In this letter, dated February 9, 1976, from Dr. J. Allen Hynek to pioneer physical trace ufologist Henry McKay, Hynek mentions setting up a CUFOS affiliate with Henry in Ontario, Canada.

Four months prior, Hynek contacted Henry requesting he investigate the Suffern Three Mile Lake Incident where a UFO reportedly landed on a road and a creature was claimed to have been seen wearing a one-piece, silver-coloured suit with a white or light-coloured globe on its head.

The letter is dated the year before the release of the Steven Spielberg movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, a term coined by Hynek which inspired the movie.

Hynek handwrites the following note at the end of the letter, “Mimi and I will be seeing you on the 27th”. Mimi was Hynek’s wife.

The Letter

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Background

This case from the Henry McKay UFO Archives involves a UFO landing, creature sighting, and a male claiming to be calling from the White House.

Dr. J. Allen Hynek, director of CUFOS at the time and former astronomy consultant for the U.S. Air Force’s UFO projects including Project Blue Book, contacted pioneer physical trace ufologist Henry McKay requesting he investigate the incident. Henry arrived at the site on October 9, less than 48 hours after the incident, accompanied by a police officer…

On the evening of October 7, 1975, at around 8:00 or 8:30 P.M., near Three Mile Lake located in the Bracebridge area of Ontario (Canada), a 27 year-old carpenter by the name of Robert Suffern was driving down a gravel side road near his property to inspect an “orange glow”, observed near his barn by his sister, when he came face-to-face with a large oval-shaped UFO resting on, or close to, the road just 150 feet in front of his car.

Before he was able to come to a complete stop, the object shot straight up at a fast speed and disappeared.

Suffern estimated the object was approximately 12-14 feet wide and 8-9 feet in height. It had an irregular, crinkled surface and was the colour of “the dull side of aluminum foil wrap” with “a narrow dark band around the edge of the clam-like portion of the structure.”

Suffern then turned his car around, turned off the gravel road, and proceeded to head back to his farm house.

Moments later he observed a creature at the side of the road. Suffern slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop. The creature then hopped over a fence and retreated into the pasture. The creature was estimated to be about 4 1/2 feet tall with “very broad shoulders which seemed to be out of proportion”. It wore a one-piece, silver-coloured suit with a white or light-coloured “globe” on its head.

Suffern reported that the movements of the creature “were similar to an ape…but it was very agile. It reached up with its hands, grabbed the fence post and vaulted over with no effort.”

The October 14, 1975, edition of the Toronto Star newspaper quoted Henry McKay as saying, “I didn’t find any traces of what he [Suffern] may have seen. All I saw were the skid marks from his car on the road. He seems to be pretty straightforward about it.”

When Suffern arrived back at his farm house he noticed that his television set blacked out for a few seconds. He then went to his door and observed an “orange florescent light” in the pasture of his property. The light continued to move along out over Three Mile Lake and vanished behind Balthaycock Island.

He told Henry McKay that moments later, after observing the orange florescent light, he received a phone call from an unknown male with a “high-pitched voice” who told him something to the effect of, “We have work to be done. Do not interfere”. Then he received a second call from another unknown person with a warning similar to the first caller. Suffern warned the caller that if the conversation continued he would trace the call. The line then disconnected.

Suffern then called the local police (O.P.P. in Bracebridge). His first call to police was disconnected. His second attempt was successful and they arrived at the Suffern property within a few hours.

Suffern further reported to Henry McKay that on October 12 at 3:00 A.M., five days after the Suffern Three Mile Lake Incident, he received a call from a male claiming to be Lt. Colin Hunter from the White House in Washington D.C. The male was calling via radio telephone and was looking for information about the incident. The male caller left a phone number for Suffern to call him back at the White House. Suffern later called back the White House phone number given to him and this time spoke to a male military officer claiming to be Lt. Col. Waters.

Ufologist Dennis Prophet received reports from two different people who did not know each other claiming that just days before the Suffern Three Mile Lake Incident they observed “glowing white objects lifting off from behind a clump of trees” in the area.

Another report in The Henry McKay UFO Archives describes that on October 8 at approximately 3:30 A.M., less than eight hours after Suffern’s sighting, a couple observed a light in a triangular configuration descend and vanish over trees while they were driving south from Port Carling on Highway 118.

A school teacher also observed a “glowing red light” in the area of the Suffern property at approximately the same time as Suffern’s sighting.

Suffern also reported that his dog remained in its dog house for two days after the incident.

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Background

This case is from the Henry McKay UFO Archives and involves a UFO landing in a field of tobacco plants, as well as a greenish-blue residue found at the site.

The incident was investigated by pioneer physical trace ufologist Henry McKay. The late Henry McKay (1927-2007) was the first director of MUFON Canada and also investigated for CUFOS (headed by Dr. J. Allen Hynek), NICAP (headed by Maj. Donald Keyhoe of the U.S. Marines), APRO (headed by Jim and Coral Lorenzen), and many others. He also served in the Air Force.

On Sunday, July 6, 1975, at approximately 4:30 or 5:00 P.M., a tobacco farmer by the name of Joe Borda observed a silver domed-shaped UFO in his field of tobacco plants in Mount Pleasant, Ontario, Canada. The object was approximately 400 yards away from where he was standing and Borda assumed it was just a neighbour’s stainless-steel irrigation truck or tank. It was later reported that none of the neighbours had their work vehicles out that day.

Two days later, on July 8, Borda found a circular-like depression, approximately 20-30 feet in diameter, of damaged tobacco plants at the spot where the object was seen two days earlier. Some of the leaves from the tobacco plants within the depression were burnt brown. Other tobacco plants within the depression were flattened, and some were found broken at the stem.

A greenish-blue oily residue was also found among the damaged tobacco plants.

Samples from the site were collected by the county’s Crown Attorney, Charles Borda, who was also Joe Borda’s brother. Charles handed the samples over to the Brantford detachment of the O.P.P. (Ontario Provincial Police) who in turn sent them to the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto for lab testing.

By the time pioneer ufologist Henry McKay arrived on the scene, every trace of the greenish-blue residue was removed by police.

Henry later contacted the Brantford detachment of the O.P.P. to obtain the results of the lab tests conducted on the samples by Forensic Sciences.

In a letter to Henry from the Brantford detachment of the O.P.P., dated August 12, 1975, it states they were informed by Forensic Sciences that “the tobacco samples appear to have been struck by lightning”.

Not fully buying into the lightning explanation, Henry asked the Brantford detachment of the O.P.P. for a copy of the Forensic lab results. They told Henry he would need to contact the Centre of Forensic Sciences.

Henry tried relentlessly for over ten years to get a copy of the Forensic lab results from various Canadian government agencies who kept referring him back and forth between agencies: Centre of Forensic Sciences, the Canadian Department of National Defence, the Office of the Premier (Ontario), the Attorney General of Ontario, members of parliament, the Solicitor General, and others.

If this was just a simple case of tobacco plants struck by lightning then surely there should have been no issue with releasing the report — especially considering that the property owner (Joe Borda) and the Crown Attorney (Charles Borda) gave full permission to Henry to gain access to the report. Charles also tried on his own, as Crown Attorney, to get a copy of the Forensic lab results and not even he could gain access to the report.

40 years later, in 2015, ufologist Bob Mitchell, a well-respected retired Toronto Star journalist and executive for MUFON Canada, attempted to carry the torch for Henry’s quest of obtaining a copy of the lab results after Henry passed away. Mitchell contacted the Forensic Science Centre in Toronto, the O.P.P., the Canadian National Research Council, and the R.C.M.P. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). According to Mitchell, none of them had information about the incident ever happening.

Fortunately, The Henry McKay UFO Archives has a letter dated August 12, 1975, from local police indicating that yes indeed the Borda samples were analyzed by Forensic Sciences. A digitized copy of this letter, along with another letter and a sketch by Borda, have been released to Black Vault. If anybody can provide any further information on this case please contact The Henry McKay UFO Archives.

Additional Information

For what it’s worth, it should also be noted that according to the book titled, “Gateway to Oblivion”, by Hugh Cochrane, three unknown men barged their way onto the Borda property in a limousine with Arizona license plates. They apparently drove straight to the damaged area, knowing exactly where they were going without any direction from Borda, and took samples of the damaged tobacco plants. When Borda went out to his field to question them they reportedly told him that it was none of his business and to go away.

In 2015, Mitchell visited the area to research the case 40 years later and spoke to one of Joe Borda’s descendants. Mitchell told The Henry McKay UFO Archives that during his research he discovered that the limousine with the Arizona license plates arrived a few hours before Borda even notified police.

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The following is a transcript from an audio cassette recording of Henry McKay, around the 13 minute mark.

This would have been at either one of his lectures or his course.

The cassette is simply labelled as “UFO Talk H.H.M”. Date unknown. From the files of the Henry McKay UFO Archives.

NOTE: A few words are indiscernible, which have been marked with “????”.:

“In 1914, in a little community north of Lindsay, Ontario there was a munitions factory that was subjected to an intense light hovering over the area, over the village, causing concern to the people who were working in this munitions factory. They assumed it was some sort of German military aircraft ready to bomb them.

The foreman of the plant ???? the lights in the plant and fired at this light source driving it away. Only momentarily because apparently it came back.

This was reported in the Lindsay paper, many many years ago.”

– Henry McKay

The following is an extract from a paper written by Henry, which he presented at the first International UFO Congress in Acapulco, Mexico in 1977.

It gives a bit more info on this case:

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LOCATION: Papua, New Guinea
DATE OF OBSERVATION: June 26, 1959

The following is a transcript from an audio cassette recording of Henry McKay, at the 24 minute 51 second mark. This would have been at either one of his lectures or his course.

The cassette is simply labelled as “UFO Talk H.H.M”. Date unknown. From the files of the Henry McKay UFO Archives:

“Quite a few number of years ago there was an incident reported in New Guinea, where a Reverend Gill and a number of missionary observed the UFO on three evenings. It was brought to his attention by some of the Natives yelling, which brought him outside and he observed, and it’s well documented, a hovering UFO, the discoid configuration.

And one of the evenings there were three humanoids aboard the craft standing on the outer rim, if you will, performing some sort of an operation or procedure, work procedure.

One of the Native boys waved at this craft and one of the creatures leaned over what appeared to be like a rail, a railing on a ship, and waved back. Now, they couldn’t see the railing, but it gave him that  impression, that it was a railing that he was leaning over, and waved back.

This so intrigued the, Father Gill, that he went and sent one of the Native boys for his torches, he called it a flashlight. And he signaled to the UFO, and it responded.

Now the Reverend Gill has released all this information, and it’s well documented at the UFO Research Centre under the direction of Dr. Allen Hynek.” – Henry McKay

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The following is a transcript from an audio cassette recording of Henry McKay, around the 42 second mark. This would have been at either one of his lectures or his course.

The cassette is simply labelled as “UFO Talk H.H.M”. Date unknown. From the files of the Henry McKay UFO Archives:

Now, the three broad categories of UFO:

The “A” category is the astronomical or aerial observation. Of the UFO reports, this would comprise of approximately 75-80%. Now, unfortunately, I do not have any training in astronomy.

A lot of the activity that’s unidentified that’s going on in space may have some military background to it and it’s difficult to extract the information from the authorities.

So, I do not pursue that particular area.

The “B” category is below normal aircraft altitude, or at tree-top level if you will.

And the “C” category is contact with the ground or communication with humans.

That’s the three broad categories. “A” astronomical. “B” below normal aircraft altitude or at 500 foot distance if you will. And “C” category is contact with the ground or some sort of communication.”

– Henry McKay

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The following is from an audio cassette recording of Henry McKay at around the 26 minute 28 second mark. This would have been at either one of his lectures or his course. The cassette is simply labelled as “UFO Talk H.H.M”. Date unknown.

“A number of years ago, a nurse in an intensive care ward at the District Hospital in Cowichan on Vancouver Island observed an intense light shining in, out in the hall from a patient’s room.

Now, the patient at that time should have been resting with the lights off. And the nurse thought that somebody had left the lights on. And she went down to the room to turn the light off. Then she realized on entering the room that the intense light was coming in the window.

So she walked over with intentions of drawing the drapes. When she looked out, hovering at eye level was an, 80 feet from her building, because it was between the children’s wing of the same hospital, was a hovering UFO.

She reported that she was, stared in amazement, and was mesmerized. She said this object was hovering there and it contained two creatures. And she said, one sitting behind the other, she said the one sitting in the rear turned slowly and looked directly at her. Then that creature reached forward, placed his hand on the creature sitting in front, and the creature in turn reached down and moved the lever.

She was questioned closely about this and she said she could see the interior of the craft, and when he reached down and moved that lever the vehicle tilted and she could see a greater area of this craft. She said inside she could see some sort of a control panel and these two humanoids were sitting on tall stools, like a child’s seat.

Then the craft started moving further away and then she realized she should get other witnesses, and she yelled to the other nurses on duty and they came running down the corridor.

Unfortunately, the one just saw the light moving off in the distance. And another nurse ran down, I believe it was into a small washroom that had a window that had a view of the area where the object was disappearing, and she saw the lights disappearing in the distance also.

Now, here’s a nurse. A mature, would be quite competent in observing something of this nature and reporting it.

This is one case that’s happened out in B.C., and other cases have been reported across Canada.”

– Henry McKay

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Courtesy of the Henry McKay UFO Archives, this historical document is a letter from Dr. J. Allen Hynek to Iris Owen, dated August 24, 1977.  It is significant to not only the UFO research community, but also to the ghost research community. Hynek was the astronomy consultant to the U.S. Air Force’s UFO projects, including Project Bluebook.

In this letter Hynek mentions the upcoming release of the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, which he was the consultant for, and anticipates that the movie “will yield a large number of ancient sightings”.

Hynek than goes on to express his thoughts on physical evidence of UFOs and how not all UFO reports should be discounted as just mere “hallucinations”.

And, even more interesting, is his statement “Your work at the Foundation has certainly shown that the mind can influence physical matter — Phillip, table-tipping, poltergeist phenomena — all attest to this.”

Iris Owen, whom Hynek wrote this letter to, was the wife of Dr. George Owen. The Owens ran the TSPR (Toronto Society for Psychical Research), which led the infamous Philip Experiment — which is what Hynek was referring to when he mentioned “Phillip”. The Owens’ goal with the experiment was to see if the mind could actually “create” a ghost.

Hynek also mentions his opinion regarding correlations between ghost research (in particular ‘psychic research’) and UFO research, and the need for both organizations to “keep in close touch on really significant cases”.

Most telling is when he says, “I am being driven, somewhat reluctantly to the feeling that many UFOs are caused by our own psychic energy somehow interacting with matter”.

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The Henry McKay Confession Tape is an audio cassette tape from 1978 of pioneer physical trace UFOlogist Henry McKay talking about his experiences of being watched, stalked and harassed by authorities due to his UFO research involvement.

In this audio cassette tape Henry talks about his mail being diverted, his telegram being diverted, his telephone being tapped, men watching his house from their car, being chased down the highway by an unknown vehicle, police showing up at his door to harass him from a city over 3 hours away, army showing up at his investigation sites (Henry specialized in landing sites and physical traces), and the monitoring of UFO investigators and researchers.

Henry also mentions the Edwin Fuhr case (Regina, Saskatchewan) and that the police told Edwin not to say anything about his UFO sighting. He also mentions the Stephen Michalak case in Falcon Lake, Manitoba.

He also talks about Ground Saucer Watch attempting to take the government to court regarding harassment for investigating UFOs. He also talks about his long fight with the government to get the Joe Borda files from the government (over 10 years Henry tried) in Brantford when a UFO landed in a tobacco field.

It is not known who Henry was talking to in this tape. All that is known is that this conversation took place in a car in front of Henry’s home in Toronto, Canada in 1978. At around the 22 minute mark the tape goes blank, this is the way it is on the original tape and it is not known what caused this. Then around the 27 minute mark the tape cuts off as Henry is mid-sentence and then you hear Henry do a countdown of sorts. Then the tape comes back to the interview in the car.

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This audio cassette was recorded at either one of Henry’s lectures or during his UFO course.

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Later in the interview at around the 15 minute mark you will hear the radio station’s phone lines jam, thereby forcing the station to temporarily go off air. Somewhat similar to the infamous Art Bell “Area 51 Frantic Caller” episode.

The last part of this audio is a clip from the 1978 radio interview with UFOlogist David Haisell who provided more information about the 1973 radio broadcast phone lines jamming.

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This is a Christmas card that was sent to pioneer physical trace UFOlogist Henry McKay from his good friend Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Date unknown.

There are two images. The first image is the front of the card, the second image is the inside of the card.

Hynek coined the term “Close Encounters”, and was the astronomy consultant to the U.S. Air Force’s UFO projects including Project Bluebook. Inside the card (which is the second image) Hynek wrote: “Merry Christmas! How’s this for a close encounter of the third kind! Mimi and Allen. Hope to see you soon.”

Mimi was Hynek’s wife.

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The date of this document is not known. The North American UFO Federation was headed by NASA scientist Dr. Richard F. Haines, Ph.D.

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