An Invitation

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Katherine Byrd-Bryer, Leverett Byrd, Bolling Byrd-Clark, Robert Byrd-Bryer.

 

Thousands of people throughout the world continue to this day to research this subject

unabated for many years. In addition, many accredited researchers, investigators, authors and scientists including thousands of individuals from all walks of life have compiled masses of information, literature, tapes, books, scientific research and so on.

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For example, take yourself. When and what did you first hear about the theory of the Hollow Earth? What intrigues you about it? Do you want more information? Did you receive this information from a friend, or perhaps by a metaphysical contact? Do you have sufficient or conclusive evidence proving this theory?  Do you believe the Hollow Earth exists? Does merely believing support the facts? What, in your estimation, constitutes a fact? Can anyone say with irrefutable proof that the Earth is hollow?  Does your religious faith support a paradise world or inner earth? Do you think UFO’s come from the interior of the Earth?

 

The possibility, coupled with so much corroborating data, is strong enough to support the inquiries on the subject. But as a researcher or investigator, are you completely satisfied with all the information and materials that have been brought to your attention by your own efforts? Participation in this organization is an attempt to go beyond the theory itself. A theory does not determine fact but produces an educated guess about the possibility—all brought about by researchers from all walks of life and professions. The facts remain to be verified. 

 

If you knew for certain that the Earth was hollow and inhabited by a superior strain of beings that are thousands of years advanced in technology, science, and mathematics, in an environment that supports life indefinitely, would that change your life and the world in which you live? 

 

Do you really think the thousands of UFO sightings the world over actually come from far distant galaxies light-years away? Perhaps.

 

However, the question remains: Are UFOs zooming in and out from within our own planet? Remember Travis Walton and his movie Fire in the Sky? One of the most credible abduction cases in UFO history? I met with Travis at a luncheon along with Kathleen Marden, Stanton Friedman and Grant Cameron in May of 2015 at McMinnville, OR UFO Fest. Travis told me about a scene that was not part of his movie, just before he found himself back in Arizona calling his mother from a phone booth.  He recalls being in a large cavern noticing other craft around him while tall beings of Nordic features escorted him to a craft and sent him back home.

 

The True Story of Travis Walton, recent documentary trailer: https://youtu.be/6HjC28s_5nQ

 

Millions the world over has heard of or familiar with the Hollow Earth Theory either by legend or by their own origins and cultures. One of the most popular books regarding the subject was written by Dr. Raymond Bernard, The Hollow Earth published during the sixties. There is a host of books written and being written about the subject. Many are now available on our site in a downloadable pdf form.

 

Dr. Bernard has dedicated his book to the future explorers, who hopes will actually discover it. It is the Hollow Earth Research Society’s intention to become these new world explorers. 

 

It is for those individuals who want first-hand information about an ancient mystery that has been with us through the ages of time.

 

HERS mission is to provide articles of interest, new information and research, photos, opinions, and resources and is a clearinghouse for information dedicated to seeking the facts. This is the vehicle to disseminate that information and plan an exploration. The organization will keep you informed of the progress of our projects as they develop.

 

Our first such proposal is the reenactment of Admiral Byrd’s 1926 flight to the North Pole. Where we collectively investigate and explore the possibility of a Hollow Earth and its surrounding mysteries including today’s controversial flight whether Admiral Byrd in fact reached the North Pole. 

 

In Admiral Byrd’s book, Skyward, written in 1929, just two years after his flight to the North Pole, he also refers to his diary and its contents. Few people knew of his diary until Ritter von X gave me a copy for publication.  Since then the alleged diary has found its way through many avenues and available on the internet. But that is only part of the story and a lot more to be told.

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Byrd Polar Research Center

 

In April of 1996, at the invitation of Bolling, I attended the first Byrd Polar Research Colloquy.  The meeting, held at the Byrd Polar Research Center (BPRC) at Ohio State University, was both the seventieth-anniversary celebration of Admiral Byrd’s 1926 flight over the North Pole and also celebrated, was the 50th anniversary of Operation High Jump, the code name for Admiral Byrd’s South Pole expedition. Attending the conference was a vast array of scientists, researchers, historians, explorers, and other enthusiasts interested in sharing experiences relating to the exploration of the earth’s Polar Regions.

 

Ed Hayes, the university’s vice president for research, opened the meeting with a presentation of his views on university participation and the BPRC’s impact on future polar research.

 

Other speakers from OSU, alumni, and invited guests lectured on the latest evidence of global warming and discussed the long-term effects of it on the fragile polar environments.  Colleagues who had traveled with Admiral Byrd on various missions between 1939 and 1955 featured well-illustrated presentations recalling their memorable and daring exploits in some of the harshest regions on earth.  New laboratories, archival facilities, and books were all part of the first Colloquy.  Discussions ranged from first-hand experiences with Admiral Byrd to forays into the most remote, inaccessible, and environmentally harsh regions to scientific prognostications by the multinational and multidisciplinary scientific teams at the Byrd Polar Research Center.  Data gathered from recent expeditions, using state-of-the-art research tools, have enabled scientists at BPRC to measure the latest projections and effects of population growth, cumulative environmental pollution, and global cycles of continental plate motion, glaciations, and meteorological change. 

 

Other keynote speakers were Dr. Leonid Polyk, BPRC member and curator of the Marine Sediment Core Repository and Col. Richard Lockhart (retired), who recollected his involvement with Operation High Jump, of which he was a participant. Dr. Richard B. Alley a BPRS alumnus, lectured about abrupt climate change during the end of the ice age.  A book-signing party was held in honor of Sir Charles F. Passell. His book, Ice, was available for purchase at the conference.  

 

One of the most curious comments came during the archivist Dr. Raimund Goerler's talk on his recent discovery about Admiral Byrd’s missing diary. North Pole researcher Charles Passel interjected his thoughts.

 

He said, “The facts were verified by a Swedish expedition that discovered tropical plants and trees floating in freshwater. The expedition also found a slight curvature the farther north they traveled, and even suggested the possibility of a Hollow Earth.”

 

Needless to say, laughter rippled through the audience. Bolling kindly interrupted and silenced their laughter and ramblings as she stood drawing the attention of everyone within the conference center to herself while others remained hushed and said,

 

“Well, I think it's best that we just have an open mind here today.”

 

I, myself, remained quiet, smiled at Bolling, and simply listened carefully to the various reactions of the professional scientists and others who knew the Admiral personally who have been with him on his Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.  

 

Saturday’s speakers featured Dr. Garry McKenzie and Dr. Ingrid Zabel from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who lectured about her radar video (one-year time-lapse photography of the conditions at the South Pole.) Dr. Zabel’s impressive presentation revealed a strange phenomenon that showed what appeared to be a small black hole in the sky that became a large black space and then disappeared. Her only comments concerned the position of the camera during the radar video recording. 

 

Dr. David Bromwich, senior research scientist associated with the Polar Meteorology Group and member of the BPRC, gave an eye-opening speech and discussion regarding the global impact of polar processes. Captain Brian Shoemaker from the American Polar Society delivered a very informative speech concerning the Antarctic Treaty and the future of Antarctica.

 

During the final lecture of the conference, Dr. Raimund Goerler, university archivist from the Byrd Polar Research Center, created great controversy and an ensuing debate when he officially announced his startling discovery of “new evidence” regarding Admiral Byrd’s North Pole diary.  Goerler explained that Byrd was approximately 150 miles south of that pole when his attempt failed. The information was based on penciled and erased notes that Goerler discovered in January of 1996 in the university’s library. 

 

In The Polar Times, published by the American Polar Society in the fall–summer of 1996, archivist, Raimund Goerler, claimed that Admiral Byrd’s diary proves that he missed his mark.

 

Did Admiral Byrd fail to reach the North Pole?

 

“Famed American explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd, who claimed to have been the first person to fly over the North Pole, may actually have turned back too soon, missing his destination by about 150 miles.”

 

So begins an article by the Associated Press on the conclusions of Dr. Raimund Goerler, chief archivist of the Byrd Polar Research Center.

 

The article went on: 

 

The research center, located at the Ohio State University, is home to many records, artifacts, and other historical data related to polar research Goerler claims that earlier this year he found Byrd’s long-lost diary in a mislabeled box of Byrd’s memorabilia. A later interpretation of the diary’s navigational notes by Dennis Rawlins, a Baltimore-based navigation expert and polar expedition historian, led Rawlins to believe that Byrd failed to reach the North Pole, even though he claimed to have reached it.

 

A passage in the Byrd diary allegedly portrayed an erased, but still readable sextant recording that may have put Byrd about 165 miles south of where he claimed to have been later in his official report. Goerler claimed that neither he nor the Byrd Polar Research Center endorses Rawlins’ findings. Goerler said Rawlins’ conclusion was based on a sentence written by Byrd stating “We should be at the pole.”  To Rawlins, the word “Should” implies doubt about an achievement that would, upon return, be asserted as a certainty. If Rawlins’ interpretation is confirmed, then Byrd would lose his standing as “The first person to reach the North Pole,” to Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who traveled over the pole three days later, on May 12, 1926.

 

Rawlins did claim that the diary does establish that Admiral Byrd and his pilot Floyd Bennett did indeed leave Spitsbergen, Norway, and attempted [to reach] the pole by flying some 600 miles over the ice in a trimotor Fokker. But Rawlins claim is that Byrd’s diary is not consistent with the Admiral’s making it all the way to the North Pole.

 

The Polar Times Headline Reads:

 

“Examination of Admiral Byrd’s navigation on his flight to the North Pole,”

 

By William E. Molett, Lt. Col. USAF (retired)

 

A long-lost diary of Admiral Byrd was found recently by Dr. Raimund Goerler, archivist at the Byrd Polar Research Center in Columbus, Ohio.  On page eleven of this diary is an erased figure which can just be made out to be what a sextant altitude is, apparently. Based on an analysis of this single erased figure, Dennis Rawlins has announced to the world that Byrd made a fraudulent claim to have reached the North Pole. According to Rawlins, Byrd was 146 nautical miles short of where he thought he was at the time of this supposed sextant observation and, continuing on, he turned around over 100 miles short of the pole. This author [Lt. Col. William Molett] maintains the erased sextant reading was just that—a figure that Byrd did not use because he knew it was incorrect.

 

Richard Byrd took and recorded a sextant reading of 18 degrees, 15 minutes, and 30 seconds at Greenwich Civil Time of 7 hours, 7 minutes. For the same time at another place in his records, he recorded an altitude of 19 degrees, 22 minutes, and 14 seconds. The 19+ degree altitude has been erased but still can be read. If this erased figure was a true altitude at the recorded time, then Byrd speeds up to this time and all ground speeds and sextant readings after this time. If this erased figure is ignored, then everything he wrote about the trip appears to be genuine. In using a bubble horizon sextant, it is essential that the plane is flying straight and level at the time of the observation. Even small turns with the aileron or rudder can make for large errors in the sextant reading. For several years,

 

Byrd had used this sea sextant, which he had modified for aerial use. In the air, because of aircraft motion, a single reading of the sextant cannot be relied on for accuracy. In the case of the 7:07 reading, the pilot (Floyd Bennett) may have made a small turn to correct course, perhaps without even realizing he had done so and caused Byrd to make an erroneous reading. When Byrd wrote down the 19+ altitude, he realized immediately from his position that it was wrong, and probably went back to an earlier reading of the set of readings [and] erased this error. It is also possible that the first misread the altitude and then with another look at the sextant, corrected the reading; this is a normal procedure to check one’s readings.

 

Whatever the reason, this erased altitude was not used by Byrd. All of the other readings were taken with apparently excellent accuracy. Byrd reported the air was not bumpy. The air over the Arctic Ocean is the smoothest in the world. There are no mountains to give up and down movement the air, and with the sun shining 24 hours a day, night temperatures and day temperatures remain much the same, which also contributes to smoothness in the air. Byrd’s sextant readings seem almost too good to be true, but smooth air and careful observations of the sun would give him pretty accurate readings.

 

The erased sextant reading in Byrd’s diary played no part in Byrd’s navigation. This author is awed by Byrd’s careful planning and execution of his first flight to the North Pole. He went north on the 11E meridian. He planned his takeoff time to give him his course by the sun lines in the mid-portion of the flight and latitude by sun lines as he approached the Pole. About one hour after he started south, the sun crossed the 15E meridian directly at the sun. The sun’s shadow was directly down the middle of his sun compass, an indication he was exactly on his desired course. That he was and remained on his course was confirmed when, at about 120 miles north of Spitsbergen, he spotted Grey’s Point almost dead ahead. 

 

Byrd helped design the drift meter he used for drift and ground speed, [and] it is inconceivable that he could travel for nearly six hours and not detect that his actual ground speed was only 53 knots when he consistently computed it to be around77 knots or higher.

 

Byrd made huge contributions to naval aviation and aviation in general. He was probably one of the ten best navigators in history.

 

When he said he reached the North Pole in his tri-motor aircraft, you can believe it despite the criticism by non-navigators.

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The following is from those who knew Admiral Byrd.

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To the editor of the Polar Times: 

 

"The last time Dennis Rawlins purported to produce irrefutable evidence that an explorer had lied about his feat, the evidence turned out to be only the serial numbers on Admiral Peary’s chronometer. Rawlins goes to great lengths to debunk the extraordinary accomplishments of famous polar explorers."  

 

—Gilbert M. Grosvenor     

Chairman of the Board     

National Geographic Society 

 

"The accomplishments of great men are often belittled by would-be heroes who present the negative side of life instead of the positive. The media finds it so easy to criticize and difficult to compliment.  Admiral Byrd’s story and reputation of being a good leader, a good navigator, and a good explorer have been questioned by individuals who strike below the belt.

 

Will the professional disparagers of the future try to negate the flight to the moon as they have targeted the life of Admiral Byrd, especially the flight to the North Pole?  For four years I worked for Admiral Byrd—to train his sledding teams, to accompany him on his first Antarctic expedition (1929–30), to prepare his supplies for the second expedition (1933–34), and to accompany him on many of his fundraising lectures. At no time did I find him a liar or even drunk as reported in the New York Times on 12 May 1996.    On the contrary, he was always a gentleman, lived up to the good name of the United States Navy, was proud of his family, and more than anything else was an inspiration and strength behind all Antarctic exploration, discovery, and scientific development. By his leadership and selection of good men like Dr. Lawrence M. Gould of the University of Michigan senior scientist and second in command of the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition recorded the geographical results of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition. Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s place in the world’s history of exploration is at the top."     

 

—Norman D. Vaughan 

 

"I have read the article in the New York Times disparaging the character of Admiral Byrd. Having been a member of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, 1933– 35, as a seaman on the BEAR, I say it is a lot of baloney.   Fear of flying!! Many people today would fear flying in the Arctic and Antarctic with equipment likely to fail, no Navy help, no reliable weather route, and no backup aircraft to search for him if he was forced down. He made the flights in spite of these possibilities. If he was afraid of flying, he never showed it.   Terrible navigator!! He was the foremost navigator of his day, a man who did a lot to advance aviation, as well as explore the Polar Regions. With his primitive equipment, he found his way out and back to safety. What is so terrible about that?   Did not pilot his plane!! Amundsen, Ellsworth, and Wilkins did not pilot their planes. All of them picked the best pilots they could find. What’s wrong with that? Byrd bashers should try to duplicate his accomplishments before they try to criticize him."    

 

—Gordon Fountain

 

On 24 May 1996, please note the partial letter of thanks I received from Ken Jezek, Director of the Byrd Polar Research Center for joining the celebration.

 

Dear Dan,

 

"Thank you for joining us in the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s flight to the North Pole and the 50th anniversary of Operation High Jump this past April. This meeting at Scott Hall on the Ohio State University campus was our first attempt to bring together historians, scientists, and explorers, logistical teams and enthusiasts to share interest in exploration of the earth’s polar regions The Colloquy assembled several generations of scientists, explorers, novices and experienced experts,  for talks and tours, combined with comfortable chats at the icebreaker, the banquet, and the barbeque…

 

…On behalf of the Byrd Polar Research Center, we thank you for showing an interest in the activities of the Center, and we look forward to seeing you all at the second Colloquy."

 

Sincerely,

Ken Jezek Director

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Memories from the Byrd Polar Research Conference

 

The following are some of my personal memories from the Byrd Polar Research Conference.  After the conference, Bolling invited me to dinner along with the Byrd Polar Research members. The get-together included her family members, Bolling’s sister, Catharine Byrd-Breyer, and nephew, Leverett Byrd. 

 

I was fortunate to be seated between Bolling and her nephew, who, incidentally, looked identical to a younger Admiral Byrd. 

 

As we began to dine, Bolling offered a toast, saying, “Here’s to the old man, himself” in what indeed was a tremendous reunion of family and history as well. 

 

During the dinner, I had the honor of being introduced to the group by Bolling as a longtime acquaintance of hers, as well as an advent researcher of her father’s history and explorations whose interests also included researching the theory of a Hollow Earth. 

 

Bolling continued, emphasizing her belief that an open mind was essential regarding the Hollow Earth theory. I had the wonderful opportunity of formally addressing many questions posed by the other guests. I shared Icelandic and Tibetan legends and spoke of my many journeys to Iceland, where, for a time, I had made my home. 

 

My discussions varied about my visits to Iceland and spoke about my visit with the Nobel Prize winner of literature, Halldor Laxness, Svienbjorn Beinteinsson, known as the King of Iceland to many Icelanders. I elaborated a little more about my visits that included an invitation by the Icelanders and met with President Gorbachev at a speaking engagement during the Reagan summit meeting in Reykjavik in 1986.

 

I moved on speaking about the legends of Odin and Thor, such as, Odin who represented the All-Father God who dwells in the center of the earth. I warmed up to the well known Icelandic legendary world called Asgarth and spoke about Odin’s legendary son, Thor who dwells in the Citadel of the Gods and that the Icelanders to this day celebrate Thor’s Day as a yearly celebration.

 

The waiters continually refilled our glasses with wine as they moved around the table in a clockwise direction while the discussions carried into the late hours of the evening. At which time no one in attendance denied the possibility of a Hollow Earth. Their interest was especially piqued about my mysterious conversations and acquaintance I had with Ritter von X regarding his knowledge and experience about the hollow earth and his special interests and information about the Admiral.

 

This included his amazing experiences and rival from the interior of the earth, a Flugelrad (UFO) flight commander, whom he referenced as a friend to humanity. I spoke about his involvement and whereabouts during his U-Boat trips to Antarctica after the close of the war and just before Operation High Jump was launched.

 

This was the moment when Bolling followed up with written consent and the first to endorse my proposal and reenactment of her father’s 1926 North Pole flight.

 

Amelia Earhart came up during the round table discussion,

 

“While she got all the attention about her whereabouts over the last several years and since she was a great supporter and friend of the Admiral a reenactment sounds as viable and of equal importance.”

 

They were especially intrigued when I shared with the University quests, Byrd family and friends that Ritter Von X predicted this very moment to me years before, and said;

 

“Even the late great Polar explorer Admiral Richard Byrd will be completely discredited discovering the North Pole”

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I was there and witnessed the whole event and prophesy among the Admiral’s closest family and friends. The next day an announcement was made and this message went viral by the Associated Press and throughout mainstream media that Admiral Byrd was discredited reaching the North Pole.

 

To The Pole

 

A couple of years later, Dr. Raimund E. Goerler’s book, To the Pole was published in February of 1998.

 

The Diary and Notebook of Richard E. Byrd, 1925-1927 is the transcription of this diary along with Goerler's analysis and commentary. Byrd's claim that he was the first to fly over the North Pole in 1926 is the most controversial accomplishment of Admiral Byrd’s career.

 

Dr. Raimund E. Goerler, University Archivist, discovered Byrd's handwritten diary and a notebook during the processing of the Byrd Papers and found Byrd’s long lost diary in an undisclosed location in an old trunk at the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University.

 

“It is a measure of the enduring fame of Richard Evelyn Byrd that nearly 72 years after he claimed to have been the first man to fly over the North Pole, scholars, navigators, and polar explorers are still arguing over whether he actually made it. . . . To the Pole . . . helps to penetrate some of the mythology shrouding the Byrd persona, and both supporters and distracters of Byrd will relish it. . . . It makes some long-standing questions seem all the more fascinating.”

 

—New York Times Book Review

 

On May 9, 1926, Richard E. Byrd announced to the world that he and copilot Floyd Bennett were the first to fly an airplane over the North Pole. Documents published here for the first time provide new insights into this most controversial accomplishment of Byrd’s career.

 

To The Pole presents transcriptions of Byrd’s handwritten diary and notebook, which were discovered by Ohio State University archivist Raimund Goerler in 1996 when he was cataloging Byrd’s papers for the university. In his diary, Byrd recorded his preparations for the North Pole flight, and he used it as a message pad to communicate with his pilot when the deafening noise from the plane's engines rendered verbal communication impossible.

 

Byrd also wrote his navigational calculations on the leaves of his diary, and photographs of these crucial pages are presented in the book as well, along with a copy of Byrd’s official report on the expedition to the National Geographic Society.

 

Also included in the book are portions of the diary dealing with Byrd’s earlier expedition to Greenland and his flight across the Atlantic in 1927. Goerler has written an introduction and epilogue providing historical context for Byrd’s achievements and biographical information on the rest of his extraordinary career. The volume is illustrated with maps and a number of photographs from the Byrd archive.

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