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The decommissioned Montauk Air Force Station, a site on Montauk Point that is the subject of speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding experiments that allegedly happened there, is the inspiration for an upcoming History Channel special.
According to Harold Graham of the East Hampton Town clerk’s office, a crew from the History Channel has been filming interviews and other footage for a television program about the former Air Force base, which is now Camp Hero State Park. The special is slated to appear on the network famous for shows like “American Pickers” and “Pawn Stars.” Mr. Graham said that the television crew had been granted permits for January 23, 25 and 27 to shoot at Montauk Plaza, Kirk Park Beach, and Gin Beach. He also said the crew had been shooting at the Shagwong restaurant, the Montauk Point Lighthouse and Montauk Manor, along with being in the area back in November for some early shoots.
A spokesman for The History Channel confirmed that the filming was for an upcoming special, with additional details and an airdate to be announced.
The History Channel is not the first to document the mystery engulfing Camp Hero. Ears were pricked up by the 2014 documentary “Montauk Chronicles,” in which filmmaker Christopher Garetano delved into the conspiracy theory that the Montauk Air Force Station was used for secret science experiments in the 1970s. Mr. Garetano interviewed three subjects, Alfred Bielek, Stewart Swerdlow and Preston Nichols, who all claimed knowledge of brainwashing, kidnappings, murder and even contact with extraterrestrials through the experiments known as the “Montauk Project.” While Mr. Bielek and Mr. Nichols made numerous efforts to substantiate their claims throughout the 1980s and 1990s, little to no part of their story has been confirmed by any definitive source of government or military information.
Currently, the station sits closed off on the more than 700 acres of land that make up Camp Hero. While none of the tall tales spoken about the site have been given credibility, they did provide inspiration for one of the most popular TV shows of 2016, Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” Back in 2015, it was reported that Netflix had greenlit a new original series from brothers Matt and Ross Duffer titled “Montauk,” which would follow a series of supernatural events occurring in the East End hamlet during the 1980s. However, the Duffer brothers later changed the location of the show from Montauk to small-town Indiana and its name to the ominous title “Stranger Things.” However, elements used in “Stranger Things,” including the show’s telekinetic heroine Eleven and accessing an alternate dimension—which the show dubbed as the “Upside Down”—were mentioned by Mr. Bielek in his stories on Camp Hero.
Jon Winkler on Jan 31, 2017