Secrets of Some Gravity – Part 1

This is the first in a series of 3 articles written for the German edition of “Nexus” magazine in 2025. The material is largely drawn from my book Finding the Secret Space Programme and includes some revisions and updates in several places. It is important to understand the links between this research, UFO/UAP related black programmes (SAPs, USAPs etc) and… what happened on 9/11.

Andrew Johnson – ad.johnson@ntlworld….

The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear.

— From Cosmography by R. Buckminster Fuller, 1983

In issue #144 of Nexus, Paul Schatzkin wrote about the enigmatic Thomas Townsend Brown – who I would describe as an experimental physicist. Starting in the 1920s, Brown (TTB) worked on what became known as “electro-gravitics” and there is a body of research which leads to the conclusion that his research ultimately “went black” – and was therefore classified top secret as part of one or more projects of the seemingly all-powerful US military industrial complex. I suggest that the reason for this is that Brown had found a way of affecting the force of gravity using (relatively simple to construct) “asymmetric capacitors” (and perhaps other methods).

I wrote quite a bit about TTB in my “Finding the Secret Space Programme Book” – and in this article, and a following one, I will try to summarize some of the conclusions I drew from the research that ended up in that book. These conclusions represent what I have come to call “the taboo of disclosure.”

My investigations into “antigravity research” began in earnest in 2003, initially resulting in a 2004 presentation I created called “The Case for Antigravity.” Before I get carried away, let’s try and establish some sort of baseline of understanding and ask “what is gravity?” and “what is antigravity?”

Considering Gravity

Newtonian theory is based around the idea that “gravity is a Force of attraction that arises between objects by virtue of their masses.” It is also said that the force of gravity obeys an “inverse square law” – at twice a given distance, the force is only 1 quarter as strong. This seems to have largely been initially determined from observations of the motions of planets. As gravity is such a weak force, it is only in relatively recent times that we have been able to use sensitive instruments to measure very small variations in gravity near large masses (e.g. in gravimetric geological surveys).

Gravity is said to be a “long range force,” yet is very weak compared, as many have noted, to the electromagnetic force. When bodies are in close proximity, the electromagnetic force is typically trillions of trillions times stronger than the gravitational force. A typical demonstration of this involves simply using a small bar magnet to pick up a small object such as a key or a paper clip. It can then be seen that the entire gravitational pull of the whole of the earth can be overcome by the strength of the small bar magnet.

For decades, physicists have attempted to explain what causes gravity and in mainstream thinking, there are three areas of research which are currently said to be “valid.”

In the early 1900s, Einstein’s work on Relativity is said to have given scientists a new perspective on gravity. Einstein argued that gravity wasn’t a real force, but it was something that arose due to the properties of space-time. One might say that “space-time” was the “fabric” from which our 3D universe is made. At the time Einstein did his original research, there was still talk of an “aether” through which electromagnetic waves travel. Talk of this aether gradually declined as many physicists thought that the Michelson Morley experiment^[i], performed in 1887, proved there was no aether (but others say this same experiment proved there was an aether). Most science and astronomy programmes broadcast on television and elsewhere will repeat the theories of Einstein and perhaps also note that small irregularities in the observed orbit of Mercury represented an early form of proof that Einstein’s relativity theories were correct.^[ii] That is to say, these orbital irregularities could not be explained by Newtonian Physics and equations. Additionally, observations were made that suggested gravity can bend the path of light – as is apparently seen in gravitational lensing.^[iii]

String Theory

So, gravity is considered in two branches of theoretical physics – “Relativity” (which is concerned with large scale, long range effects) and “Quantum Mechanics,” which is concerned with small scale, short range effects. Physicists realised, after a while, that there were areas where it was difficult to reconcile these two important branches of physics.

Hence, in the 1980s, new theoretical work was developed into something which was called “String Theory.”^[iv] It was an attempt to reconcile quantum mechanics with general relativity.  Both string theory and the related “m-theory,” suggest that all the fundamental particles can be described as being created by “vibrational strings.” Different vibration patterns of strings produce different sub-atomic particles. That is, these vibrating strings cause particles to have different charge and mass. String theory contends that the force of gravity is transmitted by gravitons – another class of particle. The mathematics behind this theory are highly complex – and it would seem that only a few people in the world can understand it. Another theory which attempts to explain the cause of gravity is “loop quantum gravity,” which considers more closely the exact nature of Einstein’s “space-time” rather than considering the behaviour of forces, or the characteristics of particles.^[v]

After this short consideration and summary of decades of research, I can state with confidence that no scientist in any mainstream research establishment has published any peer-reviewed papers which include a method or proposal for using any of the theoretical research done since, say, 1960 to engineer gravity in any way, shape or form. Similarly, it seems in the mainstream, there is no demonstrable and practical understanding of what actually causes gravity.

Later, we will also see that someone on this planet knows a whole lot than we do more about “how gravity works.” The fact that this reality is never discussed in the academic community seems to be to do with how gravity relates to free energy. It is also to do with weaponisation of a technology which could be used to affect gravity. This technology has already been publicly demonstrated to the whole world, though only a tiny fraction of the population seem to be able to comprehend and accept these facts.

The Wittens and Oppenheimer – Gatekeepers?

A YouTube video by Jesse Michels called “The CIA Scientist Who Cracked Antigravity (Townsend Brown Documentary)” contains quite a bit of information about antigravity researchers, research and secrecy. In the video, Michels suggests:

…that physics  just got shepherded into the dead end of quantum gravity and string theory – but remember in the  50s and 60s you had all these top physicists  working on the nature of gravity – including  Robert J Oppenheimer – who [US Intelligence Whistleblower] David Grusch claims  helped set up UFO secrecy.

This would make sense, due to the extensive security apparatus that had been set up around the Manhattan project and this explains why places like Los Alamos National Laboratories often come up when researching UFO related black programs (such as those referenced by Bob Lazar).

Michels’ video also notes that physicist Dr Louis Witten researched gravity for the Martin Corporation in the 1950’s, where he worked in a laboratory at Wright Field AFB (later to become Wright Patterson AFB). Curiously, Louis Witten is the father of Edward Witten who is also a physicist. Edward Witten has done much to develop… String Theory. Indeed, he is quoted as being “a super-star, and considered by many to be the saviour of the field.” How curious! It is also curious that Wright Paterson AFB is where the alleged Roswell craft was taken… Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself!

Antigravity and Antigravity Devices

Let us take a step back and ask… what is antigravity or an antigravity device? I would define it as: “Any device / method capable of changing the local gravitational field strength or having the effect of reducing an object’s weight, without changing its mass.” There is no obvious “propellant” or particulate fuel involved – hence the term “reactionless propulsion” is sometimes used to describe anti-gravity.

We should pause for a moment to define the terms “mass” and “weight.” Normally, we consider these as being the same thing. However, “mass” in a “physics domain” means “amount of material” and “weight” means the “force that the mass experiences when it is in a gravitational field.” Hence, gravity does not create mass, but it does create weight.

Antigravity could also be termed “gravity control” or “gravity reduction.”

Characteristics of Antigravity Devices and Experiments

Before we discuss more details about what research has been done, I want to make some general observations about what becomes clear when working through various types of antigravity research. One tends to read about:

• Devices spinning very quickly or having components spinning at high speed.
• Use of very high voltage – electrogravitics.
• Use of very strong magnetic fields – magnetogravitics.
• Use of high frequency oscillations of electric current or magnetic fields.

It seems to me that what is basically happening (and I am not the first to say this) is that the underlying aether – from which matter and energy seem to appear – can be “stressed.” Stressing the aether in particular ways can produce specific effects – which can include an enormous release of energy, or a change in the force of gravity.

“Mad Science”?

Of course, tales of “mad scientists” doing “weird experiments” and producing all kinds of effects have been reported since the early 1900s, and it is again assumed in the mainstream that if anything significant and real had been discovered, it would, by now have been developed into something advanced. And, with the ability to freely share so much information via the web, the fact that this “has not happened” means there is no reality to any of these stories…

George Piggot

Piggot, apparently, performed levitation experiments in the early 1900s – and an article by him, about his own experiments, was published in the July 1920 issue of “Electrical Experimenter.”^[viii]

A strong electric field was produced by means of a special form of generator and when the metallic object was held within its influence, it drew up to approximately a distance of 1 mm from the Centre of the field, then was repelled backward toward an earthed contact, going within 10 cm of the same when it was again attracted toward the field’s Centre but this time getting no nearer than 5 cm from the polar nucleus. This backward and forward movement contained for some time until the metallic object at last came to a comparatively stable position, about 25 cm from the field’s Centre where it remained until the power was shut off.

The article, referenced above, contains further descriptions and illustrations (one of which is reproduced below) of the apparatus he used. It is stated that he was using about 500,000 volts (500 kv) and ¼ kw, which is 250 watts (which could power two and a half electric light bulbs).

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)

This great man’s name will be very familiar to “Nexus” readers. Tesla was born in Serbia and emigrated to the US in 1884. Tesla was mainly a pioneer in the fields of Electrostatics and Electricity Generation (with Thomas Edison) and invented the Alternating Current-based electricity distribution system we use today. The unit of Magnetic Field Flux Density is named after Tesla. A good source of information on Tesla is Marc Seifer’s book “Wizard: the Life and Times of Nikola Tesla,”^[ix] which even includes a discussion of Tesla’s alleged “death ray” development and the possible link to the Tunguska devastation which occurred in June 1908^[x].

It has, to my knowledge, never been claimed that Tesla worked on or developed an antigravity device or technique, but his work with electrostatic fields, power generation and transmission overlaps with areas of antigravity research, so it can be said that some of his work paved the way for similar pioneering work in the field of Electrogravitics.

PLV discusses Tesla in more depth in his “Secrets of Antigravity” Book. In chapter 6, he mentions how Tesla had noticed certain “force” effects when he was working on his high voltage transmitters. In a 1980s video of experiments performed by Eric P Dollard^[xi] (who has been harassed and had his equipment stolen^[xii]), Dollard seems to describe and demonstrate something similar.^[xiii]

Flying Saucers, Robert Sarbacher and Wilbert Smith – The “Top Secret Memo”

When researching into “antigravity,” the subject of UFOs/Flying Saucers is never far away… In 2003 or 2004, thanks to long time researcher Grant Cameron, I was made aware of a “Top Secret Memo” written by Canadian Radio Engineer Wilbert B Smith, which he wrote to the Canadian Dept. of Transport in 1950.^[xiv] This is widely regarded as one of the most important documents that we have in relation to the UFO cover up. A draft copy of this vital document was declassified by the Canadian government in 1979 and discovered by Nick Balaskas in the University of Ottawa Archives. In the memo, Smith discloses the secrecy classification on the study of the “saucer” phenomenon. Smith wrote:

“a. The matter is the most highly classified subject in the United States Government, rating higher even than the H-bomb.

b. Flying saucers exist.

c. Their modus operandi is unknown but concentrated effort is being made by a small group headed by Doctor Vannevar Bush.

d. The entire matter is considered by the United States authorities to be of tremendous significance.”

To my knowledge, no one has contested the authenticity of this document, though its author is not that well known (even though Grant Cameron and myself have given long presentations about him!) As Smith was a Canadian, we might ask “who gave him the information about the classification?” Research, in 1983, by Nuclear Physicist and the late UFO investigator Stanton Friedman, revealed that the information about the classification of the UFO subject was given to Smith by Dr Robert Sarbacher – a Physicist. Sarbacher, who worked as a consultant to the US DoD (Dept. of Defence), would later go on to create the Washington Institute of Technology. Sarbacher was also involved in the US nuclear energy research programme. How curious!

So, it seems that before 1950, the US was secretly researching into “flying saucers” and in the 1983 Sarbacher/Friedman telephone conversation, Sarbacher mentioned that there had been “rumours of crashes.” Wilbert Smith (and his son Jim) also said that his team had been given bits of “hardware” to study and test.  Jim Smith also stated in an interview that his  father had told him, on his deathbed, that he had seen bodies of aliens during one of his visits to the US.

Electrogravitics and Thomas Townsend Brown

Nick Cook (Defence Journalist)^[xv] and the late Dr Paul A La Violette (physicist and energy consultant)^[xvi] have been key figures in  raising awareness of Thomas Townsend Brown’s research into anti-gravity.

In 2000, Nick Cook’s very important book, called “The Hunt for Zero Point: Inside the Classified World of Antigravity Technology,”^[xvii] was published. The title speaks for itself and is especially “brave,” considering that Cook was a Defence Industry Journalist. Also, of significance is the documentary that Cook wrote and developed in 1999 called “Billion Dollar Secret,”^[xviii] where Cook spoke to several important people about Black Programmes (which we will discuss later, too.) Nick Cook became intrigued when someone sent him an article about antigravity research. He tried to follow up a contact, George S. Trimble, whom, he had read, had worked in the field of antigravity research in the 1950s. Trimble initially agreed to be interviewed, but then withdrew suddenly – reportedly “scared”. (It was Trimble who recruited physicist Louis Witten to work on gravity at Wright Field). Cook continued his research “quietly” over 10 years and journeyed some way into the “black world” of defence research. His book “The Hunt for Zero Point” is the story of that journey.

In 2008, Dr Paul A La Violette (PLV) published another important book called “The Secrets of Antigravity.” I recommend the reader studies both these books, to flesh out some of the material here. PLV has a science background and therefore, his insights are very valuable. He has also written several other interesting books, often ignored by other researchers. Finally, another knowledgeable researcher who has written on the subject of antigravity is Dr Tom Valone^[xix] – he has compiled two books just on Electrogravitics research.

There is some detailed information on the Townsend Brown family website.^[xx] Another useful resource is a paper by Tom Valone published in the Journal of Geosciences in 2015.^[xxi]

Thomas Townsend Brown (1905 – 1985)

Brown is a very significant figure in the field of antigravity research and not surprisingly, PLV’s book contains a detailed account of his activities which started in the 1920s.

Thomas Townsend Brown c. 1950

Thomas Townsend Brown was born in Ohio and though he became an experimental scientist, he never obtained a degree. He spent time studying at several schools including Caltech, Kenyon College and Denison University. He has been called a Physicist but was probably an Electrical Engineer more than anything else. He served in the US Navy in the 1930s at the Naval Research Laboratory. He died in California in 1985. Much of his work still seems to be kept “under wraps” and his family keep a low public profile.

He worked with Dr Paul Biefeld (often mis-pronounced or mis-spelled Bifield) who wasa friend of Albert Einstein and was the Director of Swazey Observatory in Denison, Ohio.

The Biefeld-Brown Effect

This effect was originally discovered when Biefeld and Brown were working with high voltage X ray tubes. It was discovered that they moved excessively when turned on and off. In 1923, Brown started to experiment with “gravitators” and found an interaction between electric charge and the force of gravity. He investigated the properties and behaviour of (electrical) capacitors and completed research and experiments with the dielectrics used in capacitors (see below).

Brown’s work was in the field of electrogravitics and essentially involved experimenting with different forms of capacitors – or objects which were acting as capacitors. He would suspend them in an arrangement so that they were free to spin and move around when charged. In various experiments, Brown discovered that if a capacitor/gravitator unit was charged, there would be motion in the direction of the charge.

PLV, in his “Secrets of Antigravity” book, describes the experiments in considerable detail and even includes some equations and calculus, for those that understand these things!

PLV also notes how Brown’s idea was patented in 1928^[xxii]. Of course, there was resistance from the scientific community, partly because Einstein’s relatively new (pun intended) theory of gravity could not explain the effects Brown had created. PLV describes the situation thus:

Brown entered the California Institute of Technology in 1922. He spent a good part of his freshman year attempting to win the friendship of his professors and to convince them of his abilities as a first-class “lab man.” However, when he began mentioning his ideas about electrogravity, no one would listen. At the end of the year, he had his laboratory equipment shipped from Ohio, set it up in his quarters, and sent invitations to several of his professors, including the renowned Dr Robert Millikan, to witness a demonstration of the new force he had discovered. No one came. Some time later, one of Brown’s friends tested Millikan by asking him whether he knew of anyone who had ever found a way of modifying or influencing the force of gravity. Millikan is said to have replied brusquely, “Of course not; such a thing is impossible and out of the question.”

Millikan became a well known name in the Physics world because of his “oil drop” experiment, first performed in 1909, to determine the charge of a single electron.^[xxiii]

Brown continued to experiment with various types and forms of “gravitator” – and used, at various times, disks and even a pendulum. From 1931 to 1933, he also worked at the Naval Research Laboratory where he was still investigating effects related to electrogravitics – this time in fluids. PLV also explains how Brown documented changes in the electrogravitic effects he observed in his many experiments “…in a way that related to solar and lunar tides and a sidereal correlation of unknown origin.”

It proved difficult to explain the effects, though and according to PLV, Brown’s explanations were only written up in his laboratory notes – he did not publish scientific papers, as such.

Subquantum Kinetics

In chapter 1 of his “Secrets” book, PLV explains how his own theory, called “Subquantum Kinetics,” can explain some of the effects that Brown was creating. PLV argues that gravity can attract or repel matter, depending on the arrangement of positive and negative charge on a body. He argues that when bodies on the earth have no net surface charge, they normally attract each other, because the gravitational force generated by “proton matter” is slightly stronger than that generated by “electron matter.” Hence, if a body gains enough electrons, it can begin to have a repulsive force of gravity, as well as a negative electrical charge.

The Philadelphia Experiment

Another topic that PLV deals with his Thomas Townsend Brown’s alleged involvement in the Philadelphia Experiment. This is something that is alleged to have taken place in 1943 and involved making a Navy Ship – the USS Eldridge – invisible to radar and, allegedly, optically invisible. (Several books discuss this alleged project, but it is extremely difficult to know what actually happened. I would guess something important and interesting happened, which needed to be covered up by circulating disinformation.) In his “Secrets” book, PLV writes:

Later in his life, Brown was privately asked by family friend and business associate Josh Reynolds about his involvement in the Philadelphia Experiment. Brown answered that he “was not permitted to talk about that part of his work”; however, he did comment that “much of what has been written about the project is grossly exaggerated.” Here, he was probably referring to claims some have made that the ship had been made to travel through time or that it had teleported itself to Norfolk Harbor, where it was alleged to have reappeared for a few minutes before disappearing and reappearing once again in the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Yet the fact that he did not flatly deny his involvement in the project leads one to suspect that the rumors of his involvement are true. [William] Moore, co-author of the book “The Philadelphia Experiment,” once asked Brown to edit a rough draft of an article he was writing on Brown’s life. Moore had planted a paragraph describing a series of experiments, sponsored by the Navy, that were based on the effects and equipment later associated with the Philadelphia Experiment. He had done this intentionally to see Brown’s reaction. Although Brown made other corrections and notes for changes to the manuscript, he allowed the entire test paragraph on the Philadelphia Experiment to remain intact. Thus, we are left to conjecture that tales of the existence of this project may be true and that Brown had somehow been involved in this project, although what his involvement was is open to speculation.

Also, Brown was working in the Navy on a project related to mine sweeping, so it was not a “big jump” to be working on something like the Philadelphia Experiment. However, information on the Townsend Brown family website^[xxiv] is a little more “reserved,” it criticises the Moore book thus:

Various significant errors in research procedures and reliance on unreliable sources has come to light in more recent years.

PLV discusses Brown’s ongoing work and demonstrations in the 1940s with electrically charged discs. Also mentioned is the possible parallel classified work being done by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and/or the US Air Force, at the Wright Air Development Centre.

Following his work for the Navy, Brown went to work for the Lockheed Vega Aircraft corporation^[xxv] – funnily enough, a forerunner of the enormously powerful defence contractor and owner of “Skunkworks,” Lockheed Martin.

Townsend Brown and NICAP

Separate to his study of Physics, Townsend Brown founded NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon)^[xxvi] in 1956, to serve as a clearing-house and “listening post” for information regarding Saucer sightings and evidence. He served for some time as Director of NICAP (as did Major Donald Keyhoe). So, it is clear, then, that Brown had a serious interest in the UFO/Flying Saucer issue – and he probably thought that studying it could yield information that was useful to his own areas of research – i.e. electrogravitics and related effects.

Project Winterhaven

It seems that Brown realised the potential of the technology and techniques he was developing and so, by January 1953 he had put together a 66-page proposal which was codenamed Project Winterhaven.^[xxvii] This was a wide-ranging proposal – which included research in roughly 30 different areas (some theoretical, some practical), as shown on page 7 of the report.

The proposal even named companies and organisations that would be involved. These included the US Department of Defence (DoD), Lear Inc (presumably owned by Lear Jet), University of Chicago, The Franklin Institute in Pennsylvania and even… the Stanford Research Institute (SRI – which later became a host for research into things like Low Energy Nuclear Reactions – LENR – and Remote Viewing. (SRI is another organisation which repeatedly crops up when studying fields-related to UFOs, fringe science and the paranormal.)   In the Project Winterhaven document, the organisational chart shows the Townsend Brown Foundation at the same level of control as the DoD. It appears that the project was, indeed, a serious proposal to develop usable electrogravitic technology. On page 1 we can read:

PURPOSES: For the last several years, accumulating evidence along both theoretical and experimental lines has tended to confirm the suspicion that a fundamental interlocking relationship exists between the electrodynamic field and the gravitational field.

It Is the purpose of Project WINTERHAVEN to compile and study this evidence and to perform certain critical or definitive experiments which will serve to confirm or deny the relationship, If the results confirm the evidence, it is the further purpose of Project WINTERHAVEN to examine the physical nature of the basic “electro-gravitic couple” and to foresee and develop possible long-range practical applications.

The proposed experiments are to be limited at first to force measurements and wave propagation. They are to be expanded, depending upon results, to include applications in propulsion or motive power, communications and remote control, with emphasis on military applications of recognized priority.

On page 5, we read:

RESEARCH ON THE CONTROL OF GRAVITATION: In further confirmation of the existing hypothesis, experimental demonstrations actually completed in July 1950, together with subsequent confirmations with improved materials, tend to indicate that a new motive force, useful as a prime mover, has in reality been discovered.

Another area Brown had done research in was communication, which was described on page 10 of the Project Winterhaven proposal thus:

ELECTROGRAVITATIONAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

(Electrogravitic induction between systems of capacitors involving propagation and reception of gravitational waves) Project started at Pearl Harbor in 1950 – Theoretical background examined and preliminary demonstrations witnessed by Electronics Officer and Chief Electronics Engineer at Pearl Harbor Navy Tard, Receiver already constructed – detects cosmic noise which, according to supporting evidence, appears to emanate from that portion of the sky near the constellation Hercules (16h RA, 40° N Decl,), Transmitter designed and now partly completed. Radiation is more penetrating than radio (has been observed to pass readily through steel shielding and more than 15 feet of concrete).

In 1952 a short-range transmitting and receiving system was completed and demonstrated in Los Angeles. Transmission of an actual message was obtained between two rooms – a distance of approximately 35 feet. Transmission was easily obtained through what was believed to be adequate electromagnetic shielding, but this test must bear repeating under more rigorous control. See definitive experiments (Group B) hereinafter proposed.

This sounds quite similar to communications techniques that have been developed based on Tesla’s work. Some people erroneously use the term “scalar communications.”

On page 23, following earlier discussion of propulsion systems for ocean liners, we find thoughts about developing propulsion for use in space:

The second type of electrogravitic reactor now demonstrated in disc airfoils may find its principal field of usefulness in the propulsion of spaceships in various forms. For the moment, at least, the disc form appears to have the greatest promise, largely because there is reason to believe it can be self-levitating and, therefore, made to possess the ability to move vertically (as well as horizontally) and to hover motionless, in complete control of the Earth’s gravitational field.

Nick Cook writes about Townsend Brown’s “Project Winterhaven” in his “Hunt for Zero Point,” but points out that there isn’t any evidence that leads to an obvious conclusion that Project Winterhaven was converted into a “Black Programme” to develop electrogravitic technology. Whilst I agree, in principal with this conclusion, there is other evidence we have yet to cover that leads us on a journey to the Black World quite quickly.

Townsend Brown’s Later Work

PLV’s “Secrets of Antigravity” book also documents work completed by Brown and Bahnson in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Brown secured several more patents related to his electrogravitics research. A summary of his career is posted on the Townsend Brown family website^[xxviii] (some formatting issues seem to be present in the text), along with a number of letters that Brown received and responded to.^[xxix]

Dipping in to the letters reveals some areas that Brown was working in. A letter written in November 1955^[xxx] is particularly interesting. It describes certain events which took place after Brown’s work had featured in the newsletter distributed by a London-based Aerospace consultancy group called “Aviation Studies.” Below, I have quoted from the letter Brown wrote to an associate named Ed Hull:

The same report, incidentally, was read by Douglas, and undoubtedly by many other aircraft manufacturers in the United States, Martin, as you know, is starting a new project and I believe Lockheed will too. According to the grapevine, the studies in gravitation are already under way at both Northrop and North American. According to the New York Herald Tribune, Convair is now interested and so is Bell. Then, also, we must give credit to my old friend Bill Lear for continuing interest in the spreading of the good word.

Interestingly, Brown then openly discusses the flying saucer phenomenon:

Several new flying saucer books are being released here in the United States, and I understand there is one in England too. Donald Keyhoe’s new book (The Flying Saucer Conspiracy) has already gone to press and copies should be available soon. I notice also in the last issue of Life magazine, dated December 5th, 1955 what amounts to an admission that the unidentified flying objects, as observed by the Air Force and other observers, are not all explained away by the recent announcement of the Air Force and it gives some drawings in color of the various shapes of U.F.O.’s that have been reported.

Of course, to me, this indicates that something very real is going on behind the scenes, and that where there is so much smoke, there certainly must be some fire. I feel sure that these things are electrically driven. It is true, of course, that the halo effects surrounding these craft in flight can come from nuclear radiations, but more than likely they would come from simply electrical corona and this of course means electrical potentials of the order of several million volts.

Brown then goes on to discuss some of his own experiments and the ones he would like to do, using higher voltage supplies.

The Aviation Studies group published a summary of the ongoing Electrogravitics research in February 1956^[xxxi] and this, too, makes for interesting reading, indicating in the final section, on the last page:

Aviation Report 15 November 1955

ELECTRO-GRAVITICS EFFORT WIDENING

Companies studying the implications of gravitics are said, in a new statement, to include Glenn Martin, Convair, Sperry-Rand, Sikorsky, Bell, Lear Inc. and Clark Electronics. Other companies who have previously evinced interest include Lockheed, Douglas and Hiller. The remainder are not disinterested but have not given public support to the new science – which is widening all the time.

Wright Patterson AFB and Electrogravitics

In chapter/section 2.4 of his “Secrets of Antigravity” book, PLV describes how he discovered a document with a title “Report CRG-013/56—Electrogravitics Systems” and a subtitle of “An examination of electrostatic motion, dynamic counterbary and barycentric control.” Although PLV found a reference to this 1956 document when he was in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, it was quite difficult to locate a copy, as the only available one was at… Wright Patterson AFB. He was able to get hold of a copy (but not the original). It has since been scanned and posted on the web.^[xxxii]

Dr Tom Valone also wrote about PLV’s discovery and summarised the relevance of this document thus:^[xxxiii]

• It validates T.T. Brown’s experiments;
• It lists the major corporations that were collaborating on electrogravitics;
• It includes the requirements for supersonic speed;
• It shows the continuity from Project Winterhaven in 1952;
• The report includes a list of electrostatic patents;
• It had been classified by the Air Force for an undetermined amount of time which underscores its importance.

1980s – Secrecy Still Prevails

Moving forward 25 years, for example, we see in a response to a letter written to an interested person in February 1982, Brown wrote^[xxxiv]:

I regret to advise you that electrogravitic research has been taken over in its entirety by a Californian corporation which has imposed secrecy – at least until their investigations are completed. No further publication or release of information is permitted, possibly until next year.

Later, Brown received a letter from “William S,” dated 17 September 1982^[xxxv], enquiring about Brown’s knowledge of the alleged Saucer crash at Aztec, New Mexico in 1948^[xxxvi]. “William S” also mentioned Brown’s involvement in NICAP. It seems that Brown felt rather differently about the UFO/Flying Saucer issue in 1982, as he replied:

September 29, 1982

Dear Mr. S,

This will acknowledge your letter of Sept. 17.

Your interest in UFO’s is commendable but I am wondering if it is a bit futile. I myself have no evidence, even in recent years, that valid encounters have ever actually taken place. The thought, however, persists that there may be something to the stories. Only time will tell. For my part, I have never personally ever seen anything to support the rumors.

You ask if I ever had any part in the alleged UFO investigations near Aztec, N.M. The answer is definitely NO, your Dr. Gee must be someone else, for I don’t even know of such investigations and, even now, question their authenticity.

Sorry I can be of so little help to you.

Sincerely,

T. Townsend Brown

I can only guess what had caused Brown to be so much more reserved about the UFO issue than he appeared to be in the 1950s. It seems reasonable to suggest, however, that military interest in Brown’s work was ongoing and reading through the available information seems to give a strong indication that Brown was “never too far away” from classified projects.

Simple Electrogravitics Experiments?

When you read about the Biefeld-Brown Effect online, it is frequently dismissed as simply being caused by an “ion wind.” That is, when using high voltages to charge up disks or other models, charged air molecules (ions) are created and these generate mechanical thrust, due to their motion in an electric field.

Again, in PLV’s “Secrets” book, this is explored in some detail. Brown himself was quite aware of this effect and that it was sometimes used to “explain away” the anomalies he was studying. It is also discussed in an Army Research Laboratory 2003 report called “Force on an Asymmetric Capacitor” by Thomas B. Bahder and Chris Fazi^[xxxvii]. Calculations included in this document essentially prove that the ion-wind effect alone cannot explain the observations (and Brown was well aware of this). Similarly, it is easy to demonstrate that this cannot account for all the “force” effects observed. For example, experiments shown on JL Naudin’s (very interesting) website²⁴ show this to be the case. Perhaps the simplest of these is an experiment called “Frolov’s Hat.” Here, a simple, home made capacitor made from aluminium foil and expanded polystyrene is rigged up to a chemical balance. The “hat” is counter-balanced with a small weight, to be in equilibrium. Then, a voltage – upwards of 10,000 volts (10 kv+) is applied from an external power supply. The “hat” then becomes lighter and the balance tips towards the weight!

The voltage is removed and, after a few seconds, the balance returns to equilibrium again. This, to me, demonstrates that the change in weight is something to do with the gain in electrical charge of the “hat” itself, as the weight slowly changes – the chemical balance does not level itself immediately when the voltage is removed.

To try and further remove doubt that ion wind effects are involved, the experiment can be repeated with the “hat” contained inside a plastic bag.

In the early 2000s, there seemed to be a wave of renewed interest in the topic of electrogravitics and I, myself, came across J L Naudin’s fabulous website^[xxxix] in 2003. Some months later, I followed the instructions he had published²⁴ and I made my own “Lifter 1,” which just flew (I was a bit ham-fisted with the construction!) To provide the required voltage, I used a high tension/high voltage power supply from an old PC monitor I had.

Naudin has previously posted links to many reproductions of his “Lifter” experiments – in various forms – from around the world^[xl]. Up until 2006, he reports that there were 351 reproductions of the experiments.

A number of derivative designs can produce a greater lifting effect, by combining several triangles into a “hexalifter.”

Naudin also carried out tests to see what effect the ion wind was having^[xlii] – and he concludes from his own calculations with a test model:

For ion wind to cause levitation, the air flow below LIFTER3 should be about 0.913 meter per second or 2.04 miles per hour. If some air also flows outside the borders of the device, then the “virtual area” would be larger and the air flow somewhat slower than 2 mph. If the actual wind is *far* smaller than 2 mph. (e.g. 10x smaller,) then I would conclude that most of the lifting force comes from electrogravity. (Well, this is true if my calculation has no flaws!)

Chapter 12 of PLV’s “Secrets of Antigravity” contains many further technical details of these experiments, including tables, figures and equations related to J.L. Naudin’s experiments and similar ones performed by other researchers.

Lifters and “Unusual Effects.”

In one of many interesting interviews on Tim Ventura’s American Antigravity website he recounts some of his experience in experimenting with his own lifters. In an interview from April 2005^[xliii], with famed Canadian Researcher and experimenter John Hutchison (who we will discuss further, later) Ventura describes how he and others experienced strange effects when running the lifters for long periods. Ventura states:

I didn’t notice that the lifters do seem to have side effects. And it’s one of those things that very few people like to report. We did testing with a shielded magnetometer and we were unable to pick up the Earth’s magnetic field while the lifter was operating and we also had some unexplained signals in the background. And it’s one of those things where, when you mention it online, reports start pouring in from people all over the world saying “you know, I had this happen and I can’t really explain it. It’s not really something that happens all the time…”

Another thing that I had happen, interestingly, was I had sparks that appear out of nowhere. And in a way, they’re almost not really bound in time at all. When I operate the lifter consistently for several days on end, I can turn it off, but there is a period of a week or so where I’ll get unexplained electromagnetic effects. They are uncommon enough and random enough that there is no real way to pin them down.

Ventura then repeats that he observed “residual energy effects” after his equipment was turned off and the lifter and associated equipment has been grounded and fully discharged. Hutchison confirmed that he had observed similar residual effects following his own energy-related experiments. In other interviews, Hutchison himself had reported that he detected changes in the radiation background count when running his experiments.^[xliv] Typically, it would drop, then return to normal, some time after he had switched off his equipment.

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Conclusion

In this article, I have tried to show that there is sufficient evidence available to strongly imply – prove even – that working “antigravitic” technology was developed in the mid 1950s. In a subsequent article, we will talk more about John Hutchison’s research and introduce a less-well known, but key figure who discussed antigravity research and technology. We will show when and how the results of that research had a huge effect on the world we live in,  for all the wrong reasons.