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Jupiter, and a number of fictitious planets. They boasted of long discussions with extraterrestrials as well as trips to their planets. Many of these contactees gained widespread press attention. Thousands of people were drawn into this web of charlatanism. At the same time, a small number of more reputable witnesses were reporting unusual small beings associated with UFO landings. These reports were, of course, dismissed. Ridicule of contactees became the rule in the media. To make matters worse, the government's refusal to aggressively research UFOs led to a number of public UFO organizations, staffed primarily by nonscientific personnel whose investigative techniques were marginal at best. UFO debunkers had a field day with the alleged contactee movement and poorly researched publications. It was in this era of skepticism that the modern era of alleged alien abductions began. On the evening of October 14, 1957, at 10:00 P.M., a young Brazilian farmer named Antonio Villas-Boas saw a bright light at the northern end of his field. Each time he approached the light, it moved away. After numerous attempts to approach the light, it vanished. The next evening, Antonio claimed, he saw a luminous, egg-shaped craft flying near his field at terrific speed. The object landed directly in front of him and short- circuited his tractor. Then he was dragged aboard the UFO by four small humanoids wearing suits, helmets, and goggles. He claimed he was taken aboard the craft and stripped, covered with a oily liquid, and given a medical examination.' After the examination, he was left alone with an unusual female humanoid alien entity, who initiated an episode of alien-human intercourse. After his release he was alarmed to moa 4 ert. ia Aa 1 : wan find numerous wounds on various parts of his body. Antonio's case was examined by Dr. Olavo Fontes of the National School of Medicine in Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Fontes Villas-Boas kept his alien encounter a secret for eight years. In late 1965 he told his story, which was eventually published in the book Flying Saucer Occupants. This encounter was the first modern abduction report given serious consideration by UFO a researchers. The first abduction to gain significant press notoriety was the case of Betty and Barney Hill. Betty and Barney Hill claimed that while driving through the White Mountains of New Hampshire on the evening of September 19, 1961, they saw an enormous disk- shaped object with two rows of windows descending from the sky. At first they assumed that it was some sort of experimental craft or a satellite. Barney Hill, who was driving at the time, stopped and made a sudden turn off the road toward the object. From this position they claimed they were able to see six humanoid entities through the windows of the craft. They got back on the road and tried to evade the object, but shortly afterward their car began vibrating and they heard an unusual beeping sound. They claimed that a haze seemed to fall over them. 63 VILLAS-BOAS INCIDENT confirmed what he believed to be radiation poisoning, a common malady suffered by alleged contactees with UFOs. THE INTERRUPTED JOURNEY When they arrived home, they felt uneasy. When they were able to confirm their arrival