The Dulce Base and Underground War

Beneath the small town of Dulce, New Mexico, on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, conspiracy theorists claim a massive underground base operates in secret. According to whistleblowers, this facility hosts joint human-alien research, genetic experiments on abductees, and was once the site of a deadly confrontation between U.S. military personnel and extraterrestrial beings.

The Claims

According to believers, the Dulce Base is located beneath Archuleta Mesa near Dulce and functions as a joint operation between the U.S. government and alien species. The facility is said to extend seven or more levels deep, connected to other underground bases via an extensive tunnel system, and serves as the site of genetic experiments on both humans and cattle.

The base allegedly houses several types of occupants. The Greys, the classic alien type, are said to work alongside human military and scientific personnel who run the operations. A hostile alien species known as Reptilians are also said to be present. Most disturbingly, human subjects, described as abductees, are purportedly held in the facility for experimentation.

Thomas Castello

The primary source for Dulce Base claims is Thomas Castello, who claimed to be a former security officer at the facility. According to Castello, he worked at Dulce from 1979 until his departure, holding Level 2 security clearance. During his time there, he said he witnessed horrific experiments on humans and eventually stole documents and photographs as evidence before going into hiding after going public with his allegations.

Castello described a base that was originally built in the 1940s and expanded over the following decades. The first few levels, he said, are occupied by humans, while the lower levels are controlled by aliens. He gave particularly chilling descriptions of “Nightmare Hall” on Level 6, where he claimed genetic experiments produced human-animal hybrids and alien-human hybrids, with vats containing developing hybrid creatures.

As part of his claimed evidence, Castello said he had removed internal documents, photographs of experiments, security clearance materials, and maps of the facility. However, none of this evidence has ever surfaced publicly. Castello himself disappeared after making his claims, and his whereabouts and fate remain unknown.

The Dulce Wars

The most dramatic claim involves an alleged battle in 1979. According to Phil Schneider, another whistleblower, and other sources, the conflict erupted during base construction or expansion when workers accidentally drilled into an alien-occupied area. A firefight broke out between humans and Grey aliens, reportedly killing 66 Delta Force soldiers and government workers. Schneider himself was allegedly wounded in the exchange, and the conflict ultimately established new territorial boundaries within the base.

Schneider, a geologist and explosives expert, claimed he was present during the 1979 conflict and was shot by an alien weapon. He said he saw dead comrades and alien bodies, and his chest bore scars he attributed to the alien attack. Schneider died in 1996 under disputed circumstances. Some consider his death suspicious, while others note he had documented health problems.

Supporting Evidence Claimed

The Dulce area has long been associated with unusual cattle deaths and mutilations, involving the precise surgical removal of organs, a lack of blood at scenes, and no tracks or evidence of predators. Believers connect these incidents to the base’s alleged genetic experiments.

The region has also recorded unusual lights over Archuleta Mesa, disc-shaped craft apparently entering and exiting the mesa, black helicopter activity, and electromagnetic anomalies. Some Jicarilla Apache residents have independently reported strange lights and craft, underground sounds and vibrations, areas where animals refuse to go, and traditional stories of underground dwellers that predate the modern conspiracy theories.

Skeptical Analysis

The case for Dulce Base falls apart under close examination. Thomas Castello’s testimony has never been independently verified; no colleagues have come forward, the stolen evidence has never appeared, and his claims align suspiciously well with existing UFO mythology. Phil Schneider’s credentials are disputed, his scars could have mundane origins, his claims grew increasingly elaborate over time, and his death, while unusual, has mundane explanations.

Despite decades of claims, no photographs of the base interior have ever surfaced, no documents have been authenticated, and no other credible whistleblowers have emerged. Physical investigation of the mesa shows no entrance, and seismic surveys do not support the existence of massive underground structures.

Critics further note that the scale of operations described would be impossible to hide, the number of people involved would ensure leaks, no abductee has provided verifiable Dulce-specific information, and the claims require accepting an implausibly vast conspiracy.

Why It Persists

The Dulce narrative combines multiple elements that make it deeply appealing to conspiracy communities: secret government programs, alien contact and collaboration, underground bases, human experimentation, suppressed technology, and brave whistleblowers risking everything to expose the truth. Dulce itself is perfect for mystery, being remote and inaccessible, situated on tribal land that limits investigation, near other locations deemed suspicious, and close to documented nuclear and military sites.

The theory has maintained an active community of believers who continuously elaborate on the story, integrating it with other conspiracy theories to build a self-sustaining mythology.

Official Silence

The U.S. government has never acknowledged Dulce Base, nor has it specifically denied its existence, treating the claims as too fringe to warrant an official response. Predictably, believers interpret this silence as confirmation.

Today

The story continues to attract conspiracy researchers, UFO enthusiasts, documentary makers, and curious tourists. The Jicarilla Apache have not confirmed any base on their land and have generally avoided the controversy, though some tribal members have occasionally reported their own unexplained experiences in the area.

The Question

Without evidence, the claims cannot be verified. But the story’s persistence demonstrates the power of conspiracy narratives, human fascination with hidden knowledge, our willingness to believe in secret realities, and the enduring appeal of forbidden truths.

Somewhere beneath Archuleta Mesa, according to believers, a secret world operates. Humans and aliens work together. Unspeakable experiments continue. The truth is literally underground, waiting to be exposed.

Or nothing is there at all except rock, darkness, and the imaginations of those who need the world to be stranger than it is.

Dulce keeps its secrets. Real or imagined, they remain buried deep.

Sources

• Wikipedia search: “The Dulce Base and Underground War”
• CIA UFO/UAP Reading Room — Declassified CIA documents on UAP