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The Backstage of the “Roswell slides” affair

Here is an interesting report of what happened in the “Backstage” of the “Roswell slides” affair.
It is written by Bryce Zabel.
He was invited at the Mexico City slides presentation, but in the end he refused, “because the plan was wrong-headed“ (his words).

Bryce Zabel is a TV Producer, he created and produced the NBC UFO series Dark Skies.
He is also the co-author, with Richard Dolan, of the book “A. D. After Disclosure”.

Bryce Zabel's account is revealing of the intents and behaviours of the parties involved (Adam Dew, Don Schmitt, Jaime Maussan, etc.). It is rather long, but worth the read.

Here is what Bryce Zabel says:

I first heard about the slides from Roswell researcher Don Schmitt in Phoenix in early 2014. By way of my own disclosure, I have known Don since the 1990s when I produced and created the NBC UFO series Dark Skies.

Several years ago, I optioned Don's life story and the book Witness to Roswell that he co-authored with Tom Carey. I also optioned Stanton Friedman's life story and his book Top Secret/Majic. I have written a script based on all of this called Majic Men, about the competition between Schmitt and Friedman over the Roswell investigation, mostly during the 1990s.

In any case, Don told me about the slides and I was, of course, interested. I did not see them. I told him if there was any role I could play in getting them authenticated and then publicized that I would be happy to do so.

In late 2014, Don set up a meeting for me to meet Adam Dew, the man behind the release of the slides. Before the meeting, he allowed me to see a short video promoting the release of a documentary, "Kodachrome" (you can watch it at the end of this post) on a password protected Vimeo site. Later, after we talked on the phone, I met with Adam at a Jerry's Deli in the Valley here in LA, and he showed me both of the slides on his laptop. I looked at them for about ten minutes and we talked for about an hour.

I told my wife and a few select friends about them. They wanted to know if they were clearly alien. "I don't know," I said. "They might be." All I knew was that the image of a small mummified human child might look a lot like a small extraterrestrial humanoid that had been left in the desert heat. Based on a short viewing, with no ability to corroborate, I simply could not take a strong opinion other than "maybe, maybe not."

The advice I gave Dew was that he needed to get help, not just to publicize them but to corroborate them at the highest level of expertise. My idea, for what it's worth, was to arrange meetings over the course of a week at various studios, networks and news organizations, probably here in Los Angeles. The idea was not to make a financial killing selling them but to get a partner with deeper pockets who could bankroll a proper investigation.

Because Dew was very concerned about the slides getting out of his control, I suggested that he show them to these potential collaborators on his own computer first. During this initial meeting, potential partners or buyers should be briefed on what he knew about their provenance, answer questions, and discuss what role they might play in analysis and a subsequent public reveal. At the end of the process, Dew and his partners could then make a deal to turn them over to whoever was most motivated to devote the necessary resources toward corroborating their authenticity and getting the story out.

Dew ultimately passed on this approach. He wanted to control the slides throughout the process and he wanted to tell his own story in a documentary that he would produce. While that was certainly his right as the owner of the slides, I think it was the wrong choice, given the claims that would ultimately be made about them. He needed transparency and opted for secrecy.

[to be continued...]

The Backstage of the “Roswell slides” affair

Part 2

On January 21, 2015, I was invited to participate in a phone conference call with Jaime Maussan, Don Schmitt, Tom Carey and Adam Dew to discuss plans for bringing these slides to public attention.

Maussan had heard me speak at the IUFOC event in 2013 and said he wanted me to speak at the the slide reveal event on the topic of disclosure as the author of A.D. After Disclosure: When the Government Finally Reveals the Truth about Alien Contact. This book was co-authored with Richard Dolan (who eventually did appear in Mexico City but astonishingly says he was never shown the slides beforehand.)

Maussan was clearly running a show that I came into at the very late stages. I asked a lot of questions, probably impertinent ones, about what anthropologists had seen them, how the slides had been looked at and by whom, etc. The answers, for me, were not direct.

Worse, they were talking about having a news conference in March to announce that they were going to show the photos to the public in May. It was stated that air fare and hotel accommodations would be compensated for an appearance. This seemed appropriate to me, given that I wasn't about to go to Mexico City on my own dime.

Still, in the end, I just couldn't do it.

Partly it was because the photos, while strange, odd and disturbing, weren't the smoking gun I felt they needed to be without substantial on-the-record expert work being done, and mostly because the plan to roll them out to the public struck me as wrong-headed.

For absolute starters, as a trained journalist who's worked for CNN, PBS, NBC and ABC in news departments, I know one thing: if you have a photo of something important and you plan to have a news conference, then you have a news conference and show the damn photo. You don't have a news conference to announce you're going to have another one where you charge people to see what you've got. That just makes no sense to me.

I also thought the reveal should have been done in New Mexico where the Roswell event happened and not in Mexico. Roswell is so tied up with the U.S. government, from the moment they disclosed it to the moment days later where they took it back, that to have this conference out of the country was confusing.

The fact that the events of Roswell and the events of the slide recovery all occurred in the United States almost meant to me that the primary language of the news conference should have been English, not Spanish. And, not to belabor the point, but it shouldn't have been an "event" in the first place, it should have been an actual, bona-fide news conference.

I didn't think that money should be charged. I know they did it to rent the facility, to pay expenses, etc., but it made it all look grandiose when finding a place for a true news conference here in LA or even in Albuquerque would have been easy and cheap.

Finally, I thought that the attempt to authenticate the photos should be more transparent and subject to journalistic follow-up. Surely these images could have been taken to a trusted journalistic source that could have done an independent investigation and, frankly, opened doors to experts that the men behind the slide reveal had a hard time opening.

All in all, this was a bungled media event in so many ways that undermine the message it was even attempting to send that it could be taught in universities as an example of what not to do.

This is all very discouraging for me to write about. I know Don Schmitt, Tom Carey and Richard Dolan personally, I've met Jaime Maussan and Adam Dew. I think all of them are about as personable as they come and I know they have all worked tirelessly in this frustrating field of UFOlogy.

I also know that, despite the accusations that get hurled, all of them could have made a far better living over the years by devoting their talents to something other than chasing the truth in this field. Whatever was done, money was hardly the primary goal. Nobody has ever gotten rich off UFOs except for Steven Spielberg.

(all emphasis mine)

your comments?

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This is the link to Bryce Zabel's entire report:

www.linkedin.com...

I'm looking forward to the next big event in the UFO field. This will be the real deal for sure.

originally posted by: torsion
I'm looking forward to the next big event in the UFO field. This will be the real deal for sure.

I miss the good old days of ufology. Some great cases out there. But now, its things like this that bring the subject down.

I have always believed some UFO cases defy explanation, but never once said that ET is involved. It could be a number of things.

But UFOs and ET now go hand in hand and things like this will always make the UFO subject not taken seriously

a reply to: torsion

That's adorable that he thinks he can distance himself from this and "save" whatever "credibility" he allegedly has. Maussan's been involved in far too many hoaxes to be let off the hook that easily, I'm sorry.

a reply to: HeywoodFloyd

I was with him right up until the end,

"Whatever was done, money was hardly the primary goal. Nobody has ever gotten rich off UFOs except for Steven Spielberg."

Says the guy who had a primetime NBC TV series about MJ-12. I suppose "rich" is subjective, but that statement is really ignorant.

We now have an admission from Don Schmitt that the slides show a mummy.

details to follow.

originally posted by: HeywoodFloyd
We now have an admission from Don Schmitt that the slides show a mummy.

details to follow.

Details here HeywoodFloyd:

kevinrandle.blogspot.fr...

I now realize that the image in the slides is a mummy as specified by the display placard. At this time I consider the matter concluded and intend on moving forward. My only desire is that you try to understand that I never willfully did anything to mislead or misrepresent what I thought was the truth and I only acted with the best of objectives. Still, if I have offended or hurt anyone through my participation in this event, you have my deepest apology and have every right to hold it against me.

From Don Schmitt:

It would seem like I've been here before... Asking my friends and colleagues to accept my sincerest apology for my participation in the recent event in Mexico City. I accept full responsibility for the fact that I allowed myself to be drawn into this situation, albeit with the best of intentions, I sacrificed my better judgement by being overly trusting when I should have known better. As one strives to make up for the mistakes of the past, there are times that emotions cause one to outrun their headlights. In my case, I ran it right off the road.

Through the years I have worked hard to earn back your respect and confidence in my work only to presently jeopardize it all. For that I am especially remorseful. I am afraid that after spending almost half of my life devoted to one specific investigation, I allowed the allure of final resolution cloud my skeptical nature to be replaced by a false vision of hope.

I now realize that the image in the slides is a mummy as specified by the display placard.

At this time I consider the matter concluded and intend on moving forward.

My only desire is that you try to understand that I never willfully did anything to mislead or misrepresent what I thought was the truth and I only acted with the best of objectives. Still, if I have offended or hurt anyone through my participation in this event, you have my deepest apology and have every right to hold it against me. When the truth finally was made known to all of us, I realized that I could only blame myself for not only failing you, but more sadly, failing myself. I must do better. And with God's help and your understanding, I promise I will.

Sincerely,
Donald R. Schmitt

a honourable admission, in my view.

the source is Richard Dolan's Facebook page

a reply to: HeywoodFloyd

Thanks for your contributions on this story my friend. My interest in this story was only really piqued when this thread was first posted.

So even Bryce Zabel was indirectly involved. The man who made Dark Skies. An excellent and underrated 90s TV show. Wisely Zabel chose to bow out. However I get the feeling that because of his personal links with the people involved he is making excuses for them in a roundabout way. If they could have made more money in other fields, as Zabel says then you have to ask questions about their methods for making it from this particular episode.

He even seems to think this could all be a disinformation exercise.

While the current reaction of many is that this is a hoax, it wouldn't surprise me if this photo is, like many other photos and events, a piece of disinformation and that part of the hostile reaction in some corners has something to do with that, too

Really Mr. Zabel? We have to ask who was trying to introduce this as disinformation?

Finally, I thought that the attempt to authenticate the photos should be more transparent and subject to journalistic follow-up. Surely these images could have been taken to a trusted journalistic source that could have done an independent investigation and, frankly, opened doors to experts that the men behind the slide reveal had a hard time opening.

Well I agreed and then I realised he actually had seen the photos.

Later, after we talked on the phone, I met with Adam at a Jerry's Deli in the Valley here in LA, and he showed me both of the slides on his laptop. I looked at them for about ten minutes and we talked for about an hour.......

I told my wife and a few select friends about them. They wanted to know if they were clearly alien. "I don't know," I said. "They might be." All I knew was that the image of a small mummified human child might look a lot like a small extraterrestrial humanoid that had been left in the desert heat. Based on a short viewing, with no ability to corroborate, I simply could not take a strong opinion other than "maybe, maybe not."

Well maybe you would take that view if someone was providing some very strong corroborating evidence that these were taken at a secret facility somewhere.

But come on? Is this really another "Emperor's Clothes" tale.

Why were so many people even considering this to be an alien in the first place?


You see there is another test you can take with these slides which is less scientific and a little bit more subjective.

Gauge Other People's Opinion of the Roswell Slide

You can do this with your friends and family, work colleagues and even random people in the street if you really want.



1) Preferably the person approached should have no prior knowledge of these slides and the back story. Any general knowledge of Roswell is not a problem.

2) Show them the pictures

3) Ask them what they think is in the picture

4) If the answer is anything but "an alien" then ask if they think it could possibly be an alien.


Now I have only asked a small sample of people totalling about 20 and every single person so far has said it looks like the remains of a child/mummy in a museum.

(I have excluded my brother as he had seen the story and just laughed that it was supposed to be an alien. Even though he has an interest in stuff like this as well).

I am highly impressed by the work of the "Roswell Slides" Research Group. because they have provided the means for all of us to see for ourselves beyond any reasonable doubt what is pictured in these slides. I tip my hat off to them all. None of who probably received a penny for their work either.

But I am appalled at how so many people even considered these photographs to be aliens from Roswell.

Why not any of these pictures as well?

Please do not click the link above if you do not wish to see what could upsetting pictures of child mummies

Had the label not been deciphered then I am fairly sure that the debates would be about what we can actually see in the slides. I don't think many people would have been fooled by it. Well except for people who could perhaps make more money outside the UFO field. I think we now know why they don't make much money inside it.

a reply to: IsaacKoi

yes, we were reading on different sources at the same time...

I have to say that I appreciate his statement and his words.

(and it is a remarkable victory for your Team!)

I'm now wondering how long it will take Tom Carey to apologise for issuing a statement that got (and remains) plastered around the Internet stating that "we believe that the recently released 'reading' of the placard by the so-called 'Roswell Slides Research Group' was faked", several days AFTER:

(1) I had posted step-by-step instructions here on ATS on how to duplicate the results of the Roswell Slides Research Group in a couple of minutes;

(2) Others had posted videos demonstrating how to do this (several of which appear in this thread, one of them in my OP);

(3) Still others had reported on their independent confirmation of the results, including David Rudiak (one the experts relied upon in the big show in Mexico).

a reply to: IsaacKoi

we also have a final statement from Richard Dolan:

Just saw this message from Donald R. Schmitt regarding the so-called Roswell Slides.

This had to be hard for him to write, and he has my sympathy and respect. I know without a doubt that his intentions, and those of Tom Carey, were sincere. As everyone knows, I supported the idea that the slides were interesting enough that they deserved more investigation.

Well, they got it. In my opinion, the matter of the slides is CLOSED. [...]

Richard Dolan

a reply to: IsaacKoi

Yes, just Carey and Maussan to come clean. The sooner the better, too. I'm sure Schmitt feels a weight of his shoulders now he's acknowledged he was wrong and has given what comes across as a sincere apology.

a reply to: torsion

Maussan already did come clean. See some of the previous posts about his Tweet.

Wait a tic: That was your post!

originally posted by: IsaacKoi
I'm now wondering how long it will take Tom Carey to apologise for issuing a statement that got (and remains) plastered around the Internet stating that "we believe that the recently released 'reading' of the placard by the so-called "Roswell Slides Research Group" was faked, several days AFTER:

(1) I had posted step-by-step instructions here on ATS on how to duplicate the results of the Roswell Slides Research Group in a couple of minutes;

(2) Others had posted videos demonstrating how to do this (several of which appear in this thread, one of them in my OP);

(3) Still others had reported on their independent confirmation of the results, including David Rudiak (one the experts relied upon in the big show in Mexico).

I totally agree.
At this point all of them will be forced to apologize.

Again, I have greatly appreciated Richard Dolan's stance in all this difficult (for him) situation.

originally posted by: Kojiro
a reply to: torsion

Maussan already did come clean. See some of the previous posts about his Tweet.

Wait a tic: That was your post!

Yes, Maussan is denouncing the suggestion that it is a mummy.

He recently tweeted -

Where is the evidence to discredit the analysis That Were done by the scientist ..? A Placard ..?

a reply to: HeywoodFloyd

At this point all of them will be forced to apologize. Again, I have greatly appreciated Richard Dolan's stance in all this difficult (for him) situation.

I am prepared to give Richard Dolan some slack here. If as it seems he had not seen the slides. I applaud Schmitt's apology (and what is sure to follow from the others). It takes courage to admit you were wrong.But there was never a story here. The slides look exactly like what we know them to be. Pictures of a dead child in a museum.


So to make an analogy here. If I get short changed by a cashier the apology is always welcome. But do I let her keep the money I was conned out of?

a reply to: HeywoodFloyd

An honourable admission for sure, but I wonder if he'll be making any changes to the Roswell presentations he's giving on May 30th at Contact in the Desert.

originally posted by: mirageman
However I get the feeling that because of his personal links with the people involved he is making excuses for them in a roundabout way.

Not just personal links, Zabel is financially invested in Schmitt with the documentary he's doing about him. I imagine if Zabel said anything negative about Schmitt then Schmitt could make things very difficult for him and his film Majic Men.

originally posted by: mirageman
a reply to: HeywoodFloyd

Thanks for your contributions on this story my friend. My interest in this story was only really piqued when this thread was first posted.

So even Bryce Zabel was indirectly involved. The man who made Dark Skies. An excellent and underrated 90s TV show. Wisely Zabel chose to bow out. However I get the feeling that because of his personal links with the people involved he is making excuses for them in a roundabout way. If they could have made more money in other fields, as Zabel says then you have to ask questions about their methods for making it from this particular episode.

You're welcome!
I am so glad that finally we've got this admission and apology.

This thread has been exciting - thanks to all of you!

and, concerning Bryce Zabel's report, I have to say that it shows the whole affair was managed badly and unwisely since its inception.