Alvar Hanso
"From the dawn of our species, Man
has been blessed with curiosity. Our most precious gift, without exception, is the desire to know more—to look beyond
what is accepted as the truth and to imagine what is possible." — Alvar Hanso, Address to the United Nations Security
Council, 1967.
Alvar Hanso is the enigmatic leader of The Hanso Foundation. Little is known about him, but
it is known he is or was a Danish weapons purveyor. This from the foundation's Web site: "Driven by a need for privacy and
a deep-seated sense of humility, Alvar Hanso has released few details of his personal life to the public. He first made his
mark during the Second World War, providing munitions to various resistance movements around Europe. After the War, Hanso became the leading purveyor of high-technology armaments
for NATO. After decades of keeping the world safe through the development of sophisticated weapons systems, Hanso turned his
attention to critical areas of science and technology - always searching for new ways to improve the human experience and
create a brighter future for all humanity." It is unknown whether Hanso still is in charge of the foundation.
In the Lost episode "The Hunting Party", the character "Mr. Friendly" apparently quotes Hanso's
statement on curiosity, claiming it was said once by a man "much smarter than anyone here."
In the Lost tie-in novel Bad Twin, Hanso was a board member for the Widmore Corp., but now
Dr. Thomas Mittelwerk fills that seat.
In an Easter egg on the foundation's Web site, a woman known as Persephone reveals that the
last time Hanso was seen in public was in 2002. She also theorizes that you (the viewer) have seen him before. She is commenting
on a photo of him standing by a window, which the site claims was taken in October 2003.
Dr. Thomas Werner Mittelwerk
"I am very proud to be working with
such a brilliant team, who all inspire me every single day as we forge our way to a brighter future. The expertise and dedication
of the team constantly surpasses my expectations" - Alvar Hanso
Born in Austria, Dr. Mittelwerk is
the president and chief technologist of The Hanso Foundation and is the trusted righthand adviser to Alvar Hanso. After the
loss of his mother to a rare genetic disorder, Mittelwerk dedicated himself to biology and genetics. Soon, while going for
a diploma in molecular biology at the young age of 18, he was personally contacted by Hanso at CalTech and recruited to join
the Hanso Foundation. Mittelwerk's early years instilled a work ethic that fueled the foundation in its first 20 years and
has been the public leader of the Hanso Foundation.
In the Lost tie-in novel Bad Twin, Dr. Mittelwerk is a board member for the Widmore Corp.,
a position previously filled by Hanso.
In a hidden Easter egg, a mysterious character, presumably the enigmatic Persephone, reveals
that Mittelwerk never graduated from CalTech and is not really a doctor. Another hidden message reveals Mittelwerk as Hanso's
heir apparent.
Hugh McIntyre
"Accuracy and transparency above
all." — Hugh McIntyre
McIntyre is a veteran United Nations translator and has an extensive background in public
relations and communication, serving as the "public voice" for the Hanso Foundation. McIntyre continues to ensure the Hanso
Foundation's global partnerships are treated with the same respect as Alvar Hanso has for humanity as a whole. Due to his
dedication to family values, McIntyre sits on many international boards that encourage such values, which are used as a catalyst
to spread the message that the foundation is aligned with Hanso's mission.
Peter Thompson
Thompson was born in Terre Haute, Indiana,
in 1959 and earned several degress from Loyola University and The University of Chicago Law School before starting his career as a corporate
attorney. Due to Thompson's heavy smoking habits he was diagnosed with a case of lung and pancreatic cancer that was termed
"inoperable". Faced with this, Thompson took matters into his own hands and began to search for help. This search for a cure
landed him at Alvar Hanso Cancer Center in Geneva, Switzerland. Following an amazing miracle of recovery in Switzerland, Thompson offered his expertise to Hanso and eventually became vice president, general counsel, and secretary of the
Hanso Foundation.
Active projects
A number of "active projects" of the foundation are listed on their revised Web site.
Mathematical Forecasting Initiative: Weather, disease, species extinction, and population
support are listed as examples.
World Wellness and Prevention Development Program: "A far-reaching educational initiative
designed to teach the basics of sanitation, nutrition and disease prevention to the world."
Mental Health Appeal
Electromagnetic Research Initiative: Division studying electromagnetics.
Institute
of Genomic Advancement: Working toward the eradication of disease and birth defects, via understanding
of the human genome; a eugenics project
Life Extension Project: Works on gene therapies, and the "development of young minds".
Joop The Orangutan: The Foundation owns Joop, a 105-year-old orangutan, who celebrated this
birthday on September 21,
2005. Joop was "harvested" by British explorers in the
1900s, and is housed in Copenhagen, Denmark. You can "send a message to Joop" on its Web site and view the orangutan on its
webcam. The orangutan never moves, though the faux-Webcam "updates" regularly. After about 90 seconds the Webcam appears to
show the outline of a man for about 5 seconds. This has been identified as a stock photo[citation needed].
The original Web site additionally had a hidden link listing the DHARMA Initiative as an active
project.
Website
The domain thehansofoundation.org was registered on July 18, 2005
by ABC , although the ownership changed from ABC to Verisign DBMS on April 20, 2006
Original Web site
The Hanso Foundation was first mentioned in the Lost season 2 episode "Orientation" —
the orientation film includes the copyright declaration "© The Hanso Foundation 1980". Subsequent to the airing of this episode,
the Web site www.thehansofoundation.org was launched by ABC.
Most of the links on the site led to a page stating "ACCESS DENIED", but a hidden link on
the "Active Projects" page led to a page showing the orientation film seen in the "Orientation" episode.
Another "Active Projects" link, the Hanso Life-Extension Project link, displayed a press
release dated September
21, 2005 regarding the life-extension of an orangutan
named "Joop" celebrating its 105th birthday.
Finally, the "Alvar Hanso" page showed a photo of Alvar Hanso. Clicking on this photo showed
an animation of a computer screen similar to the one Michael encounters in the episode "The 23rd Psalm". After this, the page
displayed an internal memorandum dated October 5, 2005, from the Global Health Organization
regarding the Hanso Life-Extension Project.
In March 2006, the site became unavailable. In the official Lost podcast dated March 28, 2006, the executive producers said the site was "down for remodeling" and would be available
again in May.
Revamped Web site
The site was relaunched on May 2, 2006, with a completely
new design. The site is now entirely created in Macromedia Flash instead of plain HTML. It features most of the old content,
with greater detail and significant new content.
In addition to the content shown openly on the site, fans of Lost have found additional pages
and information by finding hidden easter eggs and decompiling the Flash files on the site.
A press release from The Hanso Foundation released on May 5, 2006, apologizes for "some sort of disruption" that its site is experiencing. Whether this is a genuine apology is not
known. What is known is that odd behavior affects the Web site, from input boxes in the middle of text to hidden messages
and videos.
While loading the site, the percentage under the logo flashes "the numbers".
Mission statement
On www.thehansofoundation.org prior to March 2006, the following mission statement was presented:
The Hanso Foundation stands at the vanguard of social and scientific research for the advancement of the human race.
For forty years, the foundation has offered grants to worthy experiments designed to further the evolution of the human race
and provide technological solutions to the most pressing problems of our time.
The Hanso Foundation: a commitment to encouraging excellence in science and technology and furthering the cause of
human development.
With the site update in May 2006, the wording of the mission statement was changed to the
following:
The Hanso Foundation stands at the vanguard of social and scientific research for the advancement of the human race.
For forty years, the foundation has offered grants to worthy experiments seeking to promote world peace through improved health,
prevention, vitality and longevity.
The Hanso Foundation. Reaching out to a better tomorrow.
Trivia
"Namaste", a Hindi greeting, is found on thehansofoundation.org Web site, also is spoken by
Dr. Marvin Candle, presenter of the orientation film, and, judging from the recordings one hears when calling the Hanso Foundation,
all employees, and it is also the last word to appear in Melba Pattillo Beals' Warriors Don't Cry about the Little Rock Nine.
In the Lost tie-in novel, Bad Twin, a Hanso Foundation office exists on the 42nd floor of
a building owned by the Widmore family in Manhattan.
Joop is "experimental subject 626". Stitch from Lilo & Stitch is also "genetic experiment
626".
Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams' feature directorial debut - Mission: Impossible III - includes, toward the bottom of the credits, a 'Special Thanks' to The Hanso Foundation, among many
non-fictional organizations, companies, people and cities.
Joop is a reference to the orangutan "Jupe" from the novel Mysterious
Island.
Executive Producer Carlton Cuse does the narration for the advertisements for The Hanso Foundation.
