Editing Montauk Project

{{Short description|UFO conspiracy theory}}
{{About|the conspiracy theory|the book series|The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
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The '''Montauk Project''' is a [[conspiracy theory]] that alleges there were a series of [[United States]] government projects conducted at [[Camp Hero State Park|Camp Hero]] or [[Montauk Air Force Station]] in [[Montauk, New York|Montauk]], [[New York (state)|New York]], for the purpose of developing [[psychological warfare]] techniques and exotic research including [[time travel]]. The story of the Montauk Project originated in [[The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time|the ''Montauk Project'' series of books]] by [[Preston Nichols]] which intermixes those stories with stories about the Bulgarian Experiment.{{clarify|date=February 2021}}<ref name="scientificexploration.or">{{cite journal |author-link= Jacques Vallée |last= Vallée |first= Jacques F. |year= 1994 |title= Anatomy of a hoax: The Philadelphia Experiment fifty years later |journal= Journal of Scientific Exploration |volume= 8 |issue= 1 |pages= 47–71 |access-date= January 13, 2010 |url= http://www.scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_08_1_vallee.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091222023540/http://www.scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_08_1_vallee.pdf |archive-date= December 22, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Frissell2003">{{cite book|last=Frissell|first=Bob|title=Something in This Book Is True, Second Edition: The Official Companion to Nothing in this Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hoU3m8T0IukC&pg=PA76 |access-date=May 27, 2011|date=2003 |publisher=Frog Books|isbn=978-1-58394-077-8|page=76}}</ref>

== Origin ==
Stories about the Montauk Project have circulated since the early 1980s. According to [[UFO]] researcher [[Jacques Vallée]], the Montauk Experiment stories seem to have originated with the highly questionable account of [[Preston Nichols]] and Al Bielek, who both claimed to have recovered [[repressed memory|repressed memories]] of their own involvement. Preston Nichols also claims that he was periodically abducted to continue his participation against his will.<ref name="bibliotecapleyades">{{cite web |url=http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/montauk/esp_montauk_1.htm |title=Preston Nichols |publisher=bibliotecapleyades.net}}</ref><ref name="scientificexploration.or" /> Nichols, born May 24, 1946, on [[Long Island, New York]], claims to have degrees in [[parapsychology]], [[psychology]], and [[electrical engineering]],<ref>The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time, Chapter 1</ref> and he has written a series of books, known as the ''Montauk Project'' series, along with Peter Moon, whose real name is Vincent Barbarick. The primary topic of the Montauk Project concerns the alleged activities at Montauk Point. These center on topics including United States government/military experiments in fields such as time travel, teleportation, mind control, contact with extraterrestrial life, and staging [[Moon landing conspiracy theories|faked Apollo Moon landings]], framed as developments that followed the 1943 [[Philadelphia Experiment]].

Both Peter Moon and Preston Nichols have encouraged speculation about the contents; for example, they wrote, "Whether you read this as science fiction or non-fiction you are in for an amazing story" in their first chapter,{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} describing much of the content as "soft facts" in a ''Guide For Readers'' and publishing a newsletter with updates to the story.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

The work has been characterized as fiction, because the entire account was fabricated by Preston Nichols, and to some extent, Stewart Swerdlow, who has consistently been shown to contradict his own backstory, and it does appear as if Swerdlow just wanted to become famous in the New Age Community, and establish a reputation for himself.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fictiondb.com/author/preston-b-nichols~montauk-revisited-adventures-in-synchronicity~314888~b.htm |title=Montauk Revisited: Adventures in Synchronicity |first=Preston B. |last=Nichols |publisher=FictionDB}} Categorises Nichols's work as "speculative fiction" and "science fiction".
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{{anchor|Film}}

==In media == 

In 2015, ''[[Montauk Chronicles]]'', a film adaptation of the conspiracy featuring Preston Nichols, Alfred Bielek, and Stewart Swerdlow, was released online and on DVD and Blu-ray. The film won the best documentary award at the [[Philip K. Dick|Philip K. Dick Film Festival]] in New York City<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scifibloggers.com/the-2015-philip-k-dick-science-fiction-film-festival-winners |first=Marlo |last=Clingman |title=The 2015 Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival Winners! |website=scifibloggers.com |date=January 20, 2015 |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref> and has been featured on ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]''<ref>{{cite AV media |people=[[Connie Willis]] (host), Preston Nichols, Christopher Garetano (guests) |date=February 14, 2015 |title=Montauk Chronicles |medium=Radio |language=en |url=http://alpha.coasttocoastam.com/show/2015/02/14 |access-date=July 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075115/http://alpha.coasttocoastam.com/show/2015/02/14 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |publisher=[[Coast to Coast AM]]}}</ref> and ''[[HuffPost|The Huffington Post]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/montauk-chronicles-time-travel-aliens_n_1543063.html |first=Lee |last=Speigel |title='Montauk Chronicles' Claims Time Travel, Mind Control, Aliens At Camp Hero |website=[[HuffPost|The Huffington Post]] |date=May 24, 2012 |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref>

The [[Netflix]] TV series ''[[Stranger Things]]'' (2016) was inspired by the somewhat dubious Montauk Project, and at one time ''Montauk'' was used as its [[working title]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sciencealert.com/there-s-a-crazy-government-conspiracy-theory-that-inspired-stranger-things |first=Jason |last=Guerrasio |title=This Is The Crazy Government Conspiracy Theory That Inspired 'Stranger Things' |website=sciencealert.com |date=September 20, 2016 |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/stranger-inspired-secret-government-experiments-article-1.2774525 |first=Jessica |last=Schladebeck |title=A look at 'Stranger Things' and the secret government experiments that inspired it |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=September 1, 2016 |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref><ref name="slashfilm">{{cite web |last1=Anderton |first1=Ethan |title='Stranger Things' Was Inspired By a Creepy, Supposedly Real Experiment Called The Montauk Project |url=http://www.slashfilm.com/stranger-things-inspired-by-the-montauk-project/ |website=[[/Film]] |date=September 6, 2016 |access-date=September 7, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Stranger Things Cast Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions |publisher=Wired|date=2017-11-21|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EvMYEfF_hQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/_EvMYEfF_hQ |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|access-date=2017-11-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The Montauk Experiment was featured on a season 8 episode of [[Discovery Channel]]'s ''[[Mysteries of the Abandoned]]'' on October 23, 2003. The episode, titled, "The Montauk Conspiracy" documented the conspiracies that "swirled around an abandoned military base" ([[Camp Hero]]) in Long Island. Experts discussed the critical role that the base played in defending America's coastline.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discovery.com/shows/mysteries-of-the-abandoned/episodes/the-montauk-conspiracy | title=The Montauk Conspiracy }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of conspiracy theories]]
* [[Project MKUltra]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{cite web |url=https://www.de173.com/the-montauk-project/ |title=The Montauk Project: Stranger Times |website=The Philadelphia Experiment from A–Z}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.de173.com/montauk-project-questioning-character/|title=The Montauk Project: Questioning Their 'Story'|website=The Philadelphia Experiment from A-–Z}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.bielek-debunked.com/ |title=Alfred Bielek debunked |website=Bielek-Debunked.com |access-date=2006-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009201438/http://www.bielek-debunked.com/ |archive-date=2018-10-09 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.bielek.com/ |title=Alfred Bielek: The Philadelphia Experiment and Montauk Survivor Accounts |website=Bielek.com}}
* {{cite web |url=http://disinfo.com/2012/07/the-montauk-project/ |title=The Montauk Project |work=Disinfo.com |access-date=2013-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214062234/http://disinfo.com/2012/07/the-montauk-project/ |archive-date=2013-12-14 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.expansions.com/ |title=Stewart Swerdlow |work=Montauk Boy - Expansions.com}}

{{Conspiracy theories}}
{{Time travel}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Conspiracy theories in the United States]]
[[Category:Montauk, New York]]
[[Category:American urban legends]]
[[Category:New York (state) folklore]]