Scanned: Case Number 243544: 42-t-1127712-20060476F-001-001-2013

MUFON UFO JOURNAL
ability to distort an observation retroactively to
make it better match expectation. This phenome
non can be a real problem with eyewitness ac
counts to traffic accidents, and even more so to
aviation accidents - even accounts from expe
rienced observers. For example, in August 1987,
a Northwest Airlines MD-88 took off from
Detroit Metro airport. The crew, however, had
failed to lower the flaps to the takeoff position
(15 degrees). Under most circumstances, this er
ror would not have been a fatal mistake.
Unfortunately, due to other contributing factors
(short runway, hot day, fully loaded aircraft,
etc.), they didn't make it. During the investiga
tion of the accident, the crew of the aircraft in
line for takeoff immediately behind the
Northwest airplane testified that its flaps were
definitely lowered to the takeoff position.
Analysis of the wreckage and flight-data
recorder, however, showed otherwise. The testi
mony of the crew of the second aircraft was
wrong. What they remembered was what they
thought they should have seen rather than what
they actually saw.
A Trip to Washington
The central focus of the Roswell story has
been the recovery of the unusual debris from the
Foster Ranch in July, 1947. This is where it all·
started. The most important living witness to
that debris is Jesse Marcel, Jr., MD, the son of
Major Jesse Marcel, Sr., the intelligence officer
of the 509th Bomb Group. After being out at the
site, Major Marcel stopped by his house on the
way back to the base and laid the debris out on
his kitchen floor to show his wife and son. As a
result, Jesse Marcel, Jr., got a good look at the
unusual material. Potentially, the key to the
whole Roswell UFO case lies in Jesse Marcel,
Jr.'s memory. He saw the debris. Either it was
extraterrestrial or it was not.
Despite the recent overwhelmingly negative
developments in the Roswell case, I did not
want to leave any stone unturned. I therefore
arranged to have Jesse Marcel, Jr. fly to
Washington, D.C., for a thorough debriefing
session to see if we could get a better picture of
the exact nature of the unusual debris that pre
cipitated the Roswell story.
Being fully aware of the pitfalls in the use of
hypnosis for memory retrieval, I decided that it
still might be an avenue worth pursuing. In addi
tion to its (controversial) use in retrieving re
pressed subconscious memories, hypnosis can
be an effective tool in enhancing conscious
memory. Law enforcement agencies sometimes
use hypnosis in this manner to help a witness
better remember a face or a license plate num
ber, for example.
Because I considered our effort such an im
portant endeavor, I wanted to find the best in the
field. I also wanted someone who had maximum
credibility and who was not associated with the
UFO community. There was a reason for this. In
the event that anything significantly positive
came out of the hypnotic session, there would be
a greater chance of it being taken seriously by
the mainstream public.
My search led me to Neil Hibler, PhD, a clin
ical psychologist with an office in the
Washington, D.C., area. Dr. Hibler is one of the
world's leading experts in the use of hypnotic
regression for forensic purposes. Law enforce
ment agencies all over the world have retained
him for important cases. Among the agencies
that have called on him are the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, the National Security Agency,
the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the intelli
gence agencies of all three armed services. Dr.
Hibler has worked with subjects from all walks
of life, including diplomats and generals.
On the evening of January 10, 1997, four of
us met in Dr. Hibler's office for the first of three
sessions. The other two sessions took place over
the next two days. Jesse Marcel, Jr., who is one
of the most honest and sincere persons I have
ever met, cooperated completely, despite the po
tential controversy of any significant outcome.
Dr. Hibler had suggested that everything be
recorded on videotape. This was done by Denise
Marcel, Jesse, Jr.'s 33-year-old daughter, who
flew in from Los Angeles. Denise was espe
cially interested in our endeavor because she has
studied hypnosis formally and is a licensed hyp
notherapist in California. Aprofessional illustra
tor from the Washington, D.C., area, Kimberly
Moeller, was also present during the second and
third sessions.
Dr. Hibler's approach was to have Jesse go
through the entire story twice, without the aid of
hypnosis. Hypnosis was then administered for
each subsequent recounting of the story.
According to Denise, her father is not an easy
hypnotic subject, but was definitely in a mild to
medium trance by the end of the last session.
The hypnosis did not, however, bring out any
thing new that was of significance. For that rea
son, confabulation (false memory syndrome)
was definitely not a concern. In Jesse's words,
the hypnosis simply helped "tine tune" his con
scious memory. For example, by the end of the
last session, he was able to recall several details
about which he had previously been uncertain
- the debris' already having been laid out on
Major Marcel
stopped by his
house on the
way back to
the base and
laid the debris
out on his
kitchen floor to
show his wife
and son. As a
result, Jesse
Marcel, Jr., got
a good look at
the unusual
material.
Potentially, the
key to the
whole Roswell
UFO case lies
in Jesse
Marcel, Jr.'s
memory. He
saw the debris.
Either it was
extraterrestrial
or it was not.
June
1997
Number 350
Page 9