---

BY BEN VAN ZEE

In print | Published February 21, 2008

You can probably recount several of the “crazy” conspiracy theories you’ve heard in your lifetime. When listening to conspiracy theorists it is important to realize the possibility of reality behind seemingly far-fetched tales. There are those out there who want you to think that all conspiracies are far from fact, when in reality many conspiracies are closer to the truth than any of us will ever know.

In January of 1996, an ex-U.S. government geologist and structural engineer by the name of Phil Schneider was found dead in his apartment. His good friend and co-conspirator Ron Rummel had been found dead in a park three years prior to Schneider’s death, due to a gunshot wound to the head. Cause of death: suicide.

Prior to their deaths, Schneider and Rummel had worked for the federal government for 17 years, after which they began to publish a magazine called “The Alien Digest.” The magazine received wide circulation, but was soon brought to a halt in 1993 with Rummel’s death.

Phil was convinced that his friend had not committed suicide, and had in fact been murdered. Subsequent to Rummel’s death, Phil quit his job and toured the country for the next two years, lecturing on the secrets he had been privy to during his work for the federal government.

As Schneider began his lecture tour he made clear that he was going to be targeted for revealing government secrets and probably would not live long. Schneider revealed that he had been working with the U.S military to build thirteen underground military bunkers across the United States.

Schneider’s story was particularly interesting because he was the first man with such a high level of security clearance – Rhyolite, one of the highest levels attainable – to spread classified information. He made claims ranging from the pernicious intentions of the United Nations to the government development of the AIDS virus. Most importantly, he spoke about the U.S. government’s extraterrestrial relations.

Schneider maintained that the U.S. government has had relations with extraterrestrials for more than half a century. He attested that in 1954 the extraterrestrials signed the Greade Treaty, arranging an exchange of extraterrestrial technology for the rights to test extraterrestrial implanting techniques on U.S. citizens and livestock.

Schneider went into details about his first and only encounter with the aliens in August of 1979 while he and a crew of military government employees were working on a new underground military base in Dulce, New Mexico. After their drilling machines repeatedly broke down, Schneider and others were sent into a subterranean orifice to collect rock samples.

Upon entering the hole Schneider distinctly noted a repugnant smell unlike anything he had ever experienced. After reaching the bottom of the shaft, Schneider found himself in an opening with what appeared to be some kind of humanoid creature. Schneider was naturally startled and began to reach for his pistol. He fumbled for several moments, trying to free his pistol from his bulky suit, when he made out the distinct figure of what appeared to be an extraterrestrial humanoid soon joined by other similar creatures. Schneider shot and seemingly killed two of the extraterrestrials, and the military personnel also began shooting the creatures. After two extraterrestrials had been shot, a third made some kind of rubbing motion across its stomach and Schneider was blown backward.

The blast from the creature had split Schneider’s chest open, destroyed several fingers, burned off his toenails and severely burned his bones. He was in radiation/isolation therapy for more than four hundred days and later discovered that he was only one of three men who made it out alive. Sixty-six others had perished in battle with the humanoids.

Schneider was found dead seven months after giving a lecture on his story. Cause of death: suicide. All of his research and collected evidence of extraterrestrial mineral samples were missing from his apartment. His blood and urine samples sent to medical examiners were conveniently lost.

Was the U.S. government responsible for Phil Schneider’s death? If so, does this lend validity to Schneider’s claims? Although his story sounds outlandish, we have to consider the possibility that Schneider might have known something that our government does not want us to know.

Ben is a first-year. He can be reached at bvanzee1@swarthmore.edu.

---

« RETURN TO OPINIONS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »