Cherry Hinkle: Riding the Hoax Wave

So I recently found Cherry on Facebook and decided to ask her a question that's been bugging me. If you don't know who she is, here is a little background:

The first allegations of an underground base in Dulce, New Mexico came from Paul Bennewitz. Paul worked in electronics and had been taking some extremely odd video footage of UFOs near the Manzano Nuclear Weapon Storage Facility. The footage is definitely legitimate. What happened after is a sprawling mess of lies and possible delusions. Paul began to theorize that the UFOs were originating from a secret base underneath Archuleta Mesa, a base which he became convinced was housing hostile aliens possibly in league with the US military. Most of the "reptilian" theories originated with Paul's Dulce claims. He was targeted by AFOSI (a specific agent named Richard Doty began feeding him wild stories) until he had a psychotic break and was hospitalized. Thus the Dulce legend was born.

In the 80's a man named Thomas Castello supposedly snuck out of the base (where he allegedly worked) and brought with him a box of photographs, information, and a "flash gun" which could apparently disintegrate any physical form. He claimed that aliens were taking over the planet, using people as food, and kidnapping children for experimentation. Castello brought his box to a close friend named "Ann West." She supposedly drew illustrated copies of the photos before burying the box with Castello in the desert. The illustrations eventually made their way into the hands of John Leer who brought a lot of attention to the whole affair. Years later, Phil Schneider (who was very likely a compulsive liar) came forward with his stories of Dulce which actually consistently contradict the Castello/Ann West information. But that is another story.

Ann West popped up on the Internet some time later claiming that her real name was "Cherry Hinkle." She is on a few forums and has a Facebook page. She claims that Castello most likely died in the early 90's as he had told her that if she didn't receive his regular calls, she was to dig up the box and go public with the information. He missed his a scheduled call and his been missing since.

So now at this point (early 90's) one would assume Cherry would unearth the "proof" and bring it to the world's attention. She has had more than 20 years to do this and has not. She has produced no evidence and every time an attempt to retrieve the box is planned she backs out of it somehow.

Now...I think it's safe to say something strange IS going on at Dulce. But there has never been any evidence to support her claims. Thomas Castello has never been proven to have even existed. Here is my correspondence with Cherry:


Kai:
Hello Cherry,

I have been heavily interested in UFO and alien abduction related phenomena for about 15 years. I began researching and sifting through the lies, hoaxes, and disinformation when I was maybe 13 and have continued to do so for those 15 years. It became something of an obsession more recently. I have even published a couple of articles in magazines and on the Internet. Although I am open to all information, I tend to invest more interest in works based on documented evidence, most notably evidence coming from the Air Force itself. Richard Dolan has done a marvelous job of this and I tend to hold his work in higher regard than almost all other researchers simply because it is grounded in actual data. The Dulce stories caught my attention a while back but are unfortunately lacking in hard data. The only evidence I see as being strong is Gabe Valdez's investigation into the animal mutilations that were taking place and the fact that many of the Hickory-Apache residents have stories of their own. To me it seems likely that there is indeed something going on there but the accounts of people who have been "involved" with the base seem weak at best. Which is not to say they didn't happen. But I do have a question for you:

It seems that much of what Thomas Castello apparently told you (which you supposedly shared with John Leer) would suggest that there is a dark and malicious agenda originating in Dulce. Yet I see no attempts on your part (or John's) to actually do anything about this. Id expect someone with this knowledge to be rather serious and somber in their doings. Yet when I look at your Facebook you seem unphased. You seem content to go through your "happy" days reminiscing and talking about horoscopes. If you do indeed have the knowledge you say you have, should you not be doing your damnedest to make something of it? Should you not be attempting to retrieve the alleged box of items you and Thomas buried all those years ago?

If I had knowledge of a conspiracy to overthrow the entire planet Id be a little more active and less focused on day to day life. Just an honest question. I mean no offense and haven't passed judgement on Dulce or the people who claim involvement.

Thanks.
- Kai
Yesterday at 8:28pm

Cherry Hinkle
You "mean no offense" - ARE YOU SERIOUS? Whats a matter with you? You think I enjoy reading a note that imply I am a worthless person because I do not spend every second of my life satisfying YOUR desire to knowing more about Dulce Base. Am I allow to live a life once in a while? Maybe - god forbid - an entire day without bad news, grief, mourning and of course, providing YOU without information YOU want? Or must I *ALWAYS* pumping out new information because YOU want it?

Do you really think you have the "right" to accuse me of not caring if I take off a day off once in a while and to become so jaded and lazy to read a horoscope? Lord have mercy. I must be terrible in YOUR eyes.

Good grief - you have a LOT of nerve fella.

Where were you in 1982 when Tom & I struggled to the top of that mountain and buried the Dulce Proof? Were you with us? Uhh - wait, nope, you weren't with us. It was just Tom and me. Where were you? Or were you still in kindergarden?

There are a lot of lazy men like you, you never do anything but sit in your worthless armchair and write a few notes to accuse other people of not caring because YOU couldn't find the proof YOU wanted. You are not willing to find it your self, you want me to provide ALL the proof, while YOU sit at home, comfortable in your lazy chair and write a couple rude notes.

I'll tell you little boy, I am an elderly lady but physically found proof and I offered it to the world. I produced proof that YOU will ever find. Use any search engine, and read things I have found and provided to others. Do much hard work? That is what I thought. Can you prove me ALL the proof YOU originally found? I also climbed mountains, searched jungles, hiked through desert canyons, followed clues, wrote letters to other researchers, contactees, to other victims of UFOs horrors. (and not one letter was a rude accusing anyone like YOU do.) I have been an active researcher for 56 years. How many years did you spend in school to earn the right to call yourself a real researcher? It is not just read two books and "presto" you are a "real researcher." Yeah - right.

You wrote a couple articles - I am amazed you had the nerve to do so, but did you also physically got active? If you want to find proof, then you must be physically active, go visit people that claim visitation - I did. Go find other elderly contactees and talk to them, face-to-face - I did. If you hear of a landing of a UFO - go to the site and search, take photographs, research the area, talk to the people that live near by the site - I did. Go climb mountains if articles say there are UFOs seen over that mountain - I did. So hike those desert canyons if people claim odd things happen there - I did.

I was not born only to provide YOU with the proof YOU want. If you want proof, get off your lazy chair and travel and visit people. You may never find anything, but I can tell you that when a lazy young man accuses me slacking off by not spending 100% of my life providing the proof YOU want - you can be 100% that Cherry Hinkle will not help YOU with anything. Yes - you should be ashamed of your self young man.
I am a 73 year old lady with a broken back, a crushed knee, with many medical problems, excuse me if I don't rush to help YOU with the information YOU want. ALSO - I am a stroke victim, ALSO - 8 of my family died members, ALSO - 6 of my friends died, ALSO - my husband died and ALSO - my sister, all died - WITHIN *this year* -

SO - do you mind if once in a while I rest and take time to mourn the death of my husband and others, while I try to have a pleasant day with out some rude jerk sending me a note and accusing me of doing enough to provide YOU information YOU want?
1 hour ago · Sent from Web

Kai:
You have done a marvelous job of avoiding my questions by shifting the focus to me.

First of all, let's get one thing straight:
I was not asking you for information for MY uses. I do not personally believe your story at all. Contrary to what you wrote, you have NEVER provided any kind of evidence or "proof." As far as I can tell you have merely ridden a wave started by others who may be more spurious in their claims.

Now I could be wrong. It could all be true. But if it was true I'd assume a woman of your moral standing would've done something about it in the more than 20 years since "Thomas" passed away.

Let us remember, I am not the one who has access to information and technology retrieve from a supposed US/alien base which was created to eventually take over the planet. If I did I would've taken some initiative. That information would not be for me or you or anyone in particular. It would be for everyone and not sitting in some box buried in the desert.

I asked why you had (in 20 years) never done anything to protect your fellow humans against a threat you yourself have alleged is real because if you gave me a good answer it might lend you some credibility. Instead you became angry and venomous which leads me to suspect that you are simply a liar.

50 minutes ago

Cherry Hinkle
You can choose to believe or disbelieve anything you choose and without my permission.
I do not care if you like or hate me, I do not care if you believe every word I ever uttered - or call me a liar - you are not important in my life - you are just another unpleasant not, exactly like the other notes I mentioned on my Facebook pages. I said the same type things to them and I was not concerned with their notes either.

Last Edited by Kai (VALIS) on 05/15/2014 04:41 PM