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

New Mexico Wing? August 25, 1951

See also entry on this page.

As noted in an earlier entry -there is an apparent connection between the famed "Lubbock Lights" and a sighting near Albuquerque, NM the same date. The question is does the sketch from one reflect the other sighting and do they both represent an experimental aircraft?

Albuquerque, NM 1951-08-7008373, Project Blue Book. On August 25, 1951 (seen at 2200 ; 0258 hrs) on the east side of Albuquerque, a man and his wife observed on object "similar to a flying wing, but one and one-half times larger than B-36."  (Note this date - it is the same as the famed "Lubbock Lights"; in fact witness from one will identify the sketch as what they saw in the other incidence).

The object was heading S-SE "object had strong glowing white lights on trailing edge of wing and black striped under the wing..." Further, it made absolutely no sound. Its speed was estimated at 300-400 mph, at 160 degrees, and 1000 feet. The stripes reflected light but the space between them was a flat and non-reflective surface. Mention was made that a similar object had been reported "v-shaped" over Lubbock .

This letter 0f 14 November 1951 (File No:24-115) labeled subject "unconventional type aircraft...Albuquerque, NM, 2158 hours 25 August 1951 to Commanding Officer, ATIC at Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio. The letter references a letter received30 October 1951 - file AFOIH-ATIAA-2c.  "#3 On 10 November 1951, a Mr and Mrs [named blacked out] were shown the photographs enclosed with reference d letter, and stated the formation of lights captured similar to the light they had observed on the trailing edge of the unidentified object they saw at 2158 25 August 1951 above Albuquerque, NM ... Mr. {name blacked out] sketched an outline..."

Was the object seen an extra-terrestrial craft, a foreign craft, or an experimental craft? The sketch does seem to show some characteristics similar to a flying wing type of craft. The black and white stripping might also be a clue as planes were often marked this way especially during testing as the stripping allegedly informed ground sources they were "friendlies." 

The above two photos of a flying wing aircraft from the 1950's.  The issue of the absence of sound in the New Mexico sighting given its estimated altitude. By contrast, the trio of scientists who reported the Lubbock Lights v-shaped object estimated - because of the lack of sound - a much higher altitude coupled with far greater speeds than allowed by any suggestion of a flock of birds.

Below is a new generation take on the same concept of the flying wing.

	Northrop Grumman's concept is based on the extremely aerodynamic "flying wing" design. The four Rolls Royce engines are embedded in the upper surface of the wing to achieve maximum noise shielding. The company used its expertise in building military planes without a stabilizing tail to propose this design for the commercial aviation market. This design is among those presented to NASA at the end of 2011 by companies that conducted NASA-funded studies into aircraft that could enter service in 2025. The image is dated circa 2011 , Northrup-Grumman.
Source	http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/future_airplane_gallery19.html (direct link)

Marietta, Ohio June 1968

All through the 1960's an interesting object was being reported in diverse areas but sharing some common details that were not always shared in newspaper or even official reports.

One of those is a round, circular or egg-shaped object that had red lights or illumination on the bottom. Often ringing this center area would be lights described as red, white or yellow and even yellowish-white.

See Project Blue Book - Marietta, Ohio (1968-06-6888277).

In June of 1968 such an object was reported in Ohio. There may be several versions of the same episode.  There are numerous accounts of objects like this throughout official files and from across many years.

https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2016/04/14/50-years-ago-a-small-town-ohio-policeman-chased-a-flying-saucer-into-pennsylvania-and-it-ruined-his-life

Of note is this illustration found online that gives a good interpretation of what people were seeing: the circular like object, the ring of outer lights and the center core of light, and the frequent dome or "bump" on the top.

Isaac Asimov : Quote on the importance of evidence.

“Don't you believe in flying saucers, they ask me? Don't you believe in telepathy? — in ancient astronauts? — in the Bermuda triangle? — in life after death?

No, I reply. No, no, no, no, and again no.

One person recently, goaded into desperation by the litany of unrelieved negation, burst out "Don't you believe in anything?"

Yes", I said. "I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I'll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be.”

― Isaac Asimov

WHAT DID THEY SEE IN WICHITA, KANSAS IN NOVEMBER 1960?

As part of some ongoing research related to a book I am doing related to Kansas, the following emerged.  People often researchers clipping they found in their deceased relatives files or something similar.  There was no notice of source for this one - just a date Nov. 5, 1960 and the title: "Lighted UFO Parked Near Wichita All Night".

Apparently the object with its three lights was observed about 7:20 p.m. on Thursday and last seen at 4:00 a.m. on Friday. Witnesses included officers from the Sheriff's department and local citizens. All are named. Sheriff Patrol Lt. Hollis Nichols approached the strange lights within a quarter mile about 4:00 a.m. Friday morning. There were three lights that winked at just north of 37th North west of Andover Rd. 

Witnesses agreed that the object had made a very fast and direct descent from the northwest to the place where it remained stationary from Thursday night through early Friday morning. Various witnesses reported that the "lights" appeared to be hovering, stationary, about ten feet off the ground in a field at the location.

Edgar Roslaugh, 1519 Lulu Street and Mrs. George Enlala 1733 E. 24th North observed the object about 7:30 Thursday night and thought an airplane was crashing because of the speed and brightness of the object.

Witness Ernest Feeler, 2206 N. MacArthur Rd. said he too thought it was crashing but then observed three lights in a field; 1 blue, one very vivid purple in the middle, and one a bright yellow. The lights were ten feet apart, about ten feet above the ground and not moving.

OKLAHOMA BOOK SHARES ABOUT STATE UFO'S

Oklahoma - the Sooner State - has been witness to numerous strange and unusual events over its history and that include things zipping across its skies and landing on its soil.  Author Marilyn A. Hudson serves as tour guide to a collection of the assorted events that had people looking up to search the skies from 1947 to 1969. Drawn from government records, newspapers, personal accounts and local legends she shares what people saw, what some said the objects were and provides some information and questions along the way.

Today, as 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" are becoming news worthy and the term is replacing the well worn "Flying Saucers" and "UFO's" of the past, take a trip to see what was going on over Oklahoma skies...

You might be surprised. Read SOONER SAUCERS: OKLAHOMA UFOs 1947-1969.

Marilyn A. Hudson, is an Oklahoma research, author, and storyteller who has written both fiction and nonfiction.

Sooner Saucers: Oklahoma UFO's 1947-1969 now available in Kindle format.

ISBN 9798667091219

"What is going on?": The Hidden Events Behind the Midwest Flap

As part of this author's ongoing research for an upcoming book on Oklahoma UFO's (coming out in late July 2020), an opportunity to get the "big picture" of events had proven truly insightful. 

Most people tend to think of the events in their state disconnected from their region or the national picture. A flying craft can cover several states in a matter hours and minutes. Sometimes a sighting that was pretty "ho-hum" in one location and dismissed by the Air Base investigating it as something prosaic moved on and revealed, when flight paths were followed via stories and news accounts, different actions, speed, colors, or maneuvers in another area.

What has seemed for over fifty years, the craziness of one summer in the Sooner State, dismissed and explained away in scientific phrases or tongue-in-cheek reporting - was part of a much larger and more complex set of events. Events that today we still have little explain.

On August 1-2 numerous 'UFO's' zipped and darted through the skies surrounding two high security facilities - at the same time objects of the same descriptions, shapes, and movements were being reported from Mexico to Minnesota and North Dakota and are far northeast as Maine and as far west as Alaska.

One intriguing story of the Wyoming Minuteman Missile Site near Cheyenne is worth the retelling.

In a communication from the Air Force to Colonial Kizer (?), SAC Command Post, the following report was shared..."at 1246 by 15th HQ from Warren (Frances E. Warren Missile Site). Reported to Warren at 1030 by Strike team by Airman 3rd Class Williams and Airman 2nd Class Diviny. They were five miles west of Delta 4 site which is approximately 60 miles ENE of Cheyenne and got within 10 miles of object when the ran out. Through binoculars they reported observing that the object was very large with red and white flashing lights. Lights flashed from red to white and then white to red.  It was oval and not round. It was on the ground, while they observed it it rose 500 ft up to the northwest. They watched for additional 10-15 minutes until it disappeared from sight..."  Response to the message was a question, "NORAD have this." And they reply was the report was being sent to them, as had the other reports.