Ancient Aliens s11e08 Episode Script
The Mysterious Nine
RAMY ROMANY: Everything in ancient Egyptian's world was revolving around these nine gods.
WILLIAM HENRY: The idea of a council of nine gods recurs over and over again throughout history.
GEORGE NOORY: It's very possible that there's a group that oversees Planet Earth.
KATHLEEN McGOWAN COPPENS: What is their agenda? Is it benevolent, or is there another agenda to control us? LYNN PICKNETT: We might never know their ultimate purpose, but we should be very, very careful, because if they don't like people challenging them, well, we're doomed.
NARRATOR: Since the dawn of civilization, mankind has credited its origins to gods and other visitors from the stars.
What if it were true? Did extraterrestrial beings really help to shape our history? And if so, might our planet still be under the watchful eye of what some people refer to only as "The Mysterious Nine"? December 30, 2013.
In an international television news broadcast, former Canadian Minister of National Defense, Paul Hellyer, makes an astonishing statement.
He claims to have knowledge that extraterrestrials are visiting Earth.
SOPHIE SHEVARDNADZE: Why do you say that UFOs are as real as the airplanes flying over our heads? PAUL HELLYER: Well, because I know that they are.
And they've been visiting this planet for thousands of years.
And there is what is called a "federation" of these people, and they have rules.
NARRATOR: The interview sent shockwaves through the media.
Viewers questioned why a high-level official would make such an announcement.
DAVID WILCOCK: Paul Hellyer first came forward in 2005, but it wasn't until January of 2014 that his story truly went viral.
HELLYER: That gave me the dubious distinction of being the first person of cabinet rank in the G8 group of countries who ever said categorically, without reservation, UFO's are real, and you have to accept them as being real.
This is difficult territory.
But I understand there's a federation that is monitoring us most closely and keeping tabs on us.
NARRATOR: Could there be truth to Hellyer's statements? Is it possible that there is a galactic federation of extraterrestrials overseeing Earth? But if so, what is the evidence behind such astounding claims? NARRATOR: Edgewood Arsenal, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
As part of a secret government program termed Project Penguin, medical doctor and psychiatrist Andrija Puharich set up a special laboratory where psychics and military personnel gathered to investigate psychological manipulation and hallucinogenic drugs.
Perhaps one of the most compelling and controversial aspects of Puharich's research was channeling, which involved making contact with non-physical beings through the use of psychics.
JAMES HURTAK: It's very important that we understand that this was a serious scientific endeavor.
No candles or holy water or any of that was used.
Puharich used the Faraday cage, a copper room that was specially insulated according to US Naval standards, that would prohibit mid-level electromagnetic waves and electrostatic.
In this Faraday cage, individuals would relax and allow the mind over matter signal to take place.
NARRATOR: In December, 1952, Puharich invited Hindu mystic and doctor D.
G.
Vinod, to one of these channeling sessions.
During the experiment, Vinod went into a deep trance and made contact with a group of entities called "The Nine.
" PICKNETT: At the very beginning, they just announced themselves as nine principles of the universe.
Well, that's pretty big to start with, but nevertheless, they said they were extraterrestrials.
They were forces from beyond.
NICK POPE: The Nine said that they were an eternal presence, that they had been watching humanity from the very beginning.
And that they were gods, guides, and this was what particularly interested Puharich.
The idea that if they are gods, they, of course, have wisdom, and Puharich wanted to ask for guidance.
The Nine came up with a number of different messages involving their being guardians for the human race, creators even.
PICKNETT: Puharich said "What is your name? "Who are you?" And that was the great revelation because the being said, "I am Atum.
" And Atum was the great father god of ancient Egypt, and introducing not only the nine principles, but the nine great gods or the Ennead of ancient Egypt.
NARRATOR: Is it possible that Puharich actually made contact with the nine great gods of Egypt? Could this be evidence of a long-standing federation of extraterrestrials overseeing earthly affairs? But if so, just who were these beings? Heliopolis, Cairo.
Known as the Sun City, this is one of the oldest and most sacred sites of ancient Egypt.
Although mostly destroyed, an obelisk remains, marking the spot where the temple of the sun god, Atum, once stood.
Here, the ancient pharaohs would connect to the Ennead, a council of nine deities who were said to have brought technology and knowledge to mankind.
According to Egyptian hieroglyphs, consultation with the Ennead was chief among the pharaohs' duties, and critical to the success of the nation.
ROBERT BAUVAL: Heliopolis was the Vatican of ancient Egypt.
This was the seat, the helm if you like, the the abode of the famous Ennead, the nine gods that ruled from the sky, and governed Egypt from a place in the sky.
ROMANY: The Ennead started with god Atum, the god of the solar disc; god Shu, the god of the wind, and goddess Tefnut, the goddess of the water; god Geb, the god of the land, and goddess Nut, the goddess of the sky; Isis, the mother to all the kings; god Osiris, the god of good; god Set, the god of evil; and goddess Nephthys, the goddess of death.
Everything in ancient Egyptian's world was revolving around these nine gods.
So, the pharaoh of Egypt would have to consult with the nine gods, the Ennead, with every aspect in life to make sure he is doing the right thing, and every ancient Egyptian local, would have their full trust that anything coming out from the mouth of the king is the word of god because he already heard it.
McGOWAN: The pharaoh was the special emissary to the gods; and therefore, the gods were able to speak directly through the pharaoh.
A case can be made that the pharaoh allowing the gods in to speak through him is similar to the channeling that is done through mediums today.
NARRATOR: Nine otherworldly beings speaking through the pharaoh? Might the modern-day channeling sessions with the Nine, conducted during the secret military experiments in the 1950s, be mirroring those experienced by the ancient Egyptians? The Ennead were actually extraterrestrial beings here to administer and guide human affairs.
The pyramid texts tell us that Atum came from Sirius.
It's quite fascinating to contemplate the possibility that Dr.
Puharich was part of a long line of initiates who were contacted by the Ennead.
DAVID WHITEHEAD: The rulers and the presidents, and the kings and the queens throughout history always have these stories of consulting higher forces.
Could we still have these extraterrestrial or pandimensional overlords existing today that are guiding the rulers of various nations? NARRATOR: Could it really be that Puharich inadvertently made contact with the same beings that were consulted by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs? And might these be the extraterrestrials that former Canadian Defense Minister Paul Hellyer, was referring to? Perhaps more evidence can be found in numerous accounts from across the globe of otherworldly councils of nine.
HENRY: These extraterrestrial beings, they're turning up again and again in human history.
RICHARD RADER: These are gods who are deeply and fundamentally involved in humans' lives.
NARRATOR: Southeast Asia.
Every year during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, thousands of Taoists throughout the region celebrate a 2,000-year-old tradition called The Nine Emperor Gods Festival.
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a very, very important festival in southeast Asian Chinese communities and it revolves around a carnival-like ritual that takes place for nine full days.
The point of this, uh, festival is to summon, the very, very powerful Nine Emperor Gods because they're seen as residing up in the skies.
NARRATOR: The nine Sky Lords are believed by Taoists to have been the original rulers of China and the offspring of the supreme god of creation.
According to legend, the Nine Emperor Gods come from the nine stars that make up the Big Dipper, seven of which are visible and two that are invisible.
They are tasked with controlling the universe and keeping order on Earth.
There are typically about nine spirit mediums who, uh, enter a trance, and then channel these gods to bring them down and to keep them very content and happy.
The reason why it's crucial to keep them happy is because they keep an account, a record of everything that happens on Earth.
They control human destiny.
At the end of the nine days, when the festival reaches its climax, the gods eventually return to the stars from which they came.
NARRATOR: Curiously, this idea of nine gods, or overlords, watching over Earth can be found in cultures throughout the world.
The Aztecs of Meso-America were known to worship nine gods called the Lords of the Night.
In the Norse tradition, nine gods survive the Ragnarok, or earthly destruction.
According to Buddhist legend, the Emperor Ashoka consulted with a secret society called the Nine Unknown Men who were said to possess the knowledge of the universe.
The ancient Etruscans of Italy also believed in nine gods that could be persuaded to influence the fate of mankind.
And in Greek mythology, Zeus led a council of nine gods created to oversee humanity.
The canonical Olympian gods are imagined to be about 12, and they have a sort of governing body as well, and so they have a council.
For the most part, the nine most important gods are there sitting at the top of that is Zeus.
These make up the-the power structure of the heavens.
And they occasionally meet to determine what they're going to do about mankind.
JONATHAN YOUNG: Zeus created the Council of Nine, and this was Aphrodite, Apollo, Athena, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Poseidon and Zeus himself.
And these are the gods that then could interact with humans, I guess to keep us in line.
These are gods who are deeply and fundamentally involved in humans' lives, and the gods occasionally have to clean things up, and so, there's a few times in the mythological tradition we hear about the gods deciding, rather like we hear in Genesis, that they're gonna wipe the slate clean and just start new entirely with a brand new human race.
NARRATOR: Is it purely coincidence that so many ancient cultures, separated by thousands of miles, all worship a group of nine gods? And could it be that these beings were not gods, but extraterrestrial visitors as ancient astronaut theorists believe? Visitors that are working behind the scenes and still watching over us today? I'm always asked about ancient astronauts.
Why did they leave? How come they're not here anymore? And personally, I never said that they left.
I think they've arrived, and they've stayed.
And so that plays into the whole idea that we are this ongoing project by extraterrestrial species, and that they are observing us-- have observed us, from afar.
Because according to the creation stories, we are their offspring.
So if the council exists, they are here to observe their creation.
HENRY: The idea of a council of gods, especially nine gods, recurs over and over again throughout history.
People today claim that they're in contact with a divine council.
When you look at this, you have to ask, is it possible that these are actually the same group of extraterrestrial beings that are turning up again and again in human history? And that in fact, they may have a long-term or long-range plan for humanity.
NARRATOR: Might it be that these nine gods found across various cultures throughout the globe, are in fact the same beings? And if so, does this give credibility to the claims of contact during military experiments conducted in the 1950s? POPE: All around the world, in a remarkably cross-cultural way, we get the Nine.
And when Puharich started channeling, the Nine cropped up again.
Coincidence? Or was he accessing something that has been with us since the dawn of time? NARRATOR: Does this notion of an otherworldly council of nine, that is found in so many ancient cultures, provide proof that there really are alien overlords that have been steering the course of humanity? Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, and claim that, incredibly, physical evidence of this can be found, not on Earth, but circling high above it.
NARRATOR: Coming up WILCOCK: This is something that has a dark, streamlined, technological appearance.
POPE: This is an extraterrestrial satellite that has been monitoring Planet Earth.
NARRATOR: December, 1998.
During the assembly of the International Space Station, U.
S.
astronauts spot a large unidentified item orbiting the earth.
They take photographs of the mysterious object, and post them on the NASA website.
WILCOCK: When you actually look at the photographs of the object, it very obviously looks artificial.
This is not a meteor.
This is not a chunk of rock.
This is something that has a dark, streamlined, technological appearance, almost like some of the stealth aircraft that we've built, with a kind of bent nose in the front, sort of like a hawk.
NARRATOR: Curiously, NASA officials quickly remove the photos, and claim the object was space debris-- most likely a thermal blanket, inadvertently released from the space station.
But some independent researchers are not convinced, and suggest that it might be the latest evidence of the "Black Knight" satellite that first made headlines three years before the first man-made satellite was launched into orbit.
In 1954, both The San Francisco Examiner and the Aviation Week Journal published articles detailing what appeared to be artificial satellites orbiting the earth.
NICK REDFERN: It really shocked a lot of people, because although the concept of satellites were known, nobody on the planet was flying a satellite.
The story really takes off with a man named Major Donald Keyhoe.
He was formerly with the U.
S.
military, and wrote a number of books on UFOs.
One of the things that Keyhoe wrote about was how supposedly a number of military insiders had told him, that the U.
S.
military was tracking one or two unknown satellites of extraordinary size in Earth orbit.
Nobody knew what they were.
This was long before Sputnik, the first satellite launched by the Russians.
And it gave rise to the idea that it was extraterrestrial.
NARRATOR: The United States Department of Defense was said to have recruited the assistance of astronomer Clyde W.
Tombaugh, in 1953, to identify this strange object.
However, his conclusions were never made public.
Based on its appearance on radar in the 1960s, scientists estimated that the mystery satellite weighed over ten tons.
It was not only several times larger than anything worldwide space programs were capable of launching, but it also seemed to be traveling in an artificial orbit, circling the earth from pole to pole.
MIKE BARA: The Black Knight is said to be in a polar orbit, which is what you would do if you wanted to cover the entire Planet Earth as it rotated underneath you.
Weather satellites, spy satellites are commonly put into this polar orbit in order to cover the entire surface of the earth.
This implies that it is an unnatural object.
What's particularly intriguing about this satellite is it's not one of ours.
In other words, the theory is that this is an extraterrestrial satellite that has perhaps been monitoring Planet Earth for thousands of years.
In the 1930s ham radio operators claimed they were picking up radio signals from outer space.
And Nikola Tesla himself claimed that he was picking up radio signals from Mars.
So you have to wonder, were ham radio operators and even Nikola Tesla, somehow picking up signals from this extraterrestrial ship orbiting our planet? WILCOCK: A ham radio operator was able to decipher this signal, and create a matrix grid of individual dots that were either white or black.
When he looked at this grid, he concluded that it was a map of the Epsilon Bootes constellation, positioned where it would have been 13,000 years ago.
NARRATOR: Might this mysterious object actually have traveled to earth 13,000 years ago? And if so, was it put into orbit by extraterrestrials in order to observe Earth? Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, and suggest that descriptions of an extraterrestrial satellite can even be found thousands of years ago, in the Hebrew text known as the "Apocalypse of Baruch.
" The Apocalypse of Baruch is one of the best ancient astronaut stories in existence, because it describes an eyewitness account of a satellite orbiting the earth.
Baruch describes how he sees a magnificent bird that watched the happenings on the planet.
And from time to time this bird would extend its wings to glean or to gather the power of the sun.
And after flying around, that bird would be so exhausted it would retract its wings.
If we look at today's satellites in space, it's the same story.
We have solar cells on wings that can extend, and then they can retract at will.
So what if Baruch witnessed something similar? Baruch himself said that this is "the guardian of the earth.
" NARRATOR: Might the mythological bird described in the Apocalypse of Baruch have actually been an observational satellite? Could this be proof that extraterrestrials have been keeping watch over Earth for thousands of years, as some ancient astronaut theorists suggest? And if so, do they pose a threat? Perhaps additional clues can be found by exploring the rumors of an alien encounter at the White House.
CRAIG CAMPOBASSO: He wanted to meet with President Eisenhower.
So they took him to the Oval Office.
LAURA EISENHOWER: He was brought to the president and the vice president, and they put him on VIP status for three years.
NARRATOR: Washington D.
C.
, 1957.
A federal marshal and chaplain who had top-secret security clearance at the Pentagon, Dr.
Frank Stranges, is introduced to an extraterrestrial being named Valiant Thor, who is secretly working with the United States government.
Stranges later goes public with the shocking allegations in his groundbreaking book, Stranger at the Pentagon.
CAMPOBASSO: Dr.
Frank Stranges said that on March 16, 1957, Valiant Thor arrived in a scout ship, which landed in Alexandria, Virginia in an agricultural field at 8:00 a.
m.
The police were the first on the scene.
And they had a conversation with him.
He wanted to meet with President Eisenhower.
So they took him through the Pentagon where he met with the secretary of defense.
Once that was cleared, they brought him over to the Oval Office to meet with Eisenhower, Nixon, and all the joint chiefs.
NARRATOR: Stranges' account was backed up by Harley Byrd, the nephew of Admiral Richard E.
Byrd, who worked for the Department of Defense from 1957 to 1963.
Byrd was assigned to Project Blue Book, the secret military program that investigated UFO reports.
And he wrote the foreword to Stranges' book.
There have been face-to-face meetings between United States officials and people from other star systems.
Period.
The best evidence that I think there is, is the case of Valiant Thor and his visit to the, uh, capital in the U.
S.
He remained in the United States for three years.
And did a multitude of things there.
Communicating with various people and discussing the state of affairs in the United States and in the cosmos.
NARRATOR: According to accounts, Valiant Thor had been sent to Earth by the High Council to intervene on behalf of the intergalactic community.
(explosion) They were worried because our nuclear capabilities had become an interstellar concern.
REDFERN: The story goes that Valiant Thor had contact with high level members of the U.
S.
government and the military including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, essentially giving a friendly warning that, hey, if you don't disarm your nuclear weapons, and if the Russians don't, it's all gonna end in complete destruction for everybody and the obliteration of the human race.
And Thor wasn't some sort of bullying-type character.
He wanted the people of Earth to understand and take action themselves, rather than being forced into it.
The story actually sounds quite like the scenario presented in the 1951 movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Very, very similar scenario.
NARRATOR: As outlandish as the claims seem to be, photographs have surfaced of Thor meeting with top officials and no one has stepped forward to dispute them.
Even members of President Eisenhower's family, including his great granddaughter, Laura Eisenhower, insist the story is true.
EISENHOWER: Valiant Thor showed up around 1957, and was brought to the president and the vice president, and they put him on VIP status for three years.
And Eisenhower really wanted to let humanity know about this, but, the secretary of defense, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the military Joint Chiefs of Staff opposed it.
And even though Eisenhower was intent on having a meeting with the General Assembly of the United Nations, in order to present the story to them, that was shut down too.
HELLYER: Ultimately his mission, which was on behalf of the federation, was not taken up.
His mission was aborted.
He didn't accomplish what he came for, because the decision was made-- not by the president himself-- but it was made by people like the secretary of defense, and the CIA.
And this, I think, was a turning point in the history of the United States and the world.
We had an opportunity then to change our ways, and we missed the opportunity.
We blew it, to put it bluntly.
MICHAEL SALLA: What's very interesting here in terms of Valiant Thor's timing was whether or not this was something that was part of a larger plan, whether there are these overlords who are there behind the scenes controlling humanity.
DAVID CHILDRESS: Valiant Thor claimed that he had been sent by a high council to talk to the military leaders of Earth and warn them of the dangers of nuclear weapons.
And you have to wonder is Valiant Thor some kind of representative of this Council of Nine that's watching over planet Earth that Puharich had been talking about? NARRATOR: Is it conceivable that an extraterrestrial emissary for a Council of Nine really made contact with the United States government? And if so, was his mission ultimately a failure? Ancient astronaut theorists suggest that perhaps the Mysterious Nine succeeded in delivering a message to mankind through other, more receptive channels.
CHILDRESS: Science fiction is preparing people for final contact.
SALLA: Gene Roddenberry sat in and could ask questions of the Council of Nine.
ATOR: Ossining, New York.
1958.
After his initial contact with the Nine, Dr.
Andrija Puharich creates the Roundtable Foundation at his private estate.
Various psychics and mediums are invited to channel the self-proclaimed Egyptian deities for a group of influential observers.
PICKNETT: Puharich just simply carried on investigating psychic abilities.
His idea almost certainly from the the beginning, was to hook, uh, big names, movers and shakers, writers, people who could ensure that the message of the Nine reached the top layer of society, but who could be trusted with a big secret.
Among the participants in these meetings were Warren McCulloch, who was an early pioneer in cybernetics.
Another was John J.
Hammond, who was considered to be the student of Nikola Tesla.
Henry A.
Wallace, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's secretary of agriculture and third term VP, was also a participant in these meetings.
Ultimately, they appeared to be deeply interested in how the human mind can connect with the extraterrestrial mind.
NARRATOR: One observer of the Roundtable Foundation, according to his writing assistant Jon Povill, was future Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
Povill claims Roddenberry actively participated in the sessions, and that parts of the Star Trek television series may not be Roddenberry's work at all, but directly inspired by the Mysterious Nine.
Of all of the famous guests, Gene Roddenberry was one of the most gifted, and was a part of our team, taking notes and scoring information that he felt would eventually be used worldwide.
What is exciting is some of what Gene saw there in our work together was produced in some of the episodes of Star Trek.
Gene Roddenberry sat in and could ask questions of the psychics who were communicating with the Council of Nine.
And I think this is where you get various ideas such as teleportation, warp drive.
NOORY: In Star Trek, they have the Federation, and the Federation is responsible for governing planets all throughout the universe.
That's very possible that it's happening here, that there's a group that oversees Planet Earth.
This higher power within the universe that is monitoring things on Earth.
HELLYER: I don't think there's any doubt about the Federation being real.
This is something that I've heard since I first became interested in the subject of ufology.
And I've talked to hundreds of people who have had contacts, direct or indirect, with various individuals from one or more of the planets that are members of the Federation.
NARRATOR: Set in the future, Star Trek chronicled a peaceful scientific mission to seek out and explore other planets in the Milky Way galaxy.
Among the futuristic concepts revealed in the series, is the Federation's Prime Directive-- their guiding principle that prohibits them with interfering with the development of a still evolving civilization.
Researchers studying the Mysterious Nine have concluded that they may function in much the same way.
WILCOCK: Roddenberry heard about the Prime Directive from these sessions.
Now, what is the Prime Directive? It's the idea that an extraterrestrial race should not just show up and announce its identity to a fledging planet that has not yet achieved interstellar travel.
An extraterrestrial group is not going to make themselves openly known until that society is ready for it, meaning until their development has naturally steered them in favor of the idea of extraterrestrial life, so it wouldn't come as a great surprise, and it wouldn't overly disrupt their existing social and political order.
If we are being monitored by extraterrestrials, it seems to be that one reason why they don't openly land on the White House lawn, is something very much like the Prime Directive.
HELLYER: I think the Prime Directive is that they are not to interfere with us.
That we were given the power of choice.
And so that they have to let us exercise that choice which the creator gave us, even though we often choose very badly.
Make the wrong decisions.
That is our legacy.
We're allowed to do that.
CHILDRESS: Is it possible that the nine extraterrestrial overlords don't want to directly interfere in our society, but to guide us from behind the scenes? You have to wonder if there's not some truth to science fiction and television and movies and books, are a way of preparing people of the Earth for what's coming.
NARRATOR: Might there actually be some galactic truths found within the Star Trek series? Truths that were shared with Gene Roddenberry through the sessions with the Mysterious Nine? And if so, was this in an effort to assist humanity and guide us to a more peaceful future? Or is there another aim altogether? Perhaps one that prevents us from becoming a threat? NARRATOR: Before he concluded his broadcast with RT Television Network in 2013, former Canadian Defense Minister Paul Hellyer publically urged officials to reveal the truth about extraterrestrials overseeing Earth.
This information is top secret in a way that the governments aren't talking about it, but if you listen to the whistleblowers and the people who have worked in the industry, and, uh, who know what is going on, there is just a lot of information out there, and it doesn't take very long to get your hands on it.
The future of the world depends on us knowing what is going on.
Not only in our own world, but in others that are monitoring us and attempting to influence us, for better or for worse.
And there are people here who know a lot about that.
McGOWAN: This idea that there are other entities, whether from other dimensions, other galaxies, other planets, who are actually controlling, or somehow influencing what is happening with life on Earth is fascinating, and we always have to ask that question, what is their agenda? Is it benevolent? Are they here to protect us, as Valiant Thor and the Nine originally said? Or is there another agenda? Is there an agenda to control us? Is there an agenda to influence the way that we live in a negative way? So you have to wonder if there is, in fact, some kind of extraterrestrial council that's watching over Planet Earth.
That they are here to look at our advancement and to warn us of possible catastrophes that may be occurring, and hopefully, we will heed their warnings.
POPE: If we're being monitored by extraterrestrials, if they're watching human affairs, I think they would be very concerned about things that we might do that would destroy ourselves, and destroy the planet.
And perhaps part of the alien agenda is our moral development as well as our technological development.
Perhaps this is our ticket to join the galactic federation.
PICKNETT: We might never know their ultimate purpose, but if this is an experiment, we should be very, very careful, because quite clearly, if they don't like people challenging them, well, we're doomed.
NARRATOR: If there are, in fact, nine extraterrestrial entities overseeing Earth, are they here to help us, as ancient astronaut theorists suggest? Or could they have a more sinister motive? Perhaps the answer will only be revealed when they make contact once again, and when we are more ready to accept the truth.
CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS
WILLIAM HENRY: The idea of a council of nine gods recurs over and over again throughout history.
GEORGE NOORY: It's very possible that there's a group that oversees Planet Earth.
KATHLEEN McGOWAN COPPENS: What is their agenda? Is it benevolent, or is there another agenda to control us? LYNN PICKNETT: We might never know their ultimate purpose, but we should be very, very careful, because if they don't like people challenging them, well, we're doomed.
NARRATOR: Since the dawn of civilization, mankind has credited its origins to gods and other visitors from the stars.
What if it were true? Did extraterrestrial beings really help to shape our history? And if so, might our planet still be under the watchful eye of what some people refer to only as "The Mysterious Nine"? December 30, 2013.
In an international television news broadcast, former Canadian Minister of National Defense, Paul Hellyer, makes an astonishing statement.
He claims to have knowledge that extraterrestrials are visiting Earth.
SOPHIE SHEVARDNADZE: Why do you say that UFOs are as real as the airplanes flying over our heads? PAUL HELLYER: Well, because I know that they are.
And they've been visiting this planet for thousands of years.
And there is what is called a "federation" of these people, and they have rules.
NARRATOR: The interview sent shockwaves through the media.
Viewers questioned why a high-level official would make such an announcement.
DAVID WILCOCK: Paul Hellyer first came forward in 2005, but it wasn't until January of 2014 that his story truly went viral.
HELLYER: That gave me the dubious distinction of being the first person of cabinet rank in the G8 group of countries who ever said categorically, without reservation, UFO's are real, and you have to accept them as being real.
This is difficult territory.
But I understand there's a federation that is monitoring us most closely and keeping tabs on us.
NARRATOR: Could there be truth to Hellyer's statements? Is it possible that there is a galactic federation of extraterrestrials overseeing Earth? But if so, what is the evidence behind such astounding claims? NARRATOR: Edgewood Arsenal, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
As part of a secret government program termed Project Penguin, medical doctor and psychiatrist Andrija Puharich set up a special laboratory where psychics and military personnel gathered to investigate psychological manipulation and hallucinogenic drugs.
Perhaps one of the most compelling and controversial aspects of Puharich's research was channeling, which involved making contact with non-physical beings through the use of psychics.
JAMES HURTAK: It's very important that we understand that this was a serious scientific endeavor.
No candles or holy water or any of that was used.
Puharich used the Faraday cage, a copper room that was specially insulated according to US Naval standards, that would prohibit mid-level electromagnetic waves and electrostatic.
In this Faraday cage, individuals would relax and allow the mind over matter signal to take place.
NARRATOR: In December, 1952, Puharich invited Hindu mystic and doctor D.
G.
Vinod, to one of these channeling sessions.
During the experiment, Vinod went into a deep trance and made contact with a group of entities called "The Nine.
" PICKNETT: At the very beginning, they just announced themselves as nine principles of the universe.
Well, that's pretty big to start with, but nevertheless, they said they were extraterrestrials.
They were forces from beyond.
NICK POPE: The Nine said that they were an eternal presence, that they had been watching humanity from the very beginning.
And that they were gods, guides, and this was what particularly interested Puharich.
The idea that if they are gods, they, of course, have wisdom, and Puharich wanted to ask for guidance.
The Nine came up with a number of different messages involving their being guardians for the human race, creators even.
PICKNETT: Puharich said "What is your name? "Who are you?" And that was the great revelation because the being said, "I am Atum.
" And Atum was the great father god of ancient Egypt, and introducing not only the nine principles, but the nine great gods or the Ennead of ancient Egypt.
NARRATOR: Is it possible that Puharich actually made contact with the nine great gods of Egypt? Could this be evidence of a long-standing federation of extraterrestrials overseeing earthly affairs? But if so, just who were these beings? Heliopolis, Cairo.
Known as the Sun City, this is one of the oldest and most sacred sites of ancient Egypt.
Although mostly destroyed, an obelisk remains, marking the spot where the temple of the sun god, Atum, once stood.
Here, the ancient pharaohs would connect to the Ennead, a council of nine deities who were said to have brought technology and knowledge to mankind.
According to Egyptian hieroglyphs, consultation with the Ennead was chief among the pharaohs' duties, and critical to the success of the nation.
ROBERT BAUVAL: Heliopolis was the Vatican of ancient Egypt.
This was the seat, the helm if you like, the the abode of the famous Ennead, the nine gods that ruled from the sky, and governed Egypt from a place in the sky.
ROMANY: The Ennead started with god Atum, the god of the solar disc; god Shu, the god of the wind, and goddess Tefnut, the goddess of the water; god Geb, the god of the land, and goddess Nut, the goddess of the sky; Isis, the mother to all the kings; god Osiris, the god of good; god Set, the god of evil; and goddess Nephthys, the goddess of death.
Everything in ancient Egyptian's world was revolving around these nine gods.
So, the pharaoh of Egypt would have to consult with the nine gods, the Ennead, with every aspect in life to make sure he is doing the right thing, and every ancient Egyptian local, would have their full trust that anything coming out from the mouth of the king is the word of god because he already heard it.
McGOWAN: The pharaoh was the special emissary to the gods; and therefore, the gods were able to speak directly through the pharaoh.
A case can be made that the pharaoh allowing the gods in to speak through him is similar to the channeling that is done through mediums today.
NARRATOR: Nine otherworldly beings speaking through the pharaoh? Might the modern-day channeling sessions with the Nine, conducted during the secret military experiments in the 1950s, be mirroring those experienced by the ancient Egyptians? The Ennead were actually extraterrestrial beings here to administer and guide human affairs.
The pyramid texts tell us that Atum came from Sirius.
It's quite fascinating to contemplate the possibility that Dr.
Puharich was part of a long line of initiates who were contacted by the Ennead.
DAVID WHITEHEAD: The rulers and the presidents, and the kings and the queens throughout history always have these stories of consulting higher forces.
Could we still have these extraterrestrial or pandimensional overlords existing today that are guiding the rulers of various nations? NARRATOR: Could it really be that Puharich inadvertently made contact with the same beings that were consulted by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs? And might these be the extraterrestrials that former Canadian Defense Minister Paul Hellyer, was referring to? Perhaps more evidence can be found in numerous accounts from across the globe of otherworldly councils of nine.
HENRY: These extraterrestrial beings, they're turning up again and again in human history.
RICHARD RADER: These are gods who are deeply and fundamentally involved in humans' lives.
NARRATOR: Southeast Asia.
Every year during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, thousands of Taoists throughout the region celebrate a 2,000-year-old tradition called The Nine Emperor Gods Festival.
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a very, very important festival in southeast Asian Chinese communities and it revolves around a carnival-like ritual that takes place for nine full days.
The point of this, uh, festival is to summon, the very, very powerful Nine Emperor Gods because they're seen as residing up in the skies.
NARRATOR: The nine Sky Lords are believed by Taoists to have been the original rulers of China and the offspring of the supreme god of creation.
According to legend, the Nine Emperor Gods come from the nine stars that make up the Big Dipper, seven of which are visible and two that are invisible.
They are tasked with controlling the universe and keeping order on Earth.
There are typically about nine spirit mediums who, uh, enter a trance, and then channel these gods to bring them down and to keep them very content and happy.
The reason why it's crucial to keep them happy is because they keep an account, a record of everything that happens on Earth.
They control human destiny.
At the end of the nine days, when the festival reaches its climax, the gods eventually return to the stars from which they came.
NARRATOR: Curiously, this idea of nine gods, or overlords, watching over Earth can be found in cultures throughout the world.
The Aztecs of Meso-America were known to worship nine gods called the Lords of the Night.
In the Norse tradition, nine gods survive the Ragnarok, or earthly destruction.
According to Buddhist legend, the Emperor Ashoka consulted with a secret society called the Nine Unknown Men who were said to possess the knowledge of the universe.
The ancient Etruscans of Italy also believed in nine gods that could be persuaded to influence the fate of mankind.
And in Greek mythology, Zeus led a council of nine gods created to oversee humanity.
The canonical Olympian gods are imagined to be about 12, and they have a sort of governing body as well, and so they have a council.
For the most part, the nine most important gods are there sitting at the top of that is Zeus.
These make up the-the power structure of the heavens.
And they occasionally meet to determine what they're going to do about mankind.
JONATHAN YOUNG: Zeus created the Council of Nine, and this was Aphrodite, Apollo, Athena, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Poseidon and Zeus himself.
And these are the gods that then could interact with humans, I guess to keep us in line.
These are gods who are deeply and fundamentally involved in humans' lives, and the gods occasionally have to clean things up, and so, there's a few times in the mythological tradition we hear about the gods deciding, rather like we hear in Genesis, that they're gonna wipe the slate clean and just start new entirely with a brand new human race.
NARRATOR: Is it purely coincidence that so many ancient cultures, separated by thousands of miles, all worship a group of nine gods? And could it be that these beings were not gods, but extraterrestrial visitors as ancient astronaut theorists believe? Visitors that are working behind the scenes and still watching over us today? I'm always asked about ancient astronauts.
Why did they leave? How come they're not here anymore? And personally, I never said that they left.
I think they've arrived, and they've stayed.
And so that plays into the whole idea that we are this ongoing project by extraterrestrial species, and that they are observing us-- have observed us, from afar.
Because according to the creation stories, we are their offspring.
So if the council exists, they are here to observe their creation.
HENRY: The idea of a council of gods, especially nine gods, recurs over and over again throughout history.
People today claim that they're in contact with a divine council.
When you look at this, you have to ask, is it possible that these are actually the same group of extraterrestrial beings that are turning up again and again in human history? And that in fact, they may have a long-term or long-range plan for humanity.
NARRATOR: Might it be that these nine gods found across various cultures throughout the globe, are in fact the same beings? And if so, does this give credibility to the claims of contact during military experiments conducted in the 1950s? POPE: All around the world, in a remarkably cross-cultural way, we get the Nine.
And when Puharich started channeling, the Nine cropped up again.
Coincidence? Or was he accessing something that has been with us since the dawn of time? NARRATOR: Does this notion of an otherworldly council of nine, that is found in so many ancient cultures, provide proof that there really are alien overlords that have been steering the course of humanity? Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, and claim that, incredibly, physical evidence of this can be found, not on Earth, but circling high above it.
NARRATOR: Coming up WILCOCK: This is something that has a dark, streamlined, technological appearance.
POPE: This is an extraterrestrial satellite that has been monitoring Planet Earth.
NARRATOR: December, 1998.
During the assembly of the International Space Station, U.
S.
astronauts spot a large unidentified item orbiting the earth.
They take photographs of the mysterious object, and post them on the NASA website.
WILCOCK: When you actually look at the photographs of the object, it very obviously looks artificial.
This is not a meteor.
This is not a chunk of rock.
This is something that has a dark, streamlined, technological appearance, almost like some of the stealth aircraft that we've built, with a kind of bent nose in the front, sort of like a hawk.
NARRATOR: Curiously, NASA officials quickly remove the photos, and claim the object was space debris-- most likely a thermal blanket, inadvertently released from the space station.
But some independent researchers are not convinced, and suggest that it might be the latest evidence of the "Black Knight" satellite that first made headlines three years before the first man-made satellite was launched into orbit.
In 1954, both The San Francisco Examiner and the Aviation Week Journal published articles detailing what appeared to be artificial satellites orbiting the earth.
NICK REDFERN: It really shocked a lot of people, because although the concept of satellites were known, nobody on the planet was flying a satellite.
The story really takes off with a man named Major Donald Keyhoe.
He was formerly with the U.
S.
military, and wrote a number of books on UFOs.
One of the things that Keyhoe wrote about was how supposedly a number of military insiders had told him, that the U.
S.
military was tracking one or two unknown satellites of extraordinary size in Earth orbit.
Nobody knew what they were.
This was long before Sputnik, the first satellite launched by the Russians.
And it gave rise to the idea that it was extraterrestrial.
NARRATOR: The United States Department of Defense was said to have recruited the assistance of astronomer Clyde W.
Tombaugh, in 1953, to identify this strange object.
However, his conclusions were never made public.
Based on its appearance on radar in the 1960s, scientists estimated that the mystery satellite weighed over ten tons.
It was not only several times larger than anything worldwide space programs were capable of launching, but it also seemed to be traveling in an artificial orbit, circling the earth from pole to pole.
MIKE BARA: The Black Knight is said to be in a polar orbit, which is what you would do if you wanted to cover the entire Planet Earth as it rotated underneath you.
Weather satellites, spy satellites are commonly put into this polar orbit in order to cover the entire surface of the earth.
This implies that it is an unnatural object.
What's particularly intriguing about this satellite is it's not one of ours.
In other words, the theory is that this is an extraterrestrial satellite that has perhaps been monitoring Planet Earth for thousands of years.
In the 1930s ham radio operators claimed they were picking up radio signals from outer space.
And Nikola Tesla himself claimed that he was picking up radio signals from Mars.
So you have to wonder, were ham radio operators and even Nikola Tesla, somehow picking up signals from this extraterrestrial ship orbiting our planet? WILCOCK: A ham radio operator was able to decipher this signal, and create a matrix grid of individual dots that were either white or black.
When he looked at this grid, he concluded that it was a map of the Epsilon Bootes constellation, positioned where it would have been 13,000 years ago.
NARRATOR: Might this mysterious object actually have traveled to earth 13,000 years ago? And if so, was it put into orbit by extraterrestrials in order to observe Earth? Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, and suggest that descriptions of an extraterrestrial satellite can even be found thousands of years ago, in the Hebrew text known as the "Apocalypse of Baruch.
" The Apocalypse of Baruch is one of the best ancient astronaut stories in existence, because it describes an eyewitness account of a satellite orbiting the earth.
Baruch describes how he sees a magnificent bird that watched the happenings on the planet.
And from time to time this bird would extend its wings to glean or to gather the power of the sun.
And after flying around, that bird would be so exhausted it would retract its wings.
If we look at today's satellites in space, it's the same story.
We have solar cells on wings that can extend, and then they can retract at will.
So what if Baruch witnessed something similar? Baruch himself said that this is "the guardian of the earth.
" NARRATOR: Might the mythological bird described in the Apocalypse of Baruch have actually been an observational satellite? Could this be proof that extraterrestrials have been keeping watch over Earth for thousands of years, as some ancient astronaut theorists suggest? And if so, do they pose a threat? Perhaps additional clues can be found by exploring the rumors of an alien encounter at the White House.
CRAIG CAMPOBASSO: He wanted to meet with President Eisenhower.
So they took him to the Oval Office.
LAURA EISENHOWER: He was brought to the president and the vice president, and they put him on VIP status for three years.
NARRATOR: Washington D.
C.
, 1957.
A federal marshal and chaplain who had top-secret security clearance at the Pentagon, Dr.
Frank Stranges, is introduced to an extraterrestrial being named Valiant Thor, who is secretly working with the United States government.
Stranges later goes public with the shocking allegations in his groundbreaking book, Stranger at the Pentagon.
CAMPOBASSO: Dr.
Frank Stranges said that on March 16, 1957, Valiant Thor arrived in a scout ship, which landed in Alexandria, Virginia in an agricultural field at 8:00 a.
m.
The police were the first on the scene.
And they had a conversation with him.
He wanted to meet with President Eisenhower.
So they took him through the Pentagon where he met with the secretary of defense.
Once that was cleared, they brought him over to the Oval Office to meet with Eisenhower, Nixon, and all the joint chiefs.
NARRATOR: Stranges' account was backed up by Harley Byrd, the nephew of Admiral Richard E.
Byrd, who worked for the Department of Defense from 1957 to 1963.
Byrd was assigned to Project Blue Book, the secret military program that investigated UFO reports.
And he wrote the foreword to Stranges' book.
There have been face-to-face meetings between United States officials and people from other star systems.
Period.
The best evidence that I think there is, is the case of Valiant Thor and his visit to the, uh, capital in the U.
S.
He remained in the United States for three years.
And did a multitude of things there.
Communicating with various people and discussing the state of affairs in the United States and in the cosmos.
NARRATOR: According to accounts, Valiant Thor had been sent to Earth by the High Council to intervene on behalf of the intergalactic community.
(explosion) They were worried because our nuclear capabilities had become an interstellar concern.
REDFERN: The story goes that Valiant Thor had contact with high level members of the U.
S.
government and the military including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, essentially giving a friendly warning that, hey, if you don't disarm your nuclear weapons, and if the Russians don't, it's all gonna end in complete destruction for everybody and the obliteration of the human race.
And Thor wasn't some sort of bullying-type character.
He wanted the people of Earth to understand and take action themselves, rather than being forced into it.
The story actually sounds quite like the scenario presented in the 1951 movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Very, very similar scenario.
NARRATOR: As outlandish as the claims seem to be, photographs have surfaced of Thor meeting with top officials and no one has stepped forward to dispute them.
Even members of President Eisenhower's family, including his great granddaughter, Laura Eisenhower, insist the story is true.
EISENHOWER: Valiant Thor showed up around 1957, and was brought to the president and the vice president, and they put him on VIP status for three years.
And Eisenhower really wanted to let humanity know about this, but, the secretary of defense, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the military Joint Chiefs of Staff opposed it.
And even though Eisenhower was intent on having a meeting with the General Assembly of the United Nations, in order to present the story to them, that was shut down too.
HELLYER: Ultimately his mission, which was on behalf of the federation, was not taken up.
His mission was aborted.
He didn't accomplish what he came for, because the decision was made-- not by the president himself-- but it was made by people like the secretary of defense, and the CIA.
And this, I think, was a turning point in the history of the United States and the world.
We had an opportunity then to change our ways, and we missed the opportunity.
We blew it, to put it bluntly.
MICHAEL SALLA: What's very interesting here in terms of Valiant Thor's timing was whether or not this was something that was part of a larger plan, whether there are these overlords who are there behind the scenes controlling humanity.
DAVID CHILDRESS: Valiant Thor claimed that he had been sent by a high council to talk to the military leaders of Earth and warn them of the dangers of nuclear weapons.
And you have to wonder is Valiant Thor some kind of representative of this Council of Nine that's watching over planet Earth that Puharich had been talking about? NARRATOR: Is it conceivable that an extraterrestrial emissary for a Council of Nine really made contact with the United States government? And if so, was his mission ultimately a failure? Ancient astronaut theorists suggest that perhaps the Mysterious Nine succeeded in delivering a message to mankind through other, more receptive channels.
CHILDRESS: Science fiction is preparing people for final contact.
SALLA: Gene Roddenberry sat in and could ask questions of the Council of Nine.
ATOR: Ossining, New York.
1958.
After his initial contact with the Nine, Dr.
Andrija Puharich creates the Roundtable Foundation at his private estate.
Various psychics and mediums are invited to channel the self-proclaimed Egyptian deities for a group of influential observers.
PICKNETT: Puharich just simply carried on investigating psychic abilities.
His idea almost certainly from the the beginning, was to hook, uh, big names, movers and shakers, writers, people who could ensure that the message of the Nine reached the top layer of society, but who could be trusted with a big secret.
Among the participants in these meetings were Warren McCulloch, who was an early pioneer in cybernetics.
Another was John J.
Hammond, who was considered to be the student of Nikola Tesla.
Henry A.
Wallace, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's secretary of agriculture and third term VP, was also a participant in these meetings.
Ultimately, they appeared to be deeply interested in how the human mind can connect with the extraterrestrial mind.
NARRATOR: One observer of the Roundtable Foundation, according to his writing assistant Jon Povill, was future Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
Povill claims Roddenberry actively participated in the sessions, and that parts of the Star Trek television series may not be Roddenberry's work at all, but directly inspired by the Mysterious Nine.
Of all of the famous guests, Gene Roddenberry was one of the most gifted, and was a part of our team, taking notes and scoring information that he felt would eventually be used worldwide.
What is exciting is some of what Gene saw there in our work together was produced in some of the episodes of Star Trek.
Gene Roddenberry sat in and could ask questions of the psychics who were communicating with the Council of Nine.
And I think this is where you get various ideas such as teleportation, warp drive.
NOORY: In Star Trek, they have the Federation, and the Federation is responsible for governing planets all throughout the universe.
That's very possible that it's happening here, that there's a group that oversees Planet Earth.
This higher power within the universe that is monitoring things on Earth.
HELLYER: I don't think there's any doubt about the Federation being real.
This is something that I've heard since I first became interested in the subject of ufology.
And I've talked to hundreds of people who have had contacts, direct or indirect, with various individuals from one or more of the planets that are members of the Federation.
NARRATOR: Set in the future, Star Trek chronicled a peaceful scientific mission to seek out and explore other planets in the Milky Way galaxy.
Among the futuristic concepts revealed in the series, is the Federation's Prime Directive-- their guiding principle that prohibits them with interfering with the development of a still evolving civilization.
Researchers studying the Mysterious Nine have concluded that they may function in much the same way.
WILCOCK: Roddenberry heard about the Prime Directive from these sessions.
Now, what is the Prime Directive? It's the idea that an extraterrestrial race should not just show up and announce its identity to a fledging planet that has not yet achieved interstellar travel.
An extraterrestrial group is not going to make themselves openly known until that society is ready for it, meaning until their development has naturally steered them in favor of the idea of extraterrestrial life, so it wouldn't come as a great surprise, and it wouldn't overly disrupt their existing social and political order.
If we are being monitored by extraterrestrials, it seems to be that one reason why they don't openly land on the White House lawn, is something very much like the Prime Directive.
HELLYER: I think the Prime Directive is that they are not to interfere with us.
That we were given the power of choice.
And so that they have to let us exercise that choice which the creator gave us, even though we often choose very badly.
Make the wrong decisions.
That is our legacy.
We're allowed to do that.
CHILDRESS: Is it possible that the nine extraterrestrial overlords don't want to directly interfere in our society, but to guide us from behind the scenes? You have to wonder if there's not some truth to science fiction and television and movies and books, are a way of preparing people of the Earth for what's coming.
NARRATOR: Might there actually be some galactic truths found within the Star Trek series? Truths that were shared with Gene Roddenberry through the sessions with the Mysterious Nine? And if so, was this in an effort to assist humanity and guide us to a more peaceful future? Or is there another aim altogether? Perhaps one that prevents us from becoming a threat? NARRATOR: Before he concluded his broadcast with RT Television Network in 2013, former Canadian Defense Minister Paul Hellyer publically urged officials to reveal the truth about extraterrestrials overseeing Earth.
This information is top secret in a way that the governments aren't talking about it, but if you listen to the whistleblowers and the people who have worked in the industry, and, uh, who know what is going on, there is just a lot of information out there, and it doesn't take very long to get your hands on it.
The future of the world depends on us knowing what is going on.
Not only in our own world, but in others that are monitoring us and attempting to influence us, for better or for worse.
And there are people here who know a lot about that.
McGOWAN: This idea that there are other entities, whether from other dimensions, other galaxies, other planets, who are actually controlling, or somehow influencing what is happening with life on Earth is fascinating, and we always have to ask that question, what is their agenda? Is it benevolent? Are they here to protect us, as Valiant Thor and the Nine originally said? Or is there another agenda? Is there an agenda to control us? Is there an agenda to influence the way that we live in a negative way? So you have to wonder if there is, in fact, some kind of extraterrestrial council that's watching over Planet Earth.
That they are here to look at our advancement and to warn us of possible catastrophes that may be occurring, and hopefully, we will heed their warnings.
POPE: If we're being monitored by extraterrestrials, if they're watching human affairs, I think they would be very concerned about things that we might do that would destroy ourselves, and destroy the planet.
And perhaps part of the alien agenda is our moral development as well as our technological development.
Perhaps this is our ticket to join the galactic federation.
PICKNETT: We might never know their ultimate purpose, but if this is an experiment, we should be very, very careful, because quite clearly, if they don't like people challenging them, well, we're doomed.
NARRATOR: If there are, in fact, nine extraterrestrial entities overseeing Earth, are they here to help us, as ancient astronaut theorists suggest? Or could they have a more sinister motive? Perhaps the answer will only be revealed when they make contact once again, and when we are more ready to accept the truth.
CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS