Stupak confirms presence of 'classified' black copters but others 
suspect world government conspiracy

Local man causes stir after receiving 'vision from God to contact 
the pilots'

by Don Weeks, Editor
The Peninsula News
Houghton, Michigan
Vol 1, Issue 20
June 12, 1994

U.S. Rep Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, has confirmed that black
helicopters, on some sort of secret military mission, have been
flying over the Keweenaw, while followers of a radio talk show host
are convinced the choppers are on a more sinister mission.

"I know they're doing a number of testing.  I know a number of
testing is going on in northern Michigan," said Stupak, who is a
member of the House Armed Services Committee.  "There are some
things we've been asked not to say, that remains classified and has
to remain that way."

On Wednesday, a Houghton County man told troopers at the Calumet
State Police Post that "he's had a message, a vision from God that
he had to contact the pilots of those black helicopters," according
to Sgt. Dan Gerrard.

The man was taken to Marquette General Hospital for psychiatric
evaluation Thursday after causing a disturbance in Copper Harbor by
preaching and passing out religious pamphlets.

Stupak made the comments at a news conference in Hancock June 3.  He
was reponding to a question from Hancock resident Bob Weber.

Weber said he recently saw three black helicopters flying in
formation about 100 yards above the ground flying along the Houghton
Canal Road.

"They looked suspicious," Weber said, "because what would be
anyone's reason for having three helicopters fly together in
formation over our little towns?"

Others say [they] have spotted black, unmarked, low-flying
helicopters in the area, and have called area law enforcement
agencies and media outlet seeking explanations.  Some of them may be
responding to nationally syndicated radio talk show host Chuck
Harder, whose program airs locally weekday afternoons on WZRK,
Hancock.

Weber, who listens to Harder's program "with a grain of salt," said
Harder takes calls from people around the country who have spotted
suspicious helicopters.

"When you hear a lot of other callers on his program actually call
in and tell their own story of the black helicopters," Weber said,
"and those people are reporting anecdotal stories from other people
they know - I've probably heard at least a dozen of these people in
the course of the last month on his show - that's why I asked the
Congressman.  I mean, you hear all this stuff, and you don't really
know what the truth is."

Former state Rep. Stephen Dresch also has received numerous calls
from people who say they have seen the helicopters and believe the
government is up to no good.  Dresch has no answers, but he said he
understands the callers' distrust.

"The government has given people reason to be distrustful," Dresch
said, "If they can wipe out 90 people at Waco without batting an
eye, who knows what they might have in store for us?"

Stupak says the helicopters are military aircraft, and that's
nothing new and nothing to worry about.

"Long before the black helicopters, northern Michigan has always
been a test site for strategic military plans and things like this,"
Stupak said.  "There has been a number of things going on. Nothing
of any threat or danger to the people of northern Michigan."

"There are some things we do as a country - in the military,
especially - with some military secrecy that we do not disclose, and
it's one of those things that have not been disclosed.  We've (Armed
Services Committee members) been briefed - very limited... I felt my
explanation from the military was satisfactory."

Others, including a Stupak aide, speculate the helicopters are from
the Drug Enforcement Agency, looking for marijuana patches or other
evidence of drug production.

A spokesman in the DEA's Detroit office would not comment on the
agency's operations, in the U.P. or anywhere else.

"I can't comment.  I really can't comment on that story," the
spokesman said.  "I've gotten a lot of requests and I - no comment
at this point on that.  Dead end.  I'm sorry.  I can't help you with
that.  I can't.  I gotta go.  I'm sorry."

Jeff Selesky, an aviation enthusiast from the Marquette area who
photographs aircraft and builds models as a hobby, said the DEA has
a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, painted gloss black, stationed in the
Miami area.  They call it the "Coke Buster," Selesky said.

Blackhawks - newer, faster, sleeker helicopters than Viet Nam-era
Hueys - are also used by the U.S. Army and National Guard, which fly
hundreds of training and other missions over the U.P. each year.

Selesky said the Michigan National Guard also uses Cobra gunship
helicopters.

"The special paint that they paint these helicopters - the Hueys,
the Cobras - is a very, very dark shade of olive drab.  It's almost
like a black green," Selesky said.  "And it's the chemical composite
of the paint - so it doesn't reflect radar very easy - that gives it
that black appearance.  And, of course, running that kerosene-type
fuel that the turbine engines use, they get a little sooty and that
even adds to the dark color."

Canadian helicopters, painted dark green and dary grey, also
routinely fly over the U.P., especially over Copper Harbor, Selesky
said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had helicopters in
the area this past spring looking for underground water and sewer
line breaks.

The Upper Peninsula Substance Abuse Enforcement Team (UPSET) has
used helicopters in the past to search for outdoor marijuana
patches.  But an UPSET spokesman said they have not flown recently.

Department of Natural Resources forester John Gaffney, of the Baraga
district office, said he sees helicopters passing overhead from time
to time.

"The ones I see generally appear to be military," Gaffney said, "and
I suspect they're training flights by the Guard, or they could be
looking for marijuana.  In the past, (mining companies) have used
helicopters and aircraft for doing seismic work for mineral
assessment."

This week, 1,600 soldiers from Michigan National Guard Engineer
units will be in northern Michigan - including in Houghton and
Baraga counties - to perform road, trail, culvert and bridge
construction work for various government agencies.