Nexus - 0604 - New Times Magazine-pages

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the nuclear bomb a possibility. This was before the first bomb was exploded. So Lawrence was brought in because he knew how to make a cyclotron; but his cyclotron, the biggest one he'd ever created, was about the size of this white board over here, and it could produce about a thimbleful of refined uranium—which would have been about enough to make a nuclear bomb capable of blowing off your left foot. In any event, Lawrence one day is called in and he's asked: "How do we build a cyclotron big enough?" He makes a few cal- culations and hands a requisition order to Harold Ackerman— today a federal judge, and who was the chief supply clerk for the Manhattan Project—to requisition enough silver to build a big sil- ver racetrack; something like 12 million tons of silver. In fact, he took it to the United States Treasury, handed it to the then Secretary of the Treasury—I guess it was Morganthal—and Morganthal was asked to fill a 12-million-ton order, which also necessitated the relocation of Z-Division to some place where they could put all this silver and build this racetrack. ee the nuclear bomb a possibility. This was before the first bomb Sky Station for a day or two and we decided this wasn't right; we was exploded. So Lawrence was brought in because he knew were going to call the Pentagon and tell them about it. how to make a cyclotron; but his cyclotron, the biggest one he'd So I picked up the phone and first I called Fort Monmouth; then ever created, was about the size of this white board over here, and I called down to Langley Air Force Base. They wanted to know, it could produce about a thimbleful of refined uranium—which "Why are you calling Langley Air Force Base?" Well, where else would have been about enough to make a nuclear bomb capable would I call about a satellite that's sending messages to our fax of blowing off your left foot. machine...talk about sounding strange...that say this satellite is In any event, Lawrence one day is called in and he's asked: about to crash, it's coming down, its communications systems are "How do we build a cyclotron big enough?" He makes a few cal- breaking down. Well, finally we got to somebody who was of culations and hands a requisition order to Harold Ackerman— authority. It was Colonel James that we got to, and he gets on the today a federal judge, and who was the chief supply clerk for the phone with me...I'm in my car, on my car phone...and he says: Manhattan Project—to requisition enough silver to build a big sil- "Mr Shulman, please secure these faxes. Do not let anyone see ver racetrack; something like 12 million tons of silver. In fact, he them. We'll take care of it. We'll let you know what to do with took it to the United States Treasury, handed it to the then the faxes." It's like...the military goes silent. Secretary of the Treasury—I guess it was Morganthal—and That next day our offices were broken into. Our front door was Morganthal was asked to fill a 12-million-ton order, which also smashed, our glass was smashed to smithereens all over the place, necessitated the relocation of Z-Division to some place where and everything was taken out of the file cabinets in our offices. they could put all this silver and build this racetrack. My office was a wreck when I got in there. It was awful. We came in the next day to work and it was like: \ ), Je decided one day at American what happened, what happened? Computer Company that we were Thad these faxes in my briefcase. I'd going to be brave. I talked with w . taken them with me, home. So apparently, my board and I talked with some of the peo- Why are you calling by not leaving them there, I probably wors- ple at the company and they agreed. "Yeah, i Qu ened the situation. It might have been better we can try this; let's see what happens." Langley Air Force Base? if I'd left them there, to be frank; if they'd We decided that we were going to take the found them and had just come and arrested this unusual Shopkeepers Notebook with | Well, where else Would | re ict ceannce, Wet not supposed to these unusual technological artifacts in them, l call about a satellite even see or even know such a thing, but and naively and blithely put a panel on th H inadvertently, as a result, we became awz irae angie perms cns | that's sending messages ‘vey sa seil. we home ae colour what we had found, and raise the to our fax machine aes [Defense Space Platform], called Sky uestion. However, the picture that we . . Station, which is nuclear-hardened and ut up was a picture of Testor’ model that say this satellite equipped to carry nuclear weapons, of the so-called Roswell Lander. It's a Is about to crash, because it was described in these faxes. picture of what looks like a spacecraft ru A It is not a very pleasant place to be, with wings and a jet propulsion system, it's coming down, to discover that now, here we are at the with a pod in the front to hold alien its communications end of the Cold War with an agreement systems are breaking down. occupants who were piloting it. We that there will be no nuclear weapons in superimposed the picture over an image space in orbit, and there is apparently a from the Thunder Range—of course, platform up there that the United States we picked the wrong place; the Plains secretly put up back in the '60s or '70s of San Agustin was the right place, or '80s, that's equipped; it's nuclear- actually—and we put a little bit of hardened, it's one of the Star Wars SDI rhetoric on this panel and just placed it series, based on Spacelab, equipped to right in the middle of our American handle and carry nuclear weapons. Computer Company website. So now, not only did we have a pic- Now that probably was the stupidest thing we ever did. Here's ture of an alleged alien craft on our website, talking about alien this picture of a Roswell alien lander sitting on a panel in the mid- technologies being transferred to AT&T, but we also were in pos- dle of a computer company website, and on it it said something session of very high level, Level Five, Top Secret security clear- like: "Did AT&T receive stolen alien technologies from the US ance military faxes describing something called Sky Station. Government in 1947 and thereby invent the transistor, the laser, That week we had visits from the Air Force Office of Special the integrated circuit, and...on and on and on...different technolo- Investigations. They came up and they interviewed us. They put gies?" Well, we figured the reaction we would get from the pub- me through a day-long third degree. We didn't want it happening lic would be one of, "Oh gee, isn't that cute? That's funny, X- in the middle of our customers coming in and seeing us or selling Files, you know..." The reaction we got was not one we had personal computers and servers, so I took them to an out-of-the- anticipated. way part of the office, down the hall, down the elevator to a little Three days after we placed the image onto our website, we office downstairs, and I got a query about everything just short received a very strange series of military faxes to our tech support of...well, it included my shoe size, when I was born, names of par- fax machine, referring to a piece of hardware known as "Sky ents, names of grandparents, when they entered the country, Station". Anybody ever hear of anything called Sky Station? driver's licence number. They went through a Q&A with me and Never heard of it, have you? Well, it's up there. It's an orbital with my staff, that just came short of asking me the wrong ques- platform of some kind. We were receiving live messages from tion—if you know what I mean. Well, where else would | call about a satellite that say this satellite is about to crash, it's coming down, its communications down. JUNE — JULY 1999 NEXUS - 57 that's sending messages to our fax machine ... systems are breaking