Betty
& Barney Hill Case - The Interrupted Journey: Still a Mystery
B
J Booth
November 14, 2006
The
Betty and Barney Hill case is the cornerstone of belief in Alien Abduction. The
case is an enigma in many respects, and there is still research being done on
its mysteries. Many skeptics have tried to diminish the importance of the case,
putting it off as a racially charged issue because Betty was Caucasian and Barney
a black man. It has been said that the two well respected individuals were suffering
in a social sense because of their interracial marriage, and were seeking publicity
to make themselves more acceptable in the community. Nothing could be further
from the truth.
Barney
was more or less a quiet, unassuming man, and although Betty was more outward
going, she never sought notoriety, and has said many times since the case was
broken nationally that she wished it has never happened. Some researchers make
the mistake of saying this was the very first alien abduction case. It was not.
However, it was the first to be made by two professional people that came to the
knowledge of the general public. As you may know, it was made into a book, "The
Interrupted Journey, " by investigative journalist John. G. Fuller, and it
was a remarkable work of writing. Fuller also penned "Incident at Exeter,"
another UFO classic.
The
Hill case was not made known for a number of years after it occurred. The Hills
were aware of some missing time from the onset, and Betty even called in their
sighting to Pease Air Force Base. Unknown to many, the base confirmed the UFO
sighting.
The
two abductees began to have nightmares. Betty dreamed of her and Barney being
taken aboard a craft of some kind. A couple of local writers heard of the case,
and interviewed the Hills, making a minute by minute time table of the night of
the abduction. They discovered that there was two hours of time unaccounted for.
Former
Air Force intelligence officer, Major James MacDonald, who had been present at
the interview, and seeing the pain the two were going through, suggested to the
Hills that they undergo regressive hypnosis, and procedure to release blocked
memories. For this formidable task, and after research, the Hills chose Boston
psychiatrist and neurologist, Dr. Benjamin Simon. After a precursory examination,
the diagnosed the Hills as having an "anxiety syndrome," relating to
the night of their sighting.
Betty
and Barney were regressed separately, and were not aware of each other's sessions
for quite some time. After six months of treatment, Dr. Simon stated that he felt
the Hills had been abducted.
After
the many sessions with Dr. Simon, the following details became evident. The Hills
related that their car had stalled, and then the alien craft landed on the road
in front of their vehicle, forming a kind of roadblock, hailing them down. They
were taken into the craft, and given medical examinations by these aliens, and
before being released, were ordered under hypnosis not to recount any of the details
of their incident. The entities were described by the Hills as "...bald-headed
alien beings, about five foot tall, with greyish skin, pear shaped heads and slanting
cat-like eyes."-- This was the very first mention in UFO folklore of the
so-called "greys." The Hills were taken into separate rooms during their
examinations. These "tests" involved both physical and mental procedures.
Famed
Ufologist J. Allen Hynek, after researching the case, made this statement:
