to have collected "over a hundred samples from all over the area"!

Oechsler, in a conversation with Graham and Tom expressed interest in getting the case on the 'Unsolved Mysteries' tv show, feeling that it might flush Guardian out. Tom countered that it might be better to further investigate the claims of the 'witnesses' before giving the case national tv exposure.

What neither Tom nor Graham knew at the time, was that Oechsler had already gone ahead and made a deal with Unsolved Mysteries to shoot a segment on the Carp Case in the fall.

In the following three months preparations were made for the shooting of the 'Unsolved' segment. Graham received many calls from and eventually met the tv show's Bob Kiviat and Bob Wise.

Oechsler flew into Ottawa in mid October 1992 with the 'Unsolved' crew and interviewed Major Patterson about the Guardian 'Documents'.

Graham, feeling as he did about Oechsler's slant on the case was very reluctant to appear on the show and it took many calls from various production people to eventually talk him into appearing.

On November 15, 1992 participants in the Carp segment gathered for the taping. Graham met Bruce Maccabee for the first time and, to use his words, "was not very impressed." He put his contribution 'in the can' the next day at the Labanek's.

In the course of a meeting on November 19, 1992 Graham learned that a man named Andy Williams claimed that he knew who Guardian was. Graham and Oechsler arranged to meet with Williams the next day in Ottawa. Andy Williams explained that a friend of many years, Bobby Charlebois, had an on-going interest in UFOs and had called himself 'Guardian' over the course of those years. He went on to give details about Bobby Charlebois and his 'interests'.

Oechsler, inexplicably, gave Andy Williams much material regarding the Carp case.

On November 22nd, Graham discovered that a co-worker knew Bobby Charlebois well - his sister, Meg had dated the Guardian 'suspect'. Graham talked with Meg and she confirmed that Charlebois was an avid UFO buff and had discussed the phenomenon on many occasions in the past.

Despite having signed an 'exclusive' with Unsolved Mysteries to not do another show until 30 days after their 'airing' of the Carp Case, Oechsler records a segment for 'Sightings' in January of 1993 without telling Graham until after the fact.

Interestingly, Dr. A.J. Quarington a 'witness' participates in 'Sightings' after refusing meet or even discuss the case with Graham and Clive Nadin (the former Director of MUFON Ontario) in the early stages of the investigation.

On February 1, 1993 Oechsler and Graham met with reporter Lois Tuffin, who also knew Bobby Charlebois well. Oechsler asked her to deliver a large package of UFO material to Charlebois in the hope of getting his fingerprints. She did so, but the package was returned to her an hour later.

The following day Oechsler collected the package from Lois and took it to the Ontario Provincial Police to have it checked for fingerprints. There were none and the feeling was that Charlebois had out-smarted them, wiping the package clean. It seemed Charlebois had something to hide.

Diane Labanek, on hearing Bobby Charlebois' name said that she had known him "for a while" and that he was a good friend who visited often.

Oechsler asked her to try and get Charlebois' fingerprints from any drinking glasses that he might use. Labanek claimed that Charlebois always wiped them clean.

On February 4, 1993 Graham and Oechsler went to the Labanek's where Leanne Cuzak interviewed Bob Oechsler and Diane Labanek for CJOH-TV, Ottawa.

During the interview Labanek claimed that "a lot of others had seen the event that had transpired in my field". She didn't, however, seem to recall any names and in talking to many residents in the Manion Corners area, MUFON Ontario has not found any other witnesses to the 'UFO Landing'.

During the CJOH-TV interview Oechsler claimed that he had received a large number of calls from 'witnesses'. Graham wasn't aware of any calls to the Labanek's or anywhere else, other than a few to Oechsler's hotel.

Later that day, Graham Lightfoot and Oechsler met with a couple of high school girls in Almonte, a short drive from the Labanek's. The girls had called the Unsolved Mysteries Hotline, which again Graham wasn't aware of, to report that they knew who Guardian was. The name they gave wasn't 'Charlebois'. Oechsler told them who Guardian was. Oechsler, despite vowing not to, was blowing Guardian's cover'.

On February 24, 1993, Labanek told Graham and Oechsler about a sighting that her mother had the previous week. Her mother had seen a 'craft' hovering "not fifty feet from the house" but was too scared at the time to call out to anybody.

Later Labanek claimed that her husband had seen a 'craft' around the same spot as the August '91 sighting. There were no explanations as to when or if there were any traces of this second 'landing'.

Apparently, neither of these 'incidents' were of interest to Oechsler and he only mentioned them very briefly since, and only in passing!

If these two events were 'real' why wouldn't he have investigated them too, instead of making such a fuss about the 'evidence' that he'd found nine months after the August '91 'landing'? Labanek's mother's and husband's 'experiences' would have surely produced more witnesses and ground effects?!

Labanek constantly complained about being harassed by 'low-flying' helicopters that blew shingles off her roof. When close neighbours were questioned by MUFON Ontario investigators about any low-flying choppers they might have observed, they only mentioned the regular Air Ambulance flights that passed overhead and the occasional military or Mountie aircraft. Not one mentioned choppers flying at unusually low altitudes - below the regulation five-hundred feet.

At the time of describing her mother's 'sighting' to Graham and Oechsler, Labanek told of a white helicopter that passed over the house the following day. Subsequent investigation showed that it was a NATO aircraft on a training-exercise and that itwould not have been flying below the standard five-hundred foot level.

Due to the proximity of the Labanek's neighbours it would be impossible for a helicopter to fly low enough to blow the shingles off one house and not be noticed by neighbours.

Labanek had told Graham that she knew nothing about UFOs, nor did she care about them or talk about them with anyone. And yet, when the Unsolved Mysteries segment was being taped at her home, one of the Grips on the crew, setting up a scene (in which Guardian was mailing a video) in Labanek's basement recreation room, found "cupboards containing many UFO books".

On February 28, 1993 Graham wrote the following to Bob Kiviat, producer of the Unexplained Mysteries segment on 'Guardian':

No doubt you've heard from Oechsler that there has been another sighting at Labanek's... on Feb 17th '93. It was Diane's mother who saw the event at 11:10 pm, very close to the house. She was so frightened that she didn't call to Diane and no one else saw it. She said the craft was right over the garden which means it was within 50 feet of the house. It hovered there for a short while and moved south over the swamp, in the direction that the 1989 'crash' light was seen. It came back beside the house and then moved off out of sight over the swamp. She described it as having a flashing light on top and lots of light all around it. She pulled the curtains from the window, but didn't wake anyone else in the house. The next day a white helicopter arrived and flew over the same course.

Oechsler may or may not have told you he is working with the RCMP in trying to get Guardian's (Bobby Charlesbois) fingerprints. He tells me he is trying to get the RCMP to charge Bobby with a minor charge of forging DND documents to scare him into an admission. This is contrary to Oechsler's stated intent to Bobby, of not disclosing Bobby's identity if he wished to remain anonymous.

I am trusting you to keep my comments to you in confidence from Oechsler as I will no doubt be working with him again on this case. I have no problem working with him at arms length, but his methods and rather chaotic behavior bothers me. He has told me that he wants to set up a 24-hours a day, two week watch at the the Labanek's since he feels the sightings will re-occur in the near future. He has no funding for this operation and told me he will seek help from your company in this regard.

This may all be a good idea, but my feeling is that these things will run their course, with or without 24-hour surveillance. In fact I'd hazard a guess that the event is less likely to occur with surveillance.

I've heard through the grapevine that the 'expert' on the Sightings show claims he doesn't know who Oechsler is, never met him. It seems Sightings showed the tape to this 'expert' and he said he didn't know what it was. Also MUFON is distancing itself from Oechsler after their credibility suffered with the Gulf Breeze story. It seems Oechsler wants to speak at their annual meeting and they don't want him there.

Oechsler has a lot of background information and he certainly has a lot of contacts that are invaluable in doing research of this nature. He is persistent in looking for evidence, yet at the same time he often tries to build a case to fit his preconceived story line.

We have talked about his ego and wanting credit for everything he learns. That's OK by me. In the Labanek case he used a lot of material that I got for him. The show implied that he found Labanek's place from the Guardian map. He could have spent weeks looking for the location on his own.

But what bothers me the most is his tunnel vision, that only he can find the answers.

On March 4, '93, Oechsler phoned Graham to boast that he had asked the RCMP to apply pressure to the Guardian suspect, Bobby Charlebois, by charging him with forging Department of National Defence documents.

In fact, the only way the RCMP would have paid any attention would have been if a formal complaint was filed by a Canadian Citizen.

What Oechsler didn't tell Graham was that a complaint was lodged by the Labaneks who told the RCMP that they were being 'harassed' by helicopters flying over their property, below the 500 feet minimum set by the Federal Government.

March 8, brought a call from Labanek to Graham. She complained about being 'harassed' by the RCMP. She said that they tried to get her to sign a 'confession' ( her word ) that craft she saw landing in her field on the night of August 18, 1991 was a helicopter! She also claimed that Bobby 'Guardian' Charlebois was also being 'harassed' by the Mounties and had hired a lawyer.

Graham, at the time, was convinced that Labanek was telling the truth and felt that something should be done about her complaints. He called Charlie Greenwell at CJOH-TV in Ottawa and suggested that perhaps the station could cover the story on their local news. A report aired three days later on the 6 O'clock News.

CJOH-TV's news item infuriated Oechsler. On March 29, he blasted Graham for giving the story to a TV station. This puzzled Graham - why would Oechsler take exception to him helping Labanek expose RCMP harassment?

What Graham didn't know was that the complaint to the Mounties was lodged by the Labaneks, apparently at the urging of Oechsler, to increase the credibility of the Carp Case.

A censored copy of the RCMP report on the case, obtained by Christian Page of The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) in Quebec, told a different story.

The Labanek's complaint was actually filed with the RCMP on February 10, 1993! The purpose of the investigation was to:

1. ascertain if sufficient evidence was available to support a prosecution under the Aeronautics Act, Section 534 (2) (b) for flying below 500 feet

3. ascertain if the craft observed (by complainant) is a UFO (as per complainant).

The investigation by RCMP Constable De Haitre, started on February 15, 1993 with interviews of the Labanek's neighbours.

De Haitre found that signs bearing the words 'Defence Canada', 'Killing Fields', and a 'Test Area' sign with a hand-painted tank and 'Air-Wolf' helicopter on it had been seen in a field that later proved to be owned by the Labanek's. Constable De Haitre observed in his report that the lettering-style on the signs was similar to those in the Guardian documents.

Constable De Haitre was told by one of the Labaneks neighbours that another sign had the word 'Nuclear' mis-spelled as 'Nucleear'.

Oechsler then directed his energies toward De Haitre and Canadian Airforce Major Patterson - which created more confusion.

Oechsler told Constable De Haitre about finding Titanium at the 'landing site' in the Labanek's field and showed him some of the photographs that he had taken. He also told De Haitre that there were no traces of Strontium, which there would have been had the flares at the 'site' been of the military 'high-heat', type.

Later, in the February/March issue of UFO Library Magazine, Oechsler wrote that he "had the smoking-gun in the pyrotechnical mystery". He now claimed that there was evidence of Lithium Carbonate which is not used in military flares, but rather in "expensive fireworks displays" (or perhaps in roadside emergency flares?). Fireworks that, of course, can be purchased at any 7-11 Store.

Isn't it strange that he would wait a whole year to tell the world the results of his 'tests'?

Oechsler had results of a test that refuted his completely baseless theory about military flares being used at the Carp 'landing site' and didn't publish them for over a year?

And what did he do during that time? He travelled the lecture circuit making money telling people that the flares were definitely military in origin because of the strontium residue that he didn't find at the 'landing site'!

Oechsler tried to cement his relationship with the RCMP. He told Constable De Haitre about his 'witnesses' and his 'analysis' of the Guardian video and suggested that Bobby 'Guardian' Charlebois be charged under the 'Fraudulent Cheque Act' for distributing forged Government documents (the 'Canadian Department of National Defence' documents). De Haitre concluded that no charges could be laid.

De Haitre investigated Oechsler's claims about Titanium and Strontium flare-residue and included the results about the circumstances under which they could and could not be found and where, in the final RCMP report on the case.

Several conversations and correspondence occurred between Oechsler and Constable De Haitre, all of which the Mountie, naturally, recorded in his notes on the case.

This package will be published shortly, as an appendix, in The MUFON Ontario Report on The MUFON Ontario has recently acquired a 150 page package of De Haitre's notes and correspondence from Guardian Case.

We suggest that it was probably the Labaneks who lodged a complaint about low flying helicopters with The RCMP. We understand from a reliable source that in fact 'Sarah Janille' (a pseudonym), the self-styled 'abductee' who 'witnessed' the 'event' on the Labanek's property through 200 yards of thick spruce trees in front of her home, was the complainant.

On Labour Day weekend Graham Lightfoot and Tom & Lise Theofanous visited 'Sarah Janille'. She agreed to send MUFON Ontario a letter explaining her situation/story and the fact that it may not have had anything to do with the Carp/Guardian Case.

It was our intention to include her letter in this issue, perhaps absolving her from involvement in this controversy.

At the time of writing this three weeks have passed and no letter. We know that 'Sarah Janille' will read this and hope that she will use the time between this issue and the next to get in touch with us. Our next issue will contain names and the continuation of the story as we know it.

Graham Lightfoot, received a copy of a document from an acquaintance working at the local Township By-Law Inspectors Office.

The document, an inspector's report, described an October 1990 encounter in which a By-Law inspector, who was photographing the 'Military Style' signs on and around the Labanek's property, met Diane Labanek's nephew Pavel Farfara.

The young man talked to the inspector about his uncle Dr. Bill Labanek the local dentist, the army, UFOs, aliens and peace groups. He recounted how he'd heard about the signs, the army being involved and about UFOs landing on his aunts property.

The inspector in his report observed that the signs looked hand-made and appeared not to be 'official'. The report was forwarded by the Township Office to the Department of National Defence.

How could Farfara have known about UFOs landing on the Labanek property and 'military involvement' - an 'event' that was to take place ten months later in August, 1991?

MUFON Ontario learned that Farfara owns an older model white pick-up truck. It bears an oddly synchronistic similarity to the size and shape of what we suspect was the 'craft' in the Guardian video.

Farfara was a university student in Ottawa and, we suspect, had more than a passing interest in computer bulletin boards. This may explain why the Carlton University Psychology Department, faculty, UFO groups, and individual researchers received the Guardian Material - because all the recipient's names and addresses were being circulated on the International Computer Networks.

Why did the Labanek's insist, to MUFON Ontario investigators, that they had not been aware of the 'military' signs until 1993?

In March of this year (1994) MUFON Ontario investigators visited most of the neighbouring homes around the Labanek's property - the 'site' of the Carp/Guardian 'landing' and interviewed the residents.

During the course of those interviews a recently arrived near neighbour of the Labanek's - living two homes away - claimed that she had been walking her dog in the field behind the Labaneks property and came across a shed that contained 'military type signs and paraphernalia'.

According to Dr. Labanek's statement to The RCMP investigator he'd seen the 'Killing Field' signs on his abandoned property in '91, '92 and again in '93!

During one of Oechsler's [pronounced EX-LER] visits to the area in March, '93, he told Graham Lightfoot that he and the Labaneks went to their abandoned farm field where they gave him the 'military signs' and he took them back to Maryland with him.

Later, when Tom & Lise Theofanous and Graham asked Labanek if she knew anything about the signs she said she knew "nothing about them, never saw them and never went to that property".

During a visit to a UFO Conference in the Gulf Breeze area of Florida, Oechsler passed around the following letter - we reproduce it here in its entirety.

As of September 1st 1994, I will be retiring from UFO research and investigations. My tenure in UFO research has in some ways been very rewarding, especially the many close friendships that I've developed and enjoyed over the years. In many other ways the effects of my involvement have been quite debilitating, especially to my family. I don't like what I've seen this phenomenon do to otherwise concerned rational people, including myself. The malicious libel, slander distortion and unchecked fabrication that runs rampant in the UFO field is destructive and counterproductive. My belief is that UFOs are indeed real and that the management and spokespersons for ufology suffer greatly from egocentricity and self-importance when the evidence is clear that few really care much beyond the novelty. Therefore, I've decided to extricate myself from this eternal abyss and return to the family life that I've sorely neglected.

My final effort over the course of the summer will be dedicated to writing and publishing the truth of the matter regarding the Guardian UFO Landing investigation in the Carp area of Ontario, Canada. My archives and research will be turned over to a private research institute where my work will continue. The institute is dedicated solely to unmitigated academic discourse and scientific research into UFO organizations, government nor [sic] public media. The institute wishes to remain anonymous at this time. Anyone interested in a synopsis of my research and the discoveries that I've made over the years can contact Project Awareness for a copy of the video tape of my farewell presentation. Their Address is PO Box 730, Gulf Breeze, FL 32562. I do not share in the proceeds. After September 1st, I will not accept any orders for UFO materials which I have made available to assist in my research costs. For those of you who have maintained an interest in my research efforts, I thank you sincerely for your support and encouragement. It is because of you that I regret that this decision has become necessary.

My final opinion is that there is no mystery to the UFO phenomenon, the real mystery involves the sociology of how it affects and polarizes those drawn to it. This may be the best reason for government secrecy. There is a great need for comprehensive change in the attitude and management of the current UFO organizational approach to UFO study if the subject matter is ever to receive and retain the attention of serious scientific professionals. My final recommendation for those seriously interested in the potential scope and possible origins of the UFO Phenomenon is to read "Hyperspace" by Michio Kaku (1994 Oxford University Press, nonfiction).

Farewell all of my friends, colleagues and antagonists, good luck in all your endeavors.

This may be the first time that a self-styled 'Professional Full-Time Ufologist' quits as the result of controversy - it's somewhat reminiscent of Bill Moore's almost sudden departure.

In his letter of resignation Oechsler writes: ..."the effects of my involvement have been quite debilitating" ... "The malicious libel, slander distortion and unchecked fabrication that runs rampant in the UFO field is destructive and counterproductive."

Interesting that Oechsler would write those words - that's the way we feel about his 'involvement' in ufology and particularly his 'work' on the Carp/Guardian Case.

Oechsler seems to be trying to get sympathy from those few who are still willing to give his 'stories' credence with his careful, skillful use of words.

He told some of his close associates that he plans to lie-low until "the heat dies down" waiting for us to publish our MUFON ONTARIO REPORT ON THE CARP/GUARDIAN CASE before mounting a defence.

Oechsler seems to think that what he did will be forgotten with the passing of time and he will once again rise, Phoenix like, with yet another 'world's best UFO case'.

MUFON Ontario wants Oechsler to know that he is wrong. Serious ufologists will not forget his unscrupulous actions and we too will be there in the future to point out his reputation to newcomers.

Oechsler once called us "Those stupid fickle Canadians who don't know what they want or how to get it." But, the dogged persistence by Canadian MUFON organisations, other UFO groups and independent researchers across the country working together in uncovering the facts, accomplished what Oechsler never anticipated happening - the truth coming out. This despite the threat of libel lawsuits against our senior members, this publication, we writers, MUFON in Seguin Texas, The MUFON UFO Journal, and several individuals who helped spread this story.

We've amused ourselves by contemplating a class-action suit against Oechsler to recover monies expended by us and spent by the ufologically curious.

On May 9th, l993 Tom, Lise and Graham drove to Almonte to talk to Bobby (Guardian) Charlebois without success. The following day Oechsler called Graham and was very upset at the attempt to talk to Charlebois which puzzled Graham.

May 28th Graham and Oechsler met with Gary Osterbrook a polygrapher. Oechsler and Osterbrook had agreed on a price of a thousand dollars to conduct two lie-detector tests - one on Diane Labenek the other with Susan ('Sarah Janille') Gill - Oechsler's mysterious 'Canadian Government Official'.

Oechsler used one of of Bruce Maccabee's personal cheques made out for $1,000 (US) which he gave to Osterbrook as payment for the testing.

In 1993, 'The Air Report' (Associated Investigator's Report #1) raised the issue of Maccabee's possibly using The Fund for UFO Research's money for personal gain:

"Dr. Maccabee has made at least one trip to Ontario to investigate the case. It is not known whether any Fund for UFO Research monies were expended in this investigation."

"....a simple question which could have been answered before the publication [of the 'Air Report'] by a simple phone call to the Chairman, Richard Hall, or to any of the other members of the Executive Board. The answer is NO (a thousand times, no)."

An odd choice of words. Surely a coincidence? A check, signed by him, for $1,000.00 to Gary Osterbrook the polygrapher? "The answer is NO (a thousand times No.)"!

Bruce Maccabee, the Maryland State Director for MUFON, and MUFON's crack photographic and video-analyst supposedly had no interest in the Carp Case other than analysing the Guardian Video - he declared it to be an 'authentic' landed UFO, on televison!

Dr. Maccabee also maintains a relationship with Robert Oechsler, a man whose motives in the field are at best mercenery. He has at one point or another involved himself in virtually every aspect of ufology. Mr. Oechsler has been variously described as a clown, a fraud and even a con-man (in 1991 he attempted to involve several of his then friends in the UFO field in some sort of bizarre pyramid scheme in which participants were to send him money via Federal Express (so as to avoid federal laws governing mail fraud)--telling at least one associate that he intended to make several hundred thousand dollars). Mr. Oechsler who represents himself as a former "NASA Mission Specialist" has participated with Dr. Maccabee in the photographic analysis of the Gulf Breeze material."

[Commander Gene Cernan USN (Retd. and former NASA astronaut, reported that Oechsler had NEVER held the position he claims in NASA, but that it was possible that he had worked as a junior technician either with NASA or with a NASA sub-contractor, in which case his name would not have been known anyway.]

"Mr. Oechsler has also made a series of fantastic claims concerning his alledged discoveries of various secret government UFO related projects including an operational anti-gravity chamber, sophisticated anti-alien defense installations, a wide-ranging program to educate the general public as to the reality of the UFO phenomenon and others too tedious to detail here. These "discoveries" were published by Timothy Good in his book "Alien Liaison" in England and more recently in "Alien Contact" here in the United States. It is virtually certain that most if not all of Mr. Oechsler's claims are fraudulent and he has intimated to Walt Andrus, International Director of the Mutual UFO Network, that he fabricated at least some of the material.

The most important point here is not Oechsler's selling of this material to the television shows 'Unsolved Mysteries' and 'Sightings' but Dr. Maccabee's clear support for the validity of the case. Dr. Maccabee spoke in support of the authenticity of the Guardian video on at least one television program and before the large audience of a UFO conference in Silver Spring, MD.

Richard Hall, the Fund's (for UFO Research) newly elected chairman, also said that he was equally perplexed by some of the UFO cases that Maccabee had promoted such as Gulf Breeze and the 'Guardian'case."

"The writer charges that my support for UFO cases which, in the mind of the writer at least, are "obviously" poor cases or frauds (New Zealand, Kirtland Landing Case, Gulf Breeze, Guardian) has caused other researchers to waste time and money carrying out their own investigatlons. (How horrible!)"

Not just in the mind of the writer of the 'Air Report' but also on the lips of many of ufology's leading lights. Not 'horrible!', just an immense waste of time, energy and money on a patent hoax. And how callous of a man who for many years was trusted and respected by his peers.

Bruce Maccabee's motive and actions throughout the course of Oechsler's investigation are highly suspect and we feel that Maccabee owes an explanation to all those in our field who have trusted his judgment over the years.

The question is, is Maccabee being manipulated by Oechsler? Is he being conned or have his judgement and analytical capabilities become desperately impaired?

During the May 28th, meeting between Bob Oechsler, Graham Lightfoot and Gary Osterbrook, Susan Gill was introduced to Graham for the first time. Gill is the External Affairs 'witness' to the event that took place in the Labanek's field.

On a rainy night Susan Gill's dog began barking at the front window and she got up to see what was being barked at. As she looked through her window she noticed, through the trees that border her lot, a set of peculiar red lights glowing across the road in the Labanek's field - she assumed they were fireworks. Other coloured lights rose up over the treetops and instantly vanished. When she did not see any fireworks explode she got curious and went out to her driveway to take a closer look. Suddenly in front and above her was an object with swirling lights. As the object descended she tried, unsuccessfully to get back into her house and she claims that the Labenek dogs could be heard "barking up a storm in the distance" - this despite the fact that on the Guardian video only one dog is heard and only in the view of the 'craft' with the flares extinguished.

Weeks later Gill recalled in detail being abroad the craft and conversing telepathically with the alien occupants and an oriental looking 'being' in charge.

She also remembered a car going by in front of her house just after a helicopter flew over the Labanek's field. She has given several different versions of the car and driver story: It was the Guardian who stopped to ask her if she was OK, another that he stopped and was very rude to her and yet another story that she thought it might have been the Guardian but took note of his licence number anyway despite the fact that she was very groggy and the car speeding away.

Gill claims that on the night she had these experiences it was raining, which on investigation proved to be the night before Diane Labanek and the Guardian claimed to have seen and videoed the 'landed craft'. But, what is most intriguing is Gill's ability to see through the deep stand of thick, tall spuce trees between her and the 'landing site' in the Labanek's field.

Gill is adamant about dogs barking - both hers and the Labeneks, despite the fact that on the Guardian video only one dog is heard and only in the view of the 'craft' with the flares extinguished.

Recently, Gill told our investigators that she was sure that her 'event' took place on "a rainy night", which she maintains was the night before Labanek's 'sighting'. The Guardian video shows neither rain nor wetness which leads us to believe that either Labanek and Guardian were lying or Susan Gill was making up her story.

Gill sent a signed letter to a third party (who wishes to remain annonymous) complaining about "Graham Lightfoot and his associates".

"Mr. Lightfoot first presented himself as having a professional background as a reporter and as a serious UFO Investigator. I had indicated that I was writing a book involving UFOs, Aliens, Psychic Phenomena, a female abductee and an investigator and showed him not only the first chapters but also the story line. Although fictitious characters and incidents are in the story and it is to be published as fiction I'm disturbed by Mr. Lightfoot's indiscretion at revealing it's contents."

It's strange that Gill would dennounce Graham in her letter since she had already shown both her story and outline to Oechsler - he had it when Graham first met Gill.

Why would she be so upset with something that she thought Graham had done when she already knew Oechsler had the story ready to go to print into the UFO Library magazine? She was present when Graham read over Oechsler's copy for the magazine and also Bob left his name out. She was not at all concerned that Bob was using her story, and never suggested that she as at any subsequent meeting with Graham.

If, as Gill writes "fictitious characters and incidents are in the story and it is to be published as fiction" - why did Oechsler treat her story as fact, connecting it in the October/November l993 issue of UFO Library to The Guardian Story?

In the second paragraph of his 'Insiders Report', Oechsler used part of the opening chapter of Gill's novel without giving her a writer's credit - curiously, the same parts of her book that she claims Graham was indiscreet about. None of the 'facts' in this paragraph of Oechsler's "surrealistic screams, excruciating cries of tormented agony that warned off all attempts by residents to investigate, startling screams like no other sound experienced before by anyone...." have been reported or verified. We can only point out that these facts are the opening of Susan Gills Horror Novel.

"Derogatory remarks are being made by Mr. Lightfoot and his Associates a out Mr. Oechsler and myself that are unacceptable and are sufficient grounds for a lawsuit. "

"Please be advised that I am in receipt of your signed letter of the above date. Please be advised also that I have taken your letter very seriously.

As you so correctly pointed out in your letter it is not wise to go by hearsay, for instance, I have been led to believe that all along and from many independent sources that you were indeed victim of the extraordinary phenomenon known as 'UFO Abduction' and was suprised to learn from your letter that a misunderstanding has occurred.

I was not aware that your only participation in the events that transpired in you neighborhood was by way of research for a book of fiction you wre writing as opposed to a personal experience.

May I apologize for this misconception and stress that I will indeed pass you message on to whoever I hear expressing an incorrect view on this matter. Had you chosen to simply write to set the record straight about the above, I would have been agreeable to respect your total confidentiality.

Gill has not responded to the preceeding letter and all of this begs the question: How valid were the Lie detector tests on Gill? Unless of course the questions asked of her during the polygraph testing skirted around the situation or that she is a confabulator (a pathological liar) - someone who believes what they are saying even if the events they describe never happened. Of course we can only surmise!

Diane Labanek was also scheduled to take a polygraph test but changed her mind at the last minute - perhaps realising that she might not 'pass'. By that time there were many people asking a lot of questions about her involvment in the Guardian Caper.

The following are excerpts from Armen Victorian's August 1991 Review of Chapter 10 of 'Alien Liaison' by Timothy Good and associated documentation & correspondence, posted on an InterNet Computer Conference - AltParaUFO on 20 April 1994. The name Armen Victorian is thea pseudonym of an energetic British researcher.

Timothy Good's latest book, was published by Century in May, 1991. Soon afterward, Mr. Good received wide media coverage largely due to ONE chapter in his book which added "punch" to make it a best seller.

In England, he appeared on TV programs and 'live' radio shows, which, via satellite link, also helped to bring his close associate, Mr. Bob Oechsler into the limelight. Bob Oechsler provided the main substance for 'Cosmic Journey' - Chapter 10.

In the conversation I had with Oechsler on 10 August 1991, when it was becoming clear that many areas in Chapter 10 raised very serious questions, he said that I should know by now that Good is not a researcher, but an editor who collects material and puts it together...

...I then contacted Mr. Robert W. Kirchgessner, who was the Director of Special Development Group, Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey, at that time.

Mr. Kirchgessner, with his direct answers, cast a great deal of light on the subject matter, thereby revealing the length and breadth of distortions Good and Oechsler went to present THEIR own version of 'Cosmic Journey'.

I asked Mr. Kirchgessner to describe what took place in the course of their contacts with Oechsler and Good.

He said: "Robert Oechsler's situation is ah, let me put it like this... Robert Oechsler was recommended to us by Timothy Good, we met with the man ONE time. We determined very very quickly that he was a total INCOMPETENT."

"This fact was illustrated when the gentleman approached us, coming in and telling us everything from the fact that he could deliver us a UFO, to whether he had a government agency watching him."

"We were sitting in a restaurant here in Orlando with him. We invited him down here, paying all his costs, to speak to him....."

[This particular factor was confirmed to me by Mr. Robert Kenneston, in a separate telephone conversation with him in his Los Angeles office, on 12 Aug. 1991 {tape recorded conversation}. Mr. Kenneston was a witness to that meeting, and held a separate discussion with Oechsler, as part of the same meeting.]

".....trying to do the best research that we could. And he perceives and comes out with the statement that the CIA people are tracking him and they were sitting and watching him in the restaurant."

"The man was...he was not in touch with reality at the time in my opinion. We had elected not to proceed with him in any way, shape or form. The only question that I felt remaining with the call that I received regarding Robert Oechsler, was whether or not somebody else in the Ringling Corporation had hired him to do additional research without my knowledge. Which was always possible within our company".

"...right, Chuck Smith was my immediate superior. Chuck met various people, he usually would utilize them to continue to look into subject matters, if they had any knowledge at all. To my knowledge at this time, he had never spoken to nor had he been in communication with, nor had gone any further than my initial confidential report to him, stating that this (Mr. Oechsler) is one gentleman that we should NOT do business with. And to this date that is the position that Chuck has taken in regards to this."

I asked Mr. Kirchgessner how Timothy Good became involved? He replied that they decided not to have anything to do with Good due to the high fees he had asked for.

Mr. Kirchgessner's answer to this question is quite contradictory to what Good has written in his book.

Following further discussions, I was invited to become the 'Official Consultant on UFO research' to the Special Development group. A personal meeting in Orlando, Florida, was pre-requisite, the director said, and since I would be visiting Gulf Breeze during October, I made arrangements to fly to Orlando. Unfortunately, DIFFICULTIES with airline scheduling arose, allowing inadequate time for the trip, and I was obliged to postpone the meeting.

I put to Mr. Kirchgessner what Mr. Good had published, he said "It is simply not true, we dropped him because of the sums he was asking as his fees. Then Mr. Robert Oechsler appeared on the horizon."

Mr. Kirchgessner told me that Oechsler had asked for either $1200 or $2000 per day for his work (he couldn't remember the exact figure off-hand).

He had added that they asked Captain Gene Cernan, ex-NASA astronaut, who is a director on their Board, to check Oechsler's credentials regarding his NASA background.

Cernan reported that Oechsler had NEVER held the position he claims in NASA, but that it was possible that he had worked as a junior technician either with NASA or with a NASA sub-contractor, in which case his name would not have been known anyway.

I called Gene Cernan on 8 Aug. 1991. After confirming what Mr. Kirchgessner had said was correct, Cernan added that the 'Cosmic Journey' project never went any further than the drawing board. {Taped telephone conversation}.

The day before, 7 Aug. 1991, I contacted Miss Susan Brewer, who works with Mr. Kirchgessner and was a witness to the Orlando meeting, between Oechsler and the Ringling Bros people.

I read her the passage on page 197 of 'Alien Liaison' in which Good states that the project ('Cosmic Journey') had the approval of President Bush and Vice-President Quayle. She answered: "As far as Bob (Kirchgessner) is concerned, when he worked with Gene Cernan, Cernan presented the project to Vice President Quayle representing President Bush, then yes, I would assume it would go to the top."

[Note: The way in which Good has referred to this point in his book adds more vigor to his version of the story, as to 'Cosmic Journey' initially being a government based project].

She further added, "Let me tell you that when Mr. Oechsler came here to Orlando, I was present. We were very kind and polite, but we realized that he was a little off the wall".

I also put to her what Mr. Kirchgessner had told me about Oechsler's promise to provide them with a genuine UFO. She immediately said, "A genuine UFO plus a spaceship". I asked her whether it was in writing or verbal. She replied "Verbal, but there were four other people at the table, you know, they fell off their chairs!".

I asked if she could give me their names as a matter of record. She answered, "I was one of them, the other young man was Brownell Schlubach. He used to work with us at SDG, Bob Kirchgessner, and the other gentleman's name was Don Branch, the Manager of Design for SDG".

She further added that "after we realized what sort of person we were dealing with, we would not have anything more to do with a person with such a fanatical presentation".

's game plan worked for a while but clearly he did not expect anyone to get in his way. He severely underestimated his ability to control the people who knew what was going on with threats of law-suits, by calling them 'debunkers' or by trying to buy them off. The outcome? Oechsler had to resign from the field claiming that he needed to "extricate myself from this eternal abyss and return to the family life that I've sorely neglected".

Curiously, at no time since the Carp 'Story' broke, have Oechsler, Maccabee, the Labaneks, Gill, or Charlebois pointed out any discrepancies in any of our findings, by letter to us, any of the UFO press or on the computer networks.

Oechsler has only bothered to tell a few individuals and MUFON Headquarters in Seguin, Texas that he was going to sue us and anybody else involved in publicizing the true story because we were "taking his livelihood away".

the posting of a series of 'reviews' of some of our published findings in this newsletter, by a mysterious person named 'ALEX from Quebec'. On the National Capital FreeNet in Ottawa, 'ALEX from Quebec' complained that we used character bashing and threatening of the 'witness' Gill to achieve our 'debunking' results.

'ALEX' apparently didn't have computer network access (just like Oechsler!) and used a member of a small group of 'Carp: We want it to be true' die-hards in Ottawa to diseminate the results of an 'investigation'.

The letter and the 'ALEX' messages smacked of Oechsler's writing style and contained information to which only he and we were privy. And we thought the similarity between the names 'Oechsler' (Ex-Ler) and 'ALEX' was interesting too...

Gill did once threaten MUFON Ontario verbally via the phone, to Victor, saying that she would sue us if we publicized her name, which might create problems for her at her work place. A good time to think about 'job security' after all the nonsense of her 'story', no?

It seems to us that we've either done a good job in our research and investigation or the above mentioned individuals are patsies and we don't think so.

1) The Labaneks, Bobby Charlebois, Pavel Farfara and possibly others were involved in creating a Hoax video and distributing it as a recording of a 'UFO landing'.

2) That Susan Gill's story was used to pad the Carp event, even though her 'event' occurred (if at all) at a different time.

3) Oechsler used his manipulative ability to build a story even though he knew of the circumstances and exactly what was going on and together with Bruce Maccabee, intentionally misled the public, the media and ufology using unethical means, and bad judgement in order to benefit financially and personally.

4) That the Guardian video of a 'UFO landing' has, after analysis, proved inconclusive and likely is either a pick-up truck or (according to the RCMP investigation) a helicopter.

We would like to thank all the people who helped us resolve this intriguing 'case' - resolved in our minds and in the minds of the following people:

First and foremost Graham Lightfoot for the tireless, countless hours he spent on this case on his own and with us, for not breaking down despite unscrupulous tactics by Oechsler & Oechsler's 'friends',

'Our' group : Victor Lourenco, Drew Williamson, Sue Kovios, Chuck Courville, Wayne St. John and Vaughn Killin.

OICEPE's Jacques Poulet, Christian Nault and the 'chief' - Christian Page, for their help in obtaining the RCMP report, putting the real story out and for the energy they expended on the actual investigation.

To all the people across Canada who nudged, prodded and guided - the independant Chris Rutkowski, Mike Strainic, Grant Wakefield, Mike McLarty, 'Sandy' and several others who don't want to be mentioned but who made major contributions.

Special thanks to Ian Rogers and Associates for the courage and tenacity they showed in ferreting out much truth on the case, without whose help we might never have found out as much as we did.

Thanks to Tom's wife Lise, she was beside him throughout the years of the case, everywhere we went - through rain, mud, snow, humidity, heat and our highs and lows.

Last but not least thanks to all those individuals around the planet whose encouragement and snippets of information added much to a very difficult and long task, especially MUFON Headquarters in Seguin, Texas, (thanks Dennis Stacy) and Vicky Cooper Ecker & shiney new husband Don Ecker of UFO MAGAZINE and UFOs Tonite for not being afraid of the truth.

We consider this case closed and will now turn our attention to the completion of 'Carp: The Official MUFON Ontario Report'.

We will keep you up-to-date on the inevitable attempts by Oechsler and that strange group of people in Carleton County to discredit us and will endevour to block all attempts by Oechsler to 'come-back'.