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.