Nov.2, 1957 Levelland, Texas UFO reports and reports from Kearney, Nebraska.
Friday, November 27, 2020
WHERE THE "GOOD STUFF" WENT
The work AREA 51 by Annie Jacobsen presents a most plausible answer to that question. When looking for a top secret project or entity the distractions were so logical they may have successfully hidden the truth.
Through some indepth research she lays out the history of the super secret Air Base but also uncovers a shocking fact.
The most secret project in American history was known to The Manhattan Project and under Vannover Bush's control the black out was far reaching and the lock down incredible. This group morphed into the Atomic Energy Commission and maintained the same authority and secrecy capabilities. It eventually became - the Department of Energy.
This group that when questioned by presidents Carter, Bush and Clinton - were all informed or given to understand that they were seeking information they had no authority (as President of the United States) to view. They had no credible "need to know." The need for the secrecy of the projects and activities under that umbrella apparently outweighed the President's need to have his curiosity answered (and by extension that of the American people).
Jacobsen does an outstanding - and at times terrifying job - of sharing the near misses related to atomic power at Area 51. Many unknown before her book episodes will give nightmares of the "my God we were that close to a major catastrophe!" Less well done are her attempts to resolve Roswell as Soviet incursions into U.S. airspace in Nazi designed and Soviet built "saucers." She, as do many researchers of UFO's limit their research to the June 1947 Kenneth Arnold and the July 1947 Roswell events to begin the story of sightings in the U.S. Given the fact strange craft were being seen all over the continent as early as January and there are hints objects were seen in 1946 as well, making the possibility of a surprise Soviet incursion not as likely as some would believe. See the article this blog "1947: A Year of Global Sightings."
Saturday, November 14, 2020
ANATOMY OF A SIGHTING: AN OBJECT, REPORTS AND A DOWNED AIRCRAFT 1948
JULY 7, 1948
A Kentucky - Control tower and possible ground crew observed something at the south end of the Godman AFB, near Marysville, Kentucky. Object described as: bright white or silver bright, shape was fluid but generally round. Several of the included descriptions support the balloon idea by the descriptions: like a tear-drop shape, later the object seemed fluid, and left no trail.
Witness 33B – described it: “the color changed from white to blue to red to yellow and a black dot in the center at all times.” They also indicated it was like an “Ice Cream Cone topped with red”. A classic balloon description from about late 1947 when balloons adopted a more standardize color system, possibly to aid investigators in tracking them. Many of the early balloon tests did not even have the equipment to adequately track them and depended on news stories to find their missing balloons! [It is amazing the lack of systematic approach used in some of these tests; like children poking a stick at a bug - what would happen if....]
Witness 33A – added it was “like parachute round.”
It was faster than F-51, moving S to W (this would seem to imply a more westerly course creating an arc SW out of Columbus to curve down through Kentucky to Tennessee before it apparently was lost forever. It was, observed for 1 ½ hrs. beginning 1420 hrs. CST. It was labeled incident 330, 33B, 33A, 33. 33g in Project Blue Book.
1:10 p.m. – Madisonville, Kentucky. Object, moving about 10 mph, “cone shaped”.
1:15 p.m. – Maysville, Kentucky. A sighting. Strange object reported moving west. Details unknown. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of Flying Saucers. 1963. Pg. 37]
1:35 p.m. – Owensboro and Irvington, Kentucky. Circular object sighted, 250 to 300 feet in diameter, moving west. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 37; he also identifies the period the balloon would have risen to 30,000 and entered a westward moving jet street up to 60,000 feet on a line with these two sightings, pg. 36]]
1:45 p.m. (shortly before) – Godman AFB, Kentucky. Sighted a circular or parachute-shaped object in view for about two hours, slowly moving south. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 37]
2:30 p.m. – Godman AFB area. A group of four P-51’s (Mantell, Orner, Blackwell, Carter) are nearing and a request is made for them to check out the object.
2:45 p.m. – Godman AFB area. Capt. Thomas Mantell radios to tower that he was at about 15,000 ft. and the object was ahead and above him, moving at half his speed (approx.. 180 mph). Witness 33 (Mantell), noted it was heading South. one of the other pilots, Quinton Blackwell, noted Mantell said it was of “tremendous size” and “Seemed metallic”. Mantell estimated size at about 250-300 feet, circular, in the area of Maysville, Kentucky. About 1445 (or 1445 or 2:45) the Flight Leader Mantell NG 269 noted the object was ahead and climbing toward 33,000 ft.
t is reported in the official file that he said “I’m going to 20,000” although there are some who point out that when the primary witness to the event cannot speak for himself all that is left is essentially hearsay. It is, however, all that modern researchers have to go on.
3:15 p.m. –Godman AFB area - Mantell is reported to have also said: “I’m going to try to close in for a better look.” These are believed to be his last words. Other planes search 100 miles south and could not find the object.
Exact time unknown. State Police reported an object 100 feet from top to the bottom and 43 feet across and about 4 miles up traveling SW at about 10 mph (balloons customarily travel at a slow and steady pace unless the balloon lasts long enough to lift it into a jet stream or other fast moving upper air currents).
3:18 p.m. – Mantell’s plane crashes Simson County, south of Franklin, Kentucky. Cause of death attributed to hypoxia (loss of oxygen) and leading to the crash.
3:50 – Godman Ground Crew watched the object disappear from view. Menzel says minutes later observers further south in Kentucky and Tennessee were reporting an unknown in the sky [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 37
4:00 p.m. – Madisonville, Kentucky. Strange object through binoculars identified as balloon. According to Menzel, this sighting would have been when the balloon had climbed to 60,000 feet and entered a swift moving jet stream headed - south. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 36-38].
4:30 – 4:40 (1630-16450 hrs.) or 4:45 p.m. (time varies in accounts) – Nashville, Tennessee. An astronomer saw an object with a basket (an assumed equipment package of the balloon) SSE of Nashville. It first moved SSE then turned W at about 10 mph, at an estimated 25,000 ft.
Post Crash – Godman AFB reported a large light in the sky approximate location of earlier light. The Lockbourne Tower and Clinton County Tower advised a great ball of light was moving SW across the sky. The St. Louis tower later advised seeing a great ball f light passing overhead. They advised Air Defense via Olmsted alerted to Coffeeville, KS., Ft. Smith and Kansas City, Missouri of an object moving WSW at 250 mph.
Air Defense Command (ADC) requested the file on the Godman incident be sent to them at Michel Field, Hampstead, NY “ASAP.” Attached to that was a mention of other events: “At St. Louis ATC advised of an article from Edwardsville, Illinois at 07200 an object of aluminum appearance without any wings or control surfaces moving SW.” It remained visible for 30 minutes. “The article went on to describe the amazement and wonder of the editor -.” Of interest is that as late 1964 the file was being used. IN July 1964 a letter came to the office of Project Blue Book about a recent crash of a P-51 in Oregon where a pilot over 20,000 ft. lost oxygen and crashed.
5:00 p.m. – Lockbourne AFB, Columbus, Ohio. Round, glowing amber object sighted on southwest horizon in horizontal flight; in view about 20 minutes, then disappeared below horizon. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 37]
5:00 p.m. – Columbus, Ohio at Lockbourne AFB – a sighting of the Planet Venus. 1 page in the Blue Book files on a form issued in 1952. One source noted that at the time of the alleged sighting the planet was at a stellar magnitude of a -3.4; meaning it would have been visible, if at all, only as a speck of light through the cloud cover [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 36]
7:00 p.m. (1920 – 1950 hrs.) –Wilmington, Ohio. Incident #48. First appearance of object was “flare-like”; fire like color riding thermals (up and down); stars in the sky white or yellow or flame. Very high altitude. Moved slow due West from Clinton Co. Army Air Field. Second witness at 1930 hours in control tower saw a triangular shape rocking; it had red and green colors. Triangle was red, when it descended the broad end of triangle was up and a green light seemed to stream out. Color fluctuated: 1st white then red; witness thought it not a balloon or aircraft. There is a see also” notation about Incident # 30 n-c – Lockbourne AFB.
7:25 p.m. (1925 hrs.)- Columbus Ohio, Lockbourne AFB. Object observed for approximately 15 minutes, large, it was viewed both aerially and from the ground, it “descended”. 1 page report on a form produced starting 1952.
7:50 (1952 hrs.) – Columbus, Ohio, Case # 32, Jan. 7, 1948. 1 page file on a form produced starting 1952. A USAF Plot in the air reported one amber colored object, “like a large star or planet”, “seemed stationary.” “Considering the incident with #32, 33, 48 one is forced to conclude that object observed from Lockbourne…was the planet Venus.” One report of the incident lists the location of the object as ESS – 120 degrees or approximately opposite from those stated by the other witnesses and the planet Venus. “Obviously since the time of observation was the same, this means that one witness either was looking at a different object or had his directions mixed. Since is is assumed throughout the report that all observers were viewing the same object, the later interpretation seems probable.”
10:20 p.m. – Gorman AFB. Mentioned but details unclear.
11:30 p.m. – Cartersville, Georgia. Jan. 8, 1948. Circular object with flat top (pot shaped), course 175 degrees magnitude, observed by pilot on a flight from St. Louis to Atlanta flying at 3,000 ft. He described the object as light, sky blue in color, traveling about 400 mph and at about his own 3,000 ft. The object crossed the path of the witness and all that could be observed was an intense blue flame, in a something closely resembling an exhaust pipe. As it crossed the path of the plane, the flame sputtered and turned downward. The pilot never saw it land or hit the ground. He had served in England and associated the flame like that seen on what the RAF called “buzz bombs”. There was, however, no long trailing flame like with a meteor object instead he said it was like looking down a smoke stack or a pipe – a concentrated intense blue flame.
What is clear once all the stories are considered, all these reported sightings surveyed, that there was more than one object seen and reported. For some reason, it was important to keep details of this sighting obscured by calling it Venus. The frequency of left hand apparently not knowing actions of right hand during this time period - because if the Air Force did not know what was going on in the skies overhead as they were supposed to, then secrets were being kept from everyone. The danger these actions produced to the public, to aircraft is mind numbing.
Monday, November 2, 2020
UFO'S AND AIRLINERS: THE 1950'S
Amazingly, given that airliners carry dozens of passengers, one would think that reports of encounters with unidentified flying objects would be considered something to get excited about. The years 1950 to 1959, however, were challenging times for major American Airlines such as American Airlines, United Airlines, and Trans-World Airlines as well as numerous smaller short-lived companies. To further confuse the issues, the skies were crowding, new airplanes were put into service with possibly fewer hours of air training than would have been best. Add to this the fact that the decade was one of the worst for airline crashes and the result is a pretty muddled mess.
So, when an airliner reported a near miss by a mysterious and unidentified craft, a quick solution and solid answer was in everyone's best interests.
Just consider the following:
July 24, 1948 near Montgomery, Alabama a DC-3 captained by Clarece S. Chiles and John B, Whitted observed at 2:45 a.m.a glowing object with a dull red glow above the aircraft. It appeared cigar shaped, had window like openings, a body that was blue-silver-white and a rear that gave off a orange-red glow. The object appeared to pull up into the clouds and disappeared. Officials said it was a meteor and most probably a bolide (Menzel and Hynek). The witnesses, the pilots, reported it had a vertical ascent and displayed a sharp "pull-up."
March 1950, DC-3 with the Chicago and South Airlines war airborne over Tennessee and Arkansas when it spotted at 9:29 CST a blue-white light, very bright, and a disc shaped object with no tail or wings. Captains were G.W. Anderson and Jack Adams, who said the object was ringed with what looked like portholes (see the Chiles-Whitted case).
April 27, 1950, an aircraft was flying in the area of South Bend, Indiana when it spotted a red disc that appeared to be rotating on its axis.
May 22, 1950, Flagstaff, Arizona a pilot reported seeing a cigar shaped object.
May 29, 1950, Captain Willis Speery, at 9:30 pm near Mt. Vernon, Maryland reported seeing an object with a brilliant bluish-white light similar to a florescent bulb. Officials said he had seen a meteor.
September 1950 - Over Korea, according to author McClaren (pg.298) a pilot observed two large circular silver, metallic objects estimated to be about 650 feet in diameter, that came to a dead stop, hovered and than left.
A "Hot" year was 1952 and the stories of UFO's and airliners added to the heat..
March 1952 , Kirksville, Missouri, a TWA C-54 cargo plane saw a large silver disc that paced his plane. Thinking it might have been a balloon he made a 360 degree turn, knowing that the balloon would remain where it was and thus prove it was just a mundane weather balloon. The turn made, however, the pilot realized the object was continuing to pace the aircraft through the turn.
July 14, 1952 - near Norfolk, Virginia pilots Nash and Fortenbery in a Pan Am flight (DC-4) saw large crimson, glowing objects at 9:15 EST. They said there were six of them, 100 feet in diameter, 15 freet thick, moving in a tight formation and estimate speed of 12,000 mph.
Oct. 19, 1953 outside of Philadelphia an American Airlines DC-6 captained by J.L. Kidd reported encountering a disc shaped object with no lights and only reflected by the glow of the moon and he had to make quick course changes to avoid collision.
Nov. 23, 1953 around Soo Locks, Michigan and Lake Superior, the pilot of an F-89c jet was ordered for a close look at something reported over the water. The pilot was tracked until it encounter, on radar, another object and appeared to smash right into the other object and both disappeared from the scopes. The Air Force claimed the F-86a had crashed into an off course Canadian C-47; Canada, however, denied any such thing had occurred.
April 14, 1954, a United Airlines # 193, a DC_6 under Captain J.M. Schidel reported that at 10:56 p.m. an large, dark object with an intense red light was hurtling toward their aircraft on what looked to be a collision course. The captain responded by sending the airliner into a sudden, steep climbing turn. Passengers were rattled, one and a hostess were injured . Civil Aeronautics Board declared it an encounter with an "unknown craft."
May 17, 1954, a squad of SF-97 jets in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area were surrounded by 16 silver disc shaped objects. The pilots, seasoned and experienced, were a bit - rattled.
Early 1957 - 150 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida a DC-6 Pan Am craft piloted by Capt, Matt Van Winkle (Flight # 257) at 3:30 a.m. saw an intense light coming from right and below them. It was a large disc shape that was moving upwards! The pilot had to induce a steep climb to avoid collision. Passengers, again, were tossed about and the injured were seen to when the craft landed in San Juan, P.R.
July 17, 1957, the famous RB-47h flight from the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, east and central Texas and southern Kansas where a UFO tracked by visual and ground as well as aircraft radar paced the plane for some 700 nautical miles as they headed home to Forbes AFB in Kansas. The Air Force explained it away as the object they tracked had been AA # 655; in truth that plane had a near miss with a mystery craft that turned out to be another airliner and not the RB-47h several hundred miles away. The Air Force never corrected there claim the encounter had been with Flight # 655 despite abundant proof to the contrary.
July 22, 1957 - Amarillo, Texas another near miss between an airliner and a presumed military aircraft.
Feb. 24, 1959, Bradford, Pennsylvania area an American Airlines # 713 from NJ to Michigan, under Capt. Killiam in a DC-6 observed three bright white lights in the sky, in a line formation, one broke formation and sped toward the plane but - to their surprise - slowed down to observe from a distance by pacing the airliner. The object was estimated to be three times the size of a DC-6. Radio check quickly confirmed that pilots on Flights 937 and 321 (United Air Lines) also saw the strange shapes and lights. The Air Force told all these experienced pilots and passengers they had merely misidentified stars.
Thursday, October 29, 2020
DELPHOS, KANSAS - A MYSTERY RING
As a young bride, I moved to Minneapolis, Kansas (just south of Delphos) in June of 1972. I remember as July brought reports of a UFO being seen in the area of Minneapolis that some of the people, including a quartet of other young couples, would often gather on the church steps after evening service and share the latest news of events going on.
More than once they shared the latest gossip and would share memories of the Delphos event. Some had known the family. A few had been among the gawkers who went to the farm to see the "mystery ring" and it was still slightly glowing at the time. Most were farming families and most discounted the idea that the ring was fungus - a "fairy ring." Too many friends and family members had also seen pretty odd things in the skies to settle for that mundane explanation.
As the video notes, this was one of the most scientifically studied cases of modern UFO history...
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
JANUARY OF 1956 WAS BUSY
The question is what was keeping them occupied that month? January is a time of annual meteor showers so many sightings were explained away as that natural phenomena. The Quadrantids run from around Dec. 28 to about January 12th. It is one of three showers recognized as "dazzlers" producing a great show. See more at https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/major-meteor-showers/.
Historically, however, in Project Blue Book there were some interesting sightings falling within the January 18-24th that might be worth a second look.
A great many reports came in from other countries. One from Hazuke, Japan for January 18 at 01200z was a air visual by military personnel for about 45 seconds. There was one object and it moved southward. The cover sheet report the sighting of a white object, appearing to have shape of project balloon at 40,000 feet moving fast with no smoke or contrail. It was noted that the object was moving opposite to the direction of the aircraft and was probably a balloon sighting.
Inside the report was a bit more details. The aircraft was on a mission for PROJECT 119-L, the aircraft crew Center 40 sighted object above the aircraft traveling in the opposite direction in the daylight. The object appeared to move, seeming 1000 ft above the aircraft and then about 5000 ft above them. One witness described the object as looking the way a weather balloon looked to the eye at 40,000 feet. (It should be noted he not use the terms as a descriptive but as a comparative). Making comments were crew members commander Owen, 1st Lt. Richard A. Wilder. A check was made a no weather balloon releases could be found and the weather at the time was clear.
North Plate, Nebraska was only one of numerous January 1956 cases. A civilian observer on the ground saw 1 object descending to the west. It was on the cover sheet described as "round in middle rods sticking out, size of a baseball, silver color, yellow and green colors coming out of the top. No sound."
Comments were short and sweet: " Duration and motion to the west as well as distorted appearance given object indicate observation was astronomical body. Any planet on elliptic from 22h to 24 h with magnitude of -1 would conform to characteristics of this observation. Venus was at 22h 10', magnitude -3.4."
Inside the report there was, as so often is the case, additional information. The object was 45 degrees off the horizon, it "spinned out of sight" and "headed west at slow speed and was red on both ends bright in center" and the observer had used binoculars to view the object.
The sighting time was listed as 18/2345z (N) for two hours.
Stroud, Oklahoma, 5-10 miles south of Stroud, on January 19, 1956 at 1651z (daylight) an F84f pilot observed four objects moving east for about 3-5 seconds. He observed four objects the size of a bushel basket at arm's length that were a brilliant emerald green and with it 3 smaller objects white and silver. He tried to establish a fiz on radar but was unsuccessful and he noted he had never seen any meteor as bright or as green as the object he saw.
They followed a straight and level flight heading east.
The explanation was that he had observed a rare daylight meteor, a transient celestial body, true but perfectly natural occurrence.
January 24, 1956 a report came in that across Afghanistan objects were being seen. Objects saucer shaped and square were reported in the skies in Durbaba, Sassubi and in Herat Province. There was a story that one had landed near the town of Takala and was going to be taken to Kabul. Object descriptions were : 15 feet in circumference, metal, small, thick glass windows around leading edge and saucer shaped.
From Oroszlany, Hungrary from January (no day listed) were reports of objcets seen between 2230 and 2300 by civilians on the ground for 6 minutes as they headed east. They were described as dimly lit objects moving slowly west to east, triangular in shape with a bright spot in the center. The estimated altitude was 3000 meters.
Most odd was that these objects seemed rigidly connected and rotated slowly around the center. No noise, exhaust or trail was seen. It was classed as insufficient data with the remarks that it was possibly aircraft or gliders. Inside was the additional information that the objects formed a square on a horizontal plane - distance between the objects was unknown but that they rotated as if "rigidly connected."
The weather at the time was listed as cloudless, 100% visibility and windless.
Sunday, October 18, 2020
'SAUCERS ARE REAL AND INTERPLANETARY" - 1949, Charles B. Moore, Commander Robert B. McLaughlin and UFO's
On a Sunday morning in April 1949 a research team involved in guided missile studies was preparing to release several balloons to test wind, direction, and other factors. Several tools of tracking and sighting were in place and at the ready.
In tracking the balloons, other objects were observed : elliptical (or disc shaped),about 105 feet in diameter and capable of performing turns requiring more "G's" than any craft then in use. It's altitude was estimated at 57 miles (or 3000,960 feet) and moving about 5 miles per second.
This emerged from an article in the March 1950 issue of TRUE MAGAZINE. There may have also been similar sightings in May and June of 1949 at the White Sands Proving Grounds, in New Mexico. The chief informant for this was one Commander Robert B. McLaughlin, an expert on guided missiles, and at the time of the TRUE article in command of The Bristol destroyer for the U.S. Navy. He had been present at the time of the sighting.
Also of note was the response this this bombshell. March 8, 1950 - at the time the TRUE issue came out - Paul Ellis, an UP Science editor penned a wire story called "Flying Saucers Are they Real?" In that article he mentions that CHARLES B.MOORE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, who had worked with weather balloons since 1943 was in New Mexico the previous April (1949) working with New York University in an ongoing project. On April 24, near Cabello Damn in Arrey, New Mexico, witnesses using a theodolite instrument viewed a "non-balloon" object. Moore said the object was elliptical, 100 feet long, 300,000 feet in altitude, moving 7 miles a second. This sighting was duly reported to Navy and Air Force authorities but no replied had been received. This article says a "Commander Robert M.McLaughlin", researcher in guided missiles said he believed the object authentic and from Mars.
One of the most interesting aspects of this story is the fact the Air Force seems little connected with the story. It is a naval officer, a naval project and in April it the U.S. Navy that issues a rebuttal of sorts. This was a time when there was still some competition between the major armed forces over the whole "air power" issue. The Air Force had been created in late 1947, but the Navy, the Army and other branches retained their own air craft. Later, in the late 1950's this overlap will be addressed giving to each a specific field of development (the Army will have oversight of helicopter and rotor bladed craft, as a n example). At this early day, however, the various branches were ALL engaged in research, testing, and their own inter agency arm's race. It is the content of the press release, when compared to the other two articles from McLaughlin and Moore, that proves intriguing.
The U.S. Navy said that "flying saucers" are real - BUT they are merely revolutionary aircraft combining features of a fast jet plane and a helicopter. They are said to conform to known principles of flying, a quote from "the magazine," but were secret. Thus the hundreds of competent observers included Army and Air Force officers. The original source pointed out that the Navy was busy building advanced models of flying saucers-type craft "originally constructed and successfully test flown by U.S. engineers back in 1942." 1942 would have been a year after Pearl Harbor and if a viable air craft it would have outmaneuvered any known craft of the time and in war, one would think, its development would have been critical to winning the war and saving lives.
According to "reliable sources" concerning the topic of saucers in flight, they "are circular, diameter of 105 +/- feet." They have "apparent jet nozzles" around outer edge, they are ten feet thick, and are built in layers, are capable of flying 200-600 miles per hour; can land at low speed of 35 mph. The "U.S. News" pointed out, the news clipping continued, that a "saucer" was seen and tracked for several minutes at White Sands and so the conclusion was that the objects must have been these top secret craft described by the U.S. Navy.
There are numerous early sightings of in flight and near the ground craft in the 1950's with what appeared to be nozzles around the outer edge (along with lights), with clear canopy like projections on top or to one side, hovering speeds, and pacing speeds to current known commercial and military aircraft. The 1952 Pittsburg, Kansas sighting is one; it was one Dr. Hynek would later write should have been more closely and scientifically investigated.
Beginning in October 1946 many aircraft would begin testing the boundaries of height, speed, and maneuverability through various development projects with the government (Military and/or CIA). Yeager would "break" the sound barrier in a short aircraft called the Bell X-1 and the entire "X" series, and others, would emerge often in craft about 30 feet wide and about the same lengthwise. They were small and incredibly fast (1,000 + mph) and only reaching 90,000 ceiling altitude. Even the record breaking "X-15" only reached 67 miles in 1963.
So - - if there was a Navy project resulting in a craft acting as the ones described by the witnesses...what happened to it? Was it merely absorbed into the spy planes craziness of the early Cold War times? If this was all achieved in 1949 - why were the developments so slow in being actualized in other aircraft of the times?
(Sources include the March 1950 issue of True Magazine, NICAP records, "Naval Officer Says There Are Flying Saucers, Thinks They May Come from Mars," New Mexico Ledger (Mexico, Missouri) 10 March 1950, pg. 12; "Navy Researcher Says "Saucers" Are Interplanetary", Sapulpa Daily Herald, (Sapulpa, Oklahoma, 23 February 1950, pg. 1; Paul Ellis, UPI Science Editor, "Flying Saucers are the Real?", Sapulpa Daily Herald (Oklahoma), March 8, 1950. "The Answer Still Lacking." El Reno (El Reno, OK, April 1950)
Friday, October 16, 2020
Author Seeking Stories of UFO Encounters and Sightings over Kansas for Inclusion in New Book
If you have a story, are willing to share details and names, email Marilyn A. Hudson. She is at work on a followup title for her recently published SOONER SAUCERS. The work ENCOUNTERS IN KANSAS will look at stories from Kansas - with a special emphasis on the 1956 to 1975 time slot.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
What was the "U" Shaped Object Seen in Nebraska in 1955?
December 20, 1955, near Decauter, Nebraska (near the Missouri River and DeMoines, Iowa) witnesses reported - with drawings - sighting of an object that was shaped like a fat "U" with red lights at the far tip of the opening and two bright, steady and glowing white lights on either arm of the "U". Colors of lights reported to be red, green, blue and white and the object said to be very large. It was moving south, then hovered, and rose straight up to disappear from sight.
On December 31, 1955, on or near HWY 77 between Lyons, Nebraska and Oakland, Nebraska (NE of Omaha) witnesses observed an orange object, size of a grapefruit at arm's length, rise out of a nearby field, make a gentle arc over the highway before disappearing from view.
Sunday, July 26, 2020
A Closer Look at a Classic Tale: The Mantell Flight
JULY 7, 1948
A Kentucky - Control tower and possible ground
crew observed something at the south end of the Godman AFB, near Marysville,
Kentucky. Object described as: bright white or silver bright, shape was fluid
but generally round. Several of the included descriptions support the balloon
idea by the descriptions: like a
tear-drop; later the object seemed fluid” but no trail. (For more on this topic see previous entry "1948:Some Questions")
Witness 33B – described it: “the color changed from white to blue to red to yellow and a black dot in the center at all times.” They also indicated it was like an “Ice Cream Cone topped with red”. A classic balloon description from about late 1947 when balloons adopted a more standardize color system, possibly to aid investigators in tracking them. Many of the early balloon tests did not even have the equipment to adequately track them and depended on news stories to find their missing balloons!
Witness 33A – added it was “like parachute round.”
It was faster than F-51, moving S to W (this would seem to imply a more westerly course creating an arc SW out of Columbus to curve down through Kentucky to Tennessee before it apparently was lost forever. It was, observed for 1 ½ hrs. beginning 1420 hrs. CST. It was labeled incident 330, 33B, 33A, 33. 33g in Project Blue Book.
1:10 p.m. – Madisonville, Kentucky. Object, moving about 10 mph, “cone shaped”.
1:15 p.m. – Maysville, Kentucky. A sighting. Strange object reported moving west. Details unknown. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of Flying Saucers. 1963. Pg. 37]
1:35 p.m. – Owensboro and Irvington, Kentucky. Circular object sighted, 250 to 300 feet in diameter, moving west. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 37; he also identifies the period the balloon would have risen to 30,000 and entered a westward moving jet street up to 60,000 feet on a line with these two sightings, pg. 36]]
1:45 p.m. (shortly before) – Godman AFB, Kentucky. Sighted a circular or parachute-shaped object in view for about two hours, slowly moving south. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 37]
2:30 p.m. – Godman AFB area. A group of four P-51’s (Mantell, Orner, Blackwell, Carter) are nearing and a request is made for them to check out the object.
2:45 p.m. – Godman AFB area. Capt. Thomas Mantell radios to tower that he was at about 15,000 ft. and the object was ahead and above him, moving at half his speed (approx.. 180 mph). Witness 33 (Mantell), noted it was heading South. one of the other pilots, Quinton Blackwell, noted Mantell said it was of “tremendous size” and “Seemed metallic”. Mantell estimated size at about 250-300 feet, circular, in the area of Maysville, Kentucky. About 1445 (or 1445 or 2:45) the Flight Leader Mantell NG 269 noted the object was ahead and climbing toward 33,000 ft.
t is reported in the official file that he said “I’m going to 20,000” although there are some who point out that when the primary witness to the event cannot speak for himself all that is left is essentially hearsay. It is, however, all that modern researchers have to go on.
3:15 p.m. –Godman AFB area - Mantell is reported to have also said: “I’m going to try to close in for a better look.” These are believed to be his last words. Other planes search 100 miles south and could not find the object.
Exact time unknown. State Police reported an object 100 feet from top to the bottom and 43 feet across and about 4 miles up traveling SW at about 10 mph (balloons customarily travel at a slow and steady pace unless the balloon lasts long enough to lift it into a jet stream or other fast moving upper air currents).
3:18 p.m. – Mantell’s plane crashes Simson County, south of Franklin, Kentucky. Cause of death attributed to hypoxia (loss of oxygen) and leading to the crash.
3:50 – Godman Ground Crew watched the object disappear from view. Menzel says minutes later observers further south in Kentucky and Tennessee were reporting an unknown in the sky [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 37
4:00 p.m. – Madisonville, Kentucky. Strange object through binoculars identified as balloon. According to Menzel, this sighting would have been when the balloon had climbed to 60,000 feet and entered a swift moving jet stream headed - south. [Dr. Donald H. Mensel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 36-38].
4:30 – 4:40 (1630-16450 hrs.) or 4:45 p.m. (time varies in accounts) – Nashville, Tennessee. An astronomer saw an object with a basket (an assumed equipment package of the balloon) SSE of Nashville. It first moved SSE then turned W at about 10 mph, at an estimated 25,000 ft.
Post Crash – Godman AFB reported a large light in the sky approximate location of earlier light. The Lockbourne Tower and Clinton County Tower advised a great ball of light was moving SW across the sky. The St. Louis tower later advised seeing a great ball f light passing overhead. They advised Air Defense via Olmsted alerted to Coffeeville, KS., Ft. Smith and Kansas City, Missouri of an object moving WSW at 250 mph.
Air Defense Command (ADC) requested the file on the Godman incident be sent to them at Michel Field, Hampstead, NY “ASAP.” Attached to that was a mention of other events: “At St. Louis ATC advised of an article from Edwardsville, Illinois at 07200 an object of aluminum appearance without any wings or control surfaces moving SW.” It remained visible for 30 minutes. “The article went on to describe the amazement and wonder of the editor -.” Of interest is that as late 1964 the file was being used. IN July 1964 a letter came to the office of Project Blue Book about a recent crash of a P-51 in Oregon where a pilot over 20,000 ft. lost oxygen and crashed.
5:00 p.m. – Lockbourne AFB, Columbus, Ohio. Round, glowing amber object sighted on southwest horizon in horizontal flight; in view about 20 minutes, then disappeared below horizon. [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 37]
5:00 p.m. – Columbus, Ohio at Lockbourne AFB – a sighting of the Planet Venus. 1 page in the Blue Book files on a form issued in 1952. One source noted that at the time of the alleged sighting the planet was at a stellar magnitude of a -3.4; meaning it would have been visible, if at all, only as a speck of light through the cloud cover [Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The World of the Flying Saucer. 1963, pg. 36]
7:00 p.m. (1920 – 1950 hrs.) –Wilmington, Ohio. Incident #48. First appearance of object was “flare-like”; fire like color riding thermals (up and down); stars in the sky white or yellow or flame. Very high altitude. Moved slow due West from Clinton Co. Army Air Field. Second witness at 1930 hours in control tower saw a triangular shape rocking; it had red and green colors. Triangle was red, when it descended the broad end of triangle was up and a green light seemed to stream out. Color fluctuated: 1st white then red; witness thought it not a balloon or aircraft. There is a see also” notation about Incident # 30 n-c – Lockbourne AFB.
7:25 p.m. (1925 hrs.)- Columbus Ohio, Lockbourne AFB. Object observed for approximately 15 minutes, large, it was viewed both aerially and from the ground, it “descended”. 1 page report on a form produced starting 1952.
7:50 (1952 hrs.) – Columbus, Ohio, Case # 32, Jan. 7, 1948. 1 page file on a form produced starting 1952. A USAF Plot in the air reported one amber colored object, “like a large star or planet”, “seemed stationary.” “Considering the incident with #32, 33, 48 one is forced to conclude that object observed from Lockbourne…was the planet Venus.” One report of the incident lists the location of the object as ESS – 120 degrees or approximately opposite from those stated by the other witnesses and the planet Venus. “Obviously since the time of observation was the same, this means that one witness either was looking at a different object or had his directions mixed. Since is is assumed throughout the report that all observers were viewing the same object, the later interpretation seems probable.”
10:20 p.m. – Gorman AFB. Mentioned but details unclear.
11:30 p.m. – Cartersville, Georgia. Jan. 8, 1948. Circular object with flat top (pot shaped), course 175 degrees magnitude, observed by pilot on a flight from St. Louis to Atlanta flying at 3,000 ft. He described the object as light, sky blue in color, traveling about 400 mph and at about his own 3,000 ft. The object crossed the path of the witness and all that could be observed was an intense blue flame, in a something closely resembling an exhaust pipe. As it crossed the path of the plane, the flame sputtered and turned downward. The pilot never saw it land or hit the ground. He had served in England and associated the flame like that seen on what the RAF called “buzz bombs”. There was, however, no long trailing flame like with a meteor object instead he said it was like looking down a smoke-stack or a pipe – a concentrated intense blue flame.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy - after the loss of a brave man - was the tunnel vision of both those wishing to cover up the truth behind this incident and those wishing to uncover the "truth" to prove one particular take on the truth. The dueling agendas of nearly everyone involved meant that pilots were needless endangered by not being apprised of potential "surprises" they might encountered "up top."
Original and initial explanations for the accident was that the pilot had seen the Planet Vensus and in chasing that goal had died. Venus was an immediate response for many such sightings of this era. The Air Force started with a deflection approach: the witness is always mistaken. An early scientific advisor, with experience with top secret projects, may have been the source of this approach. J. A. Hyneck originally went with that as a reasonable thesis but later would revise that when he learned more details of the case . There was no way a daytime sighting of the planet, even through haze, could have been mistaken for a huge silvery object. The planet would have been barely a pinpoint of light.
The balloon explanation does fit some of the identified facts - best guess is a top secret Skyhook balloon being used by the U.S. Navy.
So often the manner of keeping secrets in this era was to ignore the possible dangers to military and civilian life. The secret was important; even if that secret would only be of value for a brief few years and quickly forgotten.
Nothing - safety, health, or essential freedoms - was as important as keeping that short-term, illusionary and often valueless secret.
Thursday, July 23, 2020
1950 - Kingman, Kansas
June 30, 1950 (Thursday) came a report of an object witnessed by Rev, Ross Vermillion, pastor of the Cheney Christian Church and a B17 pilot in WW2 and his wife. Also witnessing the event was a man named Dwayne Mulnix and his two daughters. They were 9 miles west of Kingman, Kansas that night.
They observed an object - a red light near Cunningham. Then a white light. As they approached color and could see more clearly Vermillion reported seeing a rotary movement on an outer ring. He estimated it was 250 feet diameter and 10 feet thick and has a small canopy type element on top. The witnesses stopped on the Ninneskah River bridge to observe the thing.
It finally shot up at a 45 degree angle and disappeared into the distance. As it moved away the lights all went off.
1966 - Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio
Multiple sightings from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Ohio excited attention on September 23, 1966 at 0913z. Sightings were from both ground and air. The Air Force classed it as other and cited a Barium Cloud Release. It was described as twice the size of the moon, ball shaped (at first), one observer stated he saw what looked like a bright blue comet coming straight toward him. The object expanded in size and at 1/4 mile distance appeared to be 100 feet in diameter. It seemed to be moving eastward. It gradually faded from view but left a tale or streak for some time. Observers reported the artificial cloud was green tinged with red and then a brighter blue. It was launched from Wallop Islands, Virginia via a Javelin rocket at 045 EST (5:13 a.m. reads the NASA photos in the accompanying file). The payload was barium and copper oxide lofted to 310-510 statute miles. This was related to explorations into various aspects of scientific inquiry at the time.
One Explanation for the 1965 "Flap"
Right now eyes around the globe have been spying the incredible COMET NEOWISE, first in the early dawn sky and then more recently in the evening sky. Meteor Showers are also popular events that people look forward to and provide a good reason to go outside and enjoy nature with naked eyes, binoculars or telescopes. In 1965, portions of the "Great Midwestern Flap" cited a little known meteor shower to explain all the objects with red, green and white lights flying around towns, missile bases, and across open sky.
The Air Force offered up the excuses (depending on where you lived) witnesses were seeing the planet Jupiter, various stars, or the Delta Aquariids.
In that July 31-August 5 peak period for UFO's in this so called Midwestern flap - so called because the objects were being reported from Maine to Florida and Mexico to Minnesota - people in Oklahoma were told they had seen the planet Jupiter or a set of named stars. Local astronomers from the planetarium in Oklahoma City directed scathing retorts. They questioned just where the Air Force was getting its information because at that time and in that place (up and down the central plains in fact) those were all day objects and would have been impossible as sources of the sightings of zipping, hovering and glowing objects being seen.
Local newspapers in Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma generally did not mention this unique meteor shower because it was a lesser one and usually only seen well south of the equator and at lower elevations in the southern United States. In addition, they are a poor showing with much fewer meteors being observed. Instead the newspapers did mention the Perseid and noted parties planned to celebrate the sky show this meteor shower provided regularly every August
.
When a reporter from Oklahoma City's Journal newspaper contacted someone from the Air Force to explain this issue of planets not visible as explanations for the UFO's reported, there was in the response (found in noted entries of daily phone calls by the Air Force) a little bit of fast footwork that attempted to explain away an obvious gaff.
The responding officer indicated that the explanation of the planet and stars was for sightings - at the exact same times and dates - around missile stations in Wyoming and ammo depots in Nebraska - because they were - supposedly visible there even if not visible in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas.
One has to wonder, indeed, where this explanation came from.
To learn more on the Delta Aquariids -
To learn more on the Perseids
US vs. THEM: What Would Contact Mean?
4. Though intelligent or semi-intelligent life conceivably exists elsewhere in our solar system, if intelligent extraterrestrial life is discovered in the next twenty years, it will very probably be by radio telescope from other solar systems. Evidences of its existence might also be found in artifacts left on the moon or other planets. The consequences for attitudes and values are unpredictable, but would vary profoundly in different cultures and between groups within complex societies3 a crucial factor would be the nature of the communication between us and the other beings. by such a discovery is moot: societies sure of their own place in the universe have disintegrated when confronted by a superior society, and others have sur- vived even though changed. the factors involved in responding to such crises the better prepared we may be...." Brooking Report, 1960.
Discussions continue to this day about the impact discovery of other life forms might have on human life.
Post WW2 military leaders often viewed such a possibility, if an accepted reality, through a lens of conflict. Contact is often viewed - from the view of those being contacted - as an invasive action. This crossing of turf, crossing the dividing lines, forcing interaction, and potentially forcing compliance or submission is seen in negative terms. When crossing cultural boundaries it can be hard to insure that your open hand of friendship is not perceived as a precursor to invasion and destruction. Even small measures are often viewed with skepticism ; with only a small leak a vast damned lake can be drained and so too can a group lose a sense of identity and individuation.
Scientists, for the most part, project an often idealistic frame of reference that discounts beliefs based on culture, history, or social structures. Science is a free-exchange without regard to what a group might do with that information or what ignoring social or cultural values might mean. Gathering data simply to gather data has often put archaeologists and anthropologists at odds with cultures who do not see graves or burial sites as abstract "history" but as a real and vital connection to their own heritage and familial past.
Add to that the issues of morality and ethics. All have probably heard the phrase, just because something can be done does not mean is should be done. The inherent consequences to any action are sometimes not the primary consideration when exploring scientific possibility, social development, or technological innovations.
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