isappeared into the night sky。 Similar incidents had been reported in South America； France； and England； but this was the first time I had e across one in the United States。 The family was terrified。 They knew they should report it to someone but they kept silent until they heard me on a radio program a few days later。
Meanwhile； the Ohio valley was lit up by these things nightly； from Cairo； Illinois； in the south； where the Ohio River linked with the Mississippi； to the northernmost tip of the river in Pennsylvania。
On March 12； 1967； a woman in Letart Falls； Ohio； was driving home from church at 11：30 P。M。； acpanied by her twenty…year…old daughter； when； as they rounded a corner in a wooded area； a huge white thing appeared directly in front of their car。 They said it had curved wings about ten feet wide。 There was a head on the creature and it appeared to have very long hair。 It was in view of their headlights for several seconds before it flew upward and vanished from sight。 The witnesses were very religious and assumed they had seen an angel； or even Jesus Christ himself。 After their sighting their telephone went haywire and their television was suddenly subjected to heavy interference。 I found a number of UFOs had been seen in the Letart Falls area； with concentrations around a large gravel pit there。
Sightings in the Northeast were keeping me busy at that time。 But I talked with Mary Hyre frequently。 She was receiving more UFO reports than she could print and some other strange things were happening in Point Pleasant。 Three very tall； dark…plexioned （not Negroid） men were causing the local police some consternation。 These men knocked on doors late at night； purportedly selling magazines though we couldn't find anyone who had ordered subscriptions from them。 They spoke fluent； unaccented English and were described as 〃good…looking〃 with heavily tanned skin。 Their height and broadness impressed the witnesses the most。 Although these men continued to appear throughout the region for a month； Mrs。 Hyre and the police could not find out where they were staying。 They were always on foot。 Apparently they did not have a car。
Mrs。 Mabel McDaniel worked in the local unemployment office on Main Street in Point Pleasant and during the second week in March a strange man blundered into the office。 He wore a black coat and black cap and behaved in a most peculiar manner。
〃He didn't look like a colored person； but still was very dark；〃 Mrs。 McDaniel said； 〃and his English was so poor I never did really figure out what he wanted。 His eyes were funny…looking； kind of starey and glassy。 From what I could get from him； he was looking for an insurance pany； only he kept saying he wanted 'trip insurance。'〃
He told her he had also visited the office of the Messenger （he did not； according to Mary）。 He spoke in the garbled； singsong manner of so many of our weirdo visitors and moved in an unsteady； almost drunken way。
It seemed to me that something phenomenal was building up in the Point Pleasant area。 I decided to shelve my other projects and return to the Ohio valley。 This time I was acpanied by Daniel Drasin； a young movie producer who was planning to do a UFO special for the Public Broadcasting Laboratories （PBL） of the educational television network。 Don Estrella also asked to go along。 Both men knew very little about the UFO situation at that time； and in keeping with my habit I told them nothing。 I wanted them to see for themselves the incredible scope and plexity of the thing。
So late that March our little entourage hopped into rented cars and took off on an eight…hundred…mile journey into the twilight zone。
10 … Purple Lights and April Foolishness
I
〃My phones have gone crazy；〃 Mary Hyre noted； 〃even my unlisted numbers。 Strangers call me at all hours of the day and night。 Sometimes I get funny beeping sounds。 Did you ever hear about anything like that？〃
I had to admit I had。 However； it had bee my policy to say very little about these matters to anyone； even close friends。 After Mary and I had concluded our interview with Charles Hern and his wife in Ohio； Mr。 Hern had escorted us to the door and remarked； 〃You know； we've told you about everything we've seen 。。； and you haven't told us a damned thing！〃
I was so taciturn that the UFO buffs had surrounded me with an aura of mystery （they tend to surround everything with mystery）。 James Moseley； editor of Saucer News （now defunct）； once told Gray Barker； 〃He gives you the impression of not only knowing as much as we about flying saucers…but actually knowing a lot more…a lot that he is not telling。〃
The truth was more mundane than the mysterious。 I was keeping many of my findings a secret to prevent pranksters from setting up hoaxes （many of those findings are being revealed here for the first time）。 I maintained a 〃low profile〃 to curb rumors and prevent possible panic in the areas I was visiting。 I avoided personal publicity； unlike most of the other self…styled UFO investigators who spent most of their time staging press conferences and building up scrapbooks。 Finally； some of the things I was studying seemed so absurd on the surface…especially to the hardcore believers in extraterrestrial visitants…that revealing them would only produce more gossip； controversy； and nonsense。
Dan Drasin and Don Estrella expressed growing amazement…and some fear…as they traveled with me up and down the valley； listening to my strange questions and the even stranger answers we were getting from witnesses。 A young woman in Point Pleasant was having telephone problems。 Every night when she returned home from work at 5 o'clock her phone would ring and a man's voice would speak to her in a rapid…fire language she could not understand。 〃It sounds something like Spanish 。。。 yet I don't think it is Spanish；〃 she plained。 She protested to the phone pany； but they insisted they could find nothing wrong with her line。
We visited her home and I examined her phone in a manner that had bee routine for me。 I took it apart。 Drasin and Estrella watched me silently with a 〃he's really gone bananas〃 expression。 What did telephones have to do with flying saucers？
When you unscrew modern telephone earpieces you will often find a small piece of cotton which serves as a cushion for the magnet and diaphragm。 You shouldn't find anything else。 But when I opened this woman's handset I was startled to find a tiny sliver of wood。 She said no one； not even the repairmen； had ever opened up her phone before。 The wooden object looked like a piece of matchstick； sharpened at one end and lightly coated with a substance that looked like graphite。 Later I showed it to telephone engineers and they said they'd never seen anything like it before。 I put it in a plastic box and stored it away。 Years later while visiting a magic store in New York （sleight of hand is one of my hobbies）； I glanced at a display of practical jokes and discovered a cellophane package filled with similar sticks。 Cigarette loads！ Somehow an explosive cigarette load had gotten into that Point Pleasant telephone！ Who put it there； when； how； and why must remain mysteries。
Soon after my investigation； the woman's phone calls ceased。 Maybe I exorcised the phone by removing the stick。
Another family was having telephone problems； and many other troubles besides； on the Camp Conley Road on the southern edge of the TNT area。 The woman in Point Pleasant who suffered the calls from a bizarre metallic voice speaking in an inprehensible language was their daughter…in…law。
〃It didn't take us long to learn that when our TV started acting up it was a sure sign that one of those lights was passing over；〃 James Lilly； a no…nonsense riverboat captain； told us。 〃I didn't think much of all the flying saucer talk until I started seeing them myself。 You've got to believe your own eyes。〃
At first the Lillys kept their sightings to themselves。 But gradually rumors began to circulate and carloads of people gathered on Camp Conley Road every night to watch the s