PEOPLE ARE STRANGE - From UFOR

In mid-June 1997, the UFOR mailing list posted an item that remains shrouded in mystery. The list's owner, Francisco Lopez, did his level best to glean further information on the subject even many months later, when I pressed him for assistance in writing the kernel of what would many years later become this article.

"As little evidence as possible was left," states the cryptic author after indicating that a nameless group had been disbanded. "Only Terran humans were found, no XTs or Greys."

This assertion might well relegate the unknown writer to the lunatic fringe, since belief and/or concern of the alleged alien Greys has waned in recent years. The message goes on to talk of how the "cult" in question had cooperated with a number of individuals over an unspecified number of years in the acquisition of "breeder semen from sperm banks" and from unsuspecting human males drawn into certain situations, only to be drugged and subjected to the removal of such a fluid with a syringe. It was then "flash-frozen by use of a portable D-flask of liquid nitrogen, to be stored at a central location," according to the author.

A SPEC. SCRIPT FOR THE X-FILES OR A DESCRIPTION OF A REAL EVENT?

The author continues:

"They used a group of "renegade" _____ as aids and "technical support," with a high priestess working closely with the upper echelons of the ______. It appears that, despite the usual _________ beliefs, this priestess and her companions were heretics, if such a term can be applied to ______ at all."(All above blank spots said "Omitted")

The cult mentioned in this mind-bending message appeared to be quite deft with the use of weapons, and a veritable arsenal of high-power rifles, shotguns and combat weapons, including "an HK-91 sniper rifle, a Steyr AUG Selective Fire Conversion, and a US Army M60, with about 7000 rounds of .30 cal ammunition... over fifty hand grenades, including explosive, flash, incendiary and smoke... 180 kilos of Czech plastique explosive and over a hundred military squibbs (detonators), are mentioned in the test. It is a supreme irony that this arsenal of death should prove comfortingly familiar within such a high-strangeness context.

The allegations continue: "The cult members were in contact with a human group claiming to act on behalf of the "Greys" and capable of projecting images of the entities from opaque, vitreous cubes." Although the author professes being unable to examine this information for him/herself, the putative alien messages appear to have been linked with clandestine UFO landings. "Techniques have been used to confirm that at least one incident took place during May of 1995, but nothing further could be determined."

Many UFOR subscribers read this message and many, upon reading this article, may question the wisdom of reprinting more unconfirmed UFO-related speculation. One guesses that the entire operation may have been a huge "psy-ops exercise involving live fire, good guys and "bad guys," with the entire alien scenario thrown in for good measure or even as a "sickener" factor for the trainees.

"HE DIED LIKE A SPACE COMMANDER"

The alien action/adventure story posted to UFOR smacked more of science fiction than of Sigma Draconis until Argentinean researcher, Andrea Perez Simondini - widely known in her country for her contributions to the study of UFO incidents along with her mother Sylvia, as well as for being an active political figure -- forwarded a real-life account of a situation which, at first blush, hauntingly echoed the one scenario posted to UFOR.

"The mystery of the Radar 1 group has finally been solved," noted Andrea in her letter. A contactee cult known as ASHTAR had apparently spawned a disturbed group of paramilitary types, led by one Guillermo Romeu, who assumed the name "Radar 1."

The offshoot organization appeared to have been much more successful than its parent in gaining a following and making itself known. Romeu and his acolytes had access to the best technology and were not afraid to employ it: from their headquarters at 269 Wernicke in the village of Boulougne, Buenos Aires province, "Radar 1" (publicly known as Iglesia Manantial, the Wellspring Church) broadcast its own brand of ufolatry over the FM airwaves. Their station boasted a recording studio with three consoles and mixing board for special effects, eight computers (whose hard drives had been erased prior to the raid by Argentinean authorities on January 12, 1998 and Romeu's death by self-inflicted gunshot), and the same ominous arsenal as the improbable cult mentioned on the UFOR list: one surface-to-air missile, bullets of various calibers, gas masks, incendiary bombs, tear gas, Israeli-made Desert Eagle 50 caliber antiaircraft handguns (sic) of the kind used during the Gulf War, an approach radar, chemical sample analysis equipment, radiation, electromagnetic, electrostatic and heat detectors, etc. All of this gear was stored in a Bronco 4 x 4, which they would use for alleged field research.
Simondini's letter explained that all of this lethal and non-lethal hardware had been paid for partly by the 00 to 4000 peso contributions of the cult's membership and its affiliates. "We strongly believe," she wrote, "that the sect is a facade and there exists a cover-up concerning the weaponry."

Just who was this Guillermo Romeu? An electrician and occasional private pilot, he had joined a contactee study group directed by former UFO researcher, Pedro Romaniuk, before being expelled a year and a half later.

It was during this time that the new cult was spawned, preaching messages received from the ubiquitous space brother known as Commander Ashtar Sheran concerning the "extraterrestrial evacuation plan." In a clever move, the cult leader insisted on the group being widely known as Iglesia Manantial in order to draw recruits from a large membership pool comprised of Pentecostal worshippers from other churches.

Guillermo Romeu claimed that his extensive offensive capabilities, gathered since 1991, were devoted to a single purpose: defense against the alien Greys, whom he characterized as "extremely hostile and (who) are using us as a source for food." Two years later, his disciples were further cautioned that "an extraterrestrial race sent by the Antichrist prior to the Battle of Armageddon" would have to be held off by force of arms, thus prompting new arms purchases and further training. Radar 1's members were not adverse to parading around in full battle array, showing off their weapons and alarming the general public. They boastfully termed themselves "Grey Hunters."

As in all cults, the price of dissent was high. Romeu was as authoritarian a leader as any, and those among his "Grey Hunters" who showed signs of wanting to part company with the group were threatened and harassed. Those who left lived in constant fear of being assassinated. Romeu's wife called it quits in 1997, taking Cristin, the couple's seven-year old son, with her. The cult leader successfully gained the court's permission to attend Cristin's eighth birthday. To everyone's horror, Romeu pulled a pistol from his jacket, stood straight, and placed a bullet through his right temple.

"My father died like a space commander," said Romeu's grief-stricken son.

Cecilia Diaz, the late Romeu's mistress, told the press that the cult would continue its activities from the location of San Isidro and would "have more weapons." Argentina's Secretary of Worship, Angel Centeno, ruled that the cult's right to exist could not be challenged, as it was lawfully registered with his ministry. The Argentinean Foundation for the Study of Cults (FAPES) subsequently reported that Romeu's right hand man, Brian Bach, had assumed the reins of the cult, and urged the country's legislature to appoint a commission to study cults along the lines adopted by many European countries.