In
1962, in an effort to get help for recurring ulcers and hypertension, Barney
Hill began therapy with a psychiatrist in Exeter, New Hampshire named Dr.
Stephens. The next year, Hill was referred to Dr. Benjamin Simon, a
well-known Boston Psychiatrist and neurologist. Determining that Barney Hill
suffered from anxiety syndrome caused by an incident he and his wife had
experienced together on September 19, 1961, Dr. Simon also began to treat
Betty for the same syndrome. 6 months later, this is the story that
emerged...
Returning from vacation in Canada to their home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
Barney and Betty Hill stopped in Colebrook for burgers, then continued on
their journey down Highway 3 towards Lancaster. At about 10:15 PM, the Hills
noticed a light in the sky. They assumed it was a planet, but soon saw the
light was moving. The Hills stopped their car and, using binoculars, watched
the object briefly before continuing on.
The
object grew in size. Its' motion continued, darting away to the west, and
then back, coming closer to them each time. Barney once more stopped the car
to use the binoculars. The object was only about 100 feet away. He saw a
huge, pancake shaped craft, with rows of windows and multi-coloured lights.
Barney walked closer to the craft, and became very frightened when he saw
persons inside it, with one he claimed appearing to be the "leader". He ran
back to the car, started it, and drove off quickly. Although both Hills could
hear a beeping noise, neither one could see the object any longer. When they
were 35 miles south of Indian Head, at Ashland, they heard the beeping noise
again, but drove home to Portsmouth without further incident. However, it was
later determined that the Hills had lost approximately 2 hours of time.
It
was during hypnosis that the missing time was accounted for: The Hills claimed
they were taken aboard the craft, and subjected to medical tests, before being
returned to their car. While onboard, Betty was also given a "star map", by
one of the beings, which was later interpreted to mean that the aliens came
from Zeta Reticuli.
The next day, at the urging of her sister, Betty reported the incident to
nearby Pease Air Force Base. Although Barney objected, he gave his version of
the sighting to Major Paul Henderson of the 100th Bomb Wing. The Hills'
sighting was apparently corroborated by a radar sighting at the Base on
September 20. Apparently no importance was attached to the incident in the
Bases' report.
Barney Hill tried to forget the incident, but Betty began reading about UFOs.
One book she read with great interest was Major Donald Kehoe's
The Flying
Saucer Conspiracy. Betty wrote the author, describing her experience.
It was no doubt this letter which prompted interviews, articles, a book titled
The Interrupted Journey, and even a TV movie titled
The UFO
Incident, starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons as Barney and
Betty Hill.
What happened to the Hills? Dr. Simon believed they were telling the truth,
and were suffering from post-traumatic stress. But
he did not believe that the Hills
were abducted. He believed they suffered amnesia for those 2 hours, and
Betty's "memories" were caused by dreams she
suffered for 5 nights approximately 10 days after
the occurance. (Betty wrote the dreams down, at the
urging of her sister.) Apparently Dr. Simon believed
that Betty's' dreams were at attempt to fill in the missing gap in her
memory. He also concluded that Barney also filled in his
loss of time the same way, unconsciously absorbing and using his
wife's' dreams. In a letter to the insurance
company, Dr. Simon was unable to explain the Hills'
experience as anything other than a natural occurrence.
But, Dr. Simons' diagnosis does not explain those missing 2 hours...
-Webmaster.