moon mining: new possibility or four decade old reality?

The recent reports of large titanium deposits (red areas) on the Moon, seems a spark of enthusiasm for future mining operations. However, there are rumors such as forwarded by John Lear of ongoing and decades old mining operations on the Moon. An incident occurred in 2009, where Bill Penn of California reported spotting structures and crains jutting above Endymion crater through a telescope. A Coast to Coast interview of Lear can be heard here, where he shares his beliefs of structures and mining on the Moon. Is it pure over-the-top tin foil hat or a peek at a breakaway civilization, funded by unaccounted for billions of dollars in the federal budget? It's very entertaining even if it's disinfo purported by a CIA asset!