The Guardian Tape: UFO Caught on Camera, or Hoax?

Summary

Podcast Summary
Conspiracy Theories – “The Guardian Tape: UFO Caught on Camera, or Hoax?”
Spotify Studios, June 3, 2026
Host: Carter Roy

Episode Theme and Purpose
This episode dives into one of Canada’s most fascinating and convoluted UFO mysteries: the “Guardian Tape” case, centering on a blurry VHS video of a supposed UFO landing near Ottawa in 1991, its anonymous sender “Guardian,” and the rabbit hole of investigation, intrigue, and possible hoax that ensued. The episode examines the evidence, the main players, the web of conspiracy and skepticism, and explores why the Guardian Tape persists as both an authenticating and diminishing force within Canadian UFO folklore.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Mysterious Arrival of the Guardian Tape

• February 1992: UFO researcher Bob Exler receives an anonymous manila envelope containing supposed government documents, a map, odd photographs of “aliens,” and a VHS tape labeled “Guardian” (00:06).
• VHS contents: Shaky nighttime footage of an object—possibly an aircraft—approaching a field marked with red flares, all filmed in silence except for distant dog barks.
• The sender’s identity is unknown, leaving Exler with a tantalizing but perplexing mystery.

2. Analyzing the Evidence

• Exler and a colleague scrutinize the footage, thinking it could be “the most credible piece of UFO evidence ever captured on camera” [A, 00:55].
• Doubts arise: The object looks both detailed and ambiguous; the silence and “outdoor realness” of the video suggest authenticity to some, while others cast doubt due to the poor quality and lack of corroboration (04:24).
• “Faking a scene with an object that size and that shape would take a lot of effort and time.” — Carter Roy [A, 05:07]

3. The Investigation Begins: The Search for Guardian

• Exler enlists Canadian researchers from MUFON; learns he’s not the only recipient of a Guardian Tape (06:27).
• Guardian has been active since 1989, but prior mailings were less compelling—photos and documents only, no video.
• Multiple alleged witnesses found, but most claims are inconclusive; earlier incidents lacked hard evidence.

4. Field Research in West Carleton

• May 10, 1992: Exler, his son, and Canadian UFO researchers, including Graham Lightfoot, converge on the mapped area (09:05).
• They chase leads, trudge through swamps, and interview locals—most notably Diane Labeneck, who corroborates the scenario described in the tape, independent of having seen it (12:09).
• Diane reports further suspicious events: unmarked helicopters, recurring bright lights, and anxiety about sharing her experiences (14:26).
• “Diane agrees that’s it. That’s what she saw back in August. She feels like finally, here’s some proof that she’s not imagining things…” [A, 13:37]

5. Escalating the Case: Unsolved Mysteries

• Exler pitches the Guardian case to Unsolved Mysteries; the show films a segment in West Carleton (17:40).
• NASA’s Dr. Robert Nathan cannot confirm or deny the authenticity of the footage; Major N.J. Patterson (Canadian Forces) debunks the “official” documents and confirms military helicopters were not involved (16:40).
• Major Patterson on the documents: “Someone with very little effort could have come a lot closer than this.” [A, 18:38]

6. A New Witness (Susan Gills/Sarah) and the Hunt for Guardian

• After the episode airs, Susan Gills (“Sarah”), a local government worker, comes forward with claims of witnessing glowing beings and a craft hatch opening—going so far as to pass a polygraph on national television (20:43).
• Susan’s account includes a mysterious car (possibly Guardian) leaving the area with its headlights off.
• Investigation attempts to tie Bobby Charlebois, a local UFO buff, to the Guardian identity—both via social connections and with attempts at fingerprint matching, all inconclusive (24:30).

7. Seeds of Doubt: Suspicions of a Hoax

• Several inconsistencies emerge: the “government documents” are debunked as forgeries; alien photos look staged.
• RCMP’s own review of the tape concludes the “UFO” is a Sikorsky S76 helicopter, which Exler rejects (28:15).
• Suspicions shift: could Susan Gills or even Exler himself be Guardian?
• Susan’s grandson, in a later documentary, recalls her abduction claims and notes she owned a similar typewriter and camera equipment (29:00).
• “Susan’s secret is that her job really isn’t secret at all.” [A, 31:10]

8. Community Suspicion and Infighting

• MUFON Ontario (“Guardian Caper” report, 1995) brands the case an elaborate hoax, alleging Exler was motivated by self-promotion and financial gain (33:52).
• MUFON investigators allege Exler manipulated the story, edited timelines, and controlled the media narrative (36:15).
• Notable drama: “What’s wrong with trying to make a buck?” — Bob Exler (quoted by Tom, Canadian investigator) [A, 35:18]
• Some even suggest Guardian was a collective, involving suspects like Diane Labeneck and Bobby Charlebois.

9. Lasting Theories and Unresolved Mysteries

• The Guardian Tape remains infamous, but the region around West Carleton has had numerous unexplained sightings predating the tape (40:00).
• Possible explanations floated:
  • Elaborate coordinated hoax
  • Military exercise (with odd-lasting effects and silent lights noted by witnesses)
  • Genuine extraterrestrial activity
  • Government psychological operation to make UFO reports in West Carleton seem less credible—“what better way to take the heat off than to release a tape showing what’s happening, knowing people won’t take it seriously?” [A, 46:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Who? Whoever Guardian is, they’ve just sent Bob down a years long rabbit hole. One that will ultimately cause him to step away from the field of UFO research entirely.” — Carter Roy [A, 00:50]

• “If Bob can do all that, he might be looking at a career defining case. And in a way, he ends up being right. Probably just not in the way he hoped.” — Carter Roy [A, 05:59]

• “I could find nothing conclusive to support or disprove any of the witnesses claims.” — Graham Lightfoot [A, 10:20]

• “Major Patterson looks through these pages and without hesitation concludes they’re forged. He cites several errors throughout and adds, quote, someone with very little effort could have come a lot closer than this.” — Carter Roy [A, 18:38]

• “She wrote that what really happened was she was sitting on her couch… she saw the lights outside, went to investigate, and spotted beings coming out of a spacecraft. And suddenly she found herself back on her couch… She couldn’t account for this jump forward in time at all. It was like she simply blinked.” — Carter Roy, recounting Susan’s account [A, 29:36]

• “I don’t like what I’ve seen this phenomenon do to otherwise concerned rational people, including myself. The malicious libel, slander, distortion and unchecked fabrication that runs rampant in the UFO field is destructive and counterproductive.” — Bob Exler (from his resignation letter) [A, 39:43]

• “There seems to be something odd going on in West Carlton, which the Guardian case and Bob’s handling of it overshadowed.” — Carter Roy [A, 42:30]

• “What better way to take the heat off than to release a tape showing what’s happening, knowing people won’t take it seriously?” — Carter Roy [A, 46:25]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:06: The Guardian Tape arrives; initial evidence and setup
• 04:24: Video analysis and first doubts
• 09:05: Field investigation and Diane Labeneck’s corroboration
• 17:40: Unsolved Mysteries segment and expert opinions
• 20:43: Susan Gills (“Sarah”) comes forward as a shadowed witness
• 24:30: The hunt for Bobby Charlebois; tireless finger-pointing
• 28:15: RCMP debunks the tape as depicting a helicopter
• 29:00: Susan’s abduction claim and her grandson’s doubts
• 33:52: MUFON Ontario’s critical report and UFO community spillover
• 35:18: Bob Exler’s infamous “make a buck” remark
• 40:00+: Other strange West Carleton sightings and theorizing
• 46:25: Suggestion of a government-created hoax to delegitimize local UFO reports

Conclusion
While the Guardian Tape remains one of the most famous pieces of supposed UFO evidence in Canadian folklore, this episode reveals the saga as a tangle of half-truths, hoaxes (deliberate or not), interpersonal drama, and unresolved questions. Yet, for Carter Roy and this podcast, the mystery has shifted: less about whether the tape shows an alien craft and more about who shaped, muddied, and ultimately controlled the story—and why. The Guardian affair thus exemplifies the persistent ambiguities, rivalries, and motivations at the heart of conspiracy thinking.

As Carter Roy wisely closes:
“Remember, the truth isn’t always the best story, and the official story isn’t always the truth.” [A, 47:15]

Transcript

[A]

It's February 1992, and Bob Echler is sifting through his mail. He's used to getting a lot of letters. Letters that most people might find a bit strange. See, Bob is a well known and highly respected UFO researcher. So people write to him from all over the place about their alleged sightings. Some of the reports are convincing, others, not so much. This evening, one envelope in particular catches his eye. There's something different about it. It's missing a return address. Bob's interest is piqued, so he pulls it from the stack, rips the manila envelope open and dumps out the contents. Out spills a bunch of folded documents. At first glance, they appear to be official Canadian government memos. There's also a hand drawn map and photographs of aliens that, well, honestly look like a guy in a cheap costume. And then there's a VHS tape. Bob pops it in his VCR and a shaky homemade video flickers to life on his television. Whoever holds the camera seems to be running through the dark toward a bunch of lights. The images are blurry and the object's far away, so it's not immediately obvious what Bob's looking at. But it appears as though some kind of aircraft is landing near a line of red flares. Bob studies the video. Then he sends it to a colleague with expertise in photoanalysis. They both agree there's something here worth investigating. To Bob, this could be the most credible piece of UFO evidence ever captured on camera. And it landed right in his lap. Only he doesn't know who sent it to him. The tape is labeled with just one Guardian. Right next to the name, there's an inky fingerprint. Who? Whoever Guardian is, they've just sent Bob down a years long rabbit hole. One that will ultimately cause him to step away from the field of UFO research entirely. One that still to this day has people asking, who is Guardian? Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy. New episodes come out every Wednesday. We'd love to hear from you. So if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Or check us out on Instagram heconspiracypod. Stay with us. Debuting Sunday at 9, exclusively on AMC and AMC. I am the vampire Lestat. I'm a rock star now I'm a little killer.

[B]

I'm a moon.

[A]

From Anne Rice's immortal universe comes what Vulture calls the most momentous event in fictional rock history.

[B]

Thousands of fans love it.

[A]

I want millions. It's my era. Anne Rice's the Vampireless Dot debuts Sunday at 9, exclusively on AMC and AMC.

[B]

Now on Acorn TV. There's a killer on the loose. Brooke Shields stars in the new original murder mystery. You're killing me. You spit some crackpot theory and I find the evidence. I solve mysteries for a living. I think I'm good to go. Murder has met its match.

[A]

You cannot be here. This is a police investigation.

[B]

I've written you.

[A]

What does that mean?

[B]

He was a big city sitting cop with a small jurisdiction. Boomers are so cute when they flirt. You're killing me. All new episodes now on Acorn tv. Every outfit starts with a choice. What am I wearing underneath? Something comfortable and let's be honest, something that keeps everything looking smooth. That's where Vanity Fair lingerie comes in. Their new smoothing wireless bra has four way stretch fabric for all over smoothing. Soft lightly lined cups for a natural shape and no wire comfort that last all day. All over smooth, all day comfort. Vanity Fair lingerie. Find yours at Target. Today,

[A]

former NASA employee and UFO researcher Bob Exler pours over the Guardian tape. It's February 1992, so that means lots of pausing and rewinding on his vcr. The video is blurry, the camera work is shaky, but there seems to be some horizontal light in the distance with another bluish light blinking above it at one point. Whatever object they're attached to looks as though it flies away. When you watch this video, it it seems like there is something there, but also it really is hard to make out exactly what it could be. I can imagine going over this video back and forth a thousand times as I did. The more Bob looks, the more he feels certain he can see. A large curved object briefly illuminated with each strobe. It looks larger than a truck, smaller than a bus, maybe 20 to 30ft from one end to the other. And of course it can fly. But it doesn't look like any man made spacecraft he knows of. Which for Bob immediately rules out a hoax. His reasoning? Faking a scene with an object that size and that shape would take a lot of effort and time. And this appears to be a real video shot outdoors in a field somewhere in Canada. There are no film sets or tiny models involved here. Staging a hoax of this scale would simply draw too much attention. Just as odd as what Bob sees is what he hears or doesn't hear. The video does have sound. A dog barks off in the distance. But the potential spacecraft is completely silent from that moment on. Bob works under the assumption that Guardian's video is credible. Although there's Still, a lot he doesn't know. One, what the object in the video really is, two, when the event supposedly happened, and three, who was operating the camera. For him, that last question is the biggest hurdle to overcome. He doesn't know Guardian's identity. They seem to be passing themselves off as some kind of government whistleblower. The deep throat of Canadian UFO conspiracies. Which would explain why they were able to be in the right place at the right time to capture the video. They had insider information. But because Guardian has remained anonymous, Bob can't get in touch. However, he's a seasoned researcher. He'll just have to go out there and find Guardian along with the truth behind the video. If Bob can do all that, he might be looking at a career defining case. And in a way, he ends up being right. Probably just not in the way he hoped. Like any great 90s adventure, this one starts with a map. Guardian hasn't spelled out for Bob exactly where to go, but he did send along a hand drawn map of a Canadian region known as West Carlton, about 35 miles outside of Ottawa, Ontario. The search area defined on the map covers a little over one square mile. It's not huge, but we're talking about a place with big open fields, farmland. Some areas are covered in dense vegetation. There are even swamps. It's not the easiest terrain, especially if you're trying to pinpoint the precise location where a 20 to 30 foot object might have landed. Now, Bob lives in Maryland and he doesn't know much about West Carlton, but he does have a head start. Thanks to his connections. He's a member of the Mutual UFO Network, or mufon. And his first order of business is calling his fellow researchers in Canada. The guy he talks to tells Bob he's not the only person who received a VHS tape from Guardian. On the one hand, that's gotta sting a little bit, right? Like Bob's not as special as he might have thought he was. Oh, oh, you got a tape too. No, I figured, I mean, of course you got a tape. I didn't think I was the only one who got the super special tape. On the other hand, it's kind of exciting news. Bob's no longer alone in this mystery. Plus he learns not all of the tapes are identical. His copy includes a closer shot of the mysterious craft by the end of that long distance call, which probably cost an arm and a leg, that was very much still a thing in the early 90s. He has a plan to visit West Carlton the following week. On May 10th, Bob and his son meet up with a crew of eight Canadian UFO researchers, including a man named Graham Lightfoot, who knows a little more about the history of Guardian. And yes, I said history because apparently Guardian has been sending out packages since 1989. He'd mailed various organizations and lecturers and experts at least four times before. The difference is those earlier communications only included documents and some blurry photos, never a vhs. Even so, Guardian's first letters caused a bit of a stir. Back in 89, Guardian wrote about an alleged UFO crash near Ottawa, in roughly the same area where the tape is later filmed. Graham Lightfoot was sent to investigate that first claim. He managed to track down at least three possible witnesses to the 1989 crash Guardian described. There's a couple who recalled an intense light flooding into their house. And a woman named Diane labeneck saw something similar. A bright light that she says flew over her house and toward the adjacent swamp, followed by several helicopters that appeared to be using their lights to search for something. That may sound like a solid lead, but Graham is a thorough and discerning researcher. He ends up speaking to far more residents who don't recall seeing anything out of the ordinary. He searches the land surrounding Diane's house on foot and comes up empty handed. Ultimately, Graham has no choice but to report back. I could find nothing conclusive to support or disprove any of the witnesses claims. So the first investigation prompted by Guardian was a bust. But now it's 1992. Three years later, there's a bigger crew, new leads, a map, and not to mention friggin video. The search begins near the Cedar Ridge Estates, an upscale neighborhood. Stately2storyhomes dot the countryside, each one surrounded by a couple acres. The open fields bring to mind the scene from Guardian's video. What's more, one investigator notices he can hear a single dog barking in the distance. When the team thinks they've pinpointed the square mile highlighted on Guardian's map, there's a problem. They're standing in the middle of a mosquito infested swamp. The land is wet and mucky and they have to trudge through knee high plants. After a while, most of the team decides to throw in the towel and get some dinner. Only Bob and his son stay behind. When they all rendezvous that evening, Bob announces he's found the spot from Guardian's video. Graham Lightfoot realizes it's not far from the home of Diane Lavinek, the woman he believes is a credible witness to the 1989 sighting. The following day, Graham introduces Diane to Bob. They ask if she's seen anything else strange near her home in the past few months. And once again she has. Diane remembers a night in mid August 1991. Around 10pm A bright light caught her attention and drew her to a nearby window. She recalls thinking there was a fire out in the field beyond her house, but it may have been flares. And then, as she watched, it looked like some kind of aircraft landed out there. Graham is gobsmacked not only by her clear memories of the event, but because Diane is describing exactly what unfolds on Guardian's video. Only she hasn't seen the video yet. She doesn't even know it exists. Then Graham asks her to draw the aircraft and Diane sketches a basic silver object with a zigzag design, which reportedly looks a lot like a sketch included in Guardians documents. When Graham and Bob show her the tape, Diane agrees that's it. That's what she saw back in August. She feels like finally, here's some proof that she's not imagining things, which is apparently something she's been wrestling with. She's been nervous about telling anybody her story because she knows how all this sounds. However, that night wasn't the end of her troubles. If you ask Diane Labeneck, unmarked helicopters have been buzzing over her house, flying too low all the time. A few choppers every now and then wouldn't be so strange in West Carleton that there's a military base not far away. Except the Canadian government claims the helicopters aren't theirs. Now that Bob has found a possible witness to back up the Guardian tape, it's time to inspect the site where he thinks it all happened. He guides Graham through the swamp to a patch of land that looks like it's been disturbed. And Bob excitedly points out a lot of the nearby plants seem to have been blasted by intense heat. They look like they could fall apart to the touch. Maybe they've even been irradiated. Graham isn't so sure. He happens to work for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. So when Graham sees the dug up soil, he thinks it's simply the work of a regular old skunk. As for the irradiated plants, Graham knows it's common for juniper bushes to look dried out after surviving the harsh winter. Bob isn't a turd. He just thinks he needs to locate the real Guardian, the person who started this whole investigation. But so far, none of the UFO researchers working the case have any clue who Guardian could be. So Bob decides why not get this story out to the largest audience possible? Surely someone out There knows more. If only Bob could get enough eyes on this Guardian tape. And in the early 90s, there is one person who could make that happen. The man, the icon. Robert Stack, host of Unsolved Mysteries. Okay, Bob actually reaches out to one of the show's producers, not Robert Stack, who I imagine was too busy in wardrobe fittings trying on 1,000 different trench coats. Too trenchy. Too coaty. Just perfect. At this point, Unsolved Mysteries has been on the air for about five years and. And it's grown from a time slot filler into a massive hit. The weekly show features everything from wanted fugitives to murders to UFO sightings. When Bob pitches the Guardian case, the producers bite. They agree to travel with him to West Carlton in the fall of 1992 to film a segment. It airs in season five and features Bob, Graham and Diane playing themselves in one of the show's Hallmark recreations. Producers on the show also track down a couple of experts. First, there's Dr. Robert Nathan of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He watches the Guardian tape and concludes that he can't say whether or not the events captured are real or a hoax. Then there's Major N.J. patterson of the Canadian Forces Base in Ottawa. He confirms that if any helicopters are flying over Diane labeneck's house, they are not military. He also says something else. Major Patterson gets a good look at the documents sent by Guardian. Remember the envelope with the VHS tape? It also included the cheap looking alien photos I mentioned earlier, along with a bunch of papers. They're emblazoned with an official looking letterhead that purportedly comes from the Department of National Defense. But if the letterhead adds any authenticity at all, the contents of those documents quickly reveal that these aren't real government memos. They outline a supposed conspiracy between China working with, quote, gray aliens to take over the world. Anyway, Major Patterson looks through these pages and without hesitation concludes they're forged. He cites several errors throughout and adds, quote, someone with very little effort could have come a lot closer than this. Both a pretty solid burn and a really nice way to call out the documents as pure bs if you're wondering why Bob has put so much faith and effort into this case, considering how unbelievable the documents and alien photos are, well, he says he was just that confident in the video evidence. Regardless, going to Unsolved Mysteries does have its intended effect. Not long after the episode airs, showing the raw footage to the world for the first time, more information comes to light. Another witness steps forward who works for the government, and she believes on that night in August 1991, she may have seen extraterrestrials. Then Bob meets a man who tells him he knows the true identity of Guardian.

[B]

Did you know about one in three people with plaque psoriasis may also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes joint pain, stiffness and swelling. Does this sound like you? Listen to what it sounds like to be a million miles away. Trymphy Gusocomab, taken by injection, is a prescription medicine for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who may benefit from taking injections or pills or phototherapy. And for adults with active psoriatic arthritis, serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections and liver problems may occur. Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. Imagine being a million miles away. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about trimfia. Tap this ad to learn more about trimfia, including important safety information. This podcast is brought to you by Carvana. Selling your car should feel like one less thing on your list. Not one more. With Carvana, it is just go to Carvana.com Enter your license plate or VIN and get a real offer down to the penny. No back and for no surprises. Just an experience you can trust. Like your offer. Accept it, Schedule pickup and we'll come to you with a check in hand. Your car, your timeline, your terms. Visit Carvana.com to sell your car today. Carvana pickup fees may apply.

[A]

Bob Exler's plan to get the Guardian story out to the public works After Unsolved Mysteries airs the segment in February 1993, the case gets picked up by papers and local news. That's when a woman reaches out to Bob. She claims she also witnessed the event captured on Guardian's video because she lives right across a small road from where it supposedly happened. The story this woman tells Bob is apparently so compelling that he persuades her to appear on another national TV show with him called Encounters. She agrees, but will only go on camera in silhouette and with voice modulation. She also uses a pseudonym, Sarah, although we now know that her real name is Susan Gills. Susan insists on staying anonymous because she says she fears repercussions at work. She apparently has some kind of quote unquote sensitive government job, but neither she nor Bob can be more specific. This is the story she tells on Encounters. On that August night in 1991, Susan was watching television on her couch when her dog Sheba started barking like mad out the window. She saw lights beyond the trees, spinning counterclockwise she claimed she could clearly see a large aircraft, so she ran outside. From her vantage point, Susan saw a hatch open on the side of the craft and. And some kind of glowing humanoid figure stepped out. When the host of Encounters shows her the alien photograph sent by Guardian, Susan agrees they look similar to the being she saw. Then she tells him she watched as the craft rose straight into the sky. As she stood there in her driveway, contemplating what she'd just witnessed, she heard a sound. It was a car driving toward her house. Susan lives alone. It's nighttime, and she thinks she just saw aliens. So she was freaked out, to say the least. Frozen in place, she watched as the car ambled past her in the dark without its headlights on. Encounters conducts a lie detector test on Susan, and she apparently does pass, though polygraphs are known to be unreliable. But whether or not her story sounds believable, she at least seems to believe it really happened to her. This is a scary story she seems almost reluctant to tell to Bob. Susan provided an exciting new lead. He thinks the car she saw that night belonged to Guardian. Now, I don't know how much the following events played out exactly as they were described and how much was movie magic. But. But in counters claim, Susan is able to describe the mysterious car and remember the license plate that brings them to the doorstep of a man they allege is the real Guardian. They perform a full stakeout outside this man's apartment and even give chase when he runs away from their cameras. Why am I a tad skeptical? Well, Graham Lightfoot had already been given this guy's name as a possible Guardian suspect over a year ago. He's Bobby Charlebois, a UFO enthusiast who has reportedly used the name Guardian before. Little side note, their similar names might sound confusing, but Bob is the UFO researcher while Bobby is the potential Guardian suspect. And Bob's been chasing down Bobby for a while now. Okay, Got it. Good. It turns out lots of people know Bobby, even for a small town. Remember Diane Labeneck, who claims she saw both the 1989 and 1991 incidents Guardian reported? She admits to being close friends with Bobby. He visits her family at her home all the time. He would be familiar with the area depicted on Guardian's map. But wait, it seems like this should be an open and shut case for Bob Exler. Right. And remember, he has Guardian's fingerprint to work with. It's stamped on each and every VHS tape. Assuming that finger belongs to Guardian, it's simply a matter of finding a match. First, Bob tries to recruit a Local reporter to help him get Bobby's prints. She knows the case and personally knows Bobby Charlebois. She agrees to pass along a packet of information to him. I don't know what's in that packet. It's described only as some kind of UFO material. A dangling carrot for a guy like Bobby. I guess the hope is that he'll handle the materials, leave his fingerprints all over everything and return the package. The UFO materials come back an hour later. Bob brings them to the police to have them dusted for prints. They find nothing. Hmm. Well, maybe Bobby just didn't take the bait. But Bob thinks it's far more likely that he's outsmarted everyone again. Like maybe he handled everything with gloves or wiped every page clean somehow. Next, Bob goes to the rcmp, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He asks them to charge Bobby with a minor offense for forging government documents. He thinks even if the charges don't stick, maybe they can scare Bobby into admitting he's guardian. But the RCMP says no, we're not going to do that. For one thing, Bob isn't even a Canadian citizen. He lives in Maryland. Secondly, they have no hard evidence that Bobby is behind any of this. Foiled again. And Bob never gains access to these fingerprints. He's never able to confirm or deny whether Bobby Charlebois is guardian. But if you ask Bobby's friends around town, he's just a regular Joe who happens to be interested in UFOs, not some mastermind or prankster. These days, the prevailing theory is that the Guardian tape was all a big hoax. A saucer swindle, if you will. I mean, the documents purporting to be from the Canadian Department of National Defense don't really fool anybody. And even Bob Exler can admit the photographs of the aliens don't look realistic. He tells Unsolved mysteries. Clearly this could have been someone dressed up in a costume. The one element Bob seemed convinced by is the videotape, along with the fact that witnesses claim they saw something around the time that tape was could have been made. Now, interestingly enough, Bob is able to help open an official investigation. He brings attention to Diane Labeneck's complaints of helicopters buzzing her house. As a result, the RCMP agrees to look into the matter. As part of the case, they have to review the Guardian tape to determine what kind of aircraft appears in the footage. Their expert concludes it was a Sikorsky S76 helicopter. Bob never accepts those findings. But to most, the real mystery here was never is this footage of a Real ufo. Rather, the enduring question remains, who is Guardian? Because nobody ever stepped forward. But over the years, a few more suspects are named, like Susan Gills, AKA Sarah, the anonymous witness working for the government. Her grandson will later tell a CBC documentary that she was seemingly a true believer. She was conducting her own investigation and she wasn't particularly impressed with Bob's work on the case. The grandson also says that after Susan died, he found a letter where she'd recorded her memories of August 1991. It was beat for beat, very close to the stories she told on Encounters, but with one major difference. She wrote that what really happened was she was sitting on her couch watching the 9 o' clock program on television when she heard her dog barking. She saw the lights outside, went to investigate, and spotted beings coming out of a spacecraft. And suddenly she found herself back on her couch watching television again. Only now the 10 o' clock program was on. She didn't remember one show ending and the next one starting. She couldn't account for this jump forward in time at all. It was like she simply blinked. So, adding to the list of bizarre things going on in West Carlton that night, Susan believed she might have been abducted. Or did she? Was it just a story she bought into so much that it continued snowballing long after the spotlight faded away? Or was she invested in the story in the first place because Susan really was Guardian? The CBC documentary poses this question to her grandson, who heard the story she told ever since he was a kid. He says he did notice that she owned a typewriter like the one used by Guardian to forge those government documents. Susan was also good with electronics and would have known how to use a camera. As to whether Nana was really a guardian, her grandson says he can't answer yes or no. If she was, it's hard to guess at a motive. Unless she really did see something strange. But it doesn't even make sense that Susan would be a whistleblower about vast alien coverups. She really does work for the government. That part is true. But it turns out her job is not as sensitive as Bob Exler made it sound. Susan actually works in external affairs, a detail Bob often conveniently leaves out of the story. Her day to day job has to do with managing relationships between Canada and foreign countries. She's not involved in top secret UFO recoveries or investigations. I can understand why she'd still want to remain anonymous, but not because she's divulging classified information. She just doesn't want to be seen talking about aliens on screens across the world. Not me though I live for it. Susan's secret is that her job really isn't secret at all. So why does Bob push her story so hard? Well, think about it. We know he doesn't find those alien photos credible. And clearly Bob's stance is that the documents are counterfeit. He tries to get Bobby Charlebois charged for forging them. Could Bob's support for Susan all be part of the hoax? Could Bob Exler be Guardian? Well, while Bob has been looking into the case and going on camera as an expert and giving Talks across the U.S. another investigation into his investigation has been happening behind the scenes. And the Ontario chapter of mufon, the Mutual UFO Network, has their own theories about why Bob is so obsessed with Guardian.

[B]

This episode is brought to you by SoFi, the all in one finance app where you can bank, borrow and invest. It's time to achieve your financial ambitions. Earn more on your savings. The best SoFi bank high yield Savings Account. Ditch your higher interest credit card debt with a SOFI personal loan or start investing on an easy to use platform with SoFi. Invest. Wherever you are on your financial journey, SoFi's got you covered. Learn more at sofi.com Spotify this episode is brought to you by Sweetgreen. The day doesn't ask for permission. Lunch window gone before you saw it coming. You deserve a break that actually satisfies. Sweetgreen's new wraps have got you real ingredients, zero shortcuts, everything you love in one hand. Think Green Goddess chicken, garlic aioli, crumbled bacon, corn salsa. 40 grams of protein made to keep up with whatever comes next. New Sweetgreen wraps hit different order now

[A]

at order.sweetgreen.com In October 1995, MUFON Ontario releases a special report titled the Guardian Caper. That's right, caper. So you can probably guess what they think of the whole ordeal. They say this was all an elaborate hoax. And that's not the only part of the story they're calling a sham. Some of these MUFON Ontario investigators have worked shoulder to shoulder with Bob Exler since the beginning, traipsing through the swamp on Bob's first visit to West Carlton, tracking down possible witnesses. PETER they even knew about Guardian before Bob, since the first communications came in 1989. And while Bob and the Canadian investigators start off working together, they very quickly go their separate ways. Because from the jump, they think Bob is in it for all the wrong reasons. According to the MUFON Ontario crew, on their first outing back In May of 1990, 2, Bob rubs them the wrong way. Even though they've been asked to guide him through this location he supposedly doesn't know, he keeps trying to take charge. Okay, so maybe Bob is just excited. That's understandable. He only has a few days in town. He wants to find the site where Guardian allegedly shot that video. And if you'll recall, he claims he's successful. Later that day, he announces that he and his son found the site while the two of them were out on their own. But one Canadian investigator has a hard time buying what Bob's selling. His name is Tom, and he asks Bob how he was lucky enough to find this needle in a haystack in such a short amount of time while the sun was setting. Tom says he only got a smile in response. Later he confronts Bob more directly. And again, this is according to Tom. Bob says something to the effect of what's wrong with trying to make a buck? Now Tom says he has nothing against money so long as the investigation is still ethical. But he also drops out of the Guardian case. He and others distance themselves from Bob. So you can connect the dots. 1, 2. From their point in the story onward, the Guardian Caper newsletter reads like an expose on the hoax and on Bob Exler. The team alleges that he feigned expertise on more than one occasion, that his analysis of Guardian's video was unfounded, that he tried to control how the story was portrayed in the media, and that he only revealed parts of his investigation that backed up the story he wanted to tell. I don't know about you, but I was not ready for this level of interpersonal drama. I mean, this is like a reality TV show before there was reality tv and it's in UFO land. It's kind of incredible. And keep in mind, Bob is a well respected researcher, but apparently it's not uncommon for egos to snake their way into the world of paranormal investigations. In the mid-90s, UFO researcher Ian Rogers is an enthusiastic teenage novice. Ever since he saw the Guardian case featured on Unsolved Mysteries, he's dreamed of playing Fox Mulder and going to West Carleton to poke around. One day he finally does it. He borrows his mom's car in the dead of winter and sets off on his own investigation. Naturally, his trail leads him to Bob. Eventually it dawns on Ian that it is a tad strange just how involved Bob is in the story. Not only did he play himself in the Unsolved Mysteries recreations, when it came time to film shots of the anonymous Guardian putting the packages together and Stamping each tape with their fingerprint. It was Bob who played that role too, but Ian says it's actually pretty common for investigators to try to put their names on a big case. The Guardian's story is suddenly getting picked up by TV shows and news outlets. So yeah, Bob's controlling behavior may seem a little weird, but it's not unheard of by any means. MUFON Ontario goes further. Though they suggest that Bob is behind a series of inflammatory comments left on one of their message boards. The user, who goes by the name Alex from Quebec, rails against MUFON's debunking of the case. All their investigation really amounts to, Alex suggests, is character bashing, meaning they're being too harsh on Bob Exler. We don't know for certain that Alex is Bob, but we do know that Bob's next move in all of this is drastic. In 1994, Bob is at a conference in Florida when he hand delivers a letter to all of his fellow researchers in attendance. It's his resignation from the field of UFO investigations. Although he's made a lot of great friends and achieved some career highs, he writes, I don't like what I've seen this phenomenon do to otherwise concerned rational people, including myself. The malicious libel, slander, distortion and unchecked fabrication that runs rampant in the UFO field is destructive and counterproductive. He wraps up his letter by saying he has no doubt that UFOs are real. And then Bob vanishes into the sunset to spend more time with his family. It's a pretty explosive mic drop to end the whole Guardian debacle. MUFON Ontario bets this will only be temporary, that as soon as people forget about this scandal, Bob will be back with ready to tackle the next big story. But they're wrong. Bob never comes out of retirement and he never delivers a final documentary or book on the Guardian case as he'd promised. Nobody knows why. Maybe he didn't have anything further to say, or maybe he didn't like how the case devolved into a bunch of finger pointing. If you read between the lines of some of these reports, not just by mufon, but more modern coverage too. It almost seems like there's an insinuation that Bob could be Guardian. Except no one dares to spell that out. But MUFON Ontario does submit their own suspect, or should I say suspects in a real murder on the Orient Express style ending. They allege that Guardian wasn't just one person, but a group of hoaxers, including Bobby Charlebois, who was Bob's lead suspect, Diane Labeneck, and her husband. After all, they were the only witnesses who reported seeing both of Guardian's UFO sightings and Diane's nephew, whose truck could have been a stand in for the mysterious aircraft seen in the video. As for Bob's involvement, they say he molded the story into something that was more believable than it had any right to be, specifically by confusing the timelines and making it sound like witnesses all saw something the same night that the video was shot and the Guardian group went along with it. Years later, Ian Rogers, now a former UFO researcher, appears on a CBC documentary. He finds that among people who actually live in West Carlton, where all this took place, there are three camps of thinking. One, this was a hoax. Two, this was a nighttime military training exercise. And three, there really are UFOs in the area. People around West Carleton had been reporting unexplained sightings and eerie phenomena since long before Bob Exler got involved. Once, a young girl living in the Cedar Ridge Estates neighborhood saw a bright light flooding through her bedroom window. She ran to look outside, but the light blinded her. Even as a kid, she understood that her family lived near a military base. But the oddest thing she recalls is that there were no sounds. No engine humming, no helicopter blades churning through the night. Not far away, a married couple saw something in the summer of 1991 that frightened them both. One night, Katherine Curley was putting her children to bed when the bright light came through her window. Again, there was no noise. The following day, she and her husband Kirk witnessed a helicopter land on their property. They claim four people jumped out, ran around frantically, got back in the chopper, and took off again. Yet another man almost nonchalantly tells a documentary crew, yep, there's UFOs and they always come from the West. Don't know what that's about. I like that guy. So Ian Rogers concludes, there seems to be something odd going on in West Carlton, which the Guardian case and Bob's handling of it overshadowed. Locals have their own theories about why the area seems to be a hotspot. The town isn't far from Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. If aliens are researching us, they might be drawn to this nexus of operations. Then there's a place called the diefenbunker. Commissioned in 1959, it was constructed to house and protect more than 500 key members of the Canadian government in the event of nuclear war. It reaches four levels and 75ft below the ground and once housed a supercomputer before the days of the Internet or Even Arpanet. It would allow survivors to continue communications with other governments around the world, Even if a 5 megaton bomb landed outside. If you're a being from another planet and you wanted to communicate with humans where we're simply interested in how we communicate, you might be intrigued by the Diefen bunker. And get this. Paul Hellyer, Canada's former Minister of National Defense, has said he has no doubt extraterrestrials have visited the Diefenbunker, which is located in West Carleton. Today, the Diefenbunker is a national historic site. It was decommissioned in 1994, right around the same time UFO sightings in the area were reportedly dropped off. That was the same year Bob retired. His work on the Guardian case had brought it to international attention. Some say he also delegitimized the bigger story of bizarre phenomena there. If that's true, I think we can at least say that wasn't Bob's intent. But what if someone else did want to disenfranchise Ottawans from speaking up about UFO sightings? There is one last theory about who sent the Guardian package. And it wasn't a whistleblower. But someone in the government was behind it. Remember, aside from Bob and a handful of others, a lot of people looked at Guardian's evidence and called it a hoax. Even UFO enthusiasts came to that same conclusion. According to this theory, that was all intentional. The blurry video, the badly forged documents, the photographs of aliens that look like men in cheap plastic costumes, all in one neat little package, which conveniently arrived in dozens of mailboxes right as the residents of West Carleton began seeing things they couldn't explain. What better way to take the heat off than to release a tape showing what's happening, knowing people won't take it seriously? What if government officials sent the Guardian package so we would never believe a story out of West Carlton again? Thank you for listening to Conspiracy Theories. We're here with a new episode every Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram. The ConspiracyPod. If you're watching on Spotify, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Our sources for today's episode include the Carp Mystery from CBC Doc's pov, UFO Town, Unsolved Mysteries, and the Carp Case or the Guardian Caper, compiled by Mufon Ontario. Until next time, remember, the truth isn't always the best story, and the official story isn't always the truth. This episode was written and researched by Miki Taylor, edited by Justin Sayles, fact checked by Sophie Kemp and engineered video edited and sound designed by Alex Button. I'm your host, Carter Roy.

[B]

Your next chapter in healthcare starts at Carrington College's School of Nursing in Portland. Join us for our open house on Tuesday, January 13th from 4 to 7pm you'll tour our campus, see live demos, meet instructors, and learn about our Associate Degree in Nursing program that prepares you to become a registered nurse. Take the first step toward your nursing career. Save your spot now at Carrington. Edu Events. For information on program outcomes, visit carrington.edu sci. Some follow the Noise Bloomberg follows the money. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story.

[A]

Subscribe [e-mail].