Hangar 18 — Brigadier General Arthur Exon: The Base Commander Speaks
Hangar 18 — Brigadier General Arthur Exon: The Base Commander Speaks
[edit | edit source]Overview
[edit | edit source]Brigadier General Arthur Exon (USAF, retired) is one of the most institutionally significant witnesses associated with Wright-Patterson's alleged UFO holdings. As a former base commander at WPAFB and a career Air Force officer with direct institutional knowledge of the base's activities, his statements to UFO researchers Kevin Randle and Donald Schmitt represent the highest-ranking on-record military acknowledgment of anomalous materials at Wright-Patterson.
Biography
[edit | edit source]| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Arthur E. Exon |
| Rank | Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force (retired) |
| Position at WPAFB | Base Commander; served at WPAFB in multiple capacities over his career |
| Service period | Career Air Force officer; served from WWII through the Cold War era |
| WWII record | Combat pilot; shot down over Europe; prisoner of war |
| Interview by | Kevin Randle and Donald Schmitt, UFO researchers |
| Interview date | 1990 |
| Context | Randle and Schmitt were researching their book UFO Crash at Roswell |
Exon's Statements
[edit | edit source]In his 1990 interview with Randle and Schmitt, Brigadier General Exon made several significant statements about Wright-Patterson's connection to Roswell and exotic materials:
On Materials Being Tested at WPAFB
[edit | edit source]Exon confirmed that materials from a New Mexico crash were brought to Wright-Patterson for analysis. He stated that people at the base had been told about the materials and that testing was conducted at the facility. He described:
- Materials that were lightweight and had unusual properties
- Tests conducted in Wright-Patterson's various laboratories
- The involvement of multiple departments in analyzing the recovered items
On Bodies
[edit | edit source]When asked about bodies, Exon stated that the people he knew and worked with had known that bodies were recovered at Roswell and brought to Wright-Patterson. He did not claim personal direct observation of bodies but indicated awareness among WPAFB personnel.
The "Unholy Thirteen"
[edit | edit source]Exon referenced a group he called the "Unholy Thirteen"*** — a small, senior group of government and military officials who he believed controlled what information was released about UFO-related matters. This group operated above normal military command structures and had authority to override standard information-sharing protocols.
The "Unholy Thirteen" concept closely parallels the Majestic-12 framework — a small group of officials managing the UFO secret outside normal governmental accountability. The specificity of Exon's reference — a particular number, a particular organizational structure — has been cited by researchers as consistent with genuine institutional knowledge rather than general rumor.
A Critical Caveat
[edit | edit source]Exon was careful in his statements. He consistently distinguished between what he personally observed and what he was told or understood to be true. He did not claim to have entered the Blue Room or directly handled alien bodies. His statements function as institutional corroboration — a former base commander acknowledging awareness of activities at the facility — rather than first-person eyewitness testimony.
Significance
[edit | edit source]Brigadier General Exon's account is among the most institutionally significant in the Hangar 18 case record for a specific reason: he was not a subordinate employee speculating about what went on in restricted areas. He was a base commander — someone who had authority over the installation and institutional awareness of its major programs.
His acknowledgment that materials were tested at WPAFB, that personnel had knowledge of recovered bodies, and that a small control group managed UFO information above normal command channels provides three independent corroborating points:
- Physical materials at WPAFB (consistent with Stringfield, Crane, and DuBose testimonies)
- Body awareness at institutional level (consistent with Magruder, Henderson, and Stringfield testimonies)
- Compartmented oversight structure (consistent with the Majestic-12 framework and Goldwater's "above Top Secret" account)
