(James Easton, May 2000)
CONTENTS
[...]
2. THE `RENDLESHAM FOREST' UFO ENCOUNTERS - COPY OF ORIGINAL, KEY TESTIMONY AND SKETCHES NOW PUBLISHED.
2. THE `RENDLESHAM FOREST' UFO ENCOUNTERS - COPY OF ORIGINAL, KEY TESTIMONY AND SKETCHES NOW PUBLISHED.
When I acquired copies of the original witness testimonies, I provided them to various researches with an long-term interest in this classic British mystery. The pivotal statement of Airman Ed Cabansag was also made available on my web site.
Now, the equally important affidavit and accompanying sketches from Staff-Sergeant Jim Penniston are being published and for the first time ever, the UFO which Penniston originally portrayed can be seen.
Although I have previously confirmed details of this depiction, it may still be something of a surprise for those more familiar with the more celebrated triangular UFO of Rendlesham lore.
The cover page of Penniston's report. This is marked 'Eyes Only' for Lt. Col. Halt. It's crucial to note that the testimonies of Cabansag, Penniston, Airman 1st Class John Burroughs and others were not requested and obtained by Halt until the beginning of January, 1981, a full week after the initial incident they had been involved with.
Halt has explained this was due to the holiday/leave period. There are some key points therein.
Penniston does describe observing at the time a "mechanical" object within Rendlesham forest. There's no debate about this as it is verified in the statement of Master-Sergeant J. D. Chandler, who was monitoring radio communications.
Penniston also confirms he was never closer to the unidentified object than 50 meters. This is a huge anomaly given his accounts in later years of spending some twenty minutes examining and touching the object, plus documenting the strange symbols on its surface.
Completely absent from this statement is any mention of having next pursued an unidentified light for some two miles, before realising it originated from a nearby lighthouse, almost certainly at Orfordness [Orford Ness].
That fact is documented in all other statements.
Penniston's first diagram.
As noted in his statement, this shows the scene as viewed from `east gate' sentry point, looking down east gate road towards the forest.
A map of the route which the patrol, consisting of Burroughs, Cabansag and Penniston, took through the forest. The point at which they left their vehicle and continued on foot is shown and this agrees with the evidence which had been gathered from other sources.
The scene when the object was viewed at closer range within Rendlesham forest.
I can't make out that writing in the middle, with an arrow pointing towards the lights/object within the trees - any suggestions are welcome.
THE UFO
Note that within the insert, Penniston apparently questions the light sequence. This would be consistent with the object never being viewed at close range and that's the scenario reported by all other participant accounts.
Subsequently, Penniston's recollections differed considerably, as emphasised in the illustrations which he seemingly first produced in public circa 1997. These were published on the Microsoft Network's UFO forum and later in an article I wrote for UFO Magazine (UK).
Apparently claimed to be copies of the sketches from his original notebook and drawn at the time he closely examined a triangular craft at leisure.
A copy of the insignia allegedly `etched' into the craft's surface.
To help understand all of this in context, there's detailed, factual background material on UFO World.
It can be directly accessed here.
The background articles highlight numerous evidential anomalies and questions which remain unanswered.
Most obviously, how can Penniston have examined and sketched the craft/insignia with such detail when it's acknowledged in his testimony that he was never closer than 50 meters - how could he have drawn the insignia [or indeed anything] with perfect lines and circles, in the dark of night and the middle of a dense forest!
How can his later accounts be equated with that of Burroughs, his partner in the forest, when Burroughs is on records as confirming, "I never saw anything metallic or anything hard".
And why were we led to believe for so many years by Burroughs, Penniston and Halt, that Orfordness lighthouse would never have fooled any of the participants, when it was known all along that it was at least partly responsible for the UFO scare.
Although Col. Halt has on more than one occasion been contacted and asked to comment on these matters, he has not responded.
Nonetheless, this is UFO history and an exclusive insight into the UK's most famous UFO case.
James Easton,
Editor.
(c) JAMES EASTON (MAY 2000)
Please note that this is only Rendlesham related material, full Newsletter is available at the UFO Updates mailing list.
