SUMMER OF '65 - UFO'S OVER TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

THE SUMMER OF ‘65

All across the country people were seeing lights and objects in the skies they could not identify.

Groups and clusters of things they had no name for and which acted in ways that were odd enough for seasoned sky gazers, outdoors man, and professionals to raise an eyebrow. 

Debunkers of the UFO phenomenon will use terms like frenzy, hysterical and fearful when they discuss these mysterious “flaps” of spurts of extreme, hard to identify activity of the ‘what the heck’ variety. Yet, oddly, the only people who appear to match any of those descriptions are the military persons scurrying around trying to determine what is being seen in the skies, acting in ways unknown, and with no familiar lighting, propulsion or shapes to guide them.

At Tinker Air Force Base the month of August – with pages and pages of sightings across the country in just a two day period - and then more pages of sightings well into September, they were one of the sightings that kicked off events for July 31, August 1-6. On July 31, 1965 at 0705 hours observers reported an object that was white with an illuminated bottom and white top and color that changed from white to a bluish-green.  Appropriately at the center portion, starting from the right side, there was a flashing red lighting turning to a faded red. There were no discernible details, features or propulsion features (trail or exhaust). There was also no sound. When first sighted it was at 30 degrees elevation and 35 degrees azimuth. It made a figure eight pattern maneuver at an estimated 700 mph and then returned to its original location and path. It was observed for some fifteen minutes. Observers apparently began to talk to one another and no one saw it leave but it disappeared completely by the time the observers turned back to the sky.

The Air Force tried out several explanations: it was the planet Jupiter, it was a weather balloon launched from Will Rogers Airport across on the west side of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area as far west as Tinker was east. That launching took place at 2313 Zulu on 30 July 1965. Prevailing winds for the time would seem to rule out it sticking around the Oklahoma City area.  Besides that, Tinker launched a balloon at 0515zulu on 31 July 1965.  So, it seems unlikely that people on the ground would be too excited over something that was no doubt pretty familiar around any base or airport that regularly sent balloons up for weather information purposes.  A favorite excuse of the Air Force was the old standby of ‘weather inversions’ (used frequently in Project Blue Book) and the ‘radar ghosts’ or ‘angels’ explanation (but since many of the 1865 sightings did not involve solely radar readings that did not ‘fly’ too well). Standbys were : Venus (or Jupiter, Mars, Arcturus, Capella or any of several astronomical bodies), Meteors, Air Craft, Balloons, or  weather reflections (mirages, lights on fog, etc.) and misidentifications in general.

The late summer of 1965 saw eerily similar sightings from coast to coast, in Nebraska military scrambled to understand the fleets of nine or more objects being seen by eye heading off in three different directions!  Others tried to understand the round, oval, glowing red to red-yellow objects that was reported to have landed more than a few times. Some even took photos - which are all oddly missing from the Project Blue Book file containing these accounts (one labeled for Bunkie, Lousiana 1952). 

One of those military men in Nebraska, Colonel Johnson called through to SAC command post. He said that at 1000z Q Flight reported nine (9) UFO's in sight. Four to the northwest, 3 to the Northeast and 2 over Cheyenne, Wyoming. At 1025z, a single object was descending toward a nearby site with lights on each side and red blinking lights in the middle areas. A pilot of an airline reported something orange glowing beneath him. Denver radar found NO RESPONSE for these objects.

There was definitely something in the skies that summer... 

For more information on these and other oddities of Oklahoma read Cullan Hudson's Strange State book (available on Amazon).

TULSA, OK to TIPP CITY, OHIO

In June of 1967 a report was filed with Project Blue Book for the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. At the back of the file was an odd file tagged "Tipp City, Oklahoma" (File #12008) with a photo or two of a stretch of country road.  Living in Oklahoma, the name made no sense until I cross checked and discovered the reference was to sightings in Tipp City, Ohio for September 1967.

It is not unusual for PBB files to have some surprising items in them leading to other sightings - reported or unreported - that were obviously felt have information applicable to the file they before them.

The Tipp City, Ohio file had 51 pages recounting witness statements of 2 large objects with white and red lights (about 5 of them) that appeared on the road, moved N-S, and appeared to follow the witnesses. All told, they observed the object for 10-15 minutes.  They observed that the white lights were framed by the larger red lights.  Labeled a "probable air craft" there was a handwritten line on the summary sheet admitting, "case confusing."

It was also part of another string of sightings in Cincinnati, Toledo, Daytong, and Lebanon all n Ohio.

AUGUST 1951 -Lubbuck Was Not Alone

August 25 - Lubbuck, Texas - Observed by professors, captured on film by a college freshman, the lights were said to be migrating flocks of birds, namely the Plover. Although the Air Force said they had a natural explanation for them but could not discuss it and later claimed them to be migrating blue-green moths. All of which confused the issue totally. Some wanted to claim the photos were fakes but none could establish them as anything but authentic. More recently computer analysis of them indicated they did catch something unusual - something not avian.

Oddly, at the time of the sighting a Federal Wildlife and Game officer was asked about the Plover theory but he said they flocked in groups of 6-7 birds. Tests on the photographs taken revealed that the objects photographed had been brighter than a flock of ducks caught by the "best photographer in Lubbock." The AFB wanted to tell people that all the sightings had been in the city limits thus providing the reflection necessary but then called on four witnesses who had seen low flying bird groups in the country to support their bird theory.

Working on the assumption that if the lights seen represented something non bird than others might have seen something as well.  I looked at the online files of Project Blue (which include Project Grudge) and found that eleven files were listed for 1951 and five for the month of August.  The sightings in Novasta and at Ellington AFB, from the descriptions could well be the balloons they were explained as being.

August 26 - The sighting at San Antonio of a dark object similar to a delta wing aircraft estimated to be 40 feet long, very large, and moving very fast appeared to NOT be the meteor it was labeled.

August 31 - An Oklahoma woman driving near Matador, Texas with family reported a pear shaped object, silver or aluminum that reflected light, small end seem  to be the leading end.  The report was labeled unidentified and ran to 22 pages.

So, continuing on with the assumption that if something had been in the sky, might it have been reported beyond Texas?

August 25, 1951 - Albuquerque, New Mexico several people reported seeing something strange. One a guard Sandia Base. A message was flashed out that an "unidentified aircraft" had been sighted, at 2158 hours 25 August, 1951 of object  1 1/2 to 2 times the size of a B-36 going over the city, est. 300-400 mph, heading 160 degrees at about 1000 feet. No running lights, no noise and no sign of propulsion. It had a swept back wing, chevron shaped, 6-8 brilliant mercury white lights on the trailing edge of the wings. "OSI had interrogated witness..." read the report. It was heading SW. It had black longitudinal black stripes underside of wings, lights between the strips. NO red or green lights seen. It was observed crossing HWY 66 at which point the lights went off. No sound - straight -level 300 mph, 800-100 ft. No propeller noted. Viewed for maybe 30 seconds at 22158 Hrs.  The intelligence report for Major James Calloway at Kirkland AFB read "This assumed unconventional aircraft might be considered significant but for the fact that its sighting can be substantiated by only two witnesses and no other evidence."   Searches of other locations revealed that no aircraft unfamiliar or matching the shape were in the area and no natural occurrence or balloon fit the data.  THEN things became really interesting. In October the search is still going on, it might be inferred from the vague notes inside the file that notice of the Texas sightings might have been brought to the attention of the investigators or their higher ups.

 A communication labeled "PRIORITY" was sent to Ouffitt AFB in Nebraska asking one question: "Were Any SAC B-36 in following locations?" Listed below that heading were:

"Albuquerque,  NM,  25 August 1951, 2200 Local
  Lubbock, Texas, 30 August 1951 2330 Local [I believe they used the newspaper article date here]
  Matador, Texas, 31 August 1951, 1215 Local"

In the responsive documents to this request was a notation that photos from Lubbock had been shown to the New Mexico witness and the witness had said they "appeared similar" to his sighting of 2158 hrs, 25 August 1951 over Albuquerque. Indeed a comparison of the sketch of that witness to the photos from Texas do show a surprisingly similar object.

So, apparently the New Mexico Sighting (remember witnesses said it was moving SW?)  was followed by the Lubbock sighting followed by the Matador sighting? Intriguing, especially since there is no record in the files of anybody having a clue as to what was being seen!

25-30 August 1951 - Lubbock Lights, 2330 Hrs.

Albuquerque, NM August 25, 2200 Hrs.

Note: I found the majority of file records on the Lubbock sighting in a file for a sighting in Orange, Va (1951-09-7009722-Orange-Va; 118 pages). There are also files there on the Matador sighting.

2017 Solar Eclipse - York, Nebraska

As way of introduction there is firm grounding in the scientific aspects of the topic of this blog. In my undergraduate studies I specialized in history but had a block of 12 hours of natural sciences. Over the years, with a husband a devout fan of amateur astronomy - making some of his own scopes - I have spent many a dark and cold night watching the skies and viewing planets,  So here I am standing by the equipment for observing the total Solar Eclipse in 2017 in York, Nebraska. It was right in the path of totality.

Darkening skies as the eclipse commenced. At total the yard lights went on and yes dogs did begin to bark all across the area and were easily heard responding to the oddity of sudden night.  At my first partial eclipse I kept a chart and so continued the tradition with this one.  The final image is my spouse who has been observing the planets, stars and meteors since High School. Some of his favorite glasses in college were courses in geology, astronomy and biology - he almost went into one of those fields but chose another field.    All this to merely affirm an understanding of basic scientific principles, methods, and processes about the broad subject and the more focused topics of this page.

PROJECT MOONWATCH

Volunteer satellite trackers in Pretoria, South Africa, for Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Moonwatch Network, one of more than 100 teams worldwide. Volunteers used the "fence method" of observing the sky. 

Each observer covered a small, overlapping portion of a specific sky quadrant, and watches for the passage of the satellite in his telescope. The instrument used was the Moonwatch Apogee Scope, a 20 power telescope with a 5-inch objective lens. The Moonwatch teams backed up an optical network of 12 Baker-Nunn tracking cameras.

An informative historical overview is found in a Sky & Telescope article. 

• Public Domain ;File:Smithsonian Institution Archives - 96-960.jpg; Created: 31 December 1964 

Nobody Was Listening --

Jan. 2018 -

The US UFO Program Never Shut down...

2017

A RED RUBBER BALL

From the mid-1940's through the 1990's reports of round - sphere like - red objects, often glowing with inner luminescence have formed a backbone of UFO reports.

If they were seen in the distance, traveled a downward arch or disappeared quickly the tendency was to label them as "meteor", "fireball", "ball lightening" or distant aircraft.

One of the most common shapes and colors  (after white and a disc shape) reported is the ball or round, circular object (oval to egg shape, with a red glow to it from some light source inside the object.

In some cases, the object was reported overhead, silent, and the glow of orange-red tinged with tones of yellow or white. In other cases, the object descended or moved so oddly that no aircraft or balloon could explain it at all.

In some cases the length of time observed, the motions and maneuvers, and the speeds achieved convinced all that something odd had been seen.

In some instances reports were that the light was hiding a gray or silvery object behind it and the light was more an intense floodlight that obscured what was behind, above or below it.  In some instances the shape of the object behind seemed to change or perspective caused apparent shape to change: a side view produced an oblong, an upward view might produce a sense of a delta or triangular shape, or sometimes openings or windows might seem to  give a different tone of color (yellow-red).

In most cases no sound accompanied these objects, one or two rare cases indicate a slight buzz or hum, might have been there, especially just be for acceleration.

In some cases - and these might well include the more explainable ones - reports of the common aeronautical lighting colors of red, white, green and blue might be reported with an occasional yellow light.   More rare are reports of purple, all blue, or all green.

What People Saw

  1951 - Lubbock Lights - at one time explained as flocks of birds - the sighting still remains a mystery.

 1961 (January) - Roosevelt, Ok (part of a widespread sighting ranging from Kansas to Wichita Falls, TX). Cover of report said one object had been seen but inside the witnesses - a television program manager from Wichita Falls, Texas heading home -  described three objects shaped like footballs with the centers flattened.

1966, Temple, Oklahoma - Observed at the side of the highway, with an occupant...

1967 - Wichita, Kansas - eastern Wichita area - a series of photos taken as the object zig-zagged through the neighborhood.

1952 - New Jersey

Public Domain
File:PurportedUFO2.jpg
Created: 29 July 1952, New Jersey

Intriguing Sightings fom 1965

August and September of 1965 the Beatles released their album, 'Help!" and as people scratched their heads as strange things  appeared in the skies they could have used some help.


August 21, 1965 - Glanmire, Ireland. Patrick Reardon, wife and family saw a silvery, circular object move southward. Th underside of the object had "round' extensions or protuberances.

August 31, 1965 - Cheyenne area of Wyoming  -Maneuvering objects, Round (barrel shaped), flight west to east, then north out of sight. Trajectory shows objects would have come from at least the Colorado area diagonally crossing the WY/NE ling heading to the southeast South Dakota if objects stayed on course. Observers were groups of people, including an amateur astronomy group who watched for about 30-40 min. and 5 military witnesses. Colors reported by all groups were of red, white, blue and green colors; a ring of light around the barrel shape, on group noted more white color on outer side with blue underneath; moving north at est. 5,000 ft. altitude. Earlier in the month a team of geodetic surveyors had seen  circular, luminous/glowing white objects, round to oblong shape in groups. Researchers ruled out astronomical object in the sky at time of sighting, and due to the length of time observed they also ruled out aircraft, satellite, or balloon.


September 3, 1965 - Exeter, New Hampshire experienced multiple sightings by civilians and others over a 2 hour period. It was classed as "Unclassified" and many attempts to solve the unknown have been attempted, however none have been able to do so without discounting police and other witness statements or the assertions made by the Air Force itself. Witnesses reported being chased 12 miles by brilliant red glow, a red light object came over some nearby trees almost blinding the witness from the extremely red light,  sequentially pulsating lights, object stopped and hovered over a house, object moved silently back over the trees, shape of object (objects) was a compressed round or egg shape. Sightings began at 12:30 a.m. The file contains 131 pages.  A military exercise called "Operation Big Blast" was scheduled for the region that time period. A quick suggestion was that the objects observed were a misidentification of a tanker plane with its unusual red lights prior to a refueling and frantic panic led to miscalculating distance and other details. Recently the Skeptical Inquirer dragged out that theory as an explanation but do so means eliminating several key witnesses (including a police officer) , ignoring the fact the police officers were ex-Air Force and one had familiarity with such refueling planes.  The chief fact to be ignored is that when the Air Force looked into the presence of a refueling tanker in the area of Exeter the times did not mesh with the witness reports and no craft could be found that was in the area at the time of the sightings. Further, only one witness placed the pulsating lights into a single unit (such as would be found a refueling tanker's array) rather  witnesses indicated the lights were part of a group of lights representing other objects and these object lights pulsated in a sequential pattern.  Overall the descriptions of the object(s) seen were a large, dark, solid object with no sound, a large red flashing light or lights and an object able to hover.  One described it as a "large red ball with flashing lights." IN March 1966 , Air Force staff wrote to a Major Burnside, RADC (EMYS) that "the general descriptions of flashing lights is consistent  with previous reports of aircraft, refueling operations or low level photographic missions using infra-red lights... 8th AF Operation "Big Blast" was conducted in the New England area and B-47 aircraft from Pease AFB were also involved in the operation...aircraft landed at Peace AFB between 0045 [12:45] and 0135 [1:35] local time. The major portion of the sighting occurred subsequent to two a.m...."  In another notation for 3 September  was a statement that NO refueling occurred in the New England area for Big Blast on the nights of 2-3 or 6 of September. One witness was a  hitchhiker who saw bright lights, one at a time, 15 minutes before they disappeared behind some trees. One object came so close he hit the dirt seeking cover in a ditch, certain he would be hit. He caught a ride and reported the incident to the Exeter Police.  Another witness was a woman who said a light followed her and stopped over her caar. Five more lights came from behind some trees. This group was very bright and the lights flashed one at a time. Lights moved around an over a field beyond her. The lights came close; she was unable to discern form behind the bright light. No sound or vibration. Police officer was late to respond to major call about the lights because of the frayed status of the witness.  Yet a third witness stated the lights moved over a field at about 100 foot altitude. Always in a line and about 60 degrees angle. When object moved lower lights always moved forward of the others. Total time lights in the area - 2 hours."  Objects moved east to west and another page repeated Big Blast aircraft were in traffic pattern over Exeter between 0044 and 0135, such times not corresponding to the time of the observations. "Since no aircraft can be placed in the area o200 hours the case is listed as unidentified by the Air Force."


September 3, 1965 - Damon, Texas - Two deputy sheriffs (McCoy and Goode) observed a dark triangular object that moved toward them from the horizon about a mile away off of HWY 36 three miles south of town. The end of the "right side " of the triangle was bright purple and the other "left" side had a smaller blue light. They said object was about 5 degrees eleve 240 degree azimuth. It disappeared shooting up 90 deg into the air. They supplied sketches of the object. There was a bright light underneath and they estimated it to be 200 feet long and 50 feet high. It hovered over the ground with the earth below the craft illuminated, then it disappeared.  Classed as "Unidentified". Time of the sighting was 2300 hrs.


September 12-13, 1965 - Odessa, Texas - Will Haden, a WW2 pilot veteran, saw a red-orange object with a blur border a the rear end. It was very fast and moved NNW. The witness stated it looked as if one had enlarged the Echo Satellite, made move faster and changed its colors to what he had seen.

September 18, 1965 - Johannesburg, South Africa reported a possible landing of an object but details were sparse.

Early UFO's Led to Research in Green Fireballs : Project Twinkle

Project Twinkle carried out research by ANC and ARDC investigating unusual light phenomena occurring the American southwest and in the general area of Holloman AFB and Vaughn, New Mexico.

Various meteor experts and scientists at Los Alamos had observed since about 1947 these rare and weird aerial phenomena that looked similar to a meteor but whose color and unexpected appearances did not look like a meteor.

Dr. Lincoln LaPaz refused to accept the scientific communities classification of them as natural phenomena. He feared they were some type of man made (read Soviet) space object or debris or trial missiles. LaPaz indicated these rare red fireballs were of recent origin and indicated the  year 1947. He reported such a sighting, without his name being used, while he worked around Roswell before the famous UFO crash there in July of that year. Their odd color, usual trajectories and unexpected appearances (not part of the usual meteor showers) precluded for him labeling them as a natural phenomenon.  In the Project Grudge report of 1951 he cites an example of an event in Detroit, Michigan 7 July 1951.

LaPaz did believe the odd red color was a visual aftereffect of the object coming through the atmosphere ; perhaps being green, green-white and then going into a red ro red-orange, and final white stage. What the object was, for him, was the topic of some discussion.

The Project Twinkle report does indicate that in the southwest in the 1947 to 1954 time span intennse visual, electronic and photographic study was going on around Los Alamos, Vaughn and Holloman AFB related to meteors and fireballs.  This project was set to fade away in 1952 after time had been given for some comparative studies of possible returning meteor or fireball "showers." It was just not worth the effort and expense.

However, in 1952-1953 the number, scope, and nature of reports of odd things in the sky would heat up in some serious and often still unexplained "flaps."  Project Grudge set to fade into the sunset had be reshaped to operate with more intention, scientific method and purpose and Project Blue Book was born.

WW2 and the Foofighters: Not radar angels

A radar angel is a false return on radar, a ghost, caused by clouds, birds, temperature inversions and equipment malfunction. In the early days of explaining those unexplained things people were seeing in the skies this was a favored explanation. It was technical, it was scientific and most often hard to prove or disprove - especially when access to the records, photographic displays or other resources were unavailable due to being in the hands of government or military authority.

The "Foofighters" reported by pilots and crews of WW2 were unexplained at the time of their happening. It was a word-of-mouth event that higher ups only heard about after the fact. Once the foo was out the bottle it was a race to explain them away. Explanations ranged from 1) radio controlled craft acting as target tracers or carrying bombs. The problem the sightings never seemed to endanger the planes or the pilots. 2) St. Elmo's Fire - a form of static electricity known to dance around church steeples, wingtips and ship masts. The problem. these were not seen on wings but in the skies. 3) Combat fatigue from the psych officers. And others. None of which ever stood up to much investigation or adequately explained the scope of the sightings.

For some good information view this page.      

Also, this page.

Early Statistical Analysis of UFO Sightings

In late 1952 the Air Force, and others, put together a report that addressed assessment of the success of the current witness form, tabulation of results of MANY reports from 1947-1952 (at the time of the reports writing it was noted 1947 cases had not been turned over for analysis).

The results are interesting:
Most sightings (69.5%) occurred through open space or binoculars (12.6%) when skies were clear (74.8%), had scattered clouds (16.2), no wind (51.8%) or only a slight breeze (34.6%). Environment was dry (81%) and warm (52.6%) or cool (17.7%). Most sightings lasted 1 second to 10 seconds (25.6%), over ten minutes (19.1%), 11 seconds to 30 seconds (15.5%) or 2 minutes to 5 minutes (12.5%).
Witnesses had a certainty level of these facts ranging from certain (49.4%) to fairly certain (40.8%),
Witnesses stated the objects seen looked solid a majority of the time (78.5%).

Witnesses reported the objects viewed changed direction (39.6%), speed (14.9%), color (11.9%) and flickered (17.7%). Conversely a majority  said object did bit change direction (54.5%), a majority said the object did not change size (75.1%), a majority (79.3) said object did not change color. As for giving off some light 72,3% said yes while only 22.3% said no.

Light and Sound responses indicated 89.9% said the object observed made no sound.

As to the color objects observed the most common were silver, pink, orange, green, grey, yellow, white-bluish-white, green-blue, dark, red, unclassified, no response.   White (Blue-white) was reported most (24.2%), followed by silver (16.2%),yellow (14.9%) and orange (13.0%).

When responding to the question of how many objects a witness had seen the responses were based on the 30.9% who replied they had seen more than one object.  Most witnesses seeing more than one say 2 (38.5%), 3 (19.2%) or 5 (17.6%).   Most objects observed did not move behind anything (64.9%) and most did not move in front of something (76.8%).

Gauging size would be a consistent issue because developers of the examination form did not adopt standardized frames of reference. It is assumed from some statements throughout the Project Blue Book reports that the standard reference had an implied "when held at arm's length" aspect.  Astronomers such as Dr. J. Allen Hynek pointed out the handy tool of the field: a dime held at arms length generally covers the moon in the sky and provides some visual comparison data.  The problem was that investigators sometimes refused to accept the size estimations, even from well trained and qualified witnesses.

Size comparisons ranged from pea (19.1%), baseball (12.5%), basketball (13.7%), bike wheel (7.7%), dirigible (6.6 %) large aircraft (4.2%) and an auto (2.5%). Certainty levels for this section ranged from certain (47.6%) to fairly certain (35.1%).

Height above the earth was most often a Don't Know (28.2%), 10,000 feet plus (25.8%) and 1001 to 5000 feet (17.9%).

When the object - whatever it was- left the viewing field it usually did so Suddenly (52.8%) and next just gradually (40.1%).

Finally, for the people reporting these odd occurrences the majority (91.6%) had never seen such a thing before and but had one or more people with them at the time of the sighting.
most (75.6%) were not alone

Litle Green Men?

When did the idea of little men from space first emerge into our consciousness?  Why did it arrive, if not from actual visiting alien craft, and what does it all mean?  Deep probing questions for sure.  

I was amazed to learn that stories of little men can be traced back to reports as early as the 1930's, predating the 1947 Roswell, NM event said to have sparked the idea.

In 1937 in Fontana, California it is reported a group of people on a dark rural road were illumunitated by an "unknown shaft of orange light coming from the sky while walking back from the movies".  Greatly frightened the group ran into a nearby orange grove for cover. Later one of the main witness remembered waking up at night finding his bedroom filled with a subdued light and four or five little figures with big heads and eyes looking at him."   "The figures appeared to be light blue or green gray in color. The figures then would move around and touched him. One night he recalled seeing the little men and a white light would appear at the door accompanied by a tall man (he could not see his features) that appeared to be in charge of the little humanoids. He never felt any fear during the encounters." Source: http://www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1935.shtml     Source: NUFORC.

Keep Watching the Skies

Decades of stories and research into strange lights, hovering crafts and bizarre beings have been flung like a tennis ball between two courts of belief and skepticism. The two form a continuum of rigid debunking disbelief all the way to blind faith belief. Between those two points there is a lot of ground to cover.

Through the years the topic has been muddied by clouds of competitive military might, dueling scientific achievements, and political-social-economic forces playing a game of coverup, obfuscation, and lies about scientific possibilities and activities.

Scanning back over the last 70 years it is possible to see clearly - as records are made public - and scientific certainties are no longer so firmly in place, that we may not have known as much as we kept telling ourselves we knew.

One of the worst foundations of this series of events was a government that believed it had to protect its people from everything. Facts could not be handled - and in the early years of the 20th century when literacy, education, and scientific knowledge was not as widespread that might have been true. Even then, however, our culture swelled with amateur astronomers, geologists, electrical hobbyists, and more. Correctly handled, our society and culture could have been easily led into understanding and accepting as nonthreatening the probable reality of humanity not being alone in the universe.

This parental control of society by the government led directly to the UFO outbreak of the 1950's through the 1980's.  The reality of the situation aside, the mishandling of experiences, the 'swamp gas' scenarios, and the ridicule of those who were witnesses or promoted an alternative scientific paradigm, did not serve the public or the government well.

The more something remains hidden, out of reach, unexplored, the easier it is to control the storyline.  What results is reaction and bizarre stories, Draconian conspiracy theories, and more emerge.

As I have noted before, the long time 'truth' was there was absolutely NO water on the planet Mars. Suggestions of it were ridiculed, discounted, and swept off the discussion table. This happened repeatedly.

Then, one day, it was no longer the 'truth'. No apologies. No Will Rogers-like amused scratching of the head drawling, well, I guess we were wrong about that...

Now,as the Navy re imagines a better way to survey witnesses of 'unexplained phenomena and crafts' and the Pentagon admits they have tracked those nonexistent things in the sky and scientists are admitting that there can be areas that leave them pretty stumped. They do not, despite decades of claiming otherwise, have all the answers no matter how hard they look.

One of the most important features of those heady days of the early 20th century was the involvement of people - people who observed the natural world, who looked to the sky - and became aware of what was 'normal' up there enough to recognize when something appeared that was beyond the everyday. Walk done any street and see people have their eyes fixed on cell phones, attention on earbuds in their ears or fixated on hurrying to the next event on the schedule. Light pollution has stolen our night skies and fear of crime keeps people huddled inside.

One of the closing lines in a favorite classic Sci-Fiction movie is 'keeping looking to the skies'.  If we are no longer looking up, observing around us, and becoming in touch with what is normative, how will we ever recognize the new or the strange when it arrives?  At the rate of modern observation skills of the natural world we will not need to worry about that asteroid coming to wipe out the world. No one will be aware it is up  there - remember all eyes glued to cell phone screens - and recognize it as out of the normal.

Nothing Up My Sleeve: Distraction and UFO Research

Several years ago doing research for a social history project I explored the subject of UFO's...

Anyone who has delved deeply into the whole Roswell saga, has come across several names: Jesse Marcel Sr., Philip Klass, Karl Pflock, and ubiquitous kudos to one "Robert G. Todd".

Robert Todd was, according to the late Phil Klass, the Grand Master of UFO Debunks, a “believer in his younger days", a "sharp-eyed researcher" who pioneered using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to uncover information and who stated the USAF in its report data, possessed an "encyclopedic understanding of military records" (something hard enough for people with a strong military background - or, so military types tell me).

Phil also said “Todd was the first – ahead of the Air Force and Karl Pflock – to discover the connection between Roswell and Project Mogul …Todd has since become so disgusted with UFOlogy, he has withdrawn from the field and discarded his files.” (--Gary Posner, email  to author, May 30, 2001)

Todd, along with Phill Klass and others, came to represent all the aspects of Roswell that caused people to say, “something doesn’t add up”. They symbolize the intuitive awareness felt by many that some things in the explanations simply did not add up.

The entire later half of the 20th century was comprised of a series of "preemptive hoaxes" apparently designed to undermine any possible valid information surfacing regarding UFOs or Roswell's famous crash.

Consider for a moment,
1) Roswell begins to re-surface after several decades of being a faint rumor or totally forgotten and behold the MJ-12 documents surface and there is the haggling over its authenticity,
2) Roswell gains credibility through congressional investigations spearheaded by New Mexico politicians and the MOGUL explanation surfaces (aw, gee shucks, ma'am, I don't know how I forgot that top-secret project....),
3) yet Roswell continues to be considered seriously by too many people and the notorious "Alien Autopsy" film surfaces... even if this time line is off - search and you shall find the same "counter-moves" being made repeatedly to block potential credibility or serious investigation.

Try it....you will find from the 1950's and the "Contactees", through the collapsing from within of major UFO groups (spurred by insiders for that very purpose some claim), to the whole smorgasbord of Roswell. A rise and fall of tide-like consistency, a dance of claim and counter claims serving to keep the whole subject the "fluff" of the evening news and the twinkle in every reporters eye ....

Project Blue Book Closed in 1969 : Final Cases Say It All

The last case listed on an online database of Project Blue Book cases is for December 1969 and is classified as "INSUFFICIENT DATA."  This despite the fact the report is 22 pages in length.  The fact is that in that two word label the Air Force, the U.S. Government and others were like Pilate wiping their hands of all responsibility. "See," they are saying, " if we had straw we could make bricks. See, if we just had enough information we could explain it all away. See...not our fault."

The case from Roundlake, Illinois had a serious minded witness who observed the round to eggshape (on its side) object for 30 minutes, saw it move from NNE to E on a level plain before making a sharp upward movement. When it made that upward turn, it revealed another circular object matching the other moving in tandem with the first.

Two months before  n October 23, 1969 came a report from Vandalia, Ohio of an object described as a brown ball 8 feet in diameter with flashlight light . The abrupt conclusion was a balloon or garment bag balloon. They noted the observed was a twelve year old. The report was 12 pages long (an average report was 2-4 pages).

The secret to exploring the cases of Project Blue Book is to not accept at face value the conclusions o the top/first summary page.

Inside the actual words of the witnesses may be starkly at odds with the descriptions and summaries of that cover sheet. There may - and often was - selective editing of information and the selective ignoring of data.

Inside the Vandalia, Ohio report was a memo page showing that a lot of things were happening at the time the report was being explored: The Oklahoma Air Force Station reported  someplace (redacted information) had picked up UFO in radar at Wink, TX and followed it to Salt Flats, NM.

Note: from earlier reports it was categorically stated that weather balloons do not show up on radar.

The Flats was noted as being 95 miles from Wink, TX.  It was noted there had been a power outage at Tinker AFB, OKC; Nellis AFB reported a downed F-4 near Nevada Test Site. The ' object'  was tracked to NM at 2500 knots (pretty equivalent to a record breaking F-4 jet speed). At Salt Flat it STOPPED and was seen for 4 sweeps of the radar before it grew smaller and faded out.  Zuni, NMEX was noted as reporting a UFO - seen low to horizon surface with oscillating lights. UFO demonstrated ability to move in any direction slow or fast. Observed via binoculars. No aircraft in area.

Inside the report of the original Vandalia, Ohio sighting was a drawing showing a sharp elevation of object and a movement straight line straight up-straight line-straight down (box like shape) from point A to B.

It is sublime irony that these two cases close out the Project Blue Book (1952-1969) that replaced Project Grudge (1949-1952) and the earlier Project Sign (1948 -1949).  The intent of the Projects was to primarily collect data as to threat these unknowns represented and to observe information about the technology used for translation into military technology. Along the way the projects were used to covertly hide secret projects, experimental aircraft ,and other technology. The fallout was that to maintain the high levels of security and secrecy those demanded meant that everyone - civilian and military - were painted as fools.

Highly trained military, pilots, police officers, scientists, educated amateurs, and simply curious and intelligent people who trusted their government to hear their concerns and respond in respect were portrayed in negative ways.  To hear the AF version most of their airmen were ignorant of all things flying (be they natural objects such as meteors or manned craft or unmanned satellites) and were subject to seeing things at a dangerous rate. One wonders how we ever survived with such incompetents wearing the uniforms of our military, law enforcement, or teaching in our schools. A wide class of highly trained spotters had served to protect our shores and skies during WW2 by being able to identify EVERY aircraft by size, shape and sound. They were going to be used in the early days of rocketry as a whole new civilian force of Ground Observer Crops to search the skies  through OPERATION SKYWATCH. 

Skywatch functioned in WW2 and then later as a Cold War program (ending in 1958). This group was trained for speed and accuracy because they wanted to help their country. Their country, however saw them and thousands others as pawns to label as hallucinating, nervous, vision impaired and fantasy prone.

I challenge researchers to dig deeper in these files and not be content - as many others have been - to accept the summary conclusion of the cover sheet. Read the words of witnesses, examine their drawings, explore the content of memos, letters and other data found in the report file. Then, and only then, make a decision about the quality, validity and honesty of the work we call Project Blue Book.