The Herbert Schirmer UFO Abduction Case (1967): A Critical Examination

The Herbert Schirmer case stands as one of the most intriguing and well-documented UFO encounters of the late 1960s. As a police officer’s account that includes missing time, physical effects, and detailed descriptions of alien beings obtained through hypnosis, it continues to captivate researchers and the public. This report examines the evidence, evaluates witness credibility, explores alternative explanations, and assesses the case’s lasting impact on UFO discourse.

The Encounter and Initial Report

On December 3, 1967, at approximately 2:30 AM, 22-year-old police officer Herbert Schirmer was on routine patrol in Ashland, Nebraska, when he noticed unusual flashing lights on Highway 63. Initially mistaking them for a truck, he approached and turned on his high beams for a better look. What he observed instead was a disc-shaped object hovering 6-8 feet above the road¹².

Schirmer described the UFO as having a shiny, polished aluminum surface with a catwalk around it. The object featured oval-shaped windows or portholes, approximately two feet across, from which red lights were blinking¹². When Schirmer illuminated it with his high beams, the craft tilted slightly upward and, emitting a siren-like noise, ascended into the night sky trailing what appeared to be flame-like material³.

After the sighting, Schirmer returned to the police station and made a brief but significant entry in the official log: “Saw a flying saucer at the junction of highways 6 and 63. Believe it or not!”²¹. This contemporaneous record would later become an important piece of evidence supporting the authenticity of his initial experience.

What Schirmer didn’t immediately realize was that there was a discrepancy in time. While he believed the encounter had lasted only about ten minutes, upon returning to the station he discovered it was 3:00 AM, indicating approximately 20 minutes of “missing time”¹. This temporal anomaly would become a crucial element of the case.

Physical Effects and Evidence

Following the encounter, Schirmer experienced several troubling physical symptoms. He developed a severe headache and reported a “weird buzzing” sound in his head that persisted through the night¹. Later that morning, he discovered a red welt on his neck, approximately two inches long and half an inch wide, located on what he described as the “nerve cord” below one of his ears¹⁴.

The physical evidence wasn’t limited to Schirmer’s person. Ashland Police Chief Bill Wlaskin visited the alleged encounter site later that day and reportedly discovered a small metallic object¹. This artifact was subsequently analyzed and found to be composed of iron and silicon. However, investigators from the Condon Committee (a University of Colorado UFO study commissioned by the Air Force) would later dismiss it as “ordinary corroded earthly waste”¹.

The Herbert Schirmer UFO Abduction Case (1967): A Critical Examination - Full-Text (SVG)

The Condon Committee Investigation

The timing of Schirmer’s encounter coincided with the University of Colorado’s UFO study, providing an opportunity for prompt official investigation. Representatives from this project interviewed Schirmer on December 11-12, 1967, just days after the incident³⁵.

During these interviews, the investigators noted Schirmer’s report of “missing time” and his physical symptoms following the encounter. In their summary, they wrote: “Mr. Schirmer felt perhaps he had not been conscious during a period of approximately 20 minutes while he was observing the UFO. He had a feeling of paralysis at the time, and felt funny, weak, sick, and nervous when he returned to the police station”³.

Revelations Through Hypnosis

In February 1968, Schirmer became the first UFO witness to undergo hypnotic regression under the auspices of the Colorado Project³. Dr. Leo R. Sprinkle, a psychologist from the University of Wyoming and NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena) member, conducted the hypnosis sessions on February 14 and 15, 1968³¹.

What emerged during these sessions was a much more elaborate account than Schirmer had previously reported. Under hypnosis, Schirmer recalled being taken aboard the spacecraft by humanoid entities¹⁴. He described these beings as standing between 4.5 to 5 feet tall with several distinctive features: slightly slanted “cat-like” eyes that didn’t blink, gray-white skin, elongated heads, flat noses, and slit-like mouths¹.

Schirmer provided detailed descriptions of their appearance, claiming they wore silver-gray uniforms and helmets equipped with small antennas on the left side¹. Each entity allegedly displayed an emblem of a winged serpent on the left breast of their uniform¹⁶. According to Schirmer, these beings communicated with him partially through telepathy, facilitated by the antennas on their helmets¹.

During his alleged time aboard the craft, Schirmer claimed to have been given a tour of the vessel and shown various technological systems, including their propulsion mechanism⁴. The beings reportedly explained their mission on Earth, which involved an interest in our planet’s electricity⁴. They also told him they would visit him twice more and that someday he would “see the universe”¹.

A particularly unusual aspect of the hypnosis sessions, noted by UFO author Brad Steiger who was present during the initial regression work, was that at one point Schirmer began speaking as though he were one of the craft’s occupants: “He began to speak as though he were one of the occupants and said he would be, from time to time, returning in one way or another to keep tabs on Herb”¹.

Credibility Assessment

The Witness

Herbert Schirmer’s credibility as a witness has several supporting factors. As a police officer, he was a trained observer accustomed to making detailed reports and had a professional reputation to maintain⁶. His decision to officially log the sighting, knowing it could potentially subject him to ridicule, suggests he felt a professional obligation to record what he had experienced regardless of how it might be received.

The immediate physical symptoms Schirmer experienced—particularly the unexplained welt on his neck—provide circumstantial evidence supporting his claim that something unusual occurred¹⁴. Additionally, the reported time discrepancy was noted before any hypnotic regression, suggesting this wasn’t a detail added later to enhance the story.

The Hypnosis Factor

The use of hypnotic regression in this case presents both strengths and complications for assessing credibility. On one hand, hypnosis can potentially access memories that witnesses are unable to recall consciously. On the other hand, the reliability of hypnotically retrieved memories has been questioned by psychologists, who have demonstrated that hypnosis can increase confidence in false memories and susceptibility to suggestion.

Dr. Leo Sprinkle, who conducted Schirmer’s hypnosis, was already involved with UFO research and a member of NICAP. While his expertise in hypnosis isn’t questioned in the available sources, his pre-existing interest in UFOs could potentially have influenced the session, even unintentionally.

The dramatic expansion of Schirmer’s story under hypnosis—from a simple sighting to a complex abduction narrative—raises questions about whether these details represent recovered memories or confabulations. However, supporters of Schirmer’s account point to the internal consistency of his descriptions and their similarity to other abduction reports that weren’t widely publicized at that time.

Corroborating Evidence

UFO researchers have pointed to similarities between Schirmer’s description of the entities and those reported in other police cases as supporting evidence. As stated by UFO expert John Buder: “The extraterrestrials were absolutely identical and these were reported in police reports, not just a person coming forward and saying it happened it to me, these were investigated by local law enforcement”⁶⁷.

These pattern similarities across independent reports are considered significant by many UFO researchers, suggesting that multiple witnesses were describing the same type of entity without prior knowledge of each other’s experiences.

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Counterarguments and Skepticism

Psychological Explanations

Skeptical analyses of the Schirmer case often focus on psychological explanations, particularly those related to the hypnosis component. The expansion of Schirmer’s narrative under hypnosis aligns with what psychologists have observed about hypnosis potentially enhancing confabulation—the unconscious production of falsified memories believed to be true by the subject.

The “missing time” element, central to many abduction accounts, might be explained by a brief episode of highway hypnosis or microsleep, common experiences among people driving during late-night hours. The stress of believing one has encountered something inexplicable could potentially trigger various psychological and physiological responses that might account for Schirmer’s symptoms.

Cultural Influences

The late 1960s represented a period of growing public interest in UFOs and alien contact. The Betty and Barney Hill case, which also involved an alleged abduction and hypnotic regression, had received significant publicity earlier in the decade⁸. Skeptics suggest that such cultural influences might have shaped both Schirmer’s interpretation of his experience and the content of his hypnotic regression.

Misidentification

A more prosaic explanation might involve misidentification of conventional phenomena. Bright stars, planets, weather phenomena, or even experimental aircraft have been misidentified as UFOs in many cases. The initial sighting—lights on the highway that Schirmer first thought was a truck—could potentially have been an unusual atmospheric or astronomical phenomenon that was misinterpreted due to the late hour and isolated conditions.

The Condon Committee’s Approach

Although the Condon Committee investigated the case, their overall project has been criticized for having a predetermined negative conclusion about UFOs⁵. Some UFO researchers have argued that the committee was not truly impartial and may have dismissed evidence that didn’t fit their expected conclusions. As noted by Kevin Randle: “I won’t bother here with the details about why I think this was a set up and neither the Air Force nor Condon planned to make a true objective analysis”⁵.

The Case’s Influence and Legacy

Place in UFO Literature

The Schirmer case has become one of the classic abduction accounts in UFO literature, frequently cited alongside cases like the Hill abduction⁸. Its features—a credible witness, physical traces, missing time, and detailed descriptions obtained through hypnosis—have made it particularly compelling to UFO researchers and enthusiasts.

Cultural References and Adaptations

The enduring interest in the Schirmer case is evidenced by its adaptations into other media. In 2011, Michael Jasorka created a 50-page comic book based on Schirmer’s account, bringing the story to a new audience⁷⁶. In 2019, Nebraska-based Kinkaider Brewery released a beer called “Star Space Dank IPA” named after and referencing the encounter, specifically incorporating the winged serpent emblem that Schirmer described on the aliens’ uniforms⁶.

These cultural adaptations demonstrate how the case has transcended the UFO research community to become part of regional folklore and popular culture. The brewery’s beer launch and associated events, including a book signing with Jasorka, show how the case continues to resonate with the public decades after the original incident⁶.

Contribution to Abduction Research

The Schirmer case occurred during a formative period in UFO abduction research. Its investigation by the Condon Committee and the use of hypnotic regression helped establish methodologies that would be applied to numerous subsequent cases. The detailed descriptions Schirmer provided of the beings and their technology contributed to the developing typology of alien entities in UFO literature.

The case also represents an early example of what would become a recognized pattern in abduction accounts: initial sighting, missing time, physical symptoms, and subsequently recovered memories of interaction with non-human entities. This pattern would be documented and analyzed by researchers in later decades.

Research Gaps and Future Directions

Several significant gaps in the available evidence present opportunities for follow-up research:

Comparative analysis: A systematic comparison of Schirmer’s entity descriptions with other police reports mentioned by researchers like Buder could help evaluate the claim that these descriptions were remarkably similar across independent cases.
Historical context: More detailed investigation of any unusual aerial activity, military operations, or atmospheric phenomena in the region during that time period might suggest alternative explanations.
Psychological profile: A more thorough examination of Schirmer’s psychological state before and after the incident could provide insights into how the experience affected him and whether psychological factors might explain aspects of his account.
Hypnosis methodology: Modern analysis of the hypnotic regression techniques used could help evaluate the reliability of the information obtained through this method, particularly given advances in understanding memory formation and recall since the 1960s.
Physical evidence: If the metallic fragment found at the site was preserved, modern analytical techniques might provide more definitive information about its composition and origin than was possible in 1967.

Primary Sources and Documentation

The search for primary documents related to the Schirmer case would ideally include:

The original police log entry made by Schirmer
The Condon Committee’s full investigative report on the case
Transcripts or recordings of the hypnosis sessions conducted by Dr. Sprinkle
Any medical documentation of Schirmer’s physical symptoms
Analysis reports of the metallic fragment found at the site

Some visual documentation exists, including sketches made by Schirmer of the craft and its occupants¹. Additionally, there are visual depictions of Schirmer’s account in the comic book by Michael Jasorka, though these are artistic interpretations rather than primary evidence.

Archival footage of Schirmer discussing his experience can be viewed in limited online sources, such as this YouTube video which preserves some of his testimony⁹.

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Conclusion

The Herbert Schirmer case contains elements that make it difficult to dismiss entirely, yet equally difficult to accept uncritically as evidence of extraterrestrial contact. The credibility of Schirmer as a police officer, the contemporaneous log entry, and the reported physical effects lend weight to the core claim that something unusual occurred on that December night in 1967.

However, the dramatic expansion of the narrative under hypnosis, the psychological complexities of recovered memories, and the lack of definitive physical evidence prevent the case from being considered conclusive proof of alien visitation. The case ultimately rests heavily on Schirmer’s testimony, with the supporting evidence being either circumstantial or subject to multiple interpretations.

What remains undisputed is the case’s enduring impact on UFO research and its place in the cultural history of UFO phenomena. Whether viewed as a genuine encounter with non-human intelligence, a misperception transformed by psychological processes, or something in between, the Schirmer case continues to illustrate the challenges of investigating extraordinary claims and the fascination they hold for both researchers and the public.

The case invites us to consider not only what might have happened to Herbert Schirmer but also how we evaluate evidence, the reliability of memory, and the boundaries between objective reality and subjective experience. In this sense, it remains relevant not just to UFO research but to broader questions about perception, memory, and the nature of human experience.

Though Schirmer has since passed away, his account lives on as one of the most detailed and discussed close encounter cases in UFO history, continuing to generate interest, debate, and cultural references more than five decades after that winter night in Nebraska.

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Isaac Koi