It’s a mystery that has captured the attention of both sceptics and believers for more than 30 years.

In two weeks’ time, a gathering of witnesses, researchers and authors will attempt to shed new light on the extraordinary series of events often described as “Britain’s very own Roswell”.

Among the guest speakers lined up to appear at the Rendlesham Forest Incident Conference 2014, in Woodbridge, later this month, are former US airmen John Burroughs and Larry Warren, ex-detective and UFO Truth magazine founder Gary Heseltine, and Brooklyn-born paranormal researcher Richard Dolan.

It is the third event of its kind in recent years – following similar meetings in 2010 and 2012 – but promises to expand on a mystery that, in the words of one speaker, “grows deeper by the day”.

Accusations of a cover-up, “double-speak” and obfuscation have only amplified in recent years, with official explanations labelled by some as “nothing more than distraction from the main events”.

Mr Burroughs was one of two American servicemen, along with Jim Penniston, to first report encounters with an unidentified craft in Suffolk woodland near the East Gate of RAF Woodbridge.

The retired sergeant will talk about the persistent health problems which he attributes to his experiences in the early hours of Boxing Day 1980, and the difficulties he has come up against during his own investigations into the incident.

Mr Burroughs, who also plans to revisit the site when he arrives from Arizona, recounts a declassified UK intelligence study revealing that the Rendlesham Incident was an example where it “might be postulated that several observers were probably exposed to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) radiation.”

Mr Burroughs claims he has been denied access to medical records he believes contain information that would allow proper treatment for injuries sustained in the line of duty. He said: “Does it really matter if the origin was extra-terrestrial in nature or covert human military in nature?

“The effects, the reaction by the high command and likely the principles of human physiology and high-frequency electromagnetic pulse would be the same. Either would be big news and either would be subject to an intense cover-up after the fact.

“It may not be an either/or situation, rather it may be a case of both. Consider this: What if the intense experimentation in high power electromagnetic weaponry attracted the attention of an advanced intelligence, which showed up on the first night to investigate, and that later nights were a deployment of our experimental capabilities as a response, a test, or a decoy to complicate the history of the case?”

The Rendlesham Incident involved a group of American servicemen who went into the forest to investigate mysterious lights, since accredited to a variety of sources including the glow of Orfordness Lighthouse, an elaborate hoax or a secret classified aircraft.

Mr Warren, a member of the US Air Force Security Police stationed at the air base, who claims to have seen an alien craft land on the third and final night of events, will also speak at the conference, alongside UFO Truth magazine editor Mr Heseltine, a retired British Transport Police detective constable who also set up a database for police UFO sighting reports.

They will be joined by author and researcher Mr Dolan, whose presentation on the night will be entitled Global Military Encounters with UFOs: What It Means for Our Civilization. He will also touch on the Rendlesham Forest Incident, which he said was “among a handful of the most significant UFO events of the past half century or more”.

He added: “There is good military documentation confirming that something very odd took place.

“There are an exceptionally large number of credible witnesses who have provided details on what happened.

“It shows evidence of great military interest in UFOs, and just as great an interest in intimidating military personnel to keep quiet about it, and also to maintain absolute secrecy about the entire matter.

“It suggests an interest by ‘other’ intelligences in our nuclear technology, and perhaps knowledge of our geopolitics.

“The science behind the events described appears to be revolutionary and would transform our world if revealed.”

Mr Dolan said that, even among serious researchers, there existed differences of opinion as to what really happened. “Part of the reason for this is because the information on the series of events has come out very slowly for over 30 years,” he added.

“Every time researchers think they have a more or less complete picture, new information, and even new witnesses, come forward. The story has grown in both information and complexity over time.

“The most fundamental reason, however, for the lack of a ‘conclusive’ explanation is simple. Our official government agencies continue to deny that anything of significance occurred, and continue to hide information behind laws concerning secrecy and national security.

“Barring definitive proof, all conclusions must be provisional. Having said that, my own research leads me to conclude at present that a highly extraordinary series of events took place. There is nothing to indicate that this was the result of secret US or UK technology, nor that it was the result of misidentification of natural phenomena. Nor that this was a hoax of some sort.

“What appears to have happened is that somebody’s advanced technology was present at that time. It would also appear that they had an interest in our nuclear technology – a recurring theme among UFO-military encounters.

“We seem to be under observation by ‘other’ intelligences. Moving beyond that into the particulars of what or who they are is not something I care to speculate about.” Conference organiser Gordy Goodger said the event will be the first time that Mr Burroughs will publicly present his experiences in the UK.

He said: “Whatever John and other witnesses were exposed to during those three nights, it has been deemed necessary to shroud in secrecy and official denial to this day. Only those who were there over those three nights saw what happened.

“Dozens of US military personnel saw something, either in the forest or at locations around the twin bases, at one time or other over the nights in question. There were also several UK civilian witnesses.”

The Rendlesham Forest Incident Conference 2014 takes place at Woodbridge Community Hall on September 20.

For more information and to reserve your ticket, visit http://www.spaceportuk.com/events.html