As I began researching the history of "UFO's" in Oklahoma, I learned several things in stages. First, that there was little belief in the reality of UFO's. Second, that the "hubbub" of the summer of 1965 was just people imagining things and seeing things. Third, that the topic was one guaranteed to elicit tongue in cheek, gentle ridicule, or sad shakes of the head.
Oddly, the deeper I dug into the topic the more those truisms appeared to fall about. IN my book SOONER SAUCERS: OKLAHOMA UFO'S 1949-1969 (2020) , I wrote:
"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 were reported to have landed more than a few times. Some even took photos - which often oddly went missing or did not develop. Many are oddly missing from the Project Blue Book file containing these accounts or are found in apparently unrelated case files (see, for example, the file labeled for Bunkie, Louisiana 1952).
One of those military men in Nebraska, Colonel Johnson, called through to the Strategic Air Command (SAC command post). He said that at 1000z Q Flight reported nine (9) UFO's were in sight. Four were reported being in the Northwest, 3 to the Northeast, and 2 over Cheyenne, Wyoming. At 1025z, a single object was reported descending toward a nearby site with lights glowing on each side and red blinking lights in the middle areas. A pilot of an airline also reported something orange glowing beneath him. Denver radar found NO RESPONSE on their radars for these objects. As always, when radar was involved the standby explanations were “ghosts” or false readings. Often this was the general label applied to all sightings Even those reports with numerous visual ground-based sightings of strange objects.
August, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Late July to early days of August of 1965 was a peak year. Sightings of multiple objects came in from all across the country but especially in the middle corridor of the country. The Project Blue Book files make mention of a so-called ‘Mid-West Flap’ (ignoring the sightings elsewhere at the same time). One Oklahoma event of that month was on August 2nd with the capture in a color photo of a UFO by a 14 year old youth in Tulsa. Detractors claimed it was a hoax and an image of a lighted color wheel used to illuminate Christmas trees. Case 9666 of August 2, 1965, however, contains 22 pages of images of the Air Force attempting to duplicate in a studio that image without apparent success."
As I also noted, "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, aircraft, balloons, weather reflections (mirages, lights on fog, etc.) and misidentifications in general."
The problem with so much of the reporting of those events of 1965 are that they were locked into place. What happened in one place, largely remained in one place, and what was front page news one day soon became page 10. No one, including many UFO proponents, was looking beyond for a bigger picture of events. They were, also, easily distracted by the flashy card shark moves of government and media that held and hid the aces up their sleeves while providing Joker card explanations.
The example is the evolution of the explanation for the things seen flitting over middle America in those first three days of August 1965. " On Monday August 2, the Air Force issued a press release addressing the many reported objects. The pulled out a sighting of the planet Jupiter or one of a half dozen stars.
On the suggestion that people had mistakenly seen the planet Jupiter, local Oklahoma Science and Arts Foundation Planetarium director, Robert Risser would be blunt: “That is as far from the truth as you can get…These stars and planets are on the opposite side of the earth from Oklahoma at this time of year.” Another planetarium staffer, Dale Johnson, also swiftly chided the suggestion. “It is a mystery where the air force got its information” because “Jupiter is not even in view this time of year.”
The Air Force backtracked to then suggest in new additions of their spiel that stars, or weather balloons, or temperature inversions or summer madness was the cause of people seeing strange “craft.” This was noted in “Stars in their eyes? Many insist “Flying Objects” seen” in the Daily Oklahoman, of 4 August 1965.The Air Force tried out several explanations on Monday August 1, 1965. What people had seen was the planet Jupiter, or another of a dozen stars.
Oddly enough, when Mary Joe Nelson, a reporter with the Oklahoma City Times called the Air Force on 4 August 1965 she would be fed an interesting tale about that explanation of the planets and stars. The unnamed officer keeping the daily log of phone calls told her that the Air Force had been talking about “two different things.” They had, he told her, been referring to the sightings in Wyoming and Kansas that occurred between 0100 and 0430 hours and not to the Oklahoma sightings that occurred between 2100 and 2400 hours. The explanation, he believed, fit Wyoming and Kansas but not Oklahoma. For the record, according to various astronomical records of the period Jupiter in early August would have been a morning object.
Of course, the well-worn weather balloon explanation made an appearance. With over four metro locations releasing weather balloons for many years it still was an awesome sight to see, especially if a balloon was being illuminated by the setting sun. There was a weather balloon launched from Will Rogers Airport across the county (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 .
The problem was quickly noted by scientists, including the director of the Oklahoma City Planetarium who disgust is nearly palatable in his remarks as he pointed out that the explanation was ridiculous since the planet noted was visible only on the other side of the globe at the time of the sightings. The Air Force was quick to amend their statement with a hearty, "Oh. that was only applicable to the Wyoming and Nebraska sightings! They saw the planet!" They must have assumed an abysmal level of scientific knowledge. Those location would have been in the same condition as the witnesses in the states below them.
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| Sapulpa, OK Daily Herald, Aug. 3, 1965 |
Since, most of the reports for those military installation sightings were locked away for many, many years few were aware of the issues faced and when they were faced in those locations in Nebraska and Wyoming. Also, since man newspapers were lost in dusty archives and hard to access collections, many reports were hidden.
"To place these events in some larger context and illustrate the scope of the sightings the following are offered for review.
July 31, 1965 – Cheyenne, Wyoming, at the Minuteman Missile Station, reports of objects being seen in the sky. Common descriptions are the objects are white, green and red. All missile silo sites are alerted. The result for July 31 is 75 objects sighted by 70 personnel. On August 1, 29 objects will be sighted by 27 personnel. On August 2, there will 44 objects observed by 44 personnel. This will bring the total of sighted objects to 148 by a total of 143 personnel. Note that the colors are mirrors to the reports that came from Oklahoma during this same window and about which the Air Force told people they were “seeing stars.” The report from the Wyoming and Nebraska military installations indicate that the sightings were all described in terms of being round, oval or cigar/pencil shaped or merely a light source. They were seen in sizes from a pinhead to a half dollar as seen through binoculars. When there were multiple objects they were described as moving in a “V”, echelon, cross, box, tail-shaped formations. Remember the “diamond shaped” formations reported in Oklahoma?
August 1, 1965 – Sherman, Texas, at about 11:00 a.m. a witness observed a drab green color object approximately 125 to 140 feet long in an elongated half-moon shape. The observer said it was shaped like an umbrella and was about 12 to 18 feet at the thickest part. There were no lights or windows. It made a “U” turn, leveled off and then returned to a northerly heading over Sherman Air Field.
August 1, 1965 – Cheyenne, Wyoming and the Frances E. Warren Command Post received numerous reports from the region (civilian and military). The military witnesses included airmen and NCO’s in the Minuteman flight areas and some of the most highly trained and security minded persons around. On August 1 there will be 29 objects observed by 27 military personnel.
Reports indicate that sightings began about 0500 zulu and continued for the next two nights. This day sees the only daytime sighting (there was one daytime sighting the same day in Cushing, Oklahoma as well). The Wyoming sighting was described as an object tumbling through the sky that seemed to break apart and then went separate directions. There were never any discernable features beyond the color of lights that seemed consistent across these accounts and would brighten and dim at intervals. As to direction, the report indicated all moving objects tended to move NW, N and NE of the missile bases established observation points. The preference for nighttime movement was noted in the Wyoming report of the data with a distinct prominence after midnight. Further, attempts to correlate these to the popular “weather balloon” explanation was found possible in only one instance and, further, there were no correlations found with air craft movements.
A visual on August 1 at 0430z is described in a report of a red, circular object, 45 degrees above the horizon…appeared to descend to ground 50 miles east of Cheyenne, Appeared about 6 inches in diameter (arm’s length). At 0450 z a witness who said he saw 6 lights red and green flashing and the object was stationary. At 0600 another reported the object was the size of “quarter at arm’s length” at the Golf 1 missile site at the F.E. Warren Missile site, 55 miles southeast of Cheyenne. This object was observed for 15 minutes.
August 1 or 2 (report is unclear). Reports labeled as coming from the “Warren Command Post” identified as “#7” and “#8” said: “reported from 3 different places at the same time…Golf, Juliate, and India at 0507 050z” Those places were three of the missile sites at the Warren Missile Station. They went on to describe a "large“ dot with 4 smaller dots forming a triangle to the right of the larger object…alternate red and green…Hovering 30 degrees above horizon to the northeast…binoculars used.” The entry labeled “8” “sighting seemed to be a blob, approximately 20 feet in diameter, orange in color. No sound. About as tall as a one story building. Descending. Observed for 3 minutes by Staff Sgt. Boast.”
August 1, 1965, - Sidney, Nebraska. Additionally, the military personnel at the main gate of the Sioux Army Ordnance Depot at Sidney, Nebraska saw UFO’s for three straight nights starting this date. This locale is about as far into the east into Nebraska as the Cheyenne location is west into Wyoming. Both events created some concern.
August 1 – Caldwell, Kansas. Local police told the Wichita radio station KFN they had sighted 1 object moving E of the Caldwell airport. Edward Roberts said he observed an object hovering just above the ground so close it seemed to be on the ground. It was red, greenish-blue and yellow-white. It was oval about 100 yards longs Egg shaped.
August 1, 1965 – UFO’s reported in Arizona (Gila, Globe and Sedona areas) oval shaped and white to orange in color. Reports came also from south New Mexico angling across to the Texas panhandle (Denton, Amarillo, Pampa, Dalhart, etc.) into northwest Oklahoma and the Oklahoma panhandle and into Kansas and then into the Cheyenne, Wyoming and Sidney, Nebraska regions.
August 2, 1965 – Ponder, Texas, In the Justin to Ponder stretch of HWY 156 was a report of a craft landing Monday night. Police checked but by the time they arrived there was no evidence of anything amiss and found no evidence.
August 2 – Military reports that at 0855z the Oklahoma Tower lost communication; at 0925z Fort Worth and Kansas had “static.”
August 2, 1965 – Perrin AFB, Texas. SAC reported that at 0740z there was one red, green and white light stationary, then it moved slowly west at about 8,000 ft. near Perrin AFB. At 0810z a white object observed by a KC-97 pilot.
August 2, 1965 – Richardson, Texas. 3 objects red, blue, green at Richardson by police moving southwest to southeast.
August 2, 1965 – Wichita, Kansas. Wichita Weather Station confirmed their radar had sightings of UFO’s over a wide section of south-central Kansas between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. August 2 (today). A Deputy Sheriff and his wife from Wellington to the south observed an object at 4:30 a.m. and “it was moving rapidly to the north.” He said it had a red vapor trailing behind and was egg shaped. Wellington police had seen several early that morning and one was spotted 4 miles east of Wellington.
August 2, 1965 – Carrollton, Texas – Not reported until August 5th in the local paper. Three flying objects were sighted in the area and were described as mysterious lights that constantly changed colors and moved in formation were spotted by Carrolton and Richardson communities police officers early on Monday morning. Patrol man Bennett Anderson of Richardson first observed the objects at 2 a.m."
Texas newspapers were very clear that witness reports had come in from Mexico? that objects had been seen over Carlsbad, NM across the Panhandle of Texas on a northeasterly course. That can account for the object seen moving in large formations northerly across Oklahoma. It does not explain, however, the formations witnessed moving northwesterly or north into the region of Nebraska and Wyoming.
In most cases, the authorities preferred a reductionist approach to sightings. Reports came in of several, many, dozens of objects? The authorities reduced that to a SINGLE object solved through a single explanation. Occam's Razor - a view that an explanation should be reduced to the minimum and no more - can apply in some cases but is a manipulation when misapplied.
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