Kellerstrass, Ernie
Ernie Kellerstrass, also known as Hawk in the Aviary, was a former employee of Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Ohio, where he worked in the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) in the 1970s. He was involved in several projects related to UFOs and extraterrestrial life, such as Project Aquarius and Project Blue Book.
Kellerstrass was one of the sources who provided information to ufologist William Moore, who co-authored the book The Roswell Incident with Charles Berlitz in 1980. Kellerstrass claimed to have seen alien bodies and debris from the alleged 1947 crash near Roswell, New Mexico, stored at WPAFB. He also claimed to have lived with an alien for a while, and to have learned about the aliens' preference for strawberry ice cream and Tibetan music.
Kellerstrass was part of a group of insiders who were interested in UFOs and paranormal phenomena, known as the Aviary or the UFO Steering Group. This group included other former or current government officials, scientists, military officers, and intelligence agents, such as Robert Collins, Dale Graff, Hal Puthoff, Kit Green, John Alexander, Ron Pandolfi, Jacques Vallee, and others. They allegedly had access to classified information and documents about UFOs and extraterrestrials, and some of them were involved in covert operations and disinformation campaigns.
Kellerstrass' role in ufology is controversial and disputed. Some researchers consider him a credible and valuable witness, while others doubt his claims and motives. Some of his statements have been contradicted by other sources or proven to be false. For example, he said that he had seen a live broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing at WPAFB, but this was impossible since the broadcast was delayed by several seconds. He also said that he had met President Jimmy Carter at WPAFB, but there is no record of such a meeting.
Kellerstrass' current whereabouts and status are unknown. He has not spoken publicly about UFOs since the 1980s. Some sources say that he is still alive and living in Florida, while others say that he has passed away.
Note that in the UFO literature, you will also find him as Ernie Kellerstraus.
Sources:
- Kellerstrass, Ernie - IsaacKoi: https://www.isaackoi.com/ufo-personalities/kellerstrass-ernie.html
- Does anyone know for certain who the inner circle is? : r/ufo - Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ufo/comments/elscth/does_anyone_know_for_certain_who_the_inner_circle/
- The Aviary, the Aquarium, and Eschatology - Think Aboutit - UFOs: https://thinkaboutit.site/ufos/aviary-aquarium-eschatology/