Walter Cronkite's amazing UFO story.

As mentioned in the News, has Walter Cronkite died on Friday, July 17, 2009

NEW YORK — Walter Cronkite, the premier TV anchorman of the U.S. networks' golden age who reported a tumultuous time with reassuring authority and came to be called "the most trusted man in America," died Friday. He was 92.

www.foxnews.com...

Also posted by questioningall here, www.abovetopsecret.com...

But here is my reason for this post.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0125e69b9375.jpg[/atsimg]

Walter Cronkite was the face of CBS News from 1962 to 1981, when stories ranged from the John F. Kennedy assassination to the Iranian hostage crisis.

And as said above that he was called by many "the most trusted man in America," is this in my opinion a very interesting UFO case.

It is Walter Cronkite’s personal experience, together with many witnesses during the test of a new Air Force missile when suddenly a large disc-type UFO appeared at the scene.

Here it is.

Walter Cronkite's UFO Story by Bill Knell

7/29/2007 8:16:39 PM
In the 1950s Cronkite was part of a pool of News Reporters brought out to a small South Pacific island to watch the test of a new Air Force missile. After a short inspection of the new system by the reporters, they were lead to an area that was a safe distance from the launch site. The missile was mounted on a specially-built launcher that was attached to a cement base. It was obvious that the area had been quickly built just for the test. The details about the missile were going to be given to the reporters in he form of hand-out sheets and press releases after the test.

Cronkite mentioned that he and the other reporters had been warned that photography of the missile test and any audio transmissions or recordings by the press were forbidden. They would have to give a written account of the event. Just as the test was ready to proceed, everyone was writing as fast as they could. As Air Force Security personnel walked around the perimeter of the test area with guard dogs and the news reporters watched, the missile was fired-up and about to be released. Just then, a large disc-type UFO appeared on the scene.

Cronkite guessed that the object was about 50-60 feet in diameter, a dull grey color and had no visible means of propulsion. Because the noise of activity around him and the missile engine was so loud, he couldn't tell whether the disc made any noise. He did not notice any coming directly from the object.

As Air Force guards ran toward the UFO with their dogs, the disc hovered about 30 feet off of the ground. It suddenly sent out a blue beam of light which struck the missile, a guard and a dog all at the same time. The missile was frozen in mid-air about 70 feet from the launcher as it had taken off. A guard was frozen in mid-step and a dog frozen in mid-air as it had jumped at the disc. Cronkite reminded me that this all happened within the space of about five minutes or less.

Suddenly, the missile exploded! After that, the disc vanished. The guard and dog looked alright, but were quickly taken away by medical personnel always present at tests in case anyone became injured. At the same time, guards rapidly ushered the reporters into a concrete observation bunker. After about thirty minutes of sitting in that hot box, they were brought out into the air again and addressed by an Air Force Colonel.

The officer told them, "It was all part of the test." Obviously making it up as he went along, the Colonel said that the event was "staged" to test media reaction to UFOs. He reinforced the usual line to the reporters that Flying Saucers were probably not extra-terrestrial, but what people were actually seeing was secret planes being tested by the Air Force. This test was designed to show the media how "shocking" it could be to suddenly view a new technology. Well, Cronkite was certain that what he viewed was a new technology, but he was also sure it was not an Earthly one! He didn't believe the Air Force explanation then, and he still didn't believe it at the time when he told me the story.

After the event, reporters were told that since it was a test of media reaction to new technology, they could not report on it! But, they would be compensated later with exclusive stories on new Air Force projects (a promise that was never kept). Being as private as he was, Cronkite never did share with me his own beliefs about UFOs beyond the story he told me. I was so happy to have heard the story that I was afraid to ask anything further!

The CBS UFO Special was filmed shortly after my meeting with Cronkite and I was included in it for just a few minutes. During the filming, I became aware that Cronkite had not shared his story with most of the other UFO investigators or witnesses. After the special aired I called one of Cronkite's staff members and asked him if he had ever heard the UFO story. He told me he had. Cronkite had only shared it with a few key people and it was NOT covered or even mentioned in the Special.

I wondered why Cronkite had chosen to tell me the story without telling everyone? The staff members told me that most of the others were so busy telling him about themselves that he just never bothered. I guess that the greatest lesson the legendary newsman taught me that day was the art of conversation, knowing when to talk and when to listen!

About the Author
A native New Yorker now living in Arizona, Bill Knell is a forty-something guy with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He's written hundreds of articles on a wide variety of subjects. A popular Speaker, Bill Knell presents seminars on a number of topics that entertain, train and teach. A popular radio and television show Guest, you've heard Bill on thousands of top-rated shows in all formats and seen him on local, national and international television programs.

reply to post by spacevisitor


very interesting and thanks for sharing....

huggs

Thanks for the article.I tend to doubt we had that kind of technology in the 50's as claimed in the story.Since then however...

Originally posted by spacevisitor
About the Author -- A native New Yorker now living in Arizona, Bill Knell is a forty-something guy with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

..according to Knell, of course. He writes: "I wondered why Cronkite had chosen to tell me the story without telling everyone? " Nice excuse for nobody else corroborating his account.

Re Cronkite and the Apollo program (also of high interest to ATS):

The Apollo-11 UFO Incidents, by James Oberg
Excerpt from UFOs and Outer Space Mysteries
(Donning Press, Virginia Beach, VA, 1982, Chapter 3).
www.debunker.com...

… The authenticity of the Apollo 11 sightings has been vouched for by testimony attributed to CBS TV news anchorman Walter Cronkite. In an interview with the National Enquirer, conducted by reporter Robin Leach, Cronkite gives this account: "En route for the world's first moon landing, Armstrong and the crew transmitted some earthshaking information, and I was there to hear it for myself."

Cronkite continued: "Armstrong claimed to have spotted a huge cylindrical object which was rotating or tumbling between the ship and the moon. It's officially recorded in the NASA record vaults that Armstrong indicated he went to take photographs but the object vanished as quickly as he'd first seen it. Neil Armstrong is not a man given to fanciful imagination and it wasn't just one of the crew that saw it -- they all did, and you have to respect those men."
[snip]

The entire Cronkite interview in the National Enquirer was a fake, evidently assembled by a free lance writer. The newspaper refused to take the blame when Cronkite complained--but fired the writer.

..and on this 40th anniversary, perspective on Cronkite's coverage of space events:

From my May 6, 2006 essay at ‘Space Review’ (read the whole thing)

www.thespacereview.com...

I remember being awake early enough one morning in November 1967, when space shots were still televised live, to watch him cover the first launch of America’s Saturn 5 Moon rocket. Although it was unmanned, it was critical to fulfilling Kennedy’s pledge of landing astronauts on the Moon before the end of the decade.

With a growing roar and flares of light, the booster ignited. Cronkite was sitting in a recently-built CBS News studio at the press site about three miles from Pad 39 where the launch occurred. Behind him, through a picture window, the searchlight-lit booster gleamed white against the rosy pre-dawn sky. At least, I assumed it was rosy: I only had a black-and-white TV set in my apartment at graduate school where I was an eager NASA trainee on a three-year scholarship from the space agency.

He gave a rapid-fire commentary on the beginning of this important mission, and then turned partially away from the camera. “The roar is shaking the studio”, he exulted, his voice rich with excitement that rapidly shifted to anxiety: “The window is coming loose!” Cronkite reached out his right arm, against the window, and held it in place as the rocket climbed skywards and the rumble faded.

That’s the way it was, the way I remember his space coverage: live, exciting, celebratory, uplifting in every way. If America loved its space program, it was because many of them saw it through Cronkite’s eyes, felt it through his heart, and learned about it from his words, expressions, and gestures.

…Cronkite’s on-target appreciation of the intense drama of space exploration, and his ability to communicate that human interest to the general public at the same time that NASA publicity officials were doing their best to make the program boring, classify him indisputably as one of the “good guys” of the Space Age.

… Cronkite would be the first to agree that no journalistic account (even his) should ever be considered an “original source” for any research. Anyone seeking precise and reliable chronologies should go to the detailed documentation, not the television-style summations.

It is in large part due to Cronkite’s unabashed love of the subject that so many people really still do go to the detailed books. So for his expressing that affection for space exploration, Cronkite will always have a special place in the hearts of space enthusiasts everywhere. That is the way it was!


[edit on 18-7-2009 by JimOberg]

Here are three stories strung together by Cronkite on the CBS News in October 1973. If Cronkite thought the stories were bunk, he wouldn't have run it. This is significant coverage for its' day.



[edit on 18-7-2009 by fls13]

[edit on 18-7-2009 by fls13]

That is a fascinating story. Isn't this the first of two cases of a UFO disabling our weapons?

I could tell the air force was probably in shock and didn't want to tell the public their ace in the sleeve could be taken out in a few seconds.

If we had technology like that, this story should have halted the cold war.

I believe Cronkite was looking at the planet Venus. That would make a lot of sense to me. No, lets see, it was actually probably a weather balloon that had fallen from the sky. Hmmm, maybe Occam's Razor can assist us in finding a logical reason for this. O.R. has never failed us. It would say that the simplest explaination is that Crokite saw exactly what the officer said he saw -- a man, a dog and a missle frozen in mid-air that was an experiment to gauge media reactions. Or maybe it would say that the author of the story simply lied and he never even met Cronkite. That sounds good. Let's stick with that one because we can never accept testimonial evidence as credible, even if it comes from a respected journalist. We MUST deny the obvious and search out all possible explainations except the most obvious -- that aliens are here, have been here a long time, and have been witnessed by millions. We MUST maintain our high-brow, silly, pseudo-intellectual stance so that people will be impressed with our vast intelligence.

Unfortunately, skeptics will never address issues such as this. They will dance around, avoid and do anything but admit that things like this have no explaination other than the obvious.

The whole account is a fabrication by Bill Knell. I recommend listening to a Paracast interview with Knell. He's called out on pretty much everything he's ever claimed and conclusively shown to be a criminal and a liar. The Cronkite story is brought up and results in Knell terminating the interview. He's a guy that's ripped off disabled blind women by 'selling' them guide dogs that didn't even exist. Google 'Bill Knell liar' and you'll see the trail of fraud and federal offenses he's committed.

Bill Knell & Frank Warren Interview

Good Day spacevisitor,

This story is a fabrication "invented" by Bill Knell; Knell is a "known" liar, life-time conman and criminal; he plagiarizes the hard work of other researchers, writers and film makers; re the latter, he pirates DVDs.

Some years back a researcher contacted Walter Cronkite and he said the entire story was a farce and he had never heard of Bill Knell!

For further information on Knell, just Google "Bill Knell" + fraud and you'll get a sample of his nefarious ways.

Frank Warren

Originally posted by Frank Warren
For further information on Knell, just Google "Bill Knell" + fraud and you'll get a sample of his nefarious ways.

Regardless of Knell's credibility, the Cronkite report on three UFO related incidents undeniably speaks for itself. A sighting by the governor of Ohio, multiple sightings in an area and a comic case of mistaken identity. A mixed bag, which is what you usually find on the topic. There was quite a flap in 1973 and UFOs were getting significant MSM coverage. I remember it well.

Originally posted by JimOberg

Originally posted by spacevisitor
About the Author -- A native New Yorker now living in Arizona, Bill Knell is a forty-something guy with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

..according to Knell, of course. He writes: "I wondered why Cronkite had chosen to tell me the story without telling everyone? " Nice excuse for nobody else corroborating his account.

As stated in the article.

After the special aired I called one of Cronkite's staff members and asked him if he had ever heard the UFO story. He told me he had. Cronkite had only shared it with a few key people and it was NOT covered or even mentioned in the Special.

the reporters were told that since it was a test of media reaction to new technology, they could not report on it! But, they would be compensated later with exclusive stories on new Air Force projects (a promise that was never kept).

I assume that the military people at the scene where also forbidden to speak about what happened there, because that are standard procedures regarding UFO/ET happenings.

It even happened to my own grandpa.
He had together with many other people a UFO sighting during WWII at sea.
It was a giant UFO which come vertical down from the sky, hovered for some time above the fleet, lit the entire fleet during the night with a massive light display as if it where daytime, and then raise vertical upwards into the sky and disappeared.
And when he and others want to report that sighting at the base in Halifax in Canada, they where ordered to keep their mouth shut about it.

So, those people, together with all the witnesses at the scene during that Air Force missile test could corroborate Bill Knell’s article of Walter Cronkite's story.

Then do I think, how come then that no one else has comes forward with that story so far.
One but very important reason could be, that if they do, they know just as I know and I assume you also know what happen and has already happened to people who come forward with information like that.
So who knows will someone else come forward someday and confirm the story?
But if that would make any difference?


[edit on 18/7/09 by spacevisitor]

Originally posted by Kandinsky
The whole account is a fabrication by Bill Knell. I recommend listening to a Paracast interview with Knell. He's called out on pretty much everything he's ever claimed and conclusively shown to be a criminal and a liar. The Cronkite story is brought up and results in Knell terminating the interview. He's a guy that's ripped off disabled blind women by 'selling' them guide dogs that didn't even exist. Google 'Bill Knell liar' and you'll see the trail of fraud and federal offenses he's committed.

Bill Knell & Frank Warren Interview

Thanks for the link , I will listen to that interview.

Good Day fls13,

Originally posted by fls13

Originally posted by Frank Warren
For further information on Knell, just Google "Bill Knell" + fraud and you'll get a sample of his nefarious ways.

Regardless of Knell's credibility, the Cronkite report on three UFO related incidents undeniably speaks for itself. A sighting by the governor of Ohio, multiple sightings in an area and a comic case of mistaken identity. A mixed bag, which is what you usually find on the topic. There was quite a flap in 1973 and UFOs were getting significant MSM coverage. I remember it well.

To be clear, I'm not discounting UFO events that Cronkite reported; I'm stating emphatically, that the Knell article about Cronkite having his own sighting was/is a fabrication--by Knell! Cronkite was contacted and stated, "no interview ever took place."

Cheers,
Frank

Originally posted by Frank Warren
Good Day fls13,

To be clear, I'm not discounting UFO events that Cronkite reported; I'm stating emphatically, that the Knell article about Cronkite having his own sighting was/is a fabrication--by Knell! Cronkite was contacted and stated, "no interview ever took place."

Cheers,
Frank

I understand completely, I want the truth and if Knell is a con man, then so be it. I just like slipping my facts in there where they might have some relevance.

Originally posted by Frank Warren
Good Day spacevisitor,

Some years back a researcher contacted Walter Cronkite and he said the entire story was a farce and he had never heard of Bill Knell!

Hello Frank, do you know who that researcher was and could it not be possible that Walter Cronkite said that in order to protect his name and career because of the very unpleasant effects such a disclosure normally would have.



[edit on 18/7/09 by spacevisitor]

Originally posted by spacevisitor
Hello Frank, do you know who that researcher was and could it not be possible that Walter Cronkite said that in order to protect his name and career because of the very unpleasant effects such a disclosure normally would have.

If Cronkite saw something and said it publicly, it would have been a watershed UFO event. Still, he did some spearheading UFO investigative work heading up one of the finest groups ever assembled in the field of journalism. This is terrific stuff!



Here's the whole documentary at the CBS site.


[edit on 18-7-2009 by fls13]

Originally posted by fls13
If Cronkite saw something and said it publicly, it would have been a watershed UFO event. Still, he did some spearheading UFO investigative work heading up one of the finest groups ever assembled in the field of journalism. This is terrific stuff!

Thanks for the vid fls13, I will go see it.

Spacevisitor,

Originally posted by spacevisitor

Originally posted by Frank Warren
Good Day spacevisitor,

Some years back a researcher contacted Walter Cronkite and he said the entire story was a farce and he had never heard of Bill Knell!

Hello Frank, do you know who that researcher was and could it not be possible that Walter Cronkite said that in order to protect his name and career because of the very unpleasant effects such a disclosure normally would have.

[edit on 18/7/09 by spacevisitor]

Yes I do know who the name of the researcher i.e., "Richard W. Heiden"; he wrote an article about Knell's fabrication in 2004.

In regards to Cronkite "protecting his name & career," that dogma reinforces the fact that Cronkite would never divulge such information to a criminal like Knell in the first place.

Cheers,
Frank

reply to post by spacevisitor


Why on earth would you post something by that fraud Bill Knell? Oh nevermind, I see that OP's avatar is a Steven Greer book cover, silly kids.



[edit on 18-7-2009 by icculus]

reply to post by Frank Warren


can you link me to the article by Richard W. Heiden?
I cant seem to find it anywhere..