Argentina: The Fito Vivas Cases (Miramar, 1968)

Argentina: The Fito Vivas Cases (Miramar, 1968)
By Andrea Pérez Simondini – Visión OVNI

Life can be unbelievable at times. I spent all these days in January (2011) discussing the difference between causality and synchronicity while working in Mar del Plata. The latter term I owe to my friend Alex Chionetti, who every so often studies philosophical schools whose axioms help to explain situations that life puts in one’s path.

This case was exactly that. If you’ll allow me a few minutes of your time, I’ll explain why.

During my stay in Victoria, my mother Silvia told me that a gentleman from the coastal city of Miramar visited Museo del Ovni with the story that a UFO had crashed in the renowned energy forest (or dark forest, as it is known in that city) in the year 1955. Since she knew that we would be barely 40 kilometers away from it in a few days, we discussed the possibility of paying a visit and look into the information provided by the visitor.

So it was that I came to Mar del Plata on business reasons and on my day off, set off quickly and early toward Miramar’s energy forest.

[...]

Upon leaving the place, I felt a combination of frustration, disillusionment and joy at having visited the mythic forest. And at that precise moment of conflicting emotions, a taxicab parked next to our truck drew my attention. I quickly though: who better than a cab driver to tell me something about the crashed UFO? Without hesitation, I asked him about this theory. He looked at me quizzically. Yet he replied unequivocally, no, nothing happened here. Something did happen in the Sixties in the middle of the city of Miramar. We all asked at the same time: “what happened?” Ha, he said, Fito Vivas saw a UFO land right before his eyes. He’s still alive, he tells us.

The Fito Vivas Case

Without thinking about it twice, we headed to the home of the person mentioned by the cab driver. My companions didn’t put much stock in the information he’d given us, but I must thank them for their willingness to allow me to attempt a search.

Once we’d reached the site, we asked a gentleman for directions. He replied he wasn’t a local and didn’t know. However, he pointed to a house where locals dwelled, and it turned out to be the location in question.

We were met by Fito’s nephew. I introduced myself and stated my intentions, and he went off to find him.

We found ourselves facing a relatively young man, contrary to what we thought. Forty-three years had elapsed, after all. We managed to record his statement, and we will share the videos recorded.

Technical Information
Date: 21 June 1968
Place: Miramar, Buenos Aires Province
Location: Calle 26 and Calle 3
Time: 1:00 a.m.
Witness: Rodolfo Vivas
Participation: 4th Regional Unit of the Argentinean Air Force headquartered at Mar del Plata, with information forwarded to the National Aeronautical Authorities.

Original Information on the Case

Oscar Rodolfo Vivas, 24, married to Edith Tosca, a subordinate employee of the Municipality, had finished playing cards with his friend Ferreira. On 21 June 1968, he retired around 1:00 a.m. after saying farewell to the family. He got on his bicycle and headed toward his home located at Calle 7 between 36 and 38. “I was pedaling along Calle 26 and 3 when I saw a flying saucer that gave me the biggest fright in my life. It was impossible to look at it. I couldn’t withstand the glare. I hid behind some bushes and covered my eyes with my jacket, concealing my whole head. I tried to calm down, and seconds later, I lifted my jacket somewhat and was able to see it more clearly. Without question, it was a flying saucer. It was there and hovered some 40 centimeters off the surface.

“The upper part of the artifact seemed separate from the lower one, spinning constantly at great speed, with two “V” shaped antennae that appeared to emerge from the hull – the rear (lower?) section remained motionless and projected flames against the ground. The rotating section, on the other hand, projected very power lights. I was very scared and at the same time could hear a whistling sound like the one made by jet aircraft. The whistling intensified and the flying saucer took off at a slant, and then zigzagged away at tremendous speed. I remained at the same spot and felt stunned. I didn’t know what it meant to be scared, but now I did. Everything was silent. I got back on the bike and took off in any direction – all I wanted was not to remain in the darkness. I felt like a different person.”

Other Witnesses

Mr. Alfredo del Matto, owner of the “Los Indios” restaurant. He stated: “Vivas reached my restaurant in a state of considerable fear, unable to coordinate his speech.”

Orlando Ituarte, Quito Zemborain, Manuel Antonio Sicovich, Cacho Moske, Mario Dolimipio, Mr. Lucero, and Abel Ibarra – [these witnesses] vouched that an anomalous phenomenon occurred some 8 or 9 blocks from where they stood. They turned on a flashlight and found a large circular stain of something resembling grime.

They said that the had picked up soil in their hands and it was slippery, leaving some kind of greasy residue (!)

They decided to report it to the police, who later ascertained the anomalies (charred grass, a whitish substance looking like powdered chalk, with sticky and warm properties)

The authorities collected the samples, which were later studied in the laboratories of the Air Force Command.

This therefore is a presentation of the case with the original statements, adding that they were statements made before the police.

Let us now revisit the case 43 years later with its protagonist.

UFO research places us startling cases and incredible protagonists in our path. I was truly unaware of this case and it was a great joy to me to have found it. Chance, causality, synchronicity – who knows? The fact is that what I found more than met my research expectations. A case with physical evidence, a reliable witness with many witnesses, with the participation of the police authorities of Miramar and the 4th Regional Unit of the Air Force based at Mar del Plata. A case that merits declassification, most certainly.

I cannot bring this article to a close without providing some images that are certainly of investigative value, as well as the journalistic articles so kindly furnished by the protagonist.

Transcription of the Fito Vivas Interview (2011)

APS: We’re here in Miramar at the home of Fito Vivas, whose case we learned of while in el Bosque Encantado. We are thankful for having welcomed us into your home, and we’d like to know more about the case, exactly what happened...
FV: Well, that was in the year ’68, a while back now. I was coming from a friend’s house, and well...it was around one in the morning. And at the time I was with a girl. I was married, so that’s why I couldn’t mention it at the time! I’ve been separated for many, many years (smiles).
APS: And now you can speak freely...
FV: So the girl was also a witness. So we were coming down the hill on Calle 26, before crossing Arroyo, and we saw a glow. Then it looked like a rhomboidal object, all silvery, hanging over the middle of the avenue, projecting a light (gestures with hands) it seemed to be covered by a glass bell.
APS: Aha.
FV: Then it made a buzzing sound, and the upper section rotated (gestures). And we looked at it for a while, and then it took off and went upward.
APS: I imagine that at that time there were no homes there...
FV: No, no...the witnesses at that time was mister...he also passed away...I can’t remember his name. But he saw the craft, he said there was another larger craft. I could only see the one below, but he said there was a larger one that then took off, it zigzagged, buzzed, and flew off to the south.
APS: And you didn’t find any prints or marks on the site?
FV: Yes, they came from...the Air Force, the Naval facility here, and they took out soil –
APS: The Mar del Plata base?
FV: Yes, took out soil, they analyzed it and said it withstood 2000 degrees Centigrade.
APS: Two thousand degrees Centigrade?
FV: (nods) yes, that soil.
APS: Do you remember the officer in charge of the investigation?
FV: No, no I don’t.
APS: I’m telling you this because recently, the Argentinean Air Force reported that it will create a commission to study space phenomena. So this eyewitness account would be of interest –
FV: No, I don’t remember because they were there, they interviewed me, but I never asked for their names:
APS: They never gave you a copy of their findings or conclusions?
FV: No, no, that was all private, their investigation was such that no one found out about it.
APS: Ah, perfect then.
FV: These cases make me say that (inaudible)
APS: Yes.
FV: Because otherwise they say your nuts, or drunk, or a liar. And since I always said that there are four things in life that I hate: lying, falsehood, betrayal and deceit.
APS: Of course.
FV: So there are many people who laughed. I had many problems. I was jailed three times because of this problem, some made fun of me, and at that time I couldn’t take it –
APS: You would react and fight.
FV: Of course, so the ministry told me (inaudible) Fito, you’ve got to stop this (gestures) otherwise we’re going to have to lock you up.
APS: And what’s your life like now, after that experience?
FV: Different.
APS: Are you calmer?
FV: (gestures) many strange things happened.
APS: Yes? Experiences?
FV: Very many (shakes head), very, very many. Only God knows.
APS: Yes.
FV: Completely incredible.
APS: And you told me that you were in a car at the time?
FV: No, on a bicycle.
APS: And you didn’t notice any electrical alterations, smells?
FV: Well, high voltage wires run along that street. According to Fabio Zerpa, who was here, he said that “they” draw power, and there’s water. There’s a stream right there and the power lines are overhead.
APS: That was on Calle 24.
FV: 26, between five and three (points at horizon) You can go straight and find the avenue, three blocks away, passing the stream.
APS: Astounding!
FV: (draws bell shape with his hands) that’s where the device appeared. The trees were all scorched...
APS: There was evidence that the trees had suffered damage...
FV: Yes, and later on (inaudible) the Air Force said there was radiation.
APS: They managed to detect radioactivity?
FV: I was there, looking with them. And it made that noise it makes when they pass the probe...
APS: How many Air Force people came? Many? a unit?
FV: (thinks) Four people. I believe they were four.
APS: Four.
FV: Then they took me...and then the Air Force people took me, put a device on me, a lie detector, and conducted studies on me. And many things happened to me later. I saw things that shocked me greatly (inaudible)
APS: Is that so? You began to see...
FV: (nods) Then...after that, many people with problems began to show up.
APS: Do tell.
FV: (begins to leaf through a notebook, showing it to the camera) these are all the people who have come this year. All of them, all of them.
APS: And how do you handle that new discovery, this urge to help people?
FV: I felt – I feel – different. I was...at that time I was a guy who loved to sing Tango.
APS: Really?
FV: (reaches for an envelope in a drawer)
APS: At that time you were a singer by profession?
FV: (hands her a photograph) I was young and I had the looks. And later on I worked as a painter the rest of my life, shirt maker, I cooked, I did a lot of things. So my life changed completely.
APS: How did you discover this gift, shall we say? This gift of helping others?
FV: An image appeared and took me by the hands.
APS: Ah, you saw the image here?
FV: Exactly. It appeared, took me by the hands and said, “don’t be frightened”
APS: And you associated that with a...shall we say...an apparition of the Virgin...
FV: Yes, it was a white image (gestures a shape)
APS: A white image.
FV: And its face was a light, and I thought it didn’t have a face. I asked it to smile; it said, “I don’t”. It gave me to understand that all human beings believe in God, higher beings, each of us calls it a different thing.
APS: Yes.
FV: And they see it like they think it is. One sees it one way, another sees it another.
APS: You associate that image then with a religious figure? A Christian one, shall we say?
FV: I believe that—from the Bible itself—that they weren’t there.
APS: But you are not an active worshipper?
FV: No, not at all. Nothing, nothing.
APS: And after that experience—
FV: Yes, yes, yes.
APS: After the image appeared, you became more devout.
FV: The same as when they talk about the Christ Child –
APS: Yes, I can see that you have many religious images (camera pans left) linked to the Virgin, we saw a Christ that drew our attention, an incredible one. Up here we can see (camera pans up) little saints. You collect them?
FV: Those belong to my son.
APS: And from that moment you felt the possibility that you could help people?
FV: I went out dancing, and happened to walk past a mass. I felt a person had a problem in their stomach– there was a table with four women. I told one of them: “You have a pain in your stomach”, and she said: “Why yes, how do you know?” “I don’t know, intuition.” She allowed me to place my hand on her head, and then she left. And this appeared on my hand (shows right hand, displaying odd palm lines) looking like two outstretched arms.
APS: Ah-ha. I can see it. Impressive, it truly is.
FV: Yes. And that appeared on my hand. And that was the shape that was seen...a little face, the outstretched arms...
APS: That was what you were left with?
FV: Yes.
APS: Uncanny! And the experience you had with the UFO – were there any journalistic records, did it appear in the local press?
FV: In all of them.
APS: In Mar del Plata as well?
FV: In all of them. Throughout the country (inaudible). From all parts of Argentina, and later, well...Central America
APS: Spain, Mexico?
FV: Spain, Mexico, France, Italy...England. They all asked for photos and the story. They sent me a book that I later passed along to someone at the school, don’t know the name, and it came out in a book. The principal of the technical school told me, “do you know that you’re in a book?” So my story appears to (inaudible).
APS: I’m going to look for it. What is your name?
FV: Rodolfo Oscar Vivas.
APS: Age?
FV: Sixty-seven, going on sixty-eight.
APS: I want to thank you so much for your attention, for your consideration, and we will now take our leave and go find those journalistic records.
FV: And you will find it, because as I said, it appeared everywhere.
APS: Our thanks again –
FV: I must have something around from “Cinco” magazine...
APS: Do you have articles?
FV: Let me see...
(Recording ends)

(Translation & transcription (c) 2012, Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology. Special thanks to Andrea Pérez Simondini, Visión OVNI and Carlos Iurchuk, El Dragón Invisible)