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.

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: 1^st 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. 

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.

Liar,Liar, Pants on Fire!

The following is just one example - and glaring one - of the way that records and reports of UFO's were manipulated in the Air Force files of Project Blue Book.

The case is from January 4, 1959, when a medical clinic technician, two other adults and 2 children were heading home to Albuquerque, NM along US Route 285. The incident occurred 10 miles east of Cline's Corner (at the intersection of US Route 66 and 285).

Take note of how the incident was reported on the card summary form because it will be the basis for illustrating how taking the data from that page alone can present false data and flagrant misrepresentation of the witness statements and facts gathered from the investigation.

The report stated 1 object seen, moving from the west to the east, object was the size of a grapefruit (held at arm's length), object was BLUE to GREEN in color, Object would move out at fast speed, halt, move out again. Had lights flaring from tail end. Picked up speed and flew out of sight.

The comments section said "Probable star SPICA. Sighting possessed of the characteristics of an astronomical body with distortion and apparent motion due to atmospheric conditions...observed while traveling in a car. Pont first observed 75 miles from point where object was first observed."

There, anyone reading that would say, ah, silly witness just a star and got carried away. Nothing to see here, moving right along....

When reading the forms inside - with the descriptions of the witness - it becomes clear the facts as presented in the comments section constitute cherry picked data to conform to predetermined explanation, in this case the star SPICA.

SPICA, is a fairly bright object set off alone from the Big Dipper and , according to the webpage EarthSky, "From all of Earth, Spica rises earlier each evening so that – by the end of August – Spica can be viewed only briefly in the west to west-southwest sky as darkness falls. Here’s how you can find Spica. First look for the Big Dipper in the northern sky..." Note, this does not seem to correlate to the elements of the statement about. It is about 15th on the scale of bright night objects but is often low on the horizon (See -https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/spica-alpha-virginis-star).

The witness said: its color was cold green changing to blue and then to orange
The witness said: It passed over the road in front of the car
The witness said: It kept crossing back and forth
The witness said: He had stopped the car and had gotten out to observe the object through binoculars
The witness said: the object had a red light at the rear end
The witness said: the object was moving slowly and toward the observer