Government Conspiracies and Bigfoot or Do You Smell Something Burning?
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on November 9th, 2005
In Thom Powell’s book, "The Locals", he tells of a report that he investigated for the BFRO, a group that he was involved with as an investigator for several years.
The report concerned a Bigfoot that was found during a firefighting mission on Battle Mountain, NV on August 6, 1999. A letter dated the next day was received by the BFRO from an anonymous federal agency worker who was at the scene with approximately 20 firefighters.
The letter stated that the author had observed a quadrapedal animal that was captured by firefighters. A local vet and MD were called to the scene. The animal was tranquilized and moved to an undisclosed location.
The description was of an animal that was approximately 7 and a half feet tall with human-like limbs and a face that was neither ape or man, but described as something in-between. It had five digits with an opposable thumb. It was mostly hair-covered, and was suffering from 2nd and 3rd degree burns on approximately 45% of its body.
After its injuries were attended to by the vet and MD, it was moved to an undisclosed location, against orders of Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior and Depatment of Fish & Wildlife.
For approximately 10 days after the report was filed, the reporting witness did not answer any emails sent to him. After the 10 days or so had lapsed, the witness contacted Thom by phone. During the phone conversation, Thom was able to learn additional details of the incident.
It took place in the early hours of the afternoon. The injured animal was on location for approximately 3 hours before being taken away in the back of a utility truck. All witnesses on the scene were debriefed and told not to discuss the incident.
You can read about the incident in its entirety on the GUST website here.
This incident would point to a government conspiracy to cover-up the existence of Bigfoot, like many other reports. While I am not a conspiracy theorist, I do maintain that it is a possibility.
I was told a story lending to the conspiracy angle by a former associate. He told me that his former brother-in-law worked for the state of Texas in the Parks & Wildlife division. He was not a park ranger, but he was in charge of the park rangers.
My former associate asked his brother-in-law what the official stance was on Bigfoot. The brother-in-law came back with, "On or off the record?" My associate said on the record. He was told, "No comment." He then asked what about off the record. He was told, "They’re out there. Their all over the place. We know it and can’t do anything about it."
The jist was that if it became public knowledge, the public would want protection from the animals. Or that they would want them to be contained or controlled by the proper authorities.
Along those same lines is the story that I told in a previous post.
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
Well, I only keep track of one Conspiracy theory – the Assination of JFK. But, question I have about the conspiracy theory with bigfoot and the government is – is it really the government wanting to protect people from fear of this animal, or is it about protecting Industry in this country. If Bigfoot is found, and the current numbers are correct of this animal, then – the habitat must be protected, No logging or substancially less logging than ever in history… We dont even think about how much this one industry affects our everyday lives.. Im sure the government will always want us to think they are trying to “protect” us and our emotional well being, but usually when its all said and done, its more about protecting big business – lmao. Lots of money to be LOST if and when Bigfoot is found.
Just my opinion.
Great Story 🙂 Kinda similar to the story of the car accident…
The conspiracy angle came up a couple of times when I investigated a BF video flap in Carbon Hill, Alabama about 5 years ago. The video proved to be overactive imagination, but in interviewing some of the locals, the area proved to be an interesting one with one twist. Two different unrelated families I interviewed on opposite sides of the area in question reported encounters with the slender gray variety of BF which was interesting enough, but both independently confirmed a story I heard about helicopters circling a particular patch of woods with gunfire being directed toward an unknown target. The family closest to the action heard animal-like screaming; the other family didn’t report screaming but confirmed the circling choppers and gunfire. They went on to claim that a story about it appeared in the local paper and that several local residents filed complaints about the incident. Supposedly the local authorities’ answer was that they were shooting at hogs (???!!!), but a short time later all traces of the story disappeared from the newspaper’s archives and the story was dropped from their website. Then the local authorities denied such an event ever took place. One of the families even presented a theory as to what was going on; that area of Alabama was very poor with little industry or development. There was a major state highway project planned that the local politicians hoped would help bring development and industry for that area. If such an animal was ever captured or found in that vicinity they feared that an immediate freeze on development would be enacted by the state/feds while the habitat area was closed off and/or studied, so their theory went. I never seriously followed any of it up since it was a bit out there for me both in distance and concept, but it was fascinating to hear about.
The other story came up about the same time, though it supposedly involved events that happened many years prior. In the town of Steel, Alabama there is a city hall that evidently once housed a pretty impressive collection of stuffed and mounted animals that had been hunted by a prominent local citizen and politician. The story went that sometime in the 1950’s this individual shot what was described as a roughly five foot tall chimpanzee-like bipedal animal in the woods around Steel. He went on to stuff and mount the thing and promptly put it on display with the rest of the exhibit! The person who told me this story was an Alabama BF investigator who said he went to the city hall to check out this story not really expecting to find anything, but to his surprise the elderly receptionist did in fact remember the mounted thing and the story. According to her, one day a high official with the state wildlife division went into the room, saw the thing and “raised a lot of heck”. Within a couple of days several wildlife officials reportedly showed up and confiscated it. That was the story, anyway. Again, I didn’t follow it up and it’s in my WEIRD file along with the first incident.
I do hope someone can go back to the area around the abandoned strip mine outside of Carbon Hill, Alabama. It seemed to be a genuinely good area about 5 years ago and may still be if things have not changed too much.
Sorry for the long post but I thought someone may enjoy these.
Here we go with the “protecting big business” argument again.
How many millions of acres are there in the continental US alone which are already set aside and “protected”.
Protected to the point in some cases where we can’t get in (without serious gov hassles) to really do the research we need to do in this field?
How much gov land was set aside to protect the spotted owl? The snail darter? Etc. How much of this land didn’t need to be set aside?
Environmental arguments aside, the government is not smart enough to keep anything secret. The gov doesn’t have the resources nor the wherewithall for any kind of conspiracy.
There are too many mouths out there as possible witnesses to be kept silent forever. Gov agencies are not going to admit one way or the other about the existance of bigfoot for no other reason than they are too closed minded.
We must try as hard as we can to resist the urge to look or act as fringe people and going into the conspiracy arena just gives more ammo to those who try their hardest to discredit real research.
In my opinion, there is enough evidence out their already about Bigfoot. There are too many references to this creature from too many cultures throughout time; not just going back to 1959! Don’t waste resources on conspiracies. Focus on actual research at hand and assist in that arena.
Sorry, got ranting there for a bit.
Now, that Roswell story though….
Wow steely, did you get it all out?? lol.
I am simply stating fact. The areas in which Bigfoot, Sasquatch or whatever you want to call this animal -is in known logging areas. What Im talking about is not a “Conspiracy theory” Im basically stating facts. If you can give me the name of one logging company that would gladly shut down operations in order to protect bigfoot habitation, then you win 🙂 In the pacific northwest, the habitat is much different from that of texas. I cant seriously come up with one logging company in the Pacific Northwest that would close up business,willingly, to protect bigfoot. And, if you do not think the logging industry is a HUGE lobby in Washington D.C. – I have another suprise for you. While the habitat in texas wouldnt suffer, and bigfoot could thrive here – regardless of the logging, what will happen if companies have to shut down where logging is heavy and the population of bigfoot is there – as in the PNW? Yeah, if you think the spotted owl controversy was something – wait till this one hits – lmao. I use the PNW as an example, and Im not saying with 100% certainty there will be a fight-but what other animal with a population problem did not get some kind of protection in certain areas?
I am not starting a fight – but this is not a conspiracy issue. If this animal is found, and proven to exist – its going to be a reality, cause PETA loves a good fight, then you have the Logging Industry Lobby, and various Government Agencies who all think its their job to protect animals…. I can’t see this not getting ugly.
I also feel no conspiracy has been “organized.” It would have to be world-wide!
However, the “off the record or on?” is what I would expect from agencies or industries that have something to lose. Debriefing individuals, who either have had, or investigate encounters, fits into this scheme of handling it officially, but not recognizing it publicly. I’m with Melissa on this one, but maybe with a different twist. The EASIEST way to keep this subject in Tabloid Land and to keep yourself “Legally Teflon” is to say “Wow, that is weird, isn’t it?”
To admit or confirm that Sasquatch is really out there is to have the responsibility for controlling it dropped into your lap. Legal nightmare anyone?
What do you say to concerned parents about a 900lb animal you can’t find or catch? One that has a history of carrying off people into the forest?
“They” will just sit back and let us try to prove that Sasquatch exists. As more evidence is gathered, “they’ll” move into the “We need more study of this mysterious phenomena” phase, buying even more time, and maybe, just maybe, getting “Scientists” involved!
‘Course, it’s just MHO!
tirademan
ps-Then again, the 1975 Army Corp of Engineer’s “Washington Environmental Atlas” has Sasquatch, it’s behavior and range mentioned in detail…covering their legal bases perhaps?
I agree tirademan. I just hope all this is discovered in my lifetime, so we can sit back and watch the implosion – cause no one in the US Government is going to want to deal with this — no one.
How would the Army Corp of Engineers have detailed information on Sasquatch movement etc.? I find that interesting, But – not a conspiracy, lmao
Show me the charred Monkey!!!!
hi craig & everyone the goverment & homeland seacurity even president bush probley know about sasquatch creatures but they probley feel the creatures are not threat. there is a definetly not no conspiracy. please keep me posted ok. thanks bill
I really love this.
Melissa, God Bless you. I know we’re not fighting. We are just having a friendly reparte’.
My biggest point was that the government is not smart enough to hide anyting for very long. Even if Bigfoot isn’t acknowledged by the government, we all know (if we’re being open minded) there is plenty of curious evidence to suggest that it exists.
Also, I feel we do ourselves a disservice if we are perceived as “conspiracy theorists” even if that isn’t our intent.
I could care less about lobbyists or the logging industry and will not use this forum to discuss economics or the other dastardly aspects of our government.
That Roswell thing though still has me wondering….
I like these debates too 🙂 Keeps the mind fresh – lol.
Well, Im not talking about a conspiracy – this is what will happen if bigfoot is found.. Grab a book and read back to what happpened anytime a new species has been found to exist in areas being used by these logging companies – they are not real happy about giving up their land to an animal. LMAO.
It really doesn’t have to be a very organized thing. How many people think they’ve seen a ghost, or a UFO, and then keep quiet about it? Our culture is still afraid of the unknown and that exerts its own pressure on our willingness to talk.
And I’ve even heard that the existence of BF can be classified if, for example, anyone in the Pentagon ever thought about capturing and training them for something. Hey, we use dolphins. Imagine using a superstrong, superfast, self-sustaining army of one who can see in the dark? If it ever did cross someone’s mind, then it’d be classified now and remain classified until someone actively does something to get it declassified.
And if they’ve got them in Russia, then the fact the US and the former USSR both had them classified would explain the world in general being very loath to speak up about it officially.
If you look back at the giant panda, the indigenous people of the area knew they existed long before actual scientists did. Remember they thought they were already extinct. Remember the plesiosaur that washed up in japan, they made a stamp with it on it. Sooner or later someone unfortunately is going to be in posistion to kill a bf and then we will know
I know the government has pulled some stunts in the past, like testing soldiers with LSD and spraying chemicals and biological agents from airplanes years ago to see the effects on the population, so I have contemplated why they would want to cover a possible incident involving a sasquatch. Everything from protecting logging to tourism, and perhaps protecting the rare species itself from thousands of folks out to shoot one for the money and fame (and in the process shooting one another and innocents) has crossed my mind.
Visited the US recently. Passed through that place Bluff Creek, just up the road from where Patterson shot his film.
It seemed to me; money the people involved in logging would lose they could sure make up for it if they reinvested into tourism.
You underestimate the money in logging. As an example, in college I went to Greece with a travel/study group and one student, whose family runs a lumbermill in southern Ohio, blew off a day of class to do a business meeting and sold a couple barge loads of lumber, earning him enough of a bonus (at age 20) to buy three rental homes after we got home.
In my opinion, the fact that there seems to be an organized and specified protocol for dealing with dead or injured bigfoots is the strongest indicator of their existence.
Anyone who thinks the logging industry in the Southern United States is not huge does not live here. It’s ea$y to imagine the huge incentive$ they would have to cover up the existence of a creature that, if protected, would literally shut them down.