"Gone fishing" - on a break

In September 2017, I wrote a blog post "How to Research the UFO Phenomenon and Stay Sane." I laid out my philosophy in eight points:

1. Have some guiding principles.

2. Tackle diverse research projects.

3. Read widely.

4. Don't separate research into UFOs, from research into the paranormal.

5. Take frequent breaks from research.

6. Reinvent oneself from time to time.

7. Publish your research findings.

8. Don't be afraid to respectfully disagree with other researchers.

I value those individuals who have contributed to this blog, by supplying leads to information; providing comments etc. I do also appreciate the opportunity to engage in peer discussion. However, it is time for me to take another break. So, as from 1 November 2019, I will not be publishing any new posts on this blog for the duration of this latest break.

The length of breaks has varied from three months to four years. After each previous break, I have returned refreshed, to the topic; with a clearer capacity to undertake research and again contribute to the debate.

I will catch up with you in due course. In the meantime please enjoy reading some of the other 1,051 posts on the blog.

Keith.

TTSA - US Army Agreement - quantum communications, and camouflage

To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science

On 17 October 2019, the To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science announced that they had entered into an agreement; to be specific,  "A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement" (CRADA) with the US Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command.

On 18 October 2019, US researcher John Greenewald posted a piece about this agreement, and in addition provided a PDF copy of the agreement, obtained from the US Army. John is to be congratulated for his quick investigative research on this agreement.

This blog post is about two specific items, mentioned in the CRADA, namely "quantum communications," and camouflage.

CRADA

On  page 22 of the CRADA, Article D  is headed "Technical Tasks and Associated Resources." D1 Government Activity. "1. The Government is interested in a variety of the Collaborator's technologies, such as, but not limited to ... quantum communications..."

"D2 Collaborator Activity.
Collaborator shall...3. Provide the agreed upon materiel technologies for USG testing and evaluation...3 c) Quantum communication 1) Related research to-date on theories, studies, mathematical formulas, and prototypes 2) future developments, prototypes, and hardware associated with the specific quantum product."

What do we know of TTSA's work on quantum communications?

In one of TTSA's filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, there was a mention of plans for 2019 which included "continuing evaluation of quantum communication technology."

On 10 March 2019, Twitter user "dregs" posted a tweet which included a link to a relevant US patent application. This application, US20180062765A1, was submitted by Harold E Puthoff and Christopher A Eusebi, assigned to EarthTech International Inc, filed on 31 August 2016 and granted 23 July 2019.

The patent is headed "Communications system." The abstract reads:

" A communication system using vector and scalar potential is disclosed. The system uses field-free potentials signaling for many applications where the absence of shielding effects in sea water, plasma or other dense media due to the fact that the absence of (E,B) fields eliminates the possibility of induced charge and current response in the media being transited."

Under the section headed "Claims" on page 17 of the downloadable PDF is:

"What is claimed is:

1. A system for communication with a submarine disposed beneath saltwater:

An antenna disposed outside of the submarine, the antenna being configure to produce an EM field having a frequency greater than 100Mhz, said EM field having a vector potential A and a scalar potential phi;

A receiver disposed within the submarine, the received configured to receive the A and Phi fields and convert the A and Phi fields into an electromagnetic signal; and

A cooling system configured to cool a portion of the received to below liquid nitrogen temperature."

My comments:

1. The patent specifically speaks of a "system for communications with a submarine" under the water. What would be the interest to the US Army's Ground Vehicle Systems Center? I cannot see a connection.

2. The patent is assigned to EarthTech International Inc., and not the TTSA.

Camouflage

A second notable item in the CRADA is again be found on page 22, under section "D2 Collaborator Activity."

"Collaborator shall...

3. provide the agreed upon materiel technologies for USG testing and evaluation...

e) Active Camouflage and Directed Photon Projection

1) Projection system

2) Technology associated with these systems

3) Materiel projection surfaces

4) Proposed applications of these systems"

What do we know of TTSA's work on "Active Camouflage and Directed Photon Projection?"

A search of the TTSA's filings with the US government's Securities and Exchange Commission failed to locate any mention of "Active Camouflage and Directed Photon Projection." It appears that this particular project has never been mentioned by TTSA on any previous occasion, as far as I can determine. 

I did however, find a connection between the patent for quantum communication, and work on camouflage which would be relevant to the US Army's Ground Vehicle Systems Center. You will note above, that one of the names mentioned in the quantum communication patent was Christopher A Eusebi. Well, it turns our that Christopher A Eusibi is one of the to names on a patent concerning "System for producing camouflage pattern based on perception machine vision." 

Patent number 10282628, dated 7 May 2019, has an abstract with reads:

"A method and system for evaluating camouflage pattern with statistically significant effectiveness in various environments and for using a generic algorithm to produce an improved camouflage patterns."

However, I failed to find any mention of Eusebi and "active camouflage and directed photon projection." Hopefully, a reader of this blog post may be able to assist with further information.

Update 21 October 2019

Blog reader "aboveUAV" left a comment on the blog yesterday which provided additional insight. "above UAV" wrote, in part:

"The wording in section e has some striking parallels with the TTSA/TruClear partnership wording."

On 6 August 2019, the news section of the TTSA website announced that they had signed a "Cooperative Marketing Agreement" with a US company named TruClear Global.   Part of the TTSA announcement read:

"TruClear Global has developed an industry-leading proprietary technology platform for providing next-generation vertically integrated materials, hardware,software, data collection, and data analytics solutions for interactive imaging technology and immersive experience environments...TruClear's proprietary nanoscale material based optical and imaging systems...TruClear's proven track record as an industry leader in photon projection technology and adaptive optical sensor technology..."

The TruClear website also states, in part:

"Our proprietary range of Nano-Optical coatings creates a new marketing reality by making any surface an HD storytelling opportunity..."

BAASS - "the human body as a readout system"

KLAS-TV report

On 4 May 2018, as part of a Las Vegas KLAS-TV news report, by George Knapp and Matt Adams, on "a treasure trove" of Pentagon documents relating to the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP,) the piece included the following:

"The agreement with DIA did not mention UFOs at all. It used more generic terms such a future threats and breakthrough technologies and specified 12 focal points including lift, propulsion, materials, versions of stealth as well as human interface and human effects, meaning Bigelow's team would study people who reported unusual experiences beyond seeing UFOs."

The successful company who were granted the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) AAWSAP contract was Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) of Las Vegas.

There was a hyper link in the online story to a "Statement from a Senior Manager of BAASS." In full the statement read:

"Statement from a Senior Manager of BAASS
By Caroline Bleakley
Updated May 04, 2018 05:28PM PDT

LAS VEGAS - BAASS broke new ground in professionalism by hiring, training and deploying 50 full-time staff comprising retired military intelligence and law enforcement officers, PhD level scientists, engineers, technicians, analysts, translators, and project managers to create the largest multi-disciplinary full-time team in history to investigate the UFO topic.

The investigation by BAASS provided new lines of evidence showing that the UFO phenomenon was a lot more then nuts and bolts machines that interacted with military aircraft. The phenomenon also involved a whole panoply of diverse activity that included bizarre creatures, poltergeist activity, invisible entities, orbs of light, animal and human injuries and more. The exclusive focus on nuts and bolts machines could be considered myopic and unproductive in solving the larger mystery of UFOs.

One of the major successes of BAASS was in adopting the novel approach of utilizing the human body as a readout system for dissecting interactions with the UFO phenomenon. This novel approach aimed to circumvent the increasing evidence of deception and subterfuge by the UFO phenomenon in that multiple eyewitnesses co-located in the same vicinity frequently reported seeing widely different events. The evidence was multiplying that the UFO phenomenon was capable of manipulating and distorting human perception and therefore witness testimony of UFO activity was becoming increasingly trustworthy.

The BAASS approach was to view the human body as a readout system for UFO effects by utilizing forensic technology, the tools of immunology, cell biology, genomics and neuroanatomy for in depth study of the effects of UFOs on humans. This approach marked a dramatic shift away from the traditional norms of relying on eyewitness testimony as the central evidentiary arm in UFO investigations. The approach aimed to bypass UFO deception and manipulation of human perception by utilizing molecular forensics to decipher the biological consequences of the phenomenon.

The result of applying this new approach was a revolution in delineating the threat level of UFOs."

Defense Intelligence Reference Documents

As part of the AAWSAP, a series of documents were commissioned from a range of scientists, where each contributor was asked to prepare a paper on one aspect or another of the 12 focal points as defined in the DIA AAWSAP solicitation of August 2008. The DIA, in responding to an FOIA request submitted by Steve Aftergood, Federation of American Scientists, in a letter dated 16 January 2019 attached a copy of "the list that was recently transmitted to Congress of all DIA products produced under the Advanced Aerospace Threat and Identification Program contract." This list contained the titles and authors of 38 documents. Some of the documents have been publicly revealed in the format of Defense Intelligence Reference Documents, dated 2010.

One of the documents listed in the official DIA response was:

"Field Effects on Biological Tissues, Dr Kit Green, Wayne State Univ. (Product is classified UNCLASSIFIED/FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.)"

This document, to date, has not surfaced in the public domain, so we are unaware of its date or contents.

BAASS positions

By September 2008, BAASS were advertising for scientists in multiple disciplines including, in the fields of biochemistry, microbiology, biological cognitive interaction, electromagnetic fields, and forensic pathology.

Three former BAASS employees

On 2 September 2012, the Paracast Internet radio show carried an extensive interview with an anonymous individual whom Paracast named "Chip." The hosts of the show stated that they had checked "Chip's" credentials and believed he was, who he said he was. "Chip" informed the audience that he was recruited as a security guard for the Utah ranch owned by Robert Bigelow, and worked there for a total of about eight weeks around 2009/2010. He stated that he held a secret, military security clearance. He described being told that if he felt anything unusual while at the ranch he should used supplied night vision; thermal imaging equipment, and cameras to record the event/after the event, "because there is an unexplained energy out there." His job ended when a US government sponsored contract ran out. "Chip" also told of producing periodical urine samples which went to a lab in Las Vegas. He was also aware that some BAASS security guards were sent to Reno for medical tests which included MRI. A direct quote from "Chip" is "It almost looks like we were the guinea pigs - they were testing us."

In July and August 2019, three episodes of the Internet radio show "UFO Classified" hosted by Utah researcher Erica Lukes, featured interviews with an individual named Chris J Marx, who Lukes had verified worked at Bigelow's Utah ranch between 2010 and 2016. He was recruited by BAASS following an interview. Marx revealed that he had a military background, and holds a secret DOD clearance. He stated that while employed at the Utah ranch, he was sent for a comprehensive set of medical tests in Reno. These tests included  urine, blood, ECG, EKG and MRI. He said these sort of tests were conducted at random intervals on him and others who served at the ranch. He was never made aware of the results of these tests.

On 20 September 2019, on another "UFO Classified" show, Erica Lukes interviewed an individual named Christopher Bartel. I have know, from publicly available LinkedIn website profile data that Bartel stated that he had been employed by Bigelow Aerospace. On the show he advised that he was in fact employed by BAASS as a security guard, and served on the Utah ranch between 2010 and 2016. Bartel stated he was ex USAF, had worked at the Nevada Test site, and was now privately employed. He told host Lukes that when engaged by BAASS he was told very little about the ranch, and provided with basic equipment; i.e. night vision equipment; thermal imaging gear and cameras. He also spoke about going to Reno to undergo medical tests including an MRI, the results of which he was never given.

Back to the BAASS statement

Included in the BAASS senior manager's statement above, was the sentence:

"The phenomenon also involved a whole panoply of diverse activity that included bizarre creatures, poltergeist activity, invisible entities, orbs of light, animal and human injury and more."

This list of aspects of the phenomenon, would fit exactly the range of unusual experiences reported to have taken place at Bigelow's Utah ranch, as described in the 2005 book "Hunt for the Skinwalker" by Colm A Kelleher and George Knapp (Paraview, New York), and by the above three former BAASS employees. However, BAASS undertook investigations in locations other than the Utah ranch, and so the list of aspects of the phenomenon may, in part, refer to these other locations, e.g. Bigelow's "other UFO ranch."  

National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS)

Robert Bigelow's NIDS placed scientific teams out at the ranch between 1996 and 2004. On page 144 of the, "Hunt for the Skinwalker," there appears:

"NIDS carefully investigated the wide variety of eyewitnesses to the incidents at the ranch and interviewed neighbors and locals who also experienced very similar events. Although in addition to psychological profiles, multiple discussions took place on the need to monitor stress hormones and other blood chemistry profiles of all researchers on the ranch, the initiative never went beyond the discussion phase."

Questions

The above pieces of information are like a jigsaw puzzle, where you don't know the total number of pieces; you don't know the picture which will be revealed after all the pieces are in place; and you can't be sure the pieces you have, belong to only one puzzle. More questions are raised, than have been answered. 

A third former BAASS employee spoke out in 2012

Introduction

Recent posts have provided details of the testimony of two former Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) employees (click here and here to read,) both of whom worked on the Bigelow Utah ranch between 2010 and 2016. This has provided us with a perspective on the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) that we have not previously had.

However, a number of readers of this blog, including Di Irwolf, have reminded me that, back in 2012, an individual identified only as "Chip," had provided his own testimony about being a former BAASS security guard, at the Utah Ranch. Thus bringing to three, the number of such individuals who have come forward.

On 2 September 2012, The Paracast Internet radio show, carried an extensive interview with "Chip." The hosts of that show stated that they had checked "Chip's" credentials and that he wouldn't have appeared on the show unless they were satisfied he was who he said he was. For those blog readers who are time poor, I will provide my notes made after listening to the interview. However, I would urge you to take the time and listen to the complete interview.

In addition, based on the information which "Chip" revealed, I believe I have identified his name, but at this time, choose not to give it here.

His engagement at the ranch

"Chip"was recruited as a security guard for the Utah ranch, and spent a total of approximately eight weeks there, on and off for two weeks at a time. This was around 2009/2010. He was based in Las Vegas, and would initially be flown to the ranch. This practice then stopped, and he drove to the property in a hire car from Las Vegas, which was an eight hour trip. He had a secret, military security clearance.

BAASS did not provide him with much information about the ranch at all, when he went there to work. He was told that his role was as a security guard, patrolling and keeping people off the ranch.

Equipment wise, he was issued with a camera, night vision equipment and thermal imaging gear. He was told that if he felt anything different about his body, e.g. hair standing on end, that he should stop and immediately scan around with a thermal imager and night vision equipment, plus take photographs, "because there is an unexplained energy out there." Asked how many surveillance cameras there were on the property, "Chip" stated that when he was there, there were no working cameras.

Noting that he was engaged for just eight weeks, a show host asked "Chip" if the job was a short term hire only? "Chip" responded that "they did a mass hire, not just the guards. They hired investigators. They hired doctors. They had all sorts of, like, doctors. I mean nuclear physicists and all that."

In 2010, he said, they laid everyone off, stating that they had lost their contract.

Photographs

Following up "Chip's" statement re taking photographs, one of the hosts asked him if anything showed up in his pictures? He said that he, and others, got things called "orbs" in photographs. They were said to be balls of energy, though he first thought they might be dust/pollen in the air. However, he noted that in a series of consecutive photographs, these orbs might show up in one picture, but not the next, and so he was unsure if it was dust/pollen.

Dogs

He mentioned that they had three dogs with them. These were ordinary house dogs and not specially trained in any way. He said there were times when the dogs would unexpectedly start barking, or would just lie down on the ground. At times like that, he would take photographs. Although on such occasions he didn't feel anything himself at all; orbs would turn up in such pictures. To his knowledge, BAASS did not conduct any medical tests on the dogs.

Scientists

"Chip" was asked if he had any interaction with BAASS scientists? He replied that scientists only came there once in his time on the ranch. To him, it just seemed like they were there simply to collect their pay checks and "figure out, go out and do this..."

Military visitors

Guest/host Ryan Skinner said he'd heard rumours about high ranking military people visiting the property, did "Chip" know anything about this? "Chip" responded that although military people had not visited during his times there, he was aware from talking to others, that high ranking military people had indeed visited the ranch. His recollection of what he was told, was that one was a general and there were three altogether, with one being female. There was an incident of some sort, and the military people freaked out. They "saw something." Freaked out, and asked to be immediately escorted off the property.

Medical tests

Ryan Skinner said he had heard that urine tests were conducted on people who had "experiences" at the ranch? Did "Chip" know of this? "Chip" confirmed that this was true. "They made you do a pee test. You had to pee in these little jars and you had to bring them back with you when you went out, after two weeks stay. You had to bring it down to Las Vegas where they had their little lab. I don't know what they did with it."

"They also had some guys, after they went through as security, guys that went to the ranch; a few guys that hadn't been to the ranch yet. They sent these guys, they paid for the trip, to Reno, on a weekend. Paid for the facility to be opened and did brain scans on all the individuals...MRI and they would not let you look at it. They said the only information you will get is if you have a brain tumour, or something life threatening you know, wrong with your brain and they'll give you some information on it..."

"It almost looks like we were the guinea pigs - they were testing us."

Paperwork

"They said we lost our contract and I actually saw some paperwork at the office in Las Vegas there. They were actually under contract by the government. All of our pay, everything..."

One of the hosts asked "What branch of government?" "Chip" replied, "The NSA."

At this point in the show, one of the hosts asked "Chip" if he could produce documents to prove he was actually employed by these people? "Chip" first answered, "Yes," then clarified whether the host "meant employed by NSA or BAASS?" Another host cut in and stated that "Chip's" credentials had been checked or he would not have been on the show. So the question of who "Chip" was ultimately through BAASS, employed by, was lost.

Skinwalker Ranch - a second BAASS employee speaks out

Christopher Bartel

A while ago, I compiled a list of individuals whom I believed, based on their own profiles on the LinkedIn website, worked for Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS,) the firm which was the successful bidder for the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) contract. One of these individuals was named Christopher Bartel.

Bartel's LinkedIn profile includes the following details:

"Security Officer
Bigelow Aerospace
Sep 2010 - Present - 9years 2mos.
1899 West Brooks Ave, Las Vegas NV
Security Officer/Investigator. Responsible for protecting multi-million dollar equipment and assets
Expert in investigative writing and detailed reports.
Holds a Department of Defense active T/S clearance.
Small arms expert and secondary defense tactics.
Security professional with over 14 years experience.
Effectively operate all CCTV equipment.
Provide a safe work environment for all Aerospace employees."

"Nevada Test Site
WSI
June 2006 -Nov 2009 - 3yrs 6mos
Security Police Officer -Level II.
Physical security specialist certified for duties in sensitive areas....

United States Air Force
May 1998- June 2006 8 yrs 4mos
Nellis AFB Las Vegas NV."

Chris J Marx

In a recent blog post, I discussed the account of a former BAASS employee, Chris J Marx, who worked at the Utah ranch between 2010 and 2016.  Chris Marx was employed by BAASS as a security guard for Robert Bigelow's Utah ranch, commonly known as the Skinwalker Ranch. In that prior post, I provided details of Marx's experiences at that ranch, as relayed to Erica Lukes, a Utah researcher, who hosts an Internet radio show named "UFO Classified."

New show

On 20 September 2019, Erica Lukes, as host of "UFO Classified" interviewed both Chris J Marx and Christopher Bartel. Below I give details from this interview. My thanks go to Erica, Chris Marx and Christopher Bartel for being willing to discuss this matter.

Bartel had heard Chris Marx on a previous edition of "UFO Classified" and got in touch with him. Bartel said he was a former USAF security officer for ten years, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, and living in Las Vegas. After he left the USAF he took a job at the Nevada Test site and worked there for a couple of years, during which he obtained a Q clearance.  His wife was also a USAF security guard, but later left the USAF.

In 2009, Bartel got a message from a friend whom he had known from the USAF. That individual was working for BAASS and asked Bartel if he was interested in a job with BAASS? Bartel said yes, and in due course was interviewed by Colm Kelleher of BAASS. During that interview, Kelleher asked Bartel if he (Bartel) had had any unusual experiences? Bartel responded that he had. Before the USAF, in around 1996/1997 he had been in Kansas, and explored a house which had paranormal experiences occurring there. In 2008, he conducted investigations into a Nevada hotel where odd things happened. Bartel was then offered a job with BAASS, and he accepted.

Briefing

Erica Lukes asked Bartel about his induction to the ranch, specifically how much information he was given by BAASS about the ranch? Bartel responded that he was told very, very little about it. He bought a book about the ranch but decided not to look at it until he had been at the ranch for a couple of months.

During his first week of his initial two week rotation/tour, nothing unusual happened. In the second week at the ranch he was joined there by Chris Marx. They formed a team which lasted between 2010 and 2016, when the ranch was sold by Bigelow.

Equipment

Lukes asked Bartel what equipment had BAASS provided to them for use at the ranch? Bartel replied that it was night vision equipment; thermal imaging gear; EMF detectors, and cameras. However, that the cameras were in such poor condition, especially dusty, that when photographs were taken with a flash, dust particles would show up in the pictures, as "orbs." They bought their own high definition cameras to use.

Bartel also mentioned that a couple of the ranch surveillance cameras were just fake ones. At one time, when there was a fear of outsiders talking about shooting "hybrids" at the ranch, they bought additional surveillance cameras out of their own money.

Training

On the associated question of how much training did BAASS provide to them, Bartel said he didn't recall any. It was more like a "shoot from the hip" style introduction to the job.

Atmosphere

Lukes asked Bartel if at any time he felt threatened while at the ranch? He responded that there were times when he had felt scared, as you were putting yourself into the unknown. The ranch was isolated and there was no cell phone service. However, he never felt threatened, although he did elaborate that there were some ranch locations, e.g. the west side of the property, where he felt uneasy.

Paranormal episodes

Over the six years at the ranch, between 2010 and 2016, there were the following occurrences:

1. He often felt a sense that he was "being watched."

2. In October one year, Marx had found some wolf prints during the day when he was out for a run. He and Marx went out that night, during a full Moon, "to capture the wolf." They found a set of huge prints. They walked around for hours, then decided to backtrack their own prints to the trailer. They found wolf prints by their original outgoing tracks, as if the wolf had been following them. About 1/4 mile from the trailer, with flashlights in use, Marx heard a noise. Bartel turned around and out of a ditch came a deep growl. Then he suddenly saw a wolf appear, "the size of a donkey." It headed westwards. They and their dogs went after the animal. Bartel then said, he blinked his eyes and the wolf disappeared in front of him, and that the wolf's tracks simply stopped.

3. He experienced disembodied footsteps near the trailer.

4. Unusual sounds, e.g. close by, drum-like sounds for 6-7 seconds duration, heard on the east side of the property.

5. Something followed him home once. After about 3-4 rotations at the ranch he was at home. He was in his living room, and beside him, his 1-2 month old baby son was sound asleep. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a billowing, black smoke, in the form of a small ball. He looked directly at it, and it shot across the room. In the hallway, he saw what appeared to be the shadow figure of a man sitting there. His son suddenly woke up with a scream of terror. Bartel felt scared but not threatened, and told the thing to go back to the ranch, as it didn't belong in the house. His wife had separately seen something standing in the hallway.

6. Asked by Lukes if he'd ever seen any UFOs at the ranch, Bartel said no classic UFO sightings. Once, at 3am, at the east gate he had seen a glittering gold coloured light above the trailer. He turned the car around, but by then there was nothing to see. He recorded it in a report. Another time there was another low key sighting.

Attitude

He noted that if an individual who had an arrogant approach, visited the ranch, then some things would happen to that person. It was better not to have an ego, and he had remained open minded. His mother had raised him as a Buddhist. He went to the ranch "showed up'" "told the truth" and saw what happened. He practiced meditation.

His approach

He saw the ranch as a "crime scene" and his job was to gather data and evidence. That was hard to do, as things happened at random, and they had to document them. They wrote reports about incidents which occurred. Sometimes they would phone in their reports. He felt he was thrown into the environment to see what happened to him. A typical military-like mission.

Medical tests

Like Marx, Bartel spoke about going to Reno to have an MRI. He said he never received any results, although he would have liked to have known them.

Miscellaneous

1. During his six years there, between 2010 and 2016, he never once saw Colm Kelleher or Robert Bigelow at the ranch. He has respect for both men. Kelleher was into gathering data.

2. Bartel said that the narrative about the ranch, from the start, had featured such things as cattle mutilations. He said this might have happened during the 1990's but during his time there, although there were some cattle on the property at times, nothing like that happened of which he was aware. In talking to the locals, the manager of another property told him that the mutilations had been conducted by locals, sourcing food.

3. Marx and himself had found evidence of native American occupancy of the property at some time in the past. He thought that the property should be treated with respect because of this.

4. Asked by Lukes about his feelings about the ranch, Bartel said that he felt he was missing part of the puzzle; and that the ranch had become a "second home" to him. He appreciated his time there; had a good relationship with the caretakers on the ranch, and had a great time while there.

My comments

1. My congratulations to Christopher Bartel for coming forward to tell his experiences.

2. Both Chris Marx and Christopher Bartel tell of being recruited to work for BAASS. Colm Kelleher was their supervisor. Both Marx and Bartel said they were unaware at the time about the USM$22.5 Defense Intelligence Agency AAWSAP contract.

3. Bartel's description of BAASS recruitment; and experiences while at the ranch, dovetail nicely with those previously described by Marx during his three interviews with Erica Lukes.

4. There seems little doubt that investigations at the ranch somehow fitted into the overall BAASS operation. We know from former Senator Harry Reid, that DIA officials visited the ranch. Whether DIA AAWSAP contract money was used for ranch research remains unclear.

5. Colm Kelleher's LinkedIn profile contains the following details:

"Deputy Administrator
BAASS
2008 - 2012 4 years
* Interviewed and hired and trained a team of 50 scientists, engineers, analysts, and created the classified infrastructure for an IC contract to study proprietary advanced aerospace technology and threat analysis
* Briefed government department undersecretary and senior United States senators on threat analysis and advanced technology programs.
* Worked closely with IC to develop and execute multiple programs involving advanced aerospace  technology including negotiating  and executing multi-disciplinary subcontracts for database creation, physics and engineering analysis and medical science studies
* Led in the creation of all scientific programs and strategic initiatives  for the company
* Interfaced with Congressional staff, political consultants, Washington DC think tanks and other organizations in the furtherance of company goals.
* COMSEC Custodian and Facility Security Officer for IC latter contract period."

TTSA's metamaterials acquisition - some details revealed

Background

On 25 July 2019, the To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science (TTSA) website carried a post titled "To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science makes groundbreaking metamaterials acquisition." The text of the announcement was:

"San Diego, CA (July 25, 2019) - To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science (TTSA) has acquired multiple pieces of metamaterials and an archive of initial analysis and research for their controversial ADAM Research Project. ADAM an acronym for Acquisition and  Data Analysis of Materials, is an academic research program focused on the exploitation of exotic materials for technological innovation.

The ownership of these assets, which were previously retained and  studied by investigative journalist  Linda Moulton Howe and are reported to have come from an  advanced aerospace vehicle of unknown origin, allows TTSA to conduct rigorous scientific evaluation to determine its  function and possible applications.

'The structure and composition of  these materials are not from any known existing military or  commercial application,' says Steve Justice, current COO of To The Stars Academy and former  head of Advanced Systems at Lockheed Martin's "Skunk Works."

'They've been collected from  sources of varying levels of chain-of-custody documentation, so we are focusing on verifiable facts and working to develop independent scientific proof of the materials' properties and attributes. In some cases, the manufacturing technology required to fabricate the material is only now becoming available, but the material has been  in documented possession since the mid-1990's. We currently have multiple material samples being analyzed by contracted laboratories and have plans to extend the scope of the study.' TTSA will also seek to engage the potential partners who have expressed interest in  helping accelerate ADAM research and development.

'If the claims associated with these assets can be validated and substantiated, then we can initiate work to transition them from being  a technology to commercial and military capabilities,' adds Justice. 'As noted in out October 2017 TTSA kickoff webcast, technologies that would allow us to engineer the spacetime metric would bring capabilities that would fundamentally alter civilization, with revolutionary changes to transportation, communication, and computation.'

A Public Benefit Corporation, To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science is a consortium of scientists, aerospace engineers, and creatives working collectively to empower gifted researchers the freedom to explore exotic science and technologies with the support to rapidly transition innovative ideas into world-changing products and services."

The image which was used in association with the above text is shown below:

Further details available

On 29 September 2019, TTSA filed a number of documents with the US government's Securities and Exchange Commission.  One of these documents, was "Form 1-SA." Item 4  to this form is a list of "exhibits," one of which is labelled "6.22 Asset Purchase Agreement dated July 15, 2019." It is this one which was of particularly interest to me, in relation to the 25 July 2019 announcement by TTSA concerning the acquisition of metamaterials.

This "Confidential" Asset Purchase Agreement is an agreement between TTSA as the buyer and Thomas DeLonge as the seller. Section 1.03 tells us that the purchase price for the Assets was $35,000.

What was purchased?

Section 3.04 advises:

"The Purchased Assets are in good condition. The Metal Pieces included in the Purchased Assets are (i) one 1.75" x 1.25" x 0.25" piece of micron-layered Bismuth/Magnesium-Zinc metal; (ii) six small pieces of Bismuth/Magnesium-Zinc metal; (iii) one piece of Aluminum that TTSA physicist Hal Puthoff already has in his possession  and currently on loan from Seller; and (iv) one round black and silver metal flake that physicist Puthoff already has in his possession and currently on loan from seller,; and (iv) one round black and silver metal flake. The Binder Archive and Documentation includes all records, documents, correspondence, analyses, tests and test results relating to or regarding the Metal Pieces."

[Note by KB - the repetition of (iv) is in the original document. Schedule A to the document has the same text except it does not repeat item (iv). This appears indicative that there was the initial listing of the assets was for four (i - iv) only.]