ENCOUNTER IN THE DESERT ENCOUNTER IN THE DESERT THE CASE FOR ALIEN CONTACT AT SOCORRO KEVIN D. RANDLE Copyright© 2018 by Kevin D. Randle All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press. ENCOUNTER IN THE DESERT EDITED BY JODI BRANDON TYPESET BY KARA KUMPEL Cover design by Wes Youssi/M80 Branding Cars photo by Amy Johansson/shutterstock Sky photo by MarcelClemens/shutterstock UFO photo by Alin Popescu/shutterstock Printed in the U.S.A. To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada: 201- 848-0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on books from Career Press. The Career Press, Inc. 12 Parish Drive Wayne, NJ 07470 www.careerpress.com/ www.newpagebooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Randle, Kevin D., 1949-author. Title: Encounter in the desert : the case for alien contact at Socorro / by Kevin Randle. Description: Wayne, NJ : New Page Books, a division of The Career Press, Inc., [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017034796 (print) | LCCN 2017043854 (ebook) | ISBN 9781632658937 (ebook) | ISBN 9781632651136 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Unidentified flying objects--Sightings and encounters-- New Mexico--Socorro. Classification: LCC TL789.5.N6 (ebook) | LCC TL789.5.N6 R3598 2018 (print) | DDC 001.94209789/62--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017034796 Acknowledgments As I have said before, the problem with acknowledgments is that someone is always left out, but not on purpose. Without Rob McConnell offering me an opportunity to host a radio show, I would have never started my research into the Socorro UFO landing. Ben Moss and Tony Angiola told me things that I hadn’t heard and wanted to learn more about. This led to Ray Stanford, who had investigated the case in 1964 and is the only living person who had been on that site within days of the landing, collecting samples and taking pictures. Rob Mercer sparked some of this because he searched Craigslist for UFO-related material and bought a box of documents that came from Project Blue Book. Carmon Marano, whom I had mentioned in another book but who had been one of those anonymous officers who worked on Project Blue Book, provided insight into that investigation as it wound down. Paul Harden and Rick Baca, of Socorro, provided guidance in my search, and Rick had been the man (kid, then) who drew the craft as described by Lonnie Zamora, which showed us what it looked like. Jerry Clark, as always, provided information and guidance in this search. There are many others whose names appear in the book who witnessed UFO landings and found burned areas caused, in most cases, by UFOs, including Robert Shaw, who had been an Iowa sheriff, and Howard Grove, who was an Iowa farmer. Pat Barr and her father provided information about her 1969 UFO sighting. Brad Steiger’s work is always valuable, and Ralph DeGraw interviewed two men who claimed to have seen the same craft as Lonnie Zamora. I’m not sure that it does any good at this late date, but Coral and Jim Lorenzen of APRO helped, as did several members of the Fund for UFO Research. There are many more who contributed in some fashion and whose names escape me at the moment. I don’t mean to overlook your contribution; it’s just that there was so many others who helped in so many ways that it is impossible to produce a proper list. For your help, I thank you, too. This book is intended to provide accurate and helpful information. The publisher and author disclaim any liability, loss, damage, or injury caused by the use or application of the contents of this work. NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IS DELIVERED BY THE AUTHOR OR PUBLISHER WITH RESPECT TO THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK. Contents Introduction Chapter 1: The Beginning Chapter 2: The World of UFOs Chapter 3: The Other Witnesses Chapter 4: The Investigation Chapter 5: Other New Mexico UFO Reports Chapter 6: Other “Unidentified” Occupant Sightings Chapter 7: Psychological Solutions Chapter 8: UFO Symbols Chapter 9: What Symbol Did Zamora See? Chapter 10: Socorro as a Hoax Chapter 11: Other Landings Chapter 12: Project Blue Book and Socorro Chapter 13: Physical Evidence Conclusions Notes Bibliography