The True Story of the Worlds First Documented Alien Abduction: A New Focus
After six months of long weekly treks to Dr. Simon’s office in Boston, the Hills’ lives once again normalized. They enjoyed active social and community involvement, promoting liberal social and political issues. The Unitarian church held an important position in their lives, and they at- tended regularly. They remained active in its couples club, whose membership, according to Betty, largely comprised officers from Pease Air Force Base. Together the group promoted civil rights activities and their collective political agenda. Through the church, Betty and Barney be- came envoys to the United Nations. They also continued an active role in the NAACP, where Barney fought against discrimination as legal redress for that organization. He presented several speeches throughout the sea- coast region, and was a frequent guest speaker at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Betty attempted to erase the abduction memory and to throw herself into her work and community affairs. She worked tirelessly to achieve Democratic Party success in the ongoing political campaign. Their work on voter registration and the organization of University of New Hampshire students to further the democratic presidential campaign effort achieved success in November of that year.
Betty, Barney, and their niece, Kathy, were invited guests at Lyndon Johnson’s inaugural ceremonies in Washington, D.C. in January 1965 (see photo appendix). It was an enriching experience that they could never forget. They toured the U.S. House of Representatives and received a pass to attend a session of the Senate. Then they were treated to a guided tour of the Capitol Building. Their visit to the East Wing at the White House was especially impressive. The luncheons, parties, and in- augural ball were superb. Inaugural activities included a reception honoring the vice president and Mrs. Hubert H. Humphrey at the Shoreham Hotel, the Young Democrats’ reception and dance at the Mayflower Hotel, the inaugural concert at Constitution Hall, the official inaugural ceremony in the standing-room-only senate section, the parade opposite the Presidential Reviewing Stand, the Citizens for Johnson-Humphrey cocktail buffet at the International Inn (by special invitation), and the Inaugural Ball (by special invitation). Sandra Dee and Bobby Darrin were guests at the same ball. They visited President Kennedy’s grave at the Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On the trip home they visited Barney’s sister and brother-in-law in Philadelphia and took their niece to the Liberty Bell and other historic sites.
Barney’s dedication to political and community involvement afforded him a certain level of comfort. He was able to focus on social justice issues and to exercise his strong intellectual talents for the betterment of society. Yet whenever the UFO quagmire surfaced he became upset. If it was necessary for him to listen to the audiotapes of himself under hypno- sis, he became visibly distressed and angry. The experience remained very painful to him, and he could not reconcile his complete loss of control. He particularly disliked baring this private and extremely embarrassing part of his soul to UFO researchers, even in the interest of promoting scientific knowledge. The Hills continued to correspond with Dr. Simon, with whom they wished to express their dissatisfaction with the results of their treatment.
Betty was disappointed that the hypnosis did not give her the assurance that her memory of the men in the road was only a dream. The actual memory of what occurred between the first and second sets of beeps was anticipated, but never answered. Adhering to Dr. Simon’s suggestion, she told herself, time and time again, that they were not captured; that it was only a dream. But then something new would pop up and she would lose her focus.
According to Betty, Barney was particularly angry with Dr. Simon, who assured him, on several occasions, that it was impossible to lie or deceive under hypnosis, but then discounted his testimony on the tapes. Added to this was his disappointment that for seven months he drove to Boston every Saturday morning at great personal expense for what now seemed fruitless. In a letter to NICAP’s Walter Webb dated August 23, 1965, Betty wrote, “Barney feels that Dr. Simon deceived him by assuring us on several occasions that the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth would be on those tapes. And then at the end, he decided that it was a dream I had, although he had a copy of my dreams, and was able to compare the differences. Then, he explained Barney’s part of the sessions by saying that he was suggestible to my dreams! The whole experience has been an upsetting, time-consuming, and expensive project.”
Betty had become convinced that the hypnosis proved she had been abducted, and therefore, did not experience the kind of conflict that plagued Barney. Physically, she manifested a nasty case of hives upon hearing the tapes, but felt that healing would come when she and Barney became conditioned to the emotional outbursts that reflected their abject terror at the hands of their abductors. In her opinion, the tapes were a true documentation of a horrifying experience that played out in traumatic nightmares.
She wrote to Webb:
I am convinced that those tapes are true. I am also convinced that I did dream about my experience, which was a form of hypnotic recall and a fairly common experience in like situations, according to my abnormal psychology courses at college. In fact, in my thinking, the dreams actually helped to convince me about the authenticity of the tapes. Therefore, I do not have any conflict, as my problem is resolved—it really happened. I do get somewhat upset hearing the tapes because I do have an emotional reaction to the actual experience, as I feel some of the same feelings that I did that night. In other words, I relive the experience.
Barney has a different reaction. In fact, he has several. First of all the experience is very painful to him still. We have talked about this with a friend, a psychiatric social worker, on several occasions, and she feels that Barney gets upset because of his reactions on the tapes, which are contrary to the way he thinks about himself. On the tapes he is fearful, crying, helpless, frightened, etc. In other words, he is not very “masculine” to his way of thinking. When Barney becomes upset, he seeks approval by asking if the person [listening] believes the tapes. Actually, he is asking that the person understand his position; his reaction to the actual experience. He is asking if the other person might react in the same way in the same experience. If the person shows doubt about the tapes, he feels that the person believes that this would be a normal reaction to an everyday situation for him.
Those who knew Barney well did not doubt his courageous, charismatic leadership style. He was not the wimp he feared others would perceive him to be, due to his intense expression of emotion under hypnoanalysis. He had expressed the powerful emotions that any man would feel under life- threatening circumstances. The idea that he was passive and suggestible to Betty’s ideas or that he absorbed her nightmares and built a fantasy around them was, to those who knew him well, nonsense. His conflict arose when he laid bare his soul for no useful purpose. However, he set aside his subjective emotions to promote a better understanding of the abduction phenomenon among investigative scientists. Simultaneously, he persevered toward the resolution of social and political injustices in the real world. He projected a positive, proactive stance in all of life’s endeavors.
In addition to working full time at the U.S. Post Office as a city carrier, Barney devoted indefatigable energy to the advancement of civil rights. His outstanding leadership was recognized on both state and federal levels. On May 21, 1965, Barney received a letter from the United States Civil Rights Commission in Washington, D.C. The letter advised him that he had been appointed to the New Hampshire State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for a term ending December 31, 1966. Then, on July 9, 1965, the Democratic city chairman for the City of Portsmouth addressed a letter to the executive councilor of the Second District nominating Barney to the Human Rights Commission for the State of New Hampshire.
It read as follows:
I have been asked to forward the name of a prominent Negro leader of Portsmouth for consideration by Governor King as a nominee to the Human Rights Commission recently formed under a bill passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor King. It would be a great help if you could submit his name for the Governor’s consideration and the approval of the Governor’s Council.
Mr. Barney Hill, 954 State Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a postal worker, is eminently qualified to serve on the Human Rights Commission as a representative of the Negro race.
Mr. Hill is an active member of the Portsmouth Chapter of NAACP, now serving as the Legal Redress Officer. He is presently on the Executive Board of the New England Regional Chapter of NAACP.
Mr. Hill’s sincere interest in human rights has been recognized on the national level by being appointed to the New Hampshire Advisory Board of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
On the local level Mr. Hill has been very active and effective in convincing his people of the necessity of registering as voters and making their voice heard by voting in all elections. He is convinced that the Negroes will take their rightful place in society through the educational process and steady and persistent pressure.
It is the consensus of the Democratic City Committee that Mr. Hill’s name and qualifications should be submitted to the Governor. We respectfully request your assistance and Executive Councilor of our District. We trust that you will concur with our recommendation.
Barney’s next courageous contribution to society was to develop an adult education program and to resolve racial issues in cooperation with the Diocese of Manchester, N.H. He addressed committees throughout the state and promoted the conditions for racial equality. In short, Barney worked tirelessly for the advancement of a just and humane society.
The knowledge that they had located the abduction site gave the Hills some consolation that Dr. Simon’s opinion was incorrect. The degraded condition of Betty’s dress signified that something extraordinary had occurred, that could not have happened during a continuous drive home on the night of September 19–20, 1961. They began to reexamine the evidence to look for scientific verification that their recovered memories were real. They approached this with the full support of their families and friends.