MULTI-STATE METEORITE: 1948

 1948

At its essence one could say that the event of February 18, 1948, was a brilliant fireball and a loud noise that generated a very large shower of meteorites fell that fell over a large area of northwestern Kansas, specifically in the Norton County (Kansas) area and over the state line to the north into Furnas County (Nebraska). 

On April 28, snow had prevented some search efforts until then, a research team from the University of New Mexico set out to identify and recover pieces of the meteorite. Everything that they recovered was either donated to or sold to the university. Research classed the meteorite :

Type Achondrite of the Class Asteroidal achondrite,  and  Group Aubrite

United States ;  Region Kansas ; Coordinates 39°41′N 99°52′WCoordinates: 39°41′N 99°52′W[1]

Observed fall Yes on February 18, 1948     TKW 1100 kg

This was a massive find and almost all parts of it are in the University of New Mexico collections due to the work of Dr. Lincoln LaPaz, one time Kansas resident, who was then one of the world's leading experts on meteors. See an image of the UNM team here.

The tremendous boom was heard by people in at least six states, windows shattered in homes and offices and people fled uncertain what had happened. A blue-tinted cloud billowing out some 35 miles over head as it spilled in the upper atmosphere. The ground shook, buildings swayed and the sound echoed. The editor of the Weekly Norton News (Norton, KS) first thought it was the nearby corner gas station blowing up as other rumbles echoed from all directions. People wandered out into streets, stood on sidewalks and stopped in their tracks as a immense vapor trail , twisting in crooked spirals, augured through the night sky (see image above).

Numerous airfields sent planes aloft certain some large aircraft must have crashed. Near to Norton and Norcatur, Kansas - areas close to what was believed to be the initial blast zone of the aerial object, Army B-29 bombers circled looking for evidence of smoking debris, crashed airplanes, or other signs. Country roads were packed as people came to look.  A few, to be sure, were concerned those new "flying saucers" and "flying discs" might have been responsible. 

A couple of stories did emerge of witnesses who saw something looking like a rocket or war time missile fly past overhead with a roar or a hiss that startled them. One reported such an object heading northeast toward the area of Norton. Another man some 14 miles est of Norton reported a queer objcet coming from the southwest, that appeared to be a rocket. What he saw traveled on a level course but with some gradual loss of altitude before it exploded with a huge cloud of smoke. To his view it seemed to do that right over the area of Norton. The witness was observing this from his position south of Prairie View, Kansas.

Strangely, a similar sighting had been made near Inola, Kansas, where the object turned west and then disappeared into the sky.  Feb 18, a man on a farm west of Stockton, Kansas (1 mile of US 24) was by his pigpen about 5 p.m. and saw an object hovering over his house. It was funnel shaped and belching flames and smoke. Then an explosion was heard after it passed on by them. The air was hot from where it had passed.  Also, later over the days of Feb 20-26 would see similar stories out of Utah that matched the 'anomalous' behaviors of the NortonCounty Meteorite.

What is very clear is that the event of surrounding the Norton meteorite was much larger than even the record-breaking meteorite dug out the Nebraska farmland. There was at least one larger, perhaps massive, object that blasted itself that evening, but there were - from witness statements - several other blasts or explosions. The initial meteor may have been one huge object that broke into parts as it superheated in the atmosphere (not unusual), or it could have been part of a "fall" that involved several larger meteors that fell in close proximity, gathered together by gravity or happenstance of a outside the atmosphere collision that tangled them together in their last moments of fiery and explosive glory.

So, to explain the various directions by those noted in these brief quotes and the associated other reports of the month of February 1948, the only logical conclusion is there was a very large series of meteor falls spread over a large segment of the U.S. (and possibly other locations since this is the time of "Ghost Rockets" over Sweden and Norway).

One theory floated at the time - beyond "flying saucers" was that the objects seen and reported could have been 'someone's" early attempts to place a rocket into space (either to reach it, orbit it or target the moon).  This, coupled with the "Ghost Rockets", as examples of an early and very secret attempt to test possible early escapes from the bonds of Earth, was not laughed off so swiftly by the military who were offered that thought by more than one thinker.

Studies into the strange "green fireballs" that so captivated LaPaz in this time period and spurred "Project Twinkle"  have shown that there are apparent "corridors" as we transit through space and regions where large fireballs and massive meteors can, and do, plunge with some frequency. (See: Fireballs (nasa.gov and Bolide Home (nasa.gov)  ).

The Furnas Co., Meteorite  - The Furnas County Stone of the Norton County, Kansas‐Furnas County, Nebraska, Achondritic Fall (1000,400)* - Leonard - 1948 - Contributions of the Meteoritical Society - Wiley Online Library

NortonCounty Meteorite - Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Norton County (usra.edu)

AIRSHIPS, HO!

In my research I ran across a site that was discussing "airships" of the noted 1896-1897 "Flap". Since I was raised in Kansas, the story of LeRoy and the Alexander Hamilton story of seeing an airship, occupant, and the rustler from the skies, was familiar.  I read the familiar tale and was astounded to see the author claiming this was the SAME Alexander Hamilton who had dueled with Aaron Burr.  He was a "Founding Father." That Alexander Hamilton, however, was born 1755 and died 1804. 

The Kansas Alexander Hamilton of Airship note was one of several men in Kansas with that same historic name. 

The Airship Story Hamilton. As Wikipedia puts it (without citation): "An account by Alexander Hamilton of Leroy, Kansas, supposedly occurred around April 19, 1897, and was published in the Yates Center Farmer's Advocate of April 23. Hamilton, his son and a tenant witnessed an airship hovering over his cattle pen. Upon closer examination, the witnesses realized that a red "cable" from the airship had lassoed a heifer,but had also become entangled in the pen's fence. After trying unsuccessfully to free the heifer, Hamilton cut loose a portion of the fence, then "stood in amazement to see the ship, cow and all rise slowly and sail off."[20] Some have suggested this was the earliest report of cattle mutilation. In 1982, however, UFO researcher Jerome Clark debunked this story, and confirmed via interviews and Hamilton's own affidavit that the story was a successful attempt to win a Liar's Club competition to create the most outlandish tall tale.[citation needed]"

According to the 1895 Kansas State Census there were three groups named Hamilton living in Woodson County, Kansas (home to Yates Center). LeRoy was actually part of a neighboring county of Coffee.  The story from FATE magazine later carries a line that a group of local men had met in a town and began to talk and dreamed up a tale inspired by all the stories in the newspapers of "airships" beginning in California in 1896 but then continuing into 1897 with more regional sightings in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, etc. They published it and then - they swore on their honor in an avadavat that their tall tale was true.

People have always loved a tall tale and this must have been a great opportunity - especially is a bet or wager was involved for personal or community benefit. 

Although many of the time, and later, viewed these sightings as fantasy or as early 'flying saucers'  they were on the "drawing board" in so many ways. Protypes were already being explored that would lead in a brief five years to the Wright Brothers first flight of airplane. 

Balloons, on the other hand, had been in active use around the globe for one reason or another since the late 1700's, during the civil war in the US, and improvements were an ongoing quest by inventors around the world. 

In February of 1896 - two months before the first California airship stories emerge - this new item filled paper across the county. "Leading scientists of Berlin, " began the untitled piece (filler) - "predict before the close of the century half the world's passenger traffic will be....in the air." The item went on to say a German syndicate had formed to construct airships built on the Count Van Zepplin "contrivance". A machine promoted as the greatest achievement of the age.  The article went on to describe the "Zepplin Airship" -"cigar shaped", steerable to achieve up and down, back and forth, right and left motions. (Two sources found for this news item were the Hennessey Kicker (Hennessey, Oklahoma,26 Feb 1896 pg.2) and the Cleveland County Courier (Moore, Oklahoma; 20 Feb 1896, pg. 1).

Given the fact that other newspapers from 1880-1897 carry articles of inventors and scientists working to achieve controlled flight by attaching bicycle pedals, wheels, gears, flaps, wings, motors, electric lights and winches...and the fact that con-men were hawking the same goal....indicate that there was enough proof around to indicate it COULD happen. Thus, the stories of men in military looking uniforms speaking a strange language, strange bright lights searching the ground, or even steal a cow for a dinner...become less science fiction and more than science becoming fact.

Two online sources for some very good early discussions and vast survey of newspapers of the
time  are found here. The works by Loren E. Gross on airships, and others, are there and readable. A vast resource.

SITUATION REPORT: 1952

 

Dr. Menzel's UFO Report (1963)

 The document is labeled "UFO SIGHTING BY DHM, September 8, 1963:

"From a jet plane flying at an altitude of about 30,000 feet over eastern Kansas, September 8 1963, I saw a remarkable and realistic UFO, quite unlike any that I had previously noted. I was seated on the northern side of the plane The time was around noon, local time, and the sun was shining very brightly at that altitude. I suddenly became aware of a bright object, broken in two by a  horizontal dark line. It closely resembled the Saturn shaped saucers frequently reported. It seemed to be pacing our plane at a distance of several miles and at an appreciably lower altitude, I almost immediately recognized it for what it later proved to be though its physical appearance was certainly very different. It was indeed a jet plane, the silver body brilliantly illuminated. There was no trace of wings.

The double line was a reflection effect between the double windows and I was actually seeing two reflections, themselves very bright, separated by a region in between that seemed dark by comparison. It did give the effect of a single Saturn -shaped ship following along. While I was trying to conform this by detection of the plane itself, to my amazement a second similar apparition came flying by at an enormous speed in the opposite direction. It was, of course, a jet and the relative speeds of the plan were about a mle in three seconds. Another jet, of course.  The saucer shaped illusion continued for at least ten minutes. And then, with gradual changing illumination or something, the brightness of the reflection must have concentrated rather sharply toward our plane, diminished and I could then see the form of the plane itself.  You will recall these windows are truly double with a considerable air spacing between them. This gives rise to the multiple effect. I could not help but think of the Chesapeake Bay Case in this connection and again keep wondering if you could not build up a reflection from outside in some such fashion by repeated reflection between the double windows. I do not know, however, whether there are actual double windows in the DC4 and if the spacing of them would give rise to such reflections."

---1963 09 9733827 EasternKansas.

One of the astounding things in this narrative is that this is a man, it is suspected, who left his impression on many, many case files by the presence of acerbic, sometimes slightly sarcastic, and imperative commands concerning the quality of witness statements, data collection, what was not asked, etc. The impression was those heavy, black, and sternly made notes and comments is of a man with little tolerance or patience and who did not suffer fools gladly. His multiple "??!!!" are very different from the notes left by others identified by name or initials. This individual NEVER left any sign of who he was.

If that man was this man, Donald H. Menzel, he had been involved with the "project" for many years, mostly in the shadows.  Had he been reading his own report I would expect those heavy, impatient, "!!!" because there is no mention of the type of plane he was in at the time, no clear indication about where he was over "eastern Kansas", there is no indication of which direction the plane was flying. Both of those details would have a lot to say about the quality of his sighting, the quality of his suggested explanation, and that seriously limits the ability to verify what other planes were in the air at the time to support his claims. 

In 1963, Menzel published his second book on the topic of "flying saucers" - a term he used as both label and laugh line - with Lyle G. Boyd. The book, THE WORLD OF FLYING SAUCERS (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963) can be found in gallery format and photocopies in more than a dozen Project Blue Book files. It, literally, appears to have been the "bible" for assigning solutions to cases and probably contributed greatly to the shifting of cases from the "Unknown" columns into the "probable". He was, however, very selective in stories he presented, how much he presented, and how he formed the narrative about the people, the events, and the explanations. 

According to his 1963 book preface several things stand out:

"At a conference with Air Force officials in Washington in April 1952, He [Menzel} presented his idea that planetary mirages, sundogs, reflections and other atmospheric, and optical phenomena probably accounted for a large percentage of the mysterious UFO's.  This suggestion met with strong skepticism from some of the conferees who at that time were sympathetic to the interplanetary hypothesis."  I wonder if this was one of the planning meetings with the AF, CIA about the "study" then being planned, i.e., The Batelle Institute study (the results would not be published until 1955).

THE SKY IS FALLING!: No, really, what?: Satellites, Moondust, and UFO's in 1960

In 1960 there are some interesting cases in Project Blue Book. It was a busy time as the space race kicked into high gear. When December 31 rolled around that year the U.S. had launched 31 earth satellites (9 of 16 were still in orbit and transmitting as of December) and 2 deep space probes.  Those were the successful efforts.

1960 was also a year where launches, one after another, failed to achieve orbit or otherwise fizzled out. 

A project had emerged to collect the debris falling from the skies (theirs, ours) and it was called "MOONDUST."  

Two examples are found. One in a 28 Sept 1960 file in Project Blue Book for a round, grapefruit to basketball sized object that was first blue to blue-white and then orange that moved west in the area SW of Wichita Falls, Texas. In that file is a telex type page "Moon dust sighted by lcl police to have landed in fiel 10 miles SW of Sheppard AFB TX, search will begin at daybreak." At that time a Major Cooper, Provost Marshall called ATIC to report that the incident was getting out of hand and requested aid in the investigation. It was requested that the 1127th investigate this sighting in accord with provisions of Par#6c of AFR 200-2 DYD of 14 Sept. 29.

A "specimen" collected by one witness (of many) was determined to be a probable spider web.  This may have been what was called "angel hair" in the period and was promoted in Donald H. Menzel's 1963 book on the topic of UFO's.

Oddly, in this year of so many things going up into orbit, the fact so many are labeled as "reentry" sightings is interesting, especially when the names and dates they provided seem to be incorrect. 

16 September 1960 , Ramey AFb Puerto Rico had civilian and military witnesses to what was first labeled a possible, rare, "slow meteor" but was then labeled a probable "reentry of 1960 Episilon vehicle, part of which reentered during Sept. and Oct. 1960."  "Epsilon" was Sputnik 4, also known as Epsilon 1 or Korable Sputnik 1) that had been sent up by the USSR to begin the process of launching out into space. The vehicle contained a television system and a self-sustaining biological cabin with a man like dummy along with scientific instruments. It had only 4 days of flight and part of it fell to earth 5 September 1960 and was recovered at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Also, on September 16, 1960 a pilot flying near Salina in north central Kansas reported seeing a flash of silver, multicolored. He thought it looked odd , unlike anything he had seen in some 14 years of flying but was ready to assume it was some meteor or maybe space debris burning up. The Air Force being handed one of their favorite explanations, instead choose to be strangely forthcoming and labeled it a probable sighting of the reentry of "KAPPA (Discoverer XVI/Discoverer 16) that had, they said, reentered that date.  The problem, as seen in an earlier entry on this case, was that #16 failed at launch and the dates are all wrong for the others). 

Other intriguing cases of that time are:

-the 15 September 1960, Tulsa, Ok at 1900 local time, for 5 minutes of a "U" shaped, oblong object, silver in color that moved, turned and changed directions. When first seen the object was about 25 degrees above the horizon moving North. Then, it turned around, and headed South. Then it turned around again and headed back N. It appeared softly glowing, had no wings, and left no contrails.  The case is one that was investigated by "other" individuals (the forms are different and the technique is different. The interviewing individual made one of the most sexist and derogatory reports found in the files of PBB.  The conclusion was that even though "the fact witness lives near an airport does not mean they can't misidentify a high-flying a/c." It was apparent there was something being hidden because people who live near to bases and airports have a better than average awareness of the variety possible in aircraft. The fact that this one did not act normal was what led to the report. 

-17 September 1960 (the day after the Salina, KS event) there was a "military" report from Kirksville AFB Missouri. For 27 minutes the radar tracked two groups of objects (one group with 8-12 objects and a second one with 6-8 objects). The objects came in high at 95,000 feet and then dipped to 23,000 and were lost. Later another group was picked up and those 6-8 were at 100,000 feet but were soon lost to weather. They radar was blamed, and the case was labeled "possible weather conditions affecting radar returns."  These might have been F-104's - at the time one new incarnations was the hot new thing being developed - and soon they would be deployed to Taiwan. As one source said, they would just set people down and let them watch the radar screen and be awed by what they saw. 

- September 20 was an almost repeat of what had occurred on the 17th with three groups this time. This too was noted as "probable weather conditions." Given it was at an Air Force Base, one has to wonder if there were "visitors" at the time who might have been given a preview of the potential of a new craft. 

-23 September 1960 at Bitberg AFB, Germany at 0119z came a report with the source noted as "MOONDUST", a satellite re-entry. Reported was one object moving SW to NE. A luminous streak, like a shooting star, colors red and yellow, left a trail. Appeared suddenly and was red in color then changed to yellow, disappeared briefly and reappeared much larger than a meteor.  The conclusion was that the object "conforms to satellite re-entry, descent and duration, color and breaking up.  1960 LAMDA II Rocket body, re-entered this date. "Based on general description evaluation as satellite re-entry." This was another USSR launch experiement and carried living organisms, including small mammals: "Sputnik 5 was launched on 19 August 1960 at 8:38 UT from Baikonur Cosmodrome into a roughly 306 x 340 km (190 x 211 mile) altitude orbit with a period of 90.7 minutes and an inclination of 64.7 degrees. The cabin re-entered the atmosphere after 17 orbits on 20 August 1960. Recovery was successful. The Sputnik 5 rocket body (1960 Lambda 2) re-entered on 23 September 1960."NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details

-the 24 Sept 1960 report at Coos Bay, OR of a large green and yellow parachute falling with a cylindrical or rectangle box. The object falling with the chute was 9-10 feet long. The area was heavily wooded. The fall was observed via a 30x set of binoculars and place estimated to be 8 miles southeast of Coos Bay, OR. A helicopter overflew the area on the 25-26 but had negative results. The conclusion was " observation of known object - parachute."

- the 27 Sept 1960, Aurora, CO. Six objects seen for about 30 second. Round, red or maroon objects, size of a pea. Had a "V" formation that then split apart into a straight line. Faded slowly into the south. 

-the 30th of September 1960, Kansas City, Missouri. A round, luminous object the size of a baseball to a basketball, had the appearance of a bright star (this apparently means its color and brightness). Objected reported from Wichita and Topeka in Kansas, Kansas City , Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska. No one knew the source of any high altitude weather balloons moving on a NE course. A local weatherman was one witness. Source of balloon, if it was that, they were unable to confirm as none of the launches matched.

Sept. 26, 1960, Italy

 No information in PBB, only this file labeled File 2027. It is very interesting, however, because of the faint distortion around the objects...

Apparently, nothing but the date and the location are known about this image. Some suspect a hoax but the lack of data is always interesting and prevents any clear statement, a case of "insufficient data'? 

The fact that it comes from 1960, in a month where many things were being seen and reported around the globe, is also noteworthy. 

1960 AND SECRET SATELLITE TESTS

 There is some wonderful information now available online regarding a series of test satellite launches in 1959 and 1960. 

At least one of them was cited as the explanation for what a pilot saw in September of 1960 in North central Kansas.

Discover 14 Launch

A pilot of 20 years' experience saw a flash of silver that looked odd to him; like nothing he had ever seen before. He assumed it might be a meteor or a satellite decaying. "Duration and multiple colors indicate this rather than meteorite" (from the file at PBB). Satellites on decay entry seem to be a more colorful experience than most meteorites, exhibiting a rainbow-like array of hues. 

The official answer was short and sweet: "was probably sighting of reentry of KAPPA (Discoverer XVI). Which reentered this date. "   The date was 16 September 1960, over Salina, Kansas. 

A couple of problems...

"KAPPA" - does not seem to correlate to any records found to date ; this may be a corruption (intentional or otherwise) of the term CORONA.

"DISCOVERER XVI" - Discoverer 16, also known as Corona 9011, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure on 26 October 1960. (Discoverer 16 - Wikipedia) .  The subtype class was "CORONA" and more information can be found here, including launch dates and associated data. (Corona Program (archive.org)  According to another site, all the series 16 launches failed and launches were all October 1960 (Discoverer / Corona-series satellites (colostate.edu)

Discoverer "Secret" file at 203.PDF (nro.gov)

The "Corona" Discoverer series was apparently done by Lockheed. At the time the CIA and Lockheed had some projects that involved the Air Force. From the file link on this page, the report is labeled "SECRET."

It does seem strange that a project labeled "secret" would be named instead of taking the opportunity laid out by the witness and the original reviewers of the file - a metorite. A little strang, considering the images, captured by other CORONA sats were not declassified until Pres. Clinton, in an execiutive order, do so in the 1990's/ 

What is in a Name? Discs, Saucers, UFOs, UAPs

FOO-FIGHTERS 

In 1945 - red, glowing, mysterious objects dancing around the clouds and aloft bombers were called "Foo-Fighters."  Feared to be a secret weapon of the Japanese or Nazi's it was kept pretty hush-hush but were encountered over Europe and the Pacific theaters. Post WW2 it was learned the Russians and Germans had seen them as well as the Chinese and Japanese.

No one knew what they were but the theories will sound familiar: static electricity or St. Elmo's Fire or ball lightening or pilot stress....

FLYING DISCS< FLYING DISKC< FLYING SAUCERS

In 1947 - from early in the year people were seeing shiny, disc shaped objects (disc, heel, oval, round, cigar), mostly silver or cream, with a speed and maneuverability unrecognized by witnesses (police, military, etc.).

No one knew what they were, but a reporter dredged up an old term and slapped it on the object reported by one witness in June that made national headlines. Thus, "flying saucers" was coined but most still used the earlier term of "flying disc" or "flying disks." Some merely used the terms of whatever it reminded them of (a flying washtub, a large platter, etc.) as well as "contraption", "whizz-bang", "Whirly-gig" and "what-not." 

FLYING SAUCER. FLYING OBJECT, UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (UFO)

1947 - 1957 the US Air Force used the term "object" more than anything else but by 1953 they were referring to it as an unidentified flying object. They produced a training booklet on hoe to report a "FLYGOBT" and other forms of the term. "Flying saucer" was in the parlance, but the more it became popular lingo, the more the term was used by people to convey nuanced meanings. Just as the term "pink elephant" conveyed without the words the idea of someone seeing things due to excess of alcohol, saying "flying saucer", in the right settings, did the same thing. Here, it said, was a nut-job, low intellect, over-excited, nervous, hysterical, or highly suggestible person who needed a strait jacket.  There were other terms played with for a time but slowly the "U.F.O." became "UFO."  These included forms of "Unidentified Aerial Objects and "Unidentified Phenomena." 

In 1957, it was noticed that the Air Force introduced a new term with "unconventional aircraft", a term the Army also began to use.  This was discussed in the July 1957 issue of "UFO Investigator", the newsletter of NICAP. 

UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA (UAO)

1962 - The term "UAP" was floated as a preferred term in the military. According to the UFO INVESTIGATOR (NICAP newsletter) of October-November 1962 (pg 3) : "AFR 200 repeatedly uses the term UFO and the AF is trying to replace this in the public mind with "UAP - Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" -- Major C.R. Hart, UFO spokesman, explains in a letter to NY -NICAP Affiliate President Muriel Brookman. The term, it was said, did not, inadvertently, give the ability to "Fly" or even suggest "solidity."

UFO

The "UFO" was the term of choice by the time Project Blue Book closed in 1969 (paperwork and "mop-up" did not conclude until the next year).

UAP (AGAIN OR STILL?)

2021 - The Official - people were told - was a term used by the U.S. government for objects to be studied was "UAP" - Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. 

To this day, the term "flying saucer" found in many debunkers writings and early UFO books and reports, lingers on. It is linked to the far-side element, the 'space-brothers" crowd, the fantastic trips to Venus or Mars crowd, and to those who (it is assumed) are off their meds or had too much to drink. 

"UFO" was born from an attempt to place an unknown within a respectable category. Just as with "flying Saucers" , UFO users realized that sometimes the things people observed were not flying.

A 1946 Oklahoma UFO Sighting: Windows and Occupants

 Aug. (late) 1946; Oklahoma City, OK

The object seen was a disc-shaped craft with windows. Also seen, were humanoid figures visible inside.

Oddly, reports of early occupants are found must earlier than previously thought to occur.  Most are short stature, some with large heads, and pale features and others about 6 ft. 

The object hovered at low altitude. After about 1-1/2 minutes the object rotated. This was often a common feature of later reports. The, like so often, the object sped away disappearing in seconds.  

(Ref. 3; Case summary by Ted Bloecher, 14 pages. Interviews by Bloecher, Lucius Farish, and Mildred Higgins.)  Source: 1946 Chronology; 1939-1946 (nicap.org)

1964 Socorro, NM : Emblemed UFO

 

WHAT DID THEY SEE?

1952-07-7274768-NewYork-NewYork

 

June 5, 1969: The Sky Was Falling!

Thursday June 5, 1969 was a busy day:  

In the first authenticated case of falling space debris causing damage on Earth, the Japanese freighter ship Dai Chi Chinei was heavily damaged by wreckage from a Soviet spacecraft that had re-entered Earth's atmosphere. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search

"Rivet Amber", a U.S. Air Force RC-135E reconnaissance spy plane similar to one shot by North Korea a month earlier, disappeared along with all 19 of its crew while flying an exercise over the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Although the plane was not shut down, it sent a distress call to Elmendorf Air Force Base as it traveled from between the island of Shemya and Eielson Air Force Base. The plane was believed to have been monitoring Soviet radar and radio communications from a distance. No trace of the aircraft nor its crew has ever been found. Read more on this here: Shemya's Rivet Amber (hlswilliwaw.com)

The files of Project Blue Book indicate 69 pages of "busy" as well. In a file labeled, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri was a summary sheet concerning one event, one object, seen 05/1750z - 05/2250z

The objects all appeared to come from the east and head to the west or west northwest but the descriptions of the objects verified.

One witness said they were "cone shaped" (almost a capsule configuration), lime green to green. Another witness called the objects seen as "bullet shaped" and silver-blue. One witnessed said there were three of them but one witnessed said it seemed they appeared to be one object and then broke into three pieces, following behind the leading one. Another witness indicated they had appeared to be moving in formation with the two leading and one traveling behind. The basic shape did not shape and the object appeared sharp rather than fuzzy. One witnessed indicated the three parts appeared to be connected by a fine wire or something similar. One indicated a white vapor trailing.

One interesting thing about these files is that some uncommon areas of the files are 'blacked out".  It is not uncommon to see names, places, information blacked out with what appears to be a marker or black grease pencil.  Oddly, in these reports often it is the sketch the witness drew when responding to the question, "where were you....in relation to object...and surroundings." Two responses by witnesses have this area blacked out. One has what reads as the remanent of arrows pointing "North" and "West". In that case the plane the man was in was heading east and the objects seen were heading west. So, one has to wonder was the arrow pointing north means. The other one, from shapes left, seems to infer the witness was explaining what he saw via references to where he was in his neighborhood at the time. Why black that out? On another there is a "correction" a rare notation in the files stating the witness was "confused" about the date entered (June 4) and so it was corrected to read (like the others) June 5.

Given the multi-state nature of the sighting the flight line appears to have been very level and straight west and visible (based on the reports in the file) in St. Louis, Missouri; Iowa, Greenfield, Indiana; Illinois and Iowa. 

The file conclusion is also strangely worded. One letter to a witness and the summary used the word "stimulus": "the stimulus of your UFO sighting of 5 June 1969 has been identified by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory as a meteor.  A preliminary search has found a significant meteor in Mexico in February and a "fireball" in England on June 7. Nothing related to June 5 has been found to date. 

Of note is that NICAP only reported the St. Louis event "  June 5, 1969; St. Louis, MO. 4:00 p.m. This radar/visual was written off as a meteor and observed by three air crews. Four dart-shaped objects witnessed by American Airlines Flight 112, a 707 heading east at 39,000 feet, a United Airlines flight eight miles to the rear at 37,000 feet, and a National Guard jet four miles further at 41,000 feet. The NICAP source claims the objects were tracked on FAA radar at St. Louis. The pilot of the National Guard plane later claimed the UFO formation had approached his craft almost "directly ahead" before altering its course abruptly and ascending quickly at the last moment. (NICAP UFOI Feb " (UFO Report (nicap.org)).

Phillip Klass, poster child for Debunkers, related only the St. Louis in his article "UFO's in Flight Formation" adapted from his "UFO'S Explained" volume. Isolated incidents, like lone witnesses, are much loved by the debunkers Too many focus in on only one region. We talk about the "Washington 1952 Flap" not realizing there were things beings seen all over the country in the months prior and after.  The "Great Midwestern Temperature Inversion Flap of 1965", ignores the thousands of witnesses, newspaper articles and facts that seriously put a hole in that particular dingy. Like 

July 1952 - Indiana and Illinois

 Almost anyone familiar with the story of UFO's in North America is familiar with the Great Flap of 1952.  Claims of objects seen on radar and with the naked eye flooded authorities on two consecutive weekends in 1952.  This was the first massive unrolling of Menzel's "temperature inversion" explanation. It would not be the last. There is a tendency for people to focus on the radar sightings and downplay the visuals by witnesses in the District as well as nearby populated areas. Such focus allows an easier dismissal of events.

Working on the assumption that, objects were seen in late July, were they seen elsewhere?

That led to a fascinating file labeled merely Indiana-Illinois for July of 1952. The file is 103 pgs. long and has witness statements, sketches, of an oddly similar object or objects. It also dovetails nicely with other sightings and presents a pattern in the development of the files.

Below is the image of one witness.  Explore the file here: 1952-07-7481848-INDIANA-ILLINOIS : U.S. Air Force : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

WHAT WAS THE PHOTO SHOWN TO KANSAS AIRMEN IN MARCH 1966?

Three airman from Forbes AFB in Topeka, Kansas reported seeing an intriguing object in late March 1966. 

They described it as "umbrella shaped", the size of a "B-53 flying flight level 350", it was "white", and had a tail equal to the wingspan.  When first seen it was 45 degrees to 60 degrees above horizon and 45" to 120 azimuth, it moved horizontally at a fast rate, it did a figure eight pattern, hovered, and then , vertically, went out of sight. They viewed the object for 12 minutes.

There were other sightings mentioned for the same time period but what was interesting was the statement made on one document, "after viewing an enlarged photograph of the object all agreed it looked like object they had observed."

There is mention two of a negative or photograph, but a dismissal of the quality of said negative or photograph. No negative or photograph copy is in the file. 

Most logically, this was probably a military craft; since it hovered it may have been a helicopter innovation.  Yet, helicopters have since their introduction remained basically the same. 

What,exactly, was the photograph shown these witnesses?

Who Goes There? 1957

Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the USSR on 4 October 1957.   It was aloft for only a couple of months. It operated by batteries that ran down within three weeks, its circuit of the globe was monitored by amateur radio operators the world over.  It burned up on re-entry in 1958 after its orbit decayed (4 Jan).  The military were concerned and in October they established a preparedness program; USAF Strategic Air Command began Ground Alert Operations on October 1, 1957. With that they would maintain approximately one-third of its aircraft on ground alert, with weapons loaded and crews standing by for immediate take-off.  

Sputnik 2 would go into orbit Nov. 1 (some sources say Nov.3) with a living being aboard; the pup had a one-way ticket and seven days of air. 

Oddly, 1957 has a great number of reports in Project Blue Book (957). Some scientists had forecast that the number of sightings would increase - their reasons varied but seemed to be accurate. Oddly, because few actually refer to orbiting satellites. Many seem to imply something else was being seen, heard, and felt.  1957 was a year marked by an official encouragement by scientists to go outside in the National Geophysical Year and take part in "OPERATION MOONWATCH". (see Close Encounters & 1957 (nicap.org).  People just that - to the consternation of Project Blue Book and others -  went outside and did just that , they looked up.

In 1956, Mars had a close Earth approach and many scientists and people held a theory that sightings increased during these close times. So, maybe the belief expressed by some scientists and military that 1957 would see more sightings was based on something solid. It has been noticed that the "flaps" actually are part of a three year cycle: 1 year build  up, one peak year, and one year decrease.  The "flap" of 1952 reveals this, as does the 1957, and 1965 "flaps".  In the Project Blue Book files,  however, the largest number of cases comes from 1957, possibly due to the "Operation Moonwatch."

This article and study has some fascinating thing to say about the "Southwestern UFO Flap of 1957" and , although, the author accepts the explanations provided instead of digging deeper into the cases to see if any conflicts between witness statements and presented explanation exist, the study is fascinating and provides a great deal of information concerning these events. 571102level_rullan.pdf (nicap.org)

The Object On the Roof: Nov. 1957

 A rationale, sober, married woman with a child and a background in science was preparing for bed on 1 Nov. 1957 in Huntingdon, West Virginia. Her small daughter was already asleep. A sudden noise had her checking the house and then outside.

Stepping out into the darkness on a calm evening she saw "something" appeared to be resting on the roofline of her house. It appeared to be a metallic sphere with the top half slide to the side and sitting off center.  There was a faint beeping coming from the object. The bottom half appeared to be rotating or vibrating and a small red steady light was visible in the lower half on one side. The top half was dark as if it had no power to it.

Standing there in her house dress, the object lifted straight up - there was an updraft that caused her dress to billow and leaves and twigs to move about- and the object quickly disappeared (she estimated in about a minute). 

The next day she found a venetian window blind had crashed to the attic floor and believed that might have been the initial noise she heard. Had the vibration she thought she had observed shaken it loose? She asked neighbors and although some had heard a "commotion" none had gone out to investigate. She appeared to be the only witness of this odd event.

She reported it via a "spot interview" with officials. The 5 page file contains her detailed rendering of what she had observed and the whole event as "Prob Unreliable Observer." 

Here is her rendering, she had taken her original rough sketch and created a better one to give to authorities. 

The "small red light" will show up in other reports even into the 1960 at Storm Lake, Iowa.  In 1957, October and November will be busy days as similar objects are reported from across the globe. There are stories of great heat when an object went over head, of large sized objects traveling at a high speed, and in almost every report is someone pushing the "balloon" theory even in the face of witness facts that do not agree.  

One Crazy Mixed Up File

 In the "undated" files of Project Blue Book online is one massive (100 pages) labeled simply "xxxx 09 9421900[illegible]".  In that are several cases some from 1964 and then the last part from 1965.

Aug. 4, 1965, Missionburg, Ohio

Aug. 4, 1964, Little Silver, NJ

Aug. 1, 1964 [US AF teletype with description but no location]

Aug. 5, 1964, Carswell AFB, Texas (Ft. Worth Area)

Aug. 5, 1964, Kennedale, Texas

Aug. 12, 1964, Wake Island

Aug. 15, 1964 , Shawnee Mission, Kansas

Aug. 15, 1964, no location listed

Aug 15, 1964, no location listed but does mention press report from

A close up of one crop circle; the story the Air Force went with was a localized "dust devil"

Articles from various sources labeled for "information only"

Barely discernable crop markings in probably the Dakotas (see article)

Honolulu and names three witness as AF personnel, Petry, Harlow and Angulera.

Aug. 18, 1964 - Possible sighting at Lawton, Oklahoma who used Biblical terms to describe a rocket like object.

Aug. 2, 1964 - Oklahoma mentioned but no details

The file then shifts to a series of crop circle events in the Dakotas and the surrounding regions (possibly).

Aug, 19, 1965 - Britton, South Dakota, news clippings, photos, etc.

Aug, 19, 1965 - Mexico City, story of an object that dropped a document made of gold or stone, taken by students to a university.

Aug. 20, 1965 - Farmington, VA newspaper carried a story from Waylon, Massachusetts regarding a round object with 4 arms and made mention of the "Hingham Phenomenon." This may suggest a Hingham , Mass sightings prior to the news article (7-21-65).

PROJECT SIGN (ALSO KNOWN AS PROJECT SAUCER) (1947-1949)

 According to an Air Force book of 1966, "On Dec. 30, 1947, the Air Force was given the responsibility by the Department of Defense for investigation of UFO sightings under the code name "Project SIGN"." (Aids to Identifying Unidentified Flying Objects, US Government Printing, 1966).

The public name, the one bandied about by Donald Keyhoe in his 1949 article and 1950 book, for the secret code was "Project Saucer." It is unclear if that was the Air Force term, or one created by Keyhoe to discuss the work he knew was going on. 

In February of 1949 the project released a report that essential revealed the coalescing story being used to express the attitude of the military and the government to the subject.

Dec. 1949, the Air Force released a press statement they were shutting the book on the topic as they had learned nothing that threatened the security of the nation and alleged all sightings were mistakes, hysteria or hoaxes, or natural phenomena. 

"MERINT' Identification Chart & Other Recognitions of Objects

An article in a 1961 issue of the "UFO Investigator" of NICAP shares a listing and image of a UFO. The MERINT system was set in place in about 1954 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff via JANP-146.  The image of choice for the chart was a disc shaped object with a clear dome or cupola aspect to the center, shiny looking, and fast (you can tell by the line markings used to convey speed surrounding these objects. 

Chart here

It is truly unique that this was added to the chart given the official stance - made via numerous press releases and public comments= by government and military officials.

In the 1950's there was an official stance from the AF - and perhaps other military entities - that reflected the essentials of AF Reg 200-2 that made talking about sightings, sharing information with unauthorized persons, and similar acts as unapproved. 

There were missiles, rockets, experimental aircraft and other technologies to protect but the antagonistic attitude of some officials seems a bit over the top. The level of secrecy, as some pointed out, could actually create situations where military might interpret a UFO for a soviet attack and start WW3. 

The military while saying the "things" do not exist, was at the same time providing at least one form, a shape that actually was the most dominant of all sightings,  for those designated as official watchers and guards of national security to use in their task

Sources referenced by the Air Force in Project Blue Book - training - 

. 

EVOLVING ATTITUDES

 OFFICIAL AIR FORCE STATEMENTS ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (UFO Investigator, NICAP, January 1958, pg.25)

This article was a recap of the official statements made through the years via newspapers and official statement.

In response to the June 27, Kenneth Arnold sighting, the Pentagon stated:” We have no idea what these objects are, if they actually exist.”

July 5, an Air Corp spokesman at the Pentagon said: “No investigation is needed. The saucers are only hallucinations."

July 5, an Air Corps spokesman at Wright Field said: “The Air Corp is making a careful investigation.”

[Note: Obviously, the official line was in some flux at this time. ]

July 7, Air Corp public relations spokesman at the Pentagon: “We can’t ignore this, too many reliable pilots are telling the same story- flat, round objects, able to outmaneuver ordinary planes and faster than any we have….we have a jet at Muroc and fighters at Portland standing by…”

July 7, An unnamed and unknown source at the Pentagon, made a statement to the Associated Press claiming the unknowns may be one of three things: “solar reflections off low hanging clouds”, “small meteors which break up, their crystals catching the rays of the sun”, or “icing conditions could have formed large hailstones and they might have flattened out and glided a bit, giving the impression of horizontal movement…”

[Note: Ruppelt cites this as an unknown source and notes the science was laughed at for this hasty statement generated by an unknown office and using a person labeling themself an Air Corp spokesman]

July 7, the Pentagon, perhaps a different spokesman, said: “Army Air Force Intelligence, since July 2, have been investigating reports of unidentified objects…no such phenomena can be explained away by any experiments of the Army Air Force…”

[Note: This appears to be an untruth, documents seem to indicate that since reports were being received earlier in the year, some level of investigation was going on, and this was quickly labeled "SIGN" and put to official work within a short time of the creation of a special study]

July 8, Air Corps statement at the Pentagon, “we are investigating a flying disc report by Navy rocket engineer C.T. Zohn and three other rocket scientists.”

[Note: This is also the day the Roswell disc story will hit the wires later in the afternoon. In the July 9 editions papers are giving the "balloon" story that same day Brigadier General George F. Schulgen is meeting with agents with the FBI to solicit their help because of a "fear" of some generating these "flying disc stories" for political reasons. There is a strong emphasis on this communist link by Schulgen. He wants the two to work together with the FBI doing investigations of the early stories seeking motivations. Later, however, a communication to commanders of bases comes to the attention of the FBI indicating that they would leave the "ash can" level events for the FBI to investigate. The other cases the AAF would investigate. Hoover nixes any working partnership.]

Sept. 23, Official report from ATIC to General Vandenburg, “the reported phenomena are real.”

Within two years the tune had changed as the official line was established.  Most everyone was now singing in unison on the UFO topic. In December of 1949 the Air Force press release proclaimed: “The Air Force has discontinued its special project investigation and evaluating reported “flying saucers”…The reports are the result of misinterpretation of various conventional objects, a mild form of mass hysteria, or hoaxes, and continuance of the project is unwarranted.”

This was the official line through 1950, even in the face of the report of Cdr. R.B. McLaughlin, USN, who when he was an officer in charge of guided missile tests at White Sands Proving Grounds reported seeing an elliptical object over 100 feet long, tracked at 18,000 mph at an altitude of 56 miles (March 1950).

The published statement of Col. Harold E. Watson, Chief of ATIC, in Nov. 1950: “Behind nearly every report tracked down stands a crackpot, a religious crank, a publicity hound, or a malicious practical joker.” At the start of 1951 the rhetoric had calmed down to state” hallucinations, mistakes, hoaxes, or natural phenomena.”

 

'TOP SECRET STATUS FOR BUNK'

 REVISED AF REGULATION PROVES CENSORSHIP (UFO Investigator, NICAP, March 1960, pg. 4).

Citing sections 4a and 14a of the revised AF regulations 200-2, the pages of the “UFO Investigator” NICAP, in this article, suggested the existence of new levels of secrecy on a topic deemed unimportant, bunk, and a waste of taxpayer dollars. “High priority findings” were to be immediately phoned to ATIC from any air base in the United States.  This was in addition to the previous reading of the same regulation that required the following entities to be informed for a sighting: Air Defense Command (ADC), to the nearest ADC division, the Air Technical Intelligence Center, and AF Intelligence in Washington. This, after a decade of assuring the American people that the objects were not Russian, were not a threat to the security of the United States and did not reflect a superior level of technology or new science.

Additionally, radarscope photos are to be classified; suspected or actual UFO material is to be safeguarded until it could be turned over to intelligence for evaluation, AF base commanders were prohibited from releasing a UFO sighting unless the object has been positively identified as a familiar or known object (AF italics). No unsolved cases may be released to the press, AF pilots and personnel were not to discuss UFO sightings with “unauthorized persons” unless specifically directed, and then only on a “need basis. to know”

WHEN THE CHILDREN SQUABBLE: Menzel As Gadfly

Scanning the manuscript by Hector Quintinella Jr. regarding his experiences with the life, and death, of Project Blue Book, one is struck by the animosity he expresses regarding J. Allen Hynek. True by the last few years of the program Hynek was chaffing a bit as his personal views had shifted somewhat from his previous hubris driven role as official debunker to a scientist more often to fully and scientifically exploring the mystery of the "UFO". 

Oddly, in that same swan song time of the project another name, usually seen only in the shadows or through massive copies of his gallery sheets or photocopied sections of his book, comes forward.  Dr. Donald H. Menzel, who many believe was one of the early consultants, from a distance, used by the Pentagon when the "flying discs" first showed up.

Stanton T. Friedman, in his book, TOP SECRET/MAJIC: Operation Majestic-12 and the United States Government's UFO Cover-up (NY: Marlowe, 1997).  Among the information Friedman had found, regardless of where one stands on the truth or hoax of the MJ-12 papers, were some fascinating tidbits of background missing from most official bios of Menzel. 

-According to Friedman, he had been an acquaintance of Vannover Bush since the mid-1930's Bush was the man who would head up what would become the Atomic Energy Commission. He was a firm believer in the use of compartmentalization for security issues.  The AEC grew out of the Manhattan Project and would eventually become the Department of Energy. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that as a young man getting his degree, earning his "spurs", and making a name for himself, he might have become associated with clandestine government work.

- According to Friedman, that is what he did, and his association was with agencies who were so secret their very existence was largely unknown for many years. 

It is interesting that General George F. Schulgen was in Massachusetts in 1930 within driving, rail, or walking distance of MIT, Harvard, and other offices and specialists. Menzel. himself, in the summer around that time was doing internship work at Harvard.  Schulengen was with Intelligence for the Air Force. What he was doing there is unknown, but he stayed at a very respected hotel; his career is all fairly mysterious until he pops up post the Roswell debris debacle and is enlisting the "help" of the FBI. Subsequent records indicate he was paving the way for the FBI to do the leg work while the Air Force followed a separate agenda regarding the "flying discs."

Indeed, one source does outline his involvement with Naval intelligence: "During the years before World War II, Menzel began teaching at Iowa, Ohio, and Harvard. During the war, Menzel was asked to join the Navy as Lieut. Commander, to head a division of intelligence, where he used his many-sided talents, including deciphering enemy codes. Until 1955, he improved radio-wave propagation with the Navy by tracking the Sun’s emissions and studying the effect of the aurora on radio propagation for the Department of Defense." (Source: Donald Howard Menzel and the UFOs - SciHi BlogSciHi Blog)

It is interesting to note that Menzel wrote a book on "UFO's" called "Flying Saucers" (Cambridge: HArvard Press, 1053) and it has been mostly or intentionally forgotten. He preferred that term, apparently, for its minimizing and demeaning aspects.  The Wikipedia article on him does not mention his later work with Boyd at all. Oddly, he mentions that the "official Air Force report recounts Arnold's story in some detail" (pg. 7) and presents the questions for a "Report Sheet for Saucer Observers" with instructions to send it to ATIC at Wright Field or to him and if he felt it contains significant information, he wouold forward it to the Air Force (pg. 297). Nowhere, however, in preface material, content, or notes does he list the Air Force as the source of help, information, or access. A startling oversight in a book written by an academic and published by an academic publishing house.

It appears that his book "The World of Flying Saucers: A Scientific Exploration of a Major Myth of the Space Age" , written with Lyle G. Boyd (1963, Doubleday) was a rehash with some updated examples of the explanations he provided in the earlier book. 

With all that in mind, it makes the appearance of more prominent and informal communication with PBB Head Quintinella in 1968 seem a bit - interesting. He seemed particularly upset by the times Hynek used - or allowed go be used - the term "Air Force Consultant." Quintinella seemed extremely disturbed by the fact he was a "Project Blue Book Consultant" NOT the Air Force. To the majority of the population they were one and the same, unless Quintinella knew something we do not.  

In the August 15 file for events at Xenia and Yellow Spring, Ohio ( a 72 pgs file) there are portions of two letters between Quintinella and Menzel. It was obvious that Quintinella was running cases by Menzel because they were commenting about Hynek's interpretation of the case. Menzel's tone is scathing and professionally insulting.

In the process, he clarifies his own presumptions and attitudes, concerning the value of eyewitnesses and their ability to see and report with any accuracy.  He dismissed Hynek's acceptance of witness statements. "I simply don't share Hyneks' faith in the reliability of human beings." (Nov. 8, 1968, letter written by Donald H. Menzel in PBB Archive file 1968 08 9676993, August 1968, Xenia and Yellow Springs, OHIO). In an October letter to Quintinella he recommended terminating Hynek's consultancy agreement (contract).

Just as exploring the back issues of the NICAP newsletter, "UFO Investigator" discloses a lot of targeted attacks against NICAP and the UFO field in general from the Pentagon Press Office of the Air Force, the presence of these 'shadow' influencers in the Project Blue Book files are hard to explain. There was apparently no secret project of a magnitude to warrant the attacks, the false presentation of report facts, and other tactics.

It was clear in the time right after the 'flying disc' in 1947 there was extreme competition between the three "children" of the U.S.: The Navy, the Air Force, and the Army.   It was clear that there was some competition between the FBI and the Air Force. Was there an equal amount of in-fighting in the clandestine ranks as well?

There is an almost ironic twist to things in one section where he explores how a Denver university class dealt with a "expert" (renowned hoaxer-conman Newton of Aztec NM fame). The instructor developed a set of criteria for judging authenticity and reliability of information. It is humorous because the first is apparently one he was not following later in life (as expressed by the letters in the file) and others were indicators of just the Air Force Project Blue Book failed as an investigative effort. 

"Criteria for judging authenticity and reliability of information:

1.  First-hand account.
2.  Free from all prejudice
3.  Information carries more weight from trained vis untrained observers
4.  Data should be available for double checking 
5.  Statements must be signed. Unsigned statements carry no implied responsibility for correctness." (pg. 149, Menzel. Flying Saucers. 1953)

E-M Reports : Through the Looking Glass

The same day that Kenneth Arnold saw the nine strange objects a miner in the mountains had his own experience. Most investigators - and scientists - dismissed his report because to explain the things he saw and reported would indicate a massive amount of magnetism at work. Too much to be explained by them.  

In the 1950's there were some cases of drivers claiming cars had gone dead when a strange object had passed overhead, hovered near a car, or landed on a roadway.

In the 1960's there were rumors of military missile systems going amuck, of more cars with total electronic failures at the same time as strange objects were reported, and more.

The concept of electro-magnetic power actually emerged most prominently in the 1820 to 1870 period. Archaeological finds, however, have indicated some forms of electricity were known to ancient humanity (China, Olmecs, Mesopotamia, Egypt, etc.).  Earliest scientific thinkers were attempting to develop a deeper understanding in the 1750's. 

Using it as a means of flight, a theoretical possibility, was largely hampered in the early part of the 20th century. Its closest competitor was the MAG LEV train, developed as an idea in 1902 but not fully and commercially feasible for more than forty years (bringing it into that 1940's time-frame). But translating that into a flying machine held its own challenges.  

If there is one thing research tells us about the 'era of the saucers', many groups and agencies utilized the "flying saucer" and "unidentified flying objects" as a means of covering up ultra-top secret projects , operations, and achievements.

There is the issue of sightings at areas where nuclear missiles or great power sources were. In searching some cases the question was "why there?"  A closer study often reveals there was an old chemical or mineral field there. There was a hitherto unknown nuclear missile silo in that area. On and on it goes. 

Down and down one falls through the looking glass; the question is are we Alice or the Mad Hatter?

CUFOS Files: A_Study_of_Secondary_Effects-An_Unpublished_Manuscript_of_UFO_E-M_Cases.pdf (cufos.org)

Michigan: A Place Where Planets Accelerate and Climb

K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned U.S. Air Force installation in Marquette County, Michigan, near the city of Marquette. It was opened in about 1944 and decommissioned in the mid-1990's.

A case from there in Project Blue Book is found with difficulty due to an error in labeling the files in the online archives database. The file is labeled "1965 10 8695228  AverKISawyerAFB Michigan.  A search of files related to the 10th month had brought it up but a search under Michigan did not find it.

Here is the story. October 14, 1965, at 15/0050z a pilot and plane were flying under some cloud cover when a sharply outlined object, bright white that turned several shades of red, caught their eyes. At first, they thought it might be a missing Cessna plane but that was quickly struck down when the object accelerated at great speed. Its red color faded some as it moved away to the distance. At first the object had appeared stationary but then extreme acceleration told them it was in motion. The object would turn bright red when it sped toward or away from them.

Under the cloud cover there were no stars seen. None were noticed until the object light up into the clear above the clouds sky.

The object climbed rapidly and when last seen was heading to the SW and climbing. Again, the brilliant red color in its acceleration was noted. 

The main witness was the pilot of the tanker plane, Capt. Dewaine F. Jensen, 46 Air Refueling Sq., K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan. He was an experienced pilot of ten years.  He noted on the form in the area where other outstanding features should be noted that the object was "able to go from 3NM to 15NM or more awy from KC-133 in 10-30 second." At the time the KC-!33 was flying at 340 "KIAS." When the object was last seen it was at 250 degrees and CLIMBING.

The Air Force labeled this a sighting of VENUS. Someone, perhaps one of the consultants, had penciled in a question mark. "Venus on horizon at 230 degrees? - 3/9 mag. Motion attributed to refraction of setting planet."

The file is mentioned and the name if "Ever K I Sawyer AFB" and the "AverKISawyerAFB Michigan"; what the "Ever" or 'Aver" means is unclear.

October 1965

The date is listed as 2 October 1965 with a time of 03/0450z. Elsewhere in the report the date time is given as 2050 hours on 1 October 1965. Three objects were seen, one a "mother ship" and the others pulsating with changing colors. Observed for 1 hour and ten minutes on a "maneuvering Course" (the term for movements with an apparent intelligence behind them). It was labeled "Insufficient Data" and happened the first part of October in 1965 in San Gabriel, California.  San Gabriel is on the coast some 92 miles southwest of Edwards AFB. 

In the Project Blue Book files is a copy of the "Staff Duty Officer's report" with excerpted items listed for 4 October 1965.

For the period 1630 2 Oct 1965 to 0800 2 Oct 1965 (summaries by this author):

Item: UFO - woman reported her husband's sighting and did not give her name or details. 1910 hours. Sighted earlier in the day.

Item: Manhattan Place, LA. 1930 hours. High altitude. Moving in an arc. Very fast.

For the Period 1630 2 Oct 1965 to 0800 3 Oct 1965:

Item: UFO - south San Gabriel. 3 objects. "Mother ship" was one. Description vague, used binoculars. Seemed focused on changing colors. 

Note: Nowhere in the file is there an explanation of what the witness meant by "mother ship." See elsewhere on this blog a report from Tulsa, Ok of a witness seeing an object fly into a large black object that blanked out the stars.

Oct. 3, 1965 - Cannon AFB, New Mexico

A truly phenomenal sighting of the star Arcturus occurred this date. The details appear in a 6 page report in Project Blue Book. The "star", as the summary sheet called it, was observed from the ground, with binoculars, for 25 minutes. The witness statements in the file state the "object size varied from size of a dime to a quarter held at arm's length."  Again, the description was a "brilliant white to orange" (see previous entry). In the center was an orange ray like appearance surrounding it with bright flickers of white light.  The object was circular in shape and was 20 degrees above the horizon at 285 degrees; it did a figure eight pattern and a spiral in an arc. The witness was Henry B. Hoadly, Supply Sq, Master Sgt. The weather was clear, no clouds, and surface wins (velocity) "10". The ceiling was clear, 15 miles visibility and it was 54 degrees.

Oct, 19, 20, and 26?, 1965 - Wallop's Island, VA. Langley Research Center conducted a research test with experimental balloons manufactured by G.T. Schjeldahl Comp. Northfield, CT. Six balloons were launched from Wallops Island. They noted that Huntsville had ordered 1500 balloons for NASA after a report of a Vero Beach, FL balloon debris find that was not one of the Wallop Island launches (the FL one was lightbulb shape). Research has shown that one from Wallop had landed inland 25 miles away generating some public interest (they were blimp shaped, 13.7 to 16.5 feet long, 4 feet in diameter with three inflated "fins" off the tail). NASA was believed to be using them for Gemini 6. 

Oct. 21 - 26. 1965 - "Northern Hemisphere" file in PBB. "The Great Comet of 1965", Ikea-Seki (Comet 1965f) was on display with a huge visible tale low on the horizon (17-degree tail 5 days after parhelion on Oct. 21).

Oct. 25, 1965 - Luke AFB, Arizona (5 pg. report)

Two objects reportedly observed for more than an hour from the ground by military personnel. The conclusion was they had seen the 2 planets Venus and Jupiter. The summary sheet was specific that the "object" resembled a star or planet. It was white to orange to black to white (a typo that apparently meant it had been white to orange and then BACK to white). It was seen at a 40–60 degree elevation to the SW. Movement was very erratic, with changes in direction (S to N to SE to E). Also changes in elevation and final movement W to E.  The second observation was moving E to S. Object was still there visible in the SSE that witness retired for the night. Weather was clear with only very thin high clouds.

Reading that, hopefully, the non-planetary movements of this object or objects, was noted. Inside the file from the teletype sent out to official AF and government agencies said a few more non-[lanetary things.

The object was "described as like a star or planet", the object was the "size of dime" (held at arm's length - the standard measurement system), white color that changed to orange and then back to white. One object with brightness and erratic behavior that attracted attention. When first seen it was 40-60 degrees to the SW and when it disappeared below the horizon it was at 0 degrees. Very high speed to the object. Witnesses were Major Bond and Major Campbell who comments on the weather was supported by the official readings: it was a clear night, light winds, and good visibility.

Oct. 30, 1965 - Overton, NV

This 6 page file in PBB contains what was described as a "vivid drawing" of a balloon observed by a witness. The quality is very good and clearly identifies that the object in the drawing was a balloon of the round object described as silver. The AF identified it as an upper air balloon that had burst and they communicated how such reports often allowed recovery of record packages.

1965: Edwards AFB - AF Audio record of Oct. 7

The audio was made public only after some researchers slogged through FOIA requests and did some deep searching. The initial conclusion was - no surprise - astro (stars, planets) after which someone penciled in "balloon". 

As an isolated incident it can be simple and easy to blame people seeing stars or balloons (even when they have trouble finding any in use for a region). Seen in totality of all of 1965 - there is a commonality of "lights" seen flashing red and white with a touch of green, behaving in atypical ways. Remember, the AF did send up a jet but by that time the "lights" were high and - according to some witnesses - heading higher.  Scanning across the year (which I have been doing in reference to some projects of research) there is a sameness: red glowing objects, faster than jets, coming alongside vehicles, crossing or stopping on roadways, moving in formations, sometimes displaying combinations of red, green, white, and even some purple. Repeated incidents of electromagnetic interference with electronic transmissions or automotive systems. A seeming targeting of military weapons, nuclear, or military sites and chemical locations (raw and manufactured). Witnesses of objects that rose out of large bodies of water and oceans. They were stories - so similar - coming often on the same day hundreds of miles apart. Often from the other side of the globe. 

Given the crucial importance to national security of having optimum quality radar equipment, given the fact that this was an excuse used in 1952, and was still brought out in 1965 causes some major questions of defense spending priorities. Were we really guarding our air space with "crappy radar" in the middle of a "Cold War"? If so, why????? Talk about reckless endangerment....

Hear the Air Force Audio from Oct. 7, 1965 - 1965 UFO Over Edwards AFB : United States. Air Force : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Read transcripts  here : transcript (nicap.org)

and summary here Edwards AFB Incident, Oct. 7, 1965 (nicap.org)

Retrospectively, some authors (such as What the 1965 UFO Sighting at Edwards Air Force Base Means 50 Years Later (inverse.com)) fall back on the idea that the Cold War was making everyone jittery (including skilled and trained observers such as those at Edwards' that day) and "crappy radar systems" that tend to ignore the visual sightings that rode tandem with the equipment sightings. 

That was a technique perfected by those in charge of Project Blue Book as early as 1952 when bad radar (radar angels) and temperature inversions were first widely used to discredit major sighting events (many witnesses and locations). 

In 1965, the Cold War was shoved to the background with an ongoing situation in Southeast Asia. Some attempted to pound the patriotic drum about fighting the surge of Communism into free lands, but for many of that day it rang a little hollow. There was such a large counter movement at work that familiar refrain failed to capture the larger part of the imagination and heart of the American people. 

It was a crucial time in American history - one that periodically comes to every land when the younger demographic is gaining control and the old guard is decreasing. The new generation had some different ideas, not necessarily better, but definitely different. This conflict was fought beneath a dozen banners in the form of sub-cultures, counter-cultures, social movements, and anti-everything movements.

Caught in the middle was a generation of brothers, sons, and husbands who donned the uniforms and sought to serve their country.

To dismiss the nuances of change at work and to label it all "Cold War jitters" in this "Edwards Incident" is to dismiss the training, integrity, and seriousness of professionals in the prime of their lives doing a highly technical and important national work. There is an old saying that "Victors write the history" and the same can be applied to these early reports of sightings found in government records. We assume they are truth; we can really only know they were one vision of the truth of an episode. Most reports were not even investigated. They were looked into via phone calls, some wired or mailed in reports, and maybe looking at some select photographs, radar images, or reports of physical specimens. Yet, the inconsistency of those very records begs to argue there was no true investigation going on but merely the public relations work so many have claimed. In essence, the Fox was guarding the hen house and if a few turned up missing.... who was there to question the Fox?

To suggest the men in the tower in this instance were witnessing some 'need to know' new technology opens a can of worms about the integrity of the U.S. Government and the Military at large. It is possible given that with twenty years a lot of dirty laundry will be exposed as being SOP for military and security agencies. Those included tests without consent, deliberate exposure to chemical and nuclear weapons or fallout, and much more. This is pulled out so often but in reality, there were only few great leaps matching witness statements and official claims of secret projects to verify the claims from 1947 to 1965.

To suggest that the witnesses were jumpy -  well, one need only listen to the audio. These were men trained in calm.  They described in detail objects, noted similarities and differences to known aircraft and more. 

To suggest that, although they notified NORAD and or the Pentagon, the apparent lack of response from them labels the event an non-issue, means little.  Like a telephone conversation, the audio only shares events going on in one tower on one occasion; what would be more interesting - and enlightening - would be the tapes of conversations in NORAD, the Pentagon, and the White House for the times designated. What was going on we still - after more than close to sixty years later - do not know the total truth about? I suspect the people really getting nervous were in those chambers of clandestine power.

An "Unexplained Mysteries" episode. Although they make something of a "UFO Officer" - nearly every major base or installation had one in the days of Project Blue Book - it is an interesting visual to the whole.  Those base officers who served as on-site contacts to the Wright Patterson offices were sometimes very detailed and determined to do an admirable job.

Closing quote: "Lunar Astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell was at Edwards the night the UFO chase occurred. The 6th person to walk on the moon said, "The night it happened I investigated it myself and this was a real event."  link