Charles Halt
Charles Irwin Halt was commissioned in the United States Air Force in 1962 and served twenty-nine years across postings in Vietnam, Okinawa, Korea, and four years at the Pentagon. In 1980 he was Deputy Base Commander at RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk, England, when on the night of 27 to 28 December he led a patrol into Rendlesham Forest carrying a Lanier microcassette recorder. The eighteen-to-twenty-minute audio he dictated as the patrol observed unexplained lights, measured radiation readings at three ground depressions, and tracked star-like objects in the sky is the most-cited single piece of primary evidence in the Rendlesham case. His 13 January 1981 'Unexplained Lights' memorandum to the UK Ministry of Defence, released through a 1983 FOIA request after the USAF had discarded its own copy, became the institutional record. He retired as a colonel in 1991, and in June 2010 signed a notarised affidavit stating he believes the objects he observed were extraterrestrial in origin.
A Life
Charles Irwin Halt was born in 1939 and grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was commissioned in the United States Air Force in 1962. Over twenty-nine years of service his postings included Vietnam, Okinawa, Korea, and four years at the Pentagon. In 1980 he was assigned to RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk, England, as Deputy Base Commander under Colonel Ted Conrad. RAF Bentwaters and the adjacent RAF Woodbridge were NATO forward-deployed facilities during the Cold War.
Halt retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 1991. Following his retirement he has spoken publicly about the Rendlesham Forest incident, appearing on television programmes, at conferences, and at a September 2010 press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. He co-authored two books with John Hanson: The Halt Perspective (Haunted Skies Publishing, 2016) and The Halt Perspective 2 (Haunted Skies Publishing, 2021).
On UAP
The Rendlesham Forest incident began in the early hours of 26 December 1980 when a USAF security patrol from RAF Woodbridge investigated lights in the forest east of the base perimeter. Staff Sergeant Jim Penniston and Airman First Class John Burroughs reported observing a craft on the ground. Halt was not present that night. He learned of the incident the following morning through police blotters.
On the night of 27 December, after reports that the lights had returned, Halt led a patrol into the forest to investigate. He carried a Lanier microcassette recorder and dictated his observations in real time. The patrol measured radiation levels at three ground depressions near the reported landing site using an AN/PDR-27 detector, recording readings approximately ten times the normal background level. They observed a flashing red and orange light moving through the trees, which appeared to shed glowing particles. As the patrol continued, the light moved away and appeared to break into five separate white objects. Three star-like objects were then observed in the sky, displaying red, green, and blue lights and moving in angular patterns. One appeared to direct a beam of light toward the ground.
Now we're observing what appears to be a beam coming down to the ground. This is unreal.Colonel Charles Halt, audio recording, Rendlesham Forest, 27 to 28 December 1980. The eighteen-to-twenty-minute Lanier microcassette dictation is the most-cited single piece of primary evidence in the Rendlesham case.
On 13 January 1981 Halt authored a memorandum titled "Unexplained Lights," addressed to the UK Ministry of Defence, describing the events of both nights. The memorandum was written on US Air Force headed notepaper and classified as unclassified. It was released in 1983 through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Robert Todd of Citizens Against UFO Secrecy. The News of the World published the text on 2 October 1983. The USAF had discarded its own copy; the released version was obtained from the British Ministry of Defence. The original is preserved at The National Archives, Kew.
In June 2010 Halt signed a notarised affidavit summarising his account. In the affidavit he stated: "I believe the objects that I saw at close quarter were extraterrestrial in origin and that the security services of both the United States and the United Kingdom have attempted, both then and now, to subvert the significance of what occurred at Rendlesham Forest and RAF Bentwaters by the use of well-practiced methods of disinformation."
Career Record
- 1939, Born, Pittsburgh suburbs, Pennsylvania.
- 1962, Commissioned in the United States Air Force.
- Service postings, Vietnam, Okinawa, Korea, the Pentagon (four years).
- 1980, Assigned to RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, England, as Deputy Base Commander.
- 26 December 1980, Rendlesham Forest incident, Night 1 (security patrol; Halt not present).
- 27 to 28 December 1980, Led patrol into Rendlesham Forest. Made audio recording.
- 13 January 1981, Authored the "Unexplained Lights" memorandum to the UK Ministry of Defence.
- 1983, Halt Memo released via FOIA. Published in the News of the World, 2 October 1983.
- 1991, Retired from the USAF as a colonel. First public appearance on Unsolved Mysteries (NBC).
- September 2010, Press conference at the National Press Club, Washington, DC. Signed notarised affidavit.
- 2016, Published The Halt Perspective with John Hanson (Haunted Skies Publishing).
- 2021, Published The Halt Perspective 2 with John Hanson (Haunted Skies Publishing).
- October 2025, Interview on Reality Check with Ross Coulthart (podcast).
Document Trail
The Halt Memo ("Unexplained Lights"), dated 13 January 1981, is preserved at The National Archives, Kew, United Kingdom. The memorandum describes both nights of the Rendlesham Forest incident in two pages. It was released through a US FOIA request in 1983.
The audio recording, approximately eighteen to twenty minutes of intermittent dictation on a Lanier microcassette, documents Halt's real-time observations during the Night 2 patrol. Halt has stated the tape was released without his knowledge.
Charles Halt and John Hanson, The Halt Perspective (Haunted Skies Publishing, 2016). ISBN 9780957494497. Charles Halt and John Hanson, The Halt Perspective 2 (Haunted Skies Publishing, 2021). ISBN 9780995642881. The 2010 notarised affidavit is a legal document signed by Halt summarising his account and his stated assessment of the objects' origin.
In the Archive
- The Rendlesham Forest Incident, 1980, case exhibition.
- Jim Penniston, Night 1 first responder.
- UK MoD Rendlesham document viewer.
- United Kingdom country profile.
- United States country profile.
