Lester Holt And The 'Mystery of the Crystal Skulls'
Sunday, 18 May 2008
By Kenn Gold
Source: http://www.mediablvd.com

Lester Holt is the weekend anchor for the flagship broadcast “NBC Nightly News,” and is also the co-anchor of the weekend edition of “Today.” In addition, Holt serves as fill-in anchor and correspondent for “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” and the weekday “Today” program. He also contributes to MSNBC, NBC’s 24-hour cable news network. Holt has reported from many of the world's hot spots. In 2006, he reported from the front lines in Lebanon on the war between Israel and Hezbollah and from London, he reported on the terror threat to U.S. bound-airliners from the UK. In 2005, Holt was on the ground for Hurricane Katrina covering events both in Louisiana and Mississippi, and later that fall covered Hurricane Rita in Texas. In his latest adventure, Hold investigates the truth behind the myth of the latest Indiana Jones Movie, in the Special, airing tonight (May 18 2008) on SCI FI Channel.

Mystery of the Crystal Skulls explores the true history of the legendary relics, unearthing the myths, legends and controversies that surround them. Could the skulls be ancient Mayan prophecies of doom or relics from the Lost City of Atlantis? Or do they, as some believe, store the vast knowledge of a highly advanced extraterrestrial civilization. To try to answer these questions, Sci Fi has launched an unprecedented expedition into the jungles of Belize to track down the missing skulls. It’s a quest worthy of Indiana Jones himself and one that tries to unlock the knowledge about humanity’s imminent destiny.

Lester Holt follows in the footsteps of British explorer and adventurer Frederick Mitchell-Hedges, an inspiration for the fictional Indiana Jones character, whose daughter discovered the first ancient crystal skull in the 1920s in the Mayan ruin of Lubaantun. Bill Homann, a modern-day adventurer and caretaker of the Mitchell-Hedges’ skull, joins Lester on the quest that takes them through the treacherous jungles of Belize and in the rough waters off the Honduran coast. Together, with clues that Homann obtained from Mitchell-Hedges’ daughter and local Mayans, they go in search of another missing skull while surviving bat-ridden caves and alligator infested rivers. Along the way, they come across amazing discoveries including a hidden Mayan temple that could house more treasures. Lester recently spoke with MediaBlvd Magazine about the investigation behind his latest documentary.

Question> Have you, yourself, held or seen in person any of these crystal skulls?

Lester Holt> No. Bill Homann, who had married Anna and is featured prominently in the documentary, brought with him a replica of the crystal skull. He had real concerns about bringing the real thing to Belize because many there think it is sacred and that it is part of Maya culture. And frankly, he was afraid that it might be seized. So in this case, he brought a replica. So no, I’ve never seen the real thing. I’ve read so many accounts of it and I had - I mean, when I was approached with this documentary, I’d heard - just vaguely I knew about it and I did some reading. And after I read it, I became intrigued. And I said this sounds like something that would be fun to do. And it was.

Question> How did they get away with seizing these treasures of Belize and the Mayan people? How do they get away with seizing and keeping in Britain these skulls which should probably be in their original country?

Lester> Well the Anna Mitchell-Hedges one is in the United States with Bill Homann. And Bill Homann - it was taken so many years ago. I’m only guessing and I don’t - I can’t tell you for sure. I’m guessing it was before those kinds of antiquities commissions and sort of things had been put together. So there was no - it wasn’t clear if it was going to be seized. He had just some concerns about bringing it in the country because for many, it they really believe it is part of Maya culture.

Question> As you’re following the story and all of a sudden you hear someone say they’ve got the actual thing where the guy bought it from Sotheby’s -- the skull -- and then you ask and they say well sure, but it’s still the real skull and someone accidentally put it on sale at Sotheby’s, so he had to buy it back. At some point in there, do you start to get real skeptical or what was your mind doing when you were hearing this story?

Lester> Oh my skepticism meter was clicking the whole way. Even from the time I got into the project. You know, that’s what a journalist does and there was no way I was going to even work on this unless I made sure we were going to explore all these different avenues and all the evidence that would point to this possibly being a fraud. And we did that. And yeah, there were points - in fact, Bill Homann who has it now - you know, I tried to shake him. I asked him a lot of pointed questions and I came away at least with the conclusion that he’s a true believer. He’d lived with Anna Mitchell-Hedges knows the skull and has heard her story, has asked her many of the same questions that I asked him. And he’s a true believer. Now that leaves the obvious question what do I think now? I still don’t know is the answer. But I also approach journalism from the standpoint that there’s a lot of things that we don’t know and may never know. And our obligation is to ask the right questions and explore all the potential avenues. And I came away feeling this is a pretty interesting mystery because there have been tests suggesting that this couldn’t have been machine made. And there have been the stories, as you mentioned, of it being put up for auction. So there’s a lot of different stories out there. And it was kind of fun to explore all the avenues. And at the end of the day, you kind of walk away and as I often like to do with stories with - assuming we can’t get to the bottom is let viewers decide - put enough information out there that they can at least, in their own mind aside, or perhaps explore further for the answers.

Question> I read somewhere that they sent it to Hewlett Packard in 1970 and their tests revealed that it would have taken 300 years to make. Has there been any update on that?

Lester> No, that’s the information that is in the documentary. And that was one of the things that I read that I was like hmm that - it’s - you know, you - I guess as a journalist you approach everything naturally as a skeptic. And especially when it comes to things that border in the supernatural. It’s like - and I’m always like okay, you got to give me something here. And that was one of the pieces that I said okay, this is really worth exploring. You know, it’s made of this quartz and we, on this expedition discovered that quartz is available nearby. And we learned a lot about the Maya culture. And you walk away thinking hey, maybe. Maybe.

Question> Is there any evidence that there are other sets of 13 skulls in other parts of the world?

Lester> The - yeah, the legend if you will has been that there are 13. I’m trying to remember how many off the top of my head, I can’t remember how many now have been identified in various locations. But the - one of the legends is that if they’re brought together that they have some kind of a significant power. And that’s where it gets a little sketchy. But the origins of it in either the story of it coming from the - there’s a Maya ruin - you know, it has some legitimacy. I came away from it with some sense that it was quite possibly an explanation.

Question> Has anyone ever tried to recreate what the actual person would look like from the skull?

Lester> I don’t have an answer to that. I don’t think we - we didn’t deal with that in the program. I don’t think so. I don’t think so.

Question> How did this project come about and how did your involvement in the project happen? What was going through your mind as you heard that they wanted you to come do this special?

Lester> Well just for a little background - Sci-Fi Channel is part of the NBC/Universal family and they had come to me a couple of years ago to work on a project about the Bermuda Triangle - similar kind of a program. And it’s funny because that was one - when I was a kid, I was always intrigued reading about the Bermuda Triangle. So that was an easy one. I said yeah, that sounds like fun and that was an interesting one. So we had a relationship and they have talked to me about other projects in the past. But I mean, let’s be perfectly honest. I’m a journalist and fiction is a work - it’s kind of doesn’t always sit right with a journalist. So I’m very choosy about the things that that I’m able to go forward with. But I was actually in LA on assignment and - at the hotel ran into some folks from Sci-Fi. And they said hey, we were going to call you. We’ve got this project we’re working on. So they kind of planted the seed and I went back to my room. And I logged onto the Internet, and just read a little bit about the crystal skull. And then they followed up a few weeks later and said what do you think? And I said it’s really - you know, it met that bar that the Bermuda Triangle did in my mind in terms of there’s definitely something there and there are a lot of people who have a real interest in this. And I always try to hold myself to the sense of don’t be a news snob, you know. Ask the tough questions and have healthy skepticism. But at the same time, this is something that a lot of people are hearing about and reading about. I knew the movie - Indiana Jones movie was coming out, so that was going to increase talk about these skulls. So everything came together and I said yeah, this was a project I’m willing and would like to be involved with.

Question> If you had to say one thing, what was the most interesting or fascinating thing that you experienced doing this special?

Lester> Well I think it was standing amid the Maya ruin. I just hadn’t - I’d never been to Belize and didn’t know that there were so many. And I didn’t realize that there were so many unanswered questions about them. One of the things that we do in this documentary is we take you up what looks like a mountain. But what you’re really standing on is a pyramid. It’s entirely covered in dirt and jungle foliage. And a lot of these have really never been fully explored. There were countless Maya ruins that archaeologists have not gotten to, which of course, leaves out there what else haven’t we found and what else might offer credence to the story of the legend.

Question> So what is your personal opinion? Which theory of the origins of the skulls do you think are the most convincing? Are they extraterrestrials, are they Maya or just a hoax?

Lester> Well if I had to take a guess -- and don’t take this to the bank -- I would buy into the Maya story. But having said that -- and this is an important caveat -- you know, to me there’s not enough evidence to really walk away and say this is what I believe. But of the - in answer to your question of the potential theories out there, of the Maya story that Anna Mitchell-Hedges tells, is perhaps the most likely. I mean, it would require obviously a great amount of patience, assuming it was made by humans - a great amount of patience over a great amount of time. And obviously, a fair amount of skill since they would not have had the machinery to do it the way we would do today.

Question> Was there any new research done on the skull for - like laboratory research for this program?

Lester> Nothing that - we talked about the Hewlett Packard, but nothing - no new testing. No.

Question> Do you think there’s any sort of physical research that could definitively say where the skulls are from since quartz is kind of inert?

Lester> Yeah. I think it could be - I’m sure that it could be looked at again in terms of the - whether it was machine made or handmade. You know, I’m not an expert in that kind of technology. But clearly I think we you could continue to subject it to test after test, after test.

Question> There’s some buzz about a worldwide cataclysm at the end of the Mayan calendar cycle. Do you know if there’s anything to that or it will review anything about that?

Lester> Well I don’t know. We went to an area where we actually walk - it’s a giant Maya calendar and it’s made of these standing stones. You’ll see it in the story. And we talk about the fact that there is this legend of the apocalypse event that would occur. You know, that’s an area frankly where we’re exploring the what-ifs and the possibilities, and I’d leave that to the viewer to decide. I mean, that was - we put it out there, but that’s a hard thing to to offer conclusive evidence. I guess we’ll find out in 2012.

Question> Where do you plan on being on December 21, 2012?

Lester> You never know. You know, I’m usually on the road somewhere. Maybe I’ll be doing a live shot in Belize for the Today Show.

Question> Do you think Frederick Mitchell-Hedges was the inspiration for Indiana Jones?

Lester> You know, if not him, somebody like him. The more - as I said, when they scheduled me with this project I went into a little - you know, just a little cursory research. I read about this guy and I thought wow, it looks like kind of - you know, this kind of sounds like the same type of guy, always going for the treasure and the mystery. But whether he was the actual inspiration, I don’t know. But I think Indiana Jones is clearly modeled after real-life characters that existed.

Question> Would you say you’re a fan of the Indiana Jones series? And if you are, do you have sort of a favorite movie in the franchise?

Lester> I am a fan. I really liked - I guess it was the third one with Sean Connery. Yeah. I really liked that one. I thought Sean Connery was a fun addition. I guess he’s not in this next one. But yeah, I’m a big fan of those movies. And I have said for years, why don’t they make any more? And finally they did.

Question> Have you seen the new one yet?

Lester> I have not. I have not. I hopefully get to go to a pre-screening. But if not, I’ll just buy a ticket and go.

Question> Did Homann give you an insight as to the properties of the skull? I’ve read that some people felt it was evil - the particular one that she found on her 17th birthday, that she had in her possession. Was it I was reading that it absorbed the aura colors of whoever was holding it?

Lester> That’s one of the things he said. And he says people - he talks about - he gets - he speaks around the country and around the world about it. And has shown it to other people and talked about how they’re all kind of affected and it creates this aura. And for some people it’s a different feeling. We shot it for the story and unfortunately I wasn’t there. And back to the earlier question I wasn’t - didn’t get a chance to see it for myself and experience it. So that’s my one regret in this because of the the time constraints of my other responsibilities. I didn’t get to really have that impression that I could share with you. But yeah, he loves the - he gets a kick out of how people react when they’re in the room with it.

Question> Will you ever make a point to go see one in person?

Lester> I might. You know, Bill and I - you know, he’s a really nice guy. I got to know him a little bit and we exchanged cards. And he’s there in Indiana, and we kind of have a loose date that if I’m in that neighborhood. I don’t know that I’d make a special trip, to be quite honest. But if I had an opportunity, if it was convenient, I would love to see one.

Question> How many days were you in Belize?

Lester> We were in Belize for a few days. Obviously the producers and the camera folks had been there ahead of time. And I came in, spent about three days in Belize. And then we moved to -- you’ll see this in the program, if you haven’t watched it already -- to Honduras. It is pretty impressive. And I think what - and this is what really fascinates me about these kinds of things. We like to think that we in our culture are the most modern and technically advanced. But then you go back and you look at things like the Maya culture and you realize that they had their day. And what happened between then and now that’s a long story. But we know that these ancient cultures did some extraordinary things. Anybody who has walked inside one of the great pyramids, anybody who has walked around Stonehenge - these kinds of places. So we know that these cultures had some had employed some enormously sophisticated technologies, even compared to what we do because the pulleys and lifts, and that sort of thing. So that’s what kind of intrigues me. It’s like I can’t measure it based on today. These are people that did do some extraordinary things. So who am I to say what their limiting point was? And that’s why I kind of walked away after standing amid these ruins and these pyramids. And there were so many of them. So this was a vast culture. This was an area that was inhabited by millions during their heyday. And so standing there I’m thinking oh, this - these would have been some interesting people to know at that time. And I kind of walked away - you know, they - I don’t know, the sky might have been the limit for them, including making these skulls.

Question> How significant are the skulls in South America today?

Lester> I think it’s a growing significance. I think the fact that they’ve received a lot of attention from other parts of the world, I think that they’re - certainly among local Maya there in Belize -- and in fact, one of them we introduce to you in the story -- the story is quite known. And I think there is a fair amount of pride that they were - they had this link to this culture. In terms of the broader population, I can’t answer that. But I do know that there are prominent members of the Maya community today who know about them and clearly, even archeologists who we interviewed - local archaeologists -- one of whom was clearly a skeptic. I mean, they knew all about it. And when I say a skeptic, the gentleman we interviewed - I don’t think he says it’s not possible. It’s just that he says archaeologically they have not proven it to be the real deal.

Question> Did you feel a little bit like Indiana himself doing this?

Lester> Yeah, there were - I have to say there were a couple of moments. You know, as I’m in my khaki and climbing through some of the jungle settings. And at one point, we did a little diving off of Roatan Island in Honduras. And I - yes, I had those little fantasy flashes like oh, this must have been - what it would have been like. At the same time, I’m thinking you have to be pretty brave to do this. These are jungles that have a lot of critters and they have their fair amount of danger. But it was exciting. It really was to stand there in these jungles. And just the thought anything else - you didn’t want to think about this - you know, we know that this Mitchell-Hedges did these kinds of expeditions and we saw some old pictures of some of the things he had done. And it really kind of gave you a flash of wow, there really are these these globetrotting explorers and we’re exploring the legacy of one of them.

Question> Is it too dangerous for you to take on that role fully, you think?

Lester> Yeah. Well the truth of the matter is I’m a little bit of a chicken when it comes to snakes and critters, and that sort of thing. When we got to the place we were staying in the jungle in Belize I heard this - what sounded like a roaring lion or a tiger. Well it turns out it was a screeching monkey. But it makes this horrible sound that echoes in the jungle. So I - you know, no - that’s not in the cards for me. I mean roughing it to me is a three star hotel.

Question> What questions kind of have stuck around with you after leaving this project?

Lester> You know, this is not totally on the crystal skull. We also get into the life of Mitchell-Hedges and some of the things he had done in this harbor around this Roatan Island in Honduras. And I had a lot of questions about what he left behind because one of the stories we deal with is that he dumped some treasure overboard in this harbor. Now this was a harbor where we know that pirates were quite active - Captain Morgan. I guess there’s a whiskey named after him now. But we know that from the hillside, they would have lookouts and they would send the pirate ships out after the merchant ships. So we know there was a colorful history there. And I was a little reluctant to leave that area. We did some diving there and Bill Homann thought he had a track on where some of these treasures were. And we explored some of those and you’ll see the results. But that, more than anything, really kind of left me like kind of wanting more because in that area we didn’t do less of a potential supernatural to just a plain old treasure hunt.

Question> Did you find anything archaeologically speaking that you got to hold in your hands and just kind of say this is pretty incredible that I was here?

Lester> Not anything specific. I mean, just standing amid the ruins and I think one of the most dramatic parts of the program is when the camera takes you up onto this - what appeared like a mountain. And they start hacking away and like no, it’s not a mountain. It’s a - this is a manmade mountain. This is a pyramid overgrown.