Our Favorite Alien Story: Valiant Thor

Summary

Podcast Summary: Sightings – "Our Favorite Alien Story: Valiant Thor"

Date: December 8, 2025
Host: REVERB | QCODE
Hosts: Brian Sigley, McLeod Andrews
Episode Focus: The legend of Valiant Thor, an alleged extraterrestrial visitor to the Pentagon and White House in the late 1950s.

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Overview: Main Theme and Purpose

This episode of Sightings immerses listeners in the captivating tale of Valiant Thor, an extraterrestrial said to have arrived during the Cold War to urge humanity to forgo nuclear weapons. Blending dramatized storytelling with factual analysis, hosts Brian and McLeod explore the origins of the Valiant Thor legend, discuss its possible inspirations and corroborating evidence, and reflect on why this positive, nonviolent alien story stands out in the world of UFO folklore.

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Dramatized Valiant Thor Story

(Begins 01:36, Major Segments 03:21–28:19)

Told from the perspective of a fictionalized White House Chief of Staff (loosely based on people from the Eisenhower administration):

• Eisenhower’s Disappearance (Palm Springs, 1954) [04:30]

  • President Eisenhower “vanishes” during vacation; media speculates about his health, but he claims a dental emergency.
  • Rumors persist he met with extraterrestrials and signed a secret treaty.

• Valiant Thor’s Arrival (March 16, 1957) [06:24]

  • A UFO lands near Alexandria, VA; a human-like figure steps out in a golden, seamless suit and requests to meet the President.
  • “I mean you no harm, and I need to speak to the President of the United States immediately.” – Valiant Thor [07:23]
  • Escorted to the White House, meets Eisenhower. Reveals he is from “the planet your Bible calls the morning and evening star”—Venus.
  • “My name is Valiant Thor.” – Valiant Thor [09:40]

• Mission: Denuclearization [09:57]

  • Val's race has monitored Earth for centuries; 1945's nuclear test triggers their intervention.
  • Val is sent to urge world leaders to disarm.
  • Eisenhower is skeptical, insists humanity isn’t ready, but invites Val to stay on Earth and collaborate with scientists.

• Life at the Pentagon [12:12]

  • Val is given an apartment at the Pentagon and subjected to scientific testing:
    • IQ “well over 200”
    • His suit material is impervious even to drills and acid.
  • Bonds with the Chief of Staff over books and conversation, but makes little progress convincing officials about nuclear threats.

• Secret Outing and Fallout [17:16, 19:15]

  • Feeling progress-stalled, Val sneaks out to meet UFO enthusiasts in New Jersey, impresses them with language skills.
  • Photograph of Val surfaces; Chief of Staff is fired for the breach.
  • Val threatens to leave Earth unless the Chief is reinstated—he is.

• Aboard the Alien Craft [19:15]

  • Invited aboard Val’s ship:
    • “The sensation, I can’t even describe it. Like being purified from the inside out.” [19:15]
    • Restored vision, given strange overalls, meets Val’s companions (Dawn and Teal).
    • Val confides his mission may be failing due to lack of support:
      “We have many enemies. Do you understand me, Jerry? Be careful who you meet and talk to.” – Valiant Thor [22:57]

• Assassination Attempt [23:10]

  • Targeted via poisoned soup at a “press interview.”
  • Saved by a mysterious driver with a healing vial, wakes to a call from Val:
    “Didn’t I caution you to be careful in who you meet?” – Valiant Thor [25:00]

• Val’s Final Attempt and Departure [26:31, 27:14]

  • After becoming Chief of Staff, protagonist gets Val a much-awaited second audience with Eisenhower; proposals again rejected by military chiefs.
  • Val quietly leaves Earth that night; radar traces his ship’s departure.

• Reflection and Closure [27:30]

  • The Chief of Staff mourns Val’s absence but is comforted by the experience and the knowledge:
    “We are not alone.” – Narrator [28:06]
  • Hopes that humanity will someday be ready to listen.

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Post-Story Discussion and Analysis

(Major Segments 30:12–41:43)

What Makes the Valiant Thor Story Unique?

• Positive Portrayal of Aliens:
  • “I think it's just so warm and friendly and there's camaraderie and there's teamwork. I really love this as an alien story.” – Guest Commentator [30:12]
• Most alien/paranormal stories are framed as menacing or violent; this one centers on hope, partnership, and an uplifting mission.

Origins and Source Material

• "Stranger at the Pentagon" by Frank Stranges [31:38]
  • Brian reveals the dramatization is based on Frank Stranges’ 1967 book, though Stranges was not a government insider.
  • “Frank at the time was... trying to connect the dots between UFO sightings and Christianity.” – Brian Sigley [32:41]
  • The book is heavily influenced by religious themes, weaving Jesus and universal purpose into the narrative.

Mix of Theology and Ufology

• Val’s mission framed as “working in full harmony with our heavenly creator” [33:55].
• Hosts agree that religious elements in Stranges’ account are secondary to the core drama.

Possible Real-World Corroboration

• Witnesses and Supporters [35:33]

  • Air Force photographer August C. Roberts (alleged Val photos)
  • Dr. Harley Bird (claimed to see Project Blue Book docs)
  • Paul Hellyer, former Canadian Defense Minister (publicly stated government-alien meetings occurred)
  • Eisenhower’s great-granddaughter (claims he tried to discuss Valiant Thor at the UN)
  • No documents or physical evidence substantiates these claims.

• “If this many people were aware of an alien... the government would not be able to keep it a secret.” – Guest Commentator [38:43]

Skepticism and Science Fiction Parallels

• The story shares many beats with the film The Day the Earth Stood Still—an alien comes to Earth to save humanity from itself.
• Some elements are seen as pushing believability (“Val heals Frank after a car accident” [37:43]).

“Believer Beaver” Angle

• The hosts debate if there’s a way to suspend disbelief—perhaps the “Venus” claim is misdirection, or symbolic.
• “...the Venus thing. I could maybe find my way to Venus or just consider the Venus thing as kind of a head fake, as a misdirect, like, they're not actually from Venus because the truth is harder to believe.” – Guest Commentator [40:06]

Listener Engagement

• Hosts ask listeners for thoughts, especially if anyone can further corroborate family connections to the legend.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Eisenhower’s alleged alien treaty:

  • “Eisenhower had allegedly driven out into the desert for what’s likely the most high-stakes meeting in human history. A meeting with aliens.” – Narrator [04:30]

• On Val’s arrival:

  • “I mean you no harm, and I need to speak to the President of the United States immediately.” – Valiant Thor [07:23]

• On Val’s departure:

  • “And once ground radar lost contact, too, we realized he was gone. Val was gone. My friend was gone.” – Narrator [27:14]

• Emotional resonance:

  • “Knowing you was worth it. And I realized then that the closest person in this world to me wasn’t even from Earth.” – Valiant Thor [25:21]

• Hopeful reflection:

  • “It’s just like, kind of like uplifting and hopeful, the idea that if there is something beyond what we're aware of, it’s actually trying to help us.” – Guest Commentator [41:00]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:36–28:19 – The dramatized Valiant Thor story (including his arrival, mission, and departure)
• 30:12 – Discussion begins: tone of the story and why it's unique
• 31:38 – Unpacking the origins: Frank Stranges, Stranger at the Pentagon
• 33:55 – Religious/theological overlay in the original account
• 35:33 – “Evidence”: who has corroborated the Valiant Thor story
• 37:00 – Eisenhower’s real-life disappearance and Roswell parallels
• 37:33 – Film and pop culture parallels (The Day the Earth Stood Still)
• 38:43 – The government secrecy problem
• 39:26 – “Believer beaver” rationalization
• 41:17 – Next episode preview (heading to Egypt for a creature story)

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Summary Tone and Takeaway

Sightings delivers a playful yet thorough look at the Valiant Thor legend, blending immersive drama, sincere skepticism, and a thoughtful look at why stories like this persist. The hosts maintain an open-minded but critical stance, frequently highlighting that, even within the realm of UFO lore, Valiant Thor stands out for its optimism and its message that we might not be alone—and what’s out there might mean us well.

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Listener Prompt

The hosts invite listeners to weigh in, especially if anyone has direct connections to any purported witnesses or wants to debate the story’s plausibility.

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For further reading and source material, check out the show's website at sightingspodcast.com

Transcript

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There are claims throughout history of visitors walking among us, hidden in plain sight. But what happens when one of them steps into the spotlight? During the height of the space race, as humanity reached for the stars, something reached back. And as this visitor found himself in our halls of power, walking corridors from the Pentagon to the White House, he left a legacy that isn't just redacted. It's out of this world.

Welcome to Sightings, the series that takes you inside the world's most mysterious supernatural events. Each week, we bring you a thrilling story that puts you at the center of the action, followed by a discussion that dives into the accounts that inspired the story and our takes on them.

[Brian Sigley]

And I'm Brian, and this week, we are going to revisit our very favorite alien story. So we're gonna head to Washington, D.C. for the wildest conspiracy story I've ever heard, which is the story of Valiant.

[McLeod Andrews]

Did an extraterrestrial really infiltrate the highest levels of our government in the late 1950s? And more importantly, were our leaders ready to hear what he had to say? Find out on this episode of Sightings.

I know I don't talk talk much about my past. I prefer to keep things quiet, simple. Even if my life was anything but. You knew I was chief of staff to President Eisenhower way back in the 1950s, didn't you? Yeah. Yep, Your great granddad was a pretty big Deal.

But now I'm old and withered and, well, I don't think I'm long for this earth. And since you've always been my favorite, I need to level with you, man to man. Because I. I can't die with a clear conscience unless something's been said. Understand?

Good boy. Because this story is going to change absolutely everything you think about this country, no, the world.

But I'm getting ahead of myself to follow everything I'm about to tell you. To relive those events of, what was it, 1957 through 1960, we need to go back a little earlier to.

February 1954, Palm Springs, California. See, Eisenhower was on vacation there and I happened to be there too. Not as Chief of Staff, not yet, but as part of his team nonetheless. And the trip was going normal, perfectly normal actually, until it suddenly wasn't. Because Eisenhower disappeared, see, straight up vanished in the night with his head of Secret Service. And no one, not even his then Chief of Staff knew where he went. There were rumors, of course, a late night tryst and off the books appointment. And naturally the media had a field day with the AP even going so far as to suggest that Eisenhower had died, which was obviously incorrect. But the next morning, there he was, safe and sound at breakfast and told all of us he'd chipped a tooth over a chicken wing and needed emergency dental work. But we knew that was a load of bull, because we'd heard something else. Something shocking, frankly, because Eisenhower had allegedly driven out into the desert for what's likely the most high stakes meeting in human history. A meeting with aliens. See, and that night, a treaty was signed, the content of which I still don't know to this very day. But I'll tell you this, that wasn't America's last interaction with aliens. No, not at all. Because what would happen three years later would blow the top right off Palm Springs and change my life for good.

So jumping ahead to 1957. March 16, 1957, to be specific. Normal day at the White House, but outside Washington. Well, let's just say something was in the air out there. There were reports of strange objects in the skies that morning. And eventually a UFO landed in a field just outside Alexandria. It was your pretty typical flying saucer, far as I heard from the boys in blue who spotted it. And wouldn't you know it, they drove their patrol cars right out into that field and approached the thing with their pistols drawn. Whew. Braver men than I. That's all I can say about that. But anyway, a huge Seamless door opened up in the side of this ship and a figure stepped out.

A human figure. Six feet tall, buck, 85, brown hair, brown eyes, straight up. The most handsome fella you've ever seen in your life. He was wearing a golden jumpsuit with no seams. And when he spoke, his voice carried an easy confidence. And you know what he said to those troopers? He said, I mean you no harm, and I need to speak to the President of the United States immediately. And, well, put yourself in those troopers shoes and ask yourself what you'd have done when you're staring at a man who just walked out of a spaceship. I'd have run for the hills. But those troopers put him in the back of their patrol car and drove towards the Capitol. And the government was alerted, naturally, and the Secretary of Defense, six staff members and six armed guards were waiting at the Pentagon for his arrival. And after seeing he was unharmed, and after hearing him reference that night back in Palm Springs, it was decided that this spaceman ought to see President Eisenhower straight away. That's where I come into the story, because I was among those who greeted the Pentagon entourage at the West Wing doors. And Secret Service were everywhere, absolutely swarming the place. And they herded the spaceman into the Ocean office and right up to President Eisenhower. And it was a sight to see, I tell you. One man and one spaceman facing off in front of the Resolute desk. And then the spaceman raised a hand and the Secret Service instantly reacted, drawing their revolvers. But Eisenhower nodded it was all right and shook the spaceman's hand. It's funny. Eisenhower seemed unfazed by the entire meeting. He simply asked where the spaceman was, and the spaceman replied, I come from the planet. Your Bible calls the morning and the evening star. Of course, that meant Venus, and Eisenhower considered that for a moment, then asked, calm as can be, please, sir, what is your name? And I'll never forget the slight smile as the spaceman replied, my name is Valiant Thor.

The meeting between Eisenhower and Val, as I'd come to call him, Val, lasted another several minutes, during which Val explained that Earth had been under scrutiny by his race for hundreds of years. Then, to their horror, the 1945 bomb went off, and thus Val had been sent by his High Council to convince the leaders of Earth to deactivate their nuclear arsenals. Naturally, Eisenhower was skeptical of this proposition. We were smack in the middle of the Cold War, after all, and throwing aliens into the mix didn't seem advisable. The people of Earth, Eisenhower said, are not ready to cope. But despite his polite rejection of val's proposition, Eisenhower did extend the tall, handsome spaceman an invitation. And it sounds patently absurd, as I'm telling it now, I suppose all of this does, but he wanted VAL to. To stay on Earth for a while, to work in secret with our scientists, to allow us to learn more about one another and to bridge the gap between our peoples. So I, at that point, still a few years from becoming Eisenhower's Chief of Staff, was designated as liaison between VAL and the President. And at that moment, I don't fully recall what I felt just then, other than knowing I'd just become swept up in the big biggest geopolitical development in American history. In Earth's history. Even. So, I smiled at the nice space man, extended an arm and escorted him out of the Oval Office. Little did I know then that VAL would spend three years in Washington. That's right, three. And not as a prisoner, mind you. We gave him a well appointed apartment in the Pentagon and a guarantee he could leave anytime. In return, he shared everything he could with anyone willing to listen. And often enough that anyone was me. Because, believe it or not, I was right there for all of it.

At first, I found myself rather shy around this strange visitor. He was a formidable specimen, in that he looked human, yet somehow not. He was too perfect, almost intimidatingly so. And what would I alone Politico have of possible import to say to him? So in the first weeks, I escorted him quietly from meeting to meeting. Our top scientists were fascinated with him, of course, and he was happy to undergo rigorous tests. We quickly discovered his IQ was well over 200. And the strange uniform he wore upon arrival here, a beautiful gold and silver thing, was found to be made of an entirely unknown fabric that couldn't even be penetrated by a diamond drill. Bit acid, even rolled off it and burned holes in the floor when tested. It was alternately unbelievable and invigorating being around val. And soon enough, he and I started talking. All silly things at first, like how pop culture worked. But soon I felt a real connection growing between us. I even picked up on advanced scientific theories as VAL worked tirelessly with our most advanced medical and space scientists. But most of all, we bonded over books. As you know, I love reading. And it turns out, so did val. He was a voracious consumer of print. Dozens of books a day on all topics imaginable, plus newspapers, magazines, leaflets, everything. And as we talked endlessly about the topics of the day, I found myself forgetting I was talking to someone who wasn't exactly human. To me, he was just foul. But all this while he was making little progress on his actual mission. Even when surrounded by scientists and officials, few would lend an ear to hear about nuclear de escalation. And as he continued to subject himself to test after test and briefing after briefing about propulsion system systems, he began to worry he was being used. And behind the scenes, I knew it was true. So I decided I'd try and do something about it. And I didn't know it at the time, but it nearly exposed VAL to the world, almost derailed my career, and set me down a path that very nearly killed me.

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[McLeod Andrews]

Like I said, Val knew things weren't exactly going his way. He constantly asked me if he could meet Eisenhower again, and all I could do was politely decline. Not my choice, naturally, but orders nonetheless. But just being around Val, around his infectious dedication to his cause had a profound effect on me. And you know what? His mission started making a whole lot of sense. I mean, tensions were running high around the world at that point. It's just that the people who had any power to do anything about it simply didn't want to bother. And that got to Val. He was an emotional being. And while I never saw him cry, I saw the weight of his mission hang heavy in his eyes. And several months after he first arrived outside Alexandria, he confided to me that he was starting to lose faith. In fact, he said he maybe shouldn't have ever come here at all. Then he saw the article that changed everything. It was about this New Jersey UFO enthusiast group that drew the ire of local politicians. And you guessed it, that article gave Valley an idea. And while I know it was wrong, technically treasonous even, I couldn't help but go along with it. Because Val wanted to meet those UFO enthusiasts for himself, face to face. Now, sneaking a spaceman out of the Pentagon isn't exactly standard protocol, but Val had a way about him. A sort of otherworldly charisma, if you'll pardon the pun. So when we approached the security checkpoint that evening, Val simply raised his hand slightly and the guard nodded as if he were looking at a perfectly valid ID badge. One that I know for certain didn't exist. We reached my car and drove up to Highbridge, New Jersey, where the backyard gathering of UFO enthusiasts was taking place.

You should have seen Val's face light up as he listened to these people talk. They were onto something, he said. They understood the bigger picture. But what troubled him most was how they'd been treated. Mocked by the press, dismissed by the public. These were serious people with serious ideas, yet they'd been reduced to punchlines. Val got so caught up in the moment that he started showing off a bit, speaking any language the crowd requested, just like that. Russian, Mandarin, Arabic. Even dead languages like Sanskrit. I kept trying to catch his eye, worried he might give himself away. But in all honesty, I needn't have bothered worrying about that. No, what I should have worried about was the Photographer August C. Roberts was his name, quietly snapping photos of Val that would soon make their way through UFO circles. And when those photos reached certain desks in Washington, well, let's just say I found myself abruptly unemployed. Security protocol breach, they said. And I was devastated, naturally, but Val wasn't having any of it. He even threatened to leave Earth entirely if they didn't reinstate me. And wouldn't you know it, they did, of course. I wanted to thank him somehow. But Val beat me to it and asked if I'd accompany him on a little trip. So with permission this time, we drove out to a remote lake in northern Virginia. And there it was, his ship, floating right there on the water, glistening in the late afternoon sun. As we approached, an opening appeared in its side, and two figures stood there. Dawn and Teal, Val called them. They knew my name, if you can believe it. And they took me inside the ship. And then. Well, it sounds crazy, but they asked me to strip down and walk through what looked like a shower without water. The sensation, I can't even describe it. Like being purified from the inside out. And it's amazing. When I emerged from the thing, I didn't even need my glasses anymore. My vision was suddenly perfect. Better than perfect. I was given white overalls made of that same impossible fabric as Val's golden uniform. And then I was guided to Val's quarters. I couldn't help taking in the architecture as we walked and noticed there wasn't a single square corner in that entire ship. In his quarters, Val gestured for me to sit in a sleek chair, and as I did, one wall just. Well, it just up and disappeared, giving us a perfect view of the sunset. And Val sat down beside me, thought for a moment, then confided that he was fearful that his mission was failing. He had companions stationed around the world. Geneva, Reno, other places, monitoring communications, trying to prevent World War three. And chatter suggested that unless something was done soon, it may be much too late. These are the stakes, he told me, and you have been my strongest ally. Then he furrowed his brow and said, so I must implore you to be careful, though you may not know it. We have many enemies. Do you understand me, Jerry? Be careful who you meet and talk to. Little did I know I'd soon find out what he was referring to.

In the months that followed, I tried to use my leverage to press for another meeting between Val and Eisenhower, but was constantly denied. So when I was unexpectedly promoted, not to Chief of Staff, not yet, I thought maybe then I'd have the power to make some changes. And I admitted I was flying high. So much so that I agreed to an interview with two reporters I didn't know. I mean, they wanted to interview me, of all people. How exciting. So my driver took me to a quiet restaurant. But as soon as the reporters turned on their tape recorders, all they wanted to know about was Val. I tried to dodge their questions and focus on my soup, but they were relentless. And when it got so bad that I stood up to leave, I was interrupted by a waiter who said I had a phone call. I excused myself. It was just some routine White House business. But when I returned to the table, the reporters were gone and everything was cleared except for my soup. And I still don't know why I was stupid enough to do it. But I sat down and kept eating. And the moment I took my first spoonful of soup, I knew something was terribly wrong. There was this gritty substance that burned all the way down, and immediately I called for help. My driver came running, but. But by the time we got to the car, blood was trickling from my mouth and soaking my shirt. And I admitted I thought I was going to die right then and there. Poisoned by soup. But my driver pulled out a vial and poured its contents down my throat. Not knowing what to think, I instinctively tried to spit it out, but my driver clamped my mouth shut. Swallow, he insisted. And before I could object, I slipped unconscious.

I woke up in my apartment with my driver sitting by my bedside. And it's incredible. The pain I'd felt earlier was completely gone. I searched for words, but the driver handed me water and I drank. Oh, it tasted good. It felt good. But before I could fully savor it, the phone rang, and my driver handed me the receiver with a knowing look. I trust the remedy I gave your driver was successful. Val said, didn't I caution you to be careful in who you meet?

From then on, I took Val's warning seriously. More than ever. I knew how important this mission was. But as our efforts to enact change continued to be rebuffed, VAL concluded that the authorities were too wrapped up in their own ambitions to care about mankind's pressing needs. Simply put, his mission through threatened the status quo, politically and economically. But we never stopped fighting. And eventually I became Chief of Staff and pressed harder for a meeting between Val and Eisenhower. And finally, finally, it was approved. That morning felt heavy with possibility. Val wore his one and only shirt and tie and looked completely human. Unless you knew better. During the drive to the White House, he set a hand on my shoulder and said, Something I'll never forget. I want you to know that even if I ultimately fail in my mission, my journey here was worth it. Knowing you was worth it. And I realized then that the closest person in this world to me wasn't even from Earth.

Unfortunately, Val's final appearance at the White House went nowhere. Eisenhower seemed receptive to Val's proposals, but the Secretary of Defense, CIA director, and military chiefs all opposed it. Vice President Nixon even tried to intervene, insisting the pressure boys let the President decide, but they wouldn't budge. And after the meeting, I accompanied Val back to the Pentagon and said good night and felt like we'd just closed a door on the future of humanity. And I didn't know it then, but that evening was the last time I'd see Val. Because later in the night, he simply vanished. Just gone. Like he'd dematerialized from his room.

That same night, radar picked up a strange craft rising from a field in Northern Virginia. Air Force jets were scrambled, of course, but they couldn't spot it. And once ground radar lost contact, too, we realized he was gone. Val was gone.

My friend was gone.

Of course, part of me hoped it wasn't a one time mission, that maybe he'd come back someday. And sometimes I'd catch myself staring at the skies, hoping for a hello from an old, dear friend. But it never came.

But telling you now, it lightens me. Makes me feel like Val is here, if not in body, then in spirit. And I know with absolute certainty that I'm not alone.

We are not alone.

And I suspect that somewhere out there, Val's still working tirelessly to find a way to save us from ourselves.

I just hope when the time comes, we're finally ready to listen.

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[Guest Commentator]

I'm in a good mood right now after that Valiant Thor story because I think it's just so warm and friendly and there's camaraderie and there's teamwork. I really love this as an alien story.

I like thinking that if the aliens were advanced enough to get here in the first place, they would be sophisticated enough to have more nuanced, higher goals than probing us or attacking us or otherwise generally terrifying us. So, just generally. So many paranormal stories are about violent conflict in one way or another. It's really refreshing to imagine intelligent life beyond us blossoming into something that makes the universe more full of possibility than hazard. So it makes me feel optimistic, this story.

[Brian Sigley]

That's a really heartwarming take on that story, and I think that's one of the reasons it it stuck with me when I first heard it, because it is such an unconventional alien story. Usually we have these, like you said, abduction stories or confrontational or violent stories or weird sightings or things like that. In this case, this was really a story of camaraderie and friendship.

[Guest Commentator]

Yeah. Unfortunately, of course, there are a few things about the story that tripped me up, like the fact that he came from Venus.

But I'll reserve judgment until I learn more about the accounts that informed this story. So hit me with the facts.

[Brian Sigley]

So, yeah, all the events in the story allegedly happened. I didn't make anything up for this. What I did do, though, was assign all of the drama to the character that you read. Who was the White House chief who became the White House chief of staff. That was a real person, but I have no idea if he met Valiant Thor or anything like that. Instead, most of the discrete events in the story happened to a different guy who wrote a book about this, and the book was called Stranger at the Pentagon, written by a guy named Frank Stranges.

[Guest Commentator]

Stranger at the Pentagon by Frank Stranges. That's Kind of a fun and suspect coupling of words.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. And I have to tell you, it was not the easiest book to read. He's not a particularly talented writer. And also, as we'll get into, there was a lot of stuff that happened in Frank's story that was not in the story that you just told.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay.

[Guest Commentator]

Did Frank work in the Pentagon?

[Brian Sigley]

Nope, not at all. He claims that he had top secret clearance of some kind. Although he never held a government position, he claims that Val reached out to him. And the reason that he did this is because Frank at the time was working on a book about UFOs. But. But in a really weird way, he wasn't just a UFO guy, he was also a evangelistic UFO guy in. In the religious sense. So he was trying to connect the dots between UFO sightings and Christianity. And I ended up leaving all of the religious elements out of the story entirely because they're kind of tangential to the core story number one. But also the book gets pretty heavy handed with mentions of Jesus and religion and things like that. On the whole, that kind of dilutes the overall effect of the entire piece in a weird way.

[Guest Commentator]

Wow, okay. I did not see such a specific agenda coming for this story. Can you give me any examples of this kind of mashup up of theology and ufology?

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. So in, in the story, Val is here to help denuclearize Earth, but he also claims to be here to, quote, work in full harmony with our heavenly creator. Also, Frank writes about how he and Val would talk about Jesus and about how religion fits into his universal view, so to speak. But. But it was just a lot laid on top of an alien story, if that makes any sense.

[Guest Commentator]

Okay. So, well, for now let's just kind of. Let's compartmentalize this and stick to the sort of plot of the story, sort of the story that. As opposed to the intended message of the story, let's focus on what supposedly happened, the actual events, the implications of an alien being at the Pentagon and the White House. If this is true, it's one of the biggest coverups in history that an alien was influencing us and by extension, global politics.

[Brian Sigley]

Absolutely, absolutely. And that's why I still wanted to do this story, because there are so many really cool threads to pull. As I said, though, in the story itself, the main events allegedly happened. You know, the craft lands outside of D.C. he talks to Eisenhower, he goes to the Pentagon, he lives there for three years, he ends up meeting the main character, they go to a party, he's photographed at the party. And then ultimately, after three years on Earth, he just disappears.

[Guest Commentator]

And are there any corroborating facts, like anything that corroborates Frank's story?

[Brian Sigley]

Actually, there is. And this is where it gets kind of interesting. The following people have supposedly verified that Valiant Thor was a real entity who was in Washington D.C. at this time. They include an Air Force photographer, the one who took the picture of Val, Dr. Harley Bird, who says he worked for Project Blue Book, and he saw a bunch of top secret documents related to Valiant Thor. Also the former Canadian Minister of National Defense, his name's Paul Hellyer. He insists that there have been face to face meetings between government officials and aliens and that Valiant Thor was one of those aliens. And then probably the most personal connection to the entire thing is President Eisenhower's great granddaughter. She says that her great grandfather tried to schedule a meeting with the United nations to talk about Valiant Thor, but he was shut down. But again, there's no documents, there's no smoking gun here or any physical evidence, frankly, to corroborate any of this.

[Guest Commentator]

Those are still some of those. The first two seem to me like, well, okay, maybe they were the people they said they were, but the former Canadian Minister of National Defense is. That's a real and powerful person and the great granddaughter of Eisenhower.

[McLeod Andrews]

That's.

[Guest Commentator]

I mean, not that people can't have.

[Brian Sigley]

Out there children, but why would she pick that. Yeah, yeah, that's the hill to die on, you know.

[Guest Commentator]

That's interesting. That's very interesting.

[Brian Sigley]

So, yeah, actually speaking of Eisenhower, remember the opening of the story where Eisenhower just went missing one night in Palm Springs and that actually happened. And rumor is that Eisenhower that night went to Edwards Air Force Base where he met with two extraterrestrials. They signed a treaty in which the aliens gave us a whole bunch of technology. And in return we say, you know, you can abduct some of our people. Just let us know who. So that's what happened, I guess in this theory's defense, it was the middle of the Cold War.

[Guest Commentator]

So this whole story of Valley seems to basically be the plot of the Day the Earth Stood still and aliens land on Earth to save humanity from itself, basically.

[Brian Sigley]

Which I suppose could mean that this Frank Stranges guy just kind of cribbed that story layered on a religious message and used it for essentially propaganda purposes. And I also want to mention, after Val left the planet, he apparently came back several times and saw Frank several times. And Frank's told a story in his book about how he had this car accident, broke his neck. And they weren't sure if he was ever going to be able to walk again. But Val showed up in his hospital room and healed him, and he walked out of the hospital the next day, which. It's almost like it's one step too far. Yeah.

[Guest Commentator]

Why isn't it enough to just say, like, an alien talks to me?

[Brian Sigley]

Exactly. Exactly. The question now is, was Valiant Thor Real number one? And number two, did the U.S. government actually allow him to stay in the Pentagon for three years while experimenting on him and learning from him and stonewalling him?

[Guest Commentator]

I guess my feeling, from everything I've been told by people who have worked in government, is that if this many people were aware of an alien.

[McLeod Andrews]

It.

[Guest Commentator]

Just would not be.

[McLeod Andrews]

You just would.

[Guest Commentator]

The government would not be able to.

[McLeod Andrews]

Keep it a secret.

[Guest Commentator]

But I mean, it's really. It's the Venus part that.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I wonder, though, if for a little bit of a mental exercise here and because I kind of want to believe this story is true, like you said, is there a believer beaver path to squaring this lore with what could have actually happened?

[Guest Commentator]

Well, I mean, the believer beaver, it's the provenance of the story gets in the way of my believer beaver. Like, I do not trust this Frank guy one bit.

[Brian Sigley]

If this had been written by, like a military general in the Pentagon saying this happened, I met this guy, what would you say then? Would you believe it? Or would you still be like.

[Guest Commentator]

I'd still be like, mm, hmm. Because people are people. But my believer beaver then would be like, okay, like, I would the Venus thing. I could maybe find my way to Venus or just consider the Venus thing as kind of a head fake, as a misdirect, like, they're not actually from Venus because the truth is harder to believe.

[Brian Sigley]

Ah, interesting. I like that.

[Guest Commentator]

Yeah, yeah, that'll be.

[Brian Sigley]

That's the believer beaver element. I'll take.

[Guest Commentator]

Cool.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, I. I do have to give this Frank Strange's guy some. Some kudos though, because he certainly found a unique way to spread the gospel, you know, so good for him for, you know, I guess making his mark on that respect. I'd be really curious to hear what some of the listeners think about this because there's a lot to unpack here and I feel like we've kind of only scratched the surface. But if you knew Eisenhower's great granddaughter and were like, yes, she believed this firmly. Let us know anything thoughts you have about this, you can always find us on Instagram Itingspod.

[Guest Commentator]

Back through the time portal. Present day Brian and McCloud I love that story. It's just like I feel like so many supernatural stories, whether it's ghosts or aliens or what have you, are scary in some way or violent or frightening. It's just like kind of like uplifting and hopeful, the idea that if there is something beyond what we're aware of, it's actually trying to help us. So thank you for letting us revisit that. Where are we going to check back into next week?

[Brian Sigley]

Brian well, we have one category of story we haven't hit yet. We've already done our aliens, we've done our ghosts. We got some creatures coming and this one's pretty good creature story, if I have to say. So it's more of a monster story, but we're heading to Egypt and I think that's all I need to say.

[Guest Commentator]

Well, I mean, I think that pretty much tells us exactly where we're going, but I'm so excited to hear that because that is an amazing episode. It could only be one, so get.

[Brian Sigley]

Ready for that same time, same place, next week right here on Sightings.

Sightings is hosted by McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley. Produced by Brian Sigley, chase Kinzer and McLeod Andrews written by Brian Sigley Story music by Madison James Smith Series music by Mitch Bain Mixing and mastering by Pat Kicklater of Sundial Media Artwork by Nuno Cernatos. For a list of this episode's sources, check out our [e-mail] Sightings is presented by Reverb and Q Code. If you like the show, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you're first to hear new episodes every week. And if you know other Supernatural fans, tell them about us. We'd really appreciate it.

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