Silas Mason Newton

Early Career and Criminal Background

Silas Mason Newton (1887–1972) was a wealthy oil producer and self-styled geophysicist who became one of the most notorious fraudsters in early UFO history. His criminal record dated back to at least 1931, when he was first arrested for suspected wire fraud. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Newton built a lucrative career in oil speculation and mineral prospecting, exploiting clients with dubious schemes.

The UFO Pivot (1950)

Cashing in on the public fascination with flying saucers following Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting, Newton reinvented himself as an UFO authority. On March 8, 1950, he lectured at Denver University under the pseudonym "Mr. X" or "Scientist X," claiming he had witnessed two crashed flying saucers secretly held by the U.S. government. One allegedly crashed near Aztec, New Mexico, caused by a "magnetic fault line," while another supposedly landed near Durango, Colorado. He described the extraterrestrial occupants as standing 38–42 inches tall, wearing 1890s-style clothing made from an indestructible fabric.

Newton's sensational claims caught the attention of writer Frank Scully, who featured him prominently in the 1950 bestseller Behind the Flying Saucers, treating his testimony as authoritative expert witness. The book boosted Newton's credibility in UFO circles and gave him a platform to recruit investors.

The "Magnetic Doodlebug" Fraud

Newton's UFO claims were the bait for an elaborate financial scheme. Working with accomplice Leo Gebauer, Newton developed and marketed the "magnetic doodlebug"—allegedly a device based on recovered alien technology, capable of detecting oil, gas, and mineral deposits by harnessing magnetism and "cosmic rays." They charged investors enormous sums, nominally claiming the device cost $800,000 to produce. In reality, it was cobbled together from surplus military radio parts worth approximately $3.50.

The con was spectacularly successful. Newton defrauded industrialist Herman Flader of $50,000 and optometrist Alfred Kleyhauer of $15,000. The scheme might have continued indefinitely, but in 1952, journalist J. P. Cahn of the San Francisco Chronicle challenged Newton to produce physical evidence—requesting a sample of the "indestructible" alien metal. Newton provided a piece of ordinary aluminum, demolishing his entire narrative. Cahn's investigation into the hoax was published and widely circulated, exposing the fraud.

Conviction and Later Life

In December 1953, Newton and Gebauer were convicted of fraud and conspiracy in Denver. Newton received probation but remained under FBI surveillance. In 1969, he faced additional charges for mine salting schemes in New Mexico. The FBI maintained files on Newton's activities from 1951 until 1970.

Legacy in UFO History

Newton's hoaxes represent one of the first major UFO-related deceptions to be publicly exposed and debunked. Unlike the 1950s contactee generation—George Adamski, George Van Tassel, Truman Bethurum—who claimed spiritual communion with benevolent extraterrestrials, Newton had no pretense of authentic contact; his UFO narratives were cynical tools for financial exploitation. The Aztec crashed saucer hoax became a cautionary tale that damaged public credibility in UFO research and gave skeptics ammunition against the entire field. Frank Scully's Behind the Flying Saucers became permanently tainted by association, and Newton's case established a template for recognizing UFO-related fraud that persists to this day.