Encounters at Indian Head: The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Abduction Revisited (Paperback)

~ Karl Pflock (Editor), Peter Brookesmith (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Was the "first" UFO abduction the result of a genuine alien encounter or the product of some well-primed imaginations? September 1961: Near Indian Head, New Hampshire, Betty and Barney Hill have a disturbing encounter with a UFO while driving home from a short vacation. Later, under hypnosis, the couple recall having been abducted by aliens. October 1966: John Fuller's book, "The Interrupted Journey," based on the Hills' story, is published and becomes an immediate best seller. October 1975: NBC airs the story in a made-for-TV movie titled "The UFO Incident." James Earl Jones portrays Barney Hill, and Estelle Parsons plays Betty. September 2000: Nearly 40 years after the original incident, a symposium of seasoned, independent UFO researchers is held at Indian Head, New Hampshire, to re-evaluate this classic UFO abduction case. Among the participants are Hilary Evans and Peter Brookesmith from the U.K., with Thomas 'Ed' Bullard, Karl Pflock, Dennis Stacy, and Robert Scheaffer from the U.S. Sociologist and veteran anomalist Marcello Truzzi chairs the meeting. Betty Hill joins the group for an evening's entertainment and a morning tour of the sites where, she says, she and Barney encountered aliens. What the participants concluded is recorded here, along with additional commentaries written especially for this book by the Hills' first investigator, Walter N. Webb, and critical analyst Martin Kottmeyer. The result of this unique meeting of minds was more than an exercise in diverse interpretations: it became a common quest to establish, as far as humanly possible, what actually happened to the Hills so many years ago.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Anomalist Books (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933665181
• ISBN-13: 978-1933665184
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,093,759 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crucial addition to the Hill canon, November 28, 2007

By	Christopher F. Roth (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Encounters at Indian Head is a must-read for UFO abduction aficionados, but much of it will upset True Believers in the ET hypothesis. Those who are not familiar with the literature will find this too specialized, but for those up on the subject it's a dash of cold water, in a good way. Closely involved with the book are hardcore skeptics like Martin Kottmeyer and Peter Brookesmith. Kottmeyer's piece unflinchingly looks at possible mass media influences on the Hill case. The use of hypnosis is also questioned in this volume. The book is based on an informal, closed-doors conference held in New England as part of a gathering in which Betty Hill herself (now deceased) participated. I'm not sure she would like this book. But since ufology insists on going over its classic cases (like Roswell and this one) again and again and again, this is probably the most useful and dispassionate analysis of "the original UFO abduction" yet.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and refreshing, January 17, 2008

By	reader - See all my reviews

This book is an insightful overview of an episode that has been driven by the late Betty Hill's remarkable personality for all these years.

This account is refreshing in its detail, skepticism, and openmindedness. Fans and foes of UFOlogy should embrace this book, for it does what few others have been able to do. This work allows all sides of the story to be told and heard.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lively Debate--But Not for the True Believer, June 24, 2009

By	Timothy P. Young (Rawlins, WY, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Nearly everyone has heard of certain events in the "UFO" world: Kevin Arnold. Roswell. Betty and Barney Hill (the first 'abduction' case). Even if the names are unfamiliar, a quick recap of events will spark a light in even the most disinterested person who 'remembers reading about that.'

"Encounters At Indian Head" gathers several prominent UFOlogists/writers and takes the reader through a lively debate regarding not only the nature of the Betty and Barney Hill case (and, by extension, UFO abductions in general), but raises the question 'did it really happen?'

There is a recap of the case with all the salient details, followed by essays by both believers and skeptics alike. Walter Webb, the original investigator of the case is represented here, and helps us relive the novelty and the newness of the case when it first came to light. Karl Pflock, one of the editors of this volume, argues that the Hills were abducted, but there have been none proven since.

The skeptics are well represented here as well. Peter Brookesmith, Robert Sheaffer, and Martin Kottmeyer present the skeptical view that (either) nothing happened or that events were misconstrued. Of the three, Brookesmith is the most thorough in his reasoning, Sheaffer the most condescending, and Kottmeyer the most entertaining. It's worth noting that all three present different points.

One thing that no one disputes is that Betty and Barney Hill truly believed that something had happened, and that this case is not, and has never been, a hoax or an elaborate prank.

By presenting their arguments through the focusing lens of what is widely regarded as the first abduction scenario, the authors present a variety of speculation and argument over the nature of UFOs themselves, of abductions and abductees, and whether or not something is going on. It's to be noted that all of the authors steer clear of folkloric faerie 'abduction' tales and confine themselves strictly to the UFOlogical world. I imagine that's an argument for another book.

I was intrigued throughout, found myself challenging assertions of both the believers and the skeptics. At one point, after quoting Betty Hill's statement that her dreams served to help rationalize her experience, Kottmeyer asks 'Dreams as rationalizations! Am I the only person who feels this is simply bizarre?' Well, yes, maybe you are. Dreams serve to filter the subconscious and often help us deal with stress by presenting events in a way we can deal with. I'd say that dreams can and do serve as rationalizations. However, that's not to say that Kottmeyer's contribution doesn't make a number of strong points regarding the role of culture in these abduction scenarios. I'm simply illustrating one of my reactions to his essay. (As I stated above, some of the believers caused me to arch an eyebrow more than once.)

In the end, what seems to be agreed upon is that something happened.

"Encounters At Indian Head" is an excellent review not just of the Hill case, but of abduction in general and the arguments that surround it.

Fascinating.