One of the characters I especially enjoyed writing about in Truth Insurrected: The Saint Mary Project was Colonel Bennet, Saint Mary’s disinformation officer.
In this excerpt, he and his colleagues are reacting to an incident at Area 51 — an alien UFO incursion — that does not go well for the project. Also, the excerpt comes from a chapter where you learn that Bennet has unique physical characteristics and behaviors that seem to fit his role in disinformation quite well. He lives and breathes this role, and that is demonstrated in his statements at this meeting with his Saint Mary Project colleagues.
Is he being honest or playing games?
I have the suspicion that Bennet long ago abandoned any moral compass in favor of embracing perception over reality. But he is crafty about this. In this excerpt he manages to convey concern for both Saint Mary's vulnerabilities and make a case for UFO disclosure.
Such is the tangled web of disinformation that is woven when Bennet plays his part in the government's most sinister conspiracy.
Subdued, oddly charming Bennet, Saint Mary’s disinformation officer, was a tiny man, easily overlooked in a crowded room. Behind the military-issue, horn-rimmed eyeglasses, he had one brown eye and one green eye. Most people never noticed this though, as he rarely looked anyone squarely in the face. He sat a little farther back from the table than everyone else and contemplated a fraying seam on his blue pant leg…
“Excuse me, excuse me, but with all due respect to my colleagues and the members of the Circle, I am concerned this policy was made in haste.” Bennet paused. He slid off the horn-rims and folded them in his lap. “There is so much that we do not understand. I know that we have lost assets in the course of these encounters. The abduction phenomenon alone is reason enough to warrant serious concern. But think about where we are with the recovered technology. We’ve had the experimental for sixty-plus years, and we still haven’t flown the damn thing more than a few miles. We don’t even have the right power cell, or any clue how to fabricate one.”
“What about Aurora? What about fiber optics? And the prototypes?” General Lanham said, leaning toward Colonel Bennet and throwing up his hands.
“Yes, yes, there have been significant adaptations,” Bennet said. He looked at the chairman and twitched. “But remember who we are dealing with. These guys aren’t from our neighborhood.”
Returning the gaze, the chairman said, “What are you suggesting, Colonel?”
“Well, we can debate endlessly about the fifth species and the defense profile, but there is another very urgent problem.”
The colonel’s next words came haltingly. To General Taylor, Bennet sounded either very cautious, or very poorly rehearsed.
“There is an assumption that, at a certain point, disclosure will occur. This assumes we have control of the situation. We talk about the potential instability or disintegration of society that may happen when disclosure occurs. So we have pursued efforts that will prepare society for that moment. In other words, disinformation has changed the way society views the prospect of life elsewhere in the universe. This is the payoff for carrying the burden of secrecy. The problem now, however, is that secrecy has become the singular driving force behind Saint Mary. We have committed unimaginable crimes. Everything from funding to security is built upon unlawful and illegal means. Distrust is our greatest enemy, not a mysterious fifth species. Gentlemen, our mission, the Saint Mary Project, is complete. All that remains is the truth. And this belongs to the people we serve.” Bennet reinstalled his glasses and then dropped his head.
The room grew quiet again.
The chairman waited. He looked around the table at all of the meeting’s participants, searching for weakness and sympathy.
Then, he reacted.
“This is not an option, Colonel. Let me remind everyone that secrecy and the security branch are more important now than ever. The Circle’s interpretation is that we face a hostile threat, against which we cannot defend. The need to protect this information is obvious. Our actions in Saint Mary must be commensurate with these circumstances. No weak links will be tolerated.”