Project Moonshaft

The Moonshaft Project began in 1970 when I was contacted by Don Richmond, an investigator with the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) about his neighbor, who had a fantastic story I should hear. He gave me a brief summary and I made arrangements to meet him. My wife and I traveled to Colorado two weeks later and spent a day and evening with Antonin and his wife, Anna. He displayed his original WW II diary from 1943 to early 1945. The diary contained numerous sketches of the artifact/structure, the mountain area where it is located, a view of the immediate area of the cavern containing the structure, and the cave. The sketches were made during the time he was hidden in the cave. He allowed us to photograph the sketches and later gave me a translation of the diary. I was so impressed with Tony and his story I contacted Dr. J. Allen Hynek and he drove up from New Mexico to meet with Horak. We both felt it was a project that should be initiated as soon as possible and we started making plans for an expedition to Slovakia. Tony Horak was born in the village Ville de Hermannstadt in Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) on July 7, 1897. The Horak family was in Hermannstadt on vacation when Tony was born.

Shortly after they returned to their home in Czechoslovakia near the German border. The Horak property had been the family enterprise for many generations. The property included agriculture, forests, and mines. It extended north to the German border and covered a vast area. From 1903 - 1915 Tony attended school in Prague with six months in Paris and four months in London.