Paul Gillebaard - Moon Hoax

“Done in studios,” the councilor said smugly into the microphone as he stared in the direction of the secretary. “In fact NASA even claims to have lost the original film of their first landing. How could any responsible agency with documentation of one of the greatest achievements of mankind lose that film? China feels the Americans made that first film in haste after it was realized they would not be able to land on the moon, and NASA officials knew if experts ever had the original film to study they would easily disprove it. It was only on later missions, after NASA accepted the fact they would not be able to land, that they perfected the illusion of movement looking like it was taking place in microgravity, and thus produced more realistic films for later flights. We received intelligence on how this was done in the ’70s, and have been able to duplicate this on film with Chinese actors. We would be happy to present a copy of these films to the UN to study and compare to America’s films.”

“Ridiculous,” snapped the secretary, who continued to stand. Andy, sitting next to Steve, was also visibly disturbed by what Mr. Chen was claiming, but whispered the secretary was going about questioning Mr. Chen in the wrong way. He insisted the United States should follow protocol and respond directly to the UN after the session, petitioning the statement. But since the secretary had seniority over him, he had to let Steve handle it his way. So he just sat, listening and taking notes. Steve barked back to Mr. Chen, “What about the mirror device we placed on the moon, which has been verified by the scientific community by aiming a laser at it and the reflection it returns to Earth?”

Mr. Chen was pressing his lips into a thin line while the secretary was allowed to speak out of turn. He looked toward the UN president for help or to intervene. The president basically gave a look that said he had to deal with it on his own. Mr. Chen turned back in the direction of the secretary and responded strongly, “China does not discount America’s ability to fly into deep space. In fact we feel you were on the same level as Russia back in ’69, both capable of sending mechanical devices to the moon, and even men. We question that you were ever able to land a man on the lunar surface and return him safely back to earth. So to address your question, we feel you sent up a robotic device that deployed the mirror experiment.”

“This is ludicrous. This is just wasting the UN’s time,” said the secretary, looking around the audience for approval. “Our rocks will not only be different by origin, but they will also show no effects of atmospheric friction. Keep in mind we have over 800 lbs of these!”

The Chinese councilor was starting to get red in the face himself, and looked directly at the secretary. “We have over 300 lbs of these rocks we have collected over the years in secure stowage. We would be happy to supply a large sample of these to the UN to be inspected by the top scientists of the world.” He started pointing at the secretary, wagging his finger. “If our rocks are proven to be of the same origin and in similar condition as America’s rocks, would that be proof enough the United States never landed on the moon?”

The secretary of state was being put on the spot in front of all the member states in attendance and was having a hard time taking any of these statements seriously. Without consulting with his government, he spoke out confidently. “If independent scientists which the United States feels are qualified to make such a verification state the rocks are of the same origin and of similar condition, then it will definitely put in question our moon landings.”

It was early morning at the White House. Secretary Russell hustled down the long hallway for his meeting in the Oval Office. Unlike himself, he was running late. As he rushed along he was surprised at the number of people already busy working. He figured it must be because of this latest crisis. He approached the president’s secretary sitting outside his office. Seeing it was he she waved him on by. He gave her a frustrated look. “I hate being late to see Bill.” The door to the president’s office was closed. He gave a slight knock as he slowly pushed the door open and walked in.

President Bill Edwards sat behind his desk, intently studying a file on his desk. Across from him sat the head of the CIA, Jack Dawson, and the NASA Administrator, Doug Rose. They both looked up at Steve, but the president never lifted his head. Steve had worked with Jack on many occasions, but had only met Doug a few times. Steve quietly walked to the last remaining leather chair between Doug and Jack and briefly shook both their hands before sitting. The president was focused on what he was reading and it was obvious that what he read disturbed him. The three sat in silence staring at the president. Steve could smell freshly brewed coffee, but did not dare get up. He eventually got Jack’s attention and looked at him with a quizzical look. Jack said nothing, just shrugged and turned back to the president.

Finally the president looked up, breaking the silence with sarcasm. “Glad you could join us, Steve.” The president normally had a great personality. He loved to joke and kid around with his cabinet members, but the president was all business now. Steve knew from his many years working with the man that when Bill was serious, there was no excuse for being late. He said nothing.

All three were there to answer questions regarding the absurd lies put forth by China, and help the president decide what course of action the United States should take. Bill had a press conference scheduled later that day to address these accusations and wanted to be prepared on what America’s response would be as well as questions that would be asked. These three men would be able to supply him with that information.

The president felt betrayed by China, a country he had supported ever since he was elected to office. In fact it was his call to the head of the Olympic committee that kept the Olympics in China after the backlash from the terrible work conditions and brutal treatment of their citizens. The premier of China, Hu Junlong, personally called the president to say thank you, saying his country owed America for helping them keep the Olympics and get the opportunity to show the world what an advanced culture they had become. Now China was making up these bold-faced lies, or were they? The president needed to first make sure there was nothing so top secret it had been hidden from presidents. So Bill turned to Doug, NASA’s chief, and sternly asked, “Is there any truth to what they are stating?”

Doug straightened in his chair and confidently responded, “Absolutely not, Mr. President. We did land on the moon, and we have plenty of proof to discredit whatever they bring forward. I have no idea why they would make such an accusation. They can only lose this fight and ruin their recent good standing among the world.”

The president got up from behind his desk, pen in hand, walked around to the front and leaned back. Looking directly at Doug he asked, “What proof do we exactly have? Can’t we just aim one of our high powered telescopes, like the Hubble, and see some of the hardware left on the moon, and end it right there?”

Doug was now looking up to the president, his neck craned awkwardly. “Unfortunately, the world does not have a telescope powerful enough to see any of the hardware left on the moon.”

The president, surprised to hear this asked, “You’re kidding me! We can see light years away outside our own galaxy, but we can’t see a goddamn car on the moon?”

“That is correct, Mr. President. In fact, it’s as if you were flying in Air Force One and you tried to look down with your naked eye and pin point a grain of sand. Just impossible with the technology we have today.”