Date: 22 Oct 92  14:51:00
From: Joseph Harris
  To: All
Subj: K-2 A Lie?

 My Node appears to be dead. (ie no incoming, no outgoing mail, and I feel 
this has to get out, so I apologise to those who have already read it...) 
 
 Some time ago I decided to further investigate the claims of the Phoenix 
 Project in regards to their K2 Report about a supposed underground alien 
 base located near Quincy CA. This report chronicles my initial findings. 
 It is not my intention to discredit the Phoenix Project, or Jack Mathias. 
 They, as a scientific arganization, should be able to appreciate any 
 attempt of independant verification. 
 
 The following is excerpted directly from the K2-Report, and chronicles 
 an "object" being pursued by 8 F-4 Phantoms. 
 
 
* * * 
 
Report # 1:  By Staff # 2: 
Date: August 10, 1989, Time:  2212 PDT. 
Location: Approximately 40 miles southwest of K-2. 
 
  A brightly glowing object was observed from my 
location. It was approximately 30-40 feet in diameter, 
moving slowly from south to north at 500 feet above the 
tree-tops. 
 
 [text deleted for brevity] 
 
  Within 10 minutes, after the object left the area, 
eight Air Force jet fighters (F-4s, judging from their 
sound and appearance) and moving very fast, went overhead 
traveling in the same direction the object had taken -- 
towards the North. Four minutes later, the fighters 
returned, heading south. I presumed the object had been 
spotted by their radar. Their quick return would indicate 
they lost radar contact with the object. 
 
* * * 
 
 [text deleted for brevity] 
 
Memo 
August 12, 1989 
From Staff # 1 
To: Staff # 2 
 
  Our contacts in the Air Force verify that on the night 
of August 10, 1989, at the time indicated in Report # 1 
of that date, that eight F-4's, scrambled from Beale AFB, 
CA. They had a brief radar-lock, on a "bogie" in the area 
described. However, they lost the target, due to ground 
clutter when it suddenly descended into the mountainous 
terrain. They returned to the base when a further sweep 
of the area proved fruitless. 
 
  You're right, the AF had a blip on their radar, but 
lost it when the ship dropped into that 20-mile approach 
corridor between the valleys and the radar dead zone. 
 
* * * 
 
 My Investigation. 
 
 I contacted the Public Affairs office at Beale AFB. (916-634-8890) 
 After identifying myself, and the information I needed, they transfered 
 me to another office. The person who answered the phone identified both 
 himself, and the office so swiftly, I couldn't make out who I was talking 
 to. (altho the point is moot..) 
 The following is a -rough- transcript of the conversation, although it is 
 not verbatim. (I did not record the conversation.) The officer I was 
 speaking to was quite candit, and informal. The coversation itself was
 spontaneous, so I do not believe that I was being fed a "canned" story.
 Besides, as you'll see in a moment, the officer has absoloutly no reason
 to lie about this.
 I read the above memo to the officer, and then asked the following 
 questions. 
 
 Q: Has Beale AFB operated F-4 Phantoms in an interceptor role at any time, 
    and specificly during August of 1989? 
 
 A: No. Beale AFB is a SAC [Strategic Air Command] base, and has never 
    operated tactical aircraft in any capacity. We have B-52s, KC-130 air 
    refuelers, and until recently, the SR-71. We're a bomber base, not a 
    fighter base. There was an attempt made in an 89 air show to get 2 
    RF-4Cs to come here, but unfortunatly, they couldn't make it.
 
    [Note: In conversation, he told me the RF-4s were part of the High 
    Roller squadron based here in Reno...Joe.]
 
 Q: Were F-4s ever used in an interceptor role as late as 1989? 
 
 A: Not to my knowledge, no. The F-4s have been relegated to ECM, "Wild 
    Weasel" roles, and low level recce [Recon] roles for quite some time 
    now. These types of F-4s are completely unarmed, therefor useless as
    fighters. If an intercept mission was called out for northern CA, the
    response would come from only one of 2 AFB's.  Eilson or Almendorf
    AFB in Alaska, although I'm not sure which one, and the other AFB
    would be March AFB. Both bases have a wing of F-15 interceptors that
    the AF have assigned to West Coast defense. The US Navy also has NAS
    [Naval Air Stations] assigned to coastal defense, but I'm not sure
    which bases those are. At any rate, the only Naval outfits to use the
    F-4 are the Marines, and they also use it as "Wild Weasel" and low 
    level recce.
 
 Q: Has it ever been AF SOP to use eight aircraft in an intercept? 
 
 A: For -one- radar bogie? [he laughed at this point] That would insult most 
    of the fighter pilots I've ever known. [another laugh] No, most AFB's 
    only have 2 aircraft capable of being "scrambled" on a moments notice. 
    Even if an AFB had more aircraft available for a scramble, they would 
    still only send 2 aircraft. Operating an interceptor is extremly 
    expensive, somwhere in the region of $4,000 per flight hour. This is 
    fuel, oil, hydraulics, and air and ground crew salaries. The AF wouldn't 
    spend $32,000 for something they know from experience would only take 
    $8,000. Besides, we're still talking F-4s here right? [Yes] Well, for 
    an intercept conducted by the AF, you're looking at the F-15, or the 
    F-16. Even if we had F-4s that were armed, they'd wouldn't use them. 
    They're just not fast enough anymore. 
 
* * * 
 
 Summary: 
 
  1. Beale AFB is a SAC base, and as such, does not operate tactical 
     aircraft, (ie fighters) in any capacity, and never has. Their primary 
     aircraft types are bombers, hi-alt recon, and refuelers. 
 
  2. The AF would never send eight ships to intercept a radar bogie. IMHO 
     they wouldn't need to. 
 
  3. There are no F-4 Phantoms being used on the West Coast in an 
     interceptor role. They are used in Recon, and ECM roles only, and
     as such, are totally unarmed. If the AF were to scramble an 
     intercept, they would use F-16s or F-15s.
 
 Possible Explanations: 
 
  1. The AF is lieing. 
     Not likely. They've no reason to hide the fact that tactical aircraft 
     do not operate from their base, nor have they any reason to lie about 
     using F-4s as interceptors. 
 
  2. The Phoenix Project member mis-identified the aircraft. 
     Unfortunatly, the Phoenix Project cannot use this as a defense, since 
     they state that they "verified" that 8 F-4s were scrambled to intercept 
     the radar "bogie." 
 
  3. The Phoenix Project deliberatly falsified this portion of their report. 
     Unfortunatly, this is the only explanation. 
 
 Conclusion: 
 
  It is my opinion that at least this portion of the Phoenix Project's K-2 
  report is a deliberate falsehood. It can neither be a typographical error, 
  nor an error in judgement, (since they "verified" the info using AF 
  sources.) This also throws considerable doubt on the validity of the 
  "object" sighting, and on the K-2 report as a whole. However, I will let 
  others, more knowledgable and capable than I to determine the validity 
  of the remaining K-2 claims. 
 
 Joe.   
  
--- FMail 0.92 
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