CONTACT NETWORK HISTORY PROJECT
Joseph Burkes MD 2024, updated 2025
Synopsis: This high strangeness contact event happened during fieldwork 32 years ago. I believe that I was present when a foreign body might have been mysteriously implanted into the leg of a fellow contact worker.
The occurrence took place in Joshua Tree National Monument at the base of the Queen Mountain during the early hours of November 11th,1993. For over an hour and a half, two anomalous nocturnal lights were seen moving above our research site. The UFOs were tiny points of bright light that strobed erratically. The rapid bright flashes alternated with short intervals of darkness. This bizarre lighting made their flight path take on the appearance of small jumps through the sky. These anomalous lights also appeared to obey spoken requests for them to trace out in the sky simple geometric forms like a circle or a triangle. Suddenly during the excitement, my co-worker Misha cried out complaining of right groin pain. He immediately behaved as if thought that UFO intelligences were responsible for his pain. While looking skyward, Misha asked in Russian accented English, “Why did you kick me in the balls?
When we arrived home my fellow volunteer contact worker gave me permission to photograph the thigh injury with his Polaroid instant camera. The photo showed a three by three-inch area of purple discoloration adjacent to his right scrotum. It was an obvious contusion.
After the encounter, I ordered an X-ray that showed a small wedge-shaped ceramic density body in his right thigh. It was about 1 centimeter across and was identified as “a foreign body” by the official radiologist report that was typed and placed in Misha’s X-ray file. Later my contactee friend complained of increasingly severe discomfort in his right leg. He subsequently alleged that during a visitation by “friendly ETs”, they apologized to him for the injury and removed the foreign body. I repeated the X-ray and the foreign body previously noted by the radiologist was described in the official reading as no longer being present.
Did I witness the placement of an alien implant during fieldwork, or was I the target of an elaborate hoax?
Recap of November 11th, 1993, Encounter in Joshua Tree National Monument
A fellow volunteer contact worker that I call “Misha” and I had a prolonged interactive encounter with UFOs. It happened while doing fieldwork in a small valley at the base of Queen Mountain in Joshua Tree National Monument (this was before it became an official US National Park). Misha was a 23-year-old EKG tech who worked with me at Kaiser Panorama City Medical Center. He claimed that several weeks before we went into the field, he had a kind of “out of body experience” during deep meditation. In this “out of body”state , he allegedly found himself flying eastward from Los Angeles with the destination being Joshua Tree National Monument. This is a high desert locale where our team had done human initiated contact work twice before.
As his “subtle body” allegedly “flew” towards the desert, he reportedly looked down and saw United States flags prominently displayed in front of many homes. He told me that he presumed some kind of holiday was coming up. So, he checked his calendar and saw that the next one was Veterans Day. He suggested we should go into the field the night before the holiday. I was off duty that day so I agreed.
The weather forecast called for heavy precipitation. It was the first storm of Southern California’s “rainy season.” In light of what happened later, it is important to take note that we had on our version of winter survival clothing. We were going to operate in the high desert at an elevation of 4000 feet during a storm. The temperature was in the forties Fahrenheit. In order not to freeze, we both piled on layer upon layer of clothing. First, we had on polypropylene long johns. Over the long johns we wore warm pants. Then the next layer was inexpensive polyester insulated ski-coveralls. Finally, to break the wind and keep dry I used nylon rain pants and Misha wore a poncho. We both had on long heavy woolen socks into which we tucked our trousers so as to make a good seal. In an attempt to prevent the biting cold from penetrating our boots, we even used duct-tape to cover our pants where the boots and trousers met. The upper parts of our bodies were similarly layered, polypropylene next to the skin, then nylon or cotton shirts that were covered with wool sweaters. Finally, we had on down parkas for warmth covered by rain gear.
In the past, I have posted on the internet a detailed report about this encounter but chose not to include the alleged implant event as part of the narrative. This is because of the very high strangeness aspect of the incident. I believed then, as I do now, that the implications of a contact worker being targeted during fieldwork to receive an “alien implant” might be difficult for contact activists to discuss. To make things more complicated, years later I discovered convincing evidence that Misha had almost certainly faked a Polaroid photo of a flying saucer and tried to pass it off as one he alleged obtained while on US 15 driving back from Las Vegas.
On the night of November 10 to 11, we set up tents several hundred yards south of Queen Mountain. We were in the officially designated “back country.” This meant we had to camp no less than a mile from any US Park Service Road and several hundred yards away from desert trails and other campers
At 3AM, I was just falling asleep in my tent when “Misha” (or Mike in English) alerted me to the presence of an anomalous white light. It was situated about 45 degrees up from the horizon to the east. We described it as a “jumper.” It was small, circular and about half the diameter of Venus. The unknown moved across the sky by what at first appeared to be small quick jumps. This was likely an optical illusion caused by the erratically timed strobe lights that varied in brightness. The UFO did not respond to our light signals by flashing back. In fact, when we trained our half-million candlepower lantern on it and held the trigger down creating a continuous beam, the UFO immediately stopped its jerky flight across the sky. Once the floodlight was turned off, the jumper resumed its wild romp. A few months later, a CE-5 team coordinator in Santa Fe reported a similar type of “deer freezing in the headlights” sort of behavior from a “jumper” that her group witnessed. She remarked that “maybe they don’t like the bright lights.”
During this November 1993 investigation, we requested that the UFO trace out simple geometric shapes in the sky. Using a powerful signal lantern, Mike drew circles and triangles in the sky. To our delight, the jumper imitated his light work. We were astounded to see the UFO creating crude triangles and circles in the sky by its flight pattern.
Later, to the right of the first one, a second jumper appeared. It slowly dropped in altitude till finally it appeared to be nearly at ground level. It was less than a mile from our campsite. The brilliantly illuminated object came towards us. It followed the same dry riverbed that we had walked on from the wilderness parking area where we had left Mike’s vehicle. Even during its closest approach, the UFO never ceased to move in a jerky fashion with its erratic strobe flashing. It appeared to be taking small jumps upward as it advanced towards us. It was so close to the ground that it actually looked like it repeatedly touched down.
If things weren’t odd enough, the jumper when viewed through binoculars appeared as a glowing half circle with the same hue and brilliance as a white fluorescent light. Strangely, the UFO had a flat two-dimensional quality. It was as if its form had been cut out of a piece of paper. In retrospect, I wondered whether we were viewing an illusory visual display produced by some kind of holographic or psychotronic technology rather than an actual structured craft.
ET Party Dudes
The entire encounter had a kind of party mood to it. At one point, I started singing the United Nations Anthem, but I substituted the word “planets” for “nations.” Our UFO “visitors” let me get through one verse and the chorus. Then to my dismay, they turned off their lights. Misha’s immediate interpretation was that they “didn’t like my singing.” Moments later Misha put two fingers in his mouth and blasted out a loud whistle. Immediately they turned on their lights again and we both cracked up, laughing in delight.
Something Very Strange Occurred
Suddenly during the festivities, Misha bent over in pain. He grabbed his right groin while facing in the direction of the UFO he said in his Russian accented English, “Why did you guys kick me in the balls.” I was so focused, however, on what I imagined were a pair of “ET” craft very close to our position, that I didn’t question him about what he was experiencing. Only later when we got back to my house did we go over what had happened. He denied any recent injury or other medical condition that might account for the sudden pain. I took a look at the inner aspect of his right thigh. It was covered with a black and blue mark about three inches across. There was no puncture mark on the skin. A Polaroid picture was taken of the injury.
The First X-Ray Series
During January of 1994, Misha increasingly complained of pain in his upper inner thigh. He told me that he thought there might be an implant in his leg. We both were working at the Kaiser Panorama City Medical Center and it was easy for me to order an x-ray. Sure enough, on the film I could see a faint ceramic density foreign body beneath the skin. It was also noted on the radiologist’s report. The small object had a triangular or wedge shape to it and was about 1 cm in size. In the official report the foreign body was visible in two views, anterior-posterior and the lateral film. It was simply astounding.
My Disbelief Led to My Entertaining Skepticism
I had trouble believing that I actually had been present when it was inserted during our November 11th, 1993, night of fieldwork. I must say that I can think of a number of ways in which my co-worker might have tried to fake the X-ray. First of all, I was not in the x-ray suite when the films were obtained. Conceivably Misha could have placed a piece of wedge-shaped ceramic or glass on the surface of his skin to make it look like it was in his body. This, however, would have been a challenge for Misha to pull off because X-ray technicians typically observe the patient immediately after the plate is exposed. This is done to make sure that the patient hasn’t moved thereby introducing a possible error in the study. If Misha had been holding a piece of glass on the surface of his leg, just in the precise way to make it appear to be inside him, the technician would have likely been able to see the attempt at subterfuge. As the foreign body was seen in two views, any trickery would have to be repeated.
In addition, a skilled radiologist even though she/he might not be accustomed to viewing hoaxed x-rays, they might have been able to detect the inevitable misalignments of the same foreign body being faked in the two separate views. To my general internist’s eyes, the x-rays confirmed that a foreign body was indeed present. Another possibility was that the foreign body was present in his leg already and he knew about it from having a previous X-ray.
Punching Oneself in the Groin Not a Likely Tactic
Then there is the appearance of Misha’s right thigh. If he did carry out a hoax it would have required him to strike his own groin forcefully to produce the black and blue mark that I witnessed when I examined him. Punching oneself forcefully in the groin is a maneuver that I am sure very few men would relish carrying out. On the other hand, Misha might have injured his thigh before fieldwork and falsely crying out in pain during our encounter. Thus a previous injury might explain the black and blue mark I observed and photographed.
Hoaxers Usually Want to Show How Clever They Are.
And if Misha were engaged in trickery, what was the purpose? Only my wife and I knew what had transpired. Why conduct such an elaborate hoax to simply deceive just two people as he in no way asked for me to publicize the event. I use a pseudonym for him even now over three decades later to maintain some degree of confidentiality. I imagine that one of the biggest thrills of staging a hoax occurs when the trickery is exposed. Thus, the hoaxer can demonstrate to the world how clever he is and how stupidly naïve his victims were for believing it was real. But as I stated, Misha did not want this incident to made public.
An Alleged Close Encounter of the Third Kind
After I ordered the X-rays, Misha’s complaints of upper right thigh pain escalated. Several weeks later he came to me with the story that he had what is called a Close Encounter of the Third Kind while at home. Two small gray ETs, one of whom Misha knew by the name “Zan”, allegedly came to his apartment at night. They reportedly apologized for causing him pain. Using some kind of advanced surgical technology, they supposedly removed the foreign body leaving no scar. Misha alleged that the ETs offered no explanation of why the implant had been placed in his leg other than that it was “necessary.”
At Misha’s request, I reordered a follow-up X-ray study of his right femur. The radiologist’s report indicated that the foreign body seen in the previous study was no longer visible.
The Second X-Ray of Leg Was Not Likely a Hoax
Could Misha have faked the second X-ray? Although it is unlikely, he might have changed his position on the X-ray table in such a manner to have the left leg imaged not the right. In that way, he might have made it appear that the implant in his right leg had been removed. This would have been extremely difficult to pull off because as explained above, X-ray technicians observe patients immediately before and after the film is exposed, and the order was specifically for a repeat right femur study.
How Could the Alleged Implant Penetrate His Leg?
If it were a bona fide implant, the one must ask how did it penetrate all the layers of clothing without tearing a hole in his garments? And Misha’s layers of pants had been tucked in his boots to stay warm. So, assuming it was not a hoax, how did the so-called “aliens” do it? There was no break in the skin that I could see at the injury site to account for its entry. Did the implant simply materialize in the leg without having to go through multiple layers of clothing or cut through the skin?
Do Alleged Aliens Come from Hyperspace?
Based on channeled communications with non-human intelligences and the reports of those experiencing CE-3s and CE-4s, one is tempted to speculate along the following lines. According to contact experiencers, the alleged ETs have repeatedly explained that our understanding of time and space is rather limited. The claim is made that they have access to and can manipulate higher dimensional systems beyond our three of space and one of time. If this were true, then a foreign body residing in a 4th space dimension could be inserted into Misha’s body without going through the 3 dimensions in which he was wearing our field investigator’s version of winter survival gear. This is a fantastic notion and yet it would not be the first bizarre one offered in an attempt to explain the “High Strangeness” that often accompanies close encounters.
There has been much speculation that flying saucers may not have to travel across vast regions of space to get here. As modern physicists speculate about the possible existence of a multiverse of parallel universes, we wonder about the possibility that the so-called aliens dwell mostly in a higher dimensional plane completely separate from our 3-D plane of existence. If that were the case, then perhaps it would be child’s play for them to insert an implant into Misha’s leg without tearing his cloths or cutting through the skin.
Conclusion
For more than two decades, I only told close friends and fellow contact activists about this incident. I requested that they not share the account with others. I no longer have contact with Misha for reasons that are difficult to explain. Suffice to say, while working with me at Kaiser Panorama he attended nursing school and subsequently worked for a few years as a Registered Nurse. He lost his license as the result of accusations of unethical behavior. Later I discovered that according to press accounts he was brought up on federal charges and faced the possibility of heavy fines and incarceration.
What I find somewhat troubling, when this incident first occurred (before I learned about Misha’s history of lying and unethical behaviors that got him in trouble with the law), I thought that it was more likely than not, that I had witnessed an alien implant being placed during human initiated volunteer contact work. The question arises, why wasn’t I frightened by the possibility that a co-worker had been hurt as the result of a so-called “alien implant.”
To understand why I was not frightened, it is necessary to describe the kind of environment our teams were operating in during the early 1990s. Back then, there were clear indications that our efforts were under surveillance. On a regular basis we encountered able-bodied men with a military bearing on isolated trails that we used to scout out potential research sites or during actual field investigations. I should mention that because we were hiking in relatively remote locations, the sites were nearly entirely deserted except for us and our “minders” who typically arrived in civilian Jeeps.
We were aware of a dark side of UFO history and the published stories of recurrent harassment of witnesses including threats of violence by men identified as “government” people. Thus, we were concerned that along with surveillance, our cars might be damaged while we were in the field, leaving us stranded, or we might subsequently be threatened with violence.
I am aware of how bizarre it all may seem when I share my calm reaction to the possibility of an implant being placed in Mike’s leg. I actually thought that if UFO intelligence was willing to do such a thing to people who were potential “friends” extending a hand of friendship to them, imagine what they might be capable of doing to any individual or group that planned to interfere with human initiated contact by harming us. My mind set at the time was that I imagined we were motivated by idealism, extending brotherhood and sisterhood out into the Cosmos. We imagined that we were sending a message of “welcome” to any and all non-human intelligences associates with what are now called “UAP.” I had the sense that our just cause was worthy of protection by “friends in high places.” And so I imagined the alleged implant that Misha claimed was put into him, was a possible warning to anyone taping our phones, or engaged in other forms of monitoring “our message traffic.”
A month after this encounter occurred in Joshua Tree, the CSETI Director met with CIA Director James Woolsey. According to Grant Cameron’s analysis in his book “Managing Magic”, Dr Greer was one of several non-governmental players who became part of a long standing “gradual acclimatization” program that has existed in parallel to the UFO coverup. According to the documentation provided in “Managing Magic” before Steven Greer, UFO researcher Bill Moore in the 1980s worked with the Executive Branch “advisors.” After Greer, Tom Delonge was invited to play a similar role with his “To the Stars” group. Non-government people are being used to release what Cameron describes as a combination of accurate information and some disinformation. In this way some of the truth about the Executive Branch’s involvement with UFOs has been promulgated, without leaving the President’s “fingerprints” on such partial disclosure efforts.
I recall that Steven Greer MD shared with the CE-5 Working Group Coordinators his increasing involvement with representatives from the Executive Branch Intelligence Services (ONI and CIA). One of the conditions he reportedly put forward was that the Executive Branch would not actively interfere with our human initiated contact work. Although surveillance was a continuous aspect of my CSETI volunteer activities (1992 through 1997) our teams were never physically threatened by what could be described as “government agents.” This allowed us to acquire the necessary field investigation experience that will hopefully assist the next generation of volunteers to proactively engage UAP intelligences.
In conclusion, I have my doubts that I was witness to an alien implant going into a fellow volunteer contact activist during fieldwork. I suppose it is just one more mystery in the field of enigmas called “ufology.”
For additional reports from the Contact Underground, the following links are provided:
For additional reports from the Contact Underground, the following links are provided:
High Strangeness Galore: Amazing Synchronicities, Sightings and other Bizarre Events facilitated LA CE-5 Working Group Operations During the early 1990s
My human initiated contact team had immediate results when we started fieldwork, but they were not what I expected.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/10/15/mystery-lights-in-the-santa-susana-pass/
An Act of Flying Saucer Sabotage at the DOE’s Santa Susana Laboratory
In 2006 while serving as the admitting physician at Kaiser Panorama City, I interviewed a retired physical plant engineer who worked at the Department of Energy Lab in Santa Susana. He described an apparent act of sabotage by a rotating metallic disc that he and another engineer encountered on the base. The DOE facility was just a few thousand yards away from our Los Angeles CE5 team’s research site in the Santa Susana Pass. There on several occasions we staged Human Initiated Contact Events (HICE). For the complete narrative click on the hyperlinks below.
Staging Human Initiated Contact Events (HICE) adjacent to a high security research lab involved challenges of surveillance for my team.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/05/19/did-a-fateful-phone-call-trigger-the-appearance-of-blackhawk-helicopters-during-contact-work/
This report was first published in 1993 on my return from a CE5 investigation in the “Volcanic Zone” near the Mexico City. There our team witnessed multiple UFOs including a large triangular “craft” that signaled at us.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/20/ufo-investigation-in-the-volcanic-zone/
Contact Underground 