From: Nick Pope <nick.nul>
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 15:58:11 +0100
Fwd Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 10:16:50 -0400
Subject: Bentwaters Alert State


List,

A series of posts last year debated the issue of whether there
had been an alert condition at the time of the Rendlesham Forest
incident. Larry Warren and others claimed that there had been,
citing as evidence a photograph that appears in "Left At East
Gate", showing a sign at the main gate of RAF Bentwaters,
displaying the words "Alert Condition".

I pointed out that the bottom of the sign was obscured and
suggested that the words "Alert Condition" would always be on
the sign, but that had the bottom of the sign not been obscured,
a descriptor of the specific alert condition would have been
visible:

http://www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/updates/2003/aug/m30-023.shtml

http://www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/updates/2003/sep/m11-011.shtml

That is certainly true of the way in which UK military
establishments operate now.

I discussed this with Larry Warren, who insisted that he was
correct. He said he thought he had some more photographs that
might shed light on this and undertook to look for them and send
them to me if he found them.

I heard nothing for a long time, but yesterday received a letter
from Larry, along with two photographs. One was a copy of the
one that appears in "Left At East Gate". On the back are Larry's
initials and the words "Dec 1980". The second photo is clearly
also of the main gate at RAF Bentwaters, though taken at night.
On the back are Larry's initials and the words "May 1981". The
sign is clearly visible and only one word appears on it:
"Normal".

In an accompanying letter, Larry suggested that I should correct
my earlier post, on this List, at the earliest opportunity. I
had no difficulty with this, hence this post.

The photograph in "Left At East Gate" is captioned "Main gate of
RAF Bentwaters, morning of incident, 28 December, 1980".
Although the morning of the first incident was 26 December, the
photograph Larry sent does indeed suggest that contrary to my
initial view, there was an alert condition at some stage during
the incident.

Does anybody have any further thoughts on this?


Best wishes,

Nick Pope