THE
UNDERGROUND EMPIRE
In
March of 1980, John J. Williams, a New Mexico "Patriot"
who published the anti-Communist oriented "REBEL MAGAZINE"
(at the time available from: Consumertronics Co., c/o John
J. Williams. Pres., 2011 Crescent Dr., P.O. Drawer 537., Alamogardo,
NM 88310) revealed some incredible details on an alleged subterranean
system which the Navy had been exploring below the western
United States. The report appeared in issue No. 6 of his magazine,
and was later reproduced in the Fall, 1985 (#164) issue of
SEARCH Magazine, at the time edited by Marjorie Palmer, widow
of the late Ray Palmer. The article, titled 'CALIFORNIA FLOATS
ON OCEAN?', revealed the following:
Some
time ago, I heard a man on a TV interview-show briefly mention
that parts of California and neighboring states are floating
on the Pacific Ocean! He was a high ranking Naval officer
on a top-secret nuclear submarine that has been (and is) exploring
and mapping these enormous caverns and passage-ways underneath
the West for over 10 years now.
"A
friend of mine finally tracked the man down. He is now living
quietly in retirement and asked that no details pointing to
him be revealed as he does not want publicity and government
attention. After writing this article, I destroyed my files
on him. This is his story..."
Williams
explains that not "all" of the areas in question
are actually "resting" or "floating" on
the ocean, however there are allegedly many subterranean cavities
below the western U.S., and they are not limited to California,
and many of them consist of very large water-filled aqua-systems.
These have been explored via nuclear submarines to several
hundred miles inland, particularly in the region of southern
California and the southern Oregon - northern California area.
Williams continues:
...When
he retired several years ago, in spite of about 10 years of
intensive Naval study, the Navy had not gotten even a handle
on their exacts and dimensions. Today, the story may be different.
He
makes the following statements from his observations:
1.
The passageways are labyrinthine with widths from a few to
thousands of feet (caverns), averaging roughly about a 100
feet.
2.
Much like dry caverns do, heights and depths vary a great
deal and in some cases, two or more caverns or passageways
pass over or under each other at different depths.
3.
Most of the entrances lie just off the Continental Shelf (i.e.
in the Continental Slope - Branton).
4.
Most of the entrances are too small for submarine investigation;
and many that are large enough lie in waters that are too
deep.
5.
Some of the caverns (in S. California) are topped with oil
while some others are filled with gases believed to approximate
our atmosphere (in very ancient times).
6.
The San Joaquin Valley is essentially a portion of the original
cavernous area that collapsed eons ago due to it's sheer weight.
7.
What is being passed off as the 'San Andreas Fault' are large,
unsupported chambers that are in the process of collapsing.
When the BIG ONE finally hits, many scientists in the know
believe that most of California will break off like a cold
Hershey bar and slide into the ocean! (it is postulated by
some that an ancient land-mass which some believe may have
been connected to what is now California, broke off and sunk
into the ocean during an ancient cataclysm - Branton)
8.
(We are deleting this section due to the possibility of undue
stress and fear which may result from it's disclosure. Also,
because of recent international events which may have resulted
in a solution to this problem. We will merely state that it
involves a scenario similar to that which was portrayed in
a James Bond movie, and which concerned underground caverns,
silicon valley, nuclear weapons, and the San Andreas fault
- Branton).
9.
A WELL-KNOWN U.S. nuclear submarine lost its way in these
passages and disappeared forever. It was reported to have
been lost IN OPEN SEA ELSEWHERE to keep the American people
in total ignorance and to justify an enormous pay-off to an
eccentric U.S. billionaire (who died in recent years) for
providing the fictitious "recovery" effort.
"I
have no reason to doubt the man. I can't tell for sure whether
or not these caverns and passageways exist or to their extents.
The story does sound a bit fantastic but I have no reason
to doubt the man. I have seen copies of documentation that
at least prove that he was a high ranking Naval officer (nuclear
submarine duty) and a distinguished scientist. In fact, his
scientific background and reputation are impeccable. He definitely
cannot be labeled as a crackpot, lunatic or publicity- seeker.
I would very much like more information on this topic..."
After
further inquiries to Mr. Williams on the part of 'inner earth'
researchers, Williams responded with the following when asked
whether or not he had received any replies to his request
for more information about the alleged passageways below California:
Since
publishing our article on the vast cavern network under much
of California, we have received many responses and inquiries.
Some of these responses appear to be knowledgeable sources.
Note that the material sent to us for this article was written
by someone of very high repute whose credentials I personally
checked out. Due to an agreement with him, I cannot reveal
his identity.
One
response was from a retired (conventional submarine duty?
- Branton) submarine commander, who according to him, spent
many years in the waters off California. He stated that the
caverns do NOT exist.
Another
response was from an anonymous person who cited unpublished
oil company seismographic data, and stated, 'Although most
of the caverns you depict in your drawing are smaller, larger
or located somewhat differently than the actual caverns, you
are essentially correct... My information is more up-to-date
than what you apparently relied upon.' He (or she) did not
supply any maps to pin down our differences, just some written
descriptions. However, some knowledgeable person could probably
deduce his (or her) overall 'map' from the voluminous seismographic
data sent. I am in the process of looking for this input;
it's been several years now and it may have all been thrown
out... Incidentally, the oil company seismic data had much
data around the Fresno area if that helps any.
One
incident which tends to confirm the fact that California is
in fact floating on the ocean was a story which made the headlines
in recent years. This incident involved an oil discovery beneath
Long Beach, California. When oil companies began pumping oil
out of the ground beneath Long Beach it was soon learned that
the entire city BEGAN SINKING INTO THE OCEAN!
It
sank up to 26 feet and dikes had to be built to keep out the
water. The problem is (temporarily) being rectified by 'water
injection'--i.e. pumping an equivalent amount of WATER into
the ground to the amount of oil and water taken out, in order
to keep the city AFLOAT!
One
thing which may be of interest in connection with Mr. Williams'
account was a statement which was made by a prominent California
Bigfoot investigator by the name of Virginia Louise Swanson,
who has done a good deal of study on caves and their connections
to the Bigfoot phenomena. She refers to these caverns in the
following words:
"...Somewhere
I got the idea that a big portion of Death Valley is located
on a shelf of FALSE bedrock. A certain type of earthquake
would collapse all of it down to an enormous series of caverns
that would open up into another Grand Canyon."
According
to our knowledge, the only nuclear submarines ever to disappear
under mysterious circumstances were the U.S.S. THRESHER and
the U.S.S. SCORPION. It is uncertain whether the retired Navy
Officer who John J. Williams spoke of was referring to the
THRESHER or the SCORPION, although the disappearance of the
Thresher probably caused more publicity. The Thresher was
the LEAD SHIP or 'Flag' ship in the world's most advanced
class of nuclear attack submarines. She was designed to operate
deeper and more silently than any of her predecessors and
was also endowed with significant advances in sonar equipment,
in noise reduction, and in fire-control. All in all, she was
the most advanced international submarine in the world at
the time of her disappearance and would have been an ideal
choice for a top- secret mission such as the exploration of
the caverns mentioned by John Williams' source.
On
April 10, 1963 (according to official reports) the Thresher,
under the command of Lt. Commander John W. Harvey, USN, with
a total of 129 men (comprised of the crew, civilian technicians,
and observers) disappeared without explanation. NOT A SINGLE
TRACE or clue as to the fate of the craft, or it's occupants,
were ever recovered: no oil slicks, radiation, floating debris,
or similar signs of wreckage were ever seen. It is interesting
to note that almost all of the reports at the time stated
the ship had "disappeared," or was "lost,"
not "sunk!" One woman whose husband was on the ill-fated
ship reported her belief that her husband was still alive.
Theologically speaking, the possibility of a long-distance
connection or "communion" on a deep, emotional level
between a husband and a wife should not necessarily be consigned
to the realm of the occult or "psychic" phenomena.
Many religions believe that the very spiritual natures of
a husband and a wife are united upon the consummation of a
marriage, and thus they become, as Christian teachings say,
"one flesh". The actual words of this woman, who
was interviewed by Will Carson and Jeannie Joy--two writers
devoted to pursuing strange events--shortly after the Thresher
incident, were as follows:
"My
husband was on the submarine Thresher when it disappeared.
I don't consider myself a widow. I don't believe my husband
is dead. No, it's not a matter of just not being able to believe
it, to accept reality; I just can't get over the conviction
that he's still alive somewhere. I love my husband very much.
I know he loved--loves me. We were very close. We could always
tell when something was wrong with each other. Intuition,
I guess. I should have felt something the instant there was
trouble, if he was really in serious trouble and knew it--a
matter of life and death--but I didn't."
"What
do you believe really happened?" Carson and Joy asked
the attractive young woman.
"Most
people think I'm crazy when I say this, but I believe the
Thresher was captured."
"By
whom?"
"I
can't say for sure, but there WAS a Russian submarine spotted
near there that day (that is, near where it REPORTEDLY vanished
220 miles off Boston harbor)--only I can't imagine how even
the Russians could CAPTURE a vessel like the Thresher without
leaving the slightest evidence!"
The
following account, concerning an area just east of BISHOP
(OWENS VALLEY), CALIFORNIA, was related by Val Valerian in
his 'LEADING EDGE' Newsletter, Dec. 1989 - Jan. 1990 issue.
The article, titled: 'DEEP SPRING'S, CALIFORNIA', stated:
"Deep
Springs, California is an area that is becoming known as the
site for very strange events. According to the information
released both on the air on KVEG-AM and from other sources,
the area is full of strange people wandering around in black
suits. There have also been rumors that there is an underground
facility in the area. Checking with gravity anomaly maps proved
that there are large cavities under the ground in that area.
The wildest claims relative to the area have stated that alien
lifeforms are being released there... Deep Springs Lake has
been probed and it appears bottomless. Divers have traveled
along an underground river 27 miles toward the Las Vegas area
before having to turn around." (This 'river' would probably
have been a 'partially' water-filled cave with a large stream
or river flowing through it, rather than an entirely underwater
passage, since 27 miles would undoubtedly be entirely out
of the question if it were all underwater travel, with present
diving technology - Branton).
In
the April, 1963 issue of SEARCH Magazine, Will Carson and
Jeannie Joy, in their regular column 'PRYING INTO THE UNKNOWN',
related the following incredible story:
"It
has always been a mystery to us in the first place how Mr.
and Mrs. P.E. can find and afford the time to do the sort
of things most of us only dream of doing. After knowing them
for more than fifteen years, it is inconceivable to suspect
their integrity or sanity - and yet they impose the following
excise upon our credulity...
While
exploring for petroglyphs in the Casa Diablo vicinity of BISHOP,
CALIFORNIA, Mr. & Mrs. P.E. came upon a circular hole
in the ground, about nine feet in diameter, which exuded a
sulfurous steam and seemed recently to have been filled with
hot water. A few feet from the surface the shaft took a tangent
course which looked easily accessible and, upon an impulse
with which we cannot sympathize, the dauntless E.'s, armed
only with a flashlight, forthwith crawled down into that hole.
At
a depth we've failed to record the oblique tunnel opened into
a horizontal corridor whose dripping walls, now encrusted
with minerals, could only have been carved by human hands,
countless ages ago - of this the E.'s felt certain. The end
of the short passage was blocked by what seemed to be a huge
doorway of solid rock which, however, wouldn't yield. The
light of their flash was turned to a corner where water dripped
from a protuberance - which proved to be a delicately carved
face, distorted now by the crystallized minerals, and from
whose gaping mouth water issued.
As
Mr. and Mrs. E. stood there in silent awe - wondering what
lay behind that immovable door - the strangest thing of all
happened...but our chronology will not be incorrect if we
wait till they return to the surface before revealing this,
for now the water began gushing from the carved mouth and
from other unseen ducts elsewhere in that cave and rising
at an alarming rate!
They
hurried to the surface, and in less than half an hour there
was only a quite ordinary appearing pool of warm mineral water
on the desert floor.
"'Do
you know,' Mrs. E. said to her husband, 'while I stood down
there I heard music - the strangest, most weird music I'd
ever heard. But it seemed to come from everywhere at once,
or inside my own head. I guess it was just my imagination.'
"Mr.
E. turned pale. 'My God,' he said; I thought it was MY imagination,
but I heard it, too - like music from some other world!'
"Why
do they call that rock formation near where the E's had their
strange experience Casa Diablo - the Devil's house? And why
did the Indians name that area Inyo - dwelling place of the
great spirit?"
Erich
A. Aggen, Jr., in his article 'TOP SECRET: ALIEN UFO BASES'
(SEARCH Magazine, Summer 1991 issue), presented the following
revelations concerning the UFO-Subterranean connection:
...A
great deal of UFO research has also led to the conclusion
that various...species of aliens have set up secret underground
bases in the United States and other countries. It is logical
to assume that such bases have also been established elsewhere
in the solar system. If such bases exist, where would we find
them? Existing information allows us to make a few educated
guesses.
EARTH BASES: UNDERGROUND
The
dark, cavernous world beneath out feet is the source of many
baffling mysteries. Clandestine UFO bases may be hidden deep
within the earth in natural and/or artificial caverns. As
a former member of the National Speleological Society (NSS),
I am well aware of the vast extent of cave systems within
the United States. In my own native state of Missouri, for
example, there are over 2,500 known caves and dozens of new
ones being discovered every year. Many of these caves are
intricately linked together by numerous passageways and interconnecting
chambers.
One
particular species of blind white (albino) cave fish, the
TYPHLICHTHYS, has been found in many widely separated cave
systems over several states. It has been found in caves that
make a great arc through Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and UNDER
the Mississippi River extending into Missouri, Arkansas, and
Oklahoma! A VAST SECTION OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UNITED
STATES MUST LIE ABOVE ONE IMMENSE CAVERN SYSTEM!
Many
caves possess rooms hundreds of feet in length, width, and
height. In most cases, these huge natural caverns can only
be reached and explored with the utmost skill and perseverance.
There are only a few thousand NSS members in the United States
and only a few hundred of this number are active spelunkers.
With so few spelunkers spread over such a large area, only
a very small fraction of the tens of thousands of known caves
in this country have been carefully mapped and explored. Thousands
of other caves remain undiscovered and unexplored.
Extensive
evidence indicates that caves in the United States may be
connected with caves in other parts of the world. In Mexico,
the cave known as 'Sotano de las Golondrinas', (or) basement
of the swallows, in the Municipio de Aquismo, S.L.P., reaches
a depth of 1100 feet (334 meters). The cave is actually a
giant 'sinkhole' or 'hole' in the ground with a nearly circular
opening at the top, hundreds of feet in diameter. It is impossible
to climb down the sides of Golondrinas because the walls of
the opening are too smooth and "belled-out". To
reach the bottom of the cave, a special rope over 1100 feet
long must be secured at the top of the opening and dropped
into the sinkhole. Explorers must then descend into the yawning
hole one at a time using special cave repelling gear and climbing
techniques. At the bottom of Sotano de las Golondrinas are
numerous 'leads' or openings to a multiplicity of different
crevices, passages, crawlways, and rooms which have never
been mapped or investigated.
The
entrance to Golondrinas is located in one of the most primitive
and uncivilized areas of Mexico and local inhabitants are
afraid to approach the cave because they believe it is full
of 'evil spirits' which lure people to their deaths. They
tell stories of people mysteriously disappearing never to
be heard from again while passing near the cave entrance.
These stories may be based more on fact than fiction: they
are similar in some respects to UFO abduction reports. Because
of its huge size, remote location, and unique geological structure,
Golondrinas would be an ideal UFO base. Naturally camouflaged
caves in other parts of the world may serve as excellent natural
bases, way stations, and 'depots' for UFOs.
An
underground nuclear test called the 'Schooner Experiment'
conducted in December, 1968, substantiates the theory that
caves in North and South America are intimately linked. In
this test, a 35-kiloton nuclear bomb was exploded under the
desert of Nevada. Five days after the test, the radiation
level rose from 10 to 20 times in Canada, 1000 miles away
from the Nevada test site! The only way the radioactive dust
could have traveled that far is through an interconnected
system of caves extending all the way from Nevada to Canada!
Bourke
Lee, in his book 'DEATH VALLEY MEN' (MacMillan Co., N.Y. 1932),
chapter: "Old Gold", describes a conversation which
he had several years ago with a small group of Death valley
residents. The conversation had eventually turned to the subject
of Paihute Indian legends. At one point two of the men, Jack
and Bill, described their experience with an 'underground
city' which they claimed to have discovered after one of them
had fallen through the bottom of an old mine shaft near Wingate
Pass. They found themselves in a natural underground cavern
which they claimed to have followed about 20 miles north into
the heart of the Panamint Mountains. To their amazement, they
allegedly found themselves in an huge, ancient, underground
cavern city. They claimed that they discovered within the
city several perfectly preserved 'mummies', which wore thick
arm bands, wielded gold spears, etc. The city had apparently
been abandoned for ages, except for the mummies, and the entire
underground system looked very ancient. It was formerly lit,
they found out by accident, by an ingenious system of lights
fed by subterranean gases. They claimed to have seen a large,
polished "round table" which looked as if it may
have been part of an ancient council chamber, giant statues
of solid gold, stone vaults and "drawers" full of
gold bars and gemstones of all kinds, heavy stone "wheelbarrows"
which were perfectly balanced and scientifically-constructed
so that a child could use them, huge stone doors which were
almost perfectly balanced by counter-weights, and other incredible
sights.
They
also claimed to have followed the caverns upwards to a higher
level which ultimately opened out onto the face of the Panamints,
about half-way up the eastern slope, in the form of a few
ancient tunnel-like quays. They realized that the valley below
was once under water and they eventually came to the conclusion
that the arched openings were ancient 'docks' for sea vessels.
They could allegedly see Furnace Creek Ranch and Wash far
below them. They told Bourke Lee that they had brought some
of the treasure out of the caverns and tried to set up a deal
with certain people, including scientists associated with
the Smithsonian Institute, in order to gain help to explore
and publicize the city as one of the 'wonders of the world'.
These efforts ended in disappointment however when a 'friend'
of theirs stole the treasure (which was also the evidence)
and they were scoffed at and rejected by the scientists when
they went to show them the 'mine' entrance and could not find
it. A recent cloud- burst they claimed, had altered and rearranged
the entire countryside and the landscape did not look like
it had been before. When Lee last heard from the two men,
Bill and Jack, they were preparing to climb the east face
of the Panamints to locate the ancient tunnel openings or
quays high up the side of the steep slope. Bourke Lee never
did see or hear from his friends ever again.
During
the lengthy conversation wherein they first revealed the secret
of the underground city to Lee and others, the discussion
turned to the topic of a Paihute Indian legend that they had
heard which was remarkably similar to an ancient Grecian myth.
The Paihute legend concerned a tribal chief whose wife had
died, and who according to the tradition took a spiritual
journey to the underworld to find her, and upon returning
with her he 'looked back' and as this was forbidden he was
not allowed to bring his wife back with him from the dead.
This would not be the same as the more tangible story related
in an earlier file, as told by the Navaho Oga-Make, concerning
a Paihute chief who was allegedly PHYSICALLY taken into the
underground cities of the Hav-musuvs deep below the Panamints.
After this legend was referred to, the conversation turned
to a discussion of an alleged subterranean race, who were
believed to inhabit very deep caverns far below the Death
Valley area. Paihute legends of the "Hav-musuvs"
indicate that these ancient dwellers of the Panamints abandoned
the ancient city within the mountain itself and migrated to
deeper and larger caverns below. Could the following story
tie-in with the Paihute legends of the Hav-musuvs? We will
enter the conversation with the following discourse from Bourke
Lee:
...The
professor and Jack and Bill sat in the little canvas house
in Emigrant Canyon and heard the legend all the way through.
The professor said, 'That story, in its essentials, is the
story of Orpheus and Eurydice.'
'Yes,'
I said. 'It's also a Paiute legend. Some Indians told that
legend to John Wesley Powell in the sixties.'
'That's
very interesting,' said the professor. 'It's so close a parallel
to Orpheus and Eurydice that the story might well have been
lifted bodily from the Greeks.'
Jack
said, 'I wouldn't be surprised. I knew a Greek. I forgot his
name, but he ran a restaurant in almost every mining town
I ever was in. He was an extensive wanderer. The Greeks are
great travelers.'
Bill
said, 'They don't mean restaurant Greeks. The Greeks they're
talked about have been dead for thousands of years.'
'What
of it?' asked Jack, 'maybe the early Greeks was great travelers,
too.'
The
professor said, 'It's very interesting.'
'Now!
About that tunnel,' said Bill, with his forehead wrapped in
a frown. 'You said this Indian went through a tunnel into
a strange country, didn't you?'
'Yes,'
I said. 'I think I called it a cave or a cavern, but I suppose
a miner would call it a tunnel. Why?'
'Here's
a funny thing,' said Bill. 'This Indian trapper livin' right
across the canyon has a story about a tunnel, an it's not
a thousand years old either. Tom Wilson told me that his grandfather
went through this tunnel and disappeared. He was gone three
years, and when he came back he said he'd been in a strange
country livin' among strange people. That tunnel is supposed
to be somewhere in the Panamints not awful far from where
we're sittin'. Now! What do you make of that?'
Jack
said, 'I think Tom's grandfather was an awful liar.'
I
said, 'Tom's grandfather lived when the Paiutes were keeping
their tribal lore alive. He probably knew the old legend.
Powell heard it in Nevada only sixty-five years ago.'
'It's
very interesting,' said the professor.
'I
got an idea about it,' said Bill, thoughtfully. 'Tom's grandfather
might have wandered into some tunnel all goofy from chewin'
jimson weed and then come out an found some early whites and
stayed with them. Tom told me that the people spoke a queer
language and ate food that was new to his grandfather an wore
leather clothes. They had horses and they had gold. It might
have been a party in Panamint Valley, or even early explorers
or early settlers in Owens Valley. How about that?'
Jack
said, 'Yeah. The Spaniards was in here, too. So it might have
been Spaniards or the early Greeks. And, where is this tunnel?
And why did Tom's grandfather have trouble speaking the language?
This is an entirely different story than the one Buck told.
We are arriving at no place at all with these Indians and
Greeks... To return for a moment to our discussion of geology,
professor; have you been in Nevada much?'"
From
here the conversation took off in an entirely new direction...
PART
2
