1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: March sixteenth, nineteen fifty seven. It's eight o'clock in the morning. 2 00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:06,839 I want you to just picture the scene for a second. Okay, 3 00:00:06,919 --> 00:00:10,080 you're in Alexandria, Virginia. It's a crisp, maybe a little 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,320 bit chilly Saturday morning, and you're a local police officer, 5 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:15,839 just you know, starting your shift. You're sipping your coffee. 6 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,280 It's probably a little stale, and you're just expecting to 7 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:18,960 the usual. 8 00:00:18,839 --> 00:00:22,039 Speaker 2: The standard beat a traffic ticket, maybe. 9 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 1: Exactly, you know, a noise, complain, a cat up a tree, 10 00:00:24,559 --> 00:00:27,960 something simple, and then you either get the call or 11 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:29,679 maybe you just look up and see it yourself. 12 00:00:29,719 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 2: And it's not something you can just ignore, impossible to ignore. 13 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: In a field right there in Alexandria is a spacecraft. 14 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:40,600 And look, we are not talking about some weather balloon 15 00:00:40,759 --> 00:00:41,880 or you know, a reflection. 16 00:00:42,119 --> 00:00:44,399 Speaker 2: No, this is a physical object, a. 17 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 1: Three hundred foot long silver saucer, which is. 18 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 2: I mean for scale, that's an entire football field just 19 00:00:49,679 --> 00:00:50,560 parked in the grass. 20 00:00:50,679 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: Right, So you got to put yourself in that officer's shoes. 21 00:00:53,079 --> 00:00:55,280 You rush to the seam, you and your partner, you 22 00:00:55,359 --> 00:00:58,960 probably pull your service weapons because let's remember the context. 23 00:00:59,039 --> 00:01:00,159 It's nineteen fifty. 24 00:01:00,799 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 2: Oh. Absolutely, the Cold War is at its peak. Paranoia 25 00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:06,560 is just it's the air. 26 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,799 Speaker 1: You breathe, and a giant, unidentified metal disc just landed 27 00:01:09,799 --> 00:01:12,200 in your town. You're terrified, you're probably shaking. You're watching 28 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,079 this thing, and a door it. 29 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 2: Just hisses open, and you're expecting what little green men, 30 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:18,920 a laser. 31 00:01:18,599 --> 00:01:21,439 Speaker 1: Beam, an invasion force, right, but that is not what happens, 32 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:26,120 not even close outwalks a man. He looks well, he 33 00:01:26,159 --> 00:01:29,879 looks perfectly human, tall, maybe six feet, has this wavy 34 00:01:29,879 --> 00:01:32,760 brown hair, just a normal guy. He smiles, waves at 35 00:01:32,799 --> 00:01:34,560 the officers like he's seeing a neighbor, and then he 36 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:39,599 speaks in flawless clear English, and his first line isn't 37 00:01:39,879 --> 00:01:41,200 take me to your leader. 38 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:42,519 Speaker 2: No menacing robot voice. 39 00:01:42,519 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: No, it's a polite, almost like a bureaucratic request. He 40 00:01:45,359 --> 00:01:47,319 just says, I need to see the president. 41 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,879 Speaker 2: And just like that, the strangest morning in Alexandria's history 42 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:54,519 kicks off this chain of events that, if you believe 43 00:01:54,519 --> 00:01:58,680 the sources, involves the Pentagon, President Eisenhower and a three 44 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,480 year diplomatic mission, and that could have completely changed the 45 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:02,400 course of human history. 46 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,319 Speaker 1: Welcome to thrilling threads. I'm your host, and today we 47 00:02:05,359 --> 00:02:09,439 are going to pull on the loose strings of one 48 00:02:09,439 --> 00:02:12,719 of the wildest tapestries in modern American folklore. 49 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 2: And I'm here with you to see if the whole 50 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,759 thing just unravels or if it actually weaves together into 51 00:02:18,759 --> 00:02:23,520 something well believable. We've got a huge stack of articles, transcripts, 52 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,520 reports here, and we're going to comb through all of it. 53 00:02:26,599 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: Today we're tackling a legend that is it's a lot. 54 00:02:29,719 --> 00:02:32,039 We are digging into the story of the Stranger at 55 00:02:32,039 --> 00:02:32,919 the Pentagon, and. 56 00:02:32,879 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 2: This is one of the most persistent, most detailed, and 57 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,360 honestly one of the most cinematic UFO legends out there. 58 00:02:39,719 --> 00:02:41,479 It's not just a quick flash of light in. 59 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:42,719 Speaker 1: The sky or a blurry photo. 60 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 2: No, not at all. This is a whole narrative about 61 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,360 a specific person, a man named Valiant Thor, who allegedly 62 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:49,479 lived at the Pentagon for. 63 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: Three years as a guest of the government. 64 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,759 Speaker 2: I guess of the government. Yeah, an advisor to President 65 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:55,919 Eisenhower and a visitor from the. 66 00:02:55,879 --> 00:03:00,439 Speaker 1: Planet Venus, just a casual visitor from the planet. Next store. 67 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,120 But before everyone listening kind of rolls their eyes and 68 00:03:03,159 --> 00:03:06,520 says Okay, aliens, here we go. We need to talk 69 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,319 about why this story actually matters. Why are we even 70 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:10,439 talking about. 71 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 2: This, because it's not just a campfire story when you 72 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:16,080 look at the timeline it's laid out in these sources. 73 00:03:16,439 --> 00:03:19,599 This whole narrative is tangled up with the founding of NASA, 74 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,280 the absolute peak of Cold War fear, and the birth 75 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,280 of what Eisenhower himself would later call the military industrial complex. 76 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:31,199 Speaker 1: Right, So, even if you don't believe the alien part exactly. 77 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 2: Even if you don't, the story itself is a perfect 78 00:03:33,719 --> 00:03:36,240 mirror of what America was afraid of and what it 79 00:03:36,319 --> 00:03:38,560 was hoping for in the late nineteen fifties. 80 00:03:38,599 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: Plus the evidence that's in these files, Yeah, it's just 81 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,280 great stuff. We're talking indestructible jumpsuits, We've got secret photos 82 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,800 of aliens who look like they shop at jcpenny, and 83 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,400 a whole conspiracy about why we have velcro. 84 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,719 Speaker 2: We absolutely have to talk about the velcrow. That's a 85 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:54,159 huge part of this whole lore. 86 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: Okay, So let's unpack it to really understand why a 87 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,159 man walking out of a spaceship in nineteen fifty seve 88 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,599 was such a huge deal. We have to remember what 89 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,360 the world felt like right then. It wasn't exactly a 90 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:08,080 happy time. 91 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 2: No, it was a time of deep, deep, existential fear. 92 00:04:11,439 --> 00:04:13,520 Let's just set the scene a little bit. It's the 93 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,639 fall of nineteen fifty seven. The United States feels pretty 94 00:04:17,639 --> 00:04:19,839 secure in its technology. You know, we won the war, 95 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:22,120 we have the bomb, the economy's booming, We're on top 96 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,439 of the world, we think we are. And then the 97 00:04:24,519 --> 00:04:29,199 Soviet Union just completely shocks everyone. They launched Sputnik one, 98 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:31,920 and then right after that it's Beetnik two, the first 99 00:04:32,199 --> 00:04:33,480 man made satellites ever. 100 00:04:33,759 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: And for the average person at home looking up at 101 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:37,879 the night sky and seeing that little dot go by, 102 00:04:38,439 --> 00:04:40,560 that wasn't a cool science thing. That was a threat. 103 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,319 Speaker 2: It was terrifying. You have to understand the military implication. 104 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,079 If the Soviets have a rocket that is powerful enough 105 00:04:46,079 --> 00:04:48,399 to put a metal ball in orbit over your house. 106 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: They have a rocket powerful enough to put a nuclear 107 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:51,040 bomb over your house. 108 00:04:51,519 --> 00:04:54,399 Speaker 2: Exactly. The check and public was genuinely terrified. The whole 109 00:04:54,439 --> 00:04:57,439 narrative shifted overnight. Suddenly the Russians had better teck, the 110 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,639 US had fallen behind, and we were completely vulnerable to 111 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:01,480 an attack from. 112 00:05:01,319 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: Space, and our response to Sputnik. Was I mean, embarrassing 113 00:05:05,319 --> 00:05:06,600 is probably the kindest word for. 114 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 2: It, to put it mildly. Yeah. So, January thirty first, 115 00:05:09,319 --> 00:05:13,000 nineteen fifty eight, the US tries to launch its own satellite, 116 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,680 the Vanguard, to show the world we're still in the game. 117 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,240 It gets about four feet off the launch pad and 118 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,519 then just explodes in this massive fireball on national telephone. 119 00:05:22,519 --> 00:05:23,519 Speaker 1: Oh, I remember the headlines. 120 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 2: They call it Kaputnik, Kuputnik, flopnik, state putnik. It was 121 00:05:26,959 --> 00:05:29,879 a complete and total national humiliation. It's hard to overstate 122 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:31,800 how damaging that was to the American ego. 123 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,319 Speaker 1: So, okay, the nation is in a panic. The space 124 00:05:35,439 --> 00:05:38,600 race feels like it's already lost. We look completely incompetent, 125 00:05:38,759 --> 00:05:43,120 and then all of a sudden, everything just changes. 126 00:05:43,439 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 2: It pivots on a dime. In July of nineteen fifty eight, 127 00:05:46,959 --> 00:05:50,079 just a few months after the Vanguard disaster, the National 128 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:55,120 Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA is created, and almost immediately 129 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,680 the US doesn't just catch up, We start taking these 130 00:05:57,720 --> 00:05:58,920 massive leaps forward. 131 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: The technological acceleration is just. 132 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:03,399 Speaker 2: It's off the charts, unprecedented. 133 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,759 Speaker 1: And this is where that first thread gets really interesting 134 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,439 to pull on. We go from exploding rockets to you know, 135 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,920 planning Moon missions in a ridiculously short amount of time. 136 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:15,120 And if you look at the list of inventions that 137 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:17,920 suddenly come out of NASA research in the years right 138 00:06:17,959 --> 00:06:21,560 after fifty seven to fifty eight, it's just staggering. 139 00:06:21,639 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 2: It gets a huge list. We're talking about things that 140 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:25,680 are in your house right now, things like velcrow, freeze, 141 00:06:25,759 --> 00:06:28,480 drawing for food, memory foam mattresses. 142 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 1: Right, memory phone yep. 143 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:32,879 Speaker 2: Major advancements in solar cells, the tiny little cameras that 144 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:34,680 are now in every single smartphone. 145 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:37,839 Speaker 1: So my iPhone camera is alien tech. I knew it. 146 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 2: Oh. According to this theory, even the bowflex machine traces 147 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,439 its origins back to NASA research from this era. 148 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: But boflex, of course, the aliens just wanted us to 149 00:06:46,399 --> 00:06:47,480 have better looking abs. 150 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 2: I mean, you need good core strength for space travel, right. 151 00:06:51,319 --> 00:06:53,959 But the point the source material really hammers home is 152 00:06:53,959 --> 00:06:58,079 the speed. NASA holds over twenty six hundred patents, it's 153 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:00,680 credited with over two thousand commercial products. 154 00:07:00,759 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: And the conspiracy theory or the legend, I guess it 155 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,959 suggests we didn't figure all of this out by ourselves 156 00:07:06,959 --> 00:07:08,040 in such a short period. 157 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:10,079 Speaker 2: The suggestion is that we got a cheat. 158 00:07:09,839 --> 00:07:12,399 Speaker 1: Sheet, someone gave us the answer key exactly. 159 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 2: The correlation that these documents draw is that this massive 160 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:20,399 explosion of technology happens right after the alleged arrival of 161 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,920 Valiant Thor. The implication is this wasn't just human ingenuity, 162 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:27,920 this was a technology transfer from an off world visitor. 163 00:07:27,959 --> 00:07:29,480 It asks you to just look at the timing. 164 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,079 Speaker 1: We're failing valorives and suddenly we're winning. 165 00:07:33,279 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 2: It's convenient, very convenient. 166 00:07:34,879 --> 00:07:37,319 Speaker 1: Okay, So let's get back to this visitor. We've set 167 00:07:37,319 --> 00:07:41,600 the scene, panic, sputnik, a desperate need for a win. Now, 168 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,000 let's go to the Pentagon. Who's the person on the 169 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:45,199 inside who has to deal with this? 170 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:47,879 Speaker 2: According to the lore, our man on the inside is 171 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,079 a guy named Harley Andrew Byrd. He's working at the Pentagon, 172 00:07:51,279 --> 00:07:53,399 and he specifically assigned a Project blue Book. 173 00:07:53,519 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: Project blue Book, of course, the Air Force's official study 174 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:58,439 on UFOs very same. 175 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, and Harley isn't just you know, some random guy. 176 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:03,560 The story makes a point of saying that he is 177 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,120 the nephew of the legendary Admiral Richard Bird. 178 00:08:06,279 --> 00:08:09,399 Speaker 1: Admiral Bird, the famous polar explorer. That's a huge name. 179 00:08:09,519 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 2: It's a massive name. Connecting the character to Admiral Bird 180 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,439 immediately gives the story this air. 181 00:08:16,279 --> 00:08:18,199 Speaker 1: Of credibility, right grounds it a little bit. 182 00:08:18,319 --> 00:08:20,959 Speaker 2: It does. So Harley is in his office about eight 183 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:22,920 thirty in the morning on that day in March and 184 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,120 he gets a frantic call from the Alexandria Police. They 185 00:08:26,199 --> 00:08:28,399 just say, we're coming in and we have a visitor. 186 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: I just love that the police decided to drive the 187 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,759 alien to the Pentagon's so casual, like, well, this is 188 00:08:33,799 --> 00:08:36,639 probably a federal issue. Hop in the back, buddy. 189 00:08:36,519 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 2: No quarantine, no hazmat suits, Just into the squad car. 190 00:08:40,919 --> 00:08:43,240 But they pull up to the Pentagon and apparently waiting 191 00:08:43,279 --> 00:08:46,480 for them is the Secretary of Defense himself, Charles Wilson, 192 00:08:46,879 --> 00:08:49,840 along with a half dozen other high level staff members. 193 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:52,080 They knew something big was happening. 194 00:08:51,879 --> 00:08:56,879 Speaker 1: And out of the car steps our guy, Valiant thor So, 195 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:58,679 let's get a good visual on him. What is a 196 00:08:58,759 --> 00:09:00,679 Venusian diplomat actually look like. 197 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 2: The sources all describe him as well, strikingly normal but 198 00:09:05,799 --> 00:09:09,200 also kind of perfect. He's tall, brown hair, has a 199 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,679 very easy going demeanor. The original source material actually compared 200 00:09:12,759 --> 00:09:15,600 him to Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll, wearing 201 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:17,639 a one piece gold and silver jumpsuit. 202 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,799 Speaker 1: Okay, so Elvis in his vegus era, but in nineteen 203 00:09:20,879 --> 00:09:22,759 fifty seven, got it. That's a look. 204 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 2: It's definitely a look. Yeah, But despite the jumpsuit, he's 205 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,559 apparently very charming. He gets ushered into a private elevator, 206 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:31,600 taken deep down into the basement of the Pentagon and then, 207 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:34,440 and his detail is just fascinating me. They get on 208 00:09:34,519 --> 00:09:35,840 an underground train. 209 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: A train in the Pentagon basement, an. 210 00:09:38,159 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 2: Underground train that goes directly from the Pentagon to the 211 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:40,919 White House. 212 00:09:40,919 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: Wait, is that a real thing? Does that actually exist? 213 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,720 That sounds like something straight out of a James Bond movie. 214 00:09:45,919 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 2: Well, there are certainly secure tunnels, and you know, transit 215 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:51,519 systems in DC that the public doesn't know about. There's 216 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:54,759 a subway that connects the Capitol to the Senate office buildings. 217 00:09:55,159 --> 00:09:58,759 But a direct, high speed, secret express train from the 218 00:09:58,759 --> 00:10:02,159 Pentagon basement to the White House. That's a matter of debate, 219 00:10:02,879 --> 00:10:05,039 but in the story, it adds to that feeling of 220 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,879 deep secret infrastructure. It implies the government is ready for 221 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:10,480 exactly this kind of scenario. 222 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 1: So they get to the White House, they walk into 223 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:17,000 the Oval Office and there he is Ike, President Dwight D. 224 00:10:17,159 --> 00:10:20,519 Speaker 2: Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe, 225 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,399 a man who has seen everything, or so he. 226 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,399 Speaker 1: Thinks, can you just imagine that meeting. Ike looks at 227 00:10:26,399 --> 00:10:29,039 this guy in the shiny gold jumpsuit and asks what 228 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,879 is your name? And the guy says, my name is Valiant, 229 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,840 but you can call me Val so friendly. And then 230 00:10:34,919 --> 00:10:36,320 comes the big one. Where are you from? 231 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 2: And Val drops the bombshell. He says, I come from 232 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,840 the planet your Bible calls the Morning and Evening Star Venus. Venus. 233 00:10:42,919 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: Now, look, scientifically, we know Venus is a sulfuric acid hellscape, 234 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:49,759 got crushing atmospheric pressure. It's about nine hundred degrees fahrenheit 235 00:10:49,799 --> 00:10:52,200 on the surface. But yeah, this is nineteen fifty seven. 236 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,519 Speaker 2: That's a very important point. We didn't know all of 237 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:59,200 that then. The romance of Venus as this mysterious cloud 238 00:10:59,279 --> 00:11:03,720 covered sister planet was still very much alive, especially in science. 239 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: Fiction, so it wasn't as crazy of a claim then 240 00:11:06,159 --> 00:11:07,200 as it is now. 241 00:11:07,159 --> 00:11:10,399 Speaker 2: Not nearly, and val explains that his people live there, 242 00:11:10,519 --> 00:11:13,799 maybe underground or maybe in a different dimension, sources a 243 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:15,679 little vague on the physics to get around the whole 244 00:11:15,759 --> 00:11:18,799 nine hundred degree thing, and he says he represents something 245 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:19,840 called the High Council. 246 00:11:20,519 --> 00:11:23,519 Speaker 1: Okay, that sounds very star Trek, but the Federation. 247 00:11:23,159 --> 00:11:25,679 Speaker 2: It's very much a Star Trek concept years before Star 248 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:30,720 Trek existed. He describes this intercalactic govering body that spans 249 00:11:30,759 --> 00:11:34,000 many planets and solar systems, and he says they've been 250 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,559 watching Earth for thousands of years, just observing, right. They 251 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:40,879 have a strict non interference policy, but something happened that 252 00:11:40,919 --> 00:11:42,200 made them break their own rule. 253 00:11:42,399 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 1: We started playing with matches. 254 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:48,559 Speaker 2: We started playing with atomic bombs. Val explicitly tells Eisenhower 255 00:11:48,879 --> 00:11:51,360 that the invention and use of nuclear weapons made the 256 00:11:51,519 --> 00:11:56,000 entire galaxy very, very nervous. We had reached a point 257 00:11:56,039 --> 00:11:58,720 where we could not only destroy ourselves, but we could 258 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:02,600 potentially damage the fab of space time or disrupt the neighborhood. 259 00:12:02,639 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: So this is basically an intervention. The neighbors are coming 260 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,639 over because our party got way too loud, and now 261 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:08,799 the garage is on fire. 262 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 2: That's a perfect analogy. And Val says, we can help you. 263 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:14,679 We can solve all your problems. 264 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:16,720 Speaker 1: And the offer he makes is I mean, it's unbelievable. 265 00:12:16,919 --> 00:12:20,519 He tells Eisenhower. I can eliminate all disease. I can 266 00:12:20,519 --> 00:12:24,440 solve world hunger. I can end all war on Earth forever. 267 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 2: Imagine being the President of the United States and hearing 268 00:12:27,159 --> 00:12:30,279 that it's the answer to every single problem that keeps 269 00:12:30,279 --> 00:12:30,879 you up at night. 270 00:12:30,919 --> 00:12:32,759 Speaker 1: But there's a catch. There's always a catch. 271 00:12:32,879 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 2: The cash is huge, yeah, nuclear disarmament. Val says that 272 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:40,440 for the High Council to share this this utopian technology, 273 00:12:40,799 --> 00:12:43,159 the United States and by extension, the rest of the world, 274 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:47,960 must destroy every single nuclear weapon total disarmament, total, no exceptions. 275 00:12:48,159 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: And this is where the fantasy story slams right into 276 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:54,679 the brick wall of reality. Because Eisenhower, the practical five 277 00:12:54,759 --> 00:12:57,840 star general, the man who led D Day, he has 278 00:12:57,879 --> 00:12:58,240 to make a. 279 00:12:58,279 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 2: Choice, and he refuses. He politely declines the offer. 280 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 1: He says no to ending all disease in war. 281 00:13:04,759 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 2: He says no. And his reasoning, according to the story, 282 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:12,879 is that the world just isn't ready. The chaotic economic 283 00:13:12,919 --> 00:13:15,799 and political structures of Earth couldn't handle that kind of 284 00:13:15,879 --> 00:13:20,000 drastic change. He is if you remove the military industrial base, 285 00:13:20,039 --> 00:13:22,720 if you take away the threat of mutually assured destruction 286 00:13:22,799 --> 00:13:26,399 that's keeping the Cold War cold, the global economy collapses, 287 00:13:26,799 --> 00:13:27,720 chaos ensues. 288 00:13:27,879 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 1: He basically says, we're not spiritually or socially evolved enough 289 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:32,399 for what you're offering. 290 00:13:32,519 --> 00:13:34,679 Speaker 2: That's the essence of it. It's the classic trope from 291 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:37,360 the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. We have 292 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,080 the technology to annihilate each other, but we don't have 293 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:41,559 the morality to live in peace. 294 00:13:41,879 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 1: So it paints Eisenhemer not as a bad guy, but 295 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,240 as a realist. He's trapped in a system that's bigger. 296 00:13:46,919 --> 00:13:50,919 Speaker 2: Than him exactly. The story portrays him as sympathetic. He 297 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,320 wants to say yes, but he knows Congress, the military, 298 00:13:54,399 --> 00:13:57,960 the Soviets, nobody would go for it. He's looking at 299 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,000 the global chess board and seeing an impossible miss. 300 00:14:00,399 --> 00:14:02,279 Speaker 1: So Ike says no to the big deal. But he 301 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:04,200 doesn't just kick Val out on the street. 302 00:14:04,399 --> 00:14:07,399 Speaker 2: No, he asks him to stay. Val has given VIP 303 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:10,360 status and becomes a guest to the Pentagon. He gets 304 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,080 his own suite of rooms, and this is where the 305 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:16,679 story shifts from this high stakes diplomatic meeting to this 306 00:14:16,879 --> 00:14:21,039 weird kind of sci fi slice of life story huh, 307 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:22,440 Val just starts hanging out. 308 00:14:22,519 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 1: He starts hanging out, and the military becomes obsessed. 309 00:14:24,919 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 2: With his clothes, the miracle garment. 310 00:14:26,799 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: Yes, I love this part of the story. You have 311 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,159 a guy who just offered to cure cancer and the 312 00:14:32,159 --> 00:14:35,000 generals are like, yeah, but tell us about your pants. 313 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 2: Well, from a military research and development perspective, that suit 314 00:14:38,639 --> 00:14:41,519 is the holy grail. The source material describes it as 315 00:14:41,519 --> 00:14:44,279 a one piece jumpsuit that can fit a six foot man, 316 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:45,639 but weighs only six ounces. 317 00:14:45,759 --> 00:14:48,799 Speaker 1: Six ounces for the whole thing included the boots. That's 318 00:14:48,879 --> 00:14:50,279 lighter than a cotton T shirt. 319 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,279 Speaker 2: That's insane, and it was indestructible. The story goes into 320 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,519 incredible detail about the tests they ran on this poor jumpsuit. 321 00:14:58,039 --> 00:15:00,320 They took it to a firing range and they shot 322 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,159 it with high caliber rifles. Nothing happened, not a mark. 323 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: They didn't stop there though. 324 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 2: Oh no. They doused it in acid. Nothing. They tried 325 00:15:08,519 --> 00:15:10,600 to burn it with the most powerful lasers they had 326 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:12,000 at the time, couldn't even scorch it. 327 00:15:12,039 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: Didn't they try to drill it? 328 00:15:13,279 --> 00:15:17,159 Speaker 2: They did. They used a diamond tipped drill, the hardest 329 00:15:17,159 --> 00:15:19,720 substance they had to try and get just a single 330 00:15:19,759 --> 00:15:22,919 thread for analysis. They couldn't even make a scratch. The 331 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:23,919 drill bit broke. 332 00:15:24,399 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: It's just hilarious to picture these four star generals and 333 00:15:27,679 --> 00:15:31,159 PhD scientists in a lab throwing everything they have at 334 00:15:31,159 --> 00:15:33,879 a pair of space pants and just failing. Sir, the 335 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:34,759 pants are winning. 336 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,399 Speaker 2: It's a great narrative device to show the sheer scale 337 00:15:37,399 --> 00:15:40,679 of the technology gap. We couldn't even understand his laundry, 338 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,240 let alone his ship's propulsion system. It shows just how 339 00:15:44,279 --> 00:15:45,600 far behind we really were. 340 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,639 Speaker 1: So vals living at the Pentagon, his suit is invincible, 341 00:15:48,679 --> 00:15:51,360 and he starts, you know, attending meetings. There's a specific 342 00:15:51,399 --> 00:15:55,120 event that the source mentions called the Highbridge Gathering, right. 343 00:15:55,639 --> 00:15:58,159 Speaker 2: This supposedly takes place at the home of a man 344 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,360 named Howard Manger in High New Jerseyminger was a very 345 00:16:02,399 --> 00:16:05,120 well known figure in the UFO community back then. He 346 00:16:05,279 --> 00:16:07,000 was what they called a contact tee. 347 00:16:07,039 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: A contact tee so someone who claimed to be in 348 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,519 regular contact with aliens. 349 00:16:11,039 --> 00:16:14,559 Speaker 2: Friendly aliens. Yes, So this meeting at his house is 350 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,960 this mix of UFO researchers and some scientists who are 351 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,960 allegedly advising the president on this whole situation. 352 00:16:20,759 --> 00:16:24,159 Speaker 1: And Valve shows up, but not alone. He brings his crew. 353 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:26,639 Speaker 2: He brings his crew, and this is where the details 354 00:16:26,639 --> 00:16:30,639 get just wonderfully beautifully mundane. He introduces his team members 355 00:16:30,639 --> 00:16:34,000 from Venus. Their names are Don, Jill and Tanya. 356 00:16:34,159 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: Don, Jill and Tanya from the planet Venus. 357 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:39,720 Speaker 2: Not Zorgan or Zylar. Don and Jill. 358 00:16:39,879 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Don from Venus. This is my colleague Jill. 359 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,559 It's so terrestrial it almost feels like a joke, or 360 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:46,559 like the perfect cover. 361 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,159 Speaker 2: It does. And the source notes that they all look 362 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,200 like normal people, dressed in regular nineteen fifties clothes. They 363 00:16:52,279 --> 00:16:55,519 blended in perfectly. But there's a really crucial element to 364 00:16:55,559 --> 00:16:58,519 this highbridge meeting. There was a photographer there, August Roberts. 365 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:04,799 August Roberts, and he allegedly takes several photos of val Don, Jill, 366 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,759 and Tanya, and these photos are a huge part of 367 00:17:07,799 --> 00:17:09,920 the lore. You can find them online right now. They 368 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,359 just show a group of attractive, normal looking people standing around. 369 00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:14,799 Speaker 1: Which is either the greatest disguise of. 370 00:17:14,799 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 2: All time or it's just a picture of some people 371 00:17:16,759 --> 00:17:17,680 standing around. Right. 372 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:20,799 Speaker 1: We'll get to the skepticism later, but in the context 373 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:24,720 of the story, these photos are presented as the smoking gun, 374 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:28,599 physical proof that val and his crew were here interacting 375 00:17:28,599 --> 00:17:29,200 with humans. 376 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:31,160 Speaker 2: They are the centerpiece of the physical evidence. 377 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:33,319 Speaker 1: Okay, so we have the arrival, the meeting with Ike, 378 00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:35,839 the rejection of the deal, and him just hanging out 379 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:38,640 with Don and Jill in New Jersey. But this entire 380 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,920 story really finds its voice and gets out to the 381 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,599 public through one specific person, the messenger. 382 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:49,400 Speaker 2: You absolutely cannot tell the story of Valiant Thor without 383 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:53,119 talking about doctor Frank Strangers. He is the primary source 384 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:57,000 for almost everything we know. The entire legend basically rests 385 00:17:57,039 --> 00:17:57,759 on his shoulders. 386 00:17:57,799 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 1: So who was this guy? 387 00:17:59,039 --> 00:18:02,680 Speaker 2: Frank was a really fascinating character. His resume listed him 388 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:07,000 as a theologian, a psychologist, a criminologist, and a very 389 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:12,480 dedicated UFO researcher. He was also deeply religious, an evangelist preacher. 390 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 1: And the story goes that Frank gets pulled into this 391 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,319 whole thing because of those photos that August Roberts took. 392 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:20,839 Speaker 2: That's right, Frank gets a copy of the photos. He's 393 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,400 mesmerized by them, and he starts using them in his 394 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,400 public lectures about UFOs, And one day, after a lecture 395 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:30,039 he gives in Washington, DC. A woman comes up to him. 396 00:18:30,079 --> 00:18:31,519 Her name is Nancy Warren. 397 00:18:31,319 --> 00:18:32,559 Speaker 1: And she's got the Golden ticket. 398 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:36,160 Speaker 2: She flashes a Pentagon security ID and asks him, would 399 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:38,640 you like to meet the man in those pictures? 400 00:18:38,799 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 1: I mean, who says no to that? 401 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 2: Certainly not Frank. So the next morning he's picked up, 402 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,359 he's whisked into the Pentagon. He's taken to VAL's private quarters. 403 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:49,920 The door opens, Val smiles, extends his hand, and his 404 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,839 first words are Hello, Frank. He knows his name already, 405 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:55,279 he knows everything about him. And this is the moment 406 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,240 where the story takes a very sharp turn away from 407 00:18:58,319 --> 00:19:01,039 pure sci fi and veers into theology. 408 00:19:01,279 --> 00:19:03,839 Speaker 1: Yeah, let's unpack this religious angle, because it's probably the 409 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:05,039 weirdest part of the whole thing. 410 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:05,279 Speaker 2: Now. 411 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:07,400 Speaker 1: Val doesn't want to just talk about spaceships. He wants 412 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:08,240 to talk about God. 413 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 2: This is absolutely critical to understanding the specific flavor of 414 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:14,799 this legend. This isn't just an alien story, It's a 415 00:19:14,839 --> 00:19:18,039 religious one. Val tells Frank that he was specifically chosen 416 00:19:18,039 --> 00:19:20,559 for this meeting because he has an open mind, but 417 00:19:20,599 --> 00:19:23,160 most importantly, because he is a minister of the Gospel. 418 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:28,319 Speaker 1: So Val the alien from Venus is specifically interested in 419 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:29,400 the Christian Gospel. 420 00:19:29,559 --> 00:19:31,839 Speaker 2: In the worldview that Frank Strange has preached and what 421 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,640 he claimed Val taught him, there is absolutely no conflict 422 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,839 between the Bible and extraterrestrials. In fact, they are one 423 00:19:38,839 --> 00:19:42,079 in the same story. Frank's theology was that Jesus and 424 00:19:42,079 --> 00:19:44,519 the angels were essentially aliens. 425 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,839 Speaker 1: So when the Bible talks about the Star of Bethlehem in. 426 00:19:47,799 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 2: This worldview, that's the UFO. When angels descend from the heavens, 427 00:19:51,839 --> 00:19:55,160 they are visitors like Val. So VAL's mission, he tells Frank, 428 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:59,279 wasn't just technological, it was spiritual. He says, his primary 429 00:19:59,279 --> 00:20:01,240 goal is to help mankind return to God. 430 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,920 Speaker 1: It's fascinating because usually in these kinds of stories, science 431 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,680 and religion are pitted against each other. Here, the super 432 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,119 advanced alien is the ultimate evangelist. 433 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 2: It completely merges them. Val confirms to Frank that there 434 00:20:15,119 --> 00:20:18,680 is intelligent life on every planet, that the entire universe 435 00:20:18,759 --> 00:20:22,200 is teeming with God's creation, and he asks Frank to 436 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,000 be his messenger on Earth to help him spread this 437 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:27,799 combined message of faith and space travel. 438 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,039 Speaker 1: And in return for being his messenger, Val shows Frank 439 00:20:31,079 --> 00:20:31,960 some of the cool stuff. 440 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,559 Speaker 2: He shows them the toys. Yeah Vow reveals that they 441 00:20:34,599 --> 00:20:38,000 have these holographic communication devices hidden around the world. 442 00:20:38,079 --> 00:20:40,440 Speaker 1: The source says there are ones in Reno, San Diego 443 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:41,200 and Geneva. 444 00:20:41,279 --> 00:20:44,119 Speaker 2: The Frank claims he actually saw one in action. He 445 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,119 describes this device where when you're talking to someone on it, 446 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:50,680 they appear as a full three dimensional hologram in the 447 00:20:50,799 --> 00:20:51,279 room with you. 448 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:54,319 Speaker 1: He's basically describing a high end zoom call with a three. 449 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,920 Speaker 2: D filter in the nineteen sixties, long before any of 450 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,200 that technology was even conceivable to the public. 451 00:20:59,319 --> 00:21:03,039 Speaker 1: And then the Vegas reveal of all the ship Victor one. 452 00:21:03,279 --> 00:21:06,119 Speaker 2: Victor one Valt takes Frank on a little trip. They 453 00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:08,720 go down to a beach in San Felipe, Mexico, and 454 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,079 there it is the three hundred foot saucer, just hovering 455 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:14,480 silently above the water. 456 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:16,279 Speaker 1: And Frank gets to go inside. And I love the 457 00:21:16,319 --> 00:21:18,960 description he gives of the interior. It doesn't sound like 458 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:20,400 a military vessel at all. 459 00:21:20,599 --> 00:21:23,960 Speaker 2: No, not cold and metallic. Frank describes it as feeling 460 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,920 like a luxury resort. He says, there's a library at 461 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:30,160 gym media rooms, but it's the sensory details that really 462 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,880 stand out. He says, there are no right angles anywhere. 463 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:34,519 Everything is curved organic. 464 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 1: And the floor that was the craziest part. 465 00:21:36,759 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 2: The floor, he says, it feels like you're walking on 466 00:21:39,039 --> 00:21:42,359 a thick cloud. It conforms perfectly to your foot when 467 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,200 you step down. Yeah, and then it bounces right back up. 468 00:21:45,319 --> 00:21:47,799 Speaker 1: I want cloud floors. That sounds incredibly comfortable. 469 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,839 Speaker 2: It paints this picture of technology that has moved beyond 470 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:55,000 just function and into this realm of comfort and art. 471 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,400 It's a true utopia inside that ship. 472 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,640 Speaker 1: So valves showing Frank this incredible future that we could have. 473 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,160 But meanwhile, back in Washington, d C. The present is 474 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:06,519 getting in the way. VAL's here for three years, right 475 00:22:06,559 --> 00:22:09,559 from fifty seven to sixty. What is he actually doing 476 00:22:09,599 --> 00:22:10,319 all that time. 477 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:14,160 Speaker 2: He's still trying to make that disarmament deal work. He's 478 00:22:14,279 --> 00:22:19,119 advising Eisenhower, meeting with scientists and politicians. The source material 479 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,759 claims that on a few occasions Val actually convinced Ike 480 00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:25,720 to go to the United Nations and reveal the truth. 481 00:22:25,559 --> 00:22:28,240 Speaker 1: To just tell the world, hey, we're not alone. Here's Val. 482 00:22:28,519 --> 00:22:31,200 Let's join the galactic community exactly. 483 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:32,640 Speaker 2: To just lay all the cards on the table. 484 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:34,680 Speaker 1: But Obviously that never happens, so why not. 485 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 2: The villains of the story intervene the CIA and the 486 00:22:38,519 --> 00:22:41,519 Department of Defense. The so called men in black have 487 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,839 powers that be the powers it be. The story goes 488 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:47,400 that every time Eisenhower got close to pulling the trigger 489 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:51,480 on disclosure, they shut him down. Their argument was simple 490 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,319 and from their perspective logical, which was, if we reveal 491 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,279 this and if the world accepts VAL's message of peace 492 00:22:58,319 --> 00:23:02,799 and disarmament, the military loses its power. The American economy, 493 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:07,279 which is heavily built on defense contracts, collapses. They were 494 00:23:07,319 --> 00:23:10,279 afraid that VAL's message of peace and love would cause 495 00:23:10,279 --> 00:23:12,759 the public to stop listening to the government and start 496 00:23:12,799 --> 00:23:15,160 listening to the space hippie in the gold jumpsuit. They 497 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,759 were afraid of losing control, complete loss of control. And 498 00:23:18,839 --> 00:23:23,599 this leads to a really profound connection to actual verifiable history. 499 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,920 The Force material claims that Eisenhower's famous farewell address in 500 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,920 nineteen sixty one was a direct result of his frustration 501 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:31,240 over this. 502 00:23:31,599 --> 00:23:35,279 Speaker 1: I remember that speech from history class. In the councils 503 00:23:35,319 --> 00:23:38,960 of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, 504 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:43,000 whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. 505 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,599 Speaker 2: It's one of the most famous and chilling warnings in 506 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:49,160 presidential history, and in the context of the Valiant Thor legend, 507 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:51,680 that speech takes on a whole new layer of meaning. 508 00:23:51,799 --> 00:23:54,200 Speaker 1: He's not just speaking theoretically. 509 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,720 Speaker 2: According to this story, No, he's speaking from direct personal experience. 510 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,039 He's essentially saying, I try to help from a peaceful 511 00:24:01,079 --> 00:24:03,799 Venusian to save the world, and this very complex I'm 512 00:24:03,799 --> 00:24:05,359 warning you about wouldn't let me do it. 513 00:24:05,559 --> 00:24:08,359 Speaker 1: Wow. So he's basically sending a coded message to the 514 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:09,119 American people. 515 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,680 Speaker 2: That's the interpretation. The core sentiment is, we cannot allow 516 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,920 weapons in war to become a profitable business. Ike knew 517 00:24:16,039 --> 00:24:18,960 according to the story, that prophet was the one barrier 518 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:20,920 standing between humanity and the stars. 519 00:24:21,319 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: So the mission ultimately fails. 520 00:24:23,279 --> 00:24:27,319 Speaker 2: Valleys, the mission fails. Ye valdeparts on March sixteen, nineteen sixty, 521 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:29,519 exactly three years to the day after he. 522 00:24:29,519 --> 00:24:32,400 Speaker 1: Arrived, but Frank Stranger stays behind. And this is where 523 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:34,599 the story gets really wild because it turns into a 524 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:37,759 straight up action movie. Apparently the bad guys were not 525 00:24:37,839 --> 00:24:39,279 happy that Frank knew the truth. 526 00:24:39,519 --> 00:24:42,640 Speaker 2: Frank becomes a target. The source details a series of 527 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:46,279 assassination attempts on his life that are just They're like 528 00:24:46,319 --> 00:24:47,480 something out of a spy novel. 529 00:24:47,559 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 1: Okay, give us the highlights. 530 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,119 Speaker 2: Right. So he's in Germany giving a lecture and his 531 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:56,039 food is poisoned. He gets violently ill, he's about to die, 532 00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:00,000 and then suddenly Val appears even though he supposedly left Earth, 533 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:01,759 and gives Frank an. 534 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 1: Antidote a literal dios ex muck nu literally. 535 00:25:05,039 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 2: Then another time, Frank is kidnapped, shoved into a car, 536 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,960 driven out to the desert, and beaten severely by government thugs. 537 00:25:12,079 --> 00:25:14,119 He's left for dead and let me guess, vallin good 538 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:16,200 old Dawns show up out of nowhere and save him. 539 00:25:16,319 --> 00:25:17,680 Speaker 1: One he's back. 540 00:25:18,039 --> 00:25:20,680 Speaker 2: But the most dramatic one, according to Frank, is when 541 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:23,440 he and his wife are on their honeymoon, a mysterious 542 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,680 black car runs them off a mountain road. Frank suffers 543 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,079 a broken neck and multiple broken hips. He's in the hospital. 544 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:33,039 Doctor say he'll never walk again, if he even survives. 545 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,440 Val just walks into the hospital room, places his hand 546 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:40,480 on Frank, and heals him instantly and completely. Frank gets 547 00:25:40,559 --> 00:25:43,079 up and walks out of the hospital. That same day, 548 00:25:43,319 --> 00:25:44,200 perfectly fine. 549 00:25:44,279 --> 00:25:46,759 Speaker 1: So this completely changes Vow's role in the story. He's 550 00:25:46,759 --> 00:25:48,920 not just a diplomat or and advisor anymore. He's a 551 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:51,920 guardian angel. He has power over life and death. 552 00:25:52,079 --> 00:25:55,400 Speaker 2: It absolutely reinforces that religious subtext we were talking about. 553 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:59,960 Val becomes a christlike savior figure. He protects the faithful 554 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,160 Frank against the forces of earthly evil. 555 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:05,920 Speaker 1: So that is the legend. It's an incredible story. It 556 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:11,400 has everything. It has aliens, presidents, spies, indestructible clothes, religion, 557 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:12,720 cloud floors. 558 00:26:12,799 --> 00:26:13,640 Speaker 2: It's got it all. 559 00:26:14,079 --> 00:26:15,880 Speaker 1: But now now comes the part where we have to 560 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:18,039 turn on the bright lights and see what's really there. 561 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:19,799 Speaker 2: Now we have to pull on those threads and see 562 00:26:19,799 --> 00:26:20,839 if they actually hold anyway. 563 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: Right, this is the reality check. 564 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:26,319 Speaker 2: So let's start with the people involved. Harley Andrew Bird, 565 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,000 the supposed nephew of the Great Admiral Richard Byrd, the 566 00:26:31,079 --> 00:26:33,759 guy who gave this story its initial credibility. 567 00:26:33,839 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 1: Does he exist? Did the admiral have a nephew named Harley? 568 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,720 Speaker 2: Well, we checked the genealogy records. Admiral Bird had four nephews. 569 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:44,359 None of them were named Harley Andrew Out. 570 00:26:44,559 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 1: Okay, so that's a pretty big hole right at the start. 571 00:26:47,519 --> 00:26:50,519 Speaker 2: It's a huge problem. Either the public genealogy records are 572 00:26:50,559 --> 00:26:54,440 all wrong, or more likely, the man claiming to be 573 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,880 the admiral's nephew wasn't it. It just doesn't hold up 574 00:26:57,880 --> 00:26:58,400 to scrutiny. 575 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: Okay, but what about Laura Eisenho. She's great granddaughter, She's 576 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,559 a public figure, and she has gone on records saying 577 00:27:04,599 --> 00:27:05,480 this story is true. 578 00:27:05,559 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 2: She has She is a very vocal believer in Val 579 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,759 and other similar stories. She claims that she was recruited 580 00:27:11,799 --> 00:27:13,759 for a secret mission to a Mars colony in two 581 00:27:13,759 --> 00:27:16,839 thousand and six and that Val is absolutely real. However, 582 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,240 there's a sight there is. Her professional resume includes titles 583 00:27:20,279 --> 00:27:22,880 like Global Alchemist and Cosmic. 584 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:25,319 Speaker 1: Mythologist, which are very interesting job titles. 585 00:27:25,519 --> 00:27:30,480 Speaker 2: They're very colorful. But for a mainstream skeptical listener, relying 586 00:27:30,519 --> 00:27:32,920 on her testimony might be difficult. If you don't already 587 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:37,359 subscribe to that specific cosmic world view, her confirmation might 588 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,359 not carry the weight for some that it would for others. 589 00:27:39,519 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 1: Okay, And that brings us to the main man himself, 590 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,400 the source of it all, doctor Frank Strangers. 591 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 2: And this is where the fabric of the story really 592 00:27:47,559 --> 00:27:52,000 starts to tear. Frank claimed to have three PhDs. He 593 00:27:52,039 --> 00:27:54,920 even listed the colleges he got them from on his books. 594 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:55,799 Speaker 1: So are they real? 595 00:27:56,319 --> 00:27:58,680 Speaker 2: Well, one of the colleges he listed has never existed. 596 00:27:58,799 --> 00:28:00,440 Speaker 1: Oh not a good time start. 597 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,559 Speaker 2: No another one exists, but a check of their records 598 00:28:03,559 --> 00:28:05,680 shows they have never offered a PhD program in their 599 00:28:05,839 --> 00:28:09,680 entire history. He also claims on his official bio to 600 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,759 be the deputy director of the California State Marshall Association. 601 00:28:13,079 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: That sounds very official, very authoritative. 602 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:18,680 Speaker 2: It does, until you find out that no such organization 603 00:28:18,759 --> 00:28:19,519 has ever existed. 604 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,759 Speaker 1: So his credentials were let's say, heavily embellished. 605 00:28:22,319 --> 00:28:25,400 Speaker 2: To be charitable. Yes, But the biggest problem for me 606 00:28:25,599 --> 00:28:28,880 is the timeline val supposedly left Earth in March of 607 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:32,599 nineteen sixty. Frank published his famous book Stranger at the 608 00:28:32,599 --> 00:28:34,680 Pentagon in nineteen sixty seven. 609 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:35,559 Speaker 1: A seven year gap. 610 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,039 Speaker 2: A seven year gap, And in those seven years Frank 611 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,319 was not silent. He was very active. He wrote other 612 00:28:41,359 --> 00:28:45,000 books about UFOs, he produced UFO documentaries, and. 613 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:46,640 Speaker 1: He never once mentioned. 614 00:28:46,319 --> 00:28:48,680 Speaker 2: Valiant thor not one single time. 615 00:28:48,839 --> 00:28:51,119 Speaker 1: That is the biggest red flag for me. If you 616 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:52,759 had met a man from Venus who lived in the 617 00:28:52,759 --> 00:28:55,359 Pentagon for three years and was a friend of the president. 618 00:28:56,319 --> 00:28:58,440 That is your lead story for the rest of your life. 619 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,559 That's your opening line at every part. Why would you 620 00:29:01,599 --> 00:29:04,319 sit on the single biggest story in human history for 621 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:05,119 seven years? 622 00:29:05,319 --> 00:29:08,599 Speaker 2: The skeptical explanation is that he hadn't invented the story yet, 623 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:11,839 that he was building his brand in the UFO world 624 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,880 and needed a blockbuster story to set himself apart. 625 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: And there's one more thing, right the plot. 626 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,599 Speaker 2: The plot if you go back and watch the classic 627 00:29:19,759 --> 00:29:22,720 nineteen fifty one science fiction movie The Day the Earth 628 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:23,720 Stood Still. 629 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:24,839 Speaker 1: An absolute masterpiece. 630 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,240 Speaker 2: The plot is a polite, human looking alien named Clatu 631 00:29:29,599 --> 00:29:32,559 lands his saucer in Washington, DC. He asked to see 632 00:29:32,559 --> 00:29:35,640 the world's leaders. He brings a warning about nuclear weapons. 633 00:29:35,839 --> 00:29:39,519 He has a powerful robot Gort that is basically indestructible, 634 00:29:40,039 --> 00:29:43,640 and his peaceful offer is ultimately rejected by a fearful, 635 00:29:43,759 --> 00:29:44,880 militaristic government. 636 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 1: It's the exact same story. 637 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,839 Speaker 2: It was almost a beat for beat retelling. The prevailing 638 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:52,079 theory is that Frank Strangers took the plot of a 639 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:55,319 very popular and beloved sci fi movie mixed it with 640 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:58,319 his brand of Christian evangelism to make it palatable to 641 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,519 a religious audience, and presented the whole thing as nonfiction. 642 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 1: He created the perfect crossover event. 643 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,559 Speaker 2: He really did. It was a brilliant genre blend that 644 00:30:06,599 --> 00:30:10,920 appealed to two huge, passionate and sometimes overlapping groups of people. 645 00:30:11,319 --> 00:30:13,880 UFO enthusiasts and evangelical Christians. 646 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:16,400 Speaker 1: Wow, and the photos. What about the photos of Don, 647 00:30:16,559 --> 00:30:20,119 Jill and Val, the supposed smoking gun. 648 00:30:20,079 --> 00:30:22,640 Speaker 2: The backyard barbecue photos. We've looked at them a lot, 649 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:24,839 and they look like nice, well dressed people. From the 650 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,880 nineteen fifties to this day. Nobody has ever come forward 651 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:30,799 to identify them. But on the flip side, nobody's ever 652 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:32,680 definitively proven they aren't aliens. 653 00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:37,079 Speaker 1: They just exist in this perfect limbo of plausibility. They 654 00:30:37,119 --> 00:30:40,440 could be intergalactic travelers, or they could just be Frank's 655 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:42,680 neighbors who came over for a burger that day. 656 00:30:43,079 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 2: Joe, stand over there by the tree and try to 657 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:45,599 look venusian. 658 00:30:45,759 --> 00:30:48,720 Speaker 1: Don put on your best I'm thinking about galactic peace 659 00:30:48,799 --> 00:30:52,720 expression exactly. But here's the thing. Even if Frank made 660 00:30:52,759 --> 00:30:56,079 it all up, even if Harley Bird wasn't a real bird, 661 00:30:56,599 --> 00:30:58,920 even if Val is just a character based on a 662 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:02,519 movie protagonist. The story itself just will not die. 663 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,640 Speaker 2: No, it won't. Crank Strange has passed away in two 664 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:06,880 thousand and eight, but the legend of Valiant Thor has 665 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:10,039 completely outlived him. It's taken on a life of its own. 666 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:13,200 The source material we have claims that Val is. 667 00:31:13,119 --> 00:31:14,960 Speaker 1: Still here, still here where. 668 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,519 Speaker 2: The current claim is that his ship victor Ie is 669 00:31:18,599 --> 00:31:21,039 parked and cloaked on the shores of Lake Mead just 670 00:31:21,119 --> 00:31:22,119 east of Las Vegas. 671 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 1: Lake Mead with all the boats and jetsys, I feel 672 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,240 like someone would have bumped into a three hundred foot 673 00:31:27,359 --> 00:31:29,279 cloaked saucer by now, you'd think so. 674 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 2: But the story claims there's a community of about two 675 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:35,240 thousand people in the know who are in contact with him, 676 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:38,680 and that around two thousand government employees are also aware 677 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:39,880 of his continued presence. 678 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,039 Speaker 1: That is a lot of people to keep a very 679 00:31:42,079 --> 00:31:42,799 big secret. 680 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:46,319 Speaker 2: It is, But I think the endurance of this story 681 00:31:46,759 --> 00:31:50,160 speaks to something deeper. It's not about the details anymore. 682 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:53,599 Speaker 1: It's about the message, right Because Val didn't come here 683 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:56,440 to conquer us or give us gadgets. He came here 684 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:56,960 to preach. 685 00:31:57,519 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 2: At the end of the day, what was VAL's ultimate advice. 686 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:03,559 He didn't leave us the blueprints for the warp drive, 687 00:32:03,799 --> 00:32:06,480 he didn't give us the formula for cold fusion. He 688 00:32:06,599 --> 00:32:09,599 told Frank Strangers that the most important thing humanity can 689 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:13,480 do is just be kind to one another, because serve others, 690 00:32:13,759 --> 00:32:15,680 treat people as you would like to be treated, the 691 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,799 golden rule. The irony is just it's so thick. You 692 00:32:18,799 --> 00:32:21,799 have this incredibly elaborate story about a spaceship and acid 693 00:32:21,839 --> 00:32:26,720 proof jumpsuits and Pentagon conspiracies and secret underground trains, and 694 00:32:26,759 --> 00:32:30,079 the ultimate takeaway is the simplest, most fundamental ethical lesson 695 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:31,160 in all of human history. 696 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:33,279 Speaker 1: Whether he came from Venus or whether he came from 697 00:32:33,319 --> 00:32:35,599 the mind of Frank Strangers, the advice is solid. 698 00:32:35,759 --> 00:32:38,960 Speaker 2: It absolutely is. And the narrator in our source material 699 00:32:39,039 --> 00:32:41,279 said something that really stuck with me. He said, the 700 00:32:41,279 --> 00:32:43,720 more you ridicule Valiant thor, it turns out, the more 701 00:32:43,759 --> 00:32:44,400 you need him. 702 00:32:44,519 --> 00:32:45,599 Speaker 1: That's powerful. 703 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:49,400 Speaker 2: We want to believe that someone out there, someone smarter, wiser, 704 00:32:49,519 --> 00:32:52,640 more advanced, is looking out for us and just wants 705 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:54,640 us to put down the weapons and be decent to 706 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:55,079 each other. 707 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 1: It's a really comforting thought. Isn't it the idea that 708 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:00,559 the universe isn't just a cold, dark empty for us, 709 00:33:00,599 --> 00:33:03,359 but maybe a community that's just waiting for us to 710 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:04,359 grow up and join the. 711 00:33:04,279 --> 00:33:06,519 Speaker 2: Party, waiting for us to finally be ready. 712 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:10,039 Speaker 1: So that brings us to the end of this particular thread. 713 00:33:10,119 --> 00:33:11,960 But before we sign off, I want to throw a 714 00:33:12,039 --> 00:33:13,920 question out to you listening right now. 715 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 2: This is the big one. 716 00:33:15,079 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 1: Let's just assume for a minute the story is true, 717 00:33:18,279 --> 00:33:21,400 or let's just say it happens tomorrow. A ship lance, 718 00:33:21,839 --> 00:33:25,119 a polite human looking person walks out. They offer to 719 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:28,279 cure all disease and world hunger and clean up our 720 00:33:28,279 --> 00:33:31,640 polluted environment. The price for all of this is total 721 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:36,200 and complete nuclear disarmament. No more bombs, no more deterrence, 722 00:33:36,279 --> 00:33:37,279 no more leverage. 723 00:33:37,519 --> 00:33:39,799 Speaker 2: Do you think the world leaders of today would take 724 00:33:39,799 --> 00:33:40,319 that deal? 725 00:33:40,799 --> 00:33:43,960 Speaker 1: Or would we do exactly what Ike allegedly did. Would 726 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:46,680 we say, sorry, we can't risk the economy, we can't 727 00:33:46,759 --> 00:33:49,400 risk looking vulnerable. Thanks for the offer, but we're going 728 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:50,759 to hang on to our missiles. 729 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,359 Speaker 2: It's a question of fear versus hope, isn't it. Do 730 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:59,240 we value our power more than we value a potential paradise. 731 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:01,720 Speaker 1: We really want to hear your take. Would we as 732 00:34:01,759 --> 00:34:05,640 a species take the deal? Let us know in the comments. 733 00:34:05,759 --> 00:34:07,759 We read them all and we genuinely want to know 734 00:34:07,759 --> 00:34:08,280 what you think. 735 00:34:08,639 --> 00:34:11,079 Speaker 2: It's been a real pleasure unraveling this one, so many 736 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:12,760 strange and wonderful knots. 737 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,119 Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us on thrilling threads. Keep pulling the strings, 738 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:18,719 and remember, if you see a friendly looking guy in 739 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:20,639 a gold jumpsuit, maybe say hello. 740 00:34:21,039 --> 00:34:22,400 Speaker 2: You might just have some good advice. 741 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:23,280 Speaker 1: See next time.