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On December 26, 1980, U.S. military personnel stationed in Great Britain reported seeing strange, unaccountable lights in Rendlesham Forest. By 1983, the incident made front-page news and coined the “British Roswell.” Several theories about the origins of the lights have floated around for decades. A new book by British UFO researcher Nick Redfern examines the possibility that what was seen was a coordinated military hallucinatory experiment.

The Rendlesham Forest UFO Conspiracy: A Close Encounter Exposed as a Top Secret Government Experiment (Lisa Hagan Books) was released last month and considers that the incident was a controlled government experiment. Redfern discussed the book and how he came to this conclusion on The Midnight Society Internet radio show on Wednesday. June 3rd.

Previous theories included lights from a nearby lighthouse, holograms, abnormal atmospheric conditions, and military testing. The incident was deemed credible when U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Charles Halt penned a memo dated January 13, 1981 that was released under the US Freedom of Information Act in 1983. The memo was never ruled as classified information. Halt recorded observations during the December 27-28, 1980 investigation by military personnel. The U.K. Ministry of Defence declassified the tape, and it is posted in the public domain online.

The Forestry Commission acted upon interest in the sightings and used lottery funds to establish a UFO Trail in 2005, https://www.forestryengland.uk/rendlesham-forest/ufo-trail-rendlesham-forest. In 2014, the commission paid for a sculpture to be erected at the end of the trail.

Redfern’s theory is fascinating. Tune in to the saved interview by visiting Midnight.fm.