Abstract: Throughout the UFO literature, there are many stories

of alleged physiological effects associated with UFO encounters.

There are several published reviews of these cases, including

Aggen (1969), Crain (1971), Tokarz (1978) and the definitive

summary by McCampbell (1987). In addition, reviews of

close-encounter cases often include details of medical reactions

and effects associated with UFO experiences. The most

well-publicized and investigated physiological-effect case in

recent ufological history was the Cash-Landrum encounter, in

which two women said they were confronted by a diamond-shaped

object and suffered various injuries as a result (Schuessler

1984).

One of the most intriguing cases of serious injury attributed to

a UFO experience is that of Stefan Michalak.* He returned home

from a prospecting expedition with serious ill effects that he

claimed were a result of an extraordinary UFO encounter

(Rutkowski 1981a).

The incident occurred on May 20, 1967, in an area near Falcon

Lake, Manitoba, Canada, approximately 75 kilometers north of the

American border in the rocky edge of the great Canadian Shield.

Falcon Lake is a resort town at the southern boundary of

Whiteshell Provincial Park. The park is largely uninhabited

wilderness, about the same size as the state of Rhode Island. The

Whiteshell is known for various mineral deposits, and several

small mines were established in the surrounding region. Stefan

Michalak was an amateur geologist and had worked the area many

times. Some prospectors had found several quartz veins nearby

that were associated with silver deposits, and Michalak had even

staked a few claims himself. On May 19, 1967, he traveled from

his home in Winnipeg to Falcon Lake, where he spent the night in

a motel on the Trans-Canada Highway. He had expected to enjoy a

quiet weekend of prospecting.

The Encounter

Stefan Michalak left his motel at 5:30 that morning and headed

north into the bush. By 9:00 a.m., traveling under a bright,

cloudless sky, he had found a quartz vein near a marshy area,

close to a small stream. At 11:00 a.m. he had lunch, then went

back to his examination of the quartz formation. At 12:15 p.m.,

with the sun high and clouds gathering in the west, Michalak was

startled by the cackling of some geese, who were obviously

disturbed by something. He looked up and was surprised to see

two cigar-shaped objects with "bumps" on them, an estimated

forty-five degrees in altitude, descending and glowing red. As

they approached, they appeared more oval and then disc-shaped.

Suddenly, the further of the pair stopped in midflight, while the

other drew nearer and appeared to land on a large, flat rock

which was later determined to be about 160 feet away. The one in

the air hovered for a short while, then later departed, changing

from red to orange to grey as it flew into the west, where it

disappeared behind the clouds. Focusing his attention to the

object on the ground, Michalak saw that it, too, was turning from

red to grey, until it finally was the color of "hot stainless

steel," surrounded by a golden-hued glow. As he observed the

object, he knelt beside a rock where he had been chipping at the

quartz. He had been wearing welding goggles to protect his eyes

from flying rock fragments. The goggles proved to be very useful,

as brilliant light shone from openings in the object, blinding

him and creating red afterimages in his eyes.

For the next half-hour he stayed near the rock, making a sketch

of the object and noting various features. The craft was

saucer-shaped, about 40 feet in diameter and approximately 10

feet thick. Its upper cupola or dome was an additional three feet

high. Michalak became aware of waves of warm air radiating from

the craft, accompanied by the "smell of sulphur." He also heard

the whirring of what sounded like a fast electric motor, and a

hissing, as if air were being taken in or expelled.

A door had opened in the side of the craft, revealing some lights

inside. This door was about two by three feet in size. Michalak

approached to within 60 feet of the craft, and heard two

humanlike voices, one with a higher pitch than the other. He was

sure that the craft was an American experimental test vehicle,

and walked closer to it, sarcastically asking, "Okay, Yankee

boys, having trouble? Come on out and we'll see what we can do

about it." Getting no response (the voices had subsided), and

becoming flustered, he asked cautiously in Russian, "Do you speak

Russian?" There was still no answer, so he gave greetings in

German, Italian, French and Ukrainian, then once again in

English.

At this point, his curiosity got the best of him, and he walked

closer to the craft, ending up directly in front of it. Poking

his head into the opening, he saw a maze of lights on what

appeared to be a panel, and beams of light in horizontal and

diagonal patterns. There was also a cluster of lights flashing in

a random sequence "like on a computer."

As Michalak stepped away from the craft, he saw that the wall of

the craft was about 18 inches thick. Suddenly, three panels slid

over the opening, sealing it "like a camera shutter." He examined

the outside of the craft and touched the side of it with his

gloved hand. There were no signs of welding or joints; the

surface was highly polished, and appeared like colored glass with

light reflecting off it, and made "silvery spectra" out of the

sunlight. Drawing his glove back, he saw that it had burned and

melted when it brushed the side of the object. Unexpectedly, the

craft shifted position, and he was facing a gridlike exhaust vent

which he had seen earlier to his left. This vent was about nine

inches high by six inches wide, and contained a uniform pattern

of round holes, each about 1/16 inch in diameter. A blast of hot

gas shot from these holes onto his chest, setting his shirt and

undershirt on fire and causing him severe pain. He tore off his

burning garments and threw them to the ground. He looked up in

time to see the craft depart like the first, and felt a rush of

air as it ascended.

Aftermath

When the craft had left, Michalak noticed a strong smell of

burning electrical circuits mixed with the original smell of

sulphur. Looking down, he saw that some moss had been set on fire

by his smouldering shirts, and so he stamped it out. He walked

over to where he had left his belongings, and saw that the needle

on his compass was spinning erratically; after a few minutes, it

became still. He went back over to the landing site and

immediately felt nauseous and a surge of pain from a headache.

The landing spot looked as if it had been swept clean (no twigs

or stones). However, piled up in a circle 15 feet in diameter was

a collection of pine needles, dirt and leaves. As he looked

around, his headache became worse, he felt more nauseous and he

broke out in a cold sweat. Feeling very weak and dizzy, he

vomited. He decided to head back to the motel. On the way back,

he vomited several more times and had to stop to regain his

strength.

When he finally reached the highway, he was about a mile from

where he had entered the woods, so he started off down the road

in that direction. He saw an RCMP car coming towards him and

tried to flag it down. It passed by, apparently to turn around,

because a few minutes later, Michalak heard a voice calling

beside him. Michalak told the RCMP officer what had happened.

Michalak says the officer listened but recalls the uncooperative

constable told him: "Sorry, but I have other duties to perform."

Then the officer got in his patrol car and left.

After walking for what seemed to be an eternity, Michalak reached

the motel. Thinking he was somehow contaminated, he did not go in

but instead remained outside in a clump of trees. He tried to get

help at the nearby park headquarters but it was closed. At 4:00

p.m., he finally ventured towards the motel and entered the

coffee shop to inquire whether or not a doctor was available, as

his pain had become considerably worse. He was told that the

nearest doctor was in Kenora, Ontario, 45 miles east of Falcon

Lake. Not wanting to travel even farther from home, Michalak

decided to return to Winnipeg.

Thinking that there might be danger for other park visitors and

that his encounter was certainly newsworthy, he called the news

desk of the Winnipeg Tribune. He had expected them to send

someone to pick him up and take him a doctor, hearing his story

on the way. But as it was a Saturday, the news department was

short-staffed and unwilling to comply with his request,

especially since he wanted assistance "but no publicity." He went

to his room, where he waited until the next bus to Winnipeg

arrived at around 8:45 p.m. He called his wife, telling her that

he had had an accident and not to worry, but to send their son to

meet him at the bus terminal. When he arrived back in Winnipeg

around 10:15 p.m., his son immediately took him to the

Misericordia Hospital.

Throughout the next two years, Michalak was examined by more than

one dozen physicians in the United States and Canada. Site

investigations were made by members of the RCMP, RCAF, government

officials and numerous civilians. The number of government

departments and officials who were involved in this case is

staggering. In the ground party which traveled with Michalak to

the site there were representatives of: the RCAF (Royal Canadian

Air Force) Training Command Headquarters; CFB (Canadian Forces

Base) Winnipeg; RCMP CID (Criminal Investigations Division); the

federal Department of Health and Welfare; and the Manitoba

provincial Department of Health and Welfare. In addition, the

University of Colorado Condon Committee investigated, Life

magazine reporters came to Manitoba and two connected but

separate civilian groups, APRO (Aerial Phenomena Research

Organization) and CAPRO (Canadian APRO), became involved.

Furthermore, the federal Department of Mines and Natural

Resources took an interest, as did the Whiteshell Nuclear

Research Establishment (WNRE), the Manitoba Cancer Institute, the

Mayo Clinic, and a host of other medical establishments.

The scope of this intense investigation cannot be understated.

The Falcon Lake case may well be one of the most intensely

investigated well-documented on record. The case presents a

number of elements of particular interest to researchers:

1. Michalak's burns and other physiological effects;

2. the ground traces found at the site;

3. radioactivity allegedly associated with the site;

and 4. mysterious metal fragments found at the site.

All of the available data associated with each of these elements

will be examined in turn.

Character of the Witness

At the time of the incident, Stefan Michalak was an employee of

an industrial facility in Winnipeg. He was an industrial

mechanic, with knowledge of automotive machinery, welding, and

metalwork. With regard to Michalak's mental state, an examining

psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic noted:

"I found no evidence of dreams [or] hallucinations . . . The MMPI

was not extraordinary . . . I can find no overt evidence of

significant mental or emotional illness." [Mayo Clinic 1968: 2]

Michalak had never before reported observing anything like the

UFO he encountered in 1967. During World War II, he had been an

intelligence officer and was very familiar with the appearance

and behavior of military vehicles.

In the RCAF report on the incident, much was made of Michalak's

association with a man named Gerald Hart (RCAF 1967a). Hart was

known to the RCMP as a "subversive" individual, so when Michalak

told them that Hart had assisted him in his quest for the site of

his encounter, officials became suspicious. (Among other

eccentricities, Hart refused to pay income tax and in fact wrote

a popular book on how to avoid paying the government anything.)

Furthermore, the actions of civilian UFO investigators were cause

for concern in the minds of officials. In particular, Barry

Thompson, described by a former CAPRO member as a "liaison

between CAPRO and APRO," was:

". . . a constant companion of Mr. Michalak and he appeared to be

the spokesman for Mr. Michalak during some of the interviews.

Both the investigating officer and Professor Craig [of the Condon

Committee] agreed there appeared to be monetary gain intentions

associated with this relationship." [RCAF 1967a: 4]

However, there was never any "monetary gain" from the incident.

Michalak's own narrative account was privately published in late

1967. His manuscript, written in Polish, was translated and

printed as a 40-page booklet which quickly sold out. But Michalak

saw little of the money recovered after publication costs, and to

this day is bitter that "others have made money from my

experience, but not me" (Michalak 1980). Actually, because of the

small run and limited circulation, it is thought that the

publisher lost money. (In the early 1970s a civilian investigator

of the case wanted to have the manuscript retranslated and the

booklet reprinted, but this never occurred.)

Squadron Leader Paul Bissky of the Royal Canadian Air Force was

the investigating officer on the case. His reports to Canadian

Forces Headquarters are remarkable in their detail and candid

comments about his investigations. But complicating his reports

is the fact that Bissky was a devout skeptic, and told

researchers he "didn't believe in that stuff [UFOs]" (Bissky

1980). How much his personal opinions may have influenced his

reports is not known.

That Bissky thought Michalak was a liar is an understatement. At

one point during his investigation, he bluntly asked Michalak if

he had been drinking on the day of the experience. He believed

that Michalak was hallucinating because of some alcoholic stupor.

Bissky appeared sure that alcohol was somehow involved with the

case, and he cleverly manipulated Michalak into proving he was

not a teetotaler. In his first report, Bissky noted:

"Although the authenticity of Mr. Michalak's report had not been

questioned up to the second search, he had appeared genuinely

sincere and his story was convincing to those who heard it for

the first time, some doubts arose during the last search. . . .

Mr. Michalak had staunchly denied having consumed alcoholic

beverages at any time while at Falcon Lake. Yet a reliable

witness at Falcon Lake advised that he personally had served Mr.

Michalak 4 or 5 bottles of beer the night prior to the trip into

the bush." [RCAF 1967a: 2]

This is an odd note, since the "reliable witness" was obviously a

bartender, and Bissky did not state how his source's own

reliability had been established. Bissky seemed to want to prove

there was at least one inconsistency or lie in Michalak's

testimony, and the issue of alcohol consumption seemed to be a

choice target. (In retrospect, even if Michalak admitted drinking

several beers, there would still remain the problem of the other

physical and physiological evidence; Michalak's drinking probably

had no bearing on the case itself.)

In his later report, Bissky noted several "discrepancies" in

Michalak's story, including this following detailed passage which

gives us some insight into Bissky's RCAF investigation:

". . . it was proven that Mr. Michalak does consume alcoholic

beverages, in fact to some considerable extent. After coming out

from the alleged site, Mr. Michalak was purposely taken to the

same bar where he had consumed the five beers the night prior to

his initial encounter on the 20 May 67. Although he declined the

offer of beer (it could not be determined whether this was done

because he did not like beer or not), he did accept the offer of

several rye "Presbyterians" (rye and half water/ginger ale mix),

in fact he even went so far as to purchase a round of drinks for

the group. He appeared to hold his alcohol reasonably well,

although it was noticed that he did loosen up after the third

drink and become quite gay, telling numerous stories. When

questioned about the vast discrepancy in direction the object

departed, he just shrugged his shoulders and laughed it off. When

last seen, he was in a jovial mood, remaining at the bar,

presumably to await the arrival of his two assistants from

Winnipeg. Hence it is very possible that Mr. Michalak may have

had a private party on his own the night of 19 May, which in turn

could have caused hallucinations the following day." [RCAF 1967b:

4]

Bissky was convinced that Michalak had drunk heavily the night

before his alleged experience, causing him to have imagined the

entire UFO encounter ten to twelve hours later. However, Bissky

described an alternative theory to the author: Michalak had been

drinking and burned himself on a hot barbecue grill. Support for

this new theory came from another of Bissky's unnamed but

"reliable sources," in this case a woman who was awakened by

Michalak pounding on her cabin door at 2:00 a.m. Unfortunately,

Bissky said that the woman was at Falcon Lake for a "tryst" and

could not come forward publicly. It is interesting that this

explanation was never mentioned in any official report, and has

no other evidence to support it. (Bissky 1980) Despite all of his

attempts to find flaws in Michalak's story, Bissky was forced to

concede that:

. . . there are certain facts, such as Mr. Michalak's illness and

burns and the very evident circle remaining at the site, which

are unexplainable. [RCAF 1967b: 5]

Even under the intense scrutiny of biased military investigators,

the case appeared sound. As of the time of this writing (January

1994), Michalak still stands by his original story and insists

that his experience occurred as he described. Physiological

Effects

When asked by the examining doctor how he had been injured,

Michalak said he had been "hit by exhaust coming out of an

aeroplane." In the narrative of his account, Michalak explained

that he had not told the doctor about the UFO because neither he

nor the (Chinese) physician were fluent enough in English to make

the fantastic story understood, and because Michalak was very

tired and wanted to go home. He was given a sedative and went

home, where he took a bath to cleanse his wounds then went to

bed. (Michalak 1967: 23) The next morning, Michalak was still in

some pain and his family noted he had extremely bad body odor and

halitosis. He could not hold any food down, but he was not hungry

anyway. He said that according to the bathroom scale he had lost

six pounds during the previous two days, and he became concerned.

It was not until that evening that his own physician, Dr. R. D.

Oatway, examined Michalak and was told the saucer story. Michalak

noted: "He looked at me with what one may call a professional

discretion" (Michalak 1967: 24). Oatway's detailed report,

prepared for APRO consultant Dr. Horace Dudley, describes

Michalak's physical condition at that time:

"He complained of band-like headache, hot forehead, anorexia and

nausea, feeling of blacking out. On examination, he appeared

rather depressed, dazed, apathetic, but rational and coherent.

There was singeing of the hair on the forehead at the hairline

and over the lower sternal and upper abdominal region. Over the

upper abdomen, in the mid-portion and especially to the left of

the midline, there were numerous reddish, slightly irregular,

oval-shaped, slightly raised lesions, arranged with their long

axes mainly in a transverse direction. These lesions seemed to be

consistent with a first degree burn. As I recall they were

painful and tender but not severely. I also observed the burnt

undershirt which had holes with charred (or blackened) edges

corresponding to the site of the burn." [Oatway 1968]

Oatway examined the burns and prescribed antinausea tablets and

codeine painkillers. Later, he referred Michalak to a

dermatologist who gave him some antibacterial skin cleanser for

the burns. During the next two weeks, Michalak's condition

improved gradually. He kept a diary of his health during this

time. He noted that his weight decreased from 180 lbs. before his

UFO encounter to a low of 158 lbs. on May 27, one week later.

Unfortunately, since Michalak had not seen his personal physician

for more than one year before his UFO encounter, there was no

official record of his preencounter weight. During this time, he

also experienced several fainting spells, which he had never had

before in his life. He continued to vomit occasionally, but his

appetite slowly returned to normal. As a result of prompting by

civilian UFO investigators, Michalak went to a radiologist on May

23. No evidence of radiation trauma was found.

On May 30, Michalak was taken by a UFO investigator to the

Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, where he was given a

whole-body count. Again, nothing above normal background readings

was found. During the period immediately following his encounter,

Michalak had a slight drop in blood lymphocyte count, from 25% to

16%.

As noted by one investigator, the specific values and

corresponding times were:

May 24, 1967 16%

May 30, 1967 21%

January 15, 1968 31% [Cannon 1970]

After four weeks, the white-cell count was reportedly back to a

normal level. During this time the platelet counts were

consistently normal. If Michalak had been affected by radiation,

as some have suggested, the counts would have varied more

significantly. Brian Cannon, a founder of CAPRO, reported to that

group's membership that the healing of Michalak's burns was "a

characteristic trait of radiation burns" (Cannon 1968). One

hematologist's report, however, indicated "no abnormal physical

findings," although Michalak had "some atypical lymphoid cells in

the marrow plus a moderate increase in the number of plasma

cells" (Oatway 1968). These minor variations do not support some

published accounts that claim Michalak had impurities in his

blood (Naud 1978).

But Dr. Horace Dudley, a radiologist and APRO advisor at the

University of Southern Mississippi, observed that Michalak's:

. . . nausea and vomiting followed by diarrhea and loss of weight

is a classical picture of severe whole body [exposure to]

radiation with x- or gamma rays. I would guess that Mr. Michalak

received on the order of 100-200 roentgens. It is very fortunate

that this dose of radiation only lasted a very short time or he

would certainly have received a lethal dose. [Lorenzen and

Lorenzen 1968: 40-41]

Others did not believe that symptoms of radiation poisoning were

present, and the issue has never been fully resolved (Michalak

1967: 27-28; Rutkowski 1981b). Michalak's skin problems also had

different interpretations. His upper chest, having been diagnosed

as thermally burned, healed fairly rapidly. His abdomen, where

the grid pattern appeared, went through periods of fading and

recurrence. It had been suggested that these welts were radiation

burns.

Michalak also had a rash which broke out on his upper torso. One

investigator said this was due to insect bites, and this is

supported by the fact that investigators were indeed bitten by

large numbers of black flies at the site. However, it does appear

that Michalak had more than just a simple patch of bites. Medical

records noted he had skin infections that were "hive-like areas

with impetiginous centers" (Oatway 1968). In another report, he

had "generalized urticaria" (Oatway 1967). Along with the

recurrence of the rash and urticaria, Michalak reported feeling

weak, dizzy and nauseous, and he experienced numbness and

swelling in his joints (Michalak 1967: 35-36).

It is possible that Michalak had an allergic reaction to

something in the environment. On September 21, 1967, four months

after his UFO experience, Michalak was at work when he became

very ill. He felt a burning sensation on his chest and neck, his

throat constricted and he became very flushed ("turned violet").

His hands swelled "like a balloon," he became dizzy, then fainted

(Michalak 1967: 35). Upon examination, doctors concluded that

Michalak had had an allergic reaction of some sort. However,

considering that he had never had such reactions before his

encounter, one might wonder what had triggered the episodes.

Michalak gradually recovered from his injuries and stopped having

his recurring allergic reactions. To this day, however, the

strange array of burn scars can still be felt underneath the skin

of his lower abdomen.

The Mayo Clinic

In August 1968, Michalak went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,

Minnesota. The purpose of his visit was to undergo tests in order

to determine exactly what was ailing him, since the doctors in

Winnipeg appeared to be unhelpful. It is worthy to note that

Michalak paid for the Mayo tests entirely on his own, as Canadian

medical insurance would not cover such a trip. He traveled south

and stayed for two weeks at a motel near the hospital, walking

across each day and entering as an outpatient. He reported that

he was given a thorough physical and psychological examination by

various doctors, then sent home.

Michalak waited for several weeks, but received no word on his

results. He complained to his own doctor and told CAPRO

representatives of the lack of results. CAPRO investigators

appealed to APRO for help. Eventually, ufologist John Keel

intervened and as a result, Dr. Berthold Schwarz, a psychiatrist

and ufologist, assisted by sending a letter of inquiry to the

Mayo Clinic, asking about the medical reports. In reply, he was

sent what has been referred to as the "letter of denial." Dated

(perhaps significantly) April 1, 1969, the letter bluntly stated:

"I have checked through our registration desk and I find that we

have never had a patient by that name registered at the Mayo

Clinic. If he had been a patient I suspect that I would not have

been able to send you information without a release from him,

state laws being what they are, but I can tell you we don't know

anything about him." [Barry 1969]

This immediately spurred shouts of "cover-up!" from some

individuals who learned of the letter, and rightly so, as this

appeared to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the investigation.

However, Schwarz tried again, with a different tactic; he asked

Michalak to sign a simple medical records release form and

forwarded that to the Mayo Clinic in January 1970. The reports

came immediately.

Michalak had been found to be in good health but with

neurodermatitis and simple syncope (fainting spells due to sudden

cerebral blood pressure losses). The syncope was suggested as

having to do with hyperventilation or impaired cardiac output

(Rovelstad 1970). This is interesting, as Michalak has indeed had

heart problems during the past decade. Furthermore, the Mayo

Clinic report described Michalak's physiological problems in more

detail:

"Since May, 1967, he has had repeated clearing-up and

recrudescence of the erythematous and pruritic lesions on his

chest and legs. Sometimes these occurred at intervals of

approximately 112 days, but this has not been consistent. Since

January, 1968, reoccurrences have been more frequent but the

symptoms were briefer in duration. Generally, the chest lesions

appear as minute points or "grains," enlarge progressively to the

size of a quarter or a half dollar, and are very pruritic . . .

The time between initial appearance and disappearance has ranged

from a few days to several weeks. Various medications have not

been helpful." [Mayo Clinic 1968: 1]

His condition was viewed as being quite serious, especially given

the following information:

"Mr. Mechallack's [sic] main reason for coming to the Mayo Clinic

now is because of headaches and "blackout spells" which have

attended the other symptoms since he was severely ill in January,

1968. Headaches are mainly bitemporal, steady, and excruciating.

Skin problems occur at the same time. Blackout spells are not

sudden but cannot be predicted accurately enough to permit him to

drive during symptomatic periods (he is fearful of hurting

himself and/or others). Gradually, his eyesight begins to dim

until everything goes black. He has time to sit down but is . . .

unconscious for a few minutes or more. Allegedly, his wife has

viewed him during these spells and he recounts no symptoms

suggestive of seizures. He declares that he is unable to hear

during the spells." [Mayo Clinic 1968: 1]

Radiation

On June 30, 1967, Michalak traveled to Falcon Lake with Gerald

Hart. Hart had offered to help in the search, and told Michalak

he visited the area frequently on his own. Michalak took him up

on his offer.

"He not only took me there but helped me in the search. I looked

throughout the woods checking rocks I had seen before, examining

chips I had made in the stone and finally, after six hours, we

came upon the spot." [Michalak 1967: 31]

They found a ring of debris, thought to have been made when the

object lifted off. In addition, they found bits of Michalak's

shirt and his tape measure which he had left behind. When they

returned to Winnipeg, they informed the RCAF of their findings.

On July 2, RCMP, RCAF and CAPRO investigators accompanied

Michalak to the site, gathering samples and taking photographs.

The RCMP analyses of the samples showed significantly high

radiation readings. On their recommendation, consideration was

given to cordoning off the area due to a possible health hazard.

This was noted in an Incident Report from an inspector with the

RCMP Crime Laboratory in Ottawa, the result of tests on some

samples sent by the RCMP to the Department of National Health and

Welfare. They found:

. . . a radiation value of .3 microcuries in the soil sample . .

. the radiation is from a radium source and is a possible serious

health hazard. [RCMP 1967]

Samples taken from the site by Michalak and Hart were eventually

tested by the Radiation Protection Division of the Canadian

Department of National Health and Welfare. They examined samples

of "soil, burned shirt and steel tape for possible radioactive

contamination." The initial gamma analysis showed significant

levels of "Ra 226 or its equivalent."

In a report prepared by Stewart Hunt for A. K. DasGupta, the head

of the Safety Assessment and Control Section of the Division,

details of the radioactivity assessment were described. Hunt

outlined very clearly and cautiously the reasons his Division was

involved:

"The task of assessing the radiation hazard to the general public

and the landing site did not initially indicate that it would be

necessary for the Division to involve itself in the RCMP and DND

investigation. However, it became obvious . . . that collection

and coordination of all background information was essential due

to the following: a. The apparent lack of cooperation by the

principals toward the military and police. b. The exact

location of the sighting had not been established at the time of

the Division's initial involvement." [Hunt 1967: 1]

Hunt flew to Winnipeg and met with various other officials on

July 26, 1967. They had a brainstorming session, during which

they arrived at a complicated plan of action that included a

thorough investigation of the site, analyses of the physical

effects and a detailed background check not only of the principal

witness but also of the civilian investigators. As part of their

investigation, the team traveled to East Braintree, Manitoba,

near the Whiteshell, where hazardous waste from the Manitoba

Cancer Institute was buried. The reason for this was the

suggestion that someone had "seeded" the landing site with

commercially produced radium. If it had not come from a radium

watch dial, they reasoned that it must have come from a nuclear

waste disposal site. Again, the seriousness with which the case

was regarded is evident. Tampering with a nuclear waste disposal

site is a very grave matter. No indication of tampering was

found, however.

The team also visited Michalak's place of employment to see if it

used radium in any of its products. They then visited Michalak

at his home to check for radiation in the samples he had in his

basement. Hunt noted:

"A survey of the basement showed no evidence of any loose

contamination. Radiation fields were detectable coming from the

plastic bags containing soil and the remnants of Michalak's

burned shirt . . . Mr. Michalak has no respect for contaminated

materials. He handled the contaminated soil with his bare hands,

and was made to wash his hands with great difficulty." [Hunt

1967: 2]

Hunt was both horrified and suspicious. How could an amateur

geologist and trained engineer not be concerned by radioactive

debris? Hunt's visit was what helped convince Michalak to visit

the site with Bissky and the others. Hunt went along to verify

that radioactivity was present. He found that:

"One small area was found to be contaminated. This was located

across the crown of the rock. There was a smear of contamination

about 0.5 ' 8.0 inches on one side of the crack. There was also

some lichen and ground vegetation contaminated just beyond the

smear. The whole contaminated area was no larger than 100 square

inches. All water run off areas were checked for possible

contamination, but nothing was found." [Hunt 1967: 2]

After examining the site, he felt there was "no serious health

hazard involved." The fact that only a small area was radioactive

conflicted with the fact that Michalak's steel tape measure was

radioactive, yet it was found "40 paces" from the site. The

explanation offered for this was that everything taken from the

site had been left together in a pile in Michalak's basement, so

that unaffected items could have become contaminated after the

fact.

In an undated Department of National Defence Minute Sheet, an

official in the office of the Chief of Defence Staff in Ottawa

noted:

"There is some doubt that the soil samples did in fact contain

"226" or pure radium. This question of doubt is a scientific

evaluation beyond this investigation. The quantity of "226,"

namely 0.5, is equal to approximately !/3 of that associated with

an average wrist watch. However, the quantity, although

pertinent, does not explain how this "smear" got on the rock at

the alleged landing site. This is what is bothering the

scientific people." [Canadian Department of National Defence

1967?]

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the "radium seeding"

scenario was Hunt's visit to the provincial Environmental

Sanitation Laboratory in Winnipeg:

"Samples from [the] UFO site and those taken from Michalak's

residence were checked under a UV light. . . . The samples taken

from the UFO site gave an indication that they were contaminated

with Radium luminous paint. The samples from Michalak's house did

not respond to the UV light." [Hunt 1967: 3]

This was puzzling. If Michalak or Hart had seeded the radium,

then they would surely have had some luminous paint in their own

radioactive samples. Yet this was present only in the later

samples.

Further confusing details were found when Hunt visited the home

of Barry Thompson, the APRO investigator. Hunt checked some soil

and vegetation samples Thompson had in his possession. Thompson

had been given the samples by Michalak when he accompanied him

during a separate visit to the site on July 17, 1967. Hunt noted

that one sample:

. . . proved to be radioactive. Levels up to 1mR/hr were detected

. . . The sample was sealed in a plastic bag. A contamination

check was made of the area where the samples were, using the UV

light. The area was extremely cluttered with photographic

equipment and a great deal of junk. Several areas responded to

the UV light, but these did not prove to be areas of

contamination, probably photographic emulsion splashes. Thompson

appears to be a very sloppy worker. [Hunt 1967: 5]

This raises the possibility that "emulsion splashes" were also

the cause of the luminosity found in the RCAF samples from the

landing site. Hunt learned that Thompson had given some samples

to George Dyck, a technician at the Nuclear Medicine Department

of the Winnipeg General Hospital. On his own time, Dyck had

tested the samples using his department's standard laboratory

equipment. One sample was said to have shown a "1.4 MeV peak" and

two other weaker peaks. Hunt visited Dyck and was introduced to

nuclear medicine specialist Dr. F. Helmuth, who had examined

Michalak's burns when he had been brought in following his other

medical tests. Hunt also interviewed other nuclear medicine

specialists at the hospital. Dr. R. Walton, executive director of

the Manitoba Cancer Clinic, was apparently embarrassed to have

his organization involved in such tests because "they weren't

particularly interested in becoming involved in work of this

nature." The stigma of UFO investigation was too much for the

medical establishment.

The Metal

Between July 1967 and May 1968, the landing site was visited by a

variety of individuals. One of these was Mr. E. J. Epp, who

searched the area for radioactivity as part of a check by the

provincial Department of Mines and Natural Resources. They were

concerned that Michalak had misdirected the earlier searchers to

protect his claims. However, not only did Epp not find any

radioactivity, but Michalak didn't file any claims until the fall

of 1967.

The lack of radioactivity at the time is important, because on

May 19, 1968, Michalak again visited the site with a friend. In

his report to the Condon Committee, Roy Craig said Michalak

found:

. . . massive pieces of radioactive material in a fissure of the

rock within the "landing circle." This . . . consisted of two

W-shaped bars of metal, each about 4.5 in. long, and several

smaller pieces of irregular shape. These items were said to have

been found about 2 in. below a layer of lichen in the rock

fissure. . . . the two fragments each consisted of a central

massive metal portion which was not radioactive. One of these was

93% and the other 96% silver. Both contained copper and cadmium,

and had a composition similar to that found in commercially

available sterling silver or sheet silver. The metal was coated

with a tightly-adhering layer of quartz sand, similar to that

used as a foundry sand. This also was not radioactive. The

radioactivity was contained in a loosely-adhering layer of

fine-grained minerals containing uranium. This layer could be

removed readily by washing and brushing. The minerals were

uranophane and thorium-free pitchblende, characteristically found

in vein deposits. [Condon 1969: 323]

In his own teletype to headquarters, Bissky said that when he

examined the metal pieces at Michalak's home:

"All shown objects were subjected to civilian Geiger counter and

majority of readings at same level as that of the dial face of a

service wrist watch in same counter." [Bissky 1968]

Again, there was speculation that radium was implicated in the

radioactivity of the metal. It is ironic that it came from

Bissky's own watch. Bissky also observed that:

"Larger objects appeared to have been cast for a specific design

and Mr. M. indicated he had considerably more in his possession

but would not allow viewing or indicate the exact numbers

although he did allow that some were in a reverse "S" design."

He then:

"... attempted knicking one of the larger pieces with a knife and

found metal very resistant to knife although there was no normal

metallic ring when struck by another metallic object or against a

stone." [Bissky 1968]

This last observation is curious, since a four-inch chunk of

dense metal would not necessarily ring when struck. Bissky's

concern that the matter still was very suspicious was obvious as

he concluded:

. . . should it be found metal is of unusual raw material, feel

that NRC should be brought into picture for expert investigation.

It may be that metals are normal large deposits of silver or

other composite materials found in this area. "

And, most importantly:

. . . it is interesting that items have been located at exact

point of alleged landing of UFO. Should this be a hoax, someone

is going to considerable effort to perpetrate same. [Bissky 1968]

An understatement, indeed!

A number of institutions performed analyses on the metal pieces.

Biospace Associates apparently had some samples tested through

Colorado State University. They noted that:

"This particular UFOloy is made of silver, with no metallic

impurities detectable by the x-ray fluorescence analysis."

[Kachur 1968]

In a note from the UFO Research Institute, located in Pittsburgh,

Dr. J. Roesner reported that:

"The gamma spectra were complex; 15 distinct energies ranging

from 0.11 MeV to 2.57 MeV could be resolved. The three major

contributors to the total gamma radioactivity had energies of

0.61 MeV, 1.10 MeV and 1.53 MeV and decayed with half-lives of

~14 days, 8 days and 21 days, respectively. . . . A

semiquantitative chemical analysis ... showed that 95 percent of

the specimen is silver. The amount of copper in the specimen was

determined to be 0.5 percent. . . . The energies and half-lives

of the gamma rays emitted by the specimen do not agree with the

expected decay of silver activation products formed in an (n, g)

reaction on natural silver." [Weitzel 1968]

In his report to the Condon Committee, Craig quoted the

conclusion of R. J. Traill, head of the mineralogy branch of the

National Research Council of Canada, who reviewed the WNRE

findings:

"I would interpret the specimen as pieces of thin sheet silver

that have been twisted, crumpled, partly melted and dropped into

or otherwise placed in contact with nearly pure quartz sand while

still hot. They have subsequently been covered with loosely

adhering radioactive material which consists of crushed

pitchblende ore, much altered to uranophane and containing

associated hematite." [Traill 1968: 2]

Craig further noted:

"In view of the thoroughness of earlier searches of the site for

radioactive material, it is improbable that the particles

discovered a year later would have been missed had they been

present when the earlier searches were made." [Condon 1969: 323]

However, CAPRO insisted otherwise:

"The fact is that there is overwhelming evidence that the metal

was there, at least since July 1967. When the metal was located,

and since it was taken from the middle of the rock, we examined

the soil samples removed from the sight [sic] in July 1967. These

samples also contained tiny fragments of the same metal and no

doubt the samples taken by the authorities contain pieces as

well." [CAPRO 1969: 6]

Brian Cannon, a civilian investigator for CAPRO, was rightly

concerned that the metal samples seemed to undermine the

credibility of the case. It looked as if the metal bars were

unrelated to Michalak's experience. To check this, CAPRO had the

metal bars tested for the presence of radium. According to their

report:

"Analyses confirmed the presence of Radium 226, the same source

as was found in the soil specimens. The luminous watch dial paint

theory dulled considerably." [Cannon 1969c]

This latter point is particularly disturbing. Could experienced

nuclear technicians have made such a mistake? The matter becomes

more curious when one considers the results of reanalyses by the

Ufology Research of Manitoba (UFOROM) during 1977 to 1983. Soil

samples allegedly from the Falcon Lake site were provided by a

former CAPRO representative and tested for UFOROM at the

University of Manitoba. The samples showed natural uranium

activity but no radium signatures. This suggested that earlier

indications of the presence of radium were in error.

In an internal Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment

memorandum, lab analyst J.D. Chen reported on the analyses of

"chared [sic] fabric," native silver, mineral fragments, twig

fragments and jack pine needles. He wrote that:

"The gamma spectra showed an abnormally large 190 KeV photopeak

which was thought to be due to enrichment of U 235. However,

chemical extraction for uranium of the 100 mesh sample and

subsequent mass spectrometric analysis indicated the samples

containing uranium were of natural U 235 content. Experiments are

being continued to identify the cause of the large 190 KeV

photopeak." [Chen 1968]

A further analysis of a soil sample was done in 1994 by UFOROM

associate Greg Kennedy of Montreal. Gamma-ray spectroscopy found

four radionuclides: U235, Pb214, Bi214 and Cs137. The cesium was

probably due to fallout from nuclear weapons tests. Again, no

enriched uranium was found, and no metal particles.

The soil was simply naturally high in uranium, a typical finding

in the Whiteshell region. The original soil samples retrieved

from the site contained only natural radioactivity. However,

radium 226 was detected by some investigators. It is not clear

whether or not this was an error. The metal samples, on the other

hand, are definitely mysterious and do not appear natural. To

solve the puzzle, it would be most useful to obtain a small metal

sample for reanalysis.

Site Investigation

The most scientific report on the case was published by the

infamous Condon Committee. Dr. Roy Craig and Mary Lou Armstrong

of the University of Colorado both visited Michalak in June 1967.

Accompanying them was John Fried of Life magazine, which wanted

to do a feature on the incident. Unfortunately, when Michalak

tried to lead them to the site on June 4th, he was unsuccessful.

As he explained:

"Nature changes quickly at that time of the year and the forest

was very much different . . . than it had been when I was there

before. . . . The same thing happened later when the members of

the RCAF . . . and the RCMP went with me to search for the spot.

We even used a helicopter, but it was no use. It seemed as if the

place had disappeared from the face of the earth." [Michalak

1967: 29-30]

Michalak noted that the investigators were "disenchanted" with

his inability to find the site. Who could blame them? Their first

visit was only two weeks after the incident, and already the

story had a serious flaw. (It is probably because of this that

the case was not regarded very highly by the Condon Committee and

the USAF. Indeed, if Life magazine had found the site, the story

would have attracted much more attention and might have been more

carefully documented.)

Access to Information requests by several ufologists (including

this writer) have uncovered documents which provide more insight

into the incident but also raise many more questions. In some

cases, there are outright contradictions between civilian and

government or military records of the investigations. The

official RCAF report is undated but is thought to have been

submitted in mid-June 1967 by Squadron Leader Paul Bissky.

Bissky noted he first led a search party to Falcon Lake on May

25, but could not find the site. On May 30, he visited Michalak

to see if he felt well enough to accompany an investigation team.

Michalak declined, but he drew a sketch of the area, described

the site in detail and identified the likely area on an aerial

photograph. On May 31, four RCMP, two RCAF and one other set of

investigators in an H112 helicopter searched for the site, with

no success. In his report, Bissky wrote:

"The RCMP returned to Winnipeg that evening and persuaded Mr.

Michalak to accompany them to Falcon Lake the next day. Thinking

he may be able to quickly locate the site from the air, Mr.

Michalak was taken over the area by helicopter but he found no

recognizable features. He stated he could probably do better on

the ground. The search then proceeded with him leading the ground

party, with the helicopter monitoring the proceedings from the

air. With the aid of RCMP portable radios, an air/ground link was

possible and this greatly assisted in directing the ground party

to the most likely-looking areas as described by Mr. Michalak.

Following a frustrating afternoon and evening search . . . Mr.

Michalak insisted the ground party had been very very close to

the sought-after location as he recognized several physical

features and areas where he had chipped rocks during his last

prospecting visit." [RCAF 1967a: 2]

It should be remembered that this was a joint investigation by

military and police officers, armed with sophisticated rescue and

detection equipment. Their search on June 2 was also

unsuccessful. The RCAF team did not return to the area until July

28, when they had convinced Michalak to lead them to the site

that he and Gerald Hart had found on June 25. In his supplemental

report, dated September 1, 1967, Bissky wrote:

"Following an informal report from the RCMP to the effect that

the samples submitted to CFHQ for analysis had proven to contain

considerable radioactivity, and that a representative from the

Dept. of National Health and Welfare was being sent out to

investigate further, contact was made with all those concerned

and a decision was made to a. Interegate [sic] Mr. Michalak

again with the view to ascertaining the possibilities of his home

and himself being contaminated by the materials which he brought

out as samples; and b. Investigate the alleged landing

site of the object, since Mr. Michalak had now been to the sight

[sic] twice since his initial encounter. [Author's note: with

Hart and Thompson] Although Mr. Michalak had previously been most

uncooperative regarding taking either the military or RCMP into

the site, once the possible gravity and implications were made

clear to him, he volunteered to lead a party into the area."

[RCAF 1967b: 2]

In other words, it was Bissky's opinion that Michalak did not

want to take the officials to the site until they convinced him

that radioactive contamination was a serious possibility.

Michalak's distrust of officials and hesitancy was noted in

Bissky's earlier report as well:

"When asked to provide the location of the site, Mr. Michalak

objected very strongly on the basis that during his 25 June hunt

he had in fact located what he had searched for originally and

until such time as he could stake his claim, he had no intention

of having anyone go near this area. It was pointed out to him

that there was no intention of jumping his claim and that it was

in the interest of the Canadian Public that he show the site to

S/L Bissky. Mr. Michalak stated that no matter what anyone

thought of him, he would not cooperate until his claim was filed.

It turns out, however, that he now has to share his claim with

his new-found partner, Mr. Hart, whom he had never met before.

This was particularly surprising since he was very noticeably

suspicious of the RCMP during the visit, so much so that he did

not invite the RCMP into the basement to examine some [of] the

latest samples brought back from the latest "hot find." [RCAF

1967a: Addendum]

However, when they finally did convince Michalak to lead them to

the site on July 28, they were baffled by its appearance and

location.

"Mr. Michalak successfully led the party to the sight [sic], in

approximately 45 minutes going through considerable heavy bush,

brush and undergrowth. The site was within 50 yards from where

the ground party had searched on 1 June 67, but was not visible

at that time because of the heavy bush located between the two

areas." [RCAF 1967b: 2]

In other words, there was a reasonable explanation why the site

had not been found by earlier searchers. This seemed to quell

some doubts based solely on the inability to locate the site.

They found:

. . . the outline of an approximate 15 foot diameter circle on

the rock surface where the moss and earth covering has been

cleared to the rock surface by a force such as made by air at

very high velocity. [RCAF 1967b: 2]

The investigators took samples of the dirt, rock and vegetation

and also examined trees within a few yards of the circle. This

latter point was because there was some concern that the alleged

size of the UFO (35 to 40 feet in diameter) would infringe upon

several trees and saplings. There was no indication of burns or

other "disturbances." This in itself was curious, since Michalak

said he brushed against the craft, burning his glove. It seems

logical that, at the very least, some leaves or limbs would have

been seared or broken.

Considering the size of the alleged object (35-40 ft across), it

is highly unlikely that it could have made a descent into and

ascent from the area searched without having made contact with

some of the surrounding trees. Even if it was not completely

heated on the surface, there should have been some evidence of

having brushed a tree or some bark removed. Yet there was no

indication at all. [RCAF 1967b: 3]

One possible explanation is that the burned leaves fell and

decayed during the two months since the event. None of the

investigators were plant pathologists, so some evidence might

have escaped them. However, some investigators (and Michalak)

insist that some trees were damaged and the evidence ignored.

This is borne out by the following description of the site in the

CAPRO Bulletin:

"The clearing consists of three main outcroppings of rock covered

with the usual covering of lichens and moss. One of these

outcroppings, the one over which the object hovered, was pitted

extensively and had slight radioactivity . . . The lichen and

moss that covered the other rocks in the group was blown clear

and was heaped in a ring around the edges of the rock over which

the object was said to have hovered. A small tree which was

growing through a crack in the rock had been bent and broken at

the base and now lay on its side. The leaves of this tree

discoloured in the following manner: on each leaf there was a

round circle of brown within which was an area of red in the

centre of which there was a hole. This sample was confiscated by

the investigator sent by the National Research Council." [Cannon

1968: 4]

As this tree was not mentioned in the official report, this issue

has not yet been resolved. But Craig had noted that there were no

signs of any disturbances on the trees or other flora. When

Michalak visited the site again in the fall of 1967, he found

ample evidence that something had occurred there:

"On September 30th I returned to the place where the craft had

landed_to see if there were any other changes. I could not

believe what I saw. The leaves in the area looked as if they had

been sprayed with some killing chemical. All were withered and

dead. No vegetation grew within a 50 foot radius of the landing

site. The area where the craft had touched down was still

visible." [Michalak 1967: 36]

If someone had tried to make the site look "good," the

embellishment of a circle of affected vegetation would certainly

have been an excellent idea. What didn't escape the investigators

was the complete absence of physical evidence besides the ring of

debris:

. . . the complete removal of all evidence from the site makes it

highly suspect that it was never there. One would have thought

that some shreds or burned shreds or burned shirt particles would

have remained, even after the two months elapsed time. [RCAF

1967b: 4]

Hart and Michalak appeared to have taken confirmatory evidence

that might have bolstered the credibility of the story. However,

had "burned shirt particles" been found, they would likely have

been thought to be suspicious as well, perhaps planted by someone

to support the case. One can ask whether or not any evidence

would have been considered bonafide, given Bissky's personal

conviction that the case was a hoax.

Government Interest

The Canadian government seemed to refuse access to information

about the Falcon Lake incident when a question was raised in the

House of Commons in 1967. On June 29, 1967, it was reported that

a member of parliament, Edward Schreyer, asked about UFO

investigations, specifically with regard to the Michalak case.

The Speaker of the House immediately "cut off the subject without

government reply." On November 6, 1967, Defence Minister Leo

Cadieux stated:

. . . it is not the intention of the Department of National

Defence to make public the report of the alleged sighting. [House

of Commons 1967]

This was in response to requests by several cabinet members to

obtain information on the incident. On November 11, 1967,

Schreyer formally placed a written question on the Commons order

paper seeking information on UFOs. However, the question did not

solicit a useful response. On October 14, 1968, House Leader

Donald MacDonald again refused an MP, this time Barry Mather,

access to reports on the Michalak case. However, on February 6,

1969, Mather was given permission by a member of the Privy

Council to examine their file on UFOs "from which a few pages

have simply been removed." It was reported that outright release

of the file "would not be in the public interest," and could

create a dangerous precedent that would not "contribute to the

good administration of the country's business." (House of Commons

1969).

Bondarchuk (1979) reported that "portions of the complete

government report are available for public scrutiny" at the

National Research Council in Ottawa. However, "noticeably missing

are the RCMP study of the burned items, as well as the

government's final conclusion, if indeed one exists."

Possible Corroborative Reports

When Michalak's experience was covered by the local media, many

people reported their own UFO sightings from around the same time

and area. On May 19, 1967, residents of Lockport, near Winnipeg,

reported a UFO with a "glowing ring of heat" moving at

"indescribable speed." On May 21 three people watched a "round

reddish glowing object at treetop level" from their cottage at

Eleanor Lake in the Whiteshell. They reported it to the RCMP on

May 23, after Michalak's story was published. Two men watched a

"large, cigar-shaped object travel across the horizon at a

tremendous speed" on May 25. That same night, a large, orange,

egg-shaped object was seen near Souris, and two other witnesses

saw "two very brilliant stars in close proximity to each other"

over Winnipeg. (All cases in UFOROM files.)

In 1978, a man contacted UFOROM with information about his

encounter at West Hawk Lake one night in May 1967. Although he

could not recall the exact date, he claimed it had occurred "the

same time as Michalak." He and a companion were walking from West

Hawk Lake to Caddy Lake along a highway. They had walked three of

the four miles to their destination when his companion stopped to

tie his shoelace. The man, looking straight ahead, was startled

to see a large, disc-shaped object glide silently into view above

the trees and move across the highway. It flew over the trees on

the other side of the highway and was lost to sight. Needless to

say, the man's companion did not look up in time to see the

object. The man's detailed sketch of the object had some

resemblance to the Michalak's drawings, with some discrepancies.

In July 1992, a woman called UFOROM with information that she and

her daughter had observed a UFO as they were traveling home from

Falcon Lake along the Trans-Canada Highway the same weekend as

the Michalak case. Around 4:00 p.m., they had left their cottage

at Star Lake and were heading west when they saw a "perfect

flying saucer" over the trees on the north side of the road. It

was hat-shaped, with windows on its upper surface which were

giving off "pinkish-mauve" light. The rest of the object was

silver, and it appeared to be spinning counterclockwise. Her

daughter sketched the object, and as they watched, it

"disappeared into thin air." Independent sketches of the object

by both witnesses agree in detail and seem to show a craft

similar to that encountered by Michalak.

Unsolved Mysteries

In 1989, a producer of the NBC program Unsolved Mysteries

contacted the Michalaks and other individuals (including the

author) for information relating to the Falcon Lake case. In June

1992, Mr. and Mrs. Michalak, their son Stan and the author were

flown by NBC to a remote set in South Dakota for a re-creation of

Michalak's UFO encounter. The segment aired on November 4, 1992.

On the air date, 22 calls were received by UFOROM and 20 were

received by the NBC operators in California. None of the local

calls provided any information directly relating to the Falcon

Lake case, but seven callers reported their own UFO experiences.

One caller reported seeing a bright orange light over Winnipeg

"the same night as Michalak did." The next day, November 5,

1992, the author was interviewed on a radio talk show devoted to

the case. Only one caller provided any relevant information. This

woman claimed that she was a former employee at the Whiteshell

Nuclear Research Establishment at the time of the incident. She

said that her supervisors candidly noted that the Falcon Lake

site was "very radioactive." The Unsolved Mysteries segment was

rerun on March 17, 1993, with similar results. No new solid leads

were received.

Conclusions

In the report of the United States government-sponsored UFO

project, Michalak's experience was described as "unknown,"

meaning there was no explanation. Their concluding remarks were

impressive:

. . . if [Michalak's UFO encounter] were physically real, it

would show the existence of alien flying vehicles in our

environment. [Condon 1969: 323]

What really happened at Falcon Lake? There is no question that

some level of radiation was found at the site where Michalak said

he had his experience. As well, he did exhibit some very unusual

ailments, including reported weight loss, peculiar burn marks on

his chest and stomach, charred hair, an odd rash and recurrent

dizziness.

Some UFO investigators have said he had met alien beings; some

say he stumbled upon a secret government or military craft.

Skeptics have proposed the only other explanation that would

explain many of the facts: a hoax. The only published comment by

a skeptic about the incident was that by Donald Menzel and Ernest

Taves, who dismissed the case by noting:

First, the project investigator and the prospector together were

unable to locate the area of the happening. Second, the "illness"

appeared to have been caused by nothing more exotic than insect

bites. And third, the project's attempts to establish the reality

event revealed "many inconsistencies and incongruities . . .

[Therefore] we regard the case as a badly executed hoax. [Menzel

and Taves 1977: 104]

Since the RCAF conceded that the site was difficult to find and

since Michalak's illness was substantially more than insect

bites, this dismissal appears somewhat abrupt. And, while there

are certainly many incongruities in the case, these tend to

heighten the mystery and not force dismissal by themselves. Even

if the case was a hoax, it is not clear as to who might have been

responsible, what was the motive, or the gain. In fact, even

Bissky conceded the hoax was of a high caliber.

If it was a hoax, its execution was quite elaborate, as it fooled

several different levels of investigation, and there are still

many unanswered questions today. If the incident is a hoax, there

are several possibilities for the identity of the perpetrator. If

Stefan Michalak alone was the hoaxer, he would have needed many

resources in addition to the stamina to stick to his story under

intense questioning for more than 25 years.

The silver pieces found at the site are definitely suspicious.

The hoaxer would have needed to have visited the site at least

once prior to the placement of the items in order to locate a

suitable position to hide them. The hoaxer would also have had to

have had access to pitchblende ore and a way to cast the silver

bars in order to give the appearance of "found" objects. (For its

re-creation of the incident, Unsolved Mysteries used an amalgam

of solder and other materials to make convincing replicas of the

metal pieces.) In addition, the hoaxer would have known that

someone with a Geiger counter would return to the site so that

the items could be discovered. Since the metal bars were not

discovered after a thorough search of the area by the official

investigators in 1967, the hoaxer had several months to prepare

the site for discovery by Michalak in 1968. During this period,

dozens of persons likely had access to the site.

Other inconsistencies make the story problematic. It is

interesting that the location of the encounter was within view of

a forest ranger tower. Craig reports that the forest ranger on

duty at the time of the incident did not observe either the

landing or flight of the UFOs, or the smoke which resulted from

the ignition of vegetation. This would seem to flaw Michalak's

story effectively, although the individual in the tower might not

have been looking in the direction of the site constantly. But

since the object was landed for at least 45 minutes, and if it

gleamed in the sun or emitted an "intense purple light" (as it

was said to have done), it is puzzling as to why the individual

in the tower did not see it.

Another problem that the Condon report noted was the direction in

which the object departed. This direction was 255 degrees, which

would have the object pass within a mile of the local golf

course. No objects were reported by anyone from the golf course,

although if the speed of the UFO had been great, this is not

necessarily unusual. Craig noted that a northward-opening gap in

the trees was inconsistent with the 255 degree bearing. However,

Michalak clearly stated that the object rose vertically before

departing.

If Michalak made the story up, why would he have gone to so much

trouble to make it appear authentic? The Mayo Clinic psychiatric

report concluded that Michalak was not the type of person to

fabricate stories of this nature. If he had "fallen on a

barbecue" (suggested by one skeptic) and burned himself while

partying at Falcon Lake, why would it be necessary to claim it

was the result of a UFO encounter? If he wanted to make it look

good, would he not have made sure the site was found easily,

especially since Life magazine was going to give the story

publicity? A hoaxer of this caliber would certainly have wanted

that kind of attention.

Another possibility is that Michalak had a real encounter with

something, but someone else decided to improve the evidence so

that the case seemed better. Given the number of people involved

in both the military and civilian investigations, this is much

more likely than a solo hoax attempt on Michalak's part. The

problem is in the elimination of suspects.

Finally, a note should be made about the use of hypnosis in the

investigation of the case. CAPRO investigators located two

clinicians who used hypnosis in their practices. In one of the

earliest examples of hypnosis employed in ufology, Michalak

underwent at least one hypnosis session in the late 1960s.

Recently, a tape recording of a session was made available for

study. Unfortunately, little information that Michalak had not

already recalled consciously was uncovered during the session.

(The issue is complicated by the fact that one of the hypnotists

now denies that Michalak ever underwent hypnosis, yet the tape

recording clearly indicates such a session took place.)

If we assume that Michalak's story is truthful, then we have a

solid report of a landed UFO, complete with physical and

physiological effects. Personal interviews with the Michalaks

have shown them to be sincere people. They are intelligent,

levelheaded individuals, and well-read on many subjects. Their

annoyance at their notoriety is apparent, and their defensiveness

at further proddings show that they have been subjected to severe

ridicule and criticism since the incident first hit the media in

1967. It is likely that much more information about the case is

still in various files_lost, hidden or otherwise yet unavailable

to researchers piecing together the puzzle of that afternoon in

1967. It is hoped that anyone reading this report will reexamine

their files and perhaps make researchers with UFOROM, CUFOS or

other bodies aware of the relevant material.

Investigations are continuing. If officials were convinced

Michalak was a hoaxer, why was he not prosecuted for public

mischief? There was definitely evidence towards this end. It

certainly would have been an interesting court case, arguing

about the existence of UFOs. It is even possible that Michalak

would have won.

Acknowledgments

It has proven very challenging to recover useful documents and

piece together the Falcon Lake investigations. I would like to

thank the following people for their kind cooperation and

assistance in the preparation of this article: Roy Bauer, George

Eberhart, Greg Kennedy, Maria Michalak, Stanley Michalak, Stefan

Michalak, Mark Rodeghier, Berthold Schwarz, Vladimir Simosko, and

Michael Swords.

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